Episode 37: Strict Verse Faithful

If you are a member of a Lutheran congregation in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod or one of the other confessional Lutheran synods, you are bound to hear this from time to time. “Your church is too strict.” But is this a fair judgment? How should you respond when your church is called too strict?

When people call confessional Lutheran congregations strict, they usually are critiquing our practice of closed Communion or the fact that we teach that fornication and homosexuality are sins or that we do not have women pastors. Now, strict is not always a negative thing. However, the use of strict to describe confessional Lutheran congregations is almost always meant as a criticism. A better description than strict is faithful.

Do you want your doctor to be strict/faithful?

Scriptural passages about being faithful/strict.

Revelation 3:16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

Matthew 7: ²⁴ “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

John 14:15: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

Matthew 16:6: “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

Titus 1:9:
He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

1 Timothy 1:1: As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine,

1 Timothy 6:3-4: If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, ⁴ he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing.

Titus 2:1: But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. 

Examples of unbiblical strictness

Titus 4: Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, ² through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, ³ who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. ⁴ For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, ⁵ for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

Acts 26: They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee.

15 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, ² “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” ³ He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? ⁴ For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ ⁵ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” ⁶ he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. ⁷ You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:

⁸ “‘This people honors me with their lips,
    but their heart is far from me;
⁹ in vain do they worship me,
    teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

Roman Catholics, Hutterites, Mennonites, etc.

Conclusion

Christ calls us to be faithful and to have sound doctrine. As a doctor and steward must be faithful to his works, so must a Christian congregation and pastor.

Strictness is wrong if it is insisting on human traditions against God’s Word, binding consciences where God has freed them.