So, along with my list of world view questions, I included another list of miscellaneous "bonus questions." I included them with the intention that contributors could answer as many or as few of them as they like... however, just because they didn't make it into the main body of questions doesn't mean they aren't important... Many of them pertain to things that often have many different meanings depending on who you're talking to (especially in English where Religious Homonyms abound...) Thus, here are the bonus questions that were submitted along with the last worldview. I broke them up because otherwise things could get pretty long (that and I haven't had very many responses as of yet... so I'm kinda trying to stretch things out a little... =/)
Worldview of the Augsburg Confession
~ Bonus Questions ~
What is Salvation?
“To be saved, we
know, is nothing else than to be delivered from sin, death, and the devil and
to enter into the kingdom of Christ and live with him forever.” (LC IV.25) Salvation can be compared to being
alive. A living person works and has a will; a dead person neither has a will
nor can he do works. With this in mind, the Christian is “dead to sin and
[made] alive to God in Jesus Christ” (Rom. 6:11). The person whose sins have not
been forgiven is “dead in [his] transgressions” (Eph. 2:1); moreover, as an
enemy of God (John 8:34), is unable to please God in anything he does. A person
cannot be ‘partly’ alive, ‘partly’ on the right side of the law, or ‘partly’
belonging to both God and to the Devil.
Salvation is thought of as having two parts: Justification (“being made just”) and Sanctification (“being made holy”).
Justification can be thought of as being brought to life, and sanctification
involves living God’s way. “Faith apart from works is dead.” (Js. 2:14-26)
It is useless to single out any precise “moment”
of salvation. We were saved when Jesus said “It is finished” on the cross. We
are saved when the old man is “put off in Baptism”; we are saved each time we partake
of the Communion cup or receive the Absolution from our priest. We will be
saved when the Son returns in His glory to finally separate the good from the
wicked. “For, where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and
salvation.” (SC: The Sacrament of the Altar)
What is Scripture?
“Every word of God
proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his
words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.” (Pr. 30:5-6)
Scripture is the Word of God. Because Scripture
has two natures – divine and human – St. John the Evangelist believed that
Jesus Christ is the living incarnation of the Word (Gk. ‘ο λογος) (Jn. 1:1; Rev. 19:13). The properties of Scripture having been adequately treated in our
Epistemology, what remains are a brief word on the authority of Scripture. Now, just as the written word of a king or
leader carries the same weight as if they were speaking to you directly, we owe
the proper reverence to the word of God. Dr. Martin Luther reasoned thus: “The
Gospels were taken up and approved by the Fathers; that is to say, the Fathers
themselves recognized the Holy Spirit. But one must not infer from this: The church or the Fathers are above the
Gospel, any more than to say, I
recognize the true and living God and his Word; therefore I am above God and
his word. Just as one is not superior to a prince whom one acknowledges, or
to a parent, so it is here.” Thus Irenaeus of Lyons summed up in Against Heresies III.1-2: “If anyone
does not agree with [the Scriptures] he despises the companions of the Lord, he
despises the Lord Christ himself, he despises even the Father, and he is
self-condemned, resisting and refuting his own salvation as all the heretics
do.” Again: as a certain Political Science professor at TWU would express it,
when God speaks, “you listen up and shut up”.
Our Lord was known to open arguments with
statements like: “Have you never read?” or, “It is written” or, “You know
neither the Scriptures nor the power of God!” The Holy Apostles understood that
everything revealed to them was in accordance with – and did not contradict –
the words of the OT (see 2 Pet. 16-21; Ac. 15). The Jewish believers in Berea
“received the word in all eagerness, examining the Scriptures to see if these
things were so.” (Ac. 17:11)
What is the Church?
