RIM and Synod Dialogues Move Toward Agreement

As a result of the three official discussions between representatives of Synod and RIM held during 1990 and 1991, the following "affirms" and "rejects" were adopted:

1. Affirm: That the assurance of our salvation is always based on the atoning work of Jesus Christ attested in Sacred Scripture and worked in us through the means of grace. We are justified by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.

Reject: That the ground or assurance of our salvation can be based on the presence of some spiritual gift or experience in the Christian life.

2. Affirm: That the inspired Scripture is the only judge of movements, experiences and theologies. God's Word judges experiences and not vice-versa.

Reject: That any movements, experiences or theologies ever stand in judgment of Scripture.

3. Affirm: That it is the Holy Spirit who apportions his gifts upon whomever and whenever he wills (1 Cor. 12:11).

Reject: That the Scriptures teach that certain gifts of the Spirit cannot be present in the church today or that the Scriptures teach that all the gifts of the Spirit are present in the church today.

4. Affirm: That spiritual gifts are given not only for the edification of the individual (1 Cor. 14:4) but also and primarily for the building up of the church (1 Cor. 14:12). "The Christian church today will accept with joy and gratitude any gift that the Spirit may choose to bestow on us for the purpose of edifying the body of Christ" ("The Charismatic Movement and Lutheran Theology," A Report of the CTCR, 1972, p. 25).

Reject: That every congregation must have every one of the Spirit's gifts listed in the New Testament or it is somehow incomplete, inferior, or spiritually deficient.

5. Affirm: That the presence of the fruit of the Spirit, rather than the manifestation of any spiritual gift, is a mark of growing spiritual maturity.

Reject: All forms of spiritual pride that point to self including any comparisons of sanctification over against others in Christ's body or any judgment regarding the presence or absence of gifts of the Spirit that lead either to boasting, self-satisfaction, spiritual elitism, or despair.

6. Affirm: That although we live in a sinful and wicked world confronted by "spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12), Jesus Christ, who is "the same yesterday, today and forever" (Heb. 13:8), is the ultimate victor over every spiritual enemy through his cross and resurrection. In the New Testament the proclamation of this message of victory was often accompanied by signs and wonders that demonstrated his lordship over the enemy and blessed those in need. In assessing whether such signs and wonders are still present today, "The church will not reject out of hand the possibility that God may in His grace and wisdom endow some in Christendom with the same abilities and powers He gave His church in past centuries. It will take care lest it quench the Spirit by neither praying for nor expecting God's presence and power in building His church." The church "will also take seriously the admonition of the apostle to 'test the spirits to see whether they are of God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world' (1 John 4:1, 1 Cor. 12:10" (CTCR, ibid.).

Reject: That Scripture teaches that God must perform certain signs and wonders today (e.g., healing) and if such do not occur it is necessarily due to a lack of faith; . . . That suffering, which is a mark of the cross-life for righteousness' sake, is a sign that we have missed some blessing of God; . . . That temporal prosperity is a necessary condition of God's favor.

As the reader can see, much progress has been made toward fulfilling the directive of Synod's 1989 Convention which stated in Resolution 3- 15 "That the President of Synod facilitate discussion with representative RIM pastors with a view toward a God-pleasing resolution of differences."

But it is also clear that there remain some crucial points of disagreement that need to be thoroughly discussed on the basis of the Word and the Confessions. They are:

  1. The interpretation of SA III, viii, 3-13 (Tappert, 312-313) and its application to 1979 Resolution 3-10A, point 8: "It is contrary to Holy Scripture, and therefore dangerous to the salvation of men to teach . . . . that God gives guidance and leadership to the church today through visions and dreams or direct prophecy."
  2. The relationships between the means of grace, prayer, and charismata.
  3. Does the content of the promises made by Jesus Christ to his church include the charismata?
  4. The Word and faith confirming function of manifestations of the Spirit.
  5. Discerning the authenticity of spiritual gifts.

 

 

RIM-LCMS Dialogues (A Concluding Report)

Editors Note: The following material is the end result of three series of meetings in 1999 and 2000 between representatives from RIM and those appointed by President Barry. Participants generally felt that these statements deal with the issues that were to be resolved relative to RIM.  

1. AFFIRM: God promises to initiate and sustain a saving relationship with Himself only through the means of grace. Signs and wonders and spiritual gifts given by God may accompany the means of grace. REJECT: That signs and wonders and spiritual gifts have been given as marks of the true church; that the Church has been given an ongoing command (e.g., “Go ye therefore ...baptizing,” “this do ye oft”) to perform signs and wonders; and that signs and wonders and spiritual gifts are brought about according to the schedules of human beings.

 

2. AFFIRM: That prayer is a response to God’s grace and may be used to express our desires regarding spiritual gifts and blessings (1Cor. 14:1, Luke 11:9-13). REJECT: That prayer or the charismata are a means of grace.

 

3. AFFIRM: The Holy Spirit equips the church with spiritual gifts to accomplish His gracious purposes among the people He calls to be His own. REJECT: That God has promised to give every spiritual gift at all times, at all places, and to all congregations of Christians.

 

4. AFFIRM: The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts according to His good pleasure and design (1 Cor. 12:11, 18). God’s people should be eager and desirous to receive the gifts that God chooses to bestow upon them (1 Cor. 12:31; 14:1). REJECT: That God’s people should unconditionally seek specific gifts of their own choosing or demand to be blessed with a specific manifestation of the Spirit.

 

5. AFFIRM: The conclusion that someone today has received a particular spiritual gift is a human judgment and therefore subject to error. REJECT: That God makes known to us in Scripture who today has received a particular spiritual gift; that God’s people have assurance from God apart from Scripture that their judgment about the presence or possession of a spiritual gift is correct and accurate; and that God gives us an infallible test to guarantee the authenticity of someone’s claim to possess a spiritual gift.

 

6. AFFIRM: The Holy Spirit leads Christians to express their unity in Christ in doctrinal agreement and in love. REJECT: That the basis of doctrinal unity in the church involves only a common confession of articles of faith concerning the person and work of the Holy Spirit.

 

7. AFFIRM: The Bible teaches everything necessary for the knowledge of salvation and for leading a Christian life (the sufficiency of Scripture) and Scripture alone is the source and norm of spiritual knowledge and teaching for the church today (sola scriptura). REJECT: That the Holy Spirit has neglected to teach in Scripture any doctrine necessary for the salvation or sanctification of any soul and that something other than Scripture should be considered the source and norm of spiritual knowledge and teaching in the church.

 

8. AFFIRM: The New Testament speaks of a gift of prophecy that God used on occasions such as those mentioned in Acts 11:27 and Acts 21:10, when He chose to supply practical guidance and helpful information regarding temporal matters to his covenant people. The New Testament also warns about false prophets (Matt. 7:15, Matt. 24:11 and 24, 2 Peter 2:1) and exhorts His people to test critically that which purports to come from the Lord (1 Thess. 5:16-21, 1 John 4:1-6). REJECT: That a prophecy from God will ever contradict that which is already revealed in Scripture (Deut. 13:1-4; cf. Luther, AE, vol.24, p. 369) or fail to be accurate in announcing something concerning the future. (Deut. 18:21-22).

 

Dr. A.L. Barry
Rev. Robert Dargatz
Rev. Jerrold Eickmann
Rev. William Kilps
Dr. Sam Nafzger
Rev. Timothy Scharr
Rev. Delbert Rossin
Dr. Ferdinand Bahr
Rev. David Dorpat
Rev. Paul Koehn
Dr. Donald Miles
Rev. James Ackerman