Christmas Offense

"Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me' (Matthew 11:6). "Yea, truly blessed! For tie King and His Word, in which men should find great joy, are a stumbling-block for all the world. The world takes offense and is provoked by the Gospel of Christ, because it will not trust in the grace of God, but rather in its own works and merits. And again the world takes offense at Christ because He is so utterly poor and wretched. And again, that, as He carries His cross and lets Himself be hanged upon it, He admonishes His followers to take their cross and to follow Him through all manner of temptations and afflictions. To this the world is especially hostile. Thus is our dear Lord Christ everywhere in the world an annoying preacher. The Gospel will never fare otherwise. It is and it will be a message at which offense is taken, not by the lowly, but by the most saintly and most pious, the wisest and the mightiest on earth, as experience teaches us. Blessed are those who know and trust that it is truly the Word of God, for they are healed, and they are comforted and fortified against all such offense." ~Martin Luther

Reason to Rejoice!

"Come from on high to me; I can not rise to Thee. Cheer my wearied spirit, O pure and holy Child; Through Thy grace and merit, Blest Jesus, Lord most mild, Draw me unto Thee! Draw me unto Thee! ~Now Sing We, Now, Rejoice, verse 2; German and Latin text, 14th cent., Lutheran Service Book #386 What a magnificent explanation of why we have reason to rejoice at Christmas. At first glance it may seem rather depressing: What? I can not rise up to God? I haven't been naughty this year! I've been nice! Well, let's be honest, friends. None of us have been good enough, if we are to be measured against God's standard of perfection. None of us have been perfectly patient, good, kind, forgiving, nor charitable in thought, word, and deed ("None is righteous, no not one; no one understand; no one seeks for God." Romans 3:10). As each year passes I become more painfully aware of my lousy motives, even in the *good* things that I do. Sin is a wearisome thing. Yet in the hymn we cry out to God to cheer us, through His good works, which are good enough! It is through His perfect life, sinless sacrifice on the cross, and continual coming to us through His Word, Holy Communion, and Holy Baptism, that we are forgiven. And by that forgiveness we are drawn to Him. Thanks be to God for the good news that He came to us that first Christmas, comes to us now by His Word and Sacraments, and will come again on the Last Day to draw His children to Himself for all eternity.

That is SO not Lutheran!

My 8 year-old daughter recently stomped into the kitchen to let me know that she read something in one of her fiction books that offended her Lutheran sensibilities. She had been reading one of the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary, and informed me that the mother in the book said to another character, "Why should you love Ramona all the time?" My daughter's response was, "That is SO not Lutheran! What religion is that?" I answered, "The religion of self." My daughter's point is that God's law is God's law. In confessional Lutheranism, we do not dumb it down, or say that it's okay that we don't measure up because God loves us anyway. God does expect us to obey the Law perfectly. Before you write me off as a legalistic fanatic, let me assure you that is not the case. I will never measure up, and neither will you, or anyone else that ever has lived or ever will, except Jesus Christ. Thankfully, His righteousness is my righteousness, since He purchased my salvation on the cross and imparted it to me in my Baptism. That is the Good News, the Gospel. God's Law destroys any hope of self-sufficiency and kills us (2 Corinthians 3:4-6). Then we know our desperate need for the Gospel, which God is more than willing to impart to us by His Word and Sacraments. So, yes, you do have to love that annoying (or perhaps awful) person in your life (whatever that might look like in your situation), and by all means, as a Christian, with the help of the Holy Spirit, strive to do so. But never stop repenting daily, and believing that His obedience is credited to you. That is how, in a person's life, "it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God" (John 3:21).

Define the Relationship

"DTR" is a phrase one of my younger relatives explained to me. It means "define the relationship," and my relative used it when talking about a male-female relationship: There comes a time when you have to define it (are we just friends? something more??)

