LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1975, Page 465

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REPORT ON DISSENT

confessional support for ascribing to the Scriptures such attributes as

divine authorship of every word, complete freedom from errors of any kind,
and absolute normative authority which inheres in them by reason of their
character as the Word of God

To these criticisms the Commission on Theology and Church Relations

responds by reaffirming statements it has adopted on various former occa-
sions relative to the inspiration. inerrancy. and authority of the Scriptures
Pertinent citations from previously adopted documents are the following

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1. Inspiration

a, From Revision of the Study Document on Revelation. Inspiration
and Inerrancy.” p. 3

We see also that the Scriptures. precisely in their historical char-
acter. are Holy Scriptures. since they are the product of the Spirit who
produces in history that which 1s not of this worid. We shall remember
that we cannot treat an inspired document as just one more historical
document. that we cannot take laws of history” derived from docu-
ments that are wholly of this world and simply apply them to an inspired
document

b. From ‘Gospel and Scripture.” pp. 10-11

The Bible is called the Scripture of the Holy Spirit’ (Ap Preface. 9)
When the opponents disregarded ‘passages in the Scriptures.” the
Symbols asked: "Do they suppose that these words fell from the Holy
Spirit unawares?” (Ap IV. 107-108; emphasis ours}. The Augsburg
Confession refers to Scripture passages which forbid “making and
keeping human regulations.” and asks. ‘Is it possible that the Holy
Spirit warned against them for nothing?” (XXVill. 49; our emphasis)

Because the Bible is the ‘Scripture of the Holy Spirit” it is ‘divine
Holy Scriptures’ (AC XXVIII, 28, German, Latin: “Scriptures of God’
3ee also AC XXVill. 43, 49). The Apology says that when the opponents
manipulate Scripture passages they ‘twist the Word of God” (XII
122-123). Since Scripture is the Word of God. “no human being’s
writings dare be put on a par with it’ (FC SD Summary. 9; see also Ep
Comprehensive Summary. 2. all emphases ours. Note the obvious
implications of this contrast between Scripture and “human being’s
writings )

c. From’ A Lutheran Stance Toward Contemporary Biblical Studies
p. 10

Whatever cognizance needs to be taken —as indeed it must—of the
connection between Biblical materials and their background in the
whole complex of social, cultural, political. economic. and religious
factors of their day. a clear distinction must nevertheless be main-
tained between the unique. divine. and revelatory character of Scrip-
ture and the sheer human and contingent character of Scripture's
earthly milieu. Parallelisms between extra-Biblical materials and the

mission explained in an earlier document. Lutherans indeed hold that
all theological questions raised by any interpretation must be posed
and answered with reference to this central concern of the Scripture
thatis a right understanding of tne Gospel.” However, Lutherans add
that ‘in conformity with the Lutheran Symbo!s our church contesses
and acknowledges the prophetic and apostolic Scriptures to be the
Word of God given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit [and] submits un-
reservedily to them as the sole source, norm. and authority for the
church's teaching.” Lutherans confess that the canonical Scriptures
of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired source and norm of
all Christian oreaching and teaching’ and recognize that ‘there 1s
a qualitative difference between the inspired witness of the Holy Scrip-
ture in all its parts and words and the witness of every other form
of human expression

b. From Gospel and Scripture p 12

The Gospel is the norm in the Scriptures tn the sense that it abso-
lutely prohibits understanding any passage to teach salvation by works
It is not norm in the sense that the center of Scripture becomes a device
to sanction a view of the Bible and a method of interpreting it which
virtually denies that the whole Bible ts God's inspired. authoritative
Word on all matters concerning which it speaks

c. From Gospel and Scripture. p 10

Lutheran theology does not appeal to the Gospel in such a way as
to relativize the rest of the Scriptures Gospel 's not norm in the Scrip-
tures in such a way as to make only the Gosnel the norm of theology
This 1s a Gospel reductionism that Lutherans condemn as a repu-
diation of the authority of the Scriptures

ad From Gospel and Scripture p 11
The Gospe! Does Not Limit Biblical Authority

Relative to the role of the Gospel as norm in the Scriptures Nowever
it iS important to observe that it 1s one thing to say that it is contrary
to the Holy Spirit's intent when Scripture is interpreted in such a way
that the Gospel is obscured. it 1s quite another thing to say that since
the Holy Spirit's tntent in the Scriptures is to prociaim the Gospel it
was never His intent that His Word in Genesis 1-11. for instance
should be understood as relating facts of history orto say that in view
of “the perpetuai aim of the Gospel’ {AC XXVill 66. Latin) apostolic
directives for the church s life may be set aside

e. From Gospei and Scripture pp 17-18
Our Gospel is Taken from Scripture

When Lutherans teach that Scripture is the norm of the Gospel they
mean simply that the content of the Gospel and the terms in which
this content 1s expressed rnust be taken from the Scriptures The

form or substance of Scripture do not as such constitute causal or
substantive relations. This is not in the least to deny the genuinely
human and earthly dimension of Scripture itself. It is only to say that
there is a qualitative difference between the inspired witness of Holy
Scripture in all its parts and words and the witness. explicit or implicit
of every other form of human expression

