The
Distinction between Orthodox
and Heterodox
Churches
by Dr. Franz Pieper
Introduction
In accordance with God’s Word, we firmly maintain a
twofold doctrine: first, that God does not only have His children in the
orthodox Church, that is, in the visible fellowship where God’s Word is
preached in all its truth and purity; but that children of God are also to be
found in heterodox fellowships where God’s Word is not preached in all its
purity, but truth is mixed with error. Secondly, however, we also maintain the
great difference between orthodox and heterodox churches. What a great
difference, according to God’s Word, exists between orthodox and heterodox
churches will be more exactly set forth in the following Theses. Even we forget
this difference only too easily. Indeed, it also happens in our own midst that
people who move to other areas and find no orthodox church there, join
heterodox churches. Why is that? One cannot always say that these people have
already fallen away from the true doctrine in their hearts. But they have
forgotten the difference between orthodox and heterodox churches. By taking up
membership in heterodox churches, they commit sin and place their souls in
danger. Even Lutherans join sectarian churches, or would like to do so, because
the sects, for example, have more beautiful churches, are more popular people,
and the like. Why? These Lutherans do not rightly and faithfully take note of
the existing difference between orthodox and heterodox churches; they do not
see the wonderful glory of an orthodox church. Even we pastors and teachers of
the Church at times lose courage for work within the
The
Difference between
Orthodox and
Heterodox Churches
I. Every man’s first and principal concern should be,
that he belong to the Communion of Saints, that is, to the
II. The Divinely ordained external form of the Church
is its orthodoxy. Heterodox church bodies have their existence only by God’s
permission.
III. It is, therefore, not a matter of indifference
which church group a Christian joins; but he has God’s earnest command strictly
to distinguish between orthodox and heterodox churches, and, avoiding all
church fellowship with the heterodox, to adhere only to the orthodox Church.
IV. Likewise, only in the orthodox Church is God given
the honor which He requires; and, only in it are souls rightly cared for.
Fellowship with heterodox churches militates against God’s honor, and is a
constant danger for the soul.
V. We should, therefore, regard membership in the
orthodox Church not only as our duty, but also as the greatest privilege and
highest honor, even when the orthodox Church outwardly bears a very humble
form.
VI. The reasons which have been advanced for joining
heterodox church bodies, and for remaining in them, partly sound very pious;
but they are considered in the light of God’s Word, altogether invalid, and
originate in our blind, conceited, self-willed, and presumptuous flesh.
Thesis I
Every man’s
first and principal concern should be, that he belong to the Communion of
Saints, that is, to the
All people are by nature under God’s wrath because of
their sins, and are therefore children of eternal damnation. A terrible
condition! But a part of mankind is delivered out of this terrible condition.
Although they, too, are sinners, they are, nevertheless, no longer under the
wrath of God, but they have God’s grace. And, because they have God’s grace, or
forgiveness of sins, they are also no longer children of damnation, but heirs
of eternal life. Who are these fortunate people? They are those who believe in
Christ, in a word, the believers, the members of the Christian Church.
This is the Communion, the Church, outside of which
there is no salvation. Why? Because without faith in Christ nobody can be
saved, as it is written: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life:
and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God
abideth on him.” John 3:36. Again: “He that believeth on Him (God’s Son) is not
condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already.” John 3:18.
Whoever, therefore, desires to escape the wrath of God
and eternal death, which he has incurred by his sin, and become partaker of the
grace of God and eternal salvation, which have been gained for him by the
incarnate Son of God, he must let it be his first and principal concern, that
he belong to the Communion of Saints, to that blessed class of people who from
the heart believe in Christ as their Savior. This faith is kindled and
maintained through the Gospel by the Holy Spirit in the hearts of those who
have acknowledged themselves before God as sinners.
These believers are scattered locally over the whole
earth; they are found wherever the seed of the Gospel is sown. They are very
different according to education, culture, language, and customs. They do not
know each other personally. And yet, they are most intimately connected with
one another; they are more closely related to each other than the closest
relatives; for the One Holy Spirit dwells in the hearts of them all. All have
the same faith, namely, that they are saved by God’s grace in Christ; all have
the same mind, they are one and all subject to Christ. Daily they make the same
discoveries, namely, that they are lost sinners, and that God for Christ’s sake
richly and daily forgives them all sins. They will afterwards also in eternity
all have the same experiences, for their lot will be the fullness of joy and
pleasures forevermore at the right hand of God. This is the wonderful
fellowship of the Christian Church. This Church is invisible in this life. Why?
Because we cannot see that which makes a person a member of the Church, namely,
faith. Only God, who knows the hearts, can see that. Visible this Church will
some day be in yonder life, where its members will walk no longer by faith, but
by sight, where they will be glorified by seeing God, and where they will shine
as the brightness of the firmament.
This is the Christian Church spoken of in Matthew
16:18, where we read: “On this rock (namely, on the confession of Christ) I
will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Again, Eph. 1:22-23: “God set Him (Christ) to be the Head over all things to
the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all.” So
also in Eph. 2:19-22, the members of this Church are described as “fellow
citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief
Corner Stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an
holy temple in the Lord.”
The only, absolute requirement for salvation is
membership in the Invisible church. In this essay we will deal with the
difference between the orthodox and heterodox churches, and in that connection,
also of the necessity of outwardly affiliating with the orthodox Church. But
this affiliation is not absolutely necessary, indeed, under certain
circumstances not at all possible. Take the case of a man who just before his
end comes to faith without being able to join a visible church as a member.
This circumstance, then, that he did not belong to a Christian congregation, does
not at all deprive him of his salvation. Furthermore, it can happen that a
Christian lives in a locality where no orthodox church can be found. To join a
heterodox congregation is forbidden him by God’s Word, but love hinders him
from leaving the locality. A prisoner can also be in such a situation, that he
must forego fellowship with an orthodox Christian body; and yet, he has, if he
is in the faith, God’s grace and salvation. The outward membership in a
Christian congregation is not absolutely necessary, as if thereby faith first
would become true, saving faith. But under certain circumstances outward
membership is necessary as a confession of faith.
John Gerhard recognizes a twofold entrance into the
Church. The one is the joining of a visible Christian fellowship through the
outward confession of faith; the other is the joining of the
Yes, without saving faith in Christ all outward
fellowship with the Church, even with the orthodox Church, avails nothing.
Moreover, all outward fellowship without faith makes one a hypocrite. Also
those who outwardly belong to the orthodox Church, who have zeal for it, who
with their reason strictly distinguish between orthodox and heterodox
fellowship are, if they do not truly believe, an abomination to God; they are
outside of the Church of Christ and in the domain of the devil. This, too, we
must constantly preach; of this we must also constantly remind one another. As
also the Apostle Paul exhorts the members of the Corinthian congregation: “Examine
yourselves, whether ye be in the faith.” 2 Cor. 13:5. And, when in this
document we insist that a Christian should stay away from all false churches
and adhere alone to the orthodox Church, then this also serves the purpose:
that we by no means suffer shipwreck concerning our faith, and thus fall away
from the fellowship of that Church outside of which there is no salvation.
Of the One Invisible Christian Church it is said in
the 7th Article of the Augsburg Confession: “Also they teach that
Luther wrote (V.1792) on Psalm 118: “Whoever does not
have the right faith and is not holy and righteous, he does not belong in the
Holy Christian Church.” He who has living faith belongs to the Church; he that
does not, whoever or wherever he may be, does not belong to the Church.
Our Confessions warn us not to regard the Church as an
earthly association with religious rites, so that all, even the godless, who
take part in these rites would be members of the Church.
