Adhering to Pure Doctrine is Not Enough
"We, who possess the pure Gospel and the genuine Sacraments, certainly have a great advantage over those who, perhaps from their youth, were victimized by false preaching. But let us not think that our membership in the orthodox Church and our adherence to the pure doctrine will be sufficient for us. To whom much is given, from him much will be demanded. The purer our doctrine, the more firmly we must cling to it and the more carefully we must guard against the invasion of false doctrine. The richer the comfort we receive from the Gospel, the more faithful we must be in the faith. The more numerous the spiritual blessings we receive from God, the more fervent must be our love and the works in which we demonstrate our gratitude. If we walk as children of the kingdom and not as children of this world, we are blessed, for them we will not be cast out. Instead, we will be taken into the kingdom of eternal glory."
–Dr. C.F.W. Walther
from: "God Grant It"
CPH:2006, p. 150.
It appears that Walther is setting the Lutheran Church up as the true, visible Church with such language as, “We, who possess the pure Gospel and the genuine Sacraments” & “our membership in the orthodox Church “. Am I correct in assuming this?
McCain: Yes, this is precisely what Walther is saying. He is claiming that the Lutheran Church [note: not the LCMS, per se] is the true, visible Church on earth. This was, in fact, the title of one of his books. The faith confessed in the Lutheran Confessions as contained in the Book of Concord, is the one, holy, catholic and apostolic faith.
This sounds very close to the Catholic position that “unformed faith” is not enough. Our Confessions teach that “good works are necessary” and not that “good works are necessary for salvation” (Artice 4 of FC). Also especially the last sentance seems to contradict the second part of Walther’s own Thesis X in the Proper Distinction…:
or as if faith makes a person righteous and saves him for the reason that it produces in him love and reformation of his mode of living.
McCain: Well, perhaps it is we who have not adequately understood Walther. I’ve come to the conclusion that rather than declare Walther’s own preaching out of sync with “The Proper Distinction” [as I believe has become a rather common thing to do, I know, I've done it myself] perhaps we do well to consider if instead the best way to understand “Proper Distinction” is by reading Walther’s sermons to see how he did it. I think in the quote Walther is merely saying that saving faith does not coexist in a person who is not diligently holding fast to the Word of truth and “running with perseverance the race set before us.” etc.
If the Lutheran Church is the true visible Church on earth, and the criterion for being so is the pure Gospel and the genuine Sacraments (or the gospel purely preached and the Sacraments rightly administered) it would lead me to conclude that the Lutheran Church is not the true, visible Church. Why? Because I do not believe that a paper confession makes the Church. The rallying cry cannot be “because we have the Book of Concord”. The rallying cry would have to become “because we live the doctrine expounded in the Book of Concord” or ” because we purely preach the Gospel and rightly administer the Sacraments”. There is the true, visible Church. But then, as always, what would have to be defined is “pure” and “rightly”. The AC never makes the effort to actually give criterion in determining the application of these two terms (and maybe, thankfully so). Who would make the blanket comment that there are not pockets, and hopefully large pockets, in all of Christendom that purely proclaim God’s salvation in Christ (the gospel) and rightly administer His sacraments (even if they number them differently than the Lutherans, which there is great precedence in so doing) while having not signed on the dotted line of a confessional document?
McCain: This is certainly a very understandable response to the assertion that the Lutheran church is the true visible church; however, there is no church, that has human beings as members of it, that actually does consistently “practice what it preaches” — at least none that I’m aware of. This however does not mean we can not, and must not, stop insisting that church’s confess God’s Word purely. Therefore, it is the church’s confession that does matter and at the end of the day is determinative. At no point did Walther every suggest that the Lutheran Church is the *alone saving* church. That’s an important point to make clear as well. I would suggest if you wish to understand more fully what Walther said on this point, you obtain a copy of his “The True Visible Church” book, and, just so happens I know of a publishing house in Saint Louis that sells it: 800-325-3040. He covers all the concerns I’m sure you have with this issue and I think you will find it extremely helpful, even if, in the end, you still do not agree with Dr. Walther.