I've never murdered anyone. I've never even been in a fist fight. Am I in the clear?
There is this incredible truth about humanity. We are really good at minimizing the Ten Commandments when they are speaking about us. But when someone else has done something to us, oooooooh boy, we open that Law up on them and call for God's justice and wrath to come flaming down.
The irony is that this actually breaks the Fifth Commandment. Luther writes, "The meaning of this commandment, then, is that no one should harm another person for any evil deed, no matter how much that person deserves it." What! Really? So when someone does something to me, you know, something really bad, and I get angry - I am breaking the fifth commandment?!? Yes. But who can control their anger like that? Who can keep themselves from reacting to something so offensive done against them?
Only Christ.
Jesus, the one who said, "Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also," He is the only One who can keep this Law. And the best part is that He has already fulfilled it for you. The Son of God was born as a man and put Himself under the Law for you. He was treated terribly - mocked, tortured, crucified - but did MORE than turn the other cheek. He forgave you. He let His beatings, His weak, pathetic death become Your eternal salvation - salvation from your anger and the way you don't think about the needs of your neighbour. Jesus let our human anger pound Him into a pulp so that the blood which seeped out from Him might cover us with His love.
So No - you are not in the clear. No, you shouldn't minimize your wrongdoings. No, you shouldn't get angry. But Christ came for you. He died for you. He rose for you. And on the day of His trial, when He was wrongfully found worthy of death, a murderer was released in His place. That murderer was you. Free. Forgiven. Restored.
Monday, 10 February 2014
Wednesday, 29 January 2014
What is man(kind)?
To say that humans tend to have a high opinion of themselves and their abilities is an understatement. We are so convinced of our "selfness" that we think we know ourselves better than anyone else.
"You don't know me." "Who are you to tell me?" "I know what's best for me!"
With eyes only for ourselves we cannot see the prison of our own thinking. The prison of our "(un)freewill". We think either "I can do it" or "I know I cannot do it." We are unable to consider other options. How dare you suggest there even is one!?!
But what about when you are blind to the fact that you cannot do it? When you don't know you are enslaved? What about when you think you are free - you believe you are free - but that "freedom" is a lie keeping you from seeing your prison?
Enter God's Word.
The Psalmist writes, "Who can discern his errors? (Psalm 19:12)
Jesus says, "Truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin." (John 8:34)
Luther expounds, "Scripture represents man as one who is not only bound, wretched, captive, sick and dead, but in addition to his other miseries is afflicted, through the agency of Satan his prince, with this misery of blindness, so that he believes himself to be free, happy, unfettered, able, well and alive. For Satan knows that if men were aware of their misery, he would not be able to retain a single one of them in his kingdom, because God could not but at once pity and succour them in their acknowledged and crying wretchedness, seeing he is so highly extolled throughout Scripture as being near to the contrite in heart [Ps. 34:18]... Accordingly, it is Satan's work to prevent men from recognizing their plight and to keep them presuming that they can do everything they are told." (The Bondage of the Will)
St. Paul writes, "the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (2 Cor. 4:4)
The will of man is not only bound and incapable of freeing itself, it is blind to its bondage. It doesn't even know that it is dead.
Who then can be saved?
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Eph. 2:8-9)
God's grace is for you. This gift is for you. No, you can't choose it. No, you can't earn it. But you don't have to. You don't have to do anything. You've been chosen by God. Chosen to receive the gift of true freedom. Chosen to have His undeserved loved and mercy despite and in the face of all of your sin. Believe it. This is Christ on the cross. God's Only Son dead where you should be dead. The innocent Lamb of God bled dry for your wrongdoings. It happened. It is finished. And to you go all the benefits. You have been made new, made by God, made for God. Special. Chosen.
What is man(kind)? A race God made. A race God entered. A race God redeemed. For you.
"You don't know me." "Who are you to tell me?" "I know what's best for me!"
With eyes only for ourselves we cannot see the prison of our own thinking. The prison of our "(un)freewill". We think either "I can do it" or "I know I cannot do it." We are unable to consider other options. How dare you suggest there even is one!?!
But what about when you are blind to the fact that you cannot do it? When you don't know you are enslaved? What about when you think you are free - you believe you are free - but that "freedom" is a lie keeping you from seeing your prison?
