So, Where Do You Keep the Lambs?

Every once in a while, I receive emails or hard copies of letters from individuals or groups, who believe it is their mission to contact pastors and warn them to "preach the one gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." I have no doubt that these people mean well, but it always saddens me to read their stern warnings, wherein they show that they haven't a clue what the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ really is. For them, as evidenced by the most recent warning I received via email this morning, which is posted below, the Gospel is something we must do, which means their Gospel is no Gospel at all, but pure Law. The way they butcher the Scriptures to go out of their way to make sure every last drop of Jesus' Blood becomes meaningless is very depressing.

Every time I receive one of these, I am reminded of the time I spent interviewing a Seventh Day Adventist preacher for a project I was required to do in one of my classes during my undergraduate work. That project consisted of us having to pick a different denomination, attend a couple of services in a congregation of that denomination, interview the pastor or another leader there, and write a lengthy essay describing the official teachings of the denomination, how those teachings were put into practice, what the pastor or leader emphasized about those teaching during the interview, and where the similarities and differences were between those teachings and practices and our own Lutheran teachings and practices.

I chose to do my project on Seventh Day Adventists, since, at the time, I didn't know all that much about that denomination. I learned a lot about them in studying their history and official teachings, but even more when attending a couple of services in one of their local congregations, and still more when interviewing the preacher there. I will say this: They are consistent. What I learned in the books was what I saw being practiced. All Law, all the time. The only Gospel heard was when the readers read from the Gospels, but that was quickly taken away by the preacher, who turned that Gospel into Law.

The preacher was a nice enough guy. He was very cooperative and readily agreed to sit down with me and let me interview him. But, it was sad. Big time sad. The differences between us were astounding. To put it bluntly, His Jesus was really no Savior at all. His Jesus was a stern Law-Giver and Judge. I didn't like his Jesus very much at all. His Jesus scared me to death. If his Jesus was the real Jesus, I was in trouble.

The interview quickly turned into a back-and-forth, as the preacher not only answered the questions I put to him, but began asking his own of me. He also minced no words in letting me know how wrong he believed us Lutherans to be on just about everything. He didn't yell and scream about it. As I said, he was a nice enough guy. But, he was sure to let me know that we Lutherans were wrong in our belief that Jesus had done everything necessary for our salvation, and how the real "gospel" was about us keeping the Law.

As you might guess, he was especially adamant about "keeping the Sabbath Day," and how the greatest evil to ever perpetuate the Christian Church was gathering for worship on Sundays. I was prepared for this and had the appropriate Scriptures handy to refute his claims, but he was having none of it. "The Sabbath Day is an everlasting ordinance of the Lord and we are required to keep it," he declared. That whole thing about Jesus being our Sabbath rest didn't matter one bit to him.

As he continued to thunder away at me - in a nice way - about the Sabbath Day, I finally had a stroke of genius. I don't want to get all hokey about it or anything, but this was definitely one of those "the Holy Spirit will give you the words to say" moments. Out of the blue, I asked, "So, where do you keep the lambs?" This prompted a very puzzled look to come across the preacher's face for a few seconds until he responded, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, surely you must keep the Passover in the same literal fashion you keep the Sabbath, right? I mean, our Lord makes it very clear in His Word that the Passover is an everlasting ordinance that we are required to keep. So, where do you keep the lambs? Do you slaughter them outside or inside the church?"

Crickets. Seriously. Long, awkward silence.

Of course, I'm not the first one to point out this inconsistency, so it probably wasn't the stroke of genius I'm claiming it to be. Even within their own ranks, Seventh Day Adventists struggle here. How is it that this eternal ordinance must be kept literally, but that one must not be? The "scholarly" attempts to answer this question are as entertaining as they are absurd. So was this preacher's attempt, once he gathered himself and put an end to the long, awkward silence.

He said, "The Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments; the Passover is not. The Ten Commandments remain divine ordinances we're still obligated to keep, but the Feasts of the Old Testament, like the Passover, have been abolished by the coming of the Messiah. As Jesus tells us, He did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it, and to make it clear that we must fulfill it, too."

Wait, what?

