During
the past two years I have taken part in an ongoing discussion about new
obedience, “sanctification,” the third use of the law, and biblical
exhortation. I have learned much in this
discussion by returning to the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions.
It
is easy in this discussion to get lost in arguments that go into great detail
about Law and Gospel, new man vs. old man, “the Simul,” second use of the law
and third use of the law. But in the
midst of extended and detailed discussions it is easy to lose sight of the real
issues and what is at stake.
Jordan
Cooper has helpfully identified the basic problem as one of Law-Gospel Reductionism. I think he is correct.
The
same issue can be identified in another and related way that may be even more
direct. Many who deny a robust presence
of exhortation in preaching operate on the basis of this fundamental
presupposition:
The Scriptures are the
content of preaching not the pattern.
That
is to say, the Lord Jesus and the apostolic writers such as Paul, John and
Peter give us the theological content that is to be preached – a message
of Law and Gospel – but in the way they actually speak they do not
provide a model or pattern that we can or should follow. One regularly hears that Paul’s letters are
“not sermons” and therefore cannot be used as a model of exhortation that is
grounded in Gospel (see my discussion of Titus chapters 2 and 3 in Would Paul want pastors to preach and teach about good works?).
I
believe that for those who are observing this discussion, the clear
presentation of this presupposition is very helpful. It raises important questions that we need to
ask ourselves:
1. Do we really believe that the inspired revelation – the only word that God has given to us – does not provide the pattern we are to follow in preaching to Christians?2. If they don’t provide the pattern, then what serves as the source for the pattern we are to use?3. Why are these other sources superior to the Lord Jesus and his inspired apostles?
When
stripped away of its theological window dressing and boiled down to this basic
and fundamental point that guides preaching, it becomes clear that the position simply is
untenable and must be rejected.
It
also soon becomes clear that historically this has not been true of
Lutheran preaching since the days of Luther.
Lutheran preaching has followed the dominical and apostolic pattern of
exhortation grounded in the Gospel as the source of our life in Christ. Instead this new approach is a creation of
mid-twentieth Lutheran theologians (a point very helpfully set forth in Scott
Murray’s book Law, Life and the Living God: The Third Use of the Law in
Modern American Lutheranism). It
does not follow Christ and the apostles, and so it should not guide us.
Mark, as always you have brought a needed and unique analysis with an intelligent approach. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks Christopher!
ReplyDeleteMy concern with Cooper's analysis is not his identification of wrong ways Law/Gospel has been misinterpreted, but in his effort to advance an alternative paradigm, the 2KR/3KR stuff that has been in vogue at Concordia Seminary STL.
ReplyDeleteWe do not need to find a "better" or "alternative" paradigm, but simply to dig back into the sources and understand the proper teaching, as you so eloquently state it in your blog post.
Kudos.
If we hear that we should not consider the Sacred Scriptures as a pattern of sound words, that they most certainly are, and consequently not the pattern or form for our preaching and teaching today, we do indeed have real problems.
Pr. McCain,
DeleteIn Pr. Cooper's thinking, Law/Gospel and 2KR aren't alternative paradigms, but complementary theological truths. It's not an either/or type thing, but a both/and type thing (which, if I'm not mistaken, is how Luther saw it too).
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/justandsinner/law-and-gospel-and-2kr-are-not-competing-paradigms/#disqus_thread
Pax
Not to toot my own horn, but perhaps some of what you are dealing with here was already discussed in this volume: http://www.amazon.com/The-Homiletical-Canvas-Service-Preaching-ebook/dp/B00CLD0ZIG
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, I did do an interview with Zwonitzer on KFUO's "Booktalk" that highlights some of the discussion points you are making. In case it helps...
I only hope that the pastors in our district are reading this blog; perhaps then we'll get more than warm fuzzies from our pulpits.
ReplyDelete