I recently wrote an article for the Theologues website regarding the Sacrament of Confession and Absolution, and today it was posted. I would appreciate it if you would give it a read, as well as some of the other amazing articles posted by a bunch of talented guys (and gals). We all have something to say, and I'm thankful to the guys over at Theologues for giving people like me an outlet to express the random topics I mull over in my head.
Why Confession Matters
Pax,
Manny Tovar
Monday, July 21, 2014
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Are Lutherans Catholic?
This may be a strange question, and one that you may think you know the answer to. Of course Lutherans aren't Catholic, they're two separate denominations! How could they possibly be Catholic? And you are right, to a point.
To begin, we must first define what the word "catholic" means. The English word "catholic" comes from the Greek word katholikos (καθολικός), meaning "universal". So the catholic Church is simply the "universal" church. For something to be catholic simply means it is something that the church in all the world holds as true, regardless of nationality. There's a great article written by Mathew Block (Are Lutherans Catholic) that I'll be referencing here about this same subject.
Mark Dever delves into just that question in a recent Christianity Today article subtitled What we mean when we say "One Holy Catholic Church" In his article, Dever, a Baptist minister, traces the history of the word “catholic,” briefly outlining its evolution as the word gained additional meanings in the history of the Church. The catholic faith is authentic. It is orthodox. And it is also global.
Block defines catholicity in these terms: "To be catholic, then, is to be heirs of the apostolic faith. It is to be rooted firmly in the Apostles teaching as recorded for us in Scripture, the unchanging Word of God. But while this Word is unchanging, it does not follow that it is static. The history of the Church in the world is the history of Christians meditating upon Scripture. We must look to this history as our own guide in understanding Scripture. To be sure, the Church’s tradition of interpretation has erred from time to time—we find, for example, that the Fathers and Councils sometimes disagree with one another—but it is dangerous to discount those interpretations of Scripture which have been held unanimously from the very beginning of the Church."
He also adds this: "This tradition of meditation, of course, cannot invent new dogma—it is “not a source of dogma qua dogma,” as Hearth R. Curtis explains well in a 2005 Lutheran Forum article entitled “The Relation between the Biblical and Catholic Principles.” But it is nevertheless, “the source of apostolic interpretation which norms our interpretation of the apostolic Scriptures.” In other words, Scripture is the sole source of dogma for the Church, but the Church’s tradition of meditation “establishes how that source is to be interpreted.” It is in this sense that the three ecumenical creeds are understood to be authoritative: not because they invented new doctrine (they didn’t), but because they carefully codified truths already present in the Scriptures. In this way the Church’s tradition of meditation guides us into a proper understanding of Scripture. No Christian denomination, therefore, can reject interpretations of Scripture universally acknowledged by the early Church without impairing its commitment to being the one holy catholic and apostolic Church. For the Church’s tradition of meditation, as a faithful interpretation of the Scriptures, itself becomes a standard to which subsequent interpretations can be measured. And yes, this catholic interpretation extends to doctrines now considered denominational distinctives (for example, the doctrine of the Real Presence). Denominations which reject such catholic teaching therefore, in essence, reject part of what it means to be catholic."
"On the other hand, that church body which accepts the Scriptures as the sole source of authority in the Church and further acknowledges the tradition of the Church as a norming interpretive principle in understanding the Scriptures may rightly call itself catholic. It is in this sense then, finally, that Lutherans confess themselves to be heirs of the catholic tradition. “The churches among us do not dissent from the catholic church in any article of faith,” Melanchthon declares in the Augsburg Confession. “There is nothing here that departs from the Scriptures or the catholic church, or from the Roman Church, insofar as we can tell from its writers.” Centuries later, Herman Sasse could assert the same: “It was no mere ecclesiastico-political diplomacy which dictated the emphatic assertion in the Augsburg Confession that the teachings of the Evangelicals were identical with those of the orthodox Catholic Church of all ages,” he writes. “The Lutheran theologian acknowledges that he belongs to the same visible church to which Thomas Aquinas and Bernard of Clairvaux, Augustine and Tertullian, Athanasius and Ireneaus once belonged.”
So are Lutherans catholic? Yes. And we always will be, so long as we hold fast to the traditions of the Apostles, written in the Scriptures and faithfully passed down to us by the Church.
God bless,
Manny
To begin, we must first define what the word "catholic" means. The English word "catholic" comes from the Greek word katholikos (καθολικός), meaning "universal". So the catholic Church is simply the "universal" church. For something to be catholic simply means it is something that the church in all the world holds as true, regardless of nationality. There's a great article written by Mathew Block (Are Lutherans Catholic) that I'll be referencing here about this same subject.
