No Creed but the Catechism

I went to mail a package the other day and wound up getting into a strange little theological conversation. It was brief. To tell the truth, I was a little surprised, and didn’t quite know how to respond to the statement that offended me. The fellow saw that I was mailing some religious books. He asked me what denomination I was. I told him I was a Missouri Synod Lutheran. He seemed to know what that was, but then told me this: “I had dinner with two Lutheran friends from out of town the other night. The one I’m not worried about. The other one… too catholic! He talked too much about the catechism.” I thought to myself that the man he was worried about and I would probably get along better than the other “Lutheran” and I would. I knew I only had a few moments to respond in some way. Rather than being confrontational, or saying something sarcastic (which is my modus operandi), I replied, “God works through His Word when and where He wills.” I got a smile of approval, finished my transaction, and left. 

This attitude among Evangelicals really does kind of bother me. It falls under the umbrella of No Creed but Christ, No Book but the Bible. This is supposed to express that the person who professes this mini man-made creed doesn’t profess man-made creeds, and that they get their doctrines from the Bible, and not man-made theology. It’s not so much because of their smug sense of superiority when expressing it, but rather that they are so certain about something that just is not so. Not only are they professing a creed that is not “Christ”, one that is far inferior to the ecumenical creeds, they often subscribe to many books other than the Bible for their theology; books that take the words of Scripture out of context and teach things foreign to it, like dispensationalism (I’m looking at you, Cyrus Scofield).

Cyrus I. Scofield, creator of the Scofield Reference Bible

Dr. Martin Luther’s Small Catechism (hereinafter referred to as The Catechism) falls into the second half of the mini-creed; it is a book other than the Bible. It must, therefore, contain the doctrines of men. After all, if it were Jesus’ catechism, it would have His name on it. There are, however, several problems: No Creed but Christ, No Book but the Bible ignores the reality of how men are converted, and how doctrine is preserved and transmitted from one generation to the next; also, my fundagelical friends have a misconception about what a catechism is. 

They don’t know what a catechism is, so they don’t know what they are missing by rejecting such a resource out-of-hand because it was “written by men”. The desire to obey God rather than men is good. We Christians should follow the example of our fathers in the faith who came before us and preached, taught, baptized, and worshiped in the face of persecution. But that is just the point: Christianity isn’t just me and my Bible, and you and yours, having personal experiences with God. Christianity is the death of Jesus as ransom for the sin of the world, and His resurrection for our justification.[1] And when a man is made a Christian by the working of the Holy Spirit through the means of the Word, he becomes a part of something bigger than himself – the body of Christ, the Church, the Communion of Saints, spread out through time and space, preserved by Him until the Last Day when Christ will come to judge the living and the dead, and establish the new creation. I don’t mean to wax metaphysical, but Christianity, rather than being a religion of “do these things in this prescribed way according to this rulebook,” is instead a religion of being. You once were dead in trespass and sin, and now you are made alive by Christ.[2] You once were dirty with the filth of your sin, and now you have been washed, you have been sanctified, you have been justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God;[3] You have been saved in the waters of Holy Baptism,[4] where you were connected to Christ, His death and resurrection, clothed with His righteousness,[5] washed clean of your sin.[6] You used to be a fallen, sinful creature; now Christ has made you a new creation, by the grace of God through faith in Him.[7] Now, be forgiven. This is a concept that the unregenerate human mind, hostile to God, cannot understand.[8] We Christians can only begin to grasp it, and struggle with sin while we live here in the flesh because of sin living in us.[9]

What does that have to do with The Catechism? Good question. I doubt that most people even understand what the word catechism means, let alone what the book actually is. Catechism means to instruct by question and answer.[10] Consequently, a book containing a summary of religious doctrine in question and answer format is called a catechism. So, is The Catechism not a summary of Luther’s teachings? If it is, then my friend is right, I follow Luther rather than Christ, and I am a filthy pagan. But is he correct? Not hardly. Dr. Luther’s catechism is an instruction in the teachings of the Christian faith, as it had been believed, taught, and confessed since ancient times, using Holy Scripture as it’s foundation. In the preface to his catechism, Luther wrote: 