Have you ever been asked the question, "Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?" I'm sure a lot of people have. Well, it is a loaded question, partially because a lot of people feel like it is nobody's business but their own what they think about Jesus. That issue aside, my problem with the question is this-what does the person asking the question mean when he says "relationship with Jesus?" Initially, I think the question refers to the fact that all people, because of sin, need to be reconciled to God, through the death of the sinless Son of God, Jesus. However, many people get the relationship off on the wrong foot by thinking that it is dependent on their decision. Jesus initiates and does everything, because He lived the perfect life, paid the price for the sins of the world, and offers His Word of forgiveness. We are dead in our sins, and a corpse can not initiate any kind of relationship. (Ephesians 2:1-10)

Another problem that can arise is that once a person receives the forgiveness of sins, he can think that the maintenance of the relationship depends on his obedience and growing in faith. Not so. The relationship is still dependent on Christ's forgiveness, and maintained by Christ's forgiveness. The Bible speaks of Jesus as the Christian's teacher, brother, and friend. We do not have to have a subjective, emotional encounter with Jesus to validate our Christianity. Many new Christian songs have lyrics that eerily remind me of romance, which points to the prevalence of this way of "defining the relationship." No. We do not measure our relationship with Jesus by comparing it to our concept of a satisfying relationship. We measure it by His forgiveness, given to us in His Word, given through the mouth of our pastor, given to us in our baptism, and given to us in communion. And yes, I meant to repeat the word "given." For with Jesus, what He has "given" is what "defines the relationship."

Christmas Catch Phrases and the True Meaning of Christmas

"Jesus is the reason for the season" is an oft-repeated phrase during the Christmas season. What does this mean? Sometimes the best way to explain what something means is to start by saying what it does NOT mean. To "Keep Christ in Christmas" does not mean that Christians should expect non-Christians to celebrate Christmas in a way that puts Jesus at the center. Why should they? Similarly, Jesus as the meaning of Christmas does NOT mean that I must show the world how much I love Jesus by demonstrating my holy life and my Christian themed family traditions, thereby giving people an irresistible reason to be a "fully devoted follower of Jesus". In other words, the Christmas season should NOT degenerate into a "me for Jesus" campaign. Jesus does not need my vote on facebook, and he does not save people because I love Him. The main point of Advent, Christmas, and Christianity is NOT that "I am for Jesus,", but that "Jesus is for me." In His perfect life of obedience, His death on the cross, and His resurrection, He paid for the sins of the whole world and gives eternal life to those who receive Him. At Advent we remember that He came to earth and was born of the virgin Mary; we remember that He will come again to take those who believe in Him home with Him. What better way to receive him this Advent and Christmas than by being in His House, hearing His Word and receiving His Sacrament. For to receive Him is to receive the forgiveness of sins, which is why He came that first Christmas. Then we can say with Simeon, who saw the baby Jesus, Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people. a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen Nunc Dimittis (Song of Simeon), from Luke 2:29-32 (Lutheran Service Book)

Grace-full Parenting

Getting Grace is an excellent article by Susan Olasky in the November 5, 2011 issue of World magazine. (You do have to pay to read the whole thing if you are not a subscriber). I won't try to give a thorough summary, but the article basically says that homeschoolers who think that their parenting choices give them a guarantee that their children will grow up to be outstanding Christians may be in for a rude awakening. My *bottom line* reaction to the article is hooray that some homeschool families are realizing that THEY don't "make Christians." If a family has an undue focus on *being good*, that will bring only pride or despair into the family. Let God's Law (not man's rules) be the standard, but give the Gospel (Christ for you for the forgiveness of sins, spoken as "I forgive you", and "Jesus forgives you") to the one who has admitted his transgression. And remember that we all are sinners. It is Christ's forgiveness that makes us Christians, not our "family values." For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Galatians 3:21b-22

The Answer to the Question

If a young man assists an elderly lady with her groceries (really, I can hardly see that happening in today's world, but I needed an example), is that a good work in the sight of God? Is this man getting closer to God by what he does? I think most people would answer yes. Luther explained, "If there is no faith, God accept nothing as service rendered to Him. Here we have the answer to the question: What is the real service of God? It is the doctrine of faith in Christ. Later Christ tells us about the origin of faith--for no one possesses faith of himself-when He says (John 6:44): 'No one can come to Me unless the Father draws him.' And again (John 6:65): 'No one can believe in Me unless it is granted to him by the Father.' For faith is a divine work which God demands of us; but at the same time He Himself must implant it in us, for we cannot believe by ourselves." It is our sinful pride that recoils and wants to do something that would merit God's favor. It is the same pride that resists God's gift of faith, though He desires to give to all this gift of faith, by His Holy Spirit, through His Word and Sacraments. And yes, I think the young man should help the elderly lady, whether or not he has received faith in Christ. In both cases he would be helping his neighbor, which is always a good thing. But only God can make a good deed good in His sight.