The Apology says: “For it is necessary to understand
what it is that principally makes us members, and that, living members of the
Church. If we will define the Church only as an outward polity of the good and
wicked, men will not understand that the Kingdom of Christ is righteousness of
heart and the gift of the Holy Ghost, (that the Kingdom of Christ is spiritual,
as nevertheless it is; that therein Christ inwardly rules, strengthens, and
comforts hearts, and imparts the Holy Ghost and various spiritual gifts).”
(VII, VIII, Trigl., p.231.)
The Large Catechism says in the Explanation of the
Third Article, especially of the words, “I believe in the Holy Christian
Church, the Communion of Saints”: “This is the meaning and substance of this
addition: I believe that there is upon earth a little holy group and
congregation of pure saints, under one head, even Christ, called together by
the Holy Ghost in one faith, mind, and understanding, with manifold gifts, yet
agreeing in love, without sects or schisms.” (Trigl., p. 691.)
In this Communion of Saints there is only one faith
and no schism. All Christians are united by one faith and one love. We not only
admit that there are children of God in heterodox church bodies, but we
maintain also that these children of God are one with us in the faith. They are
agreed with us in the central doctrine of Christianity, namely, they believe
that they are by themselves lost, but are God’s children through faith in
Christ Jesus. Therefore, it says here: “In one faith, mind, and understanding.”
If you ask: how, for example, is this possible under popery, then Luther
replies, that in the Pope’s church, besides Baptism, there remained also the
text of the gospels. Whoever now in faith grasps and holds the Word of the
forgiveness of sins for Christ’s sake, he belongs to the children of God. If
the priest afterwards comes with his preaching of papistical errors, the
believer does not accept them.
In his commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians,
Luther says: “The Church is everywhere in the world, wherever the Gospel and
the Sacraments are.” And shortly before: “Therefore the Church is everywhere
holy, also in those places where even the Enthusiasts and factious spirits
rule, insofar of course as they still do not utterly deny and reject Word and
Sacrament. For those who altogether deny these things are no Church anymore.
But wherever Word and Sacrament essentially remain, there remains a
John Gerhard says, concerning the necessity of joining
a visible communion: “If such a time comes, when the visible glory of the
Church is lost, then it is not absolutely necessary for salvation to join a
visible local congregation; but it suffices that by true faith a person is a
member of the universal Church, for of this Church alone it is said properly
that outside of it there is no salvation.” (L. de ecclesia, par. 101.)
If one claims that for salvation more is necessary
than faith in Christ, then the central doctrine of Scripture, the doctrine of
justification by grace, is denied. For what does this mean, to become
righteous, and gain salvation by grace? It means to be declared righteous, and
gain salvation through no work done by man, no matter what it is called.
Whoever therefore says that the outward joining of a visible church body is
unconditionally necessary for salvation, he says thereby, that man becomes
righteous and gains salvation not only by grace through faith, but also through
this work (joining a church). Thus the Pope ties up salvation with belonging to
his realm. Similarly, they err who think that for salvation more is necessary
than this, that one by faith belongs to the Communion of Saints.
This first Thesis, it was yet stated, is of the
greatest importance. If it is not rightly taken to heart, everything else will
do no good. Yes, then one will apply everything that follows in the other
theses to his harm; For this we have terrifying examples. At a colloquy in
Thesis II
The Divinely
ordained external form of the Church is its orthodoxy. Heterodox church bodies
have their existence only by God’s permission.
If a man has become a Christian, and if God does not
take him immediately from earth into heaven, he should then not want to stay
alone by himself but seek the outward fellowship of other Christians. That is
God’s will. Consider the time of the Apostles. Wherever these men preached,
those who had come to faith by the preaching of the Apostles entered into an
outward fellowship with one another. And these communions which developed in
the various localities, the Holy Scriptures called churches or congregations.
Paul speaks in 1 Cor. 16:19 of the “churches in Asia”; 2 Cor. 8:1 of the “churches
in Macedonia”; 1 Cor. 1:2 of the “church of God at Corinth”; Acts 8:1 of the “church
at Jerusalem”; yes, in Rom. 16:5 of a “church in the house” of Priscilla and
Aquilla. These are the so-called local congregations.
These are not something alongside, or outside, of the
universal Christian Church, but they, together with the individual believing
souls who are cut off from all outward fellowship with others, make up the
universal Christian Church. These local congregations are founded by Christ.
And to every local church, Christ has given all spiritual treasures and rights,
as we see plainly, for example, in Matt. 18:17-20: “Tell it unto the church;
but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man
and a publican. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall
be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in
heaven. Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as
touching any thing they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which
is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am
I in the midst of them.” Here the universal Christian Church is not meant, for
you cannot call it together, but the local congregation, as Christ expressly
says: “Where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the
midst of them.”
Every Christian should, if he has the opportunity,
join such a local congregation. With respect to the local congregation, Heb.
l0:25 says expressly: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as
the manner of some is.” Regarding fellowship in the local congregation, Acts
2:42 speaks with praise: “They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine
and fellowship.” And verse 44: “And all that believed were together.” That
Christian sins most grievously who does not join a Christian congregation when
he has the opportunity, for such affiliation is God’s will. He who refuses to
join a Christian fellowship, although he could, resists God’s will. After
intensive and continued instruction he must finally be told: It is all a lie
when you say that you have faith. Yes, the failure to join a Christian
congregation can under certain circumstances just as clearly reveal unbelief as
when a man is a drunkard, an adulterer, or the like.
Accordingly, it is God’s will that a Christian should
join a Christian congregation. But if we now look at the congregations which
call themselves Christian, we see that they do not all agree in confession of
faith. The question confronts the Christian, which visible church should he
join? Or, if he already is a member of a church, as is often the case, should
he remain in this fellowship or look for another one? A Christian should and
will govern himself in all things according to God’s Word. In order to answer
this question, we set up, in accordance with God’s Word, the general
proposition:
“The Divinely ordained external form of the Church is
its orthodoxy. Heterodox church bodies have their existence only by God’s
permission.”
God desires to have only an orthodox Church, or, in
other words, it is God’s will that all Christians should belong only to an orthodox
church. This truth is flatly denied nowadays. This accounts for the fact that
even Lutherans speak of sectarian churches as “sister congregations.” They say,
that as God desires to save people out of all nations, so He also desires to
have various churches with various faiths. False reasoning is also employed for
the purpose of calling the truth of our Thesis into question. They argue: If
there are true children of God in heterodox churches, as you yourself concede,
then it cannot be true that only the orthodoxy of the Church is pleasing to
God. The Holy Scriptures, however, everywhere testify to the truth of our
Thesis. Let us here present just a few basic reasons.
That God desires only an orthodox Church is manifest
already from the fact that God has given us the Holy Scriptures, and in them
has revealed all articles of Christian doctrine. Now, as surely as God has
revealed all doctrines in order that they be accepted in faith, yes, under
threat of His wrath has forbidden us to add or subtract anything from them, so
surely God wants the Church to be orthodox and that alone; For an orthodox
Church is one that believes and confesses all the doctrines revealed in Holy
Scripture. The correctness of our Thesis is further proved by all passages of
Scripture in which it is said that all Christians, no matter of what nation,
should have only one set of beliefs, the one revealed in God’s Word. In the
well-known words of 1 Cor. 1:10, we read: “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the
Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there
be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same
mind and in the same judgment.” There are many differences among Christians in
those things which belong to natural life, in culture, manner of living, etc.