The deplorable, miserable conditions which I have recently observed when visiting the parishes have constrained and pressed me to put this catechism of Christian doctrine into this brief, plain, and simple form. How pitiable, so help me God, were the things I saw: the common man, especially in the villages, knows practically nothing of Christian doctrine, and many of the pastors are almost entirely incompetent and unable to teach. Yet all the people are supposed to be Christians, have been baptized, and receive the Holy Sacrament even though they do not know the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed, or the Ten Commandments and live like poor animals of the barnyard and pigpen. What these people have mastered, however, is the fine art of tearing all Christian liberty to shreds.[11] 

The Catechism, according to Luther, is a teaching tool, designed to help instruct people in the doctrines of the Christian faith, all of which are exposed in Holy Scripture. 

If someone claims that they only need the Bible, they probably mean to express that they are faithful Christians who hold Holy Scripture in high regard, and believe what it says. But how did they hear the Gospel? Did a Bible fall from heaven, open, in front of them? Was it a Scofield Reference Bible?[12] If so, are the notes inspired Scripture as well? Did they begin reading it without human interaction, with only the odd quiver of the liver to direct them? No. They were brought to hear preaching and teaching at church, Sunday school, Bible study, and by other Christians as they encountered them in their various vocations, etc. Did these other Christians simply read to them the Gospel of John? Did they answer each question directed to them with a bare quotation of Scripture? No. They summarized and taught, and pointed to the Word as recorded in Holy Scripture, preserved and handed down through the church by the working of the Holy Spirit, to show that what they were teaching was true. 

Some do this faithfully; others do not. But we know that the Holy Spirit preserves the Church in unity, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.[13] This Church, made up of all the faithful of all time, we cannot see, and call the “invisible” church. We seek to remain a part of this “invisible” church, and be faithful to that “visible” church (that gathering of people around the means of grace which is made up of believers and hypocrites[14]) which teaches all of the Bible’s doctrines purely, and administers the Sacraments according to their institution.[15] Moreover, we are called to avoid false teachers, churches, cults, and all organizations that teach contrary to God’s Word.[16]

What about all those people, probably the vast majority in human history, who were too poor to own a printed book of any kind? They had no Bible. How about those people who could not read? How did God make them Christians? Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ.[17] Anyone who became a Christian was baptized and taught, and their teacher didn’t just read Bible quotes at them. If he was a faithful teacher and preacher, all that he preached and taught had God’s Word, understood in it’s proper context, as a foundation, just as The Catechism does. I wonder how my fundagelical friend talks to people about Jesus. Does he share his testimony? Does he explain how to walk down the Roman Road? Does he follow the method of Dr. D. James Kennedy? These things are attempting to do what The Catechism does: summarize Christian doctrine and deliver the Word of Christ (Though, I would argue, these other methods are far inferior to The Catechism, and distort God’s Word by teaching it out of it’s proper context).

The human heart is, as I once heard a faithful preacher say, an idol factory. We can make anything into an idol – including Luther – as Rome did with the Pope, as cults do with their leaders, and as some do even with the Bible (KJV Only movement, anyone?).

But creeds and confessional statements, like The Catechism and the Book of Concord of which it is a part, are wonderful things. They distill the teachings of Holy Scripture into concentrated bits that the Church can learn and confess together. They serve as a check for the layman on the preaching of the pastor. If he deviates from the doctrine of Scripture as they have learned it, it is the duty of the people to call their pastor to account. Confessional statements and creeds serve as clear examples of what men are teaching as the Word of God from Holy Scripture. Those documents are the best starting point for Christians to begin talking to each other in a serious and meaningful way about what they believe, teach, and confess, and working toward true Christian unity, so that we teach all things that Christ has commanded.[18]

God works through preachers, and teachers, and the liturgy, and the catechism, and books written by Christians intended to teach, and people talking to one another, and all kinds of ways, provided that God’s Word, the Word of Christ, is being delivered. God does not want to deal with us in any other way than through the spoken Word and the Sacraments. Whatever is praised as from the Spirit – without the Word and Sacraments – is the devil himself.[19]

Bibliography

Concordia Publishing House. Luther's Small Catechism. Translated by Concordia Publishing House. Saint Louis, Missouri: Concordia Publishing House, 1991.

