_Spiritual Gifts_ A Report of the Commission on Theology and Church Relations of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod September 1994 Section 3: Conclusion and Endnotes _CONCLUSION_ Christians live under the twofold rule of God as they carry out their lives in the First and Third Articles. As creatures who still live on earth awaiting the eschatological fulfillment of salvation, they live under God's rule in creation. As those who have been brought to faith in Jesus Christ, they live under God's rule of grace and recreation in the church. Although these two realms must be distinguished, they cannot be separated as if there were no relation or interaction between them. They cannot be compartmentalized, as if we live one way in the realm of creation and another way in the realm of grace, or as if one realm were of less value than the other. Nor can the gifts be separated as if the gifts of the realm of creation have no place or are unrelated to the gifts of the realm of grace. One of the theological concerns that arises in connection with the use of spiritual gift inventories is the question of whether such use gives witness to a separation of the two realms, with the First Article being subordinated to the Third Article. In other words, the question might be asked, "Has a secularization taken place so that only one of the realms is recognized as divine while the other is seen as profane?" Both realms and both articles belong to God. Both are the work of God and are bound together through the person and work of Christ. They may not be separated from one another nor may one be subordinated to the other. Instead, a mutual interaction exists between them, so that each informs and shapes the other. In a number of crucial respects, the First Article and the doctrine of creation are basic and foundational for the Second and Third Articles. The understanding of the church's mission will no doubt be distorted apart from the universal perspective of God's work that is provided by the doctrine of creation."[149] Where would our understanding of the incarnation and means of grace be apart from the First Article? At a time when many "think that God is only related to religion and spiritual life,"[150] the First Article bids us to broaden our perspective on God's activity It reminds us that God continues to carry out his creative activity through the structures and orders of this world. In and through these structures--which include the needs of our neighbor--God calls us to serve him. Within these settings we each have a role and a place to live as a coworker with God. Luther's frequent exhortations to remain in our stations (whether they are high or low in power and prestige) and to continue in our individual vocations are less calls to maintain the _status quo_ in our lives than they are reminders to continue to function as God's instruments of creation. Into these situations of daily life the Gospel enters and is proclaimed. As Marc Kolden has observed, "A notion of vocation gives concreteness to our life of faith and anchors us in the work and will of God. And as it empties us through service to others we are opened to live by faith alone. Vocation thus makes room for Christ, so that he may be all in all."[151] If the First Article prepares the way by laying the necessary foundation and providing the context for the Second and Third Articles, the Third Article brings us to Christ and thus to the Father, who revealed the depth of his love for us in Christ. As a result the work of the Spirit as confessed in the Third Article ultimately leads us to recognize the Creator as our gracious heavenly Father and thus to receive all of creation as an unmerited gift from God (or as in the Small Catechism's explanation to the First Article: "without any merit or worthiness in me").[152] This has at least three implications for the church. First, regardless of the different gifts and varying degrees in which we have received them, the Spirit leads us to receive them all, great and small, spectacular and unspectacular, as gifts _from God_. Our different vocations, gifts, and talents all have a common source, the Creator of heaven and earth. This is the all-important recognition to which Paul tried to lead the Corinthians. When we recognize that all these gifts come from God, we also realize that God is not concerned about the differences between the gifts but only about the way we use them. In our eyes earthly actions and works vary in glory and importance. In God's eyes the different works themselves are not what is important. Rather, he looks chiefly for our response to him in our works and vocations. As Luther says, "Therefore it is his will that we also have regard for his command and vocation."[153] Luther goes on to say: So St. Paul writes in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12: The body has many members, but not all members have the same work. So we are many members of one Christian congregation, but not all of us have the same work. Everyone ought to look after his own work, and not that of another; so we should live together in simple obedience, in a harmony of many missions and manifold works.