# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_April 1858_S115
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

On the Divisions in the Lutheran Congregations Here. 115

...wisdom, an institution of God Himself. Preachers who are regularly called are, although mediately through the congregations, nevertheless to be regarded as called by God. — Acts 20:28: "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." The bishops at Ephesus were not chosen and called immediately by the Lord Jesus, but mediately through men; yet the holy apostle says that "the Holy Spirit" had appointed them. — Ephesians 4:11: "And he (Christ) gave some to be apostles (immediately), and some to be prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers (mediately)." Augsburg Confession: "To obtain such faith God has instituted the preaching office." Luther (XI, 2553): "In the first place there are some apostles, who are chosen not by man nor through a man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, as for instance the prophets and all the apostles. In the second place, some indeed are chosen by God, but through men — as the disciples of the apostles, and all who, until the end of the world, rightly enter the preaching office in the apostles' stead, as bishops and priests." "If therefore," (so it is said in the "Voice of Our Church on the Question of Church and Ministry,") "the authority of the office is conferred upon a person by the congregation by means of a regular, lawful call, then that person is set over the congregation by God Himself, though through the congregation (1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11; Acts 20:28). The one so installed is now not only a servant of the congregation, but at the same time a servant of God, an ambassador in Christ's stead, through whom God admonishes the congregation (1 Corinthians 4:1; 2 Corinthians 5:18–20). When, therefore, a preacher proclaims God's Word in his congregation, whether teaching, admonishing, rebuking, or comforting, whether publicly or privately, the congregation hears Jesus Christ Himself from his mouth; it therefore owes him unconditional obedience, as to the one through whom God wills to make known His will to it and to lead it to eternal life; and the more faithfully the preacher administers his office, the greater the honor the congregation should hold him worthy of. Nor does it have any right to take his office away again from such a faithful servant of Jesus Christ; if it does this, it thereby thrusts away from itself Jesus Christ Himself, in whose name he presided over it. Only then can the congregation remove a holder of the office from his office, when it is evident from God's Word that the LORD Himself has deposed him as a wolf or a hireling."

Luther (XIII, 1191): "In short, be we what we will, they must receive the Gospel, absolution, and sacrament from their parish pastors and called preachers, and must not despise such a divine ordinance, as dearly as their salvation is to them.... A godly Christian does not act thus, but even if he hears something wrong being preached, proceeds with humility and admonishes the preacher kindly and in brotherly fashion; he does not defy and stand stubborn like that."