Got Questions. "What is the Scofield Reference Bible?" Got Questions: Your Questions, Biblical Answers. July 26, 2019. https://www.gotquestions.org/Scofield-Reference-Bible.html (accessed August 20, 2019).

McCain, Paul T, Robert C Baker, Gene E Veith, and Edward A Engelbrecht. Concordia, The Lutheran Confessions: A Reader's Edition of the Book of Concord. 1st. Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2005.

Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Springfield: G. & C. Merriam Co., 1924.

Wikipedia. Dispensationalism. "Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dispensationalism (accessed August 20, 2019).

---

[1] Mark 10:45; John 3:3-5, 10-17; Romans 3:21-26; Hebrews 2:17; 1 John 2:2; Romans 4:23-25

[2] Ephesians 2:1-10; Romans 6:11

[3] 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

[4] 1 Peter 3:18-22

[5] Romans 6:1-14; Galatians 3:27

[6] Acts 22:16

[7] 2 Corinthians 5:16-19

[8] Romans 8:7; 1 Corinthians 2:14

[9] Romans 7:13-25

[10] Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 1924

[11] Concordia Publishing House, 1991

[12]  The Scofield Reference Bible promoted Dispensationalism, the belief that between creation and the final judgment there would be seven distinct eras of God's dealing with man and that these eras are a framework for synthesizing the message of the Bible (Got Questions 2019). It was largely through the influence of Scofield's notes that Dispensationalism grew in influence among fundamentalist Christians in the United States. (Wikipedia n.d.)

[13] Matthew 16:18

[14] Matthew 13:47-48; 22:11-12; Acts 5:1-11

[15] John 8:31-32; Acts 2:42; 1 Corinthians 1:10

[16] Matthew 7:15-16; Romans 16:17-18; Galatians 1:8; 2 Timothy 4:3; 1 John 4:1

[17] Romans 10:17

[18] Matthew 28:16-20

[19] Concordia Publishing House, 1991. SA III VII 10

The Heavenly Scholar

Icon - Christ Teaching the Doctors

Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught. And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?” Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him. Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?” The people answered and said, “You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?” Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work, and you all marvel. Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (John 7:14-24).

Jesus had no credentials. He did not have the 1^st Century Jewish equivalent to our Master of Divinity degree. This was a serious affront to the scribes, the Pharisees, and the teachers of the Law. The Jews who gather around Jesus as He teaches in the temple courts are surprised and offended that a man with no proper education would presume to teach in public, and palm himself off as one who is versed in Scriptural learning.[1] There may not have been a system of accredited seminaries in first century Judea like we have today in the United States, but there certainly was a system. There were rabbinical schools for the training of rabbis, run by well-known and well-pedigreed rabbis. Paul witnesses to this when he gives his defense to the crowd after he is arrested in Jerusalem; He tells them, “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today.”[2] Gamaliel was one such rabbi, of whom Paul was a disciple. Jesus, however, had not been a part of that system and for Him to teach as he did was scandalous.