. inerrancy

a. From Revision of the Study Document on Revelation, !nspiration
and Inerrancy.” p. 4

The Lutheran Symbols confess the inerrancy of the Scriptures with
simple and forceful words They wil! not lie to you’ (Large Catechism
V. 76. 1n The Book of Concord. ed Tappert. p 455: compare aiso the
Formula of Concord. Epitome. Vill. 13. ed. Tappert. p 483: Large Cate-
chism. IV. Baptism, 57. ed. Tappert. p. 444). When we make that con-
fession our own. our faith. a faith created by the Holy Spirit through
the Scriptures themselves. expresses the conviction that the witness
of Scripture in all its parts in their intended sense is true and wholly
reliable. These words of the Scriptures are inerrant because they are
inspired by God—words taught by the Holy Spirit. written by men
moved by the Holy Spirit

b. From Gospel and Scripture. p. 11

In sharp contrast to the writings of the fathers in which there is
great variety [magna dissimulitudo. that is. great difference or diver-
sity], since ‘they were men and they could err and be deceived. the
Symbols regard “passages of Scripture’ as clearer and surer (Ap
XXIV 94—95) The Symbols do not expect to find in the Scriptures the
contradictions which characterize the writings of fallible human
authors. In the single instance where the Symbols refer to a seeming
contradiction in the Scriptures. they offer a solution which completely
removes the difficulty (Ap XXIV. 28). The Symbols do not grant that
Jeremiah contradicts Moses. The Symbols. therefore. have no need
to account for contradictions in terms of the Bible's historical dimen-
sions of to adopt a view of Biblical authority which holds that since
the authority of the Bible resides exclusively in the Gospel, discrepan-
cies here and there in the Scriptures are of no consequence

. Authority

a From Gospel and Scripture. p 10
All Scripture ts Authoritative

When Lutherans say tnat the Gospel 1s the norm in the Scriptures
they do not mean that so long as the Gospel 's not negated it 1s per-
missible to employ a method of Bible study which calis into question
Lutheran presuppositions about the kind of a dook the Bible is or
which in any way qualifies tne authority of all Scripture. As our com-

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Gospels the effective power ‘auctoritas causativa) that begets persona’
faith in the Savior ‘fides qua creaitur), the Scriptures are the authority
vauctoritas normativa) that establishes and regulates the statement
confession and proclamation of the Christian faith (fides quae creditur)

When Paul preached what was of first importance. namely the
chief article or Gospel that Christ died for our sins and that He
was raised on the third day. he was prociaiming realities that occurred
according to the Scriptures (1 Cor 153-4) Even though Paul could
claim that he received the Gospel which he preached by revelation
of Jesus Christ (Gal 1 12). it was always a major concern of his to show
that what he believed and preached was in agreement with the Scrip-
tures (Acts 24:14; 17 2. 18 28) Because Paul appealed to the Scrip-
tures (Rom. 43, Galatians 4:30) and because he prociaimed what

Scripture says’ (Rom 1011. + Timothy 5 18) on topics ranging
from justification to a pastors support his doctrine could stand up
under the closest scrutiny :Acts 17 11)

Paul reminded the Corintmans im what terms (1 Cor 15 1) ne
preached the Gospel and said he delivered what he had received
moreover he did this .n Spirit-taught words 11 Cor. 2.13). This ieaves
no room tor the notion tnat even the way Pau! expressed the Gospe:
or tne form in which he preached 't. was his own Inventive transiation
into first-century thought patterns of some general :dea which came
to him out of thin air about a benign divine intent in history. It further
repudiates the idea that he then tried to communicate this gospel
In a meaningful manner by simply Dorrowing for this purpose some
concepts with which people were already tamuiar from Jewish apoca-
iyptic literature or Gnostic mythology

In tne Lutheran Symbols too not only the content of the Gospel but
the terms in which it is expressed are taken from Scripture In the
Symbols you have not only they teach (see forexample. AC fv) but

Scripture teaches ‘(see for example AC XXiV 28 and FC SD ill 30
our emphases) as authority for the way the Goapel Is formulated.

It is in accordance with what the apostle Pau! says that the Symbois
teach the. Gospel! in terms of substitutrionary satisfaction and the im-
putation of Christ's righteousness to the sinner through faith {Ap 1V
179 3054) The material principle of Lutneran theology (the Gospel)
is derived from the forma! principle (the Scriptures) Tne Apology
states it as axiomatic that itis mot in the power of man to assert
without a sure word of God concerning Gods will. that He ceases to
be angry (IV 262). Here the material principle is tied inseparably to
the formal principle so that we cannot affirm the former except on the
autnonty of tne latter

t From A Comparative Study of Varying Contemporary Approaches
to Biblical Interpretation ‘pp. 14-18

1 Because Lutherans believe teach and confess that tne words
of the Holy Scriptures are from the Holy Spirit (Ap. lv 107-108

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