Why are Lutherans controversial — _even_ at Christmas?

“Doctrine divides.”
“It’s all a matter of interpretation”
“Can’t you just focus on Jesus?”

These are the criticisms you hear whenever you make clear statements about God.

From the beginning of the Reformation, this was the problem people had with Luther. Not that he was unclear — but that he was too clear about what the Bible says and what it does not say.

He didn’t look for a polite way of saying, “Well, it’s just one interpretation.” He said the meaning of Scripture is clear.

He didn’t look for a compromising way of saying, “Well, some parts matter less than others.” He said God has given us His whole Word to believe, teach, and confess.

And at Christmas especially, there is pressure for truth to become vague — because people assume that’s how peace is kept and how human beings get along.

So the question is unavoidable: At Christmas, should we soften what God says in order to avoid giving offence?

Isaiah doesn’t answer that question with advice. He answers it with command. Here is what God says about Christmas:

1) Speak God’s Word clearly (v. 9)
2) God’s Word will certainly gather and give salvation (vv. 10-11)

Hear God’s command to you this Christmas:

1) Speak God’s Word clearly

Isaiah chapter 40 is one of His great prophecies about the coming of Jesus, which is Christmas, and having told us in vv. 1-8 that the Word of God will outlast all human beings, God’s command through Isaiah to all of us here, is crystal clear in v. 9:

⁹ Zion, herald of good news, go up on a high mountain. Jerusalem, herald of good news, raise your voice loudly.

Hold firm to the Word, Isaiah says. Don’t hide it down in the valleys, proclaim it from the highest mountains. Don’t lower your voice in silence, raise it to speak loudly and clearly.

Above everything else: this is the one thing Satan wants you not to do.

And if there is one thing Satan has tried hardest to achieve in our little church in 2025, it is to silence us and shut up our clear message about Jesus.

Satan wants you to feel bad, embarrassed, and unsure about God’s Word.

Satan wants you to feel uncertain, and insecure, as though what God is saying is somehow not clear:

Here is one of the most common things that has been said to me again and again throughout 2025:

“Yes, the Bible is clear, but so many good people disagree about what it means, so, we can’t be sure what it’s saying.”

But, while parts of the Bible are difficult to understand, what God intends us to believe for all of life and godliness is spoken clearly.

What God says on every matter He chooses to address is taught plainly and consistently in Scripture, so that it can be understood, received by faith, and confessed without hidden meanings or special insight.

The problem is not that God’s Word is unclear, but that the human heart resists what God says.

God Himself tells us this.

Deuteronomy 29:29, Moses tells us the Word is given to us and to our children:

²⁹ The hidden things belong to the LORD our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law.

And then Moses goes on in 30:11 to explicitly say that this Word is not too difficult:

This command that I give you today is certainly not too difficult or beyond your reach.

Psalm 119:130, does not describe God’s Word as something difficult, for which you need great learning to understand, but rather it itself gives us understanding:

The revelation of your words brings light and gives understanding to the inexperienced.

So, the Bible’s doctrine is clear. And doctrine is not restrictive, nor unhelpfully divisive. Doctrine is simply the Bible’s truth about God.

Hear what Jesus says about that in John 8:32:

³² You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Truth, says Jesus, is good for you and freeing. But, Isaiah has to tell us to raise our voices, and tell us not to fear, because Satan hates truth, hates God’s Word, and hates doctrine.

And we feel that pressure from Satan every day. Jesus says this in John 8:44:

⁴⁴ You are of your father the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.

And the person in the Bible who explicitly asks the question:

³⁸ “What is truth?”

is Pilate… just before allowing the execution of Jesus, whom he knows to be innocent.

The fear that God’s Word might not be clear or certain, or the fear that God’s Word might do something bad… …is exactly the kind of fear Satan wants you to feel: Because Satan is scared of God’s Word.

And so Isaiah goes on in v. 9:

herald of good news, raise your voice loudly. Raise it, do not be afraid!

In other words, this Christmas: Speak God’s Word clearly Don’t be silent. Don’t speak quietly. Don’t speak in cloudy language, because you’re scared about giving offence.

Raise your voice: and do not be afraid, Isaiah says.

