Showing posts with label supper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label supper. Show all posts
Monday, April 11, 2011
A Future Present
Baptism and the Lord's Supper are not "types," not prefigurements or parables. They do indeed point to the future, but it is a future already present with its gifts of grace. - Hermann Sasse
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Communion Quote:
It is through His human nature that Christ is our Paschal Lamb sacrificed; and therefore, it must be through His human nature that Christ, our Paschal Lamb, is eaten. If it was not through His divinity, separated from His humanity, that He was sacrificed upon the cross, it cannot be that through His divine nature, separate from His humanity, He is given to us at His table. Charles Krauth
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.
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.
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