Christians may also establish different external forms of church liturgy. But
in one thing, among Christians, whether they are white or black, educated or
not, there should be no difference but the most complete uniformity, namely, in
beliefs, in doctrine. This Eph. 4:3-6 also proves: “Endeavoring to keep the
unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit,
even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one
baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in
you all.” Accordingly, as certainly as all Christians should have only the one
creed as revealed in Scripture, just as certainly God also wants the Church to
be orthodox, and that alone. In Eph. 4:11-14, the Apostle says that Christ gave
some to be Apostles, some to be prophets, etc. For what purpose? That all might
come to the unity of the one faith in, and confession of, the Son of God.
That God wants the Church to be orthodox in its
external form, is evident also from the commission to the Divinely ordained
office of the ministry. For every command of God in Scripture to preach the
Word refers only to the preaching of the pure Word. When Christ the Lord says: “Go
ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark
That God wants the Church to be orthodox is evident
also from the description which Scripture gives us of Christians. Christ says
of them: “My sheep hear My Voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27.)
According to the Scriptures, it belongs to the make-up of a Christian that he
obeys only the voice of Christ, by faith adheres solely to God’s Word. Insofar
as the Christians depart from the Word of Christ, they follow another, and deny
Christ. In praise of the
Furthermore, all Christians are expressly warned to
guard themselves carefully against false prophets. “Beware of false prophets,”
Christ exhorts them in Matt. 7:15. And
Thus God had ordained it in the Old Testament. In the
New Testament this bodily punishment is expressly done away with. But with this
law in the Old Testament, God has shown what a most serious thing the orthodoxy
of the Church is to Him. In the New Testament, Paul expresses something similar
when, in Galatians 1:9, he pronounces the curse upon all who stubbornly falsify
God’s Word.
That God desires to have only an orthodox Church is
evident also from the names which are given the Church in the Holy Scriptures.
In I Tim. 3:15, it is called “the house of God,” a spiritual house that God has
built for Himself, and in which God alone is Master. As otherwise in an orderly
house, the master’s word prevails, so also in the Church, God’s house, God’s
Word alone should rule, rule in everything that it says. The preachers must
therefore preach the Word of God alone. He that sets God’s Word aside deposes
God from being Master of the house. The preachers, as stewards in God’s
spiritual house, must demonstrate their faithfulness by not preaching their own
wisdom, but the pure Word of God. Therefore, we read in I Pet. 4:11: “If any
man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God.”
The Church, moreover, is called God’s and Christ’s
kingdom, (John
Furthermore, the Church is called the Bride of Christ.
She should therefore cleave to Him alone. This is done, first and foremost, in
this way that she gives heed alone to the Word of Christ, in faith adheres
alone to His Word, and permits nothing to separate her from that Word. Insofar
as the Church listens to the word of another, she becomes unfaithful to Christ.
Hence, the
Luther always comes back to this, that in the Church
only the true doctrine should be proclaimed, that is, that the Church should
therefore be orthodox. On I Peter
Luther writes concerning the above-mentioned passage, “If
any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God”: “If anyone wants to speak,
let him keep his own words to himself; let them count for something in the
earthly government and in the home. Here in the Church he should speak nothing
but the Word of the mighty Master of the house: otherwise it is not the true
Church. Therefore the rule must be: God speaks. It has to be that way on this
earth. If a prince wants to rule, then his voice must be heard in his country
and home. Now if that is the case in this miserable life, so much the more
should we let the Word of God be heard in the Church and in eternal life. All
subjects and governments must be obedient to the word of their lord. This we
call administration. Therefore a preacher is God’s steward by virtue of His
command and office, and dare say nothing else than what God says and commands.
And though one does much babbling outside of God’s Word; still the Church is
not in the chatter, no matter if they should become mad and absurd. They only
cry ‘church, church, you must hear the Pope and the bishops.”‘ (Sermon on the
1st Pentecost Day, XII, 1413 ff.) Insofar as in the Church not God’s Word but
man’s word is proclaimed, the church is no longer God’s house, but the devil’s.
It is a terrible defilement of the house of God where God’s Word is not
preached in its purity in the Church; and God will severely punish such
defilement of His house.
Luther, in the above mentioned reference, writes
further: “For this cause we must look to Christ and hear Him, how He describes
the true Christian Church against their false hue and cry. For you should and
must rather believe Christ and the Apostles, so that you speak God’s Word, and
do as St. Peter and Christ the Lord here declare: Whoever holds to My Word,
there is My dwelling. There is the Master Builder: My Word must remain in it,
or it shall not be My house. Our papists want to do it better; let them
therefore remain in the danger. Christ says: ‘We will make our abode with him,’
and there the Holy Ghost operates. It must be a people that loves Me and keeps
My commandments. That, in brief, is what He wants…. On the other hand, under
earthly government the Christian hears something different, how men should
punish the evildoers and protect the good, and of stewardship. But here in the Christian
Church it should therefore be a house in which only God’s Word is proclaimed.”
Under earthly government it is indeed different. The citizens of different
kingdoms can obey the most widely differing laws. But every citizen is guided
by the country in which he lives. If he finds himself in
When Luther discusses this subject, he can never
exhaust it to his own satisfaction. Yet another passage may therefore be
presented: “From this you can now answer those criers and spewers who have
nothing in their big mouths but ‘church, church.’ Now tell me, dear Pope, what
is the Church? Answer: The Pope and his Cardinals. Why listen here, you
self-deceived and foolish man, where is it written in God’s Word that Father
Pope and Brother Cardinal are the true Church of God? Or do you say this
perhaps because the fine-feathered parrot and the black jackdaw have babbled
this? Christ tells you and me something far different, namely, that is My
Church where My Word is preached and maintained pure and unadulterated.
Therefore
But now there actually exist many heterodox churches,
that is, such church bodies which do not in all parts remain with the truth
which God has revealed. That there would be such church bodies is foretold in
Scripture. This fact should therefore not seem strange to us.
Now we ask: What is God’s will concerning these
heterodox church bodies? Especially in our time, as already indicated, it is
generally said that it is according to God’s will, that there are different
churches with different faiths. The different confessions, it is said, are the
necessary consequences of this, that God leads persons and nations of differing
abilities into the Church. Therefore the different tendencies in the Church,
they say, have equal rights. It is said of us that we demand too much when we
maintain that all Christians should have the same faith. This view is as wrong
as it is widespread. As surely as God has revealed only one doctrine in the
Holy Scriptures, and as surely as He commands all Christians to accept this one
doctrine, and forbids every departure from it, so surely it is not pleasing to
God that there are heterodox church bodies. That such church bodies exist is
not desired by God, but only permitted. God’s providence (rule of the world)
has no more to do with the existence of heterodox church bodies than with every
other sin. And this does not contradict the truth, that there are still dear
children of God in heterodox churches. God, so to speak, just makes the best He
can out of the heterodox church bodies. Also in these church bodies children
are born to Him, insofar as in them parts of His Word are still preached. But
God does not want them to exist as heterodox church bodies, or insofar as they
depart from His Word. This we must firmly maintain on the basis of God’s Word.
We must remember what these heterodox church bodies, as such, are, namely,
churches which have inscribed false doctrine on their banner, and have
established a separate communion. The Reformed, as an example, have founded a
separate church body by writing on their banner false doctrine concerning
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper; namely, that Baptism is not the washing of
regeneration, and that in the Lord’s Supper the true body and the true blood of
Christ are not present. That such a church body exists is only by God’s
permission.
