# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Februar 1855_S43
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

On the Doctrine of the Holy Preaching Office. 43

exercises through those holding office, it cannot in the least be inferred that the confessional writings take it away from the congregation and establish it as a divine right of the bishops or pastors.

Together with Wucherer (pp. 64–72), we most emphatically reject Höfling’s assumption that the evangelical Lutheran church office is different from the apostolate and the presbyterate of ancient times. We, too, allow no change of subject in 2 Corinthians 5:18, but maintain that from chapter 2:14—where the apostle interrupts the travel narrative he had begun—through chapter 7:1, he speaks of matters that he expresses not merely as an apostle, but at the same time in the name of the believers on earth, illustrating by his own example what is common to all of them, greatly for their benefit, especially with regard to those who did not attend to the office in faith, as we have already demonstrated above, p. 7 ff. Thus, when Höfling disputes the identity of the Lutheran pastoral office with that of the presbyters of the ancient church on the grounds that the latter was a collegial office with the apostles and their delegates above it, whereas our confession regards all pastors as individuals equal to one another by divine right; and when he further attributes the administration of the means of grace to the former, but describes the latter merely as an office of shepherding and governance: then, as the church fathers also testify, it is rightly no longer open to doubt that, despite all superiority and subordination through the call, the true church has never known, in terms of original right, any relationship other than one of collegial parity. This applies even to the apostles as far as the essential content of their office is concerned, although, in addition to it, their calling included certain special prerogatives over the bishops and shepherds. Wucherer’s demonstration of the biblical definitions of the New Testament office in general is excellent (pp. 73–81). According to the testimony of our confessional books, pp. 81–84, Lutheran pastors possess precisely this same office. But they could not possess it if it had not first and originally been given to the congregation; for Scripture tells us nothing of its transmission by those holding office to the exclusion of the congregation. And when we read in the Smalcald Articles, Latin ed., Rechenberg, p. 351 ff., “The Gospel grants to those who preside over the churches,” etc., mediation through the congregation is by no means passed over. For through whom else do we have the Gospel but through believers, whether preachers or laypeople? Surely the continued possession of the Gospel cannot be bound to the public office as such. Where would it remain if all who bear that office became its enemies? But believers are always to be found on earth; the congregation of the saints shall never perish. For their sake the Gospel still exists—for the sake of those who are believers or who are yet to become believers. For their sake God continually raises up believing preachers as well, to whom they entrust for preaching the Gospel they possess and Christ’s authority to proclaim it, because this power has been given to them by Christ Himself. And such believers are hidden within every fellowship that still possesses essential parts of the Word of God and the baptism of the