StL5a: Pieper on Luther's Writings (Der Lutheraner 1907)

      This continues from Part 4d (Table of Contents in Part 1) in a series on the St. Louis Edition (StL) of Luther's complete writings in English. —  This new sub-series presents Franz Pieper's essay from the 1907 Der Lutheraner on "Luther's Writings".  He was not as frequent a contributor to this periodical as Walther was.  So this essay was prominent for him.  He must have sensed a weakening in his Missouri Synod in the struggles it faced against erring American Lutherans, and a tendency for unionism. And so he felt compelled to again raise Luther’s flag before the people, that they read Luther first. — This blog series should be read along with my blog on Walther’s “Fruitful reading of Luther’s writings” from May 14, 2012 — In that blog it was stated: “As Pieper pointed to Walther… I point to Pieper…”  — This blog should be read after re-reading that blog on Walther's essay on the same subject. 

(From Der Lutheraner, vol. 63 p. 403-405 (No. 26, Dec. 17, 1907) (all underlining and bolding follows Pieper's emphasis):

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Luther's Writings.

Christians base their faith on God's Word alone. The word of man, even if it is spoken or written by the most respected and learned people, is completely incapable of serving as a glowing foundation for Christians. As Christ in his work, whereby he kept the Law for us and paid for our sin with His death, is our one righteousness before God, so also Christ in His Word, which He spoke through His Apostles and Prophets, is our one wisdom. In the Christian Church, only God's Word is to be taught by the teachers and only God's Word is to be believed by the hearers. Christ himself says: “One is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.”, Matt. 23:8. And: “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed", Joh. 8:31. The Lutheran church therefore makes a big difference in its confession between the Holy Scriptures and the writings of all human teachers. Of the Holy Scriptures she confesses: 

“We believe, teach, and confess that the sole rule and standard according to which all dogmas together with [all] teachers should be estimated and judged are the prophetic and apostolic Scriptures of the Old and of the New Testament alone, as it is written Ps. 119, 105: Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” But of all writings of human teachers, our church confesses: “Other writings, however, of ancient or modern teachers, whatever name they bear, must not be regarded as equal to the Holy Scriptures, but all of them together be subjected to them.” (Formula of Concord, Epitome, p. 517 [Triglotta p. 777].)

Nevertheless, it would be against the Scriptures if Christians and Christian teachers did not want to read the writings of human teachers. According to Eph. 4:11—12, not only the Apostles and Prophets, but also the evangelists and the pastors and teachers are a gift of Christ to His church here on earth. But the Christians must use the other teachers in addition to the Apostles and Prophets, so that they do not take their own word from the other teachers, but the Word of the Apostles and Prophets, that is, they let them lead them into the Scriptures. God distributes the gifts in the church differently according to His pleasure. All Christians understand so much from the Scriptures that they can recognize their faith from it and also confess it in the circle in which God has placed them. But to some Christians God gives even more for the good of the church, He gives them the gift that they can teach not only themselves and their household members, but a whole congregation, a whole church community, yes, the whole church, in word and writing from God's Word. And these special teaching gifts, which God has given to individual Christians, He also wants Christians to value and use. It would be folly and contrary to God's will if someone were to despise all human writings and say that he wanted to draw everything directly from Scripture without any help from others. No, Scripture itself says: “In each one the gifts of the Spirit are manifested for the common good”, 1 Cor. 12:7.

- - - - - - - - - - -  Continued in Part 5b  - - - - - - - - - - - - 

In the next Part 5b, Pieper begins to show his readers just how important Luther's writings are to "lead them into the Scriptures".