“It is a
fellowship of faith and of the Holy Spirit in marks. Yet this fellowship has
outward marks that can be recognized. These marks are the pure doctrine of the
Gospel and administration of the Sacraments in accordance with the Gospel of
Christ. This Church alone is called Christ’s body, which Christ renews,
sanctifies, and governs by His Spirit. Paul testified about this when he says, ‘And
gave Him as head over all things the Church, which is His body: the fullness of
Him who fills all in all (Eph. 1:22-23)” (Ap. IV.5)
If you understood, then you heard it right: the
One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church can be found anywhere called ministers of Christ dispense the Word
of God and the Sacraments according to His institution (1 Cor. 4:1)! It is not
one particular synodical body; it is any synodical body that bears these marks of the Church. Whenever your
pastor/priest/bishop ministers according to the standards set forth by the
Apostles, you are part of Christ’s Church.
You may hear of the “Church Militant”; that is
us believers on earth who still contend with the Devil, the world, and the
desires of our sinful flesh (see Eph. 5:12).
Those who have left this world for God are called the “Church Triumphant”.
Both together form the “Communion of Saints”. The
ancient Liturgy recognizes their joint worship that happens during celebration
of the Lord’s Supper: “Therefore, with angels and archangels, and all
the company of Heaven, we laud & magnify Your Glorious Name…” (LSB, Divine
Service: Proper Preface for Holy Communion)
What is the Symbol of Faith?
The Prophetic & Apostolic Scriptures are the ultimate rule &
norm of faith. (Period.)
The Confessional Lutheran Church adheres to
authoritative statements (symbols) of faith, such as the three Catholic
Creeds: namely, the Apostles’, Nicene (in its Western form), and Athanasian.
These and other symbolic documents are collected in the Book of Concord (or, The Confessions
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church). The Confessional writings were compiled
by countless theologians over the 16th century in answer to both
ancient and new heresies. According to the International Lutheran Council, the Book of Concord represents “a clear
& accurate exposition of the Holy Scriptures”.
Outside of this, Lutherans do not subscribe
uncritically to the private opinions of any saintly or otherwise figure in the
Church. Whether he be Martin Luther, St. Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas, a
pope, or our local pastor, they are occasionally erring humans – as much as you
or me. For a church to claim absolute congruence with one teacher or another is
problematic, as even the ancient Fathers were known to disagree in their
writings. However, there is remarkable agreement (concord) in terms of how they viewed God, Scripture, and our
salvation. Faithful teachers past & present are a gift of the Holy Spirit. The
misguided statements of Christian teachers are their own; but where they teach
the orthodox, catholic, and evangelical
doctrine of the Church, they form part of her rich Sacred Tradition.
What is Grace?
Grace, by definition, is a gift or a waived
punishment unmerited by our prior worthiness. Grace is often contrasted with Nature (defined here as the pre-existing
state of a thing; i.e. human nature). “For by grace you have been saved through
faith. And this is not your own doing – it is the gift of God, not a result of
works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9)
You may ask, How are we saved by grace? The Sacraments
are the “Means of Grace”, as they transfer the work of the Spirit to the
believer in a very tangible and efficacious
way. The Means of Grace are: the Word of God, Holy Baptism, and the Lord’s
Supper/the Eucharist/Holy Communion.
Grace is not
irresistible, as it requires two things on the part of the believer: contrition (genuine sorrow over one’s
sins) and faith (undaunted confidence
in one’s salvation). Confusing? more like Amazing!
What is the evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit?
Good works are the evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit. (see Gal.
5:22-25; 2 Pet. 1:10; James 2:18) The Holy Spirit has “called me by the Gospel,
enlightened me with His gifts, and kept me in the true faith.” (SC: Explanation
of the Third Article) A life according to God’s commands – that is, whenever a
person is horrified by his sins and bears “fruit in keeping with repentance”
(Mat. 3:8) – is evidence enough that the Spirit is at work in a person. The
Holy Spirit does not dwell in a person with mortal
sin – that is, one who makes a show of living an ungodly lifestyle.
God has promised us that the Spirit is predictably
present & at work via tangible means:
the Word and Sacraments. Water drowns and washes us in Holy Baptism; we eat the
flesh & drink the blood of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist; we hear and speak
the Word of God, read orally and actively in the Liturgy. Predictable does not
mean boring; it means reliable.
Inexplicable signs, apparitions, prophesies,
and miracles are not necessarily of the Holy Spirit, as even false prophets,
demons, and “Antichrists” can perform them (Rev. 13:13-14; see Deut. 13:1-5, 1
Sam. 28). Rather, “To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak
according to this Word, it is because they have no dawn.” (Isaiah 8:19b-20)
Why do bad things happen to good people?
