AG3b: 1875: The Necessity of Regeneration and Sanctification

      This continues from Part AG3a (Table of Contents in Part AG1a) in a series presenting Walther's essays to the Western District that supported his theme "That Only Through the Doctrine of the Lutheran Church is All Glory Given to God Alone". — Walther now moves on to a topic that typically follows the Doctrine of Justification: Regeneration and Sanctification. How are these subjects to also "Give All Glory to God"? — From pp. 40-53:

Notable Quotes:

40: "we also teach that where this faith is, man also becomes a new creature, which is produced by regeneration"

40-41: "Jesuits maintain that we teach: 'Live as you will, only believe; works are not necessary, neither are rebirth and regeneration'…these rascals know well that they are lying"

41: "it is impossible that, when one has come to living faith, his heart should not become joyful and merry in God"

41: "One can speak with the mouth: I believe, but such mouth-faith brings no one to heaven, but certainly to hell. No, he who believes in this love with all his heart…receives divine powers for a new life."

42: Luther's grand "Faith is not…faith is" passage: "Faith is not the human delusion and dream that some take for faith.…Oh, faith is a living, active, powerful thing, so that it is impossible that it should not work good without ceasing."

43: Luther: "Therefore, without compulsion, man becomes willing and eager to do good to everyone…Ask God to work faith in you, otherwise you will probably remain without faith forever"

43: "With the enthusiasts [Methodists, etc.]…[Christians] find not only good [teaching on regeneration], but also poison, from which they can die eternal death."

43: Roman Church teaches "that only the nature of sin is taken away from original sin, according to them no new creation takes place in Baptism."

43: For enthusiasts, "regeneration is not the production of faith, but they feel something"

44: "Methodists very often accuse us of the error of saying that Baptism is regeneration.…Rather, we teach that it works regeneration"

44: "Baptism should therefore not be made into a new work. What saves us is Christ alone."

45: "the terrible thing about the Methodists, that they accuse us of teaching nothing about the new birth"

45: Methodists: "the Lutherans want to enter the kingdom of heaven without regeneration, without repentance and without conversion; …poor Christians must get the idea: Oh, I will beware of the Lutherans!"

46: "It is also necessary that man should be shown how he is made holy and renewed in the image of God.…God forgives us sin so that we can come out of sin."

47: " The Lutheran Church…also demands sanctification from every Christian."

47: "if the Antinomians had not stood up, Luther would probably never have given such powerful testimony to the necessity of sanctification."

49: "The Antinomians admitted that Christ was the Savior from sin, but that they had to be converted from sin, they wanted to know nothing about"

50: "Insofar as a person recognizes God, he is holy. Here we recognize him only in part"

50: "How terrible it is that the Roman Church has a doctrine of justification which is nothing other than a doctrine of sanctification."

51: "our [Lutheran] doctrine of justification is a mystery to them [Romanists], which they cannot comprehend. That is why they are frightened when we say that we are justified by faith alone."

51: "The thief on the cross is a good example of this. For as soon as he believed, he also began to punish the other evildoer."

Walther's hard sayings, preaching of the Law: (Cp. to Prof. Henry Eggold here)

51: "I must not abandon the doctrine just because someone is offended by it.

51: "I am not at the will of the robber, but try to slip away from him, draw my pistol and say to him: "Come now! I do not value my life so highly, but I am in a state of self-defense, and must not do every street thief's bidding."

51: "Anyone who does not stand against sin as against a robber…is not a Christian."

52: "There is thunder and lightning in the pulpit, that has to happen, otherwise you are not a faithful preacher."

52: "Nor should we refrain from preaching the law in old congregations…" [Cp. to Prof. Henry Eggold here]

52: "We preachers must certainly remember that we Christians are made up of two people, the old and the new" [The basics of distinguishing Law and Gospel in preaching.]

In the next Part AG3c, we conclude the 1875 essay and provide a download link to the full essay.