Sunday, January 7, 2018

So that's the difference. . .

From the Orthodox Presbyterian Website, a question and answer column, asking what are the specific differences between Lutherans and Reformed (at least of the OPC variety) and how it might affect a discontent Lutheran shopping for a replacement. . . So you tell me, is this a fair estimation of the differences?

 Lutheran vs. Reformed








2. Both believe in the baptism of infants.


Now for some differences:







I think it is ample evidence that at bare minimum it is a strange agreement by which some Lutherans have entered into full altar and pulpit fellowship with Reformed of various stripes and in which some Lutheran seminaries actually have Reformed people teaching such things as Lutheran Confessions and doctrine classes to Lutheran seminarians studying there. . .


Ted Badje said...

This demonstrates the need for Lutherans to clarify their theology, how the Lord comes to us in Communion, Bible verses that support the regeneration at Baptism, and how the third use of the law is essential to the Christian life. More effort is needed to make CPH books more affordable, and accessible to the public. Why should there be more Reformed or Baptist books be used in Bible studies than Lutheran ones?

John J. Flanagan said...

This is certainly an excellent message on the differences between Reformed and Lutheran distinctions. Thank you for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Eventually there will be agreements of full communion with the reformed and the two seminaries having reformed professors as the LCMS has an established and growing Reformed view of the Law and not Luther's.

Anonymous said...

If you have the self discipline to make it through 600+ pages of Jakob Andreae protesting over and over that Lutherans do not teach a "physical and local presence of Christ's body, whether visible or invisible, nor Capernaitic eating and Cyclopic carnage of Christ's body" in the Lord's Supper, "nor consubstantiation, but instead a sacramental conjunction, in which the mode of presence of the body of Christ is spiritual and offered and received by mouth." then you should check out The Colloquy at Montbeliard. Also testing one's will is the unfortunate editorial choice to print all of Andreae's words in bold, and all of Theodore Beza's words in some bizarre flowery font, which is a challenge to decipher.

Anonymous said...

Lutherans believe that Baptism is a means of God's grace and a Sacrament
which offers the forgiveness of sins. Presbyterians believe that
Baptism is symbolic ritual and outward sign of church membership.

David Gray said...

The Westminster Confession says the baptism confers what it promises and that salvation is ordinarily annexed unto baptism.

Anonymous said...

The elephant in the room: A ELCA person is extremely interested in joining the Presbyterians even though he knows there is a local LCMS congregation in town. Instead of leaving a corrupted, liberal form of Lutheranism for a traditional, confessional one, such people eagerly abandon all forms of Lutheranism altogether. Why do so many disaffected ELCA laymen go out of their way to avoid considering the LCMS as an option?