Truth be told, I cannot help but like every day of the church year (some favourites include the Ascension, the Baptism of Jesus, Good Friday etc). That said sometimes I want to think that Christmas is the whole Gospel. It certainly is a major part of it. And yet, sometimes it seems like it would almost be fitting if it was the whole thing, although I know it is not.
When the Son of God becomes man he embodies all of humanity. He stands in and with all flesh and every human being. Jesus is the new head of humanity, the new Adam. Everyone can look at the manger and know that God's disposition toward us is grace and unification in Christ. God has brought man and God together in Jesus Christ, and his judgment is not disposed to condemnation. Which is why Calvinism seems to be quite a distortion of the Gospel. To deny a universal atonement seems to not only undercut Jesus' death, but also the incarnation. How can Jesus not die for all of humanity since he bears the same flesh as all humanity?
So, that is one of the ways I celebrated Christmas... by not being a Calvinist.
But I also had a few other thoughts. The incarnation doesn't just mean Jesus' conception and birth, but really the whole person of Jesus. At least that's how Athanasius seemed to use the term - which also seems why Eastern iconography depicts Mary holding the manly-faced baby Jesus. So in a certain sense I also think it is fitting to view Christmas in this way. Not simply the manner in which Jesus was born, but that he was born and that God took on our flesh in a peculiar way. I know some people downplay this because Paul doesn't make much light of Jesus' birth... however the Gospels do mention it, and furthermore, Paul presupposes it. Jesus was made like us in every way and identifies with us in every way also, including, growing up, being submissive to parents, temptation and even death.
And it doesn't end there. He is still our brother in the flesh interceding for us at the right hand of God with our own humanity. Because of this we identify in his resurrection and ascension. He not only embodies us in his life, death and resurrection, but he also embodies us in our glorification at the right hand of the Father. Because he is glorified, we too are glorified in our flesh, and we await the resurrection of our lowly bodies. So Christmas is a celebration of the incarnation which is the whole unification of God and man in Christ. (Paul's apostleship would also be proof of the ascended incarnation. The qualifications of an apostle was to see the resurrected body of our Lord, which is what Paul saw on the road to Damascus, well after the ascension. And it is also said Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.) The incarnation is here to stay.
All that to say, if you get Christology wrong, you're probably going to go wrong elsewhere with the gospel. I think that is why the Church fathers fought so hard for a robust Christology in the creeds and the life of the Church, and all those things like Monophysitism, Nestorianism, Arianism etc are called heresies. If you get Christmas wrong, you get everything else wrong.
1 John 4:2-3 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Into Our Grasp.
God binds Himself to our humanity, wine and bread, through His Word and words to give Himself and His salvation into our grasp. Luther's basis for this is simply the fact that this is what God has done and does. He will therefore allow nothing that he sees as a diminution or disruption of this. The heart of his concern is not some notional omnipresence, but what God has said, done, and gives. Here is the contingency of what God does and says which cannot survive in any philosophical system. -- Dr. Norman Nagel
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Mini Magnum Opus
I haven't been posting regularly, because I'm trying to learn how to articulate myself better. So, I decided to focus where Lutherans get most misunderstood, ignored, or even confused. And I decided to take my time with it. Sometimes, I just want to keep writing, but realize I have to stop somewhere. If you have a short attention span, I invite you to read paragraph 6. Cheers.
The “Word and Sacraments” is a phrase that commonly comes up with Lutherans. But it’s also a phrase that quickly rubs people the wrong way, as if it were the road to Rome. However, as opposed to Catholicism, Lutherans have a totally different definition of the Sacraments and Salvation because of the Word. And the Word is that which declares our salvation accomplished, Jesus himself. Roman Catholics define sacraments like a blessing, including marriage and ordination. But Lutherans would say the blessing of Christ is most sacred, and they therefore reserve the term “sacrament” for the mystery of our salvation. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are for all people, but marriage and ordination is not.
Lutherans accept that the term “sacrament” is not found anywhere in the Bible. But they believe the idea to be Biblical. The word is used by Lutherans the same way all Christians would use the term “Trinity”, which is also a word not found in the Bible. The historicity of the word “sacrament” comes from avoidance of the word “mystery”, which is a word that is used in the scriptures, but earlier Christians preferred to substitute it for “sacrament” in order to distance themselves from the esoteric mystery religions. So while a “sacrament” is not exactly a coined term in the Bible, the teaching certainly is Biblical.
Lutherans also teach that the word and sacraments are important because this is how Christians receive saving faith. Faith isn’t something that comes out of nowhere. It is a gift from God, and he comes to us in saving power through his promises. Naturally, you cannot have faith without the promises of God revealed to you. Therefore, Lutherans teach that the Word and Sacraments are where God reveals the mystery of salvation, and shows us that his disposition towards us is grace. And thus he saves us through the faith he creates in us by the Word and Sacraments. The Word and Sacraments are important because faith alone is important.
In Lutheran theology, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are characterized by words like declaration, proclamation, and promise. These are also words that characterize the Gospel. Lutherans, like all Christians, believe that the Holy Spirit has wrought faith and repentance in the hearts of all Christians through the Word of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but they also perceive God to work faith and repentance in the faithful, continually, not only through the mouth of a preacher, but also through Baptism and the Supper, because in them is found the same gospel that offers the same solid promise of the cross. That is why the Word and Sacraments go together in Lutheran terminology. Since the word reveals Christ’s saving acts and thus save us by faith, so do the sacraments because they contain the same word and revelation, but with a sign, and gives us the same faith.
This generally gets lost on evangelicals who view salvation as a one-time decision. However, Lutherans would say that all Christians are ever dependent on God’s saving grace and promises. They make it a point to confess that whenever you have the promises of salvation there you will also have forgiveness and life. Lutherans see this as a work of God who is constantly feeding our faith with the same promises that he always gives us through the Word and Sacraments. Lutherans do not ever rationalize this in any legalistic way to earn forgiveness for ourselves, but confess that God never stops declaring us righteous on account of Jesus, and that he never stops offering his promise to us, even when we have faith.
Lutherans believe when God forgives us our sins, it is complete and entire in Christ. All sins, past, present and future, are washed away. In the Lutheran churches, this message of the Crucified is revealed in several ways. They teach that Jesus comes to us and saves us through the Word, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, on account of faith. And yet, they do not regard the Word and Sacraments as something to be added up to attain salvation. But they regard each as having the whole of salvation, on account of the Word that declares us forgiven and redeemed in Christ. They believe when we come to faith through the preaching of the word we have and receive salvation, but also that when we are baptized we have and receive salvation, and when we partake of the Lord’s Supper we have and receive salvation. Salvation isn’t quantifiable as if we gain it in bits and pieces. Rather in Lutheran theology, salvation is lived in as an ever-present reality, and in it we endlessly have and receive, complete and entire grace, simultaneously, to excite faith in the One who has done it all. Lutherans hold the word and sacraments to be special promises and sure realities in this extraordinary encounter with Jesus. These gifts come through the overflowing love of God in Christ Jesus, transcending quantity, and create and sustain faith in the Gospel.
That is to say, that when Jesus says, “Take, eat; this is my body” and when he took the cup and said, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins”, Lutherans teach that you actually receive the body and blood of Christ, which is for the forgiveness of sins. And when Jesus says, “he that believes and is baptized shall be saved” or when Scripture says, “Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name”, Lutherans believe these words accomplish what they say. Lutherans take these to be special dynamics in salvation, by the power of the Word, and should be trusted and believed. For Lutherans, to confess the Word and the Sacraments is to confess Christ, which is to confess the power of the Word. Christ’s words deliver what they say, and they deliver his promises, and his promises deliver him.
I suppose you could frame Lutheran teaching this way, “Jesus is present in his word, and manifestly present in his word-pictures. Both appear weak to human eyes and ears, but both work for the same end, and demand our faith.” Lutherans teach if someone does not have any faith, they do not receive these gifts to their benefit. The gift is still offered with integrity and sincerity, and retains every intention of the gift, but like the preaching of the Word, if it is not received in faith, it is rejected, and the gift is lost on deaf ears. But even still it doesn’t nullify the promises offered, Christ has still died for all, and the sacraments testify to every individual that he has died for them.
The “Word and Sacraments” is a phrase that commonly comes up with Lutherans. But it’s also a phrase that quickly rubs people the wrong way, as if it were the road to Rome. However, as opposed to Catholicism, Lutherans have a totally different definition of the Sacraments and Salvation because of the Word. And the Word is that which declares our salvation accomplished, Jesus himself. Roman Catholics define sacraments like a blessing, including marriage and ordination. But Lutherans would say the blessing of Christ is most sacred, and they therefore reserve the term “sacrament” for the mystery of our salvation. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are for all people, but marriage and ordination is not.
Lutherans accept that the term “sacrament” is not found anywhere in the Bible. But they believe the idea to be Biblical. The word is used by Lutherans the same way all Christians would use the term “Trinity”, which is also a word not found in the Bible. The historicity of the word “sacrament” comes from avoidance of the word “mystery”, which is a word that is used in the scriptures, but earlier Christians preferred to substitute it for “sacrament” in order to distance themselves from the esoteric mystery religions. So while a “sacrament” is not exactly a coined term in the Bible, the teaching certainly is Biblical.
Lutherans also teach that the word and sacraments are important because this is how Christians receive saving faith. Faith isn’t something that comes out of nowhere. It is a gift from God, and he comes to us in saving power through his promises. Naturally, you cannot have faith without the promises of God revealed to you. Therefore, Lutherans teach that the Word and Sacraments are where God reveals the mystery of salvation, and shows us that his disposition towards us is grace. And thus he saves us through the faith he creates in us by the Word and Sacraments. The Word and Sacraments are important because faith alone is important.
In Lutheran theology, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are characterized by words like declaration, proclamation, and promise. These are also words that characterize the Gospel. Lutherans, like all Christians, believe that the Holy Spirit has wrought faith and repentance in the hearts of all Christians through the Word of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but they also perceive God to work faith and repentance in the faithful, continually, not only through the mouth of a preacher, but also through Baptism and the Supper, because in them is found the same gospel that offers the same solid promise of the cross. That is why the Word and Sacraments go together in Lutheran terminology. Since the word reveals Christ’s saving acts and thus save us by faith, so do the sacraments because they contain the same word and revelation, but with a sign, and gives us the same faith.
This generally gets lost on evangelicals who view salvation as a one-time decision. However, Lutherans would say that all Christians are ever dependent on God’s saving grace and promises. They make it a point to confess that whenever you have the promises of salvation there you will also have forgiveness and life. Lutherans see this as a work of God who is constantly feeding our faith with the same promises that he always gives us through the Word and Sacraments. Lutherans do not ever rationalize this in any legalistic way to earn forgiveness for ourselves, but confess that God never stops declaring us righteous on account of Jesus, and that he never stops offering his promise to us, even when we have faith.
Lutherans believe when God forgives us our sins, it is complete and entire in Christ. All sins, past, present and future, are washed away. In the Lutheran churches, this message of the Crucified is revealed in several ways. They teach that Jesus comes to us and saves us through the Word, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, on account of faith. And yet, they do not regard the Word and Sacraments as something to be added up to attain salvation. But they regard each as having the whole of salvation, on account of the Word that declares us forgiven and redeemed in Christ. They believe when we come to faith through the preaching of the word we have and receive salvation, but also that when we are baptized we have and receive salvation, and when we partake of the Lord’s Supper we have and receive salvation. Salvation isn’t quantifiable as if we gain it in bits and pieces. Rather in Lutheran theology, salvation is lived in as an ever-present reality, and in it we endlessly have and receive, complete and entire grace, simultaneously, to excite faith in the One who has done it all. Lutherans hold the word and sacraments to be special promises and sure realities in this extraordinary encounter with Jesus. These gifts come through the overflowing love of God in Christ Jesus, transcending quantity, and create and sustain faith in the Gospel.
That is to say, that when Jesus says, “Take, eat; this is my body” and when he took the cup and said, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins”, Lutherans teach that you actually receive the body and blood of Christ, which is for the forgiveness of sins. And when Jesus says, “he that believes and is baptized shall be saved” or when Scripture says, “Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name”, Lutherans believe these words accomplish what they say. Lutherans take these to be special dynamics in salvation, by the power of the Word, and should be trusted and believed. For Lutherans, to confess the Word and the Sacraments is to confess Christ, which is to confess the power of the Word. Christ’s words deliver what they say, and they deliver his promises, and his promises deliver him.
I suppose you could frame Lutheran teaching this way, “Jesus is present in his word, and manifestly present in his word-pictures. Both appear weak to human eyes and ears, but both work for the same end, and demand our faith.” Lutherans teach if someone does not have any faith, they do not receive these gifts to their benefit. The gift is still offered with integrity and sincerity, and retains every intention of the gift, but like the preaching of the Word, if it is not received in faith, it is rejected, and the gift is lost on deaf ears. But even still it doesn’t nullify the promises offered, Christ has still died for all, and the sacraments testify to every individual that he has died for them.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Worship Wars. Ramble.
Contemporary vs. Traditional? I find both sides, in general, to be fairly ridiculous in their argumentation. Although, I do think style is an important thing, especially when we acknowledge the presence of God in worship, but the whole Liturgy verses non-liturgy, as a debate, doesn’t even seem to merit my time. But as I was eating my subway, I had a few thoughts. (I’m almost one who even refrains from drinking coffee and reading the Bible at the same time at home. But sometimes it happens ☺)
Doctrine and Practice go together. As one prays, so one believes. I would also add that as someone worships so one believes and vice versa. But the Latin for this idea is “Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi”. And it’s not a new idea. But I was reading Todd Wilken earlier today, and he said, “Pentecostals worship the way they do, because they believe the way they do. Baptists worship the way they do, because they believe the way they do. Lutherans worship the way they do, because they believe the way they do.” It makes sense. If you see people worshiping like a Pentecostal in a Baptist church, that person most likely believes as a Pentecostal would believe. Ideas have consequences, and our distinctions in faith also have consequences in worship.
I think anybody would agree with that.
So I began to think about why Lutherans worship the way they do, and try to ignore what we call the historic “liturgy”, because it isn’t about the “form” per se, but its about the substance of the form. Certain forms will gear itself up better to the substance than others. But it isn’t really about having a pat pattern except: God acts and we respond.
In Lutheran theology, we believe in Justification By Grace Through Faith Alone. Jesus saves us, through faith, and not by any works of ourselves. “God doesn’t need our works, our neighbour does” is a common mantra in Lutheran circles. And it is totally the same way in Lutheran worship. God doesn’t need our worship, but we need worship. That is why we call it “the Divine Service.” In worship, it isn’t about our service to God but about God’s service to us. Sure there are both components, but in Lutheran worship this is the center and hub, God’s service to us is in worship through his word. In worship God continues to pour out his gifts to us and they overflow out of the service and into our vocations, and our worship continues into our daily lives.
That, by the way, is why saying, ‘“so and so’ lead worship this morning” is one of my pet peeves. Unless that answer is Jesus or God, then I would be happy. Worship isn’t just our songs. It is also about being humble under scripture, shutting up and listening to God’s word to us. And even then, it doesn’t end with the scripture readings or the sermon either.