Mark Dever delves into just that question in a recent Christianity Today article subtitled What we mean when we say "One Holy Catholic Church" In his article, Dever, a Baptist minister, traces the history of the word “catholic,” briefly outlining its evolution as the word gained additional meanings in the history of the Church. The catholic faith is authentic. It is orthodox. And it is also global.
Block defines catholicity in these terms: "To be catholic, then, is to be heirs of the apostolic faith. It is to be rooted firmly in the Apostles teaching as recorded for us in Scripture, the unchanging Word of God. But while this Word is unchanging, it does not follow that it is static. The history of the Church in the world is the history of Christians meditating upon Scripture. We must look to this history as our own guide in understanding Scripture. To be sure, the Church’s tradition of interpretation has erred from time to time—we find, for example, that the Fathers and Councils sometimes disagree with one another—but it is dangerous to discount those interpretations of Scripture which have been held unanimously from the very beginning of the Church."
He also adds this: "This tradition of meditation, of course, cannot invent new dogma—it is “not a source of dogma qua dogma,” as Hearth R. Curtis explains well in a 2005 Lutheran Forum article entitled “The Relation between the Biblical and Catholic Principles.” But it is nevertheless, “the source of apostolic interpretation which norms our interpretation of the apostolic Scriptures.” In other words, Scripture is the sole source of dogma for the Church, but the Church’s tradition of meditation “establishes how that source is to be interpreted.” It is in this sense that the three ecumenical creeds are understood to be authoritative: not because they invented new doctrine (they didn’t), but because they carefully codified truths already present in the Scriptures. In this way the Church’s tradition of meditation guides us into a proper understanding of Scripture. No Christian denomination, therefore, can reject interpretations of Scripture universally acknowledged by the early Church without impairing its commitment to being the one holy catholic and apostolic Church. For the Church’s tradition of meditation, as a faithful interpretation of the Scriptures, itself becomes a standard to which subsequent interpretations can be measured. And yes, this catholic interpretation extends to doctrines now considered denominational distinctives (for example, the doctrine of the Real Presence). Denominations which reject such catholic teaching therefore, in essence, reject part of what it means to be catholic."
"On the other hand, that church body which accepts the Scriptures as the sole source of authority in the Church and further acknowledges the tradition of the Church as a norming interpretive principle in understanding the Scriptures may rightly call itself catholic. It is in this sense then, finally, that Lutherans confess themselves to be heirs of the catholic tradition. “The churches among us do not dissent from the catholic church in any article of faith,” Melanchthon declares in the Augsburg Confession. “There is nothing here that departs from the Scriptures or the catholic church, or from the Roman Church, insofar as we can tell from its writers.” Centuries later, Herman Sasse could assert the same: “It was no mere ecclesiastico-political diplomacy which dictated the emphatic assertion in the Augsburg Confession that the teachings of the Evangelicals were identical with those of the orthodox Catholic Church of all ages,” he writes. “The Lutheran theologian acknowledges that he belongs to the same visible church to which Thomas Aquinas and Bernard of Clairvaux, Augustine and Tertullian, Athanasius and Ireneaus once belonged.”
So are Lutherans catholic? Yes. And we always will be, so long as we hold fast to the traditions of the Apostles, written in the Scriptures and faithfully passed down to us by the Church.
God bless,
Manny
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Baptism Series Part 3: Who can perform Baptism and who can be baptized?
Who can perform the Sacrament of Holy Baptism? According to the Small Catechism, "Normally the called ministers of Christ are to baptize but in cases of emergency and when no pastor is available, any Christian should baptize." So, are you saying that even mom and dad can baptize someone? In an emergency situation, any Christian can baptize. In fact, Luther gives a short form for Holy Baptism in cases of emergency*. In emergency situations, any Christian can baptize people, but in normal situations, the called ministers of Christ are the ones who administer Baptism.
Who can be baptized? Anyone! ... Well, that's not entirely true. There's no double dipping in Baptism. Once you've been baptized, you can only be baptized once, even if you were baptized originally in another Christian denomination. As long as Baptism is administered using the Trinitarian Invocation (I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit), your baptism is valid. So if you were baptized in the Baptist church or the Assemblies of God or in the Methodist church, you're good. If you were baptized in a pseudochristian sect (Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormonism), they would have to be baptized again, due to the fact that they deny the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. So back to our original question: Anyone.
