wfn.org | Essayist tells LCMS early church should guide Christian relationships

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@wfn.org>]

The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
Board for Communication Services
1333 S. Kirkwood Road St. Louis, MO 63122-7295

News Release

61st Regular Convention St. Louis, Mo. July 14-20, 2001

July 16, 2001 #9

Contact: Bruce Kueck (314) 342-5715

Essayist tells LCMS convention delegates early church should guide 
Christian relationships

ST. LOUIS -- The early Christian Church and early Christian churches are 
guides for how The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod should relate to other 
Christians today, the Rev. Dr. Jeffrey A. Gibbs, associate professor of 
exegetical theology, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, told the Synod s 61st 
Regular Convention.

Gibbs presented on the second day of the convention, Monday, July 16, an 
essay titled "Church Fellowship in the New Testament."

"There is but one church on earth," said Gibbs. "More often, however, 
church in the New Testament refers to groups of Christians in a particular 
place."

Early Christian churches were interested in maintaining fellowship with 
each other, he said. Fellowship implied they were in mission together and 
that they were in agreement in "all truth."

"In the New Testament, the one body, the Church and the many churches have 
the same goal unity in love and in teaching the faith," said Gibbs. "When 
there was disagreement, the New Testament churches came together until 
there was unity," he said.

"But what happens when error persists?" Gibbs continued. He gave three 
examples of errors:
an assertion in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that "we can then 
merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification,"

the belief held by some "other non-Roman churches in the West" that the 
Eucharistic bread and wine are only symbols of Christ s body and blood,

and that some Christians do not hold the Scriptures as "God s infallible 
and inspired and inerrant word."

"The New Testament churches sought unity in teaching, unity in matters that 
pertain to the Gospel. Our current, tragic situation is torn with disunity 
among the churches," said Gibbs. When churches say they are in fellowship 
together, in spite of that disunity, they are either giving the "unhealthy" 
impression that disagreements are minor or nonexistent, he said.

Disagreement is all the more reason for the Missouri Synod to engage in 
theological dialogue with other Christian churches, said Gibbs. "If we have 
the truth by the grace of God, we cannot but share it with fellow 
Christians," he said. "The Church s Lord does not give us the option of 
being aloof and stand-offish."

The Rev. Scott R. Murray, Ph.D., Memorial Lutheran Church, Houston, 
responded to the essay. Individual Christians may agree, but they are not 
in fellowship if they are members of churches that hold different 
confessions of the faith, he said.

"There can be no deciding who is a believer and who is not," said Murray. 
"Only God knows the faith of the heart."

"Christians can only perceive and deal with the public profession of 
faith," he said. "We would be unfaithful and untruthful to practice in such 
a way that denies such an obvious fact. Going your own way is not an option."

The convention continues here through Friday, July 20. Five theologians 
will present essays during the convention; Gibbs essay was first.

PHOTOGRAPHS: Photos of convention coverage are available at 
www.lcms.org/convention/
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