So worship is about letting God be God. And this is how we do it, faith. Faith is worship. Faith is also something that passively “receives.” By faith we lay hold of, and receive all of God’s promises. So all throughout worship God is giving gifts of forgiveness, peace, mercy and grace, and he leads and shapes and informs our faith and worship, and builds up our faith and worship as we receive him.
So worship isn’t about what God needs. It’s about what we need from God. A lot of people tend to think the opposite way about worship. But look at it like this: “Jesus came not to be served, but to serve.” That is when God is most sovereign, when he is serving us delivering us from sin. Worship is God serving us through the cross, preaching it, as we speak psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to one another, serving one another the Word of Christ, which dwells in us richly, and which externalizes richly as we recount his saving deeds to ourselves and to our other members in the body of Christ.
So what does this mean? Well, here are a few thoughts.
Does our worship convey this? As a Lutheran who believes this, I sure hope so. We have major things that really stand out in the service that testifies to this. Absolution, Communion and when we have baptisms. But all that other stuff, I’m not sure if people catch on that this is what worship does. It isn’t just a bunch of words about worship, but worship is a word that delivers what it says. God does what he does. Salvation and worship are linked really closely if worship is viewed as God’s leading. Psalm 51 is a tremendous psalm. Some Lutheran churches open up with an interesting line from it: “Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise”. I love that line. That is what worship and praise is about, God opens our lips.
Now, I do not read this in any Calvinistic, fatalistic way, as if God opens up our lips deterministically. But how does God open up our lips? He acts! This is what Lutheran worship is about. God speaks to us through his word and we respond to his grace. Not only does God open our lips by his salvific acts, but he also gives us scripture to put into our mouths that give us an idea of what praise should look like.
I think too many times we make worship about what we do for God, but just end up making it about ourselves in a fickle sort of way. Don’t get me wrong, I still think that worship is for us, but it gets fickle when you start praising yourself, and making it about us.
My previous pastor took the song “I Will Not Be Shaken” and changed the lyric “I will declare my choice to the nations” to “I will declare my Lord.” It’s a bit picky, but I think it’s a big difference. We aren’t the substance of our worship. Sure, it’s not a bad thing to tell someone about your decision for Jesus. But worship needs to have a God centered ethos and be less man centered. You shouldn’t be proclaiming yourself all throughout worship, which a lot of songs tend to do. It’s a lot about me praising God without praising him for what he has done.
So to a few particulars… I went to a few different churches in the summer to help some friends “church shop.” My pastor was on vacation and I thought it might be interesting to see how other people worship. So as I went to a church with a friend who was strongly contemplating Christianity, I thought it was interesting how she even picked up on this, saying something to the effect of, “Why do they put their hands up in the air as if they think God will notice them better?”
I didn’t really have an answer for that particular “rubric” as we would call it in my church. Haha. But I did explain that we worship God with our bodies, and not just in our minds. I’m not sure why people put up their hands, but I will try to give them the benefit of the doubt for the time being.
However, I’m not going to trash it because they are doing something with their body. I do things with my body in worship all the time too. Kneeling, lying prostrate, tracing my body with the sign of the cross, folding my hands in prayer, closing my eyes, standing up in song, and folding my arms during the sermon. That last one, just kidding, but, no really.
But I don’t do these things because I think it will please God. I do it because I need it for myself, I am able to receive God’s word and orient myself around it. As God has saved my spirit, so he has saved my body in the power of the resurrection, and I use my body for worship appropriately. It isn’t about me, but about God for me.
I think the difference lies in how people treat emotions. People often think that emotions are the Holy Spirit, and seek emotions rather than the Spirit who comes to us through the Word. And so dancing, and hand waving might be that high for them, possibly. But God doesn’t need our excitement, the way we think we do, but he demands our faith. Now emotions in worship aren’t bad, they come and go, but we don’t need to manufacture them.
Doctrine and Practice go together. As one prays, so one believes. I would also add that as someone worships so one believes and vice versa. But the Latin for this idea is “Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi”. And it’s not a new idea. But I was reading Todd Wilken earlier today, and he said, “Pentecostals worship the way they do, because they believe the way they do. Baptists worship the way they do, because they believe the way they do. Lutherans worship the way they do, because they believe the way they do.” It makes sense. If you see people worshiping like a Pentecostal in a Baptist church, that person most likely believes as a Pentecostal would believe. Ideas have consequences, and our distinctions in faith also have consequences in worship.
I think anybody would agree with that.
So I began to think about why Lutherans worship the way they do, and try to ignore what we call the historic “liturgy”, because it isn’t about the “form” per se, but its about the substance of the form. Certain forms will gear itself up better to the substance than others. But it isn’t really about having a pat pattern except: God acts and we respond.
In Lutheran theology, we believe in Justification By Grace Through Faith Alone. Jesus saves us, through faith, and not by any works of ourselves. “God doesn’t need our works, our neighbour does” is a common mantra in Lutheran circles. And it is totally the same way in Lutheran worship. God doesn’t need our worship, but we need worship. That is why we call it “the Divine Service.” In worship, it isn’t about our service to God but about God’s service to us. Sure there are both components, but in Lutheran worship this is the center and hub, God’s service to us is in worship through his word. In worship God continues to pour out his gifts to us and they overflow out of the service and into our vocations, and our worship continues into our daily lives.
That, by the way, is why saying, ‘“so and so’ lead worship this morning” is one of my pet peeves. Unless that answer is Jesus or God, then I would be happy. Worship isn’t just our songs. It is also about being humble under scripture, shutting up and listening to God’s word to us. And even then, it doesn’t end with the scripture readings or the sermon either.
So worship is about letting God be God. And this is how we do it, faith. Faith is worship. Faith is also something that passively “receives.” By faith we lay hold of, and receive all of God’s promises. So all throughout worship God is giving gifts of forgiveness, peace, mercy and grace, and he leads and shapes and informs our faith and worship, and builds up our faith and worship as we receive him.
So worship isn’t about what God needs. It’s about what we need from God. A lot of people tend to think the opposite way about worship. But look at it like this: “Jesus came not to be served, but to serve.” That is when God is most sovereign, when he is serving us delivering us from sin. Worship is God serving us through the cross, preaching it, as we speak psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to one another, serving one another the Word of Christ, which dwells in us richly, and which externalizes richly as we recount his saving deeds to ourselves and to our other members in the body of Christ.
So what does this mean? Well, here are a few thoughts.
Does our worship convey this? As a Lutheran who believes this, I sure hope so. We have major things that really stand out in the service that testifies to this. Absolution, Communion and when we have baptisms. But all that other stuff, I’m not sure if people catch on that this is what worship does. It isn’t just a bunch of words about worship, but worship is a word that delivers what it says. God does what he does. Salvation and worship are linked really closely if worship is viewed as God’s leading. Psalm 51 is a tremendous psalm. Some Lutheran churches open up with an interesting line from it: “Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise”. I love that line. That is what worship and praise is about, God opens our lips.
Now, I do not read this in any Calvinistic, fatalistic way, as if God opens up our lips deterministically. But how does God open up our lips? He acts! This is what Lutheran worship is about. God speaks to us through his word and we respond to his grace. Not only does God open our lips by his salvific acts, but he also gives us scripture to put into our mouths that give us an idea of what praise should look like.
I think too many times we make worship about what we do for God, but just end up making it about ourselves in a fickle sort of way. Don’t get me wrong, I still think that worship is for us, but it gets fickle when you start praising yourself, and making it about us.
My previous pastor took the song “I Will Not Be Shaken” and changed the lyric “I will declare my choice to the nations” to “I will declare my Lord.” It’s a bit picky, but I think it’s a big difference. We aren’t the substance of our worship. Sure, it’s not a bad thing to tell someone about your decision for Jesus. But worship needs to have a God centered ethos and be less man centered. You shouldn’t be proclaiming yourself all throughout worship, which a lot of songs tend to do. It’s a lot about me praising God without praising him for what he has done.
So to a few particulars… I went to a few different churches in the summer to help some friends “church shop.” My pastor was on vacation and I thought it might be interesting to see how other people worship. So as I went to a church with a friend who was strongly contemplating Christianity, I thought it was interesting how she even picked up on this, saying something to the effect of, “Why do they put their hands up in the air as if they think God will notice them better?”
I didn’t really have an answer for that particular “rubric” as we would call it in my church. Haha. But I did explain that we worship God with our bodies, and not just in our minds. I’m not sure why people put up their hands, but I will try to give them the benefit of the doubt for the time being.
However, I’m not going to trash it because they are doing something with their body. I do things with my body in worship all the time too. Kneeling, lying prostrate, tracing my body with the sign of the cross, folding my hands in prayer, closing my eyes, standing up in song, and folding my arms during the sermon. That last one, just kidding, but, no really.
But I don’t do these things because I think it will please God. I do it because I need it for myself, I am able to receive God’s word and orient myself around it. As God has saved my spirit, so he has saved my body in the power of the resurrection, and I use my body for worship appropriately. It isn’t about me, but about God for me.
I think the difference lies in how people treat emotions. People often think that emotions are the Holy Spirit, and seek emotions rather than the Spirit who comes to us through the Word. And so dancing, and hand waving might be that high for them, possibly. But God doesn’t need our excitement, the way we think we do, but he demands our faith. Now emotions in worship aren’t bad, they come and go, but we don’t need to manufacture them.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Living in Forgiveness
Lutherans are all about the salvation of the world, the forgiveness of sins, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is the very name of Jesus, “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Whenever we hear the “forgiveness of sins” it is a big deal. This is what Jesus is all about. Naturally, this is what Lutheran worship is all about. How do we know we are forgiven, that Christ’s death and resurrection applies to us? We find out when we gather together in his name.
Salvation and the forgiveness of sins mean a lot of things. In general, we receive the salvation of our personhood and the salvation of the community. We are being saved from our own sin and corruption, but also from the sins of others that were inflicted upon us, and the corruption of a fallen cosmos. Ultimately this salvation comes through the restoration of all things in our new humanity that we have and shall have because of Christ’s incarnation, death and resurrection, being joined to him in faith, and justified by his grace.
This salvation comes to us through a verdict, “innocent.” This is the verdict that we receive on the Last Day in final judgment. Yet, it is also a verdict received in the here and now. It has already been done. There is simultaneously a “now and not yet” component to our salvation. Here and now, our bodies are still held captive to the law of sin and entropy. But having the forgiveness of our sins, we look forward to the day of resurrection. The judgment on the day to come is two fold: we are declared innocent of our own sins, but we also receive vindication and restitution for our sufferings and the dark, evil injustice that has been thrust upon us. Judgment isn’t always negative, but it is also a positive thing when things are restored to order.
In the life of the Church this forgiveness extends from Jesus, flowing from him to us and to one another. Asking God for forgiveness is hardly something that we move beyond in our daily lives as Christians. Forgiveness takes on this dynamic focus in worship, specifically in the Lords prayer, which is a "daily" prayer. In it we petition God, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors”. And we also ask him to “deliver us from evil”. Furthermore, when Lutherans sing, “Lord have mercy” in this way, they identify with all the characters in the Gospels who beg the Lord for mercy, whether it is forgiveness or healing, it is both. Not only do we see ourselves in the Gospels as contemporaries, but we also hear the Lords forgiveness to us in these narratives. We are poor beggars, and likewise ask, “Lord have mercy” to save us from our own sins and the sins of others. We ask this because we know he will come to save us.
In Lutheran worship we do not merely hear “about” forgiveness, or talk “about” forgiveness. Neither do we talk “about” God. Rather, we hear and receive God’s forgiveness directly – it breaks forth from the cross reaching us in the “here and now” through the Word which is Spirit and Truth. We boldly proclaim it because God has authorized us to preach this way.
“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” and when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld” (John 20:21-23). And “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Matthew 18:18-19.
Salvation and the forgiveness of sins mean a lot of things. In general, we receive the salvation of our personhood and the salvation of the community. We are being saved from our own sin and corruption, but also from the sins of others that were inflicted upon us, and the corruption of a fallen cosmos. Ultimately this salvation comes through the restoration of all things in our new humanity that we have and shall have because of Christ’s incarnation, death and resurrection, being joined to him in faith, and justified by his grace.
This salvation comes to us through a verdict, “innocent.” This is the verdict that we receive on the Last Day in final judgment. Yet, it is also a verdict received in the here and now. It has already been done. There is simultaneously a “now and not yet” component to our salvation. Here and now, our bodies are still held captive to the law of sin and entropy. But having the forgiveness of our sins, we look forward to the day of resurrection. The judgment on the day to come is two fold: we are declared innocent of our own sins, but we also receive vindication and restitution for our sufferings and the dark, evil injustice that has been thrust upon us. Judgment isn’t always negative, but it is also a positive thing when things are restored to order.
In the life of the Church this forgiveness extends from Jesus, flowing from him to us and to one another. Asking God for forgiveness is hardly something that we move beyond in our daily lives as Christians. Forgiveness takes on this dynamic focus in worship, specifically in the Lords prayer, which is a "daily" prayer. In it we petition God, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors”. And we also ask him to “deliver us from evil”. Furthermore, when Lutherans sing, “Lord have mercy” in this way, they identify with all the characters in the Gospels who beg the Lord for mercy, whether it is forgiveness or healing, it is both. Not only do we see ourselves in the Gospels as contemporaries, but we also hear the Lords forgiveness to us in these narratives. We are poor beggars, and likewise ask, “Lord have mercy” to save us from our own sins and the sins of others. We ask this because we know he will come to save us.
In Lutheran worship we do not merely hear “about” forgiveness, or talk “about” forgiveness. Neither do we talk “about” God. Rather, we hear and receive God’s forgiveness directly – it breaks forth from the cross reaching us in the “here and now” through the Word which is Spirit and Truth. We boldly proclaim it because God has authorized us to preach this way.
“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” and when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld” (John 20:21-23). And “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Matthew 18:18-19.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Quote Of the Day.
The sun begins the day and ends it, and yet exists before the day and endures after it. O Lord Jesus, You began our salvation in Paradise and carried it through the high noon of the scorching cross, and You shall end it on the Last Day, in the evening of the world, and on the day of the restoration of all things You shall summon us to gladness. You are before all ages from eternity, and You endure forever. -- Valerius Herberger, The Great Works of God, p. 86
Friday, November 5, 2010
"Baptism Now Saves You"
Now there's a verse that doesn't jive well with pop evangelical sensibilities! But what does this mean?
In context this phrase comes from I Peter 3: 18-22. Peter is writing to encourage Christians to keep strong in the faith despite the suffering we endure as followers of Christ. He likens the same situation to the days of Noah when God had patience with the Old World. So here, too, God once again is displaying patience with the world through his Son who suffered and died and draws all men to himself. However, Peter draws a parallel with this through water - the water of baptism and the water of the flood. But it is interesting enough to investigate how he draws the parallel. He says the flood saves Noah. So forget about the ark, it doesn't save them. Huh.