But then, why does God permit heterodox church bodies
to arise? The Word of God answers that. Not as though God wants to have heterodox
bodies together with orthodox bodies for the sake of variety in the garden of
His Church, but in order that the Christians keep their distance from heterodox
church bodies. I Cor.
The same author writes: “These are not the words of an
angry judge, but they are fatherly words. As though He wanted to say: I have
given you My Word that you accept it with a good and peaceful heart, and hold
to it; but I will send false apostles and will try you out, whether in all
seriousness you will love Me and My Word.” (W.I, 2299.)
Thesis III
It is,
therefore, not a matter of indifference which church group a Christian joins;
but he has God’s earnest command strictly to distinguish between orthodox and
heterodox churches, and, avoiding all church fellowship with the heterodox, to
adhere only to the orthodox Church.
If, as we have seen in the Second Thesis, it is true
that God wants only orthodox churches, and if the existence of heterodox
churches is to be traced back to Divine permission only, then, as stated now in
the Third Thesis, it is “not a matter of indifference which church group a
Christian joins.”
Many Christians suppose that it makes no difference
which church group a Christian joins, and they act accordingly. When they come
to a place where any kind of Protestant church is found, they join it as
members. There are people who were successively Reformed, Baptists, Methodists,
Presbyterians, Congregationalists, depending upon the place where they lived.
And we should not be surprised when this happens among the sects, for they are
not certain about their distinctive doctrines, because they are not grounded in
God’s Word.
But even such who want to be Lutherans, and who
confess that the doctrine which they have learned from the Lutheran Catechism
is the correct one, often have few misgivings about joining heterodox
congregations. They, therefore, also act accordingly, as though it makes little
difference to which church group a Christian belongs. But this is altogether
wrong. Only then would this be a matter of indifference if, before God, there
were no difference between orthodox and heterodox churches. But, now, there is
a great difference, as we have seen in our Second Thesis — a difference so
great that God wants only the orthodox Church, and, on
the other hand, in His Word clearly condemns heterodox churches. Therefore, it
is the duty of every Christian who wants to be guided by God’s Word alone to
distinguish strictly between orthodox and heterodox churches. Before he joins a
church group, he must answer the question: Is this church orthodox or not?
God also expressly requires that of Christians. “Beloved,”
we read in I John 4:1, “believe not every spirit, but try the spirits; whether
they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” And
the Lord Jesus exhorts all Christians (Matt.
In our day, people either do not make this distinction
at all, or at least not in the right manner. They not only fail to declare it
the Christian’s duty to distinguish between orthodox and heterodox church
bodies, but they even declare it to be a Christian virtue when people pay no
attention to the doctrinal differences. Yes, they call it presumptuous when a
church body maintains that in all articles of Christian faith it has the
revealed truth of God’s Word. Thus, we are ridiculed in the General Synod, yes,
even in the Council, because we make a strict distinction between orthodox and
heterodox churches. The sectarians, indeed, also speak of the “orthodox,” that
is, right-teaching preachers and church bodies. These, however, are not people
who adhere to all doctrines of the Christian faith, but such who, in the
general falling away, at least still confess a few important doctrines. They
call such church bodies “orthodox,” which perhaps still believe that the Holy
Bible is God’s Word, and that Christ is God’s Son; also that through conversion
man comes to God, and through faith in Christ can be saved, even though they at
the same time deny other doctrines clearly revealed in God’s Word. But that can
never be called the right manner of distinguishing between orthodox and
heterodox church bodies. Whoever judges on the basis of God’s Word can call
only those teachers and church bodies orthodox which are obedient to God’s
command, adding nothing to His Word and taking nothing away from it.
If you therefore ask on what basis a Christian must
distinguish between heterodox and orthodox churches, the answer is: On the
basis of beliefs, on the basis of doctrine. Only on that basis can a true
judgment be reached; not on the basis that outwardly a Christian life appears
to prevail in a congregation or that the minister gives the impression of being
a pious man. That can all be sheep’s clothing which conceals the errorist, as
Christ the Lord says in Matt. 7:15: “Beware of false prophets, which come to
you in sheep’s clothing.” Moreover, you cannot judge on the basis that a man
appeals to Scripture and quotes Scripture; but Christians must examine whether
the doctrine of Scripture is really also being taught. The devil, too, in the
temptation of Christ, quoted Scripture.
Yes, Christians should not even be influenced by signs
and wonders, for those wonders may likewise be only seeming wonders, deception,
and Satanic delusion. Already in the Old Testament, God called the attention of
His believers to this. In the passage already quoted, Deut. 13:1-3, it is
stated: “If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth
thee a sign or wonder, and the sign or wonder come to pass, whereof he spake
unto thee saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and
let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or
that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye
love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” This is a
very powerful passage to show that in judging church bodies and teachers we
should look alone at the doctrine to see whether they teach God’s Word purely
and clearly. Even signs and wonders are not infallible distinguishing marks.
These can look outwardly like wonders, but in reality be deception, or an
effect produced by the devil. Signs and wonders should influence us only then
when they are accompanied by the correct doctrine. If false doctrine is
present, we should call him who presents it a false prophet, even if he would
show us things that are ever so astounding. The Pope’s coming, according to 2
Thessalonians 2, is after the working of Satan with all kinds of lying power
and signs and wonders. Of the Last Times, Christ the Lord says, Mat.24:24: “There
shall arise false christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and
wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”
Accordingly, the Christians have the duty on the basis of doctrine to
distinguish between orthodox and heterodox churches.
But can they do this? Certainly! For Christ the Lord
tells them to do this, and this at the same time implies that by God’s grace
they can do it. Many suppose that only pastors are in a position to distinguish
between orthodox and heterodox churches. But this is altogether wrong.
Precisely all Christians, and not only the pastors, are exhorted by Christ the
Lord, in Matt. 7:15: “Beware of false prophets.” And John says: “Beloved,
believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because
many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1); this passage is
likewise addressed to all Christians alike. Christ the Lord has so arranged it,
that all His dear Christians, the unlearned as well as the learned, can distinguish
between truth and falsehood in spiritual things. He has revealed all doctrines
in perfectly clear passages, in passages which can be understood by the
unlearned as well as the learned. The Holy Scriptures are such a testimony,
that makes wise also the simple (Psalm 19:7). When, therefore, a Christian
simply holds to the Word of Scripture, then he can very well distinguish
between truth and error.
That the Christians sometimes are confused and imagine
that they do not know which is the true doctrine, is due to the fact, that they
lose sight of the Word of Scripture, that they want to judge this matter with
their blind reason, and not with God’s Word, which refutes all errors as soon
as it is brought into the discussion. Thus, for example, there once was a
dispute in a Methodistic gathering concerning perfect sanctification of a
Christian already in this life. Most of them claimed that a Christian, already
here on earth, can be entirely without sin. Then, one man arose and said that
he had committed no sin for years! Another arose and, instead of making a long
reply, simply quoted 1 John 1:8: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” By this one passage all were silenced.
Before the eyes of all, the error was condemned by the clear Word of God. And
so it is with respect to every doctrine.
The Christian who knows his Small Lutheran Catechism
can defend himself with this knowledge against all errors, for the fundamental
articles of Christian doctrine are the very ones against which the errorists
offend.
Gerhard writes: “As the Church differs from secular
associations which are outside the Church through the preaching of the Word and
the administration of the Sacraments, so it also differs from heretical
communions which are in the Church through the pure preaching of the Word and
the correct administration of the Sacraments.” (L. de ecclesia par. 131.)