[154] It is by paying attention to our vocations that we become useful members of the whole body of Christ. Second, the church's proclamation should "make us aware that each context in life is a means to serve God and is the means by which God calls us to concrete tasks."[155] As Richard John Neuhaus puts it, "The vocation of the church is to sustain many vocations."[156] The Third Article sends us back into our daily lives within the First Article so that we may begin to live our lives as God intended his creation to work. As we confess in the Small Catechism, "it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey" according to the Ten Commandments. We are free to confess God the Creator as our heavenly Father so that we can devote ourselves to God's work in our stations and offices, even though these may not look particularly godly or spiritual in comparison with what others have been giving and are doing.[157] Indeed, in the Large Catechism the Creed and Lord's Prayer are oriented to the Ten Commandments in such a way that the former are given to help us keep the latter. Third, so final and definitive is the revelation of God's love in Christ, and so overwhelming the forgiveness of sins, that we are led to confess the goodness of God's creation and all of our creaturely gifts even when they are hidden from sight, and even when we experience events that would seem to contradict the truth of God's goodness. Ultimately then, the First Article is as much a confession of faith as the Second and Third Articles. As Edmund Schlink has put it succinctly, it is not "easier to know God's creation than his redemption. . . .To be asked to believe in the Creator is as offensive as to believe in the cross of Christ."[158] This was a radical, counter cultural confession even in the early church. The doctrine of the incarnation compelled the church to confess the goodness of creation. The Father of Jesus Christ proved to be the Creator of the world, with the result that creation was valued highly over against devaluations of it (e.g., Gnosticism). God created the world out of nothing and did not simply impose order on matter that was intrinsically chaotic (against various Greek philosophies such as Stoicism, Epicureanism, and Platonism).[159] This view of creation linked the Old and New Testaments together (against Marcionism) so that the Old Testament, not Greek philosophy, provided the theological framework for the New Testament. The affirmation of the First Article as an article of faith manifests itself also in Luther's theology of the cross, which entails trusting in God's gracious promises even in the midst of human deprivation, suffering, and death. Luther asks, "If you do not have as much as the mayor, do you not rather have God the Creator of heaven and earth, Christ and prayer? Yes, the emperor does not have more.[160] To confess that God is our good Creator "in the midst of our own death and corruption or in the midst of those who hate and abuse us is nothing other and different than to believe that in the crucified sinner God is creating _ex nihilo_ [out of nothing] by giving life to the unworthy and those without merit."[161] We have the restoration of creation and consummation of salvation both now and not yet. They are ours even now by faith, even though we may not yet see them or experience them. We have these gifts in hope. This conviction is expressed well in the closing verses of Habakkuk: Though the fig tree do not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like hinds' feet, he makes me tread upon my high places (3:17-19). While this restoration and consummation of which the prophet speaks have not been fully realized in our lives, we will still rejoice. God is the God who clothes, feeds, and gives us able bodies, both now and not yet.[162] All the benefits of the restored creation and of the consummated final salvation are to be found in Christ. These benefits are ours now through Baptism and in the holiness of faith, and they will be ours fully and for all to see in the resurrection of the body Paul brings all of these themes together in his letter to the Colossians, and at the center is Jesus Christ: For in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. . . .When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory (Col. 1:16-20; 3:4). ________________________________________________________________ FOOTNOTES AND CITATIONS [1] Delos Miles, _Church Growth, A Mighty River_ (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1981), 129. [2] C. Peter Wagner, _Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow_ (Ventura, Calif.: Regal Books, 1979), 19. [3] Cf. _Evangelism and Church Growth with Special Reference, to the Church Growth Movement_, A Report of the Commission on Theology and Church Relations of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, 43. [4] Resolution 3-16, "To Study Subject of Spiritual Gifts," 1989 Convention Proceedings,119. [5] Wagner, 26. [6] Ibid., 