Un3: Christians are among erring, but no fellowship with them; "our little Lutheran Zion"

      This continues from Part 2 (Table of Contents in Part 1) in a series presenting an English translation of Walther's 1871 Lehre und Wehre "Foreword" on Unionism. — Walther carefully reviews the difficult distinction between the teaching that there are Christians in the erring sects and that fellowship with them by Lutherans cannot be allowed. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  continued from Part 2  - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Every true Lutheran will of course heartily agree when it says in the “Preface” to our confessional book: [from the German; English: § 20 Triglotta]

"As for the Condemnationes, the establishment and condemnation of false and impure doctrine, especially in the article of the Lord's (page 4) Supper, they must be expressly and distinctly stated in this declaration and thorough exposition of the disputed articles, so that men may beware of them, and for many other reasons may not be evaded: Similarly, it is not our will and opinion that this refers to persons who err out of simplicity and do not blaspheme the truth of the divine Word, but rather to entire churches within and outside the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation, but that with this alone the false and seductive doctrines and the same stiff-necked teachers and blasphemers, whom we by no means intend to tolerate in our dominions, churches and schools, are actually rejected (palam reprehendere et damnare), because they are contrary to the expressed Word of God and cannot exist alongside it; that devout hearts may be warned for the same. Since we have no doubt at all that many pious, innocent people are to be found even in the churches, which have not hitherto compared themselves with us, who walk in the simplicity of their hearts, do not rightly understand the matter, and have no pleasure at all in the blasphemies against the Holy Supper, as it is held in our churches according to the foundation of Christ, and is unanimously taught by virtue of the words of His testament."

Indeed, herewith a comfort is expressed for us Lutherans, which we cannot let ourselves be snatched away from at any price, the comfort, namely, that Christ's invisible church of pardoned and blessed Christians lies hidden even among the most erroneous sects, as long as these still essentially retain God's Word; that therefore our little Lutheran Zion is by no means the Church, apart from which Christ has no subjects and apart from which there is no salvation, the church xxx έξοχή. We, the Missourians, have for several decades been in a hot fight with Buffalo, which, in good Papist fashion, wanted to make the visible Lutheran Church the Church of the Third Article, the One, Holy, Christian, Catholic Church, and rejected the doctrine of our Church, that outside of it there is also Christ's Church and therefore grace, salvation, office, calling, keys, etc., as unionist fanaticism. But the question whether there are true believers and children of God outside the Lutheran Church, and the question whether one can have pulpit and altar fellowship with members of an erring fellowship, are quite different, so that our church, as decidedly as it affirms the first question, just as decidedly denies the other. 

It is true that our Church acknowledges that even in the erring fellowships there are "many pious innocent people who walk in simplicity of heart," but she does not say that with such, even if they live in the erring fellowships, she can have pulpit and altar fellowship. (page 5) The former concerns the belief that there is an invisible church extending over the whole of baptized Christendom; the latter, on the other hand, concerns the proper form of a true visible church. Immediately after the above testimony from the Preface to our Book of Concord, our church, speaking of those true believers in the sects, continues thus:

"Hopefully, when they are properly instructed in doctrine, they will, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, go and turn to the infallible truth of the divine Word with us and away from churches and schools. As then it is incumbent upon the theologians and ministers of the church, that from God's word they also duly remind and admonish those who err out of simplicity and ignorance, of the danger of their souls, lest one blind man be led astray by another." 3) 

————————

3) It should not be forgotten here that the preface mentioned also belongs to our church Confession as an integrating part of it, therefore the signature given to the Book of Concord also refers to this preface of it, indeed, that especially this Preface determines the meaning of the signature. Cf. Carpzov's Isag. in libros symb. 14. 29. and Hutter's Concordia concors, c. 24, p. 106. and c. 26, p. 208.

- - - - - - - - - -  continued in Part 4  - - - - - - - - - - -

Walther speaks of "the most erroneous sects" above — so who are these "sects" and what are their chief errors?  We find out in the next Part 4.