The means God uses to execute judgment is the same means he uses to exercise salvation. (I always liked how the Orthodox make little distinction between wrath and love. God doesn't change, people do. The sun burns and can kill, yet it also gives life. Furthermore, if you love something inevitably you are going to "hate" anything that tries to destroy your love) How about that as a concept of hell? Anyways, I'm sure we can take this in a thousand directions.
So the question is, how does the flood save Noah? It wipes out the old humanity and separates those in the ark from all the evils and destruction of the old world. Not only does it save them from the world it saves them from God's wrath which is the fate of the world. I'm sure God could have rained down fire and it would have burned the ark and everyone altogether. But God sends water. Water kills and water gives life. You can also float on it. The point being that "they were brought safely through water."
In several epistles of Paul we see how baptism drowns the old man so that a new man might emerge. The correspondence of baptism to the flood isn't just escaping the world as victims but escaping our own fallen nature. God's wrath and mercy was manifested on the cross, and Jesus has done it all. But we share in it through baptism, being united with him in his death and resurrection by faith.
But back to Peter. The implications are very evangelical - Not "Evangelical" as we now use the term to describe various protestants. But evangelical as in "good news" and not anything smacking of "works." If the gospel is a message from God to us that comes as gift then so is water baptism. Water is not a wage owed. It is a gift and a declaration. It's one of the several ways God promises the benefits of Christ's work for us individually. As God declares our sin and diseases of the world healed on the cross via words, letters, gospels etc, so he declares us cleansed and healed in baptism. The cross is not separate from water baptism, they are not opposing things, they are joined together correlating to Christ's work.
Peter says "not as a removal of dirt from the body." The apostle is still talking about the water of baptism (which happens to be just as external as dirt on the body.) This phrase doesn't then disregard the external act as if he is now talking about invisible water. We can see it, feel it, even hear it. But here is the distinction: it isn't the outward cleansing that saves us, as if our flesh needed to be bathed; rather this water cleanses our hearts and consciences through the power of the Holy Spirit and the hope of the resurrection. If we do not care for baptism it has no benefit and our hearts have no hope. What matters is the faith it gives in Jesus' saving work. We have good conscience in baptism because of what it declares to us in Christ's resurrection. As surely as Christ died and was raised for all, so he has placed his mark on us individually and personally in baptism.
Evangelicals need to realize that baptism has benefits for the baptized. Baptism isn't all about what we do for God. It's about what God does for us. After all no one baptizes themselves, God baptizes us. And as Peter states in Acts 2:38, God makes promises to us in baptism. Therefore, baptism shouldn't make us talk about ourselves, it should makes us talk about God. For this reason baptism has continual benefits for the Christian, and Peter draws on this to comfort Christians in their trials.
Peter says, "Baptism now saves you." It still has value in the life of a Christian with saving effect - baptism is a present reality. Baptism doesn't just save them, and wasn't that pretty cool, now everything is in the past without lasting value. When we are baptized we are baptized into something. We are placed into a new world - we are plunged into the Triune God. This is all through Jesus. In baptism we are also placed into the destiny of our Messiah. He died, rose and is glorified. We too are baptized into that destiny. As forgiveness isn't just something that happened to us in the past but a reality through which we now live - so is baptism. Baptism is an ever present blessing from God, it is a daily reality in which we live. Because baptism saves us now, and imparts good conscience toward God, Peter uses it as a comfort that we will be brought through safely because of the resurrection of Jesus.
When we look at baptism it isn't something to be stared at like a picture or a symbol, but it is a window through which we continually look to Jesus and are continually blessed through it.
Having spent a lot of time in evangelical churches, I don't think I've ever heard anyone use the words "you've been baptized" let alone "baptism now saves you" to be a sense of comfort and strength to draw from in our spiritual lives. I dunno if there is a word for it. Baptismophobia?
In context this phrase comes from I Peter 3: 18-22. Peter is writing to encourage Christians to keep strong in the faith despite the suffering we endure as followers of Christ. He likens the same situation to the days of Noah when God had patience with the Old World. So here, too, God once again is displaying patience with the world through his Son who suffered and died and draws all men to himself. However, Peter draws a parallel with this through water - the water of baptism and the water of the flood. But it is interesting enough to investigate how he draws the parallel. He says the flood saves Noah. So forget about the ark, it doesn't save them. Huh.
The means God uses to execute judgment is the same means he uses to exercise salvation. (I always liked how the Orthodox make little distinction between wrath and love. God doesn't change, people do. The sun burns and can kill, yet it also gives life. Furthermore, if you love something inevitably you are going to "hate" anything that tries to destroy your love) How about that as a concept of hell? Anyways, I'm sure we can take this in a thousand directions.
So the question is, how does the flood save Noah? It wipes out the old humanity and separates those in the ark from all the evils and destruction of the old world. Not only does it save them from the world it saves them from God's wrath which is the fate of the world. I'm sure God could have rained down fire and it would have burned the ark and everyone altogether. But God sends water. Water kills and water gives life. You can also float on it. The point being that "they were brought safely through water."
In several epistles of Paul we see how baptism drowns the old man so that a new man might emerge. The correspondence of baptism to the flood isn't just escaping the world as victims but escaping our own fallen nature. God's wrath and mercy was manifested on the cross, and Jesus has done it all. But we share in it through baptism, being united with him in his death and resurrection by faith.
But back to Peter. The implications are very evangelical - Not "Evangelical" as we now use the term to describe various protestants. But evangelical as in "good news" and not anything smacking of "works." If the gospel is a message from God to us that comes as gift then so is water baptism. Water is not a wage owed. It is a gift and a declaration. It's one of the several ways God promises the benefits of Christ's work for us individually. As God declares our sin and diseases of the world healed on the cross via words, letters, gospels etc, so he declares us cleansed and healed in baptism. The cross is not separate from water baptism, they are not opposing things, they are joined together correlating to Christ's work.
Peter says "not as a removal of dirt from the body." The apostle is still talking about the water of baptism (which happens to be just as external as dirt on the body.) This phrase doesn't then disregard the external act as if he is now talking about invisible water. We can see it, feel it, even hear it. But here is the distinction: it isn't the outward cleansing that saves us, as if our flesh needed to be bathed; rather this water cleanses our hearts and consciences through the power of the Holy Spirit and the hope of the resurrection. If we do not care for baptism it has no benefit and our hearts have no hope. What matters is the faith it gives in Jesus' saving work. We have good conscience in baptism because of what it declares to us in Christ's resurrection. As surely as Christ died and was raised for all, so he has placed his mark on us individually and personally in baptism.
Evangelicals need to realize that baptism has benefits for the baptized. Baptism isn't all about what we do for God. It's about what God does for us. After all no one baptizes themselves, God baptizes us. And as Peter states in Acts 2:38, God makes promises to us in baptism. Therefore, baptism shouldn't make us talk about ourselves, it should makes us talk about God. For this reason baptism has continual benefits for the Christian, and Peter draws on this to comfort Christians in their trials.
Peter says, "Baptism now saves you." It still has value in the life of a Christian with saving effect - baptism is a present reality. Baptism doesn't just save them, and wasn't that pretty cool, now everything is in the past without lasting value. When we are baptized we are baptized into something. We are placed into a new world - we are plunged into the Triune God. This is all through Jesus. In baptism we are also placed into the destiny of our Messiah. He died, rose and is glorified. We too are baptized into that destiny. As forgiveness isn't just something that happened to us in the past but a reality through which we now live - so is baptism. Baptism is an ever present blessing from God, it is a daily reality in which we live. Because baptism saves us now, and imparts good conscience toward God, Peter uses it as a comfort that we will be brought through safely because of the resurrection of Jesus.
When we look at baptism it isn't something to be stared at like a picture or a symbol, but it is a window through which we continually look to Jesus and are continually blessed through it.
Having spent a lot of time in evangelical churches, I don't think I've ever heard anyone use the words "you've been baptized" let alone "baptism now saves you" to be a sense of comfort and strength to draw from in our spiritual lives. I dunno if there is a word for it. Baptismophobia?
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Treasury of Daily Prayer, Psalm 20, O LORD, Save the King!
First off, I really like the Treasury of Daily Prayer. Such a cool book for "devotions." It has a Psalm, an Old Testament and New Testament reading, a writing from a church father, a hymn stanza, and a prayer for every day.
Today was a rich day for me. Not necessarily with answers, but sometimes just creating more questions. Today's Psalm is from Psalm 20. It's particularly interesting because it starts out "May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble" so you automatically start thinking this psalm is about me. It even goes on to say "may he grant you your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans!" That sounds pretty sweet. Then after in verse 5 it says "may we shout for joy over your salvation and in the name of our God set up our banners!" Hmm, now it seems like it isn't talking about me but about someone else. Vs 6 "Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed" ok, so this is probably about David or Jesus. But was this psalm written by David or someone else? I don't know. Then whose salvation are we rejoicing in? Then at the end it says "O Lord, save the king, may he answer us when we call" That's an interesting line "may he answer us when we call." IE. May the King answer us when we call. If speaking of David that's quite the responsibility he has to do. But it could also be talking about Jesus. Perhaps its another both/and situation, regarding David and Jesus.
On the side, I think, its interesting how people say "God save the queen." Salvation seems to entail a type of rule. (Sorry stream of consciousness here)
Then the OT reading was in Deuteronomy (the covenant renewed in Moab), the New Testament was the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant... then the writing was from Martin Luther:
"If the mass (holy communion) is a promise, as has been said, then access to it is to be gained, not with any works, or powers, or merits of one's own, but by faith alone. For where there is the Word of the promising God, there must necessarily be the faith of the accepting man. It is plain therefore, that the beginning of our salvation is a faith which clings to the Word of the promising God, who, without any effort on our part, in free and unmerited mercy takes the initiative and offers us the word of his promise. "He sent forth his word, and thus healed them," not: "He accepted our work, and thus healed us." First of all there is God's Word. After it follows faith; after faith, love; then love does every good work, for it does no wrong, indeed, it is the fulfilling of the law (Romans 13:10). In no other way can man come to God or deal with him than through faith. That is to say, that the author of salvation is not man, by any works of his own, but God, through his promise; and that all things depend on, and are upheld and preserved by, the word of his power (Hebrews 1:3) through which he brought us forth, to be a kind of first fruits of his creatures (James 1:18).
The Hymn
"Forgive our sins, Lord, we implore,
That they may trouble us no more;
We, too, will gladly those forgive
Who hurt us by the way they live.
Help us in our community
To serve each other willingly" - Our Father, Who from Heaven
Amen.
Today was a rich day for me. Not necessarily with answers, but sometimes just creating more questions. Today's Psalm is from Psalm 20. It's particularly interesting because it starts out "May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble" so you automatically start thinking this psalm is about me. It even goes on to say "may he grant you your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans!" That sounds pretty sweet. Then after in verse 5 it says "may we shout for joy over your salvation and in the name of our God set up our banners!" Hmm, now it seems like it isn't talking about me but about someone else. Vs 6 "Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed" ok, so this is probably about David or Jesus. But was this psalm written by David or someone else? I don't know. Then whose salvation are we rejoicing in? Then at the end it says "O Lord, save the king, may he answer us when we call" That's an interesting line "may he answer us when we call." IE. May the King answer us when we call. If speaking of David that's quite the responsibility he has to do. But it could also be talking about Jesus. Perhaps its another both/and situation, regarding David and Jesus.
On the side, I think, its interesting how people say "God save the queen." Salvation seems to entail a type of rule. (Sorry stream of consciousness here)
Then the OT reading was in Deuteronomy (the covenant renewed in Moab), the New Testament was the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant... then the writing was from Martin Luther:
"If the mass (holy communion) is a promise, as has been said, then access to it is to be gained, not with any works, or powers, or merits of one's own, but by faith alone. For where there is the Word of the promising God, there must necessarily be the faith of the accepting man. It is plain therefore, that the beginning of our salvation is a faith which clings to the Word of the promising God, who, without any effort on our part, in free and unmerited mercy takes the initiative and offers us the word of his promise. "He sent forth his word, and thus healed them," not: "He accepted our work, and thus healed us." First of all there is God's Word. After it follows faith; after faith, love; then love does every good work, for it does no wrong, indeed, it is the fulfilling of the law (Romans 13:10). In no other way can man come to God or deal with him than through faith. That is to say, that the author of salvation is not man, by any works of his own, but God, through his promise; and that all things depend on, and are upheld and preserved by, the word of his power (Hebrews 1:3) through which he brought us forth, to be a kind of first fruits of his creatures (James 1:18).
The Hymn
"Forgive our sins, Lord, we implore,
That they may trouble us no more;
We, too, will gladly those forgive
Who hurt us by the way they live.
Help us in our community
To serve each other willingly" - Our Father, Who from Heaven
Amen.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Random Thoughts on Translations.
I'm no expert in hebrew or greek, but having this Blue Letter Bible sure is helpful. It certainly favors the AV/KJV, but with the tools provided therein, you can see that even the AV/KJV isn't always the best translation.
But first the NIV. I really like the readability however, a lot of biases do come out.
The other day I was reading Hebrews 13:17
"Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you." ESV
I was curious to the phrase "keeping watch over your souls". How does the NIV translate it? "Keep watch over you." Really that's it? In English "you" can mean anything about you - spiritual or not. "You" can mean your pinky finger. It seems to me that the NIV is a little skiddish about the care of souls. Now, I'm not going to go crazy and say this doesn't convey that. Of course it can, because the word psyche can be translated as soul, lives, heart, mind - however the NIV skips over this word altogether, and turns "your" into "you" which I find curious. If they wanted to convey "you" as your "whole being" why didn't they go the extra mile that they already took? Lastly, looking at this letter you see it is written for a Church not an individual, if you say "watch over you" you could then think in terms of controlling institutions, programs and orderly worship rather than caring for souls.
The ministry that Christ left behind for pastors is caring for our souls. This is how every other translation translates "psyche"; the NLT, RSV, ASV, KJV, NKJV, ESV. If you know your translations you can tell that this is no textual variant, it's the same text in the textus receptus and the morphological texts.
However, I love a few things about the NIV:
Hebrews 12:2-3
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
I love the word "fix" rather than "keep." It seems much more compelling and well, fixating.
Here's another great translation from the NIV:
Galatians 3:27 "for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ."
And if you look up the concordance "endyo" often does mean "clothe." Yet all the other translations go with "put on Christ" which seems a bit vague and bland (yet also accurate). However, being clothed is such a rich theme in Scripture - from the garden of Eden to Jacob receiving his brother's blessing, and from David putting on Saul's uniform failing to fit him to putting on the armor of God. This verse has such a strong connection to this theme in baptism. As corny as I may sound, this translation is dear to my heart. It's a love/hate relationship
But first the NIV. I really like the readability however, a lot of biases do come out.
The other day I was reading Hebrews 13:17
"Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you." ESV
I was curious to the phrase "keeping watch over your souls". How does the NIV translate it? "Keep watch over you." Really that's it? In English "you" can mean anything about you - spiritual or not. "You" can mean your pinky finger. It seems to me that the NIV is a little skiddish about the care of souls. Now, I'm not going to go crazy and say this doesn't convey that. Of course it can, because the word psyche can be translated as soul, lives, heart, mind - however the NIV skips over this word altogether, and turns "your" into "you" which I find curious. If they wanted to convey "you" as your "whole being" why didn't they go the extra mile that they already took? Lastly, looking at this letter you see it is written for a Church not an individual, if you say "watch over you" you could then think in terms of controlling institutions, programs and orderly worship rather than caring for souls.
