Word for Word 2/21/24

Scripture Alone

Last week I shared with you one of the important teachings from the Lutheran Reformation. The teaching of Grace Alone - that we are saved entirely by God’s grace alone, apart from works, through faith alone in Jesus. Today I want to talk to you about another fundamental teaching from the Lutheran Reformation. The teaching of Scripture Alone.

A man once asked me, “There are so many different churches, and they all teach different things. How can we know what church is right? How can we know which church follows the teachings of Jesus?”

That is a great question. One which we should all be asking or maybe have asked. Here was my response. Let’s say three people wanted to get you a cake for your birthday, but they disagreed over what was your favorite kind of cake. Your grandma says that your favorite is chocolate, your mom says lemon, and your wife says that it is cheesecake. How could they find out which one was right? The only way to find the answer is by going to you and asking. They must go to the source. They can speculate and reason all that want, but until they hear your word, they will not know.

How do we know which church teaches correctly? How do we know what Jesus teaches? We need to go to the source to see what he says. We need his word, but where can we find it? In the Bible. The Bible is Jesus’ Word to us.

Jesus said in John 8, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Jesus tells us that we can know the truth. We can know what he teaches. And this is a wonderful thing! If we didn’t have God’s Word - the Bible - we would not know how God feels about us.

Because the law is imprinted on our hearts, our conscience accuses us of our sin. It says that we have done wrong and disobeyed God. And the Bible confirms this - it tells us where we have failed. It shows us the punishment our sin deserves. Yet, even more importantly, the Bible teaches us what Jesus did to save us. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). The Word points us to our dear Lord Jesus who lived a perfect life for us and then went to the cross to take the punishment we deserved so that we could be forgiven.

The Bible is God’s Word to us. It does not just contain the Word of God - it is the Word of God. It was inspired by the Holy Spirit so that we could be confident about what the Lord says. And for this reason, Confessional Lutherans believe that the Bible should be the sole source for all our teachings.

During the Lutheran Reformation, Emperor Charles V wanted to put an end to the Reformation. He didn’t want to deal with Luther because he was in the middle of another war. So, Charles V, called Luther to stand before him and deny all his teachings. Charles wanted Luther to give up - and say that the Medieval Catholic Church was correct. But Luther couldn’t deny his teachings because he knew that they were the teachings of Scripture. He was simply confessing what the Bible taught. So, Luther, this unassuming German monk confessed before the most powerful man in the world at the time:

“Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or clear reason… I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted, and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. I cannot do otherwise, here I stand, may God help me, Amen.”

We believe in Scripture Alone because Jesus tells us that if we abide in his Word, we are his disciples. What’s more, it is through this Word that God saves us. Paul writes, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).

And we have the comfort that in this ever-changing world, we have one thing that does not change - God’s Word. As the prophet Isaiah says, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Amen.

Pastor Abraham Faugstad
King of Grace Lutheran Church ELS, Waukon and Trinity Lutheran Church