It wasn't, however, only that Jesus was teaching without being properly certified. When the Jews taught, they carefully cited previous teachers and scholars of the Law. They all tried to cite their teachings in order to show that they were smart, that they were correct, and that they had credibility (not unlike certain blog authors...). Jesus taught as one who had authority. In other words, Jesus taught the people, not by showing what those rabbis who came before Him said about the Law; He taught as the one who wrote and implemented the Law. This attitude was not lost on the people. The Bible tells us that the people marveled and openly wondered what kind of statement Jesus was trying to make.[3]

The Jews, however, really understood that Jesus was claiming to be God. That’s why they plot to kill him. Jesus could, of course, teach in this way because He is the Messiah, the divine Son of God and second person of the Trinity, coequal together, and coeternal with the Father and the Spirit, one God in three persons, three persons in one God. He is the author of life,[4] the one through whom creation came into being, the one who was the very image of God the Father.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.[5]

Jesus demonstrated His divine authority by what He did, in addition to what He said, and the manner in which He taught.[6] He restored sight to the blind, opened the ears of the deaf, loosed the tongues of the dumb, raised the dead, and ultimately, rose from the dead Himself. The Jews saw all these things but refused to see them for the signs they were. These things were the credentials that Holy Scripture said would accompany the Messiah. The Jews, however, demanded that Jesus "tell them plainly" if He was the Christ and demanded a sign to prove it. Jesus bluntly explains, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me.”[7] Having ears, they did not hear; having eyes they did not see.

So, what does this mean? We know that it is our sin which put Jesus on the cross. We are in the same situation as the Jews to whom Peter preached in Solomon’s Portico.[8] We do not escape responsibility for the death of Jesus simply because we did not drive the nails into His hands with our own. Because of our sin, we are just as guilty as those who wanted to put Jesus to death at that time. We, as Peter says, “...denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.”[9]

The devil, the world, and our own sinful nature mislead us into false belief, despair, and other sin. When we repent of our sin, God who is faithful and just, forgives our sin and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. We can rest in the assurance of Jesus' authority as God to forgive our sin by the blood of His cross; because of the divine authority of Jesus, ultimately demonstrated by His resurrection, we can have faith that, even though we may suffer many things on this earth, including physical death, Jesus will one day call us out of our graves, and we will come out.[10] We who hear and recognize the voice of Jesus, as a sheep recognizes it’s shepherd, make up His body, The Church. In this Christian Church, Jesus, by the means of Word and Sacrament, daily and richly forgives all our sins, and the sins of all believers.[11] Until such time as we fall asleep in Him, Jesus continues to give His Church His Word in preaching, in Holy Baptism, and in the Lord’s Supper; He does this to create, sustain, strengthen and preserve us in this, the one true faith, unto life everlasting. On the Last Day, He will raise all the dead, and give eternal life to all believers in Christ.[12] Making use of these gracious gifts of Word and Sacrament which He has given to us, and receiving in them forgiveness and life, we can go in peace, come what may.

---

[1] Lenski, R. C. H. The Interpretation of St. John’s Gospel. Columbus, OH: The Wartburg Press, 1942.

[2] Acts 22:3

[3] Matthew 21:23-27; Mark 1:22, 27

[4] Acts 3:15

[5] Colossians 1:15-18

[6] Matthew 9:5-7

[7] John 10:22-30

[8] Acts 3:11-26

[9] Acts 3:14-15

[10] John 5:28-29;

[11] Luther, Martin. Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1986.

[12] ibid.

Let the Truth Abide in You

Sermon and Deeds of the Antichrist by Signorelli.

These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him (1 John 2:26-27).

Read 1 John 2:18-29 here.

People, Christian and non-Christian alike, are fascinated with the end of the world. Men write books telling us the social, economic, and political events that will precede the last hour. Sometimes these men work out their elaborate end times scenarios by painstakingly – or to be more accurate, excruciatingly – excising bits of Holy Scripture from here and there, and piecing those bits together, out of context, to support their vision of how and when Christ will come. Others are lead by the stirrings of their heart. Still others claim to have seen a vision, or to have received some other direct revelation from God Himself. St. John, however, tells the Christians to whom he writes, including us, that it is the last hour, currently. We don’t need to look for signs of the end times because we are living in them right now.

St. John reminds his readers that the Antichrist is coming; indeed, St. John says that many antichrists have already come. It is for that reason, the apostle says, that we know it the last hour. What does it mean to be antichrist? St. John explains: They went out from us but they were not of us; for if they had been of us they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that non of them were of us…Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.[1] To be antichrist is to deny Jesus, to not have faith in Him as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. To be antichrist is to teach against the teachings Jesus has entrusted to His Church, and commanded us to teach.

