WHY I AM A STUBBORN LUTHERAN
(Here is something I wrote back in 2005. I may be even more stubborn and crabby today.)
I wish I had a dollar for every time someone has come and asked me why I think only Lutherans will be saved. The truth is: I HAVE NEVER SAID THAT. In fact, I teach the catechumens to confess that the Church is all those who hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and follow Him (John 10). Why do some people think I have said that only Lutherans are saved? It is because I have made it clear that I believe Lutheran doctrine is Biblical doctrine. All other church bodies have doctrinal statements that are in error. Even some Lutheran churches do not preach and teach Lutheran doctrine. This is a radical notion in a world that often denies any truth and relies on individual feelings and perceptions instead.
So, what is doctrine? Doctrine is not the creation of some imaginative mind, but the teaching of Jesus Christ as recorded by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures. As there is only one Holy Spirit and not many holy spirits, so the Spirit does not teach many doctrines but only one doctrine. This doctrine is God’s doctrine, not Luther’s or the pastor’s. God gave this doctrine in the Scriptures so it might be clearly taught. True doctrine is not an unattainable dream for it is what God intended that the teachers of His Church hand down to the faithful. A faithful pastor will not insist that he is right, but that God’s Word is pure and correct.
In today’s world this sounds arrogant. Many think doctrine is simply from men. In that case, it would be arrogant to insist that there is only one true teaching about Jesus. Jesus Himself was quite clear that He is the only Way and the only Truth. There cannot be multiple truths, for Jesus is God and Man in one Person. The Apostle Paul is very clear that there is only one teaching and warns that even if an angel were to come teaching another gospel, he should be condemned by the Christian congregation because there is only one gospel (Galatians 1:6-10). Paul stubbornly asserts that there is only one truth even though it would have been easier to reach a compromise. There is no compromise with doctrine.
There are many voices saying that we should just get along and ignore our differences. We certainly rejoice that we are able to agree with other Christians who object to abortion and gay marriage for example, but we cannot ignore our different answers regarding Jesus. True unity can only come from unity in the one pure doctrine. Different Christian churches exist because they have different answers to the question of Jesus: Who do you say that I am? (Matthew 16:15) They have preached those different answers and written them down in public confessions of faith. That doctrine always must be examined on the basis of the Scriptures.
It is that pure doctrine that governs everything the Church does. Without pure doctrine there is no real church growth. Numbers may increase if we reject pure doctrine, but the branch is dying. We use the historic Lutheran liturgy and hymns because they proclaim the true doctrine. Baptist hymnody proclaims Baptist doctrine. Contemporary Christian music proclaims decision theology that is a man-centered doctrine. Changing the liturgy with cute innovations every week sends the signal that doctrine may also be a changing thing. The hymnist wrote, …change and decay in all around I see. O Thou who changest not, abide with me! The words echo Jesus’ farewell in Matthew 28 where He commands His apostles to teach all of the unchanging, pure doctrine that He taught them.
The Stubborn Lutheran, Pastor Fabrizius