We distinguish between erring churches, and the
godless mass of people outside of the Church. The latter are those communions
that, though they still call themselves churches, nevertheless no longer teach
anything of the saving Gospel, or as our older teachers expressed it, have no
essential parts of the revealed saving truth at all anymore. In such church
bodies, insofar as their doctrine is concerned, nobody can come to saving
faith. Such communions in our day are the Unitarian groups. These teach no
Triune God. Consequently, they also do not teach that Jesus Christ is true God
and as true God became man, to redeem mankind by His substitutionary life,
suffering, and death. Consequently, nobody within this communion can come to
faith in Christ as the Savior of sinners; accordingly, this group and similar
ones no longer merit the name of “Christian fellowship.” They are altogether
outside of the Christian Church, as it is also confessed by our Church in the
first article of the Apology to the Augsburg Confession. We do not place these
wholly un-Christian groups on the same level with heterodox churches. In all
these heterodox churches it is still confessed that Christ is God’s Son, and
that He died for the redemption of man, though indeed at the same time many
errors are also being preached. But, nevertheless, souls can still come to
faith in these churches. Now, we are not dealing here with the difference
between the orthodox Church and the world, but with the difference between the
orthodox and the heterodox Church, that is, between churches which confess the
revealed truth in all articles of doctrine, and such churches which reject the
truth and support error in a number of teachings.
Therefore a Christian can and should distinguish
between orthodox and heterodox churches. He should then also act according to
this knowledge. While avoiding all fellowship with the heterodox, he should
adhere only to the orthodox Church. This God’s Word declares in all passages
which admonish the Christian not to listen to false prophets, but to flee from
them. For by belonging to heterodox congregations you listen to their
preachers, the false prophets, and thus do the very opposite of that which
Christ has commanded regarding false teachers. The passages already quoted,
therefore, belong here: Matt.7:15: “Beware of false prophets”; and 2 John
10,11: “If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine” - the doctrine
revealed in God’s Word, the doctrine of Christ - “Receive him not into your
house, neither bid him Godspeed,” namely, as a brother in the faith. That you
should not become a member of a heterodox fellowship is set forth also in Acts
Then, 2 Cor. 6:14-18 says most expressly: “Be ye not
unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath
righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with
darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that
believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the
Objections have been raised against the use of this
passage as proof that God has forbidden fellowship with heterodox churches. The
objectors claim that this passage speaks of unbelievers, and not of erring
believers. But erring churches are, to the extent that they err, also
unbelieving. They are unbelieving with respect to quite a number of Bible
passages. And to this they add the terrible sin, that on the basis of their
errors they have established sectarian communions in the Christian Church.
Thereby they split up Christendom and oppose, fight against, the orthodox
Church. Word for word, the passage, 2 Cor. 6, applies to the erring churches
insofar as they are such.
It says: “What fellowship hath righteousness with
unrighteousness?” To preach false doctrine, and to believe false doctrine is
the greatest wickedness there is, a sin against the First Commandment. Luther
stresses this so frequently. He always repeats: “False doctrine is a sin
against the First Commandment.” Whoever sets aside God’s Word, twists God’s
Word around, puts his own meaning into God’s Word, he does not permit God to be
his God, he acts unrighteously. God often says in His Word: “Thou shalt not
steal.” But just as clearly and even much oftener we find it said in Scripture:
You shall not believe false doctrine, you shall not preach false doctrine, you
shall not listen to false doctrine. Now, just as he is unrighteous who steals,
contrary to God’s command, so especially also is he unrighteous who, contrary
to the equally clear command of God, preaches, accepts, or promotes false
doctrine, and that in any amount whatever. When God says you must not steal,
then you should not steal even a little bit. The same holds true in respect to
hearing and preaching false doctrine. You already become a partaker of
unrighteousness by spreading and advancing only one doctrinal error. The first
part of Christian righteousness and Christian life is the trusting acceptance
of the whole Word of God.
We read further: “What communion hath light with
darkness?” But false doctrine is darkness, just as true, revealed doctrine is
the light in this world. “What concord hath Christ with Belial?” All false
doctrine is a work of the devil. It is lying in spiritual things against God.
And the real father of this lying is the devil. Whoever supports false doctrine
is doing the devil’s work. “What agreement hath the
The objection is raised: “You yourselves admit that
also in heterodox bodies there are still dear children of God, and yet by
separating from these churches, you separate yourselves from these children of
God; yes, you condemn them by avoiding these heterodox churches. In that case,
isn’t it better to practice fellowship with the heterodox?” First of all, we
answer: No! It cannot be better, because God expressly forbids us to do this.
Moreover, we do not even separate ourselves from the children of God among the
sects, but from the sects as such. Rather, the sects separate these dear
children of God from us. They hold those who belong to us — for children of God
are determined to accept the whole Word of God — captive among themselves. So
these believers must outwardly support the wicked cause of the sects while in
their hearts they belong to us. These children of God would at once come over
to an orthodox congregation if they were better informed. It is also for the
benefit of the children of God among the heterodox that we refuse church
fellowship to these churches. Thereby we are constantly reminding them that
they are in the wrong camp. According to God’s Word, Christians do not belong
in the company of those who openly contradict some doctrines of Christ. Many a
person for this reason also steps out of the wrong camp into the right one.
It must also by all means be held, that we do not
cause any divisions in the Church when we avoid fellowship with the heterodox.
According to Rom.
Now, what is included in avoiding all fellowship with
the heterodox? It does not include that you avoid also all civil association
with the heterodox. It also does not include that you should not occasionally,
opportunely, speak with the heterodox about spiritual matters. We should rather
do as St. Peter exhorts in 1 Peter 3:15-16: “Be ready always to give an answer
to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness
and fear: having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of
evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in
Christ.” From our association with them, the heterodox should also notice that
we have no passion for quarreling and condemning, but that we are God-fearing,
truth-loving, peaceful people who act as we do only because we respect God’s
Word — by the Command of God, which forbids fellowship with the heterodox,
everything is forbidden whereby we strengthen the evil work of the heterodox
body.
Christians, therefore, should not become members of
heterodox bodies, indeed, under no circumstances. If in a certain place no
orthodox church is found, the Christian must be content with private, home
worship, for God has nowhere given release from this word: “Now I beseech you,
brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine
which ye have learned; and avoid them.” Rom.
The following testimonies were pointed to as a
confirmation of what was set forth in Thesis III.
After the Apology makes the concession that also the
Baptism performed by unbelieving pastors in the name of the Church is
effective, it continues: “Impious teachers are to be deserted (are not to be
received or heard) because they do not act any longer in the place of Christ,
but are antichrists. And Christ says Matt. 7:15: Beware of false prophets. And
Paul, Gal. 1:9: “If any man preach any other gospel unto you, let him be
accursed. “ (Trigl. p.243-5, par. 48.)
Smalcald Articles: “Paul commands that godless
teachers should be avoided and execrated as cursed, Gal. 1,8; Titus 3,10. And 2
Cor. 6, 14 he says: Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for
what communion hath light with darkness? To dissent from the agreement of so
many nations and to be called schismatics is a grave matter. But divine
authority commands all not to be allies and defenders of impiety and unjust
cruelty.” (Trigl. p.517, par. 41.)
Furthermore: “Because Paul, Gal. 1.7f., enjoins that
bishops who teach and defend a godless doctrine and godless services should be
regarded as accursed.” Trigl. p.525, par. 72.)
Luther says: “Whoever knows that his pastor teaches
Zwinglianism, should avoid him, and rather forego receiving the Sacrament all
his life than to receive it from him, yes, rather also die and suffer all
things.” (Warning against Zwinglianism. XVII, 2440.)