I tried to engage him some more on this issue, but he brushed it aside and moved on to enlighten me on their unique, strange, and wholly unbliblical views of the End Times. Amazing stuff, this. They claim to be able to pinpoint exact dates when this or that eschatological happening has occurred, things like when the so-called "Investigative Judgment" began, when Christ cleansed the heavenly sanctuary, etc. But, through all the creative and imaginative twisting of Scripture, which leads to these strange views, it is the same thing driving their eschatology that drives their soteriology: the Law.

The Law is the "Gospel" for them, and for all those well-meaning, but woefully wrong, individuals and groups who send me messages from time to time, exhorting me to "preach the one gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" (I have never yet received one of these messages that had even a hint of Gospel in them). Jesus has done His part, but now it's up to us to do ours. He fulfilled the Law to show us how we might fulfill it, too. The "gospel" Jesus preaches is conditional and dependent upon our obedience. As you can see below, they produce nice charts and quote many Scripture passages and include many words in their exhortations, but they haven't the first clue what the true Gospel is, which is the sure and certain truth that Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary to live the perfect life we can't live and pay the full price for all of our sins with His sacrificial death on the Cross. He accomplished everything necessary for our salvation. It is finished. There are no conditions on the Gospel. There is not an ounce of obedience left to be fulfilled. There is not an ounce of blood left to be shed. Jesus has done it all. That's the one Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, the one Gospel I am called and ordained to preach, the one Gospel that is truly Good News for sinners in need of a Savior.

The "gospel" spoken of below is Law, not Gospel, and I am left to keep on asking those who exhort this Law in the name of their false "gospel": So, where do you keep the lambs?

Here's the email I received:

Dear Pastor, and fellow labourer of Jesus Christ, As one who has tasted the power of the age to come , I must write to pastors to warn them that they must preach the one gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Throughout the world today, only those churches that obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and have rejected the doctrines of men, receive the Spirit of truth, as evidenced by the tongue emitting sound. ( λαλούντων γλώσσαις). (And this is not at all like the movement of the mouth in a prayer language we see on television) The Apostle Paul warned us, that when Jesus returns to gather together His elect, that those who do not obey the gospel of Jesus Christ will meet the same fate as those who do not know God. And I’m worried that many don’t even know what the gospel of Jesus Christ is, even though the return of Jesus may be very near.   Jesus gave us His gospel with ten  “if not,” conditions. (ἐὰν μή). Five of these conditions deal with our heart and our thinking, and the other five tell us what we must do to receive God’s salvation.
1.	“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” John 6:44,65	We must respond to God, who gave His only Son.	6.	“The Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner,,,the Son also gives life to whom He wishes.” John 5:19-20 NASB	As sons of God, we must imitate Christ. We begin with His baptism.
2.	“Unless you see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.” John 4:48 (NKJV adds people)	We must recognize Jesus’ resurrection.	7.	“Unless one is (born again) born of water and the Spirit, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3,5	We must receive Jesus’ baptism of water and Spirit.
3.	“Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3	We must renew our minds and humble our hearts.	8.	“Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me.” John 13:8 NIV	We must allow Christ, the body of Christ, to wash our feet.
4.	“Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone…He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” John 12:24-25	We must realize this world is passing away.	9.	“Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:53-54	We must remember Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins.
5.	“Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20	We must do the will of God. We cannot enter the kingdom of heaven by the teachings and traditions of men.	10.	“As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me…If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.” John 15:4,6	We must abide in the Spirit and body of Christ (His Church).
And finally, Jesus gave us one more condition of salvation with the expression “if for no.” (ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ)
	“Unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins.” John 8:24 (NASB adds He)	We must know that Jesus is God Himself, “I AM,” who appeared to Moses.
Here are some questions that you may have: Is the washing of feet really a salvation condition? Yes because the Spirit of truth can only be received by those who keep the commandments of Jesus. And the Holy Spirit is required for salvation. After instructing His disciples in the washing of feet and remembrance of His death, Jesus said to them: “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—  the Spirit of truth…” Did the early church practice the washing of feet as a salvation teaching? Yes, the writer of Hebrews lists the elementary salvation teachings of Christ as: Faith in God Repentance Instructions about baptisms, and The laying on of hands (for the gift of the Holy Spirit, see Acts 8:17, 19:6) Baptisms is plural because the Greek word βαπτισμῶν can also refer to religious washings, as in the washing of hands in Luke 11:38. What is the meaning of condition number 6 – “in like manner” This has to with the unity of God and man, “that they may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and they in Me…that the world might believe that You sent Me.” As Paul wrote: there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism. We observe Jesus’ commandments “in like manner” to Jesus. Just as the disciples broke “one loaf” (1 Cor 10:16-17) of “unleavened bread,” (1 Cor 5:8); they also baptized in “living water,” (John 3:23) bowing their heads, “in the likeness of His death” (John 19:30, Romans 6:5). And of course, the imitation of Christ, being transformed into His image is the goal of our salvation - so we begin our faith as we would end it. Where are the churches that obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ? As far as I know, at the moment, only the True Jesus Church denomination obeys this gospel, and receives the Spirit of truth as evidenced by the tongue emitting sound. (As different from the movement of the mouth in a prayer language that we see in many churches.) There were other denominations and churches in the past who also received this Spirit, but they changed their doctrines, adding religious days and so on,  and lost the Spirit. The True Jesus Church has the Sabbath Day in its 10 basic beliefs, why is that? This has to do with the salvation condition: “Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will be no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus did not do away with God’s commandments, but told us that we must keep them, and go beyond them. God not only wants us to keep the Sabbath day holy, He wants us to dedicate every day to Him. That we should worship Him “neither in Jerusalem or on this mountain, but in Spirit and truth,” not according to “the basic principles of this world.”  God blessed the Sabbath day in the beginning of creation as a day for rest for man. Rest to be shared by Jews and Gentiles as the commandment says - that man might rest in unity with God and one another. The church broke the unity of this day when it changed the day of rest for the Gentiles to Sunday, because of their tradition. And so Jesus said to the Pharisees “in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” “Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will be no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” God wants us “to remember the Sabbath day,” and rest, if this is not burdensome – “the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3) Almost all of the True Jesus Church members are Asian, does the Bible prophecy this? Ezekiel tells us the Spirit and glory of the Lord will come from the east in the last days. “And behold the glory of the Lord came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters…” Ezekiel 43:2 The sound of “many waters” is that sound we hear after the fall of that Great Harlot. “And I heard, as it were, the voice of many waters… Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, And His wife has made herself ready.” Revelation 19:6 Paul’s prophecy of lawlessness and the Gospel of Jesus Christ To fully understand Paul’s meaning, we need to read from the original text or a more literal version, and understand the background of Paul’s comments. Paul tells us that when Jesus returns, those who do not obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ will be eternally separated from God, along with those who do not know God. “there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Jesus Christ, but even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:7,8 “it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,  in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,  when He comes, in that Day” 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 Paul told us the “mystery of lawlessness” is already at work. And “the coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders.” Jesus told us that “false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” And, “at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” Matthew 13: 40 -43 Those who obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ will be saved There is only one gospel by which we receive God’s guarantee of salvation. May all glory be to our God who has revealed to us the great mystery of His gospel, “the power of salvation to everyone who believes.” That all who fear and trust Him might share with Christ all of the riches of His eternal goodness.

I Have a Problem - Or So I'm Told

I have a problem. Or so I'm told. Actually, some would probably say that I have many problems, but that's neither here nor there. For the sake of this post, it's just a single problem I have - or so I'm told.

What's my problem? I see Jesus, His Church, and His Holy Word and Sacraments everywhere in the Old Testament. I see the same story of salvation told over and over again, the story of Jesus living the perfect life in our place, paying for all of our sins with His sacrificial death on the Cross, rising from the tomb on the third day, ascending to reign over all things until He returns in great glory on the Last Day, and how that salvation He accomplishes is applied to sinners through His life-giving and life-sustaining Word and Sacraments. I see that story already in the Garden of Eden, and retold in the stories of Cain and Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings . . . you get the idea. I see Jesus everywhere. I see His Holy Church everywhere. I see His Holy Word and Sacraments everywhere. And, don't even get me started on the Psalms. I know they are supposed to be neatly organized into different categories, one of which is titled, "Messianic Psalms," but, Lord help me, I see every last one of them as Messianic.

