Encore Post: [Thirty-Sixth in a series of posts on Martin Luther’s Small Catechism] The word “Church” is used in many ways by Christians. We call our buildings churches. We name our local gatherings of Christians churches. We talk about national organizations of Christian believers, congregations, colleges and seminaries churches. We even call worship services church — in a way. Strictly speaking, the Church is all those who have faith in Christ. Even though only God knows for sure who is a Christian or who is not, the public confession of Christians and their good works reveal them to us and to the world. The same thing is true for the Church as a whole. When the Gospel is preached and the sacraments are offered, there you will find the visible Church. So, these things are called the marks of the Church.
The Means of Grace are the instruments that the Holy Spirit uses to call people to faith in Christ and to strengthen and maintain that faith. He places these gifts into the hands of the church and the pastors he calls to shepherd them. They are the masks God wears to seek and to save the lost. He calls them together to receive these gifts, to encourage each other and to thank and praise him. This divine service is what we often call worship.
The church in this sense is also called the church militant — the fighting church — because it is at war with the World, the devil and his forces and our sinful desires. These earthly organizations formed by members of the Church are plagued by the same things individual Christian are. Because its members are sinful, the congregations also sin, are persecuted by the world, tempted by the devil and suffer along with the Christians who form them. Unbelievers may also belong to them, all the while deceiving themselves and others, behaving like any other Christian.
Yet, as flawed as they are, God loves his people and chooses to use them to proclaim his Gospel, create faith, forgive sins and bring the lost home. After all, the Lord of the Church, her Good Shepherd, laid down his life for them. And the day will come when he will return to bring his bride, the church, home to enjoy the marriage feast, which has no end.
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When rampant, unrepentant sin and abuse of members flourishes in a congregation, and nothing is done “because we’re all sinners”, that is not proclaiming the Gospel and creating faith, but exactly the opposite.
Did you read the article?
Yes, indeed. I’m surprised you didn’t notice that my comment paralleled what you said. I was specifically referring to the sentence “its members are sinful, the congregations also sin”, which we have too often seen used as an excuse for allowing egregious, unrepentant sin and abuse to flourish in a congregation, which indeed does nothing to “to proclaim his Gospel, create faith, forgive sins and bring the lost home”, but rather drives people away from the church.
I asked because it is completely off topic for the post. Surely you can agree that all Christians are still sinful.
“Surely you can agree that all Christians are still sinful” is a strawman, because that point was never made. Of course we are all sinful. Relevant, however, is the point that this statement is too often used as a weapon in some churches, and the response confirms the reluctance in the Lutheran church to even acknowledge, much less deal with this issue. This is harmful not only to those affected, but also to the Church. Is it your contention that when egregious, unrepentant sin and abuse flourish in a church, it’s just a plague that those affected need to accept? Or does the LCMS care about those people’s souls, too?
You are missing the point. This is not about whether or not sin should be tolerated. It is not. It is about who the gifts of God are for. They are for sinners. This is a blog, not a systematic textbook.