1)
“My
son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when
reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the ones he loves, and chastens every
son whom he receives.” (Prov. 3:11,12, cited in Heb. 12:6) We may not be as “good”
as we think we are at any given moment.
2)
“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery
trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were
happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that
you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are
insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory
and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief
or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him
not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for
judgement to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will
be the outcome of those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, ‘If the
righteous will be scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
(1 Pet. 4:12-18)
3)
God
doesn’t really owe us this knowledge. (see Job; Ecclesiastes 8:14-17)
What happened at the Fall?
“So God
created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him.” (Gen. 1:27) “What
was this image and likeness other than that man was created with the wisdom and
righteousness so that he could apprehend God and reflect God? Mankind was given
the gift of knowing God, fearing God, and being confident in God. This is how
Irenaeus and Ambrose interpret the likeness to God.” (Ap. I.18, 19) Man was
created with a free will and “original righteousness”, defined above.
At the Fall, man lost his “original
righteousness”, to be replaced with “original sin”. He became no longer able to
enjoy communion with God, to trust his neighbour without reservation, or to
sustain his immortality with the fruit of the Tree of Life. Having transgressed
God’s Law, God’s further dealings with man had to come via some form of
punishment or sacrifice (atonement). “The
law requires that everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding
of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Heb. 9:22) “The wages of sin is death.”
(Rom. 6:23a)
Death (like sin) was never an essential part of
being human; it is solely the result of sin. Death is defined as “separation”,
i.e. of the soul from the body, or of any being from God.
What is sin? Sin nature?
“The
ancient definition of sin is that it is a lack of righteousness. This
definition not only denies that mankind is capable of knowing God, placing
confidence in God, fearing and loving God, and certainly also the ability to
produce such things … when righteousness has been lost, conspicuence came in its place. Since diseased nature cannot fear
and love God and believe God, it seeks and loves carnal things. By nature, when
we are secure, we hold God’s judgement in contempt.” (Ap. I.23, 24)
There are two kinds of sin:
1)
Original
sin. Refers to the unavoidable inclination towards sin that a person inherits. “Behold,
I was brought forth in iniquity/ and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalm
51:5) The marks of original sin are evident in that “the wages of sin are death”
(Rom. 6:23a), and all human beings, from the moment of conception, despite
their mental capacity to be self-aware, are vulnerable to physical & spiritual
death.
2)
Actual
sin. Refers to any sins that a person commits, both consciously and unconsciously.
“Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.” (Psalm
19:12)
Of those born of woman, only Jesus the
Nazarene, being “in very nature God”, is innocent from the contagion of sin. “He
became sin who knew no sin, that through him the many would be counted
righteous.” (2 Cor. 5:21; see Psalm 49:7)
What is Communion?
Communion may have a myriad of meanings. (Κοιονια “fellowship”, i.e.
with a Spiritual quality to it.) In the
broad sense, it may refer to the fellowship shared between any living persons –
esp. between the persons of the Trinity, or between the believer and Jesus
Christ. (see Ac. 4:32-37)
In the strictest sense, communion refers to the
intimate fellowship of members in the congregation. Congregations are said to be
“in communion” when their members are permitted to receive the Eucharist, to be
sponsors at Baptism, and to occupy leadership roles in the congregation;
Lutherans refer to this as “altar & pulpit fellowship”. In this sense,
communion is important because it refers to the rights of a Christian; it also
implies that their fellowship with other believers contributes to building up
the kingdom of God.
The harshest penalty the Church has the
authority to exact is excommunication. Called “church
discipline”, so long as a believer is in the state of excommunication, they
surrender their rights as a Christian & their fellowship with other
believers – with the implication that they may suffer this penalty in the next
world, if the reasons for such discipline are not amended. Reasons for
excommunication include living in mortal
sin, or holding to beliefs that contradict those of the Church. “Expel the
immoral brother!” (1 Cor. 5; cf. 1 Cor. 10:21)
