That was extremely helpful and “reoriented” the verse for me. Also the later part distinguishing between “perceived piety” and “meritorious work” VERY helpful.

If you get the dates for the upcoming L&G could you post them so I don’t miss them.

Thanks so much and blessings from KY,

Larry

To Larry, the “if” is not conditional in the sense that it is something you and I have to meet. Rather, it is an unconditional “if” because God has planted faith in my heart. While it is true that often our works appear not to be in synch with God’s will, that sinful condition still does not override the faith that I know I have that Jesus did die on the cross for sins. Faith is not known by examining my works but is known by whether I can agree that Jesus died for the sins of the world. Because I am aware that I add to my sins in no way jeopardizes my relationship with God anymore than when a child becomes more aware as to how disobedient he truly is does it jeopardize his relationship to his parents in that he is their child and they are his parents.

Once you fear your own perceived piety you have reached a mature level of Christianity for the unbeliever would never consider his behavior as “perceived piety” but rather as “meritorious works.” There is much more to answer which I intend to do at kfuo.org in a upcoming broadcast of Law and Gospel. Thanks for your perceptive questions.

Dr. Baker,

If you have the time I’d like to look at this verse some more. This one verse was a source of great doubt to me, I’ll try to explain how I understood it and from that perhaps you can help me.

I’ve of course read the “if” as a condition but I never read it as if an unbeliever but rather the state of “am I really a believer”. For me my greatest struggle is always some how turning everything back into a law in the form of magnitude, quantity or quality. So I would read this verse made for comfort and take say the first part, “if you confess with your mouth…” and find no such comfort. Some of this may have been the circles I was in, SB, but I’d say to myself, “How do I know I’ve done this ‘enough’?” In front of enough people, what about all the times I coward and didn’t confess Him in a ‘water cooler’ conversation or slinked away to avoid having to do it or breach the conversation. You want to know what my greatest torment was, even is today, about my baptism initially, in a SB church? I was so very ashamed because though I wanted baptism and feared my finally not going through with it (it took about 4 weeks to finally do it and I dreaded all the time it was rescheduled because that was just more time that I feared I might back out, I saw myself as my greatest enemy) I hoped no one would or not too many would see me baptized publicly. Even to this date that brings back waves of doubt that I have to suppress. I didn’t even tell my friends of 20+ years, who saw me all those college and post college years deny Christ and live an unruly life when I was baptized in 1997 at the age of 32. Eventually I emailed and spoke to some of them, but what a coward’s way of doing it, no boldness, no ‘fire’, not the kind of rank boldness I denied Him with as an atheist/agnostic. This weakness still torments me for even a lowly dog barks for his master’s defense. So, the “if you confess with your mouth” became and sometimes still is a source of doubt to me.

Then if you move on to “believe in your heart…” that was even worse for me, my magnitude, quantity and quality. I would and still if I allow myself rake myself inwardly over this, “how do you know you have faith”? It goes back to all the cowardliness I did and even today struggle with. I’m not trying to be falsely pious but when I glance for too long at myself, even today as a Christian, I find less and less to be comforted by as to evidence. When it comes to “evidence” as I age in the faith, it doesn’t get better, it doesn’t even just stay steady freddy, it gets worse! Oh, I can restrain myself but I could do that before conversion. When I think about it seriously and long enough I am afraid of God as I age for I only add to my sins, not diminish them.

Two of my GREATEST fears are not my gross sins, though they are enough, but rather 1. My own perceived piety and 2. My cowardliness. Concerning the first I know of no gross sin that scares me to death so much as my piety because it is by this that I would most dangerously deny my real need of Christ! The greater enemy for me is my perceived righteousness. As to the second, which you would think would destroy the first, if pressed by persecution or suffering would I confess Him unto death? I cannot answer that, I understand Peter in this way and fear I wouldn’t. And now that I have two lovely children it is even worse in my prognostications for I might summon some strength if it was only me, but my family is totally different.

I always struggled, also, with what it means “in your heart”. It’s a hard concept for me to grasp, I cannot measure it so to speak. Especially when I see that ‘in my heart’ is the problem.

Blessings,

Larry – KY

For this reason, and the fact it was usually used on ones own initiative, it rarely met with success. The success is definately glory to God alone just like our salvation is all glory to Him. The Roman road is certainly a muddy cow path to those God has yet to grant faith.

God’s peace.