Our Only Stay – The Lutheran Doctrine of Justification (LDJ) 4 of 4

This post continues from Part 3 (on G. Stoeckhardt) about true Mental/Spiritual Health. (Table on Contents – Part 1)
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But even without going to Concordia Historical Institute, even without scouring old reports, old journals, scholarly research on what actually happened to Friedrich Wyneken or George Stoeckhardt after their "breakdowns"... even without these I know a priori with Job:

For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth – Job 19:25

and so I know that Job needed no more than his faith for his notorious trials.  Why do you suppose the Holy Spirit gave us the account of Job?  So that we would believe God at His Word.  I know the "patience of Job" (James 5:11) came from believing God at His Word, and so I know "the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy". (James 5:11)

So when you believe that God is already reconciled to the whole world even before our faith, you can then "Taste and see that the Lord is good" – Psalm 34:8  You can then (with Job) "know that your redeemer liveth".

Today's LC-MS thinks it has LDJ right and so it wants to go on from this to teaching about "Natural Law" and the "Third Use of the Law", and "Antinomianism" (here).  Could it be that it rather should be going back?...  back... Back To Luther? ... Back to Walther?... Back to Pieper?  Back to teaching and defending the true Gospel?  Even the error of "Antinomianism" cannot be corrected without the right Doctrine of Justification.  The Law cannot be spiritually taught unless the pure Gospel is preserved.  That is why Pastor Jeremiah Gumm of the WELS has such a difficult time with Walther's "extremely harsh, blunt Law preaching" which is nevertheless a spiritually pure use of the Law.  Why?  Because Pastor Gumm is struggling with the pure Gospel... a message that is far too good to be true for man's thinking. (1 Cor. 2:9)

==>> Prof. Charles P. Arand – maybe you should (politely) ask CPH to allow you to publish not only your foreword but also the full English translation (by Everette Meier) of Walther's Die lutherische Lehre von der Rechtfertigung, ... you know, pages 30 - 63 of Essays for the Church, Vol. 1, 1857 - 1879 ... you know, from the book of Walther's great essays that is no longer available.  And when you have done that, I recommend that you personally deliver a copy of it to Pastor Todd Peperkorn who has openly admitted to having trials and struggles.  You will tell Pastor Peperkorn that the Doxology counseling program with "insights of contemporary Christian psychology" for struggling pastors is nothing compared to the pure Lutheran Doctrine of Justification (LDJ).  President Wyneken recommends that you do this for he said that LDJ was his only stay.

Maybe some readers think I am joking... or that I should not speak of "living, individual authors" – but they are sadly mistaken, for I speak of matters of spiritual life and death.  Dear God! ... you are a witness to my tears!

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
–– 2 Corinthians 12:9

Walther as Theologian – Part 6:The Church–I & II

[2020-07-12: updated some broken links]
Continued from Part 5.  Table of Contents in Part 1.  A large amount of time is being spent to add the hyperlinks of original sources to these essays.  Again these online versions are much improved over the downloads previously available.

There is much talk about "Church and Ministry" among Lutherans today – "Church and Ministry" this, "Church and Ministry" that.  Every group, small and large, says we have the right doctrine of "Church and Ministry".  But what is a simple Christian to think... what is so difficult that we lay people can't understand what all the fuss is about?  (Now read Pieper and Walther below)

Highlighting is my own.  Underlining is in original.

Hyperlinks within this document should be opened in a new tab (or window).

At this point, Prof. McLaughlin broke this article in Lehre und Wehre into a separate month issue of the Orthodox Lutheran Theologian.  So below is what I either call "Part 8" of the OLT or Part 6b of the LuW series.  I have given it the title "The Church II".

The reader will note that Prof. McLaughlin makes use of a translation of Walther's "Kirche und Amt" that is not generally mentioned today.  It was in pages 47-86 of the book Walther and The Church published by CPH in 1938, a translation by W.H.T. Dau.  I have not compared it to either J.T. Mueller's translation [updated broken link 2020-07-12] or Matthew Harrison's recent translation.  With all the negative comments coming out now against Harrison's work, I wonder that Dau's translation may be one of the better translations.  See (1) Christian News – April 22, 2013, pg 1-2; also this page pamphlet LCMS President Harrison disavows Walther's Church and Ministry – Dr. Jeff Young of the LCR, and (2) Pastor Jack Cascione's Reclaim News. [updated broken link 2020-07-12]  In any event, Prof. McLaughlin is one of the few translators of Pieper and Walther who did not judge them but rather sat at their feet.

One quote from Prof. Walther:

If the Church were held to be what it is, the congregation of believers, then care would be directed principally to that thereby believers, children of God, are born and preserved, namely, the preaching of the pure doctrine, and that whereby faith is hindered and destroyed, namely, false doctrine, would be decisively opposed and removed... According to Walther the Church is the totality of believers, nothing more and nothing less

Pretty simple, isn't it?  Ah, but if the Doctrine of Justification is not held pure, then how can it be properly preached that "believers are born and preserved"?  And how can false doctrine be "decisively opposed and removed"?

==>> I say to you Pastor Jeremiah Gumm of the WELS as you criticize Walther's preaching of the Law ("characteristics or attitudes which may not be so admirable... extremely harsh, blunt Law preaching...") in his sermons:

How is it that you can judge Walther, who has the right Doctrine of Justification, who can properly distinguish the Law and the Gospel, and now you can preach the Law better than Walther?  Could it be that maybe you begin to confuse the Law and the Gospel?  Could it be that maybe your Gospel isn't quite pure?  Maybe your ability to preach the pure doctrine is hampered and so the "congregation of believers" (The Church) is not properly cared for?  Could it be that whatever your Doctrine of the Church is, there is something not right?  Could it be that your WELS has also (as other groups) been tainted by the errors of the new (English) LC-MS which is confused on the Doctrine of Justification?

The next post is Part 7:  The Ministry I  –  The Ministry II.