In this Part 2, I continue translating Pieper's L.u.W. article (pages 2-3) as he draws on Martin Luther for emphasis:
(continued from Part 1)
Who else
but the Christians or
the listeners are to judge the orthodoxy
of the teachers of the Church in
question? The teachers
themselves cannot judge in their own cause, they are the defendants
in this case. The disbelievers, the Jews and the Turks
will not want to
be used by one to be the judges.
So only the so-called laymen
or Christians are left as judges. And God's
Word gives these, and these alone, the office of judge. We should listen to Luther.
He writes in his book "Bases And Causes From Scripture, That A
Christian Assembly Or Congregation Has The Right And
Power To Judge All Doctrine" [HathiTrust page here,
St. Louis Edition 10: 1538-1549, LW–American Edition 39:
303-314]:
"All the warnings St. Paul makes in Romans 16:17-18, 1 Corinthians 10:15, Galations
3, 4, and 5, Colossians 2:8 and everywhere,
and all the sayings of the prophets in which they teach us to avoid
human teaching, do nothing but take the right and power to judge all doctrine away
from the teachers and with a stern decree impose it on the listeners instead,
on pain of losing their soul." [St.Louis Edition, vol. 10, col. 1542].
On Matthew 7:15: ("Beware of the false
prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are
ravening wolves") Luther remarks:
"See, here Christ gives not the judgment to the prophets and
teachers, but to students and sheep. For how could one be wary
of false prophets if one could not be concerned
with considering and judging their doctrine?
So there cannot be false prophets among the listeners, but only among
the teachers. That is why it must be
that all teachers be subjected to the judgment of the listeners over their
doctrine."
Yes, Luther calls out in holy zeal for the divine truth and the knowledge
of what it is here:
"To know and to judge over doctrine belongs to any and all Christians,
and indeed so, that one is cursed who damages this right of a person. For Christ Himself has placed such a right
in invincible and numerous sayings, such as Matthew. 7:15: 'Take heed to yourselves of false prophets
who come to you in sheep's clothing.' This word he says ever certainly against the teachers of the
people and enjoins him that he was to avoid their false doctrine. How they can avoid these teachers without
realizing them, and how can they recognize it when they have no power to judge? But now he gives them not only the power
to judge but enjoins [page 3]
them; that this single passage can be enough against all popes, all
fathers, all councils, all sayings of the schools, that granted to
close down just the bishops and clergy who havtbut robbed the people, that is
the Church, the Queen, in a godless and church-predatory way." [Against King Henry in England. XIX,
424 (?)]
Therefore Luther says finally about those who
"brazenly take the judgment of doctrine from the sheep and dedicate to
themselves by their own decree and crime" also this:
"Therefore they are also to be certainly held
as murderers and thieves, wolves and apostate Christians, since they not only
deny God's Word, but also sit and act against it; just as it was dealt
appropriately with the Antichrist and his empire, according to the prophecy of
St. Paul, 2 Thess. 2:3-4." [LW, 39: 307; St.Louis Edition, X, 1541-1542,
HathiTrust here]
Thus Luther.
(continued on Part 3)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Are you a listener of professors, pastors or teachers of the church, i.e. a layman? Then Luther and Pieper are speaking to you (and me). They are pointing to the Scriptures and saying God has commanded us to judge all their doctrine...
on pain of losing our soul.
In the next Part 3, Pieper addresses the scientific aspect of "scientific theologian"... and even finds the good side of it, not only the bad.
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