Looking around the landscape of the church today, one can see that there is no shortage of antichrists. There are many teachers who have gone out from Christ’s church and have been made manifest by their false teaching. They teach that Jesus has not come in the flesh, that Jesus is not God, that Jesus is not the complete atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world, that man is good already and needs no redemption, that we must make a sacrifice for sin in addition to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, that Jesus did not really rise from the dead, that He will not come again. And, these men and women gain for themselves large followings and great wealth; we are surely, just as St. John was, in the time when men do not endure sound doctrine, and heap up for themselves teachers, and turn away from the truth.[2]

But we are called to abide in that which we heard from the beginning; if we do, then Christ abides in us and we have what He has promised us – eternal life.[3] St. Paul says the same thing about the teaching: As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.[4] We have received, through the Word working in our baptism, an anointing; God gives us His Holy Spirit. He now abides in us. St. John says, because the Holy Spirit abides in us, we do not need that anyone teach us, because He teaches us all things. This is not to say we should rely on, or seek, a direct revelation from God; He does not wish to deal with us in any other way than through means, such as word, water, bread and wine.[5] Rather, this is the fulfillment of God’s promise through the prophet Jeremiah: But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, “Know the LORD,” for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.[6] St. John is telling us that true Christians abide in Christ through faith in Him and all His teachings. In God’s word, and by the working of the Holy Spirit we have everything we need to discern the truth from a lie, and we have as our present possession God’s gift of eternal life.[7]

---

[1] 1 John 2:19, 22-23

[2] 2 Timothy 4:3

[3] 1 John 2:24

[4] Galatians 1:9

[5] Romans 10:17; SA III, VIII 10-11

[6] Jeremiah 31:33-34

[7] Engelbrecht, Edward, et. al., eds. The Lutheran Study Bible: English Standard Version. Saint Louis: Concordia Pub. House, 2009.

Jesus and the Religious Leaders

The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him. Then Jesus said to them, “I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me. You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come.” Then the Jews said among themselves, “Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What is this thing that He said, ‘You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come’?” (John 7:32-36)

The more Jesus teaches, the more the people marvel. How does this man know letters having never studied? Jesus explains to them as He did before: My doctrine is not mine, but His who sent me. Jesus is simply doing the work His Father has sent Him to do. He is simply teaching the things His Father has given Him to teach. Or, put another way, Jesus is saying the words the Father has given Him to say. If the Jews had really believed in God, they would have recognized that Jesus’ teaching came from God. But they didn’t believe. As Jesus does and says the things given to Him by God, His Father, so the Jews, Jesus will later explain, do and say the things of their father, the devil.[1]

The people continue to argue over who Jesus is. Some of them from Jerusalem wonder if He is not the one whom the leaders seek to kill. They see Him speaking boldly in the temple. They muse that perhaps the leaders believe Jesus is the Christ after all. Is their inaction against Jesus their endorsement of Him? Surely, if this man were not the Christ, the leaders would put a stop to His public teaching. After all, He does not teach as the other rabbis, but as one with authority.[2] He makes Himself equal with God.[3]

This is probably only said mockingly, of course. The people have a strange theology. It was Jewish tradition that the Messiah would appear suddenly, and no one would know from where He came.[4] The people thought they knew Jesus. He was the son of Joseph and Mary. He was born in Nazareth, that one-horse town out of which nothing good comes.[5] This would certainly disqualify Him, in their minds, from being the Christ. Nevertheless, this discussion begins to worry the Jewish leaders and they again seek to kill Him. Jesus, however, cries out in the temple: You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.