Why do some say that I have a problem here? Because, evidently, I'm only supposed to see Jesus, His Church, and His Holy Word and Sacraments in the Old Testament when the New Testament tells me to see them. For example, it's okay for me to see a type of Holy Baptism in the parting of the Red Sea, since the New Testament tells me to see that (1 Cor. 10:2). But, if there are stories of salvation which include water in the Old Testament that are not specifically mentioned in the New Testament as types of Holy Baptism, I'm not supposed to see those stories as types of Holy Baptism. The same rule applies for the Lord's Supper, the Church, and even for Jesus Himself. In fact, those who say that I have a problem are quick to ridicule me (and others - I'm not the only one who has this problem) by saying, "You absurdly see Baptism in every drop of water and the Lord's Supper in every crumb of bread or drop of wine." I know! I do. I admit it. But, they tell me that the first step to overcoming a problem is to admit that you have one, so maybe there's still hope for me?

Actually, no, there is no hope for me here. Try as I might, I can't shake it. The more I read the Old Testament, the more my problem increases. I actually see more types of Jesus, His Church, and His Holy Word and Sacraments the more I read and study the Old Testament. Where I didn't see them before, I see them now. They're everywhere!

Oh well. Some problems are just not meant to be overcome. And, that's okay with me, since the problem I have here is actually a fun problem to have. It makes reading the Old Testament - even the more mundane, drab parts - a blast. In fact, it's so much fun that, while I enjoy all the Bible Studies I have going where I serve, I'd be lying if I didn't say that our Thursday morning Bible Study, where we have been going through the Old Testament chronologically for years now (we began at Genesis and are currently in the midst of 2 Kings), is the most fun, precisely because we keep seeing Jesus, His Church, and His Holy Word and Sacraments popping up everywhere, even in places where you'd least expect them. It could be that we're seeing Jesus, His Church, and His Holy Word and Sacraments simply because we want to see them. Maybe we're forcing things a bit. But, then, I'm not so sure that's as big a problem (if it is a problem at all) as some seem to think, as our Lord did make it clear that these are the Scriptures that testify of Him.

Cantate (Easter 5) Sermon

CANTATE

The Fifth Sunday of Easter

28 April Anno + Domini 2013

John 16:5-15 (Isaiah 12:1-6; James 1:16-21)

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

            He Is Risen!  (He Is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!)

“You will say in that day: I will give thanks to you, O LORD, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation” (Is. 12:1-2).

Thus does Isaiah prophesy some seven centuries before the day of which he speaks, for the day of which he speaks is the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is prophesying about you, O Christian. You will say in that day – in this day, the day of our Lord Jesus Christ – I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me. You will say in that day – in this day, the day of our Lord Jesus Christ – Behold, God is my salvation. And you do say this in this day, the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, precisely because it has been to your advantage that Jesus has gone away and sent the Helper, the Holy Spirit, to you. For no one says, “Jesus is Lord,” but by the Holy Spirit. No one knows how the Father’s anger toward us for our many sins has been turned away by the perfect life and sacrificial death of Jesus on the Cross, but by the Holy Spirit. No one knows how impossible it is for us sinners to save ourselves, but by the Holy Spirit. And no one knows that our Lord Jesus Christ has become our salvation, doing what is impossible for us, fulfilling every perfect command of God’s perfect Law in our place, and paying for our every failure to keep those perfect commands with His precious blood on Mount Calvary, but by the Holy Spirit.

Where the Holy Spirit is lacking, there is no truth. We see this in every other world religion, save Christianity, for every other world religion is a religion of the Law, where the way of salvation, whatever is meant by salvation according to each particular religion, is left to us. Being good, whatever is meant by good, is the way to the afterlife in every religion lacking the Holy Spirit. In these religions, God has not become your salvation, but it is incumbent upon you to save yourselves, to merit favor with God, whoever God might be, that you might gain access through your own works to whatever glory there is in whatever life that follows this one.

Where the Holy Spirit is lacking, there is no truth. That is to say, where the Holy Spirit is lacking, there is no Jesus, for He is the truth. Where there is no Jesus, there is not only no truth, but neither is there any way to salvation nor the possibility of eternal life, for Jesus is not only the truth, but also the way and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Him.

“Sing to the Lord a new song,” O Christian, “for He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations” (Ps. 98:1a, 2b). He has revealed His righteousness to you by the Holy