The ministry that Christ left behind for pastors is caring for our souls. This is how every other translation translates "psyche"; the NLT, RSV, ASV, KJV, NKJV, ESV. If you know your translations you can tell that this is no textual variant, it's the same text in the textus receptus and the morphological texts.
However, I love a few things about the NIV:
Hebrews 12:2-3
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
I love the word "fix" rather than "keep." It seems much more compelling and well, fixating.
Here's another great translation from the NIV:
Galatians 3:27 "for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ."
And if you look up the concordance "endyo" often does mean "clothe." Yet all the other translations go with "put on Christ" which seems a bit vague and bland (yet also accurate). However, being clothed is such a rich theme in Scripture - from the garden of Eden to Jacob receiving his brother's blessing, and from David putting on Saul's uniform failing to fit him to putting on the armor of God. This verse has such a strong connection to this theme in baptism. As corny as I may sound, this translation is dear to my heart. It's a love/hate relationship
Look to Jesus.
Because I'm starting on a spirituality kick, I was going to post about how our spirituality is shaped by Jesus, aka the Gospel, and how the law still has application in our lives (as Saints who simultaneously battle out our sinful nature) but also how the Gospel truly helps us fight the battle in our flesh. However, I happened upon a post that already does so quite eloquently with good testimony. "Don't look to your sins look to Jesus" by the Seeking Disciple. I'm quite honestly impressed how often non-Lutherans sound more Lutheran than Lutherans.
I'd love to post about law and gospel right now but duty calls! Back to math.
I'd love to post about law and gospel right now but duty calls! Back to math.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
The Psalms
Paul says, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God" (Colossians 3:16).
How come the psalms get so little singing time in worship these days? There is so much good stuff in the psalms! I love the raw honesty. They have so much heart, and dare I say it, emotion. You find yourself wrestling with God, dealing with despair and skepticism, fallen-ness and sin; but you also share in joy, reverence, peace, awe, beauty, mercy and deliverance. It's down to earth but also accompanied with the grace of heaven.
Sure there are psalms sung in church every once in a while by way of vague references, but it's always the flowery psalms that get cherry picked. There is so much more than that. The psalms reveal Christ. They reveal Christ even in the darkest moments, especially in the darkest moments. Whenever I read the psalms I can't even tell if it's about David or the Messiah. I like that. It just shows how close Jesus is with us, sharing in our humanity, trials and temptations.
Why is it that we skimp out on the psalms? Is it our attempts to be relevant and seeker sensitive? Maybe that's part of it. But I think Christianity at large has become pretty comfortable. I think we have become blind to what surrounds us. When was the last time you sang about anguish, terror of death, fear and trembling, and being overwhelmed with horror? Or when was the last time you simply asked God for mercy? And when you look at that, you see how comforting the gospel actually is. How relevant it is. It's comforting but it's not comfortable. It's this word of Christ that dwells in us richly.
That said, I really like this introit. It's a substantial chunk of scripture distilled from Psalm 55. I'm also a sucker for responsive chant and harmony.
I call to God and he hears my voice
He redeems my soul in safety
Cast your burden on the Lord
And he will sustain you.
Give ear to my prayer O God
And hide not yourself from my plea for mercy
My heart is in anguish within me
The terrors of death have fallen upon me.
Fear and trembling come upon me
And horror overwhelms me.
But I call to God
And the Lord will save me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning
Is now, and will be forever
Amen.
I call to God and he hears my voice
He redeems my soul in safety
Cast your burden on the Lord
And he will sustain you.
How come the psalms get so little singing time in worship these days? There is so much good stuff in the psalms! I love the raw honesty. They have so much heart, and dare I say it, emotion. You find yourself wrestling with God, dealing with despair and skepticism, fallen-ness and sin; but you also share in joy, reverence, peace, awe, beauty, mercy and deliverance. It's down to earth but also accompanied with the grace of heaven.
Sure there are psalms sung in church every once in a while by way of vague references, but it's always the flowery psalms that get cherry picked. There is so much more than that. The psalms reveal Christ. They reveal Christ even in the darkest moments, especially in the darkest moments. Whenever I read the psalms I can't even tell if it's about David or the Messiah. I like that. It just shows how close Jesus is with us, sharing in our humanity, trials and temptations.
Why is it that we skimp out on the psalms? Is it our attempts to be relevant and seeker sensitive? Maybe that's part of it. But I think Christianity at large has become pretty comfortable. I think we have become blind to what surrounds us. When was the last time you sang about anguish, terror of death, fear and trembling, and being overwhelmed with horror? Or when was the last time you simply asked God for mercy? And when you look at that, you see how comforting the gospel actually is. How relevant it is. It's comforting but it's not comfortable. It's this word of Christ that dwells in us richly.
That said, I really like this introit. It's a substantial chunk of scripture distilled from Psalm 55. I'm also a sucker for responsive chant and harmony.
I call to God and he hears my voice
He redeems my soul in safety
Cast your burden on the Lord
And he will sustain you.
Give ear to my prayer O God
And hide not yourself from my plea for mercy
My heart is in anguish within me
The terrors of death have fallen upon me.
Fear and trembling come upon me
And horror overwhelms me.
But I call to God
And the Lord will save me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning
Is now, and will be forever
Amen.
I call to God and he hears my voice
He redeems my soul in safety
Cast your burden on the Lord
And he will sustain you.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Pastoral Care to Former Evangelicals
"They basically have suffered from Christ-less Christianity or maybe its more accurately a cross-less Christianity. They do have a Christ that is taught them. Christ as the life coach or Christ as the entertainer. The Jews seek for a sign, the Greeks seek after Wisdom, but Americans desire to be entertained. It's not that they're getting Christ. They're getting a Christ. They're just not getting a Christ that comes to us on the cross, a Christ that is centered in his death and resurrection for you. And this leads people into a failure and inability to cope with life, reeling from the effects of sin and death." Pr. Jeremy Rhode, Issues etc interview.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Union With Christ (Part 2)
After 4+ posts on OSAS do you actually think I'm done? Well luckily for you, dear reader, I really am. But the recent onslaught of OSAS posts were not without intention. It wasn't my purpose to simply haggle a single random teaching. But it just so happens that it gets me to a point where I really want to go: The spirituality of our union with Christ. Our spirituality covers so much more ground. Is salvation just a one time thing pinpointed and limited to a single moment of time in the life of a Christian or is it more? A spirituality that embraces one or the other will look markedly different.
A few things that I wanted to highlight in those posts is that we are saved, being saved and will be saved. It is all by grace through faith. Faith doesn't stop justifying. We are always justified by faith. Faith always justifies us because Jesus always justifies us. The two are related because each one joins us to the other. Salvation embraces our whole life since Christ dwells in us through faith. Faith is always complete and entire in our lives, and yet is always on going, because so is Christ. Christ is our righteousness. It is the gospel and the Holy Spirit that initiates our faith and it is also the gospel and the Holy Spirit that sustains our faith. The gospel is a gift through and through, it keeps on giving.
But here is the kicker: If people view their salvation only as a moment of the past then the gospel will also play a minimal role in their spirituality and fall by the wayside. It takes on a weird dynamic that shifts from gospel to law. It focuses on works and fruits without the sustenance that produces them. A lot of people often burn out and fall away because they are left with nothing else. But the gospel always needs to stay at the forefront because it is the daily water which nourishes us and produces fruits in us. If we cut off the supply the tree will die. Sure Christ's sacrifice is once and for all - a one time thing- but that news to us isn't! It is always something that feeds us and gives us life now.
This is where a lot of evangelicals stop or misunderstand how the gospel shapes Christian or Lutheran spirituality. A "saving moment" can be defined every time we hear the gospel - the gospel always saves whenever it is believed. Therefore, saving moments are an ever present reality in the life of a Christian. It is our life of faith that always has forgiveness being poured into our ears.
The nature of salvation is revelatory. Salvation is God's disposition of grace toward us sinners declaring us righteous; but this not something that we can figure out on our own. Salvation is something that must be revealed. It is a word that unveils Christ for us. Whenever this news is proclaimed to us it brings healing, wholeness, life and forgiveness. Christ, however, shows his forgiveness in multifaceted ways, but it is always the same word speaking because it is revealing the same forgiveness. This revealing is always declarative.
Every time you hear the gospel God is speaking salvation into you. Not that you had any less of it before, not that you need to fill up, but simply because God gives us more than we need - his salvation overflows in us and strengthens us in assurance. It's exactly like loving someone. When you love someone you should tell them you love them frequently. If you tell someone you love them it fills them. It doesn't negate the previous times you tell them you love them. But as humans we are prone to doubt and need assurance.
God also assures us in the here and now by revealing his grace in multiple ways. He doesn't just give us faith and then leave the rest up to us, but he constantly comes to us in the word of the Gospel. Also sermons don't all have to be the same - stylistically, we can learn of salvation from the example of Jacob being clothed as his brother receiving the blessing of another - because we are also clothed with our brother Jesus and receive his blessing. Or another sermon might highlight Christ as the pascha lamb - and God passes us over. It is the same word. Either way salvation is declarative and we receive something we do not inherently deserve. And God brings this home in us.
Not only can this word come in different ways stylistically it can also come to us different ways methodologically. It can be heard from the sound waves proceeding from the mouth of a preacher. It can be married to music with notes and rhythm. It can be read with eyeballs glancing at a piece of paper. Or felt with braille. Either one of these means of communication communicate the same grace.
Still with me? God's disposition to us isn't simply invisible guess work. It comes to us in earthy tangible ways. These tangible things come from outside of us and work its way into us by revealing them to us.
But for whatever reason, Lutherans often get a lot of flack for saying God offers and reveals his grace in Baptism and the Lords Supper. Yes, you heard it right. Lutherans claim that. Water, Bread and Wine when combined with God's word actually promise what they say. Sure these things are visible, but they are no more profane than the mouths of men or a book of paper. Both have God's authority attached to them because both are sanctified by the word of God.
For example, in the Lord's Supper Christ says to us "this is my body given for you." Though a pastor might say this - it is really the word of Christ speaking to you through the pastor. These words come to us with the full blast of Jesus' authority because Jesus is the one who has spoken them. Do his words not reveal forgiveness? Do they not have his word of promise? Do his words not demand our faith? "Given for you" speaks to me and spurs me to faith. I cannot ignore my savior. As God attaches his word to ink and paper, so he attaches his word to bread and wine. They all both adequately reveal God's salvation to us and declare us forgiven and sustain us in the gospel.
So God tells us over and over he forgives us. But it is all the same forgiveness that comes from the cross. God brings the cross to us and reveals it in different ways.
A few things that I wanted to highlight in those posts is that we are saved, being saved and will be saved. It is all by grace through faith. Faith doesn't stop justifying. We are always justified by faith. Faith always justifies us because Jesus always justifies us. The two are related because each one joins us to the other. Salvation embraces our whole life since Christ dwells in us through faith. Faith is always complete and entire in our lives, and yet is always on going, because so is Christ. Christ is our righteousness. It is the gospel and the Holy Spirit that initiates our faith and it is also the gospel and the Holy Spirit that sustains our faith. The gospel is a gift through and through, it keeps on giving.
But here is the kicker: If people view their salvation only as a moment of the past then the gospel will also play a minimal role in their spirituality and fall by the wayside. It takes on a weird dynamic that shifts from gospel to law. It focuses on works and fruits without the sustenance that produces them. A lot of people often burn out and fall away because they are left with nothing else. But the gospel always needs to stay at the forefront because it is the daily water which nourishes us and produces fruits in us. If we cut off the supply the tree will die. Sure Christ's sacrifice is once and for all - a one time thing- but that news to us isn't! It is always something that feeds us and gives us life now.
This is where a lot of evangelicals stop or misunderstand how the gospel shapes Christian or Lutheran spirituality. A "saving moment" can be defined every time we hear the gospel - the gospel always saves whenever it is believed. Therefore, saving moments are an ever present reality in the life of a Christian. It is our life of faith that always has forgiveness being poured into our ears.
The nature of salvation is revelatory. Salvation is God's disposition of grace toward us sinners declaring us righteous; but this not something that we can figure out on our own. Salvation is something that must be revealed. It is a word that unveils Christ for us. Whenever this news is proclaimed to us it brings healing, wholeness, life and forgiveness. Christ, however, shows his forgiveness in multifaceted ways, but it is always the same word speaking because it is revealing the same forgiveness. This revealing is always declarative.
Every time you hear the gospel God is speaking salvation into you. Not that you had any less of it before, not that you need to fill up, but simply because God gives us more than we need - his salvation overflows in us and strengthens us in assurance. It's exactly like loving someone. When you love someone you should tell them you love them frequently. If you tell someone you love them it fills them. It doesn't negate the previous times you tell them you love them. But as humans we are prone to doubt and need assurance.
God also assures us in the here and now by revealing his grace in multiple ways. He doesn't just give us faith and then leave the rest up to us, but he constantly comes to us in the word of the Gospel. Also sermons don't all have to be the same - stylistically, we can learn of salvation from the example of Jacob being clothed as his brother receiving the blessing of another - because we are also clothed with our brother Jesus and receive his blessing. Or another sermon might highlight Christ as the pascha lamb - and God passes us over. It is the same word. Either way salvation is declarative and we receive something we do not inherently deserve. And God brings this home in us.
Not only can this word come in different ways stylistically it can also come to us different ways methodologically. It can be heard from the sound waves proceeding from the mouth of a preacher. It can be married to music with notes and rhythm. It can be read with eyeballs glancing at a piece of paper. Or felt with braille. Either one of these means of communication communicate the same grace.
Still with me? God's disposition to us isn't simply invisible guess work. It comes to us in earthy tangible ways. These tangible things come from outside of us and work its way into us by revealing them to us.
But for whatever reason, Lutherans often get a lot of flack for saying God offers and reveals his grace in Baptism and the Lords Supper. Yes, you heard it right. Lutherans claim that. Water, Bread and Wine when combined with God's word actually promise what they say. Sure these things are visible, but they are no more profane than the mouths of men or a book of paper. Both have God's authority attached to them because both are sanctified by the word of God.
For example, in the Lord's Supper Christ says to us "this is my body given for you." Though a pastor might say this - it is really the word of Christ speaking to you through the pastor. These words come to us with the full blast of Jesus' authority because Jesus is the one who has spoken them. Do his words not reveal forgiveness? Do they not have his word of promise? Do his words not demand our faith? "Given for you" speaks to me and spurs me to faith. I cannot ignore my savior. As God attaches his word to ink and paper, so he attaches his word to bread and wine. They all both adequately reveal God's salvation to us and declare us forgiven and sustain us in the gospel.
So God tells us over and over he forgives us. But it is all the same forgiveness that comes from the cross. God brings the cross to us and reveals it in different ways.
Monday, October 18, 2010
The Philosophy of Once Saved Always Saved Pt 4.
If your theology causes you to ignore all the clear warnings from scripture you are wrong.
