Messiah Lutheran Church

It’s been a while since I’ve written a post (You can read Thesis 1, 2, and 3), but I would like to pick up on my series going through Law & Gospel that I started over a year ago.  Let’s pick up with Thesis IV

Understanding how to distinguish Law and Gospel provides wonderful insight for understanding all of Holy Scripture correctly.  In fact, without this knowledge Scripture is and remains a sealed book.

Walther takes up one of frequent criticisms of Scripture, that it appears to contradict itself at times.  Now, to be certain these contradictions are quite often perceived contradictions, and do require some amount of resolution.  One of the great keys to navigating God’s “Yes” and God’s “No” is to rightly distinguish Law and Gospel.

The distinction of Law and Gospel provides a sort of filter in which we can see in Scripture. In fact it is an “interpretive paradigm” which Scripture itself gives to us.  Walther cites Romans 10:2-4 as the principle passage that establishes this thesis:

² For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. ³ For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. ⁴ For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

One of the greatest causes of confusion and abuse in the Church arises out of not recognizing this distinction.  When certain “contradictions” arise – such as that the whole world stands under God’s wrath (Romans 1:18, Psalm 5:4, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11) and yet, we also read that God loved the world in this way: he gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16) – here the distinction of Law and Gospel brings clarity to both. Walther writes:

We see that the Law was not revealed to us to put a notion into our heads that we could become righteous by it, but to teach us that we are completely unable to fulfill the Law.  Then we will know what a sweet message – what a glorious doctrine – the Gospel is and will receive it with exuberant joy.

When we understand that God speaks to us in two distinct ways and for two distinct reasons, we find ourselves saying “Amen” [this I believe] all the more to His Word.  When we think ourselves “pretty good” or “righteous” of our own accord, the Law hits us like a hammer and crushes us, it shows us to be the sinners we are.  But then along comes the Gospel which proclaims that Christ has done it all for us, He has fulfilled the Law, He has taken our own sin to the Cross, He has borne our punishment, He has conquered death by His resurrection.  The Gospel proclaims to us that we sinners are saints in Christ.

Following this very brief excurses, Walther takes up in the following Theses how the Law and Gospel are mingled.  We’ll take a look at these in future posts.

How has the distinction of Law and Gospel helped you to read God’s Word with more clarity?  How has it helped as you bring that Word of God to your neighbor?

John 3:16 is back in the news with a commercial put together by Focus on the Family, that was aired during the NFL playoffs.  It’s a great verse, and a great commercial.  Yet this verse often gets a bad rap, as if it is cliche or taken for granted.  It shouldn’t, mind you, but it does.  But what is really cool is to go back and translate the verse from the Greek and as you do, you find that there is a lot packed into this verse that you may have even taken for granted or not even thought about.  So I offer you my translation and “gloss” (fancy way of saying “commentary”) on the verse:

For in this way, God loved the World as follows:  He gave the only-begotten Son, in order that all who trust in Him would not perish eternally, but would have life eternal.

Quite often the “God SO loved the World” is understood, mistakenly as “God loved the World so much.”  As nice as that sentiment of “so much,” it’s even greater to hear “this is HOW God loved you.”  Think of it in terms of a relationship between husband and wife.  One can say “I love you so much.”  That’s great!  Would more couples say that to each other on a regular basis.  But just listen to a wife talk about HOW her husband loves her:  ”My husband is great:  he gave up that promotion so we can spend more time together.”  You see, our God is a God of action.  Even His Words are active and creative… and sending His Son as the Word-made-flesh for us and on our behalf.  We can look and see for certain God love us.

The next amazing thing about this verse is the WHO/WHAT God loves:  the World.  Not “just Christians,” not “those who would eventually believe,” but “the World.”  Yes Jesus came for all.  He died for all creation.  Jesus died for fallen man… and yes the world itself which was fallen because of man.  This is why it is truthful to say to anyone “You are forgiven, your sins are atoned for through Jesus death on the Cross.”  Yes, even the unbeliever’s sin is forgiven.  In fact it is this very proclamation… that Jesus died for sinners, for enemies of God that creates faith, and to which faith takes hold of and receives.  This is why those who do not believe are condemned (Mark 16:16).  Their condemnation rests not in anything lacking or incomplete on God’s part, but on themselves.

Finally, “in order that all who trust in Him would not perish eternally, but would have life eternal” gives us the purpose of God sending His Son.  The goal, the purpose, is that those who trust in Him would not perish, but have life eternal.  Faith is a “trust” which clings to a promise and proclamation.  Faith says “Amen,” “I believe.”  This faith can only come about because that good new proceeded it.  Once that message enters one’s ear hole (or eyes for the deaf/reader, or fingers for the blind reader), the Holy Spirit creates faith to trust that very Word (see Romans 10:17).  Thus faith is not our work (Ephesians 2:8-9), but a gift.  And faith clings to that “It is finished,” Jesus has done it all FOR YOU proclamation.

