The idea of a “means of grace” is not very familiar in the broadly evangelical Church culture of Western Christianity. Lutherans use the term “means of grace” a little differently than those other groups who use the term. While Veith doesn’t go into the specifics, Lutherans define a means of grace as having God’s word of command and promise as well as an earthly element. So we are able to define three different means of grace: Scripture, baptism, and communion. This does not mean that God doesn’t use other means to encourage his people, but the true encouragement in Christ comes through the Scripture.
Veith talks in detail about the Word of God as something with supernatural power. This makes some people uncomfortable. Confessing that words on a page have power to make spiritual change by their proclamation and reception by faith is not within the mainstream of our modern and postmodern thought. Yet the Bible consistently takes a view of the physical granting spiritual grace. Likewise in baptism water conveys the washing of sin, a spiritual benefit. And in communion we would confess that Jesus is truly present. Veith does not go as far as traditional Lutheranism in his statements, allowing for some other groups to say that they believe Jesus is truly present in communion, but truly spiritually present. A Lutheran view is that Jesus is present in true bodily substance, though imperceptibly, along with the bread and wine.
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