Whose Obedience?

A teaching that is often missing in mainstream American Christianity is termed the "active obedience of Christ." Simply put, it means that Christ not only PAID for our sins by dying on the cross("passive obedience"), he also KEPT the law perfectly for us ("active obedience"). Why is this so important? It comes down to this-if a church focuses only on Christ's passive obedience, the believer's salvation is often viewed in the *rear-view mirror*, meaning it is something that happened in the past, and now the rest of the Christian's life is about the Christian's obedience. The gospel is not continual good news for a Christian who lives that way. It is the good news of the past. In reality, Christ kept the law for the Christian, and His obedience is the Christian's obedience. Yes, Christians still need to hear the law of God. But that is not what makes them Christians. The gospel, which includes Christ's passive and active obedience, saves them and gives them new life. Then the Christian can truly say,
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me..." Galatians 2:20
Here is a link to an Issues, Etc. program. The guest is Chris Rosebrough of Fighting for the Faith; the title is "Why is the Active Obedience of Christ Missing in Pop-American Christianity?"

A Favorite Quote

"There is no need to attempt to reach God on the basis of our moral strivings, the emotional intensity of our spiritual experiences, or the power of our rational thinking. In the forgiveness of sins we receive life and salvation as a gift through faith in Christ's promise. Freed from the curse of the Law, we are liberated for a life of good works. The world becomes the arena for vocation-our calling to live by faith under the cross and in loving service to the neighbor in his or her need."

John T. Pless, Handling the Word of Truth

On Him

Why is it that the Christians who claim to believe in “once saved always saved” are the ones who respond to the altar call, pray the sinner’s prayer, and are baptized multiple times?

Because to validate their Christianity, they look to their own progress in the Christian life, rather than to Christ’s perfect life given for them. To put it another way, they let their sanctification validate their justification, rather than letting their justification validate their sanctification. One of my favorite quotes by Martin Luther talks about what happens when we try to still our consciences by looking at our own contrition, versus casting our sins on Christ:

You cast your sins from yourself and onto Christ when you firmly believe that his wounds and sufferings are your sins, to be borne and paid for by him, as we read in Isaiah 53:6, “The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” St. Peter says, “in his body has he borne our sins on the wood of the cross” (1 Pet. 2:24). St. Paul says, “God has made him a sinner for us, so that through him we would be made just” (2 Cor. 5:21). You must stake everything on these and similar verses. The more your conscience torments you, the more tenaciously must you cling to them. If you do not do that, but presume to still your conscience with your contrition and penance, you will never obtain peace of mind, but will have to despair in the end. If we allow sin to remain in our conscience and try to deal with it there, or if we look at sin in our heart, it will be much too strong for us and will live on forever. But if we behold it resting on Christ and [see it] overcome by his resurrection, and then boldly believe this even it is dead and nullified. Sin cannot remain on Christ, since it is swallowed up by his resurrection.

Enthusiasm

We tend to think about enthusiasm as a good thing. For Martin Luther, however, an enthusiast was someone who looked to himself as the source of his religious devotion. That may sound like Luther was referring to those who say things like, "God is within." One might also think of fanatics, or of "Holy Rollers." Luther's use of the word enthusiasm had a much broader meaning than that:

In a word, enthusiasm dwells in Adam and his children from the beginning to the end of the world. Its venom has been implanted and infused into them by the old serpent. It is the origin, power, and strength of all heresy....