“So” what?  It’s all about what God has done for you by sending His only-begotten Son to live, to die, and to be raised FOR YOU… that’s what.

Some cool Franz Pieper quotes on this:

An essential prerequisite of justification by faith, or of subjective justification, is the objective justification (the reconciliation) of all mankind. If God had not in His heart justified the whole world because of Christ’s vicarious satisfaction, and if this justification were not offered in the Gospel, there could not be a justification by faith.

Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, electronic ed. (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1999). 508.

We note, finally, that the assurance of justification is bound up with the truth that the creation of faith and justification occur at the same moment. Apology: “Faith reconciles and justifies before God the moment we apprehend the promise by faith.” (Trigl. 213. See also Trigl. 149, Art. IV [II], 97; 147, ibid., 87.) Objective justification precedes faith, for it is the object of faith, and its proclamation creates faith (Rom. 10:17). Subjective justification, however, does not take place prior to faith nor later than faith. To assume a prius or posterius in time would abolish the “by faith” (πίστει) and thus also the assurance of justification.

Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, electronic ed. (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1999). 552.

January is Sanctity of Life Month.  While it is sad that such a month is necessary, it is also a good thing for the Church to be able to speak out against abortion and for life from conception to natural death.

One of the shocking statistics that I found out a few years ago was that abortion rates among Christians is almost identical to that of non-Christians.  What this means is that roughly 30%-40% of women who have been of child bearing age since 1973 have had at least one abortion.

It is certainly appropriate for the Church to speak of abortion as evil, as murder, and yes, as sin.  Yet if our message stops there, the Church fails to do that which Jesus called His disciples to do:  “and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:46–47, ESV)

Many who have had an abortion are tormented daily with guilt, depression, and remorse.  In fact for those who have had abortions, rates of depression and suicide skyrocket.  It is time that the Church speak out.  Not merely on the sin of abortion, but that the sin that many women carry with them every day has been taken to the Cross.  That they need not fear repenting as there is no sin to great for Christ to forgive.

In fact, and especially if you are one who has had an abortion and stumbled across this… I want you to take these words to heart,  Jesus came for sinners only… Jesus was born, lived, died, and rose again for the sin that you carry, for the sin that burdens you with guilt, for the sin that torments you.  Jesus has already paid the price, you are forgiven, you are loved, you are God’s beloved child.

O Root of Jesse, who stands for an ensign before the people,
Before whom kings are mute and to whom the nations will do homage:
Come quickly to deliver us.

Jesus is the great deliverer King.  He is the one who fulfilled that prophecy of 2 Kings 7, the Son of David who would rule forever.  He is that root of Jesse (Isaiah 11) who will deliver His people from the hands of our enemies.  He comes not in might as earthly kings, but delivers us in weakness through His death on the Cross.

In a world of subjectivity and anti-truth, in a world of injustice, of pain and suffering, in a world where evil is called good and good evil, where Satan continually throws his temptations and accusations at us from every direction, and even where within the Church there is the cry to take our eyes off of Jesus and onto self improvement and having “your best life now,” we have good reason to cry out for deliverance.

When you took upon yourself to deliver man,
You humbled Yourself to be born of a virgin.
When You had overcome the sharpness of death,
You opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You sit at the right hand of God in the Glory of the Father.
We believe that you will come to be our judge.
We therefore pray You to help Your servants,
whom You have redeemed with Your precious blood.
Make them to be numbered with Your saints in glory everlasting.
Amen.

O Adonai and ruler of the house of Israel,
Who appeared to Moses in the burning bush and gave him the Law on Sinai:
Come with an outstretched arm and redeem us.

 When the Lord revealed Himself to Moses through the burning bush.  Moses asked what God’s name was.  The reason for this was that in Egyptian and Canaanite religions, if one knew the name of a god, it was thought that they could have control over that god.  However the Lord is not like all the false gods of Egypt and Canaan and so God revealed Himself as Yahweh:  ”I will be who I will be” (or I am who I am).  In revealing this name to Moses God made a strong statement as if to say “I cannot be controlled like all the false gods.  Adonai is the Hebrew word for Lord.  Quite early on, Israelites substituted Adonai for Yahweh so as not to possibly take the name of the Lord in vain.  In fact, this is why most English translations translate Yahewh as LORD (in all caps).  As Yahweh revealed Himself to Moses, He also gave Moses a promise:  that He would free His people and that they would worship God on that mountain.

Sin takes hold of us and binds us in slavery.  It is not uncommon for a Christian to have their “pet” sins… the ones we hate and yet find ourselves falling into on a regular basis.  The more one is made aware of the enormity of their sinful state, the heavier those shackles of sin can be.  Our Small  Catechism echos the words of St. Peter (1 Peter 1:18-19), that Jesus has redeemed us, not with gold or silver, but with His precious blood.

For those who are crushed by the weight of the shackles of their sin, this prayer hits home. Come Lord Jesus, redeem us… free us.  With our eyes fixed on the cross, we can be sure that our prayer has been heard and that we are free indeed.