Jesus tell the people that, yes, they know Him in an earthly sense; they do not know The One who sent Him. They may know that He lived in Nazareth, but they do not understand that He is the Son of God, sent by His Father to vanquish sin, death, and the devil. The Jews eventually get worried enough by the murmuring of the people to send officers to arrest Jesus. They are unsuccessful because, as Jesus said previously, His time had not yet come. I shall be with you a little while longer and then I go to Him who sent me. You will seek me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come. They surmise that Jesus intends to escape, and go to teach the Jews who live among the Gentiles. These people, who have eyes but cannot see, and ears but cannot hear, continue to judge Jesus using earthly standards.[6] Jesus is telling them that soon He will die, and rise and go to His Father in heaven. Since they reject Him, they cannot follow Him where He goes.

Following Jesus’ example, we say the words given to us to say. We confess that Christ died for our sins, that He was buried, and that He rose again from the dead. And, when He had overcome the sharpness of death, He opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. He sits at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father. We believe that He shall come to be our Judge. The teaching is not our own, but comes from Jesus, the Christ, the one by whom we are sent. We believe, teach, and confess that which we are given, because the one who gave it is true.[7]

---

[1] John 8:37-47

[2] Matthew 7:28-29; Mark 1:21-22

[3] John 5:17-18

[4] Baumler, Gary P. People's Bible Commentary: John. Saint Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2005.

[5] John 1:45-46

[6] Jeremiah 5:21; Mark 8:18

[7] John 7:28; Romans 3:4

Test Yourselves

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified (2 Corinthians 13:5).

There has lately arisen a discussion among friends as to the meaning of Paul’s words here. Taken from their context, they are used by preachers of dubious education and intent to call their hearers to do good works, and judge their Christianity by their behavior. If you’re a Christian, you’ll exhibit the fruits of the Spirit; you won’t drink, smoke, or chew, or go with girls who do. But is that what Paul is saying here? Is that the type of test he is talking about?

We have to understand Paul’s words here, as always when we try to understand the words of Scripture, in their context. Paul is answering the Corinthian congregation’s demand that he prove his words are from Christ. They have been influenced by outside teachers, and now they doubt Paul’s veracity. They want to see his credentials, so to speak. His response to them is that they, rather then he, need to put themselves to the test. Paul isn’t talking about some legalistic morality test. He isn’t instructing them to examine their “faith-walk” by looking at how nicely they behave toward others, so that they will cultivate good behavior and have a closer, more personal relationship with Jesus. He is telling them to examine their doctrine. He wants them to look at what they believe, teach and confess, and see if it lines up with what he, and the Scriptures, taught them to believe.

This is essentially the same thing Paul told the faithful Timothy. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.[1] In his letter to Timothy, Paul encourages Timothy to continue teaching true doctrine. Writing to the Corinthians, Paul is warning them to test their doctrine, to see if they have strayed from the truth.

Paul begins this portion of his letter with his concerns for their faithfulness. Paul betrothed the Corinthians to the bridegroom, Christ, as a chaste virgin. Now he is worried that their minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.[2] They have put up with the preaching of another, counterfeit Jesus, spirit, and gospel. So, how does he expect the Corinthians to test themselves? Scripture tells us. When Paul went to Berea and preached in the synagogue, the Bereans received the word that Paul preached; they searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether the things Paul preached were so.[3] Scripture, the Word of God, is and should remain the only rule and norm of all doctrine. Everything should be subjected to God’s Word.[4]

Paul seems confident that the Corinthians will pass the test. He bids them farewell as brethren; he tells them to become complete, to be of good comfort, to be of one mind, and to live in peace. These are good directions for we Christians living today. We should also examine ourselves as to whether we are in the faith. This examination is one of doctrine, rather than behavior. Do we profess that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures?[5] Do we teach Christ’s disciples to observe all things that He has commanded, as Jesus said to his Apostles after His resurrection?[6] Or, do we put up with another Jesus, another spirit, and another gospel? We must test our doctrines against Holy Scripture.

---

[1] 1 Timothy 4:16

[2] 2 Corinthians 11:1-4

[3] Acts 17:10-12

[4] FC SD, Summary, Rule, and Norm, 9

[5] 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

[6] Matthew 28:16-20

Can't we all just get along?