Enter God's Word.
The Psalmist writes, "Who can discern his errors? (Psalm 19:12)
Jesus says, "Truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin." (John 8:34)
Luther expounds, "Scripture represents man as one who is not only bound, wretched, captive, sick and dead, but in addition to his other miseries is afflicted, through the agency of Satan his prince, with this misery of blindness, so that he believes himself to be free, happy, unfettered, able, well and alive. For Satan knows that if men were aware of their misery, he would not be able to retain a single one of them in his kingdom, because God could not but at once pity and succour them in their acknowledged and crying wretchedness, seeing he is so highly extolled throughout Scripture as being near to the contrite in heart [Ps. 34:18]... Accordingly, it is Satan's work to prevent men from recognizing their plight and to keep them presuming that they can do everything they are told." (The Bondage of the Will)
St. Paul writes, "the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (2 Cor. 4:4)
The will of man is not only bound and incapable of freeing itself, it is blind to its bondage. It doesn't even know that it is dead.
Who then can be saved?
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Eph. 2:8-9)
God's grace is for you. This gift is for you. No, you can't choose it. No, you can't earn it. But you don't have to. You don't have to do anything. You've been chosen by God. Chosen to receive the gift of true freedom. Chosen to have His undeserved loved and mercy despite and in the face of all of your sin. Believe it. This is Christ on the cross. God's Only Son dead where you should be dead. The innocent Lamb of God bled dry for your wrongdoings. It happened. It is finished. And to you go all the benefits. You have been made new, made by God, made for God. Special. Chosen.
What is man(kind)? A race God made. A race God entered. A race God redeemed. For you.
Tuesday, 14 January 2014
Why is being a Christian so hard?
It is hard being a Christian. Almost every influence out there works against your faith, working to make you downplay it, or disregard it entirely. Even your own flesh.
St. Paul explains in Romans 6. "Consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus."
Dead to sin? But sin remains. No it doesn't condemn me. No I am no longer guilty of it because of Jesus, but it is there, working to destroy my faith in this Jesus. I have fleshly desires. My eyes are distracted by worldly things.
And this is hard. In fact, it is war.
You know, Christ has shed His own blood for you. You know His blood takes care of all your sin, but your flesh remains, and until the day of the resurrection it will war against your faith. War.
It is a dying and rising everyday. The Christian life is not about becoming better. It is about dying. Death and resurrection. Rising new in Christ. Rising new in faith. Yes, it is going to be hard, because it means that you are going to have to have your own self die over and over again. But this is exactly the life the Christian is in - all on account of Christ. All on account of baptism.
Paul writes, "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?"
Your life begins in death. The death of Jesus. And it continues there in the waters of baptism as you daily die to sin and rise to new life. So today, don't think of how you can be a better Christian. Look to see where God is calling you to die, that He may raise you up.
St. Paul explains in Romans 6. "Consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus."
Dead to sin? But sin remains. No it doesn't condemn me. No I am no longer guilty of it because of Jesus, but it is there, working to destroy my faith in this Jesus. I have fleshly desires. My eyes are distracted by worldly things.
And this is hard. In fact, it is war.
You know, Christ has shed His own blood for you. You know His blood takes care of all your sin, but your flesh remains, and until the day of the resurrection it will war against your faith. War.
It is a dying and rising everyday. The Christian life is not about becoming better. It is about dying. Death and resurrection. Rising new in Christ. Rising new in faith. Yes, it is going to be hard, because it means that you are going to have to have your own self die over and over again. But this is exactly the life the Christian is in - all on account of Christ. All on account of baptism.
Paul writes, "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?"
Your life begins in death. The death of Jesus. And it continues there in the waters of baptism as you daily die to sin and rise to new life. So today, don't think of how you can be a better Christian. Look to see where God is calling you to die, that He may raise you up.
Monday, 4 June 2012
Where do we find certainty?
In Ecclesiastes 9:1-2 the Preacher says, "The righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God, and man does not know if he is worthy of love or hatred, but all things are kept uncertain in the future."
The works of man are uncertain. We labour and toil, but we do not know if God is pleased with what we do simply based on our works. Whether you are faithful or faithless, things turn out equally here on earth. The godless man gets promoted. The godly man gets promoted. Trusting in our works is futile and will lead us to despair.
