LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 361

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THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS—COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS 361

Public Rebuke of Public Sin

Considerations in Light of the Large Catechism
Explanation of the Eighth Commandment!

Introduction

Although the idea of public rebuke of public sin often becomes
an issue in conflicted and volatile situations, it is rooted in a
positive tenet of Lutheran theology, namely, the obligation of all
Christians to evaluate doctrine and life on the basis of Scripture.’
The Lutheran reformers refused to subject the clear teaching of
Scripture to human authority. They did not believe that any special
power to interpret God’s Word had been granted to priests, bish-
ops, or pope by virtue of their office. Luther himself argued, in fact,
that any Christian, by virtue of the priesthood given in Baptism,
could pass judgment on an issue of faith or morals. Such matters
could not be solved simply by an appeal to human authority or
human tradition.

Public rebuke of public sin has often been an issue in our walk
together in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). The
most frequently quoted text relating to public rebuke of public sin
is from the Large Catechism of Martin Luther in his explanation of
the Eighth Commandment: “But where the sin is so public that the
judge and everyone else are aware of it . .. you may also testify pub-
licly against them” (LC I, 284).* The fact that books on pastoral
theology going back to C. F. W. Walther have quoted this excerpt
and have dealt specifically with public rebuke suggests that our
more recent experiences with this issue are nothing new in the life
of the church. Nevertheless, it is certainly appropriate for the Synod
to revisit the question of interpreting this text and thus appropriately
to apply Luther’s words to our present circumstances.

This document on public rebuke of public sin is an attempt to
read Luther’s comment in its context both within the text of the Cat-
echism and in light of historical events. Because Luther in faithful-
Ness to the witness of Scripture seeks to understand how Matthew
18 relates to the Eighth Commandment, it is appropriate that we
first examine this text briefly. Other biblical texts are pertinent as
well, and for this reason we will discuss some that appear to have
a direct bearing on the matter of public rebuke of public sin. The
method of rebuke modeled in the Lutheran confessions other than
the Large Catechism is also considered. Potential application to our
present circumstances begins with a consideration of key words in
the debate: public, rebuke, and sin. We must consider seriously how
ideas associated with these terms or how the terms themselves have
changed in meaning and application from Luther’s day to our own.
We must also clearly differentiate between what Scripture might al-
low in such matters and what might be required for proper order in
the church. All of this is then summarized in a number of statements
offering counsel concerning public rebuke of public sin.

I. Explanation of the Eighth Commandment:
Luther’s Large Catechism

A. Context of Luther’s Paragraph on Public Rebuke

The full text of Luther’s paragraph on public rebuke of public
sin that has become the focus in recent discussions reads as follows:

All of this refers to secret sins. But where the sin is so public that the
judge and everyone else are aware of it, you can without sin shun and
avoid those who have brought disgrace upon themselves, and you may
also testify publicly against them. For when something is exposed to the
light of day, there can be no question of slander or injustice or false wit-
ness. For example, we now censure the pope and his teaching, which is
publicly set forth in books and shouted throughout the world. Where the
sin is public, appropriate public punishment should follow so that every-
one may know how to guard against it (284).

A proper understanding of this paragraph and its application re-
quires that it be viewed within the context of Luther’s overall dis-
cussion of the Eighth Commandment, ‘including especially its
immediate context. As we consider the paragraph, we need espe-
cially to bear in mind that Luther’s explanation of the Command-
ment in the Large Catechism originated in a series of sermons. We
may presume, therefore, that much of his treatment deals with the
problem of gossip common to life in a relatively small town like
Wittenberg. Luther expands the definition of gossip beyond a false
or misleading statement about someone else. And so, he says, even
something that is true about a neighbor that is not public knowledge
should not be made public by anyone who happens to know it. Pre-
sumably, anything that is criminal in nature and that could be proven
should be taken to a judge rather than to a neighbor. Anything elise
should be kept secret or spoken of with the guilty party as in
Matthew 18.

Luther begins his explanation with the theological foundation
that undergirds the Commandment and therefore informs every-
thing he says in the ensuing discussion: “Besides our own body,
our spouse, and our temporal property, we have one more treasure
that is indispensable to us, namely, our honor and good reputa-
tion...God does not want our neighbors to be deprived of their rep-
utation, honor, and character....” (255-56). With this principle in
mind throughout, Luther divides his exposition of “You shall not
bear false witness” into three sections. First, he briefly sets forth
the “first and simplest meaning” (zum ersten ist der grobste Ver-
Stand), according to which the Commandment forbids false testi-
mony in “public courts of justice” (auf offentlich Gericht) (257)
and applies “‘to all that takes place in court” (261). Second, the ap-
plication of the Commandment extends “‘to spiritual jurisdiction or
administration.” That is to say, “upright preachers and Christians”
and the Word of God itself become the objects of false witness and
are maligned (262).

In the twenty paragraphs that follow—which comprise the bulk
of his exposition and which were no doubt occasioned by the local
situation—Luther turns to “the third aspect of this commandment
which applies to all of us”: “sins of the tongue by which we may
injure or offend our neighbor” (263). The Commandment forbids
“the detestable, shameless vice of backbiting or slander” and gos-
sip, the tragedy of which is that “honor and good name are easily
taken away but not easily restored” (264; 273). “We are absolutely
forbidden to speak evil of our neighbor,” says Luther. Luther specif-
ically exempts “civil magistrates, preachers and fathers and moth-
ers” from that prohibition because their vocation requires their
active intervention in the lives of those entrusted to their care (274).*
For those who do not have such a relationship of vocation with the
wrongdoer, Luther suggests that “the right way to deal with this
matter would be to follow the mle laid down by the Gospel,
Matthew 18” (276). This “fine, precious precept for governing the
tongue” (276) not only avoids the spread of gossip and slander but
also provides “the right and proper way of dealing with and im-
proving a wicked person” (280).

Luther’s “public rebuke of public sin” paragraph comes at the
very end of the third section noted above and just before a con-
cluding paragraph—which is followed, in turn, by a concluding
pastoral word based on 1 Corinthians 12. Within Luther’s overall
discussion, therefore, the paragraph is not elevated to function as a
new “fourth” application of the Commandment. Rather, it functions
as a qualification of the previous application regarding gossip and
slander. Luther introduces here the exceptional case of public re-
buke of sin that is clearly no longer secret. Given his underlying
concern for protecting the good name of our neighbor, Luther cer-
tainly did not intend to override his previous concerns that the vo-
cation for judging public sin be honored and that every effort be
made to protect the honor of our neighbor by avoiding all slander
and gossip. Nor did Luther lose sight of the larger purpose of ad-

2007 Convention Workbook