19. [7] Ibid., 27. [8] _The Charismatic Movement and Lutheran Theology_, A Report of the Commission on Theology and Church Relations of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, 1972, and _The Lutheran Church and the Charismatic Movement: Guidelines for Congregations and Pastors_, A Report of the Commission on Theology and Church Relations of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod,1977. [9] Cf. _Evangelism and Church Growth_. [10] David W. Hoover and Roger W. Leenerts, _Enlightened with His Gifts: A Bible Study on Spiritual Gifts_ (St. Louis: Lutheran Growth, 1979). [11] Cf. Robert W. Schaibley, "Measuring Spiritual Gifts," _Lutheran Quarterly 3_ (Winter 1989): 423-41. [12] Kent R. Hunter, _Gifted for Growth: An Implementation Guide for Mobilizing the Laity_ (Corunna, Ind: The Church Growth Analysis and Learning Center, 1983). [13] Wagner, 27. [14] Ibid., 36. [15] Hoover and Leenerts, 6. [16] Hunter, 151. [17] Ibid., 152. [18] Wagner, 32. [19] Ibid., 38-39. [[20] Hunter, 3. [21] Ibid., 152. [22] Hoover and Leenerts, 5. [23] Wagner, 49. [24] Hunter, 4. [25] Hoover and Leenerts, 7. [26] Ibid., 65. [27] Wagner, 50. [28] Hoover and Leenerts, 65; cf. Wagner, 50. [29] Wagner, 51. [30] Hoover and Leenerts, 66. [31] Wagner, 42. [32] Ibid., 86. [33] Ibid., 87. [34] Ibid., 88-89. [35] This term is used regularly by Wagner and those who rely on his works. [36] Wagner, 44. [37] Ibid., 47. [38] Hunter, 9. [39] Wagner, 35. [40] Hoover and Leenerts, 23. [41] Hunter, 9-14; cf. Wagner, 116-33 and Hoover and Leenerts, 66-67. [42] Wagner, 86. [43] Ibid., 39-73. [44.] Hunter, 17-63. [45] Hoover and Leenerts, 40-63. [46] Leslie B. Flynn, _19 Gifts of the Spirit: Which Do You Have? Are You Using Them?_ (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1977), 32. [47] "Distribution" or "apportionment" might be a better translation here than "varieties" (RSV), "different kinds" (NIV), or "diversities" (NKJV). In addition to stressing the variety of gifts, these terms draw attention to the source of the various gifts, namely, God, Lord, Spirit. [48] See D. A. Carson, _Showing the Spirit: A Theological Exposition of 1 Corinthians 12 14_ (Grand Rapids, Ml: Baker Book House, 1987), 48. [49] _Charismatic Movement_, 20. [50] This, of course, does not suggest that the Spirit does not give gifts for tile evangelizing of the world (cf. _Charismatic Movement_, 10 , 21). Cf. also _Evangelism and Church Growth_, 20: "As His children Christians have the promise that God through His Holy Spirit will work in them both the will and the ability to be His instruments in bringing the message of salvation to a dying world (Phil. 2:13). To that end lie gives Christians gifts of grace, skills and aptitudes which enable them to perform this important service." [51] Carson, 47. [52] The last phrase could be read as a reference to the Lord's Supper, which also has profound implications for the unity of the church as the body of Christ (1 Cor. 10:16-17; 1 Cor. 11:23-24). [53] Charismatic Movement, 20. [54] Martin Franzmann, _Alive with the Spirit_ (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1973), 39. [55] Ibid., 38. [56] The phrase "theology of the cross" has reference to Scripture's teaching that God often reveals his grace and glory by "hiding" it under suffering, weakness, and deprivation. The greatest example of this, of course, is God's revelation of grace in the cross and suffering of Christ. See Heino 0. Kadai, "Luther's Theology of the Cross," in _Accents in Luther's Theology_, ed. Heino 0. Kadai (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1967). [57] John R. W. Stott, _Baptism and Fullness: The Work of the Holy Spirit Today_ (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1977), 88. [58] Ibid., 88. [59] _Fourteenth Hayama Missionary Seminary: The Contemporary Work of the Holy Spirit_, ed., Carl C. Beck (Tokyo: [n.p.], 1973), 9. Cf. Stott, 88. [60] Gordon D. Fee, _The First Epistle to the Corinthians_ (Grand Rapids: Wrn. B. Eerdmans 1987), 585. [61] Cf. Stott, 87. [62] Archibald Robertson and Alfred Plummer, _A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the First Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians_ (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1978), 264. [63] James Dunn, _Jesus and the Spirit: A Study of the Religious and Charismatic Experience of Jesus and the First Christians as Reflected in the New Testament_ (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1975), 209. [64] Carson, 21. [65] Cf. Dunn, 208. [66] Carson, 22. [67] Carson, 37. [68] Ibid. [69] Cf. _Charismatic Movement_, 17: "Here it should be noted that St. Paul lists the less spectacular gifts of the Spirit, namely, the more common attitudes and spiritual qualities of the Christian that result from his regeneration." [70] Fee, 586. [71] Carson, 38. [72] Fee, 592. [73] Ibid. 593. [74] Dunn, 219-20. [75] Ibid., 221. [76] Carson, 39. [77] Fee, 594. [78] Carson, 39. [79] Ibid., 40. [80] Ibid. [81]. Fee, 595. [82] _Charismatic Movement_, 20-21. [83]. Ibid., 20. [84] Fee, 620. [85] Herman