However, God has made it this way on purpose. He does not want us to look to ourselves and what we have done, but to Him. His Word is certain. His Word has declared the present and the future. We know how He feels towards us because He tells us in His Word. He promises us the benefits of His Son, that His death and resurrection are ours by faith. By faith we know that God is pleased with us, that He is pleased with our works, that He has prepared rewards for us in heaven that cannot be compared with any earthly gains.
Our certainty rests in God. Our righteousness rests in God. Our life and very being rests in God. Let us let it rest in Him. Let us hold onto Him and all that He does for us and forgo all else. He has declared what will be. And His Word is certain.
The works of man are uncertain. We labour and toil, but we do not know if God is pleased with what we do simply based on our works. Whether you are faithful or faithless, things turn out equally here on earth. The godless man gets promoted. The godly man gets promoted. Trusting in our works is futile and will lead us to despair.
However, God has made it this way on purpose. He does not want us to look to ourselves and what we have done, but to Him. His Word is certain. His Word has declared the present and the future. We know how He feels towards us because He tells us in His Word. He promises us the benefits of His Son, that His death and resurrection are ours by faith. By faith we know that God is pleased with us, that He is pleased with our works, that He has prepared rewards for us in heaven that cannot be compared with any earthly gains.
Our certainty rests in God. Our righteousness rests in God. Our life and very being rests in God. Let us let it rest in Him. Let us hold onto Him and all that He does for us and forgo all else. He has declared what will be. And His Word is certain.
Tuesday, 8 May 2012
What does it mean to "have a god"?
The first commandment reads, "You shall have no other gods."
But what does it mean to "have a god"?
Luther writes in the Large Catechism, "Many a person thinks that he has God and everything in abundance when he has money and possessions. He trusts in them and boasts about them. Such a person has a god by the name of 'Mammon'." He also writes, "So too, whoever trusts and boasts that he has great skill, prudence, power, favor, friendship, and honor also has a god. But it is not the true and only God."
"Having a god" means to have something in which the heart trusts entirely. Everyone has a god. But not everyone has the true and only God.
Which 'gods' do you have? What things do you rely upon? What things do you think about to make yourself feel secure?
God forbids us from trusting in things other than Him. But He doesn't do this to harm us, but to protect us from relying upon things that are temporary. Should we 'have gods' that will not protect and defend us in the end, how could a loving God allow us to trust in them without warning us?
God commands us to hold Him alone as god. For our safety. For our good. And because He loves us. He is the only One who has created, and He is the only One who saves. Trust in the Lord, for He alone is faithful as His holy death and resurrection prove.
But what does it mean to "have a god"?
Luther writes in the Large Catechism, "Many a person thinks that he has God and everything in abundance when he has money and possessions. He trusts in them and boasts about them. Such a person has a god by the name of 'Mammon'." He also writes, "So too, whoever trusts and boasts that he has great skill, prudence, power, favor, friendship, and honor also has a god. But it is not the true and only God."
"Having a god" means to have something in which the heart trusts entirely. Everyone has a god. But not everyone has the true and only God.
Which 'gods' do you have? What things do you rely upon? What things do you think about to make yourself feel secure?
God forbids us from trusting in things other than Him. But He doesn't do this to harm us, but to protect us from relying upon things that are temporary. Should we 'have gods' that will not protect and defend us in the end, how could a loving God allow us to trust in them without warning us?
God commands us to hold Him alone as god. For our safety. For our good. And because He loves us. He is the only One who has created, and He is the only One who saves. Trust in the Lord, for He alone is faithful as His holy death and resurrection prove.
Thursday, 29 March 2012
Why should we fear God?
We should fear and love God...
Sometimes we have a hard time understanding how fear and love can go together.
The fear of the LORD that is consistently referred to in the Bible is not the same as other types of fear that may immediately come to mind.
We do not fear God the way we fear being in a field with an angry lion.
We do not fear God the way we fear the thought of a ghost, or an evil spirit.
We fear God because it is not in our power to take hold of grace. He alone can save, and we are at His mercy. The fear of the LORD goes beyond respect, it goes beyond awe - the fear of the LORD is a total surrender of control. It is the acknowledgement that God alone holds the outcome of your existence.
