For the 17th Sunday after Pentecost on Sunday, September 23, 2007, the assigned readings are Amos 8:4-7 (Swallow up needy); 1 Timothy 2:1-15 (Prayers for all men) and Luke 16:1-15 (Unjust Steward). The chosen sermon text is Amos 8:7, “The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob, ‘Surely I will never forget any of their works.’”

Martin Luther defined the holy Scriptures as Law and Gospel. Without the proper distinctions between L&G, the Bible remains a sealed book. Amos 8:7 is a good example of how a superficial reading of the Bible may lead to the conclusion that there appear to be contradictions in God’s Word. For Jeremiah 31:34 clearly reveals that God “will remember their sin no more.” Which God will you meet on Judgment Day? The God of Amos 8:7 or the God of Jeremiah 31:34?

Actually, it is the same God. How then do we reconcile this apparent confusion? It’s not as though one passage is Old Testament and the other New Testament for both are in the Old Testament. In fact, the Jeremiah 31 passage is quoted in Hebrews 8:12. Also, both Amos 8 and Jeremiah 31 are promises from God.

Perhaps Amos 8 is speaking of the good works that God will not forget. However, the context clearly speaks against the sins of Israel in mistreating the poor by falsifying the weights by deceit and taking sinful advantage of those without power. So how do we reconcile these two passages since one speaks of God not forgetting your sin and the other speaks of God forgetting your sin?

The Jeremiah 31:34 passage reveals that God no longer remembers our sin in the sense of forgiving it. That is, He does not get rid of our sin but forgets the punishment you and I deserve. For Christ Jesus has taken away the curse of the Law having become a curse for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. But then how do we understand the promise of Amos 8 that God will never forget our sins?

The king of theology is interpretation using the principle of Scripture interprets Scripture. The queen of theology is application using the distinctions between Law and Gospel. First, then we need to look at the context of Amos 8. Beginning with verse 9, hear the following ways in which God will not forget your sins. The sun will go down at noon; the earth will be darkened in broad daylight; it will be like mourning for an only son and its end will be like a bitter day.

Of what day are you reminded? We don’t call it bitter Friday or darkened Friday; we call it Good Friday! For on that day God indeed did not forget about your sins placing them squarely on the back of His only begotten becoming a curse for us hanging on that tree! The one and true God keeps both His promises!

The theme of such a sermon could be the following. The only reason that God will forget your sins is because He remembered them on Good Friday by taking care of them. As with the rest of holy Writ, the cross of Christ is central as the apostle John wrote in the 20th chapter of his Gospel that all “these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”

From a Law/Gospel perspective, the resolution adopted by the recent convention of the Evangelical Lutheran Church In America (ELCA) is filled with hate directed toward Jesus Christ and those for whom He died. The final resolve reads, “…that the Churchwide Assembly prays, urges, and encourages synods, synodical bishops, and the presiding bishop to refrain from or demonstrate restraint in disciplining those rostered leaders in a mutual, chaste, and faithful committed same-gender relationship who have been called and rostered in this church.”

Why do we call this resolution one of “hate”? The opposite of hate is love as found for example in Martin Luther’s explanation of the 6th commandment, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” He writes, “We are to fear and love God that we may lead a chaste and decent life in word and deed, and each love and honor his spouse.”

The ELCA has officially placed the sixth commandment on hold for three years as to the sinful lifestyle of homosexuality. Why does this demonstrate hate toward these sinners? Perhaps the following analogy is helpful. In walking to work you notice that a hole has been dug in the sidewalk by a contractor. Then you see a blind person approaching the hole. Should you warn him? You decide not to say anything lest the blind person become upset at being told what to do. He falls into the hole and dies. You now have a sin of omission to confess.

It’s even worse than that. According to the Lutheran Confessions, the Church is where the Word of God is taught in its purity and the Sacraments administered rightly. From an L&G perspective, only the Gospel is the means of grace. For it alone forgives. However, the work of the Law precedes the Gospel in order that one might be prepared to be aware of his sins that deserve nothing but temporal and eternal punishment.

In essence, the ELCA has resolved to refrain from using the keys of the kingdom of God specifically for those who indulge in homosexual activity. They and they alone will not hear the warnings of hell itself because the denomination has not quite yet made up its mind that the sixth commandment is applicable to sexual deviancy.

What might we next expect? Already there are voices being raised that ELCA ought also to refrain from disciplining teenagers who are having sexual relationships outside of marriage. And what about pedophiles? Or what about…add your own specific sin.

To whom is the hatred directed? Better said, to Whom is the hatred directed? Yes, the hatred is directed toward Jesus Christ Himself Who died for sinners but whose sacrifice appears to be put on hold toward homosexuals. From God’s point of view, this resolution is truly homophobic.

The notion that a same-gender relationship can be “mutual” and “chaste” is nonsense. That would be like saying that as long as a father has the permission of his adult daughter to have sexual relations with her, who of us can judge? That is, as long as the father does not cheat on his daughter and break their “faithful committed” relationship.

Finally, is this resolution from the mountain of heaven or the pit of hell? Just as Eve and Adam were seduced into Satan’s rebellion against God, they became as god in deciding for themselves that their notions were better than those from the LORD. This resolution is a direct assault against the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ who died for the sins of homosexuality, murder, rape, gossip, going over the speed limit and every other disobedience against God’s will.

However, in its finite wisdom, the ELCA has determined that the means of grace will be withheld from one particular sinner. And what is the reason that Satan used to motivate such hate? Another resolve of the adopted motion states that such action is needed to deliberate on morality “without further strife and pain to its members.” It appears that someone forget to mention about God’s pain in seeing the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ set aside for the sake of temporal peace.

Paul told the Corinthians of the consequences of attending the Lord’s Supper when they were inebriated. Can you imagine the consequences of those who come forward to receive the true body and blood of Jesus Christ drunk with the pleasures of sinful flesh because of a resolution that urges no discipline and thus no repentance nor forgiveness for willful sin? One can hear the applause from hell itself.

In the year 2007 the 16th Sunday after Pentecost is on September 16 with the following three readings assigned: Ezekiel 34:11-24 (God as Shepherd); 1 Timothy 1:5-17 (Purpose of the Law) and Luke 15:1-10 (The Suffering Shepherd or popularly known as the Lost Sheep). The text chosen to analyze is 1 Timothy 1:9a which reads “knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person…”

Context is king of interpretation as this passage makes clear. For how many have used this passage to deny the third use of the Law; namely, that Christians also need to hear from God’s Word what the will of God is for such knowledge is not known automatically when one becomes a Christian? This verse has been used by those who now support homosexuality and marriage between same gender individuals.

However, from a Law/Gospel perspective, the word “law” here has a specific meaning. While it can refer to the 10 commandments, or to moral, civil or ceremonial law or to the first 5 books of the Old Testament or to a principle of life, etc. etc., in this context the rest of verse 9 clarifies its meaning. For the law that is necessary for the “lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners,” etc. is both the first and second use of Law.

The first use is God’s use of the Law in the temporal realm to curb wickedness and crime. The righteous has no need of such law because of their obedience and thus, in light of Romans 13, have no need to fear those who wield the sword. The second use of God’s use of the Law in the temporal realm is to be a mirror so that people can realize their true sinful nature.

Though the Christian is righteous in God’s sight and in his new man, his old man still has need of both the curbing and mirror use of the Law. However, insofar as we do fruit of the Holy Spirit from a free and joyous heart in Christ, there is no necessity for the motivating force of the Law or the Law as mirror to show our sinful nature.

In heaven, we will have no need of the Law’s compulsion to do things out of self-interest because of the presence of Him Who died and rose to bring us into a right relationship with the Father and Spirit. In that realm, sin will never rear its ugly head in thought, word or deed as we exist in an eternal bliss motivated by the love God has for us.

On September 9,. 2007 the three assigned readings are Deuteronomy 30:15-20 (choose life); Philemon 1-21 (Onesimus) and Luke 14:25-35 (Hate parents). Chosen to prepare for a sermon is Deuteronomy 30:19 in which God commands Israel to “choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.”

The problem with this text is that at first reading it appears to contradict the clear message of Scripture when Jesus reveals that we did not choose Him; He chose us! Yet here we find Moses placing before the people the choice between “life and death, blessing and cursing” and encouraging them to choose life. How is that possible?

Theology is the art of making distinctions. On the one hand the Bible is clear that a person cannot find God for the simple reason that one has no knowledge of the true God until one receives faith. It would be similar to having a treasure hunt for three items such as a used tire, an old toothbrush and something else. However, no one is told what the “something else” is. Without such knowledge, it would be impossible to find it.

So also, born into the world as we are with original sin, it is impossible for us to find the true God since we have no inkling as to what He is like. Every god of every other religion in the world is a god of our imagination as well as insisting that some set of rules, commandments, instructions or the like be kept in order to be saved. Not only is it impossible to choose the true God; it is also probable that most people do not realize their lost condition.

So how do we resolve the clear passages of Scripture that indicate that God chose us to be believers; we did not choose Him and the passages that encourage us to make the right choices in regard to life, not death? Context is the king of theology. The resolution to our apparent dilemma is found by looking at the verses surrounding verse 19 about choosing life.

The question is to whom is Moses talking? Is he talking to unbelievers or believers? From verse 17 which speaks of the heart of the people turning away from God and serving other gods, Moses is speaking to believers. The answer is that in regard to unbelievers, there is no possibility of them either finding God or choosing Him. They are blind and ignorant as to His real nature and salvation He has provided them through the sufferings, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The will of the unbeliever is in bondage to Satan and his evil deeds. It is as impossible for an unbeliever to choose the true God as it was for Lazarus to choose to come out of the grave. Indeed, Christian faith is a gift from God Himself as He works through the inerrant Word and precious Sacraments in bringing people to faith and keeping them in that faith. All credit goes to God and Him alone.

By keeping in mind the distinctions and differences between the believer an unbeliever, the Bible is now understood never to contradict itself. Passages that at first reading appear to contradict one another are found to be in agreement by using the principle of “Scripture interprets Scripture” and by keeping the distinctions between Law and Gospel clear.