"The Gospel is not Christ, the Gospel is the proclamation of Christ crucified for me."

Well i think its about time for another post. Although it wont be much that I write. I was just looking through the Higher Things Forums. and came across a topic titled: Why are you a Lutheran? Pastor Borghardt had an awesome post. So here it is:



QUOTE(mattstl77 @ Sep 24 2005, 07:10 PM)
I am Lutheran because this is the only denomination that holds to the supreme authority of Scripture.

(Cooling off at the church and finishing a sermon - the Church has power and we don't)

It's may be because of the heat... or the hurricane stress.. but this answer simply cannot stand...

I am almost compelled to answer despite the fact that I don't like to talk about myself. My youth group, whom I love like my like my own kids, only every now and again get to hear "Borghardt religious testimonials." Most of the time, I do that to poke fun at myself.

Why waste time talking about my religious history, when I can teach them the Gospel?

The only reason to talk about my high school "conversion" is for the sake of teaching..

So.... it's time to put on Nickelback and answer... (turns up the volume on winamp)

With all due respect to Matt, it's simply not enough of an answer the question "Why are you a Lutheran" with Lutherans confess the "supreme authority of Holy Scripture." Every protestant denomination says that they do that. That's their first big deal! At least they try to make it their big deal.

Here, I'm not only sticking Matt, I'll also stick my own short answer earlier, "I'm Lutheran because of the Word." I shouldn't have been so short in my response. What I was trying to confess was that it wasn't because of my personal experience, but the preached Word in my ears. The Word which delivered the crucified Christ into my ears.

I did not mean the "supreme authority of Scripture." That answer isn't enough. It just isn't. It's so far from being enough, it's not even one of the articles of the Augsburg Confession. It's so wrong as a reason to be a Lutheran, it's not even Lutheran!

I usually say that I came from Rome. It's true, I was baptized into the Roman Church. What I don't normally talk about is that I spent most of my early high school years as an agnostic. For what it's worth - I think I was just a chicken athiest. I wanted to give at least give God the opportunity to exist .

The Baptists and charas-maniacs grabbed me before my senior year and tried to literally "scare the hell outta me." But, what they offered wasn't the Gospel that saved, but more fear and Law.

"The Bible says do this.. the Bible says do that... Bible says this.. says that..."

Their emphasis on the authority of the Bible doesn't save anyone, nor did it make them a Lutheran. If it was all about the authority of the Bible, I'd be a Baptist or Charismatic now.What makes a Lutheran?

The Gospel. Why am I a Lutheran? The Gospel. Why am I a Lutheran Pastor? The Gospel. Why am I posting this? The Gospel.

The only answer that holds: "The Big, Hairy, Sithy, Audacious Gospel." Hey (smile), that's my in-depth topic at "the Feast."

The only place I heard the Gospel was the Lutheran Church. Some very old New Orleans pastor, who didn't even mentioned the authority of the Scripture, literally saved my soul from hell and despair by preaching the Gospel.

Yes, the Scriptures are without error. Yes, they cannot err. Yes, all our doctrines flow the Scriptures. But, that isn't ANYTHING that saves anyone!Our salvation was won by Jesus' death on the Cross. That's salvation's achievement. That does absolutely no good unless it is delivered.

Luther says, "The Gospel is not Christ, the Gospel is the proclamation of Christ crucified for me."

Baptism saves - water with the Word delivering Jesus crucified for me. That saves! The Word saves - because it DELIVERS Jesus Christ crucified for me (see my earlier answer). The Lord Supper saves me, because Jesus comes to me in His Body to eat and His Blood to drink for the remission of my sins.

Why am I a Lutheran? The "for me" of "Jesus died for me." The Gospel is in the "for me."

Anything less than that .. anything less than "Jesus Christ crucified for me" is an answer doesn't know the big-ness, the hairy-ness, the sithy-ness, and the audacious-ness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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Rev. George F. Borghardt III
Assistant/Youth Pastor
St. Mark Lutheran Church (LC-MS)
Higher Things Reflections
Bloghardt's Reflector (My Blog)
Lutherans in God's Word (LiGW)