Thesis IV
Likewise,
only in the orthodox Church is God given the honor which He requires; and, only
in it are souls rightly cared for. Fellowship with heterodox churches militates
against God’s honor, and is a constant danger for the soul.
God’s Word revealed in Scripture is God’s honor. As
God in His Word has revealed Himself to us human beings, so He wants to be
honored and worshiped by us human beings. As men take their stand toward God’s
Word, so they take their stand towards God. This we dare not forget. We mortal
beings have God here on earth only in His Word. When by God’s grace we have
arrived in yonder life, we will see God face to face. Whoever seeks God here on
earth, must seek Him in His Word; whoever wants to keep company with God, must
keep company with God’s Word; whoever claims that he loves God, must prove his
love by loving God’s Word, as Christ our Lord expressly says: “If a man love
Me, he will keep My words.” John 14:23. Therefore, we also say: Whoever would
honor God, must honor Him in His Word. And what does this include? He must
accept all of God’s Word as inviolable truth. He must accept God’s Words as
they read and not take the liberty to explain things away, or misconstrue them,
because the clearly expressed sense of a passage is against his reason. Neither
does he have the right to make a selection of the doctrines revealed in God’s
Word and accept some, but reject others. God’s honor demands that we accept and
keep all His Words.
Let us now apply this to the difference between
orthodox and heterodox churches. In the orthodox Church all of God’s Word is
respected as truth to be kept unbroken, all Words of God are accepted, as they
read, without any pet personal interpretation; all doctrines revealed in the
Holy Scriptures are believed and confessed. Thus in the orthodox Church God is
honored in all His Words; to Him alone is given that honor which He demands. In
the heterodox churches, on the other hand, all of God’s Word, revealed by God
in the Holy Scriptures, is, as a matter of fact, not accepted. God’s Word is
tampered with, in order to gain a sense that is pleasing to man’s reason. Of
those doctrines revealed in Scripture, some are denied altogether, others are
twisted; doctrines are also set forth as divine which are not at all contained
in God’s Word. Thus, in heterodox church bodies God’s honor is diminished, yes,
disgraced.
But right here the leaders of heterodox church bodies
assure us, that they place God’s honor above everything and seek to honor God
in all things. Let us firmly maintain this over against them, that God is
honored or despised to the same degree that His Word is honored or despised.
They must demonstrate that they honor God in all things by letting God’s Word
as it reads be the deciding factor in all doctrines. If they assent to God’s
Word in all doctrines, good! Then, indeed, they truly honor God; then they also
cease to be heterodox. But if they continue to misconstrue God’s Word, to twist
God’s Word, and cast it away, then they, in spite of their assurances to the
contrary, should not be allowed to talk us into believing that they honor God.
That is the case even with the honor of an earthly king. His subjects must
demonstrate that they honor him by submitting to the laws which he issues. If
they pay no attention to his decrees, and at the same time with fine talk act
like loyal subjects in the presence of the king, then that is hypocrisy. Now
Christ is King in His Church, in His spiritual kingdom. He has made His
revealed Word, the Holy Scriptures, the law of His kingdom. He requires of His
spiritual subjects, that they accept all of His Word. Now when you explain away
His Word and in part reject it, then you are in rebellion against Christ as the
sole Ruler in His kingdom. And if, in this connection, you act very humble and
pious, then that is either great ignorance or pure hypocrisy.
Let us by no means forget that God is either honored
or else despised by man’s attitude toward His Word. We are only too easily
inclined to lose sight of this truth. We rather put at the head of the list
certain outward, striking marks among those works by which we are to
demonstrate our Christianity. The works of charity towards the needy and
forsaken are regarded above others as signs of genuine piety. Of course, these
works also must be found in a Christian’s life. He that does not do them,
although God calls upon him to do these particular works, too, will some day
hear from the mouth of Christ the words: “I was hungry and ye gave Me no meat,”
etc. “Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire.” Matt. 25. But the
first and foremost work whereby a person is to give proof of his Christianity
is, and remains, surely this, that he from the heart respects God’s majestic
Word, believes it, submits to it, does not deny any of it, but confesses it
wholly and fully. The Lord says: “To this man will I look, even to him that is
poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My Word.” Is. 66:2. “If a man
love Me, he will keep My Words.” John 14:23. To accept God’s Word in humble
faith is obedience to the First Commandment. As surely as the First Table of
the holy Ten Commandments precedes the Second, so surely the trusting
acceptance of His Word is also the first part of God-pleasing piety. This first
part of piety is also the basis for all other good works. Without a sincere
reverence for God’s Word, all external works, even if they appear to others to
be ever so impressive, are of no value before God. Let us not forget what
Luther so often says: False doctrine, the departure from God’s Word, is a sin
against the First Commandment. To the extent that a person departs from God’s
Word, to that extent he separates himself from the authority of God, follows
after other gods, and profanes God’s name.
The objection, indeed, is raised that the heterodox
church bodies mean no evil. Of course, the Christians in these churches intend
no evil: it is due to their ignorance, that they do not confess the whole Word
of God. But the founders and leaders of sects have evil intent; and the devil,
the originator of all false doctrine, wants to rob God of His honor, and souls
of their salvation. But, if you say: In the heterodox churches they are only
indifferent to God’s Word, then we should answer: Indifference to God’s Word is
disrespect for God. A Christian should not be indifferent to God’s Word;
rather, God’s Word should rate higher in his estimation than everything in the
world. Christ says: “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least
commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the
kingdom of heaven.” Matt. 5:19. We must say with Luther: “I feel that every
Word of God makes the world too narrow for me.” That is rightly honoring God!
Luther writes concerning this matter: “God says: Their
worship is idolatrous and false who use My name only with their mouth. Indeed I
hear My Name, says He. They call Me Creator of heaven and earth, but altogether
in violation of the Second Commandment. For they do not in sincerity thus call
Me Creator; yes, what is more, they corrupt the worship with commandments of
men. ‘They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in
approaching to God.’ Is. 58:2. But I will not be worshiped with such service
and teaching which men have chosen. But in fear before Me you shall serve Me,
that is, that you accept My Word in faith, as it is written in the last chapter
of Isaiah, v. 2: ‘To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a
contrite spirit, and trembleth at My Word’; such people shall serve Me.
Likewise Isaiah in chap. 8, v.13: ‘Sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself; and let
Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. And He shall be for a sanctuary.’”
(St. L. Ausg. II, 721 to 1 Mos. 31, 33-55.) And (1,1538): “However, let none
ever fear God except alone in His Word, as it is written in Exodus 20:3,4: ‘Thou
shalt have no other gods before Me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven
image.’ Where God reveals Himself in His Word, there serve Him, there show Him
honor; then you are truly God-fearing, as you should be. Therefore we tread upon,
reject, Pope, factions, and sects, we are not afraid of them; neither do we
honor those who establish a worship of God of their own invention, outside of
and against God’s Word, those who condemn the true religion and correct
teaching, and call it heresy. Therefore they fear where there is no cause to
fear; and where there is cause for fear, they do not fear at all.”
Let us, additionally, show by the contents of several
doctrines how by falsifying them God’s honor is diminished. God’s Word teaches
that Christ has redeemed all people and that God would have all men to be
saved. To honor God rightly, we must accordingly believe that God desires the
death of not a single sinner, but that according to God’s will each sinner
should, by faith in Christ, obtain eternal life. See, therefore, how God is
dishonored, and what a false picture is drawn of Him by the false teaching
which claims that God has redeemed, and wants to save only a part of mankind
through Christ. No, we should think thus of God: As the light of the sun is
universal and shines on all people, so also in Christ the Divine sun of grace
is risen upon all people, without exception, giving them light unto spiritual
and eternal life.