Fear is understandable, here is how Luther explained v. 9:

Here you see that there is cause for fear in the church, because princes, bishops, and universities are all against you. But fear not. Be of good courage!

Princes—powerful people
Bishops—religious people
Universities—academic people

Three areas Luther felt the most pressure to pretend God’s Word is not clear, and not speak up.

Three areas where we still feel this pressure today. Every day we feel this pressure, externally and internally.

But, when Isaiah commands us to raise our voices, he doesn’t do so without help. God gives you certain promises as you do so, that’s Isaiah’s second point:

2) God’s Word will certainly gather and give salvation

Look at what he tells us to preach at the end of v. 9:

Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!”

What is this God like? He goes on in v. 10:

See, the Lord GOD comes with strength, and his power establishes his rule.

God’s Word looks weak, it looks worthless, it’s accused of being divisive, of being nonsensical.

And yet, as God’s Word is proclaimed, God himself promises to come with power.

This is how God establishes His rule. Not through amazing arguments, or incredible funding, or impressive degrees, or fancy churches.

When you speak the Gospel this Christmas, you don’t need to be eloquent, or have statistics to show how big your church is or how fast it’s growing or be able to answer every objection.

Isaiah tells us God’s Word comes with God’s power, which Paul says he saw in 1 Thessalonians 1:5:

our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with full assurance.

And again in 1 Thessalonians 2:13:

¹³ This is why we constantly thank God, because when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you welcomed it not as a human message, but as it truly is, the word of God, which also works effectively in you who believe.

Isaiah himself describes this promise again in 55:10-11:

¹⁰ For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return there without saturating the earth and making it germinate and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, ¹¹ so my word that comes from my mouth will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do.

Here is God’s promise: every time you open your mouth, and share the good news that God is in a good mood with people, not because of their righteousness, not because of their works, not even because of their faith… …He’s simply in a good mood with them, because of Jesus, and so you see it when you look at Jesus.

Every time you tell people this good news… …God comes with power.

This Christmas, when you share this Gospel word with clarity… …you are not “being divisive” you are giving people the power of God.

Isaiah continues in v. 10:

His wages are with him, and his reward accompanies him.

These are the wages that Christ has earned, so that He can share them with sinners like you and me.

The righteousness of God, which He gives to all, received by all those who believe the Gospel.

When we share the Gospel with others, we aren’t sharing bad news!

As people hear about the forgiveness of sins, they receive the forgiveness of sins.

As people hear about God’s righteousness, they receive God’s righteousness.

As people hear about the assurance of God’s love, they become assured of God’s love.

And so this is why Isaiah says in v. 11:

¹¹ He protects his flock like a shepherd; he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them in the fold of his garment. He gently leads those that are nursing.

Everyone we know this Christmas has had happinesses this year, and sadnesses this year.

None of us know perfectly how to comfort or to celebrate, or even to help. But, God does. He’s the perfect shepherd. He gathers His sheep, comforts the hurting, and encourages those who are celebrating, in just the right way.

And He does that through His Word.God’s Word will certainly gather and give salvation

So, Why are Lutherans controversial — _even_ at Christmas?

Lutherans aren’t intentionally controversial. But, we are clear.

God commands each one of us through Isaiah: 1) Speak God’s Word clearly

We’re all tempted to keep quiet. We’re all tempted to soften what God says. And we’re all tempted to mix or replace the Gospel—that God is in a good mood with you simply because of Jesus—with Law, such as “Let’s all be nice.” or we simply say generic commands: “let’s go to church; let’s remember Jesus.”

Raise your voice! Don’t fear! Speak the gospel clearly! “You are completely forgiven.” “God is in a good mood with you!” “God loves you—even if you’re standing there not believing it”

Because, know that there are great promises attached to this Gospel:

2) God’s Word will certainly gather and give salvation (vv. 10-11)

As we speak the Gospel: God’s power comes with it.
As we speak the Gospel: Jesus’ rewards come with it.
As we speak the Gospel: God will gather and pastor His people.

This Christmas, be assured of this: God’s Word has come. God’s Word is here. and God’s Word is at work: everywhere it is heard, read, thought about, remembered.

God is in a good mood with you this Christmas.