His Word on this matter brings both fear and love.
"Just as I do not want a sinner," He says, "so I do not want the death of a sinner. But if you have been driven to sin by the wickedness of the devil, and if the Law condemns you and the devil hurls his flaming darts at you and tries to drive you into hell, I do not want you to die or to despair. No, I want you to flee for refuge to Christ the Savior, who does not want the death of a sinner, just as He does not want a sinner either." ~ Martin Luther
In Christ we fear and love God. Christ lived a life of fear and love towards His heavenly Father, and in Him we have His life. Flee to Christ the Savior for refuge, for without His life we have neither fear nor love, but only despair.
Sometimes we have a hard time understanding how fear and love can go together.
The fear of the LORD that is consistently referred to in the Bible is not the same as other types of fear that may immediately come to mind.
We do not fear God the way we fear being in a field with an angry lion.
We do not fear God the way we fear the thought of a ghost, or an evil spirit.
We fear God because it is not in our power to take hold of grace. He alone can save, and we are at His mercy. The fear of the LORD goes beyond respect, it goes beyond awe - the fear of the LORD is a total surrender of control. It is the acknowledgement that God alone holds the outcome of your existence.
His Word on this matter brings both fear and love.
"Just as I do not want a sinner," He says, "so I do not want the death of a sinner. But if you have been driven to sin by the wickedness of the devil, and if the Law condemns you and the devil hurls his flaming darts at you and tries to drive you into hell, I do not want you to die or to despair. No, I want you to flee for refuge to Christ the Savior, who does not want the death of a sinner, just as He does not want a sinner either." ~ Martin Luther
In Christ we fear and love God. Christ lived a life of fear and love towards His heavenly Father, and in Him we have His life. Flee to Christ the Savior for refuge, for without His life we have neither fear nor love, but only despair.
Monday, 5 March 2012
Why don't we see more results?
When it comes to ministry we are always tempted to look for the results of our efforts, or the success of the ministry. We see success in numbers and we cannot help but count and compare.
But is this the way God measures success? What is His focus?
In John 6:66, the apostle writes, "After this many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him." Jesus had continued preaching the same message, but He began losing some of His following. If we were to look at this with human eyes today, we would say that He must not be teaching the truth, or He needs to do something different to attract the youth. But did Jesus change His message? Did He change His style? No, because He does not measure success the way we do. He is not focused on the same things as us.
St. Paul provides a fuller explanation. He says, "Your life is hidden with Christ in God." (Col. 3:3) Hidden. That is to say, you cannot see it. We cannot see who has faith, and who acts like they have faith. We cannot see these deep spiritual things, and thank God that they are hidden from us. But if they are hidden, then we are not supposed to focus on them.
What then should we focus on, if not results?
The answer is Service. Focus on Service. Focus on the serving, not on the result of the serving. Serve your neighbour. Serve your friends and your family. Serve your Lord, and let Him take care of the results. After all as St. Paul says, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth."
This new focus on service frees us from the concerns of success. We can freely serve knowing that the Lord will bring growth as He sees fit. Thanks be to God, that He gives us the opportunity to serve in freedom.
But is this the way God measures success? What is His focus?
In John 6:66, the apostle writes, "After this many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him." Jesus had continued preaching the same message, but He began losing some of His following. If we were to look at this with human eyes today, we would say that He must not be teaching the truth, or He needs to do something different to attract the youth. But did Jesus change His message? Did He change His style? No, because He does not measure success the way we do. He is not focused on the same things as us.
St. Paul provides a fuller explanation. He says, "Your life is hidden with Christ in God." (Col. 3:3) Hidden. That is to say, you cannot see it. We cannot see who has faith, and who acts like they have faith. We cannot see these deep spiritual things, and thank God that they are hidden from us. But if they are hidden, then we are not supposed to focus on them.
What then should we focus on, if not results?
The answer is Service. Focus on Service. Focus on the serving, not on the result of the serving. Serve your neighbour. Serve your friends and your family. Serve your Lord, and let Him take care of the results. After all as St. Paul says, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth."
This new focus on service frees us from the concerns of success. We can freely serve knowing that the Lord will bring growth as He sees fit. Thanks be to God, that He gives us the opportunity to serve in freedom.
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