2E Eschatology [PDF]
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5. The Ministerial Office I. Christ instituted one office in his church, the ministry of the gospel. 1. Christ assigned one task to his church: the office of preaching of the gospel. a) The one task given to the church is preaching the word and administering the sacraments. Mark 16:15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” Matthew 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 26:26-28 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” 27Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” John 20:21-23 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” Acts 1:8 You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. 1 Peter 2:9 You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. b) This work is called an office or a ministry, that is, a service or an administration. Note: In biblical usage, the word “ministry” is a synonym of “service.” Like “service,” the word “ministry” can refer to a wide variety of functions and offices, both secular and spiritual. The NIV makes it difficult to recognize this wide range of usage of διακονία, the main Greek word for “ministry,” because of the variety of translations the NIV uses for this word and for other words based on the same Greek stem. The following arrangement of passages illustrates the various meanings of the biblical terms “ministry” and “minister.” Examples of “ministry” in secular matters or physical things: John 2:5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 558 Luke 17:8 Would he not rather say, “Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink”? Mark 1:31 The fever left her and she began to wait on them. Also Luke 4:39 Luke 10:40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?” Acts 6:2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the [ministry of] the word of God in order to wait on tables.” _____ Luke 8:3 These women were helping to support them out of their own means. ______ Romans 13:4 For [the ruler] is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Examples of the ministry of Christians in general: 1 Peter 4:10-11 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering (διακονοῦντες ὡς καλοὶ οἰκονόμοι) God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides. 1 Corinthians 12:5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. Ephesians 4:12 [Pastors and teachers] prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. Examples of ministry or service with the Word: Ministry of the Word in the abstract—the means of grace and the responsibility to use them: 2 Corinthians 3:7,8,9 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, 8will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 2 Corinthians 5:18,19 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. Ministry of the Word in the concrete—service by public ministers of the Word, who hold a specific office: 559 Acts 6:4 [We] will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word. Acts 1:17,25 [Judas] was one of our number and shared in this ministry. 25 … this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs. Romans 11:13 Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry. Acts 20:24 I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace. 1 Timothy 1:12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Acts 21:19 Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 2 Timothy 4:5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. _____ Ephesians 3:7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 1 Corinthians 3:5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants (διάκονοι) through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 2 Corinthians 3:6 He has made us competent as ministers (διακόνους) of a new covenant. 2 Corinthians 6:4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses. 1 Timothy 4:6 If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus. _______ Philippians 1:1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons (διακόνοις). Augsburg Confession V speaks of the ministry of the Word in the abstract, the means of grace. Augsburg Confession,V, 1,2 That we may obtain this faith, the Ministry of teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments was instituted. For through the Word and Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Spirit is given, who works faith; where and when it pleases God, in them that hear the Gospel. Ut hanc fidem consequamur, institutum est ministerium docendi evangelii et porrigendi sacramenta. Solchen Glauben zu erlangen, hat Gott das Predigtamt eingesetzt, Evangelium und Sakramente gegeben. _____ 560 Apology XXIV, p 404, 59-60: Because the priesthood of the New Testament is the ministry of the Spirit or an office (Amt) through which the Spirit works, as Paul teaches (2 Cor 3:6), it accordingly has but the one sacrifice of Christ, which is satisfactory and applied for the sins of others.… The ministry of the Spirit is that through which the Holy Spirit is efficacious in hearts. Formula of Concord, T.D. XII, 30 II: the ministry of the Church, the Word preached and heard… _____ U. V. Koren (d. 1910): There is no reference in this article to the work of the public ministry, by which the office of the word is to be performed in the congregation by certain persons who have been called to it. That is discussed later in the 14th Article. Here the reference is to the essense, power, and effectual working of the means of grace (Faith of Our Fathers, p 118). Francis Pieper (d. 1931): Our article tells how a person comes to faith. It is through the Predigtamt, which means, through the Means of Grace established by God, the Gospel and the sacraments (Das Grundbekenntniss der evangelisch-lutherischen Kirche, p 17). Adolf Hoenecke (d. 1908): We can speak of the ministry of the Word, Predigtamt (preaching office), abstractly, understanding the expression to refer to the means of grace. Scripture itself does that , for example, in 2 Corinthians 3:4-8, where the apostle Paul designates the law as the ministry of the letter and the gospel as the ministry of the Spirit. Article V of the Augsburg Confession also speaks of the ministry of the Word in this abstract sense (ELD, IV, p 187).