Hebrews 10: 26-31
For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries... How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay" ... It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Hebrews 3: 12-14
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
Galatians 3:1-12
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump...I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!
Colossians 1:11-23
May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins... And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Colossians 2: 18-19
Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
John 15: 1-9
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
I John 2: 23-25
No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us eternal life.
Matthew 10:33
But whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
Luke 12:9
But the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
Matthew 10:22; Mark 13:13
And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
James 5:19-20
My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
I Corinthians 15:1-3
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
Hebrews 10: 26-31
For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries... How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay" ... It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Hebrews 3: 12-14
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
Galatians 3:1-12
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump...I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!
Colossians 1:11-23
May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins... And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Colossians 2: 18-19
Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
John 15: 1-9
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
I John 2: 23-25
No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us eternal life.
Matthew 10:33
But whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
Luke 12:9
But the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
Matthew 10:22; Mark 13:13
And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
James 5:19-20
My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
I Corinthians 15:1-3
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Union With Christ
I've been talking about the various defenses of the OSAS teachings, how the arguments don't hold up and what we need is a teaching from scripture for any reason to hold such views. I dealt with a supposed go-to verse explaining how it ignores the context and centers eternal security at the wrong point of redemption. At this point, I consider myself done with the Calvinist teaching of eternal security. However, the idea that we can abandon the faith and continue in grace still needs more hashing out. Unlike Calvinism, this view turns salvation into a narrow point of time in the life of a Christian. But salvation is holistic including our entire lives, being a state in which we constantly receive forgiveness. It is through faith that we have union with Christ and receive his forgiveness, because in faith itself Christ is present. This is the Biblical witness:
Romans 8:5-11
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
You either have Christ within you or not. You have faith or you don't. There isn't two ways about it. "So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith-" (Ephesians 3:17a). "The righteous shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17).
The author to the Hebrews is quite clear what this means:
Hebrews 10: 38,39
"But my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him, But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls."
Scripture speaks of our salvation in three parts:
*Saved (II Timothy 1:9)
*Being Saved (I Corinthians 1:18)
*Will Be Saved (I Timothy 4:16)
Salvation is both now and not yet. The fullness of time breaks into the here and now when we are united with Jesus in faith. The whole package of our salvation is handed to us, and received in our union with him.
Romans 8:30
And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
But it is only by this union in faith that we have this assurance.
Romans 8:5-11
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
You either have Christ within you or not. You have faith or you don't. There isn't two ways about it. "So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith-" (Ephesians 3:17a). "The righteous shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17).
The author to the Hebrews is quite clear what this means:
Hebrews 10: 38,39
"But my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him, But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls."
Scripture speaks of our salvation in three parts:
*Saved (II Timothy 1:9)
*Being Saved (I Corinthians 1:18)
*Will Be Saved (I Timothy 4:16)
Salvation is both now and not yet. The fullness of time breaks into the here and now when we are united with Jesus in faith. The whole package of our salvation is handed to us, and received in our union with him.
Romans 8:30
And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
But it is only by this union in faith that we have this assurance.
Lutherans - Bad Wrap
Lutherans often get a bad wrap about having a narrow definition of the gospel. I'm sure we often bring this upon ourselves. However, the gospel in Lutheran theology also does have a "wide" sense of the term. Our confessions teach:
"the sum of the preaching of the Gospel is this, namely, to convict of sin, and to offer for Christ's sake the remission of sins and righteousness, and the Holy Ghost, and eternal life, and that as regenerate men we should do good works."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession 12.29
"the sum of the preaching of the Gospel is this, namely, to convict of sin, and to offer for Christ's sake the remission of sins and righteousness, and the Holy Ghost, and eternal life, and that as regenerate men we should do good works."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession 12.29
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The Philosophy of Once Saved Always Saved Pt 3.
In the various teachings of OSAS there are major differences. One group says you cannot lose faith, another says you can lose faith. They are worlds apart. But they both end up saying the same thing. In these variations there is some overlap between them. Sorry Baptists, you're going to get lumped in with the Calvinists. Southern Baptists, you get no apology :P
Both systems have a common defense for eternal security:
1. When Jesus forgives sins it includes the past, present and future
2. When someone has faith their sins past, present and future are forgiven.
3* If a believer denies the faith his unbelief is still forgiven.
There is a lot to unpack here.
But first, I'd like to note that as a Lutheran I reject the way both groups frame that. But I can also agree with all three statements. I noted number 3 because Calvinists will understand that differently as well. But if you notice, numbers 1 and 2 look identical. What's the difference? I think this might be the key to understanding the differences - because I think most people actually start the argument at number 2.
If someone supports eternal security using this 123 argument I would like to ask, When does Jesus forgive your sins? Likely this will go into when they got saved, invited Jesus into their heart and that kind of thing - and now if they apostasize they are still good to go.
This is where it gets curious. If God forgives your unbelief why doesn't he forgive everyone's unbelief? What's so sanctified about your unbelief? So if you can be raised without faith then that should be true of everyone who would otherwise perish.
Let's use this same line of reasoning to conclude something else.
We can say:
1. Jesus forgives the sins of all including their past present and future on the cross.
2. Unbelief counts as a covered sin
3. Therefore, Universalism
Sure its twisted and un-biblical but the argument works both ways. You see it is conditional. If it is conditional upon faith then why can't it not always be conditional upon a present faith?
As a Lutheran I believe God has already forgiven the sins of the whole world. But it doesn't benefit anyone unless they receive it through faith. Forgiveness is proclaimed to the sinner in order to create faith. Forgiveness (past, present and future) comes from outside of us and works its way into us and lives by faith. Forgiveness precedes faith. I would even go so far as to say that in God's forgiveness he forgives unbelief. But it still has this condition: it must be received in faith. If I fall away, I no longer benefit from that forgiveness, but if I return my unbelief is forgiven because Christ is always proclaiming forgiveness to create faith. And so in that stand point all sins past present and future are forgiven on the cross, but they are also forgiven past present and future in faith - because in this we are united to Christ and destined for glory.
Still with me?
Verdict: Whenever you try to make an argument first ask yourself, Can this same line of reasoning be used to argue all sorts of crazies? What makes the way you argue it seem so special? Then maybe it isn't all that great. Secondly, arguments for the sake of arguments are tiring and lead nowhere.
Yawn.
Both systems have a common defense for eternal security:
1. When Jesus forgives sins it includes the past, present and future
2. When someone has faith their sins past, present and future are forgiven.
3* If a believer denies the faith his unbelief is still forgiven.
There is a lot to unpack here.
But first, I'd like to note that as a Lutheran I reject the way both groups frame that. But I can also agree with all three statements. I noted number 3 because Calvinists will understand that differently as well. But if you notice, numbers 1 and 2 look identical. What's the difference? I think this might be the key to understanding the differences - because I think most people actually start the argument at number 2.
If someone supports eternal security using this 123 argument I would like to ask, When does Jesus forgive your sins? Likely this will go into when they got saved, invited Jesus into their heart and that kind of thing - and now if they apostasize they are still good to go.
This is where it gets curious. If God forgives your unbelief why doesn't he forgive everyone's unbelief? What's so sanctified about your unbelief? So if you can be raised without faith then that should be true of everyone who would otherwise perish.
Let's use this same line of reasoning to conclude something else.
We can say:
1. Jesus forgives the sins of all including their past present and future on the cross.
2. Unbelief counts as a covered sin
3. Therefore, Universalism
Sure its twisted and un-biblical but the argument works both ways. You see it is conditional. If it is conditional upon faith then why can't it not always be conditional upon a present faith?
As a Lutheran I believe God has already forgiven the sins of the whole world. But it doesn't benefit anyone unless they receive it through faith. Forgiveness is proclaimed to the sinner in order to create faith. Forgiveness (past, present and future) comes from outside of us and works its way into us and lives by faith. Forgiveness precedes faith. I would even go so far as to say that in God's forgiveness he forgives unbelief. But it still has this condition: it must be received in faith. If I fall away, I no longer benefit from that forgiveness, but if I return my unbelief is forgiven because Christ is always proclaiming forgiveness to create faith. And so in that stand point all sins past present and future are forgiven on the cross, but they are also forgiven past present and future in faith - because in this we are united to Christ and destined for glory.
Still with me?
Verdict: Whenever you try to make an argument first ask yourself, Can this same line of reasoning be used to argue all sorts of crazies? What makes the way you argue it seem so special? Then maybe it isn't all that great. Secondly, arguments for the sake of arguments are tiring and lead nowhere.
Yawn.
Systematic Theologies
In systematic theology you can prove anything. Each theology keeps snowballing. And when it turns into a cohesive heap, you can explain everything and more. You can even prove that Jesus does not love the whole world, you can justify yourself to sin, to not reach out to your neighbors, to get an annulment and destroy a family, to hate your enemies, to let people wander from the truth, to sit comfortably in your life, and so on. For this reason I think there will be no end to it.
People will do this for a number of reasons. Likely for simplicity, the thirst for knowledge or self-justification. But when you see people do this you can see the tangle work. They are caught in constructions grounded on rational deductions and pet theories which have no clear word fashioned from scripture. This I find to be scary. Anybody will believe anything when you position it in a specific God framework.
But it doesn't stop there. Somehow these constructions carry the same currency as scripture. You must compel others to propagate the system. After all, we're talking God here. And so you need to reinforce your convictions by recruiting others to the team. - But that's a game I refuse to play. A spoken word without God's authority will be held to account.
I don't mind taking systematics to task. I find them intriguing and engaging, but I also find them draining. God without a spoken word is nothing. I was going to write a final post about OSAS and blah blah blah. But I lost my motivation. I will finish it. But I don't like to dwell on it too often. I would rather be more positive.
Yet I do see how people just grow into these things without even knowing it. After all, theologies don't just sit on the shelf, they create communities. Ironically, some communities just let their theology sit on the shelf. As sinners every theology is prone to be caged. No theology or church is "safe." For a while now, I've stopped caring about keeping theology tidy. Theology doesn't sit and systematize itself. Theology is muddy. It gets on your shirt, tracks on your floor, it gets everywhere. Theology must get everywhere.
That is why I named this blog "Losing All." It motivates me in losing my pride. It motivates me in losing my idols and everything to which I cling, my possessions and my life. And ultimately it motivates me to lose my systematic theologies. It's about losing it all in order to gain Christ. And looking at it that way, Christ is all theology. All other things at some point will go.
I certainly haven't arrived, but I look forward to the day.
People will do this for a number of reasons. Likely for simplicity, the thirst for knowledge or self-justification. But when you see people do this you can see the tangle work. They are caught in constructions grounded on rational deductions and pet theories which have no clear word fashioned from scripture. This I find to be scary. Anybody will believe anything when you position it in a specific God framework.
But it doesn't stop there. Somehow these constructions carry the same currency as scripture. You must compel others to propagate the system. After all, we're talking God here. And so you need to reinforce your convictions by recruiting others to the team. - But that's a game I refuse to play. A spoken word without God's authority will be held to account.
I don't mind taking systematics to task. I find them intriguing and engaging, but I also find them draining. God without a spoken word is nothing. I was going to write a final post about OSAS and blah blah blah. But I lost my motivation. I will finish it. But I don't like to dwell on it too often. I would rather be more positive.
Yet I do see how people just grow into these things without even knowing it. After all, theologies don't just sit on the shelf, they create communities. Ironically, some communities just let their theology sit on the shelf. As sinners every theology is prone to be caged. No theology or church is "safe." For a while now, I've stopped caring about keeping theology tidy. Theology doesn't sit and systematize itself. Theology is muddy. It gets on your shirt, tracks on your floor, it gets everywhere. Theology must get everywhere.
That is why I named this blog "Losing All." It motivates me in losing my pride. It motivates me in losing my idols and everything to which I cling, my possessions and my life. And ultimately it motivates me to lose my systematic theologies. It's about losing it all in order to gain Christ. And looking at it that way, Christ is all theology. All other things at some point will go.
I certainly haven't arrived, but I look forward to the day.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
The Philosophy of Once Saved Always Saved Pt 2.
A lot of people believe the same things for different reasons or agendas. The eternal security/ once-saved-always-saved teaching is one of those things. Calvinists teach OSAS in a different light. Their particular version is called "Perseverance of the Saints." And it seems to me, yet again, that this brand is just another philosophically derived theory rather than a positive statement from the Bible.
Calvinists teach:
A) the Elect cannot possibly resist the Holy Spirit.
B) Therefore, a believer cannot possibly lose faith.
They start out with the teaching of God's sovereignty over all things and run it through the gamut of soteriology. The reason goes like this: Not all people are saved, therefore God didn't want all people to be saved, therefore Jesus didn't die for everyone, therefore his elect cannot resist him and will persevere in faith. So they say.
A few problems come from this line of reasoning.
1. Those who fall away from faith never had faith.
2. You cannot be assured of your salvation.
Quite the conclusions!
If someone had strong faith and falls away, this theology must claim they never had faith. When something like this happens it must cause other believers to doubt whether their own faith is genuine. And their systematic answer isn't exactly the Gospel. It turns themselves inwards rather than outward to the cross.
This also must be hard for Calvinist pastors to provide pastoral care. The certainty of their salvation doesn't necessarily come from Christ crucified, but from their own experience and response to it. A Calvinist cannot really say with any credibility that "Christ died for you" because who knows if he in fact did? After all, people don't have "elect" tags on their backs. Therefore, they have faith in their own faith which leads to a curious spirituality which down spirals.
In effect, it is a cosmic game of chicken. Jesus doesn't declare forgiveness until you have faith. But the question is, how do you have faith unless he declares to forgive you? Who is going to give first? You see the dilemma. It's a catch 22. You may believe Jesus was raised from the dead as an unmovable fact, but you don't know if your faith is genuine, you don't know if the Holy Spirit is in you. And looking to the cross may not make it anymore assuring to you. It's all quite impersonal.
Verdict: Calvinism is a strange disco. And I love to dance but I'm not sure if I'm invited.
Calvinists teach:
A) the Elect cannot possibly resist the Holy Spirit.
B) Therefore, a believer cannot possibly lose faith.
They start out with the teaching of God's sovereignty over all things and run it through the gamut of soteriology. The reason goes like this: Not all people are saved, therefore God didn't want all people to be saved, therefore Jesus didn't die for everyone, therefore his elect cannot resist him and will persevere in faith. So they say.
A few problems come from this line of reasoning.
1. Those who fall away from faith never had faith.
2. You cannot be assured of your salvation.
Quite the conclusions!
If someone had strong faith and falls away, this theology must claim they never had faith. When something like this happens it must cause other believers to doubt whether their own faith is genuine. And their systematic answer isn't exactly the Gospel. It turns themselves inwards rather than outward to the cross.
This also must be hard for Calvinist pastors to provide pastoral care. The certainty of their salvation doesn't necessarily come from Christ crucified, but from their own experience and response to it. A Calvinist cannot really say with any credibility that "Christ died for you" because who knows if he in fact did? After all, people don't have "elect" tags on their backs. Therefore, they have faith in their own faith which leads to a curious spirituality which down spirals.
