Why is it so difficult for many of us in the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS) to be more open to the supernatural work of God the Holy Spirit, especially to some of his gifts listed in 1 Cor. 12? After years of contacts with our theologians, synodical leaders, pastors, and congregations, I have observed the following six hindrances to this aspect of renewal in our Synod:
1. Gospel (justification) Reductionism
Certainly there is no more foundational or more important truth than that we are "justified by grace through faith" in Jesus Christ. How thankful we should be that we in the LCMS are equipped with this set of eyeglasses through which we view Christian faith and life! But this great strength can erroneously cause us to question or misunderstand some of the Holy Spirit's work of sanctification. For example, in our early years as a Synod, social ministry (blind, retarded, etc.) was strongly resisted because many felt our only task as a church was to "preach the Gospel." We've come a long way from that limited view and today can thank God for our rich and varried social ministry. Justification is for Lutherans the only set of eyeglasses, but it is not the only truth.
Perhaps when speaking of Jesus' entire ministry in the Church, the following statement will prove helpful: "There is nothing more to salvation (justification by grace through faith) than Jesus, but there is more to Jesus than salvation."
Besides "Savior," the Bible describes Jesus as our "Intercessor," "with us always," "Baptizer in the Holy Spirit," "Physician," "Teacher," "Prophet," etc., in the ongoing sanctification life of the Christian.
This broader understanding of Jesus' work is especially vital when using the term "faith." Often people have stated that their "faith was strengthened" after some event in their life. Are they saying that the event created "soteriological" (saving) faith in Jesus Christ? By no means!! Saving faith is only worked through the means of grace, Word and Sacraments. But the term "faith" in Scripture is also used to describe a trust, a confidence in our Lord as part of the Spirit's work in sanctification. God's gracious acts in the Christian life are "faith confirming" not "faith creating." (Another use of the term "faith" is the gift of heroic faith listed in 1 Cor. 12.)
It is a great hindrance to renewal to fail to make the above distinction in our thinking. Granted, sanctification is not an eyeglass (hermeneutic), though it is a necessary biblical truth.
2. Fear Of Religious Experiences
It is not part of our "tradition" in the LCMS to be overtly expressive of our love for Jesus. Perhaps our Northern European roots are part of the reason. There certainly is a place for the quiet and cognitive in the Christian life.
But God does answer prayer, does guide our daily lives; these are Christian "experiences."
Could it be that fear of excesses (and there have been many) has robbed us of the legitimate and indeed healthy aspects of testimony, demonstrative worship, visible and audible joy, spiritual gifts in 1 Cor. 12, etc. that result from authentic workings of the Holy Spirit? Too frequently the term "Schwaermerei" has been hurled at any "enthusiastic" response of the Christian to God's dramatic work in one's life. Rather than considering these workings of the Holy Spirit as emotionalism, we should view them as motions of the Holy Spirit through the Christian to bless the Church and mankind.
In Lutheranism we have few "handles" for dealing with religious experience, partly due to its highly subjective nature. Yet Scripture has sufficient criteria to "test the spirits," Let's remember that even Luther's life had its times of "experience," tower, inkwell and all. To label certain types of religious experience with cries of "pietism!" or "pentecostal!" or "charismatic!" betrays an inadequate understanding of the life of the saints in every age. Could this fear of religious experience also be one of the reasons our Synod is not "turning the world upside down" with evangelistic fervor?
3. "Sola Scriptura" Misunderstanding
Some would say that one must find a clear "proimise" in the Bible that certain spiritual gifts are for today in order to have any certainty you have experienced a valid gift of the Spirit . . . otherwise it's only your "mere human opinion."
Is it a proper hermeneutic (principle of Bible interpretation) to insist that one find a specific verse in Scripture promising specific gifts for today before one can teach their value for building up the Church and sharing one's experience with them? When Scripture encourages believers to desire spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 14:1) and gives numerous examples of their value and use in the Church, what do we do with our people who on the basis of that "word" claim to experience them?
There is also no specific verse in Scripture which commands us to forbid women to ordination as pastors today. Even so this IS a Biblical teaching because of the "analogy of faith" principle of interpretation. That same interpretation principle can lead a Lutheran to conclude that the 1 Corinthian 12 gifts are for today. Would there be the same"chapter and verse" argument if we were discussing whether the gifts of mercy and giving (Rom. 12:8) were for the Church today? A foundational issue is the application of the sola scriptura principle.
Even Francis Pieper (Christian Dogmatics,vol. III, pp 462-469) does not insist nor do the Lutheran Confessions that there must be a specific verse in the Bible naming the Pope to teach that the Pope is the Antichrist. The descriptions of the antichrist in Scripture were sufficient for the reformers and Pieper to be "divinely sure."