Pretty strong words. All heresy? But they get even stronger:

God does not want to deal with us in any other way than through the spoken Word and the Sacraments. Whatever is praised as from the Spirit-without the Word and Sacraments-is the devil himself.

The devil himself? Wait a minute. I felt that God told me that I was going to have boy when I was pregnant, and I had a boy. That must have been God! I felt like God told me to drive down that street, and I saw someone in need. That had to have been God!

The truth is, it might have been God, it might not. You do have a 50/50 chance of being right if you think you know if you are going to have a boy or girl (assuming you didn't peek). And, there are a lot of people in need, on a lot of streets. But it is the devil himself if we think that we have an exclusive line of communication to God, even in the little things. Why? Doesn't my hearing from God show my trust in the Lord, my growing relationship with him? Luther points out:

God wanted to appear even to Moses through the burning bush and spoken Word [Exodus 3:2-15]. No prophet, neither Elijah nor Elisha, received the Spirit without the Ten Commandments or the spoken Word. John the Baptist was not conceived without the word of Gabriel coming first, nor did he leap in his mother's womb without Mary's voice [Luke 1:11-20, 41]. Peter says, "For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" [2 Peter 1:21]. Without the outward Word, however, they were not holy. Much less would the Holy Spirit have moved them to speak when they were still unholy. They were holy, says he, since the Holy Spirit spoke through them.

The outward Word is not an inferior Word. It is the only Word that we can cling to as true, and it is the Word that gives to us the forgiveness of sins. Jesus said, "Already you are clean because of the Word spoken to you." John 15:3. It doesn't get any better than that! Am I saying that God does not lead us in our daily lives? On the contrary, relying only on the external, written, objective Word of God frees us from fear so that we can respond to Him in love, and serve our neighbor. If I am stuck at Wal-mart praying about what kind of toothpaste to buy, afraid that God will be mad at me if I don't hear him correctly, I am not trusting him and there is not much energy or time left to love my neighbor (I am not saying that we can't pray about toothpaste, but if Crest and Colgate cost the same, pick one! God will guide and care for you no matter which one you choose!). I realize that is an extreme example, but the dynamics are the same if we look to our own devotion, or our own inner "hearing and movements" as the Holy Spirit Himself. This type of enthusiasm certainly leads us away from Christ and ironically, back to focusing on ourselves, where we began. This is deadly, and as Luther said, is the devil himself. I thank God that Christ died for the sins we commit when we are trying to be religious. And it is His Word, not ours, that makes us holy.

Luther quotes taken from "Smalcald Articles", Article IIX, 9-12, from Concordia, The Lutheran Confessions, Reader's Edition, Paul McCain, General Ed., 2006.

Good News for the New Year

Commitments, resolutions, goals. Is that all we have to look forward to in the New Year? Perhaps you have been asked the big question by a well-meaning Christian (maybe even a pastor):

"Have you fully committed your life to Jesus Christ?"

Whether you have or haven't, I can answer the question for you:

"No."

None of us have, can, or ever will (See Ephesians 2, Romans 3:23)

But here is the good news:

Jesus Christ has committed himself fully to you, by keeping God's law for you, dying on the cross to pay for your sins, and giving you His Word and Sacraments to sustain you. He longs to impart His grace to each of us, and it is not conditional on us. Romans 6 talks about Baptism, and encourages us to rely on it as the time when we were baptized into His death, and raised to walk in newness of life. Verse 17 says that when Christ gives a person a new heart that trusts in Him, He also commits us to His teaching! Note that He is doing the committing, not us. We are the receivers of His grace through His Word in baptism. We are comforted on an ongoing basis by His commitment to our forgiveness, and freed from the treadmill of looking to our works for comfort. This in turn frees us to do good works on behalf of our neighbor, not on behalf of on our own supposed moral progress, which always falls short. He has done it all! That is something that we can rejoice in during 2011, and all eternity.