In effect, it is a cosmic game of chicken. Jesus doesn't declare forgiveness until you have faith. But the question is, how do you have faith unless he declares to forgive you? Who is going to give first? You see the dilemma. It's a catch 22. You may believe Jesus was raised from the dead as an unmovable fact, but you don't know if your faith is genuine, you don't know if the Holy Spirit is in you. And looking to the cross may not make it anymore assuring to you. It's all quite impersonal.
Verdict: Calvinism is a strange disco. And I love to dance but I'm not sure if I'm invited.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Proof Texts on Trial: (OSAS)
As someone who used to believe in the teaching of Eternal Security, a.k.a. Once Saved Always Saved, I'm a bit surprised that I can't find any verses that appear to teach it. But this seems to be a common one:
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. - John 10:27,28
How is this to be understood? I try to think of two things: sub-plot and context.
Sub-Plot: Jesus is in Jerusalem where he will be tried by the religious establishment and sentenced for crucifixion. It isn't the last time he will be here, but you can see where this is quickly going. Christ has already called the flock, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it" (Mark 8:34,35). Jesus has already counted the cost and he is on his baptismal road into death - the sheep are to follow. We are to follow Christ into death.
Context: Jesus emphasizes that he is going to the grave. "I am the Good shepherd.. I lay down my life for the sheep... I lay down my life that I may take it up again" (John 10: 14-17). Therefore when Jesus says, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand," the imagery hearkens us to the Messianic Psalm 23: Christ is our Shepherd who leads us through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. It is Messianic promise fulfillment regarding our bodies. We will not perish because we will be resurrected and shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Verdict: It is important to know the context of what Jesus means by "follow" and what it means where he is going. It does not say that those who turn away from Jesus are still in his hand - but that those who follow Jesus into death will be raised. Though people may take our lives, our lives are in the hand of God. Death will have no victory over us. Jesus saves us from being devoured by death by leading us through it.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. - John 10:27,28
How is this to be understood? I try to think of two things: sub-plot and context.
Sub-Plot: Jesus is in Jerusalem where he will be tried by the religious establishment and sentenced for crucifixion. It isn't the last time he will be here, but you can see where this is quickly going. Christ has already called the flock, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it" (Mark 8:34,35). Jesus has already counted the cost and he is on his baptismal road into death - the sheep are to follow. We are to follow Christ into death.
Context: Jesus emphasizes that he is going to the grave. "I am the Good shepherd.. I lay down my life for the sheep... I lay down my life that I may take it up again" (John 10: 14-17). Therefore when Jesus says, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand," the imagery hearkens us to the Messianic Psalm 23: Christ is our Shepherd who leads us through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. It is Messianic promise fulfillment regarding our bodies. We will not perish because we will be resurrected and shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Verdict: It is important to know the context of what Jesus means by "follow" and what it means where he is going. It does not say that those who turn away from Jesus are still in his hand - but that those who follow Jesus into death will be raised. Though people may take our lives, our lives are in the hand of God. Death will have no victory over us. Jesus saves us from being devoured by death by leading us through it.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
The Philosophy of Once Saved Always Saved.
I have yet to see a single verse that teaches "Once Saved Always Saved" and "Eternal Security" in any distinct way. That is why I think it is a philosophy.
I once had lunch with my Radical Baptist KJV-Only Fundamentalist friend and his pastor. I think it was all accidental but we landed on the topic of salvation by grace through faith. He thought that Lutherans might believe in justification by works. I assured him no, and reminded him of the Reformation. So he plainly asked me, "If you fell away from faith would you still go to heaven?" He was quite genuine, but I was honestly shocked. This is his litmus test for works righteousness? Srsly.
This was his reasoning: If I have faith then I must do something to continue in faith - therefore continuing in faith = works. Therefore, if I believe that I must continue in faith I must trust in my own works.
This is the poorest philosophy for OSAS that I've ever encountered. Why must faith be sustained by works? Why can't faith sustain itself in the Gospel and the Holy Spirit?
If I claim to be justified by faith then I'm going to claim that faith always justifies - it doesn't stop justifying. However, if I refuse faith I refuse justification. The same is with the casual unbeliever.
But here is the irony for me. If he believes that continuing in faith is a work then initiating faith is also a work. No matter how thin you slice it, they're the same thing. I don't care if its a nano second or two nano seconds, faith is faith and you cannot call it a work, (especially a work of man), at any point in time. Furthermore, scripture never makes such a distinction.
Verdict: This argument is self defeating, and is built upon the false assumption that the Gospel cannot sustain us.
Just a quick after thought: It seems a little silly to suppose that at the moment of faith, faith dies and goes to heaven, and ceases to exist in its original justifying form - it's just plain old subsequent faith now and if you disagree with this diagnosis then it turns your life into a works righteousness religion. Um.. Yeah, right.
I once had lunch with my Radical Baptist KJV-Only Fundamentalist friend and his pastor. I think it was all accidental but we landed on the topic of salvation by grace through faith. He thought that Lutherans might believe in justification by works. I assured him no, and reminded him of the Reformation. So he plainly asked me, "If you fell away from faith would you still go to heaven?" He was quite genuine, but I was honestly shocked. This is his litmus test for works righteousness? Srsly.
This was his reasoning: If I have faith then I must do something to continue in faith - therefore continuing in faith = works. Therefore, if I believe that I must continue in faith I must trust in my own works.
This is the poorest philosophy for OSAS that I've ever encountered. Why must faith be sustained by works? Why can't faith sustain itself in the Gospel and the Holy Spirit?
If I claim to be justified by faith then I'm going to claim that faith always justifies - it doesn't stop justifying. However, if I refuse faith I refuse justification. The same is with the casual unbeliever.
But here is the irony for me. If he believes that continuing in faith is a work then initiating faith is also a work. No matter how thin you slice it, they're the same thing. I don't care if its a nano second or two nano seconds, faith is faith and you cannot call it a work, (especially a work of man), at any point in time. Furthermore, scripture never makes such a distinction.
Verdict: This argument is self defeating, and is built upon the false assumption that the Gospel cannot sustain us.
Just a quick after thought: It seems a little silly to suppose that at the moment of faith, faith dies and goes to heaven, and ceases to exist in its original justifying form - it's just plain old subsequent faith now and if you disagree with this diagnosis then it turns your life into a works righteousness religion. Um.. Yeah, right.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Theology of the Cross Quotes
"A God who is everywhere is as useless as a God who is nowhere. What we need is a God who is somewhere." Dr. Norman Nagel
"God hides himself in order to reveal himself." Rev. Todd Wilken.
"God hides himself in order to reveal himself." Rev. Todd Wilken.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Mandala.
My girlfriend had a "mandala" at school which ties into her nursing purposes. On one of the slides she had a picture of a cross. She said something to the effect of:
"Faithfulness is first about God's faithfulness to me, not my faithfulness to him. It is because of his faithfulness that I can be faithful to others"
One of the many reasons why she rocks.
"Faithfulness is first about God's faithfulness to me, not my faithfulness to him. It is because of his faithfulness that I can be faithful to others"
One of the many reasons why she rocks.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
A Kleinig Gem
"We, surprisingly, stand in for others [who do not know God] with Christ through our thanksgivings for the blessings that they have received from God. If they prosper and things go well for them, we do not envy them and begrudge their happiness. Instead, we act as if their blessings are ours. We use our access to God to thank Him on their behalf for His loving kindness and generosity to them because they are not yet in the position to do so themselves. This is an aspect of intercession that has received scant attention in recent times, but it was prominent in both Judaism and the Early Church. They believed that the Church was appointed to serve, together with the angels, as a single choir that voiced thanks and praise to God on behalf of the whole human race." -- John Kleinig *Grace Upon Grace*
Put that in your Thanksgiving Holiday Pipe and smoke it.
Put that in your Thanksgiving Holiday Pipe and smoke it.
God and Taking out the Laundry
If you can fit God into your head he's not the God of the universe. At the same time, the God of the universe fits into our flesh in Christ Jesus. Go figure.
I think any time you start talking about certain God qualities you're going to run into seeming contradictions: God the infinite is incarnate in the finite. There is one God in three persons. God died. God is just and forgiving. God is timeless, yet works in time - to name a few. It looks crazy.
This presses on a couple points. We like to grasp God on our own terms and compartmentalize him. But such attempts will always fail. God isn't in the business of explaining himself, he's in the business of saving us. Perhaps, the God who exceeds or transcends our human dimensions should look this way. Of course, when we read the Bible, our gut reaction goes, "that doesn't make sense" as if a God would completely makes sense to us.
In Genesis 1:1, God is assumed. There is no explanation for him. After, when God reveals himself to Moses in the burning bush as "I am who I am" or "I will be who I will be," God doesn't credential himself with a laundry list of abstract qualities. God binds himself to concrete promises, and defines himself and his people through blessing and redemption. He calls the shots and solicits our faith.
But come on God, give us the rundown, inquiring minds want to know! Lets face it, who puts their fear, love and trust in isolated attributes anyways? See how much sooner people make a god out of money, clothing, health and the like - and yet none of these things posses the true attributes of divinity. For us, a god is something we trust, pure and simple. In the same way, God, first and foremost, is relational - he is what demands our faith and dependency for all our good.
God chooses to reveal himself through story. He doesn't lay out a host of articles, abstract formulations and stringed-together attributes. When Jesus comes, he is true to form, he comes in concrete story for our good. Sure, character traits have their place, but ultimately its the narrative that gives any meaning and definition to them. It's the narrative that creates faith like that of children. (Isn't that how children learn anyways, through story?) Children love to hear their favourite stories over and over. Especially the children of God with the Gospel. The Laundry list.. doesn't quite do the trick.
In my head I liken it to a 3D person interacting in a 2D world. The existence of such a person doesn't jive with the preconceived notions of those on the inside. God isn't subject to what confines us. Likewise, God chose to enter our playing field in a tangible way for our good. And for us mere space/time objects, the incarnation is a huge bridge in revelation of the character of God. It doesn't rationalize him, and it may not satisfy all our curiosities, but he reveals the mystery of his grace.
I think any time you start talking about certain God qualities you're going to run into seeming contradictions: God the infinite is incarnate in the finite. There is one God in three persons. God died. God is just and forgiving. God is timeless, yet works in time - to name a few. It looks crazy.
This presses on a couple points. We like to grasp God on our own terms and compartmentalize him. But such attempts will always fail. God isn't in the business of explaining himself, he's in the business of saving us. Perhaps, the God who exceeds or transcends our human dimensions should look this way. Of course, when we read the Bible, our gut reaction goes, "that doesn't make sense" as if a God would completely makes sense to us.
In Genesis 1:1, God is assumed. There is no explanation for him. After, when God reveals himself to Moses in the burning bush as "I am who I am" or "I will be who I will be," God doesn't credential himself with a laundry list of abstract qualities. God binds himself to concrete promises, and defines himself and his people through blessing and redemption. He calls the shots and solicits our faith.
But come on God, give us the rundown, inquiring minds want to know! Lets face it, who puts their fear, love and trust in isolated attributes anyways? See how much sooner people make a god out of money, clothing, health and the like - and yet none of these things posses the true attributes of divinity. For us, a god is something we trust, pure and simple. In the same way, God, first and foremost, is relational - he is what demands our faith and dependency for all our good.
God chooses to reveal himself through story. He doesn't lay out a host of articles, abstract formulations and stringed-together attributes. When Jesus comes, he is true to form, he comes in concrete story for our good. Sure, character traits have their place, but ultimately its the narrative that gives any meaning and definition to them. It's the narrative that creates faith like that of children. (Isn't that how children learn anyways, through story?) Children love to hear their favourite stories over and over. Especially the children of God with the Gospel. The Laundry list.. doesn't quite do the trick.
In my head I liken it to a 3D person interacting in a 2D world. The existence of such a person doesn't jive with the preconceived notions of those on the inside. God isn't subject to what confines us. Likewise, God chose to enter our playing field in a tangible way for our good. And for us mere space/time objects, the incarnation is a huge bridge in revelation of the character of God. It doesn't rationalize him, and it may not satisfy all our curiosities, but he reveals the mystery of his grace.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
"I Cannot possibly be Wrong, because I'm always Right."
I question any human institution that believes it is right on the basis that it is always above critique. Why is it that people put themselves into this category when they're on the outside looking into religion? They cannot accept criticism. They like to investigate the idea of a higher power, but get tweaked if they find themselves at odds against God. By the way, even many churches will constructively criticize themselves based on scripture. But what do most nonreligious use? They can't possibly be wrong because they're always right. They can't bear religion or else they'd have to admit their whole life is going the wrong way.
A lot of religions have been made to validate man's sins. When you find a god that doesn't challenge or humble you, perhaps you have fashioned your own god out of your own image. Or you have simply made a god out of yourself? I guess that is just two ways of saying the same thing. But I think this is exemplified in the common confession, "I am spiritual but not religious." Isn't this just another way of saying, "I believe in a higher truth but there isn't any standard of truth, except for myself?"
Where do people get these ideas? It's like this secret knowledge or gnosticism. Nobody wants to stand for truth or else they might offend someone. If you want to find truth, prepare to be offended. The world is bigger than yourself. Furthermore, God is bigger than yourself. So get over yourself.
End rant.
Of course this is a gross over generalization. But I find it true in many circumstances, even within myself. Sometimes you just gotta call people on it.
A lot of religions have been made to validate man's sins. When you find a god that doesn't challenge or humble you, perhaps you have fashioned your own god out of your own image. Or you have simply made a god out of yourself? I guess that is just two ways of saying the same thing. But I think this is exemplified in the common confession, "I am spiritual but not religious." Isn't this just another way of saying, "I believe in a higher truth but there isn't any standard of truth, except for myself?"
Where do people get these ideas? It's like this secret knowledge or gnosticism. Nobody wants to stand for truth or else they might offend someone. If you want to find truth, prepare to be offended. The world is bigger than yourself. Furthermore, God is bigger than yourself. So get over yourself.
End rant.
Of course this is a gross over generalization. But I find it true in many circumstances, even within myself. Sometimes you just gotta call people on it.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Some Initial Thoughts on Hell.
Hell is a tragic place. Nobody likes to talk about it. I don't even much less like to write about it. However, Hell isn't just an opinion.
It's much easier to accept the existence of a heaven than a hell. And perhaps that might be a good starting place with people who are not Christians: When God creates a new heaven and a new earth. That is what redemption is about. However, there is a difficulty that the Bible doesn't give much of a description of Heaven. But on the flip side, Heaven concerns itself with who is there, and life, and joy.
Our experience here on earth is between final and ultimate judgment. And sure, many religions may not claim a final and ultimate judgment. But regardless, if anyone is honestly investigating religion, death is going to be a serious issue to consider. Death comes to us all.
In the beginning, in the garden of Eden, when God commanded Adam and Eve "you must not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil" he added the law "that when you eat of it you shall surely die." But what happened? Adam and Eve were still there walking around trying to justify themselves. Did they not die?
When the body dies, it doesn't disappear. It breaks down and begins to putrefy. It stinks. The same is with the soul. The soul doesn't cease to exist. It breaks down. It stinks in your mouth, in your filthy language, lies, deceit and corrupts you. It begins to putrefy. Sure you might be civilly good (for the most part). But when it comes down to it, your whole life and person is decaying. You are dead.
