Church & Ministry - Lesson Three

CHURCH AND MINISTRY

2003

LESSON THREE

I. Thesis III Concerning the Church

A. The church in the proper sense of the word is invisible. (Church and Ministry, page 38.)

B. Scripture Proof

1. Lk 17:20,21

2. 1Pe 2:5

3. 2Ti 2:19

a. Only Lord knows those who are His.

b. But only those who are the Lord’s are the true church.

4. See also Scripture Proof re: Thesis I.

C. Confessions and Creeds

1. Apostles' Creed: "I believe...holy Christian church, the communion of saints".

a. Walther: "If, according to these words, the church is something that must be believed, it cannot be visible, for "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Heb.11:1)” (Church and Ministry, Th. III pp. 38,39)

b. Augustine

1. “‘This is faith, to believe what you do not see’ (Tract 10 on John); and in another place: ‘You fool, what you see is not faith.’” (Quoted Church and Ministry, p. 39)

2. A.D. 354-430.

3. “One of greatest Latin Church Fathers”

4. Born in Tagaste, Africa and died in Hippo, Africa

5. Struggled against Donatists and Pelagians.

a. Donatists: stated that one who lapsed by surrendering the Scriptures to persecutors could never validly administer sacraments (Lutheran Cyclopedia, p. 245)

b. Pelagians: stated that man’s nature not depraved after fall; grace or salvation by Christ not necessary (Lutheran Cyclopedia, pp. 611, 612)

6. Lutheran Cyclopedia pp. 61, 62

2. Apology: Art. VII., VIII. (Tappert pp. 168-178; Kolb and Wengert pp. 174-183)

a. Par. 5: “However, the church is not only an association of external ties and rites like other civic organizations, but it is principally an association of faith and the Holy Spirit in the hearts of persons.” (Kolb and Wengert, p. 174)

b. Par. 20: “Nor indeed are we dreaming about some platonic republic, as some have slanderously alleged. Instead, we teach that this church truly exists, consisting of true believing and righteousness people scattered through the entire world. And we add its marks: the pure teaching of the gospel and sacraments” (Kolb and Wengert, p. 177, footnotes omitted)

D. Witnesses in Private Writings

1. John Gerhard

a. See Lesson One.

b. "‘When we say: “I believe one holy Christian church,” the word “believe” shows clearly that we speak of the invisible church, which is proved also by the added adjective “holy"’ (Loci theologici, "De ecclesia," par. 151)”(Quoted Church and Ministry, p. 43)

3. Quenstedt, John A.

a. See Lesson One.

b. “‘The multitude of people that constitute the church we do see, but whether those persons are the church, that we do not see; that is, the people that belong to the church we see and notice, but whether these persons are true and living members of the church, that is not manifest to us’ (Theologia didacticopolemica, part IV., 15.2)” (Quoted Church and Ministry, pp. 47,48)