Ridderbos, _Paul: An Outline of His Theology_, trans. John Richard Dewitt (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1975), 451. [86] Carson, 91. [87] Fee, 621. [88] Ibid., 622. [89] Ridderbos, 451. [90] Ibid., 465. [91] Stott, 93. [92] Ibid., 91. [93] Ridderbos, 456. [94] Even though the word evangelist is rare, Paul does call himself a _keryx_ ("preacher" or "Proclaimer") in 1 Tim. 2:7 and 2 Tim. 1:11, which would have to be considered in the same word group. [95] Ridderbos, 454. [96] The use of the single article (_tous de ponnenas kai didaskalous_) may indicate that Paul is referring here to one office with two functions. See _The Ministry: Office, Procedures, and Nomenclature_, A Report of the Commission on Theology and Church Relations of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, 1981, 14. [97] Cf. Henry P. Hamann, "The Translation of Ephesians 4:12-A Necessary Revision," _Concordia Journal 14_ (January 1988): 42-49 and "Church and Ministry: An Exegesis of Ephesians 4:1-16," _Lutheran Theological Journal 16_ (December 1982): 121-28. 98 Stott, 104. 95. Ridderbos, 454. [98] Stott, 104. [99] Fee, 599. [100] Boyd Hunt, _Redeemed! Eschatological Redemption and the Kingdom of God_ (Nashville: Broadman and Holman, 1993), 49. The discussion below follows closely Hunt's very helpful treatment of this topic. [101] Ibid., 51. [102] Ibid., 52. [103] Ibid., 55. [104] Ibid., 52. [105] Ibid., 53. [106] Cf. Frederick Dale Bruner, _A Theology of the Holy Spirit_ (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1970), 285-322. [107] What we refer to here as "Life in the First and Third Articles" has been described by others as life in the "two realms" or "two governments." See the discussion that follows. [108] Gustaf Wingren has been most helpful in bringing this issue to the forefront of theological discussion as a corrective to the theology of Karl Barth and Oscar Cullmann, who tended to minimize the importance and role of creation as a framework for theology. See, e.g., Gustaf Wingren, _The Flight from Creation_ (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1971). [109] Cf. Oswald Bayer, _Schopfung als Anrede: Zu einer Hermeneutik der Schopfung_ (Tubingen: J. C. B. Mohr, 1986), 80-108. Bayer outlines and discusses the way in which Luther unfolds his discussion of the First Article in expanding, concentric circles. See also Oswald Bayer, "I Believe That God Has Created Me with All That Exists. An Example of Catechetical-Systematics," _Lutheran Quarterly VIII: 2_ (Summer 1994), 129-61. [110] From an unpublished paper by William Weinrich, "Creatio Ex Nihilo: The Way of God," 8. [111] Interestingly, days three through six are given disproportionately more space than days one and two of creation. It is precisely those things created on days three through six that have a more direct bearing upon the life of God's human creatures. The flow of thought is such that these days are all preparatory for the culmination of God's creation on day six. [112] From an unpublished paper by William Weinrich, "God, the Creator," 4. [113] Claus Westermann, _Creation_, trans. John J. Scullion (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1974), 46. [114] Gordon J. Wenham, _Word Biblical Commentary: Genesis 1-15_ (Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1987), 24. The fulfillment of the blessing is most evident in the gift of children and the list of generations. It might well be noted that where the modern person speaks of success, the Old Testament believer spoke of blessing. [115] It is noteworthy that bara, "to create," is often used in close proximity to barak, "to bless" (Gen. 1:21-22, 27-28; 23; 5:1-2). This suggests that creation and blessing are linked to divine purpose. [116] In Luther's view, "the external things and relationships in which man lives represent God to him; they are God's masks' " (Gustaf Wingren, _Luther on Vocation_, trans. Carl C. Rasmussen [Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, 1957],117). Luther says: "All our work in the field, in the garden, in the city, in the home, in struggle, in government--to what does it all amount before God except child's play, by means of which God is pleased to give his gifts in the field, at home, and everywhere? These are the masks of our Lord God, behind which he wants to be hidden and to do all things" (Ibid., 137-38). As Wingren explains, "Instead of coming in uncovered majesty when he gives a gift to man, God places a mask before his face. He clothes himself in the form of an ordinary man who performs his work on earth. Human beings are to work, 'everyone according to his vocation and office': through this they serve as masks of God, behind which he can conceal himself when he would scatter his gifts" (Ibid., 138). "A mask both conceals and reveals the Creator. So it is that orders and offices and stations are also _larvae Dei_ [masks of God] through which God is constantly confronting human beings with his will and power" (Donald R. Heiges, The Christian's Calling, rev. ed. [Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 19841, 52). [117] LC 1, 26. [118] James Limburg, "The Responsibility of Royalty: Genesis 1-11 and the Care of the Earth," _Word and World 11_ (Spring 1991), 124-30. [119] For another excellent example of the way in which the Old Testament values are expressed, see Eccl. 2:24-25. [120] Heiges, 50-51. [121] Weinrich, 4. [122] Westermann, 21. The New Testament continues this approval of the value and necessity of work in everyday occupations (Mark 63; Acts 18:3; 1 Tim. 5:8; 2 Thess. 