The efficacy of the Spirit must not be separated from the word of the Gospel.
The efficacy of the Spirit must not be separated from the word of the Gospel.
§ 49. On the other hand, one must beware of the wicked separation of the efficacy of the Spirit from the word of the Gospel, which is done by the Enthusiasts, Anabaptists, and Schwenkfeldians who await direct inspiration and raptures and deny that the Holy Spirit kindles faith through the Gospel. Article 5 of the Augsburg Confession is written against these people. It reads:
That we may obtain faith, the ministry of teaching the Gospel and distributing the Sacraments has been instituted. For the Holy Spirit is given through the Word and Sacraments, as through instruments, and He works faith, where and when it pleases God, in those who hear the Gospel, etc. They condemn the Anabaptists and others who think that the Holy Spirit comes to men without the external Word, through their own preparation and works.4
Other people draw near to the camp [of the Enthusiasts]: those who, because of the false hypothesis of an absolute decree of reprobation, separate the working of the Holy Spirit from the external ministry of the Word. Calvin (Instit., bk. 4, ch. 16, § 19): “When He called many people, God used an interior manner and gave them a knowledge of His Word by the illumination of the Holy Spirit without the intervention of preaching.”
Grynaeus (Disput. Heidelb., of the year ’84, thesis 6): “Therefore the effect of the internal ministry is attributed in a sacramental manner of speaking to its co-honored external ministry.”
Beza (Resp. ad acta colloq. Momp., part 2, p. 116): “With regard to the regeneration of man, if anyone thinks that God attributes even a bit of His divine power for renewing people and saving them with eternal life in Christ to the men through whose mouth God speaks or even to the external Word of God or to sacramental signs, he is badly deceived and offensive to God Himself.”
Those are their words, which are against very clear statements of Scripture: that the Gospel “is the power of God for salvation to all who believe” (Rom. 1:16); “so faith comes from hearing, and hearing, from the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17); “take heed to yourself and to your teaching; hold to them, for, doing this, you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Tim. 4:16).