Quote of the Day

“Good works do not make a good man, but a good
man does good works; evil works do not make a wicked man,
but a wicked man does evil works. Consequently it is always
necessary that the substance or person himself must be good
before there can be any good works, and that good works
follow and proceed from the good person, as Christ says ‘A good
tree cannot bear evil fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit’
(Matt. 7:18). It is clear that the fruits do not bear the tree and
that the tree does not grow on the fruits, also on the contrary,
the trees bear the fruits and the fruits are grown on the trees.”
Martin Luther, “The Freedom of a Christian” (1520).

The very heart of the gospel is at stake with the interpretation of Matthew 7:18. It is Christ, and Christ alone makes us "good" and He sanctifies our works. Any working to prove that one is a Christian is works-righteousness. Good works certainly have to be in the life of a Christian, but they are a result of Christ's salvation, not a striving to prove that one is a Christian.

What does EVERY false doctrine distort? The Gospel of Jesus Christ. That He, and He alone, saves us and produces fruit in our lives is what is always compromised when doctrine becomes distorted. It is by His Gospel alone that we are saved.

True Comfort

Where do Christians find true comfort when struggling with a decision or are disappointed or fearful about their performance? A certain phrase comes to mind that has been offered as a source of comfort: "God knows your heart." This could be taken to mean that God still loves you because you are trying your best, or that He knows you love Him and want to please Him. But is that why God loves us and accepts what we do? What does God think about our hearts?

The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it.
I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, Jeremiah 17:9-10a

The fact that God knows my sinful heart strikes terror into it, so there is no comfort found by pointing myself inside. The true comfort is found in the objective, external Word of God: Jesus Christ given for the forgiveness of my sins!

Now may the Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. 2Thessalonians 2:17.

The Glory of God in the Face of Christ

Phillip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Phillip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?" John 14:8-10a

How do we know what God is like? Look to Jesus. This Jesus, who healed the sick, raised the dead, drove the moneychangers out of the temple, rebuked the Pharisees, washed the feet of the disciples, instructed and fed the multitudes, fulfilled the Law perfectly, sweat drops of blood, and died on the cross for the sins of the whole world (1John 2:2) is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power." (Hebrews 1:3a).

God is not a cold, distant being, concerned with self-promotion. God came to us in Christ, as a lowly servant. God still comes to us through His unchanging Word, by His Spirit speaking faith into our cold, lifeless hearts (Romans 10:17,Eph. 2:1,Hebrews 13:8). He forgives us our sins for Christ's sake, coming to us in our Baptism and in Holy Communion in physical means connected to His Word. He is still a servant, despised and rejected. In His servanthood His glory is found. This is what Lutherans refer to as the theology of the cross: God, the creator of the universe- holy, holy, holy-would condescend to serve us poor, miserable sinners.

"For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." 1 Corinthians 1:24

What does this mean for the Christian? Our lives are hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3). Christianity is about Christ, not how great of a Christian life I can live, or the "look what Christ has done for me, don't you want Him to do it for you?" type of mentality. Or trying to climb to higher levels of holiness, without concern for loving the neighbor. That is the theology of glory. The only advertisement for Christianity that my life can be is summed up in the phrase, "I am a poor miserable sinner, ask me how." That is the only thing I am good at! But I can tell you about the one who died for the sins of the whole world, and who still forgives me. I am a baptized child of God, and can return to my baptism daily in contrition and repentance! Good works flow from the forgiveness God gives us in Christ. The Christian is continually convicted by the Law, and forgiven by the Gospel. Out of Christ's service to us, we love and serve our neighbor. This is the Christian life, according to the theology of the Cross.

"Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.'" John 15:20

"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 2 Corinthians 4:6

Why serve my neighbor?

One of the many things I appreciate about Lutheranism is that it is straight-forward. Why do I serve my neighbor? Does God need my service? No. I serve my neighbor because my neighbor needs my service. Since Christ’s much needed forgiveness covers me in all that I do, I am free to meet the needs of others, no longer bound by fear of “not serving God enough.” Whatever role I fulfill in my daily life, whether wife, mother, friend, or neighbor, I am living out the vocation God has given me. Listening to Dr. Gene Veith speak about vocation got me thinking about these things. Here’s the link:

http://www.issuesetc.org/podcast/275071709H2p.mp3