Perhaps this hindrance to renewal is closely tied to an abstracted and isolated insistence on correct doctrine. (I am fully committed to pure doctrine.) Could it be that some are in danger of idolizing the Bible and doctrine in and of themselves? Sometimes a personal relationship with Jesus Chriust and the obedience of faith resulting from saving grace can get lost in an "enthusiastic" quest for pure doctrine.
4. Cautions, Warnings & Stereotypes
Let's say that from little on up we only heard the cautions and warnings about the use of an automobile; would that not cause us to have a decreased desire to use this good means of transportation? If these warnings were also loaded with example after example of people who misused automobiles, we could even conclude that autos are evil or at least to be avoided.
I posit a similiar scenario is at work in our Synod over against certain gifts of the Holy Spirit (tongues, healing, etc.). Most of what has been written through Synod on these subjects has been of the warning and caution nature. Now I grant that much of this is necessary, but to not also give the encouraging and descriptive words of Scripture (e.g., "Earnestly desire the spiritual gifts . . . " (1 Cor 14:1) seems to go against the "sola scriptura" principle. Scripture is filled with positive examples of great blessings to and through the Church as the Spirit moved powerfully. Let's balance the warnings with encouragement to desire, seek, and use what Scripture encourages and describes.
Pentecostal stereotypes still abound in our leaders when they deal with renewal. The beliefs and practices that are attributed to Lutherans in renewal are often "straw men" which bear little resemblance to reality in the churches of those involved with RIM. Speaking of stereotypes, one of our district presidents was describing the aberrant behavior of one of his members who went "off the deep end" charismatically. After assessing his vivid and lengthy discourse, it was obvious that his "negative experience" had caused him to form a stereotype that this behavioral extreme is typical of renewal people. I shared with him that we dare never base our theologies on "experience," negative or positive, but only on the Word of God. I sense that negative experiences with renewal, especially during its early formative and undisciplined days, has caused many in our Synod to have a stereotype that is difficult to remove.
5. Bias Against Certain Gifts
Some of our leaders and publications have used terms like "special," "spectacular," and "extraordinary" when referring to such spiritual gifts as healing, miracles, tongues, etc. But Scripture does not use such terms when referring to the spiritual gifts in the New Testament. Such terminology could betray a bias against certain gifts. Let's do away with such unscriptural terminology! It really is puzzling that we can be so desirous of some gifts (giving, leadership, etc.) and at the same time ignore or put in "special" categories other gifts which are equally desirable according to Scripture.
Should we really have such difficulty accepting the "supernatural?" I've always looked at the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion as the "biggies" when it comes to the supernatural workings of the Spirit in the Church. Thus the Lutheran Church is a church of the supernatural. Why should we have difficulty accepting the "lesser biggies" - spiritual gifts?
6. Incomplete World View
I wonder how much the "epistemology" (how we know) of naturalism becomes the rule of thumb for our practical ministry, even in the LCMS where the miraculous events in Scripture are staunchly upheld? Have we struck a pact with naturalism when it comes to any divine action other than conversion and faith? Since such phenomena as visions, prophetic inspirations, etc. are beyond measurement in the conventional sense, the end result is that all manifestations of supernatural experiences do not fit our materialistic world view.
Yet when one looks at Scripture one sees a book filled with the supernatural from cover to cover, in fact one whole book, Revelation, is a vision. The Bible has a different "world view" than many in the Church today. Scripture affirms again and again a whole supernatural realm (angels, demons, principalities, powers, etc.) that coexists and interacts with the material world our senses perceive.
Is it any wonder that the Christian Church is expanding most rapidly today in the "Third World" which has a world view more akin to that of Scripture? Often signs and wonders are accompaning the preached Gospel and the lost"see" and "hear" like on Pentecost. Granted signs and wonders never save anyone, but they sure can get your attention to listen to the Gospel of a Savior Who is more powerful than the gods of animism, witchcraft, etc.
No one would contest that the forces of evil are being unloosed in the world today like never before. Nor would one debate that the "fields are ripe unto harvest" for the souls of men like never before. WOULD GOD LEAVE HIS CHURCH IN SUCH A CRITICAL TIME WITH LESS POWER (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8, Hebrews 2:4) THAN THE "THE OLD EVIL FOE" POSSESSES. A correct world view that lines up with with Scripture's world view is essential if we are to reach the lost for Christ!
In conclusion I urge all of us in Synod to prayerfully get free from the above hindrances so that we can move into the years ahead with a ministry "with every grace endued."
Rev. Delbert Rossin
1727 Kaneville Rd.
Geneva, IL 60134