WELS Pastors’ Retreat

2. WELS Pastors’ Retreat Heartwood Conference Center & Resort September 11-13, 2011

3. The Lutheran Confessions: Cross-focused Christ-centered

7. D: 1,2 What are some issues that confront confessional Lutherans today? Pluralism Relativism Secularism/Materialism Moralistic, Therapeutic Deism Neo-paganism

8. “We teach all subjects in the light of God’s Word.” How would you evaluate this often seen phrase? • We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Cor 10:5). • My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ (Col. 2:2). • Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Heb 12:2).

9. Confessing Christ “All of Scripture everywhere deals only with Christ.” Martin Luther (WA 46:414)

10. Scripture and Confession

11. Creed (credo) “I believe” Confess – come together in agreement Symbol – mark of identification between the two partners in a contract We are Lutherans because we are Christians. The Confessions are Christ-centered. D: 4-6

12. What is the difference between Scripture and Confession? • Scripture is the word of God given through holy prophets and apostles as they were inspired by the Holy Spirit. Through the external word they became vehicles of the Spirit’s revelation . • Confessions are faithful reflections of Bible teaching. Scripture determines what the Confessions teach, and their teaching isdeterminedby Scripture’s teaching.

13. Why Confessions in addition to Scripture? • They enable the church to give a correct and concise testimony of its teaching. • They serve to safeguard the church from erroneous teaching. • They furnish the church with a standard or rule by which to weigh truth against error. • They stand as the tried and tested symbol or mark of identification for what the church believes, teaches, and confesses.

14. Why unconditional allegiance to the Confessions by the church’s ministers? • Because all Christian denominations claim Scripture as the only source of their teaching. • Because the church must be sure that its teachers have a sound grasp of Scripture and will carry out their ministry accordingly. • To avoid being distracted by controversies which have been settled.

15. Warning • The church that prides itself in being creedless is highly vulnerable to constantly shifting winds of thought. • Conditional allegiance to Confessions emerged where faith and Scripture were subverted by reason and emotionalism. • A conditional allegiance to Confessions is no allegiance at all. • Note: Allegiance pertains to Bible teaching, not to things of human knowledge or scholarship or history in the Confessions.

16. Which is proper? • A quia (because) subscription to the creeds and confessions • A quatenus (insofar as) subscription to the creeds and confessions quia ? quatenus ?

17. Christ-centered, Cross-focused APOSTLES’ CREED

18. The Apostles' Creed is a brief statement of gospel truths taught by the apostles. It was not formulated by theologians, but out of the needs of the Christian church. Christians used it to tell others what they believed and also to confess their faith with one another as they met for worship.

19. I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

20. On the Origin of the Creed • Traditional name: legend of authorship • Creedal expressions in the New Testament

21. 1 Corinthians 8:6 I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

22. 1 Timothy 3:16 • who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, • He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.

23. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 • was crucified, died, and was buried. The third day he rose again from the dead. • Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

24. Philippians 2:5-11 • suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. • and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

25. Lyon Rome Carthage

26. Creedal usages in the early church • Liturgical • Catechetical • Apologetic • Creed

27. Tertullian of Carthage (d. 220) “Rule of Faith” • In refutation of Gnosis, to affirm: • Divine origin of matter • Goodness of matter • Reality of Christ’s birth • Reality of Christ’s flesh • Reality of Christ’s death • Reality of Christ’s resurrection

28. Transcription of the Creed • Symbolum nemo scribit • Old Roman Symbol • the first text attesting to it is a letter to Pope Julius I in 340 or 341 • Letter of Abbot Pirminius, c. 750 • The creed as we have it today.

29. The Old Roman Symbol • I believe in God almighty and in Christ Jesus, his only son, our Lord, who was born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate and was buried, and the third day rose from the dead, who ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of the Father, whence he cometh to judge the living and the dead. And in the Holy Ghost, the holy church, the remission of sins, the resurrection of the flesh, and life everlasting. D: 7 & 8

30. Rules Taught by Men?? • Matthew 15:9 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. • On the basis of this passage, some Evangelicals today condemn Lutherans for subscribing to creeds and confessions.

31. Christ-centered, Cross-focused THE NICENE CREED

32. Logos theology:(Justin Martyr, d. ca. 165) • “logos” may be translated “word” or “reason” or “wisdom” • John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the logos, and the logos was with God, and the logos was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that was made.

