For it is not sufficient if a man has the Word and the pure doctrine. He must also have the assurance of his call, and whoever enters without this assurance enters only in order to kill and destroy (John 10:10). For God never prospers the work of those who are not called. Even if they teach something good and useful, it does not edify.
--Luther, Martin [Pelikan, Jaroslav Jan (Hrsg.) ; Oswald, Hilton C. (Hrsg.) ; Lehmann, Helmut T. (Hrsg.): Luther's Works, Vol. 26 : Lectures on Galatians, 1535, Chapters 1-4. Saint Louis : Concordia Publishing House, 1999, c1963 (Luther's Works 26), S. 26:vii-20]
1 comment:
See, here's the thing I end up thinking about here - that's a statement against enthusiasts. That's a statement against the Anabaptists who take up the mantle of preaching without a call.
I think part of the problem we have is that we have fallen into the enthusiast mindset of this country as regards the call. "When did you know that Jesus was calling you to be a pastor?" The expected answer is a feeling. It's not, "I had an idea when my pastor told me to get to the Seminary, but I only knew when I opened up that packet on Call night and saw the actual document."
We've done this to ourselves because we forgot to be wary of Baptists! Lord have mercy!
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