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No Development Of Doctrine For Us, Th. Engelder

Concordia Theological Monthly

There is a third reason why we cannot engage in the development of doctrine. Our time and energies are so completely occupied with the study of the Word of God and the old doctrine of the Church that we have not a moment's time to expend on the business of further developing the doctrine. We read in the Proceedings of the Michigan District, 1897, page 36: "We all need to deepen our understanding of the doctrine. Let no man think that he has fully understood the whole doctrine. In this life we shall never reach that point. We know the …

Union Theses, Adopted By Breslau Synod And Saxon Free Church, L. W. Spitz, F. E. Mayer

Concordia Theological Monthly

There is an inseparable union between the two bases of the Reformation, in fact, of the true Church of Christ, viz., between the doctrine that lost and condemned mankind can be saved solely by the grace of God for Christ's sake through faith (sola gratia, sola fide) and the principle that all teaching must be according to the Holy Scriptures (sola Scriptura). There can be no Christian proclamation without the proper distinction between Law and Gospel.

Essays In Hermeneutics, Martin H. Franzmann

Concordia Theological Monthly

"Holy men of God spake as they were moved by, the Holy Ghost." Heretofore, in the circle of language and in the circle of history, we have been concentrating on the fact that "men ... spake," on the fact that God the Holy Ghost spoke in tongues in definite moments in history. We have been, therefore, concerned largely with the skills and techniques of interpretation. In the circle of Scripture we pass from skills and techniques to what is rather an attitude, a gift of God, a charisma to be prayed for. For we are now concerned with the fact …

Essays In Hermeneutics, Martin H. Franzmann

Concordia Theological Monthly

Hermeneutics is that branch of theology which sets forth the principles that are to guide us in the interpretation of Scripture; in other words, it is the theory of exegesis, or interpretation.

Verbal Inspiration- A Stumbling-Block To The Jews And Foolishness To The Greeks, Th. Engelder

Concordia Theological Monthly

This is, and must be, the burden of our concluding remarks: Let us "earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3); let us faithfully guard' the precious doctrine of Verbal Inspiration.

We shall earnestly contend for it if we realize, in the first place, how much is at stake. We must realize what the Church would lose if she surrendered Verbal Inspiration. We would lose our Bible. The battle for Verbal Inspiration is not a mock battle played by children. It is not some unseemly brawl among squabbling theologians- Theologengezaenk. No; the Church is …

Verbal Inspiration- A Stumbling-Block To The Jews And Foolishness To The Greeks, Th. Engelder

Concordia Theological Monthly

We are asked to come in under the charter of liberty proclaimed by the moderns which calls for freedom from "the tyranny of words." We cannot do so, for three reasons.

First, we do not feel that Verbal Inspiration imposes a legalistic yoke on us. It does indeed require of us unquestioning acceptance of all the statements of Scripture. On that we and the moderns are agreed. We are bound by every word of Scripture. But we do not resent, nor rebel against, this bondage. It is a holy bondage. We rejoice in it. Why? Verbal Inspiration has taught us …

Verbal Inspiration- A Stumbling-Block To The Jews And Foolishness To The Greeks, Th. Engelder

Concordia Theological Monthly

The indignation of the moderns reaches white heat when they are asked to receive every word of Scripture as inerrant and authoritative. If Verbal Inspiration means that every word of Scripture must be received as God's word, with unquestioning faith and obedience - and it means just that- they will have none of it. That is their strongest objection to Verbal Inspiration, and they express their abhorrence of it with the frightful word legalistic.

False Principia Cognoscendi In Theology, W. H. Dau

Concordia Theological Monthly

It is a fact, admitted also by scientists, that all theological knowledge, in the very nature of the case, must be derived from God Himself. It is a fact, furthermore, that God holds all who venture to speak for Him strictly to His Word when He declares: "To the Law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Is. 8:20. Lastly, it is a fact that God has issued a solemn warning by the first and the last writers of our Bible that no man shall dare …

The Progressive Revelation Of The Antichrist, P. E. Kretzmann

Concordia Theological Monthly

That there have been many antichristian forces, many "antichrists" in the world since the days of our blessed Savior, that, in fact, they had their origin in apostolic times, is clearly stated in Holy Scripture, as in 1 John 2:18; 4:3; 2 John 7. Our knowledge of this fact, therefore, and our belief in this truth, is based upon a teaching, a doctrine, of the Bible.

Verbal Inspiration- A Stumbling-Block To The Jews And Foolishness To The Greeks, Th. Engelder

Concordia Theological Monthly

"The objections to the verbal inspiration of Holy Scripture do not manifest great ingenuity or mental acumen, but the very opposite: they serve as a shining example of how God inflicts His just punishment upon all critics of His Word - they lose their common sense and become utterly unreasonable and illogical." (F. Pieper, What Is Christianity? p. 243.) Will any one, after studying the preceding article, still think that Dr. Pieper's judgment is too harsh?

Verbal Inspiration- A Stumbling-Block To The Jews And Foolishness To The Greeks, Th. Engelder

Concordia Theological Monthly

It is unworthy of a Christian to charge Holy Scripture with errors. - It might be well to emphasize and elaborate some of the points touched upon in the preceding articles. First, it is unworthy of a Christian to let fallible men exercise authority over Scripture. It is a shameful thing for a Christian theologian to revise and correct Scripture on the authority of some historian or some professor of natural history. Theologians are doing just that.

