Prof. Charles Arand: “Paul speaks plainly” (Pt 2b against Concordia Journal 2017)

      This concludes from Part 2a (and Part 1), a defense against the errors and mixed theology in Concordia Seminary's magazine, Concordia Journal, Summer 2017 issue.  In this last segment, I call out Prof. Arand on the very Bible passage where he attempts to show his “orthodoxy”.

Prof. Charles Arand

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      Although Prof. Charles Arand seems to give at least lip-service to an “inspired and inerrant scriptures” in one place, he does not defend their truthfulness in all matters.  Here is how he puts it (p. 23):

“This word of the cross, along with the inspired and inerrant scriptures, belongs to the epistemology of faith . . . not to empiricism or rationalism.”

“Along with”?  What does he mean by “along with”?  Why the separation, the distinction, of the “word of the cross" and “the inspired and inerrant scriptures”?  Isn't Arand just giving “lip-service” to the Doctrine of Inspiration, Brief Statement, § 1.-3.? (Isaiah 29:13)

      Arand earlier begins his theological section with the following (p. 19):

... At the heart of our faith lies the confession of God’s love for us as manifested in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In one of the earliest Christian letters, Paul speaks plainly, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3-4).

We can thank God, maybe not Arand, that a Scripture passage (1 Cor 15:3-4) was quoted where Scripture interprets Scripture… twice:

“… in accordance with the Scriptures, … in accordance with the Scriptures”.

"In accordance with the Scriptures”.
Yes indeed, Prof. Arand, the Apostle Paul “speaks plainly”.  I am thankful, not for your attempts to cloud and overturn the truth, but at least that a Bible passage is quoted that clearly and completely refutes the primary points of your Concordia Journal, your Concordia Seminary, your Lutheran Church—“Missouri Synod”:

I believe, “in accordance with the Scriptures”,

that the universe was created in 6 days. (Genesis 1)

I believe, “in accordance with the Scriptures”,

that “the sun stood still”. (Joshua 10:13)

I believe, “in accordance with the Scriptures”,

that Christ died for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3)

I believe, “in accordance with the Scriptures”,

that Christ was raised on the third day (1 Cor 15:4)

If any one of the above points is not true, then, as C.F.W. Walther says, I "certainly would not care to be a Bible Christian." [Lehre und Wehre, Foreword 1886]

I also believe, “in accordance with the Scriptures”, that the LC-MS is

…carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. Ephesians 4:14.

Indeed, “Paul speaks plainly”.  —  I confess:

I did not leave the LC-MS over the error of Copernicanism, 

I left it over their loss of the Lutheran Doctrine of Justification.

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Our teachers think they know the Gospel.

But all Christians know the Gospel “in accordance with the Scriptures”.