God has created us as eternal creatures. If we remain in sin, we continue to break down, even after physical death, and into the garbage heap of the "after life" which is called Hell. This stench isn't merely a reality of the after life. Today, you are dead in sin, and the corruption of body and soul ultimately gets worse. Death is gross and it plagues you now.
So what do you do? Drop dead to yourself. Stop walking around trying to justify yourself.
Dropping dead is repentance. It's letting go of your works to justify yourself and letting God redeem you in Christ Jesus. You have nothing, God is everything. So let go of yourself and let Christ be your all.
Religion that is man made refuses to repent. It has all these man made philosophies, ideologies and isms that excuse you to remain in sin. Repentance is unnatural to us. We want to cling to whatever life we have with our own strength and will. We want to do what we want, when we want. But in reality you are hanging on to your own rotting death. Repentance is what we need. Repentance is seeing yourself with the eyes of God and turning to him in his life.
Man made religion thinks we can repent on our own and stop sinning on our own. Liberal religion thinks we don't need to repent. Yet all man made religions either want you to continue as you are, or think you just need to repent a little. Either way, you still continue as you are in sin. Hell shows that we need to repent every bit. Every bit is corrupted.
Sin isn't merely a bunch of isolated, singular things we do. It is a symptom of who we are by nature of the heart. Our whole life is of sin. Sin is a condition of our attitude and orientation to God. Plural sins are merely outward manifestations of the sin diseased heart. You cannot fight the disease by fending off the symptoms. It can't be cured by stopping them or trying to cover them up. So stop walking around trying to justify yourself. Sin is fatal.
This is what redemption is all about. Saving us from sin, death, and the devil who would ultimately want us to corrupt eternally in Hell. Redemption brings us back to God. This is what true religion is about, true redemption, true repentance, being born again with new hearts, saying "thanks be to God, who gave us Christ, declared us dead in his death, and raises us alive with his life."
Repenting in Christ is letting Christ be our life. We look forward to the day when there will be no sin amongst us, and when we have new bodies. But when we do sin, we confess it is dealt with in Christ. This is why the devil doesn't mind preaching straight up morality. No one can morally purify themselves, and we are still left in sin. But Christ takes them away in his atoning sacrifice. It is not about self-help, but about help from above. Repentance isn't necessarily about never sinning again. But it is about seeing sin for what it is, seeing ourselves and thinking, Why do I keep doing that? Am I an idiot? And thereby clinging to Christ in faith in his grace. Romans 7.
Hell, is an important topic in the scheme of salvation. And I think as Christians we often short change unbelievers when we dance around it. But when you include everything in context it is much more compelling.
It's much easier to accept the existence of a heaven than a hell. And perhaps that might be a good starting place with people who are not Christians: When God creates a new heaven and a new earth. That is what redemption is about. However, there is a difficulty that the Bible doesn't give much of a description of Heaven. But on the flip side, Heaven concerns itself with who is there, and life, and joy.
Our experience here on earth is between final and ultimate judgment. And sure, many religions may not claim a final and ultimate judgment. But regardless, if anyone is honestly investigating religion, death is going to be a serious issue to consider. Death comes to us all.
In the beginning, in the garden of Eden, when God commanded Adam and Eve "you must not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil" he added the law "that when you eat of it you shall surely die." But what happened? Adam and Eve were still there walking around trying to justify themselves. Did they not die?
When the body dies, it doesn't disappear. It breaks down and begins to putrefy. It stinks. The same is with the soul. The soul doesn't cease to exist. It breaks down. It stinks in your mouth, in your filthy language, lies, deceit and corrupts you. It begins to putrefy. Sure you might be civilly good (for the most part). But when it comes down to it, your whole life and person is decaying. You are dead.
God has created us as eternal creatures. If we remain in sin, we continue to break down, even after physical death, and into the garbage heap of the "after life" which is called Hell. This stench isn't merely a reality of the after life. Today, you are dead in sin, and the corruption of body and soul ultimately gets worse. Death is gross and it plagues you now.
So what do you do? Drop dead to yourself. Stop walking around trying to justify yourself.
Dropping dead is repentance. It's letting go of your works to justify yourself and letting God redeem you in Christ Jesus. You have nothing, God is everything. So let go of yourself and let Christ be your all.
Religion that is man made refuses to repent. It has all these man made philosophies, ideologies and isms that excuse you to remain in sin. Repentance is unnatural to us. We want to cling to whatever life we have with our own strength and will. We want to do what we want, when we want. But in reality you are hanging on to your own rotting death. Repentance is what we need. Repentance is seeing yourself with the eyes of God and turning to him in his life.
Man made religion thinks we can repent on our own and stop sinning on our own. Liberal religion thinks we don't need to repent. Yet all man made religions either want you to continue as you are, or think you just need to repent a little. Either way, you still continue as you are in sin. Hell shows that we need to repent every bit. Every bit is corrupted.
Sin isn't merely a bunch of isolated, singular things we do. It is a symptom of who we are by nature of the heart. Our whole life is of sin. Sin is a condition of our attitude and orientation to God. Plural sins are merely outward manifestations of the sin diseased heart. You cannot fight the disease by fending off the symptoms. It can't be cured by stopping them or trying to cover them up. So stop walking around trying to justify yourself. Sin is fatal.
This is what redemption is all about. Saving us from sin, death, and the devil who would ultimately want us to corrupt eternally in Hell. Redemption brings us back to God. This is what true religion is about, true redemption, true repentance, being born again with new hearts, saying "thanks be to God, who gave us Christ, declared us dead in his death, and raises us alive with his life."
Repenting in Christ is letting Christ be our life. We look forward to the day when there will be no sin amongst us, and when we have new bodies. But when we do sin, we confess it is dealt with in Christ. This is why the devil doesn't mind preaching straight up morality. No one can morally purify themselves, and we are still left in sin. But Christ takes them away in his atoning sacrifice. It is not about self-help, but about help from above. Repentance isn't necessarily about never sinning again. But it is about seeing sin for what it is, seeing ourselves and thinking, Why do I keep doing that? Am I an idiot? And thereby clinging to Christ in faith in his grace. Romans 7.
Hell, is an important topic in the scheme of salvation. And I think as Christians we often short change unbelievers when we dance around it. But when you include everything in context it is much more compelling.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
To paraphrase GK Chesterton: "Church and Tradition is the truest democracy."
"Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about. All democrats object to men being disqualified by the accident of birth; tradition objects to their being disqualified by the accident of death. Democracy tells us not to neglect a good man’s opinion, even if he is our groom; tradition asks us not to neglect a good man’s opinion, even if he is our father. I, at any rate, cannot separate the two ideas of democracy and tradition; it seems evident to me that they are the same idea. We will have the dead at our councils. The ancient Greeks voted by stones; these shall vote by tombstones. It is all quite regular and official, for most tombstones, like most ballot papers, are marked with a cross."
Scoffing at the Ancients
To scoff at ideas merely as "ancient" doesn't deal with the idea itself. Neither does it exercise any intellect. It supposes that because we are further down the corridors of time that we are inherently smarter. This is nothing other than "chronological snobbery" as C.S. Lewis has coined the term. Really, it is no argument at all.
BTW, I wonder if Lewis was piggy backing on Chesterton.
BTW, I wonder if Lewis was piggy backing on Chesterton.
Luther Quote:
"I am more afraid of my own heart than of the pope and all his cardinals. I have within me the great pope, Self."
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Interpreting Scripture.
Interpreting scripture can sometimes be hard. Especially since we still deal with our sinful nature, and it likes to take hold of the words and make it say what it wants to say. Our sinful nature never wants deal with repentance. But living in the Spirit, the Scriptures keep us in check. At times the devil wants to tempt us, did God really say? Did God really mean it? It worked on Eve, and it works on us.
Whenever I use to come across a hard passage in scripture, I didn't want to believe it. I'd pray about it, then try to think of every possible way to make the Bible say the opposite. Sometimes I'd feel really good when I thought I made an insightful discovery. Aren't I so clever? I thought that feeling must be the Holy Spirit. In fact, I must be right, because it feels so assuring!
However, my method turns scripture into play dough. I build with it what I want to build. Feelings are great when I truly see the scriptures for what they are, and I come to conclusions legitimately. But feelings themselves don't make an interpretation legitimate. If I have philosophical explanations and rational deductions as the content of the message then I am dodging the words. I have put myself as a master over scripture. Does the Bible really need my help? Am I smarter than the Bible?
"That's impossible," is never a viable excuse to ignore scripture. Do I use my reason or God's reason? Who am I to say what is impossible with God, especially when the issue is with God's word? The matter is one of exegesis or eisegesis. Am I drawing out God's truth from the text, or am I reading my own ideas into it? Sometimes "damage control" ends up causing more damage. If I violate the perspicuity of scripture, I am only muddying something that is intended to be clear. Just some things to remind myself when answering the question, Did God really say?
If at times it doesn't appear to be clear, what do I do?
Well, what does the Church teach? Ideally, the Church has all the right teaching. But in reality, churches can and do err. But at the same time, scripture and the church go together. The Church is way older than me, and has way more people than just me. The Bible is a community book. That is the best start. Two heads are better than one. I don't have to reinvent the wheel all by myself.
Whenever I use to come across a hard passage in scripture, I didn't want to believe it. I'd pray about it, then try to think of every possible way to make the Bible say the opposite. Sometimes I'd feel really good when I thought I made an insightful discovery. Aren't I so clever? I thought that feeling must be the Holy Spirit. In fact, I must be right, because it feels so assuring!
However, my method turns scripture into play dough. I build with it what I want to build. Feelings are great when I truly see the scriptures for what they are, and I come to conclusions legitimately. But feelings themselves don't make an interpretation legitimate. If I have philosophical explanations and rational deductions as the content of the message then I am dodging the words. I have put myself as a master over scripture. Does the Bible really need my help? Am I smarter than the Bible?
"That's impossible," is never a viable excuse to ignore scripture. Do I use my reason or God's reason? Who am I to say what is impossible with God, especially when the issue is with God's word? The matter is one of exegesis or eisegesis. Am I drawing out God's truth from the text, or am I reading my own ideas into it? Sometimes "damage control" ends up causing more damage. If I violate the perspicuity of scripture, I am only muddying something that is intended to be clear. Just some things to remind myself when answering the question, Did God really say?
If at times it doesn't appear to be clear, what do I do?
Well, what does the Church teach? Ideally, the Church has all the right teaching. But in reality, churches can and do err. But at the same time, scripture and the church go together. The Church is way older than me, and has way more people than just me. The Bible is a community book. That is the best start. Two heads are better than one. I don't have to reinvent the wheel all by myself.
Easy
It's easy to doubt. It's especially easy to doubt if you tell it to yourself long enough. It's also easier to believe God when he repeats himself. I'm glad God is always speaking to me in the Bible, Church and friends. It helps me shut up.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Luther on How to Study Theology - Prayer, Study of God's Word, and Trials
I would have been quite content to see my books, one and all, remain in obscurity and go by the board. Among other reasons, I shudder to think of the example I am giving, for I am well aware how little the church has been profited since they have begun to collect many books and large libraries, in addition to and besides the Holy Scriptures, and especially since they have stored up, without discrimination, all sorts of writings by the church fathers, the councils, and teachers. Through this practice not only is precious time lost, which could be used for studying the Scriptures, but in the end the pure knowledge of the divine Word is also lost, so that the Bible lies forgotten in the dust under the bench (as happened to the book of Deuteronomy, in the time of the kings of Judah)
Although it has been profitable and necessary that the writings of some church fathers and councils have remained, as witnesses and histories, nevertheless I think, “Est modus in rebus,” [There is reason for the way things happen. Horace] and we need not regret that the books of many fathers and councils have, by God’s grace, disappeared. If they had all remained in existence, no room would be left for anything but books; and yet all of them together would not have improved on what one finds in the Holy Scriptures.
It was also our intention and hope, when we ourselves began to translate the Bible into German, that there should be less writing, and instead more studying and reading of the Scriptures. For all other writing is to lead the way into and point toward the Scriptures, as John the Baptist did toward Christ, saying, “He must increase, but I must decrease” [John 3:30], in order that each person may drink of the fresh spring himself, as all those fathers who wanted to accomplish something good had to do.
Neither councils, fathers, nor we, in spite of the greatest and best success possible, will do as well as the Holy Scriptures, that is, as well as God himself has done. (We must, of course, also have the Holy Spirit, faith, godly speech, and works, if we are to be saved.) Therefore it behooves us to let the prophets and apostles stand at the professor’s lectern, while we, down below at their feet, listen to what they say. It is not they who must hear what we say.
I cannot, however, prevent them from wanting to collect and publish my works through the press (small honor to me), although it is not my will. I have no choice but to let them risk the labor and the expense of this project. My consolation is that, in time, my books will lie forgotten in the dust anyhow, especially if I (by God’s grace) have written anything good. Non ere melior Patribus meis. [I am no better than my fathers. I Kings 19:4] He who comes second should indeed be the first one forgotten. Inasmuch as they have been capable of leaving the Bible itself lying under the bench, and have also forgotten the fathers and the councils—the better ones all the faster—accordingly there is a good hope, once the overzealousness of this time has abeted, that my books also will not last long. There is especially good hope of this, since it has begun to rain and snow books and teachers, many of which already lie there forgotten and moldering. Even their names are not remembered any more, despite their confident hope that they would eternally be on sale in the market and rule churches.
Very well, so let the undertaking proceed in the name of God, except that I make the friendly request of anyone who wishes to have my books at this time, not to let them on any account hinder him from studying the Scriptures themselves. Let him put them to use as I put the excrees and excretals of the pope to use, and the books of the sophists. That is, if I occasionally wish to see what they have done, or if I wish to ponder the historical facts of the time, I use them. But I do not study in them or act in perfect accord with what they deemed good. I do not treat the books of the fathers and the councils much differently.
Herein I follow the example of St. Augustine, who was, among other things, the first and almost the only one who determined to be subject to the Holy Scriptures alone, and independent of the books of all the fathers and saints. On account of that he got into a fierce fight with St. Jerome, who reproached him by pointing to the books of his forefathers; but he did not turn to them. And if the example of St. Augustine had been followed, the pope would not have become Antichrist, and that countless mass of books, which is like a crawling swarm of vermin, would not have found its way into the church, and the Bible would have remained on the pulpit.
Moreover, I want to point out to you a correct way of studying theology, for I have had practice in that. If you keep to it, you will become so learned that you yourself could (if it were necessary) write books just as good as those of the fathers and councils, even as I (in God) dare to presume and boast, without arrogance and lying, that in the matter of writing books I do not stand much behind some of the fathers. Of my life I can by no means make the same boast. This is the way taught by holy King David (and doubtlessly used also by all the patriarchs and prophets) in the one hundred nineteenth Psalm. There you will find three rules, amply presented throughout the whole Psalm. They are Oratio, Meditatio, Tentatio.