Reason Or Revelation?, Th. Engelder

Concordia Theological Monthly

Rationalism is an evil thing, working untold harm. And harmonizing Scripture as practiced by Lutheran theologians is a form of rationalism. The harmonizers operate with the principles of rationalism. True, they do not apply them as widely as the gross rationalists. They restrict the harmonizing operation to selected portions of the Christian doctrine. But there they are engaged in the evil business of rationalism, in a wicked and harmful business.

Reason Or Revelation?, Th. Engelder

Concordia Theological Monthly

There are more rationalists in the churches than go by that name. While the rationalists openly proclaim the sola ratio, the rule of natural reason, others market their wares under an alias. When the experience-theologians operate with the "enlightened reason" and the Roman Catholics make the church, or the Pope, their authority, they make natural reason a source and norm, the source and norm of theology. But that does not tell the whole story. Even among those who loudly proclaim the sola Scriptura there are many who have come under the sway of rationalism.

Holy Scripture Or Christ?, Th. Engelder

Concordia Theological Monthly

Men are asking us to substitute for the authority of Scripture the authority of Christ or at least to subordinate the former to the latter. If we did that, we would be left without any authority for our teaching and without any foundation for our faith. And that means, of course, that there would be no Christian theology and no Christian religion.

Holy Scripture Or Christ?, Th. Engelder

Concordia Theological Monthly

In his History of Christian Doctrine G. P. Fisher points out that "among Protestants and Roman Catholics the old question respecting the seat of authority in religion is once more eagerly disputed. Since Coleridge and Schleiermacher insisted that the primary object of faith is not the Bible but Christ, there has been a growing tendency to regard the Scriptures less as an authoritative manual of revealed tenets in theology and morals than as the medium of disclosing to us the personal Christ and the import of His mission and teaching.

Schrift, Bekenntnis, Theologie, Pfarramt Und Verwandte Gegenstaende, Theo. Engelder

Concordia Theological Monthly

Schrift, Bekenntnis, Theologie, Pfarramt und verwandte Gegenstaende (Scripture, confession, theology, ministry and related subjects)

The Principles And Teachings Of The Dialectical Theology, Th. Engelder

Concordia Theological Monthly

The principles ruling the dialectical theology are not those of the Reformation. Brunner repudiates the formal principle of Protestantism, the sola Scriptura. He refuses to accept Scripture as the sole authority, the only source and basis of doctrine. The bare words of Scripture cannot establish a doctrine. “In earlier days this discussion [concerning the Virgin Birth] used to be cut short by saying briefly, ‘It is written'; that is, with the aid of the doctrine of verbal inspiration. To-day we can no longer do this, even if we would." (P. 823.) Brunner is consistent. Since he rejects the real inspiration …

Notes On Chiliasm, Th. Engelder

Concordia Theological Monthly

Chiliasm is a vicious delusion, in its demands and a strong deluion in that it can enforce it demands; it must therefore be banned from Christian theology. The first count of this grave indictment specified the chiliastic treatment of Holy Scripture, as developed in the two preceding articles of this series.

Die Schrift Kann Nicht Gebrochen Werden, P. E. Kretzmann

Concordia Theological Monthly

Die Schrift kann nicht gebrochen werden ("Writing Cannot Be Broken")

Christ's Descent Into Hell, Paul Koenig

Concordia Theological Monthly

Christ’s descent into hell is not a moot or undecided doctrine, upon which no clear light can be shed and which remains the subject for speculation indefinitely; nor is it one the correct or incorrect teaching of which is a matter of indifference. It is embodied in the Apostolic Creed, and with the Church of old we confess: "suffered under ... He descended into hell." It thus becomes a part of our holy Christian faith and one to which wo must subscribe as well as to the foregoing or the following. But while the words "descended into hell" are confessed …

The Inspiration Of The New Testament, P E. Kretzmann

Concordia Theological Monthly

Inspiration is that miraculous, supernatural process by and through which God, specifically the Holy Spirit, at specified times and for specific purposes, caused certain men, the prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles (and evangelists) of the New Testament, to write down in words of human speech both such historical incidents as they were already familiar with and such other accounts of persons and events, together with immediate revelations concerning future events and the mysteries of salvation, as are a matter of His divine omniscience and wisdom alone, so that every possibility of error, not only in every main …

Introduction To Sacred Theology, J T. Mueller

Concordia Theological Monthly

The Nature and Constitution of Sacred Theology.

Theology Considered as Doctrine.

As theology, in its subjective sense, is the habitude, or ability, to teach the Word of God as set forth in Holy Scripture, in all its truth and purity, so Christian theology, in its objective sense, or conceived as doctrine, is nothing more and nothing less than the true and pure presentation of the doctrine of Holy Scripture. 1 Pet. 4, 11 : "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God.'' Titus 2, 7-10: "In doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, sound speech, that cannot be …

Introduction To Sacred Theology, J T. Mueller

Concordia Theological Monthly

The Scriptural Viewpoint of the Christian Theologian.

Owing to the diverse views and tendencies prevailing among theologians to-day, it is necessary for the Christian theologian, before presenting to his readers his dogmatic treatise, to declare in clear and unmistakable terms from what viewpoint this has been written.

The viewpoint of the present-day modernistic theologian is that truth must be determined by human reason in the light of scientific research. The theological Liberalist therefore does not recognize Holy Scripture as the source and norm of faith, but bolds that this ancient standard of the Christian Church has been superseded by the …