Who can be baptized? Anyone! ... Well, that's not entirely true. There's no double dipping in Baptism. Once you've been baptized, you can only be baptized once, even if you were baptized originally in another Christian denomination. As long as Baptism is administered using the Trinitarian Invocation (I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit), your baptism is valid. So if you were baptized in the Baptist church or the Assemblies of God or in the Methodist church, you're good. If you were baptized in a pseudochristian sect (Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormonism), they would have to be baptized again, due to the fact that they deny the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. So back to our original question: Anyone.
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Baptism Series Part 2: Who is Baptism For?
This will probably be my most controversial post yet, so I don't apologize in advance. Who is Holy Baptism for? Some people say infants, some say adults. Is this an either/or subject or a both/and subject? Lutherans say that this is a both/and subject. Baptism is for infants as well as for adults. How do we come to this conclusion, you may ask? It's simple. From Scripture. The first question we must ask is this: Is Baptism something we do or something God does? St. Paul says in Titus 3:4-7: "But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness,
but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." Something worth noting in this discussion is that in the original Greek which the New Testament was written in, all of the verses dealing with Baptism have passive verbs, indicating that the person being baptized did absolutely nothing in the act. Martin Luther, in his Large Catechism, said this regarding Baptism: "For to be baptized in the name of God is to be baptized not by men, but by God Himself. Therefore, although it is performed by human hands, it is nevertheless truly God's own work. Thus you see plainly that there is here no work done by us, but a treasure which He gives us, and which faith apprehends; just as the Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross is not a work, but a treasure comprehended in the Word, and offered to us and received by faith."
Now that we have that answered, the next question is: What does Baptism do? Luther's Small Catechism says: "It works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation..." Wait. Does that say "Give eternal salvation"? Are you saying that Baptism saves us? That's exactly what I'm saying? But someone will say, "That makes Baptism a work!" See my last point to clear up that misunderstanding. And although I believe, teach, and confess that, I am only affirming what Scripture says. St. Peter says in 1 Peter 3:21: "Baptism now saves you..." It can't get clearer than that.
If you like this, leave a comment or if you have a question, feel free to leave a comment as well!
God bless,
Manny
but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." Something worth noting in this discussion is that in the original Greek which the New Testament was written in, all of the verses dealing with Baptism have passive verbs, indicating that the person being baptized did absolutely nothing in the act. Martin Luther, in his Large Catechism, said this regarding Baptism: "For to be baptized in the name of God is to be baptized not by men, but by God Himself. Therefore, although it is performed by human hands, it is nevertheless truly God's own work. Thus you see plainly that there is here no work done by us, but a treasure which He gives us, and which faith apprehends; just as the Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross is not a work, but a treasure comprehended in the Word, and offered to us and received by faith."
Now that we have that answered, the next question is: What does Baptism do? Luther's Small Catechism says: "It works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation..." Wait. Does that say "Give eternal salvation"? Are you saying that Baptism saves us? That's exactly what I'm saying? But someone will say, "That makes Baptism a work!" See my last point to clear up that misunderstanding. And although I believe, teach, and confess that, I am only affirming what Scripture says. St. Peter says in 1 Peter 3:21: "Baptism now saves you..." It can't get clearer than that.
If you like this, leave a comment or if you have a question, feel free to leave a comment as well!
God bless,
Manny
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Baptism Series Part 1: What is Baptism?
What is Baptism? Martin Luther in his Small Catechism answers it this way: "Baptism is not just plain water, but it is the water included in God's command and combined with God's word" (Luther's Small Catechism). In Lutheran thought, it's not the water itself that is special, but the promise that God has attached to water. So is the water used in a baptism "holy water"? Well, the water has been used in a holy purpose, so in that sense, yes it is holy water. But the water itself has no magical properties. Luther says this about the water used in Baptism: " It is nothing other than a divine water. Not that the water in itself is nobler than other water, but that God's Word and command are added to it" (Large Catechism IV 14). There is another aspect to Christian Baptism, and it is the act of being baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. This constitutes Christian Baptism. Sects like the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Church of the Latter-Day Saints (AKA Mormons) who reject the Trinity do not administer Christian Baptism and thus if someone were to convert to Christianity from one of those sects would need to be baptized again. In conclusion, here is what Luther says about this: "[To baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit] means that in Baptism, God the Holy Trinity, receives me into communion or fellowship with Himself" (Small Catechism). Thanks for joining me for this first part of my series regarding Baptism. If you like what you read here and are interested in more, I invite you to leave me a comment or email me at Etovar1991@gmail.com.
God bless,
Manny
God bless,
Manny
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)