Firstly, you should know that the Holy Scriptures constitute a book which turns the wisdom of all other books into foolishness, because not one teaches about eternal life except this one alone. Therefore you should straightway despair of your reason and understanding. With them you will not attain eternal life, but, on the contrary, your presumptuousness will plunge you and others with you out of heaven (as happened to Lucifer) into the abyss of hell. But kneel down in your little room [Matt. 6:6] and pray to God with real humility and earnestness, that he through his dear Son may give you his Holy Spirit, who will enlighten you, lead you, and give you understanding.
Thus you see how David keeps praying in the above-mentioned Psalm, “Teach me, Lord, instruct me, lead me, show me,” and many more words like these. Although he well knew and daily heard and read the text of Moses and other books besides, still he wants to lay hold of the real teacher of the Scriptures himself, so that he may not seize upon them pell-mell with his reason and become his own teacher. For such practice gives rise to factious spirits who allow themselves to nurture the delusion that the Scriptures are subject to them and can be easily grasped with their reason, as if they were Markolf or Aesop’s Fables, for which no Holy Spirit and no prayers are needed.
Secondly, you should meditate, that is, not only in your heart, but also externally, by actually repeating and comparing oral speech and literal words of the book, reading and rereading them with diligent attention and reflection, so that you may see what the Holy Spirit means by them. And take care that you do not grow weary or think that you have done enough when you have read, heard, and spoken them once or twice, and that you then have complete understanding. You will never be a particularly good theologian if you do that, for you will be like untimely fruit which falls to the ground before it is haft ripe.
Thus you see in this same Psalm how David constantly boasts that he will talk, meditate, speak, sing, hear, read, by day and night and always, about nothing except God’s Word and commandments. For God will not give you his Spirit without the external Word; so take your cue from that. His command to write, preach, read, hear, sing, speak, etc., outwardly was not given in vain.
Thirdly, there is tentatio, Anfechtung. This is the touchstone which teaches you not only to know and understand, but also to experience how right, how true, how sweet, how lovely, how mighty, how comforting God’s Word is, wisdom beyond all wisdom.
Thus you see how David, in the Psalm mentioned, complains so often about all kinds of enemies, arrogant princes or tyrants, false spirits and factions, whom he must tolerate because he meditates, that is, because he is occupied with God’s Word (as has been said) in all manner of ways. For as soon as God’s Word takes root and grows in you, the devil will harry you, and will make a real doctor of you, and by his assaults13 will teach you to seek and love God’s Word. I myself (if you will permit me, mere mouse-dirt, to be mingled with pepper) am deeply indebted to my papists that through the devil’s raging they have beaten, oppressed, and distressed me so much. That is to say, they have made a fairly good theologian of me, which I would not have become otherwise. And I heartily grant them what they have won in return for making this of me, honor, victory, and triumph, for that’s the way they wanted it.
There now, with that you have David’s rules. If you study hard in accord with his example, then you will also sing and boast with him in the Psalm, “The law of thy mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces” [Ps. 119:72]. Also, “Thy commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, for I keep thy precepts,” etc. [Ps. 119:98–100]. And it will be your experience that the books of the fathers will taste stale and putrid to you in comparison. You will not only despise the books written by adversaries, but the longer you write and teach the less you will be pleased with yourself. When you have reached this point, then do not be afraid to hope that you have begun to become a real theologian, who can teach not only the young and imperfect Christians, but also the maturing and perfect ones. For indeed, Christs church has all kinds of Christians in it who are young, old, weak, sick, healthy, strong, energetic, lazy, simple, wise, etc.
If, however, you feel and are inclined to think you have made it, flattering yourself with your own little books, teaching, or writing, because you have done it beautifully and preached excellently; if you are highly pleased when someone praises you in the presence of others; if you perhaps look for praise, and would sulk or quit what you are doing if you did not get it—if you are of that stripe, dear friend, then take yourself by the ears, and if you do this in the right way you will find a beautiful pair of big, long, shaggy donkey ears. Then do not spare any expense! Decorate them with golden bells, so that people will be able to hear you wherever you go, point their fingers at you, and say, “See, See! There goes that clever beast, who can write such exquisite books and preach so remarkably well.” That very moment you will be blessed and blessed beyond measure in the kingdom of heaven. Yes, in that heaven where hellfire is ready for the devil and his angels. To sum up: Let us be proud and seek honor in the places where we can. But in this book the honor is God’s alone, as it is said, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” [I Pet. 5:5]; to whom be glory, world without end, Amen.
LW 34.279ff. HT: Matt Harrison
Although it has been profitable and necessary that the writings of some church fathers and councils have remained, as witnesses and histories, nevertheless I think, “Est modus in rebus,” [There is reason for the way things happen. Horace] and we need not regret that the books of many fathers and councils have, by God’s grace, disappeared. If they had all remained in existence, no room would be left for anything but books; and yet all of them together would not have improved on what one finds in the Holy Scriptures.
It was also our intention and hope, when we ourselves began to translate the Bible into German, that there should be less writing, and instead more studying and reading of the Scriptures. For all other writing is to lead the way into and point toward the Scriptures, as John the Baptist did toward Christ, saying, “He must increase, but I must decrease” [John 3:30], in order that each person may drink of the fresh spring himself, as all those fathers who wanted to accomplish something good had to do.
Neither councils, fathers, nor we, in spite of the greatest and best success possible, will do as well as the Holy Scriptures, that is, as well as God himself has done. (We must, of course, also have the Holy Spirit, faith, godly speech, and works, if we are to be saved.) Therefore it behooves us to let the prophets and apostles stand at the professor’s lectern, while we, down below at their feet, listen to what they say. It is not they who must hear what we say.
I cannot, however, prevent them from wanting to collect and publish my works through the press (small honor to me), although it is not my will. I have no choice but to let them risk the labor and the expense of this project. My consolation is that, in time, my books will lie forgotten in the dust anyhow, especially if I (by God’s grace) have written anything good. Non ere melior Patribus meis. [I am no better than my fathers. I Kings 19:4] He who comes second should indeed be the first one forgotten. Inasmuch as they have been capable of leaving the Bible itself lying under the bench, and have also forgotten the fathers and the councils—the better ones all the faster—accordingly there is a good hope, once the overzealousness of this time has abeted, that my books also will not last long. There is especially good hope of this, since it has begun to rain and snow books and teachers, many of which already lie there forgotten and moldering. Even their names are not remembered any more, despite their confident hope that they would eternally be on sale in the market and rule churches.
Very well, so let the undertaking proceed in the name of God, except that I make the friendly request of anyone who wishes to have my books at this time, not to let them on any account hinder him from studying the Scriptures themselves. Let him put them to use as I put the excrees and excretals of the pope to use, and the books of the sophists. That is, if I occasionally wish to see what they have done, or if I wish to ponder the historical facts of the time, I use them. But I do not study in them or act in perfect accord with what they deemed good. I do not treat the books of the fathers and the councils much differently.
Herein I follow the example of St. Augustine, who was, among other things, the first and almost the only one who determined to be subject to the Holy Scriptures alone, and independent of the books of all the fathers and saints. On account of that he got into a fierce fight with St. Jerome, who reproached him by pointing to the books of his forefathers; but he did not turn to them. And if the example of St. Augustine had been followed, the pope would not have become Antichrist, and that countless mass of books, which is like a crawling swarm of vermin, would not have found its way into the church, and the Bible would have remained on the pulpit.
Moreover, I want to point out to you a correct way of studying theology, for I have had practice in that. If you keep to it, you will become so learned that you yourself could (if it were necessary) write books just as good as those of the fathers and councils, even as I (in God) dare to presume and boast, without arrogance and lying, that in the matter of writing books I do not stand much behind some of the fathers. Of my life I can by no means make the same boast. This is the way taught by holy King David (and doubtlessly used also by all the patriarchs and prophets) in the one hundred nineteenth Psalm. There you will find three rules, amply presented throughout the whole Psalm. They are Oratio, Meditatio, Tentatio.
Firstly, you should know that the Holy Scriptures constitute a book which turns the wisdom of all other books into foolishness, because not one teaches about eternal life except this one alone. Therefore you should straightway despair of your reason and understanding. With them you will not attain eternal life, but, on the contrary, your presumptuousness will plunge you and others with you out of heaven (as happened to Lucifer) into the abyss of hell. But kneel down in your little room [Matt. 6:6] and pray to God with real humility and earnestness, that he through his dear Son may give you his Holy Spirit, who will enlighten you, lead you, and give you understanding.
Thus you see how David keeps praying in the above-mentioned Psalm, “Teach me, Lord, instruct me, lead me, show me,” and many more words like these. Although he well knew and daily heard and read the text of Moses and other books besides, still he wants to lay hold of the real teacher of the Scriptures himself, so that he may not seize upon them pell-mell with his reason and become his own teacher. For such practice gives rise to factious spirits who allow themselves to nurture the delusion that the Scriptures are subject to them and can be easily grasped with their reason, as if they were Markolf or Aesop’s Fables, for which no Holy Spirit and no prayers are needed.
Secondly, you should meditate, that is, not only in your heart, but also externally, by actually repeating and comparing oral speech and literal words of the book, reading and rereading them with diligent attention and reflection, so that you may see what the Holy Spirit means by them. And take care that you do not grow weary or think that you have done enough when you have read, heard, and spoken them once or twice, and that you then have complete understanding. You will never be a particularly good theologian if you do that, for you will be like untimely fruit which falls to the ground before it is haft ripe.
Thus you see in this same Psalm how David constantly boasts that he will talk, meditate, speak, sing, hear, read, by day and night and always, about nothing except God’s Word and commandments. For God will not give you his Spirit without the external Word; so take your cue from that. His command to write, preach, read, hear, sing, speak, etc., outwardly was not given in vain.
Thirdly, there is tentatio, Anfechtung. This is the touchstone which teaches you not only to know and understand, but also to experience how right, how true, how sweet, how lovely, how mighty, how comforting God’s Word is, wisdom beyond all wisdom.
Thus you see how David, in the Psalm mentioned, complains so often about all kinds of enemies, arrogant princes or tyrants, false spirits and factions, whom he must tolerate because he meditates, that is, because he is occupied with God’s Word (as has been said) in all manner of ways. For as soon as God’s Word takes root and grows in you, the devil will harry you, and will make a real doctor of you, and by his assaults13 will teach you to seek and love God’s Word. I myself (if you will permit me, mere mouse-dirt, to be mingled with pepper) am deeply indebted to my papists that through the devil’s raging they have beaten, oppressed, and distressed me so much. That is to say, they have made a fairly good theologian of me, which I would not have become otherwise. And I heartily grant them what they have won in return for making this of me, honor, victory, and triumph, for that’s the way they wanted it.
There now, with that you have David’s rules. If you study hard in accord with his example, then you will also sing and boast with him in the Psalm, “The law of thy mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces” [Ps. 119:72]. Also, “Thy commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, for I keep thy precepts,” etc. [Ps. 119:98–100]. And it will be your experience that the books of the fathers will taste stale and putrid to you in comparison. You will not only despise the books written by adversaries, but the longer you write and teach the less you will be pleased with yourself. When you have reached this point, then do not be afraid to hope that you have begun to become a real theologian, who can teach not only the young and imperfect Christians, but also the maturing and perfect ones. For indeed, Christs church has all kinds of Christians in it who are young, old, weak, sick, healthy, strong, energetic, lazy, simple, wise, etc.
If, however, you feel and are inclined to think you have made it, flattering yourself with your own little books, teaching, or writing, because you have done it beautifully and preached excellently; if you are highly pleased when someone praises you in the presence of others; if you perhaps look for praise, and would sulk or quit what you are doing if you did not get it—if you are of that stripe, dear friend, then take yourself by the ears, and if you do this in the right way you will find a beautiful pair of big, long, shaggy donkey ears. Then do not spare any expense! Decorate them with golden bells, so that people will be able to hear you wherever you go, point their fingers at you, and say, “See, See! There goes that clever beast, who can write such exquisite books and preach so remarkably well.” That very moment you will be blessed and blessed beyond measure in the kingdom of heaven. Yes, in that heaven where hellfire is ready for the devil and his angels. To sum up: Let us be proud and seek honor in the places where we can. But in this book the honor is God’s alone, as it is said, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” [I Pet. 5:5]; to whom be glory, world without end, Amen.
LW 34.279ff. HT: Matt Harrison
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Death
"If the resurrection doesn't sound like the Gospel, you haven't really considered how great and powerful death is. An ordinary man might conquer a vice. He may fix a hole in his reasoning. But he will never defeat death."Josh Strodtbeck
Death
There are a lot of different kinds of Good News, but there is little good news in “My argument scored more points than your argument.” But the news that “Christ is risen!” really is Good News for one kind of person: The person who is dying. If Christianity is not a dying word to dying men, it is not the message of the Bible that gives hope now.The late Michael Spencer, aka, Internet Monk.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Conceding To Your Enemies.
I can get pretty defensive about things, even faith. Perhaps being defensive isn't always the best way. Whenever Jesus was confronted with a trick question he always seemed to find away to pin the question back on the one asking.
The other day a friend said I shouldn't go to church because it's lame. Our natural tendency would be to say "It's actually really cool, we have a hip pastor, a sweet praise team, and God is cool too. You should come." People aren't stupid. Church isn't about having a sweet praise team and a hip pastor.
I always think of things after the fact, but I completely should have conceded he was right. Church is lame because that is who it is for. Our status before God is dead and lame, blind and deaf to him. But it was through love that God sent his only Son into our flesh to reconcile the world to himself - to live and die a perfect death in our place. In fact it was while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
We mocked him, "He can heal others but he can't save himself." But it was for this reason he endured the cross. "By his wounds we are healed." Christ didn't come to be served but to serve. He took on our weak body of humanity in the incarnation, brought it into death and came out alive. This is our hope. In ourselves we have no life and righteousness. He gives us his life and righteousness so we might be raised from the dead. It was in his weakness that he is victorious. It is in Christ we see how bad our sins are. Lame, yes? Yet lame and dead he hung on the cross to save us.
When you realize how lame it actually is, and how Christ identifies with us in this, it becomes so much more than lame. It is life.
The other day a friend said I shouldn't go to church because it's lame. Our natural tendency would be to say "It's actually really cool, we have a hip pastor, a sweet praise team, and God is cool too. You should come." People aren't stupid. Church isn't about having a sweet praise team and a hip pastor.
I always think of things after the fact, but I completely should have conceded he was right. Church is lame because that is who it is for. Our status before God is dead and lame, blind and deaf to him. But it was through love that God sent his only Son into our flesh to reconcile the world to himself - to live and die a perfect death in our place. In fact it was while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
We mocked him, "He can heal others but he can't save himself." But it was for this reason he endured the cross. "By his wounds we are healed." Christ didn't come to be served but to serve. He took on our weak body of humanity in the incarnation, brought it into death and came out alive. This is our hope. In ourselves we have no life and righteousness. He gives us his life and righteousness so we might be raised from the dead. It was in his weakness that he is victorious. It is in Christ we see how bad our sins are. Lame, yes? Yet lame and dead he hung on the cross to save us.
When you realize how lame it actually is, and how Christ identifies with us in this, it becomes so much more than lame. It is life.
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