33. Eternity Creation History Timelessnessbeginning of time logos GOD LOGOS GOD

34. Adoptionist theology(Paul of Samosata, fl. ca. 275) Birth: Baptism: “This is my beloved Son” Jesus of Nazareth Jesus of Nazareth son of Mary & Joseph adopted Son of God

35. Modalist theology(Sabellius, fl. ca. 225; Praxeas, a.o.) • “mode” = “guise” or “mask” or “appearance” GOD mask of Holy Spirit mask of Father mask of Son

36. Truth under fire in the Arian Controversy • The issue: • Arius: Son’s begottenness implies non-eternal existence (creature) • Athanasius: Son must be God to be Savior of all

37. Arianism GOD Father created demi-god SON HOLY SPIRIT Impersonal Energy Force

38. Creed of Caesarea • We believe in one God, Father Almighty, the Maker of all things whatsoever, that are seen and unseen; • And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Word of God, God of God, Light of Light, Life of Life, Only-begotten Son, Firstborn of every creature, begotten of the Father before all worlds, by whom all things were made, who for our salvation lived among men. He suffered and rose again the third day, and ascended to the Father, and he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. • We also believe in one Holy Spirit.

39. Creed of Nicea • We believe in one God, Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible. • And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father; only-begotten, that is, of the substance of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made both in heaven and on earth; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was made flesh, and became man. He suffered and rose again the third day, ascended into heaven, and is coming to judge both living and dead. • And we believe in the Holy Spirit.

40. Creed of Nicea (continued) • The holy Catholic and Apostolic Church anathematizes all who say that there was [a time] when he was not, that before he was begotten he was not, that he came into being from what-is-not, or that he is of a different essence or of a different substance from the Father, or that he is susceptible of variation or change.

41. D: 9 & 10

42. Sequel in the Latin West • Persistent Arianism in Spain • German Visigoths rule Catholics • Synod of Toledo, 589 • filioque added to Third Article

43. Christ-centered, Cross-focused The Athanasian Creed “Fully God; Fully Man”

44. The Athanasian Creed (QUICUNQUE) Whoever wishes to be saved must, above all else, hold to the true Christian faith. Whoever does not keep this faith pure in all points will certainly perish forever. Now this is the true Christian faith: We worship one God in three persons and three persons in one God, without mixing the persons or dividing the divine being. For each person -- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit -- is distinct, but the deity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, equal in glory and coeternal in majesty. What the Father is, so is the Son, and so is the Holy Spirit. The Father is uncreated, the Son uncreated, the Holy Spirit uncreated; the Father is infinite, the Son infinite, the Holy Spirit infinite; the Father is eternal, the Son eternal, the Holy Spirit eternal; yet they are not three who are eternal, but there is one who is eternal, just as they are not three who are uncreated, nor three who are infinite, but there is one who is uncreated and one who is infinite. Unity Part 1: Trinity

45. In the same way the Father is almighty, the Son is almighty, and the Holy Spirit is almighty; yet they are not three who are almighty, but there is one who is almighty. So the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God; yet they are not three Gods, but one God. So the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord; yet they are not three Lords, but one Lord. For just as Christian truth compels us to confess each person individually to be God and Lord, so the true Christian faith forbids us to speak of three Gods or three Lords. The Father is neither made nor created nor begotten of anyone. The Son is neither made nor created, but is begotten of the Father alone. The Holy Spirit is neither made nor created nor begotten, but proceeds from the Father and the Son. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits. And within this Trinity none comes before or after; none is greater or inferior, but all three persons are coequal and Plurality

46. coeternal, so that in every way, as stated before, all three persons are to be worshiped as one God and one God worshiped as three persons. Whoever wishes to be saved must have this conviction of the Trinity. It is furthermore necessary for eternal salvation truly to believe that our Lord Jesus Christ also took on human flesh. Now this is the true Christian faith: We believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son, is both God and man. He is God, eternally begotten from the nature of the Father, and he is man, born in time from the nature of his mother, fully God, fully man, with rational soul and human flesh, equal to the Father as to his deity, less than the Father as to his humanity; and though he is both God and Man, Christ is not two persons but one, one, not by changing the deity into flesh, but by taking the humanity into God; one, indeed, not by mixture of the natures, but by unity in one person; for just as the rational soul and flesh are one human being, so God and man are one Christ. Part 2: Christ Person

47. Work He suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose the third day from the dead. He ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty, and from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. At his coming all people will rise with their own bodies to answer for their personal deeds. Those who have done good will enter eternal life, but those who have done evil will go into eternal fire. This is the true Christian faith.Whoever does not faithfully and firmly believe this cannot be saved. D: 11

48. The Christology of the Creed • The mystery of Christ • The Scriptural testimony: fully divine and fully human in a single person • Calvin’s objection: “The finite is not capable of the infinite.”

49. Traditional theological approaches to the doctrine of Christ • The tradition of Alexandria vs the Arian heresy: Christ is God made flesh • Emphasis: In the single person of Christ, the divine and human properties are shared with each other. • Caveat: In stressing the single personhood, do not let the human nature be obliterated by the divine.

50. Traditional theological approaches to the doctrine of Christ • The tradition at Antioch vs the Docetic heresy: Christ did not have a merely human appearance but is a genuine human being. • Emphasis: He was born in a natural way and matured in a natural way; he grew, learned, got tired, slept. • Caveat: In stressing the distinct reality of the divine and human, do not think of Christ as two separate persons functioning in perfect harmony with each other.