What is a 'Lutheran' ?

Recently a Pastor in larger Texas town, had the question asked of him by several inquisitive members of the community, "What is a Lutheran ?" He thought for a few moments and then he replied, "above all things... a Lutheran is a Christian."

Certainly a 'Lutheran' is a specific type of Christian, as compared to a 'Baptist', or a 'Methodist', etc. A 'Lutheran' is a Christian who believes, teaches, and confesses a specifically defined understanding (a 'Lutheran' understanding) of the person, work, and word of Jesus Christ... and what that person, work, and word of Jesus Christ means and requires of those who follow him

Some have said, and are even now saying, from inside of and outside of the 'Lutheran' Church, that the unique 'Lutheran' understanding about the person, work, and word of Jesus Christ... and what that means and requires of those who follow him... should be erased, removed, and forgotten.

They say this change should take place to make the 'Lutheran' Church more 'user friendly' - more attractive and more acceptable to those who are outside the Church. They say they should be free to believe and do whatever they wish in their relationship with God, as they are now are in politics, economics, and relationships with others.

In some places a change has already taken place... as in the case of some 'Lutheran' denominations which are now 'Lutheran' in name only. In other places, the battle is ongoing, congregation by congregation, district by district... as is now the case in the 'Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod'. (The controversy surrounding the  'Benke-Kieschnick 9/11 Response' just highlights the issue.)

At the center of this battle is the Word (the Law & Gospel) of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (That should not be much of a surprise to us, since God's Word has always been the line of Satan's attack since his success with Adam & Eve)

It is this Word of our Lord, which is the 'sole rule and norm' (first and final authority according to The Lutheran Confessions) that constitutes the 'Lutheran' understanding of what is and what is not Christian. It is in fact, God's Word, which was the basis of instituting the specifically defined 'Lutheran' Reformation in 1580.

It is in turn that 'Lutheran' Reformation, which was based solely on God's Word, which lead to the Lutheran Confession of "Justification by grace alone, through faith alone, by (the truth taught in) Scripture alone". [Rm 1:16-17; 3:21-23; Eph 2:4ff; etc.]

It is also from that Lutheran Reformation and Confession based on God's Word that every other Protestant denomination in Europe and America sprung up and therefore must trace its roots, if it is truly Christian. (And the facts of the matter holds fast regardless of how a particular denomination has departed from the original Lutheran Confession.)

Now, how perverse is it today for 'Lutherans', to deny the validity of what is specifically defined as being 'Lutheran', if "above all things... a Lutheran is a Christian."

By so denying what constitutes being a 'Lutheran' certainly we can't mean that we deny being a 'Christian'... can we ? Perhaps what we mean is that the Lutheran Confessors didn't go far enough in reforming the Church and we need to go on ? (That was by the way Zwingli & Calvin's response. That has been the response of other Christian Denominations.)

The Lutheran Confessors believed that all that was necessary to reform the Church was to return to pure teaching and practice of God's Word. They believed that 'God's Word is the sole rule and norm for faith and life'. They believed that God's Word revealed God's true will and work for his people and thus God's Word was the center of their relationship with God. They felt everything else was secondary. They feared that by focusing on what was secondary, they would compromise what was primary.

There may be a day when the 'Lutheran' in 'The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod' may no longer mean 'Christian'. There may be a day when the 'Lutheran' qualifier no longer means preaching, teaching, and confessing the truth of God's Word, as it has meant for the last 460 years. But today is not that day. Today is certainly not that day for us at St. John's !

Today is instead by God's grace, a day for digging into God's Word and holding fast to it. Today is a day to commit ourselves first and foremost to preach, to teach, and to confess the whole truth of God's Word, in the midst of an ever changing, waffling, dying world which is in desperate need for the true Savior of the World who comes to us in his Word... Jesus Christ.

Today is by God's grace, a day to preach, teach, and confess the truth of God's Word in the midst of a plethora of 'Christian' denominations who need to be challenged and encouraged to reexamine and refocus their preaching, teaching, and confession on the whole truth of God's Word.

Today is by God's grace, a day to preach, teach, and confess the whole truth of God's Word in the midst of a plethora of 'false' religions which are making up their own way, without the truth of God's Word as their 'sole rule and norm' and are thus lost and dying.

What the world continues to need, and what we continue to need, is not compromise or vacillation... but the truth of God's Word.

For it is only by God's Word that we know the truth about God. It is only by God's Word that we know the truth about us apart from God. It is only by God's Word that we know and thus believe in the redemption God has secured for us in his Son. And finally, it is only by God's Word and the faith created therein, that we are enabled to live new lives as God's beloved children.

Yes, God's Word is our 'sole rule and norm'. It defines the path which leads to eternal death, and the path which leads to eternal life.

Let us choose life, the path set before us in the Word of our Lord who is our life and salvation. "Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him & he will do this; He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. [Ps 37:5-6]