3:10-12; Titus 3:1; cf. 1 Cor. 7:20). Cf. Heiges (38-39) for a helpful discussion of this subject. [123] Gustaf Wingren, _Creation and Law_, trans. Ross MacKenzie (Edinburgh and London: Oliver and Boyd, 1961), 50. [122] Ibid., 51. [123] Ibid., 49. [126] Regin Prenter, _Creation and Redemption_, trans. Theodor I. Jensen (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1967), 202. [127] Ibid., 204. [128] Wingren, _Creation and Law_, 96. [129] Although the term sanctification may be used to embrace (1) justification and the subsequent inner transformation of the Christian or (2) only the moral transformation, we should also note that it may also be used, as Luther frequently uses it in the Large Catechism, as (3) synonymous with justification. [130] Hunt, 51. [131] Ibid. [132] Gustaf Wingren, _Credo: The Christian View of Faith and Life_, trans. Edgar M. Carlson (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1981),152. [133] Hunt, 51. [134] Wingren, _Credo_, 153. [135] LC II, 51-52. [136] Paul Althaus, _The Theology of Martin Luther_, trans. Robert C. Schultz (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1966), 297. [137] Ibid., 294-97. [138] "A Brief Explanation of the Creed" (1520), _Works of Martin Luther_, vol. 2, trans. C. M. Jacobs (Philadelphia: A. J. Holman, 1916), 373. [139] Althaus, 296. For a survey of the historical development in Luther's terminology and understanding of the church, see Thomas M. Winger, "Communio Sanctorum: Gemeine or Gemeinschaft?" in _Concordia Student Journal 15_ (Easter 1992): 10-19. [140] Althaus, 308. [141] Ibid., 308-9. [142] This is not to suggest that these factors are excluded or unimportant, but simply that they are not mentioned or dealt with as the issue under discussion. [143] Schaibley, 434. [144] Ibid. [145] Ibid. [146] Ibid., 435. [147] Ibid., 433. [148] Wagner describes as "exceedingly effective" the evangelism method of a congregation which "believes so much in body life that they refuse to hire pastors for their churches. They believe that the Holy Spirit provides each church with all the gifts needed for healthy church life, and that when members are properly using their gifts, a professional minister is simply excess baggage. The elders and the deacons do the preaching. The only man the church hires is the bookkeeper; the rest of the work is done by the members themselves." _What Are We Missing?_ (Carol Stream, Ill.: Creation House, 1973), 81. Quoted in Evangelism and Church Growth, 43, fn. 86. [149] Terence Fretheim, "The Reclamation of Creation: Redemption and Law in Exodus," _Interpretation 45_ (October 1991): 354-65. [150] Marc Kolden, "Vocation, Work, and Identity and the Church's Mission," _Word and World 9_ (Fall 1989): 368. [151] Ibid., 371. [152] LC It, 63-66. [153] Quoted in Wingren, _Luther on Vocation_, 178. [154] Ibid., 178-79. [155] Kolden, 368. [156] Richard John Neuhaus, _Freedom for Ministry_, rev. ed. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1992), 229. [157] Kolden,370. [158] Edmund Schlink, _Theology of the Lutheran Confessions_, trans. Paul F. Koehneke and Herbert J. A. Bournan (Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, 1961), 59. [159] Cf. Frances M. Young, _The Making of the Creeds_ (London: SCM Press, 1991), 16-32 for a helpful account of the radical nature of the church's confession of creation. [160] Quoted in Wingren, _Luther on Vocation_, 130. [161] Weinrich, 14-15. [162] The hymn, "See, the Conqueror Mounts in Triumph" looks ahead with the same anticipation: Thou hast raised our human nature On the clouds to God's right hand; There we sit in heavenly places, There with Thee in glory stand. Jesus reigns, adored by angels; Man with God is on the throne. Mighty Lord, in Thine ascension, We by faith behold our own. (The Lutheran Hymnal 218:5) ______________________________________________________________________ Copyright (C) 1995 The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod 1333 South Kirkwood Road, St. Louis, MO 63122-7295 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod. Write to Library for the Blind, 1333 S. Kirkwood Road, St. Louis, MO 63122-7295, to obtain in braille or in large type for the visually impaired. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyrighted 1946,1952, (C) 1971, 1973. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from The HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION & Copyright (C) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by Permission of Zondervan Publishing House. 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