Strangers to Sisters - Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Library: Essays

different forms of church organization the right to be called
Ekklesia, if only they use the Word and Sacraments. 262
Lillegard also asserts that there are three points of clear biblical teaching regarding the
local congregation and the synod that all Lutherans must agree upon:
1.) We have the biblical precept and example for the
gathering of Christians in local assemblies, to hear the
preaching of the Word, use the Sacraments, exercise
evangelical discipline, etc. But we have no precept or
rules telling us just what form of organization should be
adopted by these assemblies, - the kind of offices and
the number of officers differing greatly the various
places and the various times, according to the
circumstances. There is but one rule: “Let all things be
done decently and in order.”
2.) We have biblical precept and example pointing to the
need and duty of maintaining fraternal relationship with
other orthodox Christians in other places, both far and
near. We have also both precept and example as to the
kind of activities this larger fellowship should
undertake; settling doctrinal disputes, helping brethren
in need, arranging for missionary activity, etc. But we
have no precepts or rules covering the organization of
this larger fellowship, what kind of machinery it is to
set up, what officers it should have, etc.
3.) Any form of teaching or system of organization that
robs the individual of his rights and privileges as “a
royal priest” whether on the local or wider level, is on
the face of it wrong. “Sovereignty” is an attribute of the
individual Christian; only because he knows no other
master than the Lord himself can sovereignty be
ascribed also to the local congregation to which he
belongs. 263
Kretzmann would not sit still for this. In a rebuttal to Lillegard’s objections,
Kretzmann fired back, basically reiterating his chief points with more fire than before.
But Lillegard again points out that Kretzmann’s arguments are not in keeping with the
clear text of Scripture. First he makes it clear that the English word “church” or
262 George, Lillegard, “Some Objections to the Meaning of Ekklesia Considered” Clergy Bulletin 9, no. 6
(February 1950), 51-53.
263 Lillegard, Some Objections, 53.
142