Archive for June, 2007

On July 1, 2007, the three readings are 1 Kings 19:9b-21 (Small voice to Elijah); Galatians 5:1, 13-25 (Stand fast in the liberty) and Luke 9:51-62 (Foxes have holes). Chosen for a sermon is Galatians 5:16, “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”

Here is the problem. It appears that “walking in the Spirit” takes place when you do not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Does this not mean that if you are occasionally fulfilling the lust of the flesh, you are not “walking in the Spirit.” And if you are not walking in the Spirit, does this mean that you are not a Christian?

Theology is the art of making distinctions and definitions. What definition appears to be needed? If you listen to most religious talk radio, you will hear that “walking in the Spirit” means no longer sinning. Though it is true that with the Holy Spirit, the Christian does do sinless fruit of the Spirit, the problem is that the old Adam’s contribution to every work we do is self-interest motivation.

Then how should “walking in the Spirit” be understood? Verse 18 is helpful when it reveals that “if you are led of the Spirit, you are not under law.” From previous blogs we have demonstrated that not being under the law means that no longer are we under the curse of the law. The Christian life, therefore, is not one of perfect and sinless good works but one of daily repentance for falling short of the glory of God.

To walk in the flesh means to walk as an unbeliever neither repenting of sin nor caring what the true God thinks. To walk in the Spirit means that true repentance (contrition plus faith in Jesus Christ) takes place with a sincere desire to do good works to the glory of God. The difference between the two is not one of a change in our being (from doing sin to stopping from sin) but one of attitude (truly sorrowful over our contribution to putting Christ on the cross.

Loving the neighbor may indeed include a servant attitude but it also may include an attitude in which we seek his forgiveness when we fail to act as God would have us do. Though Paul lists works of the flesh in verses 19 through 21 and says that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God, he also reveals in verse 24 that “they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” What that means is that the believer has crucified the old Adam through an attitude of humble repentance and sorrow over sin coupled with the joy of knowing that forgiveness comes from a gracious and loving God because of the death and resurrection of His Son, our LORD, Jesus Christ.

For this 4th Sunday after Pentecost (6/24/07), the three assigned readings are Isaiah 65:1-9 (Seed our of Jacob); Galatians 3:23-4:7 (Kept under Law) and Luke 8:26-39 (Unclean spirit). Chosen to preach about is Galatians 3:25 which reveals that “after faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.”

What makes this text so confusing is that the “schoolmaster” ir nothing other than the Law of God! Is it therefore correct to read this passage as saying that once you are a believer in Jesus Christ, the law is no longer important? So many appear to assume that is what Reformation theology teaches because Lutheranism insists that no work that you do here on earth makes a difference as to whether you go to heaven or hell.

Verse 23 states that “before faith came, we were kept under the law.” Does that give the impression that once faith has come, we are no longer needing to obey the law? No indeed. For you see, what Paul is talking about is the difference in Christianity that can never be found in any other religion in the world. For every other religion sees the law in much the same way that God uses the law in the temporal realm. You don’t want to get a speeding ticket? Then, simply, obey the law. You don’t want to go to hell. Then simply obey God’s law!

The problem lies in the revelation that the way God makes use of the Law in the temporal realm (government) is different than how He makes use of the Law in the spiritual realm (Church). In the temporal realm what you do makes a difference in whether you get a good grade, another promotion, and nice house. However, in the spiritual realm, nothing of what you do helps you to get to heaven.

Using an analogy, a 5-year old boy needs the discipline of the law from his father until he gets to an age where he so loves his parents so that he will obey without being under orders. Similarly, until a person comes to faith in Jesus Christ, he must be kept in bounds by the threats or rewards of the Law. However, once trust in Jesus Christ is established, then he is no longer under the Law but under grace.

One might put it this way. Christians are the only ones who are free to obey the Law. Everyone else has to! Therefore, while it is true that Christians no longer NEED to obey the Law in order to get to heaven; what believer does not take delight in the Law or God in grateful response to all which the holy Trinity has done for me?

While religions the world over teach the necessity to climb up the rungs of the ladder by works to heaven, in reality such teaching results in people really climbing down to hell! Only the Christian faith reveals that the ladder is there but is not used by us. It is used by Christ Himself in climbing down to earth (conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary)for the purpose of finding you the lost, picking you up on His shoulders and carrying you up the ladder to heaven.

Truly, we are no longer under the Law in the sense of needing the Law to get right with God. We are right with God because of the cross of Jesus Christ substantiated by His resurrection from the dead. While the world struggles mightily with the Law to get justified by works, believers in Christ have been justified by grace through faith without any merit or worthiness in us. It is truly a gift from God.

For this third Sunday after Pentecost I will have the privilege of preaching in the Poconos of Pennsylvania. The three assigned readings are 2 Samuel 11:26-12:10, 13-14 (David’s sin with Bathsheba); Galatians 2:15-21; 3:10-14 (Not justified by the works of the Law) and Luke 7:36-8:3 (Simon the Pharisee). A most interesting passage–of many in this set of readings–is Luke 7:47 when Jesus speaks of the sinful woman with, “Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much.”

How can one not interpret Jesus’ words to mean, “The reason her sins are forgiven is because she has loved much.” Fine for every other religion in the world, but NOT for Christianity. For the Christian faith professes that we are NOT saved by works including good deeds, good thoughts, good words, good love or good faith! In fact, one cannot even attain to such deeds until one is completely saved.

A key distinction between Law and Gospel is that justification (having a right relationship with God) precedes sanctification (responding with good works). Thus, it is impossible to read what Jesus is saying in the sense that the women is getting forgiven because of her great love. In fact, does not the Bible reveal that “we love Him because He first loved us”?

The king of theology is interpretation using the principle of “Scripture interprets Scripture” (context). The queen of theology is application using the principle of the “distinctions between Law and Gospel” From the context the Pharisee Simon has invited Jesus to a meal but has not provided the proper kind of welcome; that is, washing one’s feet and anointing one’s head.

So during the meal, the “sinner” woman–probably a prostitute–enters and begins to wash the feet of Jesus with tears, wipe them with her hair and anoint his feet with ointment. Knowing the sinful thoughts of Simon, Jesus asks him who would love a lender more–one who is forgiven a debt of $50,000.00 or a debt of $5,000.00. Simon correctly answers the one who owed more.

It is in that context that Jesus makes the remark that “Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much.” The point is now obvious. Her love does not precede her being forgiven. Rather her love follows from the fact that her sins, which she knows to be many, are forgiven.

The application is clear. We dare not attempt to hand to God our good works, even of love, as a means of getting forgiven. Such a “gift” to God is abhorrent to Him because it adds to the cross of Christ. And when you add to the cross, you subtract from the cross.

Our love is a spontaneous outpouring on the part of the Holy Spirit which we received in our baptism (Acts 2) and results in many good works including a wealth of love, not only toward the holy Trinity, but also to our neighbor who really needs our works. So how to help people live the sanctified life? Preach Christ and Him crucified and the results will be Spirit-filled!

On the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost this June 10, 2007, the three readings are 1 Kings 17:17-24 (Elijah and widow’s son); Galatians 1:11-24 (Paul’s conversion) and Luke 7:11-17 (Jesus and widow’s son). Chosen to preach about is Galatians 1:12, “For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Since most of what you and I hear about Jesus comes from man, of what is Paul speaking when he says he neither received it nor was taught it from man? Does Paul have a source that is not available to the rest of us? The answer to the question is not as difficult as it appears. For what Paul is speaking of is not the content of the message but the means by which he received the message.

In Paul’s case there was a time when he received personal revelation from Jesus Christ Himself, perhaps much like that received by the apostle John on the island of Patmos in writing Revelation. But there is more to Paul’s statement than just the source of his information. It also includes the content.

The real difference Paul is pointing to is that between what man teaches about God and what God teaches about God. Man’s teachings of God are limited by his experience; that is, what he finds in nature. That’s why it is called natural revelation. In contrast to man’s “findings” about God, there is revelation from the true God that is impossible to “discover” in nature.

Thus, there are only two sources for every religion in the world; that is, from natural experience and from divine revelation. This results in there being only two religions in the world; namely, Christianity and everything else. For everything else has a common sense view of spiritual reality that is deduced from the world of nature; the world of our experience.

From nature we deduce that when things are going wrong, God is angry with us and when things are peachy, God is pleased with us. That concept is referred to as living under the Law. It is the unbeliever’s explanation that works make a difference as to how God regards you. If you do what He wants, He rewards you; if you sin, He punishes you.

Paul’s teaching could not possibly have been deduced from an examination of one’s experience as was the false religion of Judaism. Instead, Paul’s teaching was radical to the core as was that of Jesus. One radical notion was that works simply are not part of the equation God uses in deciding who to save and who to keep saved.

How can that be explained? Think about it. Are works part of the equation in making an adopted child part of the family? Of course not. Even when the child is disobedient throughout his whole life, he still receives the inheritance. Behavior has no bearing on whether or not the child/parent relationship is sustained.

What makes the difference from God’s point of view is not sin or sinlessness but unbelief or faith. To go to hell you must be a sinner. To go to heaven you must be a sinner. That’s right. The difference is that those who go to hell are unbelieving sinners while those who go to heaven are believing sinners.

Christ is the end of the law in the sense that no longer can the law be used as a means of salvation as every other religion in the world assumes. Instead, the law is no longer used by the Church inappropriately but appropriately. Common sense under the Law theologians always use the Law inappropriately as a means of salvation. Cross sense under the Gospel theologians use the Law appropriately first to diagnose our need for a Savior and then to clarify the Will of God.

Christians are indeed the only ones who are free to do good works. How so? Because everyone else has to do good works, or else. What Paul received from the LORD is that which we also received from the LORD as the Word of God is preached in its purity and the sacraments administered rightly. For there and only there is the Church.