AG8a: 1882: Invocation and Worship of God (Prayer I)– what it is and is not

      This continues from Part AG7d (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". — At this 1882 Western District convention, Walther returned to his initial sequence, now that the Election of Grace doctrine had been fully developed. The subject would seem a little less of interest, but that would be a mistake, as Walther brings comfort from the Scriptures that leaves no doubt. He says at the end of his section on Thesis I: 

"We should now also hasten diligently to the Father's heart of our God through Christ in all our concerns, whatever they may be."

This is what I would call the "sleeper" essay because the subject of "prayer" could cause readers to overlook it. But Walther's tremendous encouragement, and extensive treatment to call on the true God in prayer, will find readers lifting their hearts to God. It has for me. And I have begun to pray the Lord's Prayer again. Walther: "He [God] wants us to ask much, very much of Him". Need help with your prayer life? Read on. — In this first part, Walther ties this to his theme of "All Glory to God", then begins his attack against saint worship. — From pp. 19-71 of the convention report:

Notable Quotes:

[AG8a: Intro, Thesis I, 1. (p 19-34) — AG8b: Thesis I, 2., Thesis II. (p 34-54) — AG8c: Thesis III., Thesis IV (p 54-71 + download)]

19: Gerhard: "A truly golden and highly worthy apostolic rule: …'do all for the glory of God.'"

20: Gerhard: "Any doctrine (dogma) that damages the honor of God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ, … is therefore not sound and genuine."

20: "…if any interpretation of Scripture, any doctrine, does not promote God's glory but attacks and robs Him of it, then it is thereby marked as false"

20: Gerhard: "the papal communion…profess with us the unity of the divine essence in words, they indirectly undermine it when they show divine worship, which belongs to God alone, to creatures"

21: "Calvin and Beza, who, based precisely on the principle “Glory to God alone!”, but following their own reason, constructed a system that took all glory away from God."

Saint worship:

22: Thesis I: "only the true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is to be invoked and worshipped; not Mary, not the deceased saints"

22-24: Walther's teaching on papist's misuse of the Greek words to justify their invocation of saints

24: "papists…nevertheless give to the creature the honor that God will allow no other to have"

24: Against invocation of departed saints: "…until finally Luther strikes with a thunderous axe in the Smalcald Articles." [Walther shows the progression of forcefulness in the Lutheran Confessions from Melanchthon's writings to the power of Luther's. See pp. 24-26]

25: "Luther says: 'The invocation of saints is also one of the abuses of Antichrist conflicting with the chief article, and destroys the knowledge of Christ'" [SA II II 25-28]

26: Papists "portray it as innocent reverence that is owed to such steadfast, courageous confessors of the faith…that it is good and useful to invoke them humbly"

28: "All its religious services are nothing but vain idolatry. This is the wine of fornication with which, according to the prophecy of Revelation, Antichrist has made the whole world drunk."

31: Quenstedt: "the religious invocation of the saints is based on an uncertain and highly dubious principle, namely human traditions"

33: Luther: "what idolatry actually means: performing a religious service without God's command, out of one's own devotion…Without His Word, everything is idolatry…"

In the next Part AG8b…