Tonight begins the “O Antiphons.”  That is, the verses that eventually became the hymn “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.”  Prior to this hymn, they were an “antiphon” (a verse that comes before and after a Biblical song or psalm.  In the case of the “O Antiphons,” they accompanied the singing of the Magnificat at Vespers starting December 17.  I’ve written about them before (you can read here).  This year, I’d like to reflect briefly on each antiphon as a prayer (which they are).

The language of this kind of prayer may seem very rigid and highly structured compared to the “Father God, I juswanna” prayers that are common in America.  These prayers begin with a statement of who Christ is in rich Biblical language and then move to a petition, that is to ask for something.  Note the pattern, prayer starts with God’s Word and then responds back asking based on the very thing God’s Word promises.

O Wisdom, proceeding from the mouth of the Most High,
Pervading and permeating all creation, mightily ordering all things:
Come and teach us the way of prudence.

Jesus declared “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14).  In doing so he also identified Himself as Wisdom which is personified in Proverbs 9.  St. Paul talks about such Wisdom:  ”The foolishness of God is wiser than men, the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Cor. 1:25).  But note what comes before:  ”Jews demand signs, Gentiles seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified” (1 Cor. 1:22-23).  You see it is the preaching of Christ crucified that is Wisdom.

Prudence is known as the “Father of the Virtues.”  Now it would be easy to think of this in terms of crass or worldly wisdom.  That which seeks to understand, to figure things out, to discern right from wrong, etc. and by doing so, to find comfort in that.  The truth is this is the kind of wisdom, we think, can be mastered.  And yet this is that which is not even worthy of being called foolishness when it comes to God.  So what is this Wisdom, this prudence?  Again, it is Christ.  You can master an idea or a principle, but you cannot master a man, even less so God incarnate as a man, and even less so God incarnate dead on a cross.

So this prayer is less about trying to get a grip on our life, and more dying to ourselves and being raised in Christ.  It is the life of repentance.  The fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom (Psalm 110:10, Proverbs 1:7)… such fear orders our lives, brings us to our knees, and behold, the Lord is gracious and not only provides for our needs in giving us this day our daily bread, but gives us that which leads to eternal life: His forgiveness, His holiness, His Spirit which continues to teach us of Christ Jesus, the Wisdom from on high.

It is no secret that I’m a Green Bay Packers fan.  After all, Green Bay is the town I was born and raised in.  In fact, on a clear day in the fall or winter, you can see the stadium lights from my parents house all the way across town.

Today, in order to pay for an addition of luxury boxes to Lambeau Field, the Green Bay Packers are offering shares in the football team for $250 + $25 shipping and handling.  What this means is that one can be one of the many thousands of owners of the Green Bay Packers.  Sounds cool right?

Well, the reality is this stock is more of a piece of paper for bragging rights.  You can’t sell it at a later date.  You get none of the profits of the team.  The only benefit is that you can go to the annual “owners meeting” at Lambeau Field.  In fact, I’ve said that next to the sale of indulgences to build St. Peter’s Bascillica in Rome (which ended up sparking the Reformation), this is the 2nd greatest money raising scam ever conceived.  I may have to rethink that statement, as more money is being raised from this stock sale than ever was with the sale of indulgences.

But aside from the silliness (and fellow Packer fans, let’s be honest, it is silly), this whole stock sale really exposes our priorities… and at its worst, our apathy for our neighbor in need.  Just think of what could be done with $275?

So here’s a sampling of what $275 could get you:
- Sponsor one month’s tuition at a Lutheran School for a family in need
- Provide 9 families (of 6) in Haiti clean drinking water for 5 years
- Make 948 PB&J sandwhiches for the homeless
- Plant a garden and feed your family for almost a year (and then think of what you could do with what is spent on food, or with all the extra food you may have).

I know this can be a touchy subject, especially since many good friends do in fact own or are going to own a share of the Packers.  So let me make this abundantly clear, your forgiveness and salvation is entirely a gift won for you through Jesus’ death on the cross.  There’s nothing you can do to earn your way to heaven, salvation is already yours.  The life we have is one where we are given, in varying degrees, material blessings which we can use to help our neighbor.

How big is “your Jesus?  It is a bit of an odd question, I admit.  But take a moment to think about it.  Is the Jesus you speak about doing what any other person could do?  Maybe he’s doing it just a bit better than anyone else, but still essentially doing what any person could do.  Is Jesus simply an example to follow?  Is he simply a leader or “coach?”

If all you have Jesus for is to help you to be a better you… then you really have a small problem… and if your problem is small, you have a small Jesus.

Of course, there is no Jesus but the Jesus who died on the cross for your sins, for the sins of the world.  When we keep our eyes fixed on this real Jesus, not the Jesus of our fancy or imagination or comfort, we do see the magnitude of our problem.  Our sin demands nothing short of the wrath of God and there on Calvary we see that our big problems are dealt with by an even bigger Jesus who gives you big forgiveness… even more forgiveness than you have sin… more life than your death.