The Book of Concord

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. These things command and teach. Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you (1 Timothy 4:1-16).

Christians in America today treat the word doctrine as though it were of the four-letter variety. It is a vulgarity. To mention doctrine, or to talk about which doctrines are right and wrong, and why, is oftentimes met with revulsion. To talk about doctrine is to be answered with rebuke, as though one were describing the intimate workings of the seediest bordello in polite company. Why is this? The short answer is, because of Satan and sin. Many people have been led to believe that focusing on doctrine is divisive. Talking about doctrine (which, incidentally, means “teaching”) all the time only causes hurt feelings, anger, and division. We are told by those more enlightened souls who wish to see only peace, unity, and harmony in the Christian church, “Some of my theology is probably wrong, some of yours is too. Let's just get close to Jesus.”[1] How very enlightened! How pragmatic!

Still other American Christians recognize that the devil is indeed at the root of our divisions in the church. They are just a little mistaken in their prescription for dealing with it. They equate talking of doctrine and theology as the same thing the disciples were doing when they were arguing about who was greatest,[2] and Jesus "needed to set them straight".[3] No, they say, the devil wants us to argue about theology and doctrine so we don't help one another. How pious!

What these people don't understand (probably because they don't know their doctrine) is that we Christians are called to teach right doctrine, not just to get along under the banner of false unity. Christ teaches us in the Gospel that we are to observe, "all things that I have commanded you."[4] We are not given the option by Our Lord to simply agree to disagree about difficult doctrinal points. St. Paul, in his letters to Timothy, preparing Timothy to be a faithful pastor, does not give the slightest impression that it is all right for Timothy not to discuss certain difficult teachings, or to "agree to disagree" for the sake of unity. Quite to the contrary, Paul commends Timothy for carefully following good doctrine. Paul explicitly instructs Timothy to reject the profane. He encourages Timothy to stand fast in sound doctrine, even though there will come a time when the world will not endure it, and Timothy will be faced with affliction for his steadfastness. This, we are told by St. Paul, is the work of the evangelist – to teach sound doctrine.[5]

Every Christian wants unity within the visible church. We should be praying and working for it every day. Ignoring false teaching, and the doctrine of demons, in order to avoid offending people, however, is not unity. It is blatantly disregarding the command of Our Lord. Jesus warned his disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.[6] We are told that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.[7] Jesus is not telling his disciples to go along to get along, or to ignore the "different" beliefs of others for the sake of unity. He is calling them to watch their lives and doctrine closely because, as St. Paul writes to Timothy, "in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you."

Holy Scripture is the only rule and norm for testing doctrine. Where we see so-called Christian teachers teaching contrary to Holy Scripture, we must call them to repentance. If what we teach is contrary to Holy Scripture, we must repent. When we do, we are taught (doctrine) by Holy Scripture that, if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.[8]

---

[1] The following comment was posted by “Mike” on the article, “Why I Quit the Gideons” (http://steadfastlutherans.org/2015/06/why-i-quit-the-gideons/): I once heard a missionary to Mexico say the following: "Some of my theology is probably wrong, some of yours is too.  Let's just get close to Jesus." I thought to myself, wow! That's true, how come nobody else says that?

[2] Luke 9:46-48

[3] The following comment was posted by “Mike” on the article, “Why I Quit the Gideons” (http://steadfastlutherans.org/2015/06/why-i-quit-the-gideons/): I guess we can look at the early disciples arguing who is the greatest. They needed Jesus to set them straight. I feel arguing over theology is a smokescreen the Devil uses to hide the real problems we each are struggling with. We walk away from these arguments never discussing what we each need help with. Could be something simple as a car problem or struggling with sin.  How about children problems? No, the devil wants us to argue about theology and doctrine so we don't help one another.  Devil is laughing at us.  I do NOT like the devil.

[4] Matthew 28:18-20

[5] 2 Timothy 4:1-5

[6] Luke 12:1-11

[7] Galatians 5:1-10

[8] 1 John 1:8-10