Furthermore, God’s Word teaches that those who obtain
salvation are converted and saved alone by God’s grace in Christ, so that no
human being can glory in himself above others, but each one must confess: “That
I now am converted, that Thou alone hast done.” But the synergists, that is,
certain false teachers, claim that a man by his own efforts, by his good
conduct, etc., brings it about that he, in preference to others, is converted.
They thereby do not allow God alone the glory for their conversion and
salvation, but ascribe this glory partly to themselves.
The Reformed, and all Reformed sects, deny the Real
Presence of the body and blood of Christ in the Lord’s Supper. Through this
they detract from God’s honor. Apart from the fact that such do not accord
Christ the honor of believing His Word, consider how gloriously the love of
Christ beams on us poor sinners when we in accordance with His Word firmly hold
that He even gives us as a seal His body and blood for the assurance of the
forgiveness of our sins! Whoever vitally understands this will, in his heart,
really sings praises to God. Whoever, on the other hand, regards the Lord’s
Supper as a mere memorial feast in which there is nothing else present than
bread and wine, no such praise of God will be found in his heart.
Furthermore, also this is a difference between the orthodox
and the heterodox Church, that only in the orthodox Church are souls rightly
cared for, while fellowship with the heterodox churches is a constant danger
for souls.
No doctrine in Holy Scripture is given us by God
without a purpose, but with each doctrine God has our salvation in mind,
namely, that we should come to faith in Christ, be kept in faith, and thus by
the power of God through faith be preserved unto salvation. Thus we read in
John
Let us make this clear by considering several
examples. Whoever falsifies that doctrine, that only by grace for Christ’s sake
through faith in Christ we have forgiveness of sin and eternal life; whoever,
then, ascribes the obtaining of God’s grace in whole or in part to our works or
our better conduct, makes it impossible for us to be sure of God’s grace and
our salvation. For he who has an awakened conscience, and knows a little about
himself, must confess with Paul that in him, that is, in his flesh, dwelleth no
good thing. Now, if grace and salvation rest, even only partly, on our own
worthiness, then we can never become sure of them, but must spend all our life
in doubt and uncertainty.
The doctrine of the free grace of God in Christ,
however, is denied not only by the Pope, but is also corrupted by all the
sects. How soul-destroying the doctrine of work-righteousness is, as it is
promoted by the papacy, we can see in Luther. In spite of his honorable and
strict life, he sank ever deeper into doubt concerning God’s grace. And he
would have been ruined altogether in body and soul if he had not, by God’s
grace, come to the realization that the forgiveness of sins does not rest on
our works, but altogether on God’s mercy in Christ. With this knowledge the
certainty of grace entered into his heart.
But most of the time, the sects teach in such a way,
that the grace-hungry souls can have no sure comfort. The almost universal
practice of sectarian preachers is to offer the comfort of the Gospel only then
when sinners have first ceased from sin and changed their ways. Whereas, a true
Christian knows, that there can be no change in a person as long as he does not
believe the grace of God.
A person who has come to the knowledge of his sin
needs much comfort. For that reason, God has opened many different channels of
comfort in the Means of Grace which He ordained. Not only through the preaching
of the Gospel does He grant us forgiveness of sins, but also through holy
Baptism, and through the holy Supper, He bestows upon and seals for each sinner
in particular the forgiveness of sins. Even as it is written, that we are
baptized “for the forgiveness of sins,” and that in the Lord’s Supper Christ
gives us His sacrificial body and shed blood as a seal that we through the
suffering and death of Christ have forgiveness of sins. Yes, Christ the Lord
has, in addition, also ordained Absolution in the words: “Whosoever sins ye
remit, they are remitted unto them,” so that a poor sinner, when he hears the
Absolution out of a fellow human being’s mouth, can be certain his sins are
forgiven before God in heaven. But now the sects not only deny these Means of
Grace, they also declare it to be misleading and productive of carnal security
if one tries to become certain of the forgiveness of sins through Baptism, the
Lord’s Supper, and Absolution. So they stop up the channels through which
Christ wants rich comfort to flow to His people.
It is, of course, true: if someone on the basis of the
preached Gospel, yes, on the basis of only one passage (for example, “God so
loved the world,” etc., “The blood of Jesus Christ,” etc.) believes in the
forgiveness of sins, he really has forgiveness of sins and, in general, all the
spiritual gifts merited by Christ, and can die saved. His faith which is based
on only one Gospel passage has a divine foundation. For that reason also, many
within the sectarian churches are saved, although they are prevented by
sectarian doctrine from making the right use of their Baptism, the Lord’s
Supper, and Absolution. They should, however, make use of that which Christ has
richly supplied His own. Thus, in the heterodox churches the rich comfort meant
for them by Christ is spoiled, and therefore such churches are not the right
dwelling place for them. Souls are not rightly cared for among the sects.
There is, of course, a great difference between those
who grow up in heterodox churches and out of ignorance remain in them — they
can with their unrecognized sins be saved — and those who from childhood on
have learned the truth, but join a heterodox church in order to please others,
for the sake of convenience, or perhaps even on account of some rebuke
administered to them in the orthodox Church. These commit a wilful sin, which
becomes a hindrance to their salvation. That even in the heterodox churches
people can be saved cannot benefit us who know that a Christian should not be
found in heterodox churches.
The harm of union between orthodox and heterodox
churches can be made clear by an example. Three neighboring farmers each have a
brook; the one brook has clear, pure water; the second has cloudy, muddy water;
and the third has stagnant, impure water. The proposal is made to combine the
three brooks in order to form a bigger, more impressive-looking stream. “No,”
says the owner of the pure water, “I want to keep my clear water; if you wish
clear water, then get it from me; I’ll still have enough.” Thus the orthodox
Church ought also to refuse union with the heterodox Church, in order that the
water of life may not be mixed with any deadly ingredients.
The danger of staying in a heterodox church becomes
clearly evident also when considered from still another viewpoint. For a
Christian, it is necessary above all that the Word of God remain for him
immovably and incontestably certain. Therefore David prays, Ps. 119:38: “Stablish
Thy Word unto Thy servant.” When a sinner is in temptation and peril of death,
when the waters of Belial roar about him, and the Foe accuses and assails him
with the charge: “You are a disgraceful sinner and therefore damned,” then
there is only one means of deliverance. At such a time, words such as these
must be impressed upon him: “The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us
from all sin.” 1 John 1:7. ‘‘This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” 1 Tim. 1:15. If a
sinner accepts these words as they read and regards them as sure and certain
words, then he is confident in the midst of death, and his heart becomes
peaceful in the mightiest storm of temptation. But in heterodox churches the
Word of God is constantly made uncertain for the Christian. That is to say, in
order to justify their false doctrines, these churches must constantly pervert
God’s Word, they must disregard God’s Word as it reads, they must continually
practice all kinds of tricks with the Word of God. Several examples should make
this clear.
Those who claim that Baptism is not a Means of Grace,
no washing of regeneration, must continually deny these words of Scripture,
Gal. 3:27: “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on
Christ.” Also, Acts
Whoever denies the Real Presence of the body and blood
of Christ in the Lord’s Supper must pervert the words of institution where
Christ the Lord, speaking of that which He gives His Christians to eat, says: “This
is My body,” and, speaking of that which He gives to them to drink, says: “This
is My blood.” Likewise, the Words in 1 Cor. 10:16: “The cup of blessing which
we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we
break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?”
Whoever does not make conversion and salvation
dependent solely on the grace of God, but also on the conduct of man, he must
actually cross out hundreds of Bible passages. He must strike all passages
which testify to the spiritual death, the thoroughly corrupted nature of man,
its enmity against God, etc.: Eph. 2:1; Col. 2:13f.; Gen. 8:21; John 3:5;
Thus in heterodox churches, in order to defend false
doctrine, God’s Word must continually be denied. It is rightly said: “It costs
nine lies to maintain one lie.” Whoever allows himself such liberties with the
Word of God, let him beware, lest the devil also make this clear Word doubtful
for him in the hour of death: “The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us
from all sin.” 1 John 1:7. Therefore, staying in heterodox churches is a very
dangerous thing for the soul. You must avoid them, so that you may retain a
firm and certain Word of God. As those two hundred, who in their simplicity
went with Absalom, had to share the danger of the rebels, so also the
Christians among the heterodox must share the danger for the soul which false
doctrine brings to it.
Furthermore, consider this: All doctrines of the Bible
are connected with one another; they form a unit. One error draws others in
after it. Zwingli’s first error was the denial of the presence of Christ’s body
and blood in the Lord’s Supper. In order to support this error, he had to
invent a false doctrine of Christ’s Person, of heaven, of the right hand of
God, etc. If one error is firmly held, the whole Word of God logically falls,
and it is alone by God’s grace if then not all Divine truths are torn out of
the heart by the devil.
Luther tellingly answers the objection of the
Zwinglians, that they erred in only one point, and that, therefore, fellowship
should not be denied them: “‘A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.’ Gal.
5:9. This is a warning which
With this argument of theirs, which really is
impressive and sounds good in the ears of the general run of the people, they
not only cause their followers to become our bitter enemies, but they thereby
also persuade many good people to think that we will not make common cause with
them out of sheer stubbornness, or else because of some special ill will on our
part. But these are all vain and clever tricks, and deceit of the devil,
whereby he seeks nothing else than to overturn and destroy not only this
article, but all Christian doctrine.” (Commentary on Galatians 5:9.)
These are precious words, which should also be taken
to heart in our day. It appears strange to many, that we cling so firmly to the
pure doctrine; people call this obstinacy, or love for fighting on our part;
but our conscience is bound in the Word of God. First, we maintain: The chief
part of faithfulness to God is the simple, humble abiding in His Word. Then:
Every departure from God’s Word, every error, is dangerous to the soul. There
is a fearful, diabolical power in error; for every error is the devil’s work,
and through fellowship with error a person puts himself under the influence of
the devil. Here human reason is helpless. The papacy is an example. Although
you can already by the light of reason recognize its errors, reason
nevertheless does not offer any security against being mislead into it. Yes, it
is evident, also sophisticated, intelligent people are ensnared and taken
captive by the papacy; nor can they free themselves from its bewitching spell.
Whoever is not rescued from it by God’s strong hand will nevermore get out. Let
us therefore beware, lest by practicing fellowship with the heterodox we put
ourselves carelessly into danger, and thus lose our salvation.
Thesis V
We should,
therefore, regard membership in the orthodox Church not only as our duty, but
also as the greatest privilege and highest honor, even when the orthodox Church
outwardly bears a very humble form.
This thesis is a simple conclusion from the foregoing.
If God has commanded fellowship with the orthodox Church — and that is the
case, as we have seen — then this fellowship is our duty, a duty under all
circumstances, and a duty for every Christian. God has, under no circumstances,
given us a dispensation from the First Commandment, and has said to no
Christian: You, for yourself, may cultivate church fellowship with false
teachers, as though they were your brethren in the faith. Rather, God simply
says: “Avoid them,” that is, avoid all who “cause divisions and offenses
contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned.” Rom.
But we should look upon fellowship with the orthodox
Church not merely as a duty, in the sense that it would be a bitter must for
us; simply because a true Christian, who has learned to know God as his dear
and gracious Father, is happy when he knows that in a certain matter he is
doing God’s will. When he does what God commands him, the Christian walks as in
a paradise, as Luther says. Thus, as we have learned, only in the orthodox
Church is God given the honor which He demands, and only there are sinners
rightly served, so that they reach the final goal set for man, salvation.
Therefore, we should look upon membership in the orthodox Church as a most
glorious privilege, as a great proof of God’s grace, for which we can never
sufficiently thank God. For we ourselves have not provided this treasure for
ourselves, but it is the grace of God which has led us into this Church.
Therefore we must, if we only reflect a bit, daily thank God on our knees, that
we are members of the Church of the Reformation. Think of those Christians who
are found within the heterodox Church. Compare our condition with theirs. Note
how the souls of those who sincerely seek their salvation are hindered and
tortured there, for example, by the false doctrine concerning the
identification marks of a Christian, and by the false doctrine which makes the grace
of God uncertain for sinners.
But now, even when a soul has found peace in the fact,
that God, through His special grace, prevented error from getting a foothold
and saw to it that the truth which was still preached in the heterodox Church
was impressed upon the heart, there still remains something which must not be
underestimated. Heterodox churches are such who cause divisions and offenses in
Christendom. (Rom.
Finally: heterodox churches are in a continuous state
of warfare against the orthodox Church, against that Church which, in
conformity with the will of God, confesses all parts of the truth. Heterodox
people revile and persecute those who abide by God’s Word. Surely, an evil
work! For Christ says that He will regard that which is inflicted upon those
who confess Him as being done to Him. Now, those Christians who are in
heterodox churches take part in this evil work and persecute Christ in His
confessors of the truth. It is, for example, very terrible that the
In the discussion, this also was said: That we are in
the orthodox Church by grace and not by merit, everyone should easily
understand. What has anyone done about being born of Lutheran parents, educated
in Lutheran schools, and acquiring a knowledge of the truth? That this is
grace, everyone will understand; but that it is the highest gift of grace, all
will perhaps not see. That one enjoys good health, and the like, is, of course,
also a gift of God’s grace; but what is all grace in earthly things, compared
to the grace, that we, as members of the true Christian Church, are virtually
overwhelmed with spiritual treasures, and thus rightly provided for in respect
to the soul? False Christians, of course, ridicule us when we glorify our
membership in the orthodox Church as the greatest gift of grace; our reason
often does the same; but the time will come when people will not laugh about
this.
Indeed, even the orthodox Church is not in every
respect a
Also the upright members of the orthodox Church are and
remain poor sinners, who must daily pray the Lord’s Prayer, especially the
Fifth Petition. But in spite of this, the orthodox Church is clothed with a
glory by which it distinguishes itself above all other churches. It has God’s
Word, pure and unmixed. In the face of all error, it firmly clings to the truth
which God has revealed to man in the Holy Scriptures. It continues in the Word
of Christ in every point, as Christ requires of the Church. It can, to the
glory of God, boast of itself, that the words of Christ are being fulfilled in
it: “If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed.” John 8:31. It
is free from the ugly spots which disfigure the heterodox Church before God; it
is free of false doctrine. It is therefore — taking the word in the spiritual
sense — the precious one among the visible church bodies. To belong to it, we
should regard as the highest honor — again taking the word in the spiritual
sense. Is such talk offensive to you? If so, you do not realize how glorious
the true doctrine, and how detestable false doctrine is to God!
To be sure, the orthodox Church outwardly often bears
a very humble form. And this can, even for Christians, when they are not on
their guard against their flesh, become an inducement to be ashamed of their