Comments on: Sermon B: 2 S Lent: Rom 5:8 http://www.lawgospel.com/2009/03/04/sermon-b-2-s-lent-rom-58/ Theological distinctions between Law & Gospel Fri, 11 Jun 2010 09:52:47 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: natamllc http://www.lawgospel.com/2009/03/04/sermon-b-2-s-lent-rom-58/comment-page-1/#comment-620 natamllc Thu, 05 Mar 2009 16:51:00 +0000 http://www.lawgospel.com/2009/03/04/sermon-b-2-s-lent-rom-58/#comment-620 See, <br/><br/>there you go again Pastor Tom, inciting me to want to have the answer and know why some go to heaven and some go to hell! grrrr!<br/><br/>Why would it matter whether or not I know or don't know while I am alive here on earth, if, by His Act of Grace, He is enlightening me "daily" with His Faith to believe and receive His forgiveness?<br/><br/>Well, I believe I have an answer!<br/><br/>Because the lust for self glory in my flesh just wants to have an advantage over your ignorance of knowing!<br/><br/>I have a saying that kills me!<br/><br/>The solution to this pollution is not dilution but absolution!<br/><br/>Now, the question for a theologian of glory is, "how do I absolve myself and stand justified before God without any help from you?"<br/><br/>Or, why can't "me forgiving me" work, God? You forgive so why can't I forgive?<br/><br/>Or, [my all time favorite], well the reason God let me know why some go to heaven and some go to hell is so that I can assist as many as I can go to heaven and not hell!<br/><br/>Or, or, or! Grrrrrr!<br/><br/>The only solution to not knowing is believing in the free offer of His gracious absolution and receive His rest and without preconditions, then, get to doing His good works, not mine and serve my neighbor. <br/><br/>Having a proper understanding, so as to make the proper distinction between the Law and Gospel, frees me from being "the Judge" of why some go to heaven and some go to hell. It keeps me out of other people's business and frees me to be a minister of reconciliation proclaiming the Good News that Jesus Christ saves His people from their sins!<br/><br/>michael<br/>eureka, ca. See,

there you go again Pastor Tom, inciting me to want to have the answer and know why some go to heaven and some go to hell! grrrr!

Why would it matter whether or not I know or don’t know while I am alive here on earth, if, by His Act of Grace, He is enlightening me “daily” with His Faith to believe and receive His forgiveness?

Well, I believe I have an answer!

Because the lust for self glory in my flesh just wants to have an advantage over your ignorance of knowing!

I have a saying that kills me!

The solution to this pollution is not dilution but absolution!

Now, the question for a theologian of glory is, “how do I absolve myself and stand justified before God without any help from you?”

Or, why can’t “me forgiving me” work, God? You forgive so why can’t I forgive?

Or, [my all time favorite], well the reason God let me know why some go to heaven and some go to hell is so that I can assist as many as I can go to heaven and not hell!

Or, or, or! Grrrrrr!

The only solution to not knowing is believing in the free offer of His gracious absolution and receive His rest and without preconditions, then, get to doing His good works, not mine and serve my neighbor.

Having a proper understanding, so as to make the proper distinction between the Law and Gospel, frees me from being “the Judge” of why some go to heaven and some go to hell. It keeps me out of other people’s business and frees me to be a minister of reconciliation proclaiming the Good News that Jesus Christ saves His people from their sins!

michael
eureka, ca.

]]> By: Tom Baker http://www.lawgospel.com/2009/03/04/sermon-b-2-s-lent-rom-58/comment-page-1/#comment-619 Tom Baker Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:56:00 +0000 http://www.lawgospel.com/2009/03/04/sermon-b-2-s-lent-rom-58/#comment-619 Yes, you are correct if the Bible taught that God elects some people to hell, then God would be the problem. However, the Bible does not say that. Instead, the Bible reveals that if you go to heaven, God gets all the credit. And if you go to hell, you get all the blame. The Bible even says that God desires all men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). God cannot have two contradictory wills so if He desires all to be saved, He can't will someone to go to hell. You have touched on the key question of all theology: "Why are some saved and others are not?" Only Lutherans have the correct answer. They teach that the Bible has no answer while most other Christian denominations have an answer. When you get to heaven, God's answer will then make sense. But while we are here on earth, it is part of the hidden God of which nothing has been revealed. Therefore, to attempt to answer that question with man's reasoning, is an act of idolatry. Thanks for asking. Yes, you are correct if the Bible taught that God elects some people to hell, then God would be the problem. However, the Bible does not say that. Instead, the Bible reveals that if you go to heaven, God gets all the credit. And if you go to hell, you get all the blame. The Bible even says that God desires all men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). God cannot have two contradictory wills so if He desires all to be saved, He can’t will someone to go to hell. You have touched on the key question of all theology: “Why are some saved and others are not?” Only Lutherans have the correct answer. They teach that the Bible has no answer while most other Christian denominations have an answer. When you get to heaven, God’s answer will then make sense. But while we are here on earth, it is part of the hidden God of which nothing has been revealed. Therefore, to attempt to answer that question with man’s reasoning, is an act of idolatry. Thanks for asking.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.lawgospel.com/2009/03/04/sermon-b-2-s-lent-rom-58/comment-page-1/#comment-618 Anonymous Wed, 04 Mar 2009 22:21:00 +0000 http://www.lawgospel.com/2009/03/04/sermon-b-2-s-lent-rom-58/#comment-618 Pastor Baker, You said that being forgiven means that God no longer holds the world accountable for sin, and God is therefore not the problem, but the problem is those who prefer not to be reconciled. Yet we cannot chose or decide to follow Christ, only the Holy Spirit can bring salvation. So, therefore, some teach that in God's sovereignty God has elected some to hell and some to be saved. Doesn't that make God the problem again? Pastor Baker, You said that being forgiven means that God no longer holds the world accountable for sin, and God is therefore not the problem, but the problem is those who prefer not to be reconciled. Yet we cannot chose or decide to follow Christ, only the Holy Spirit can bring salvation. So, therefore, some teach that in God’s sovereignty God has elected some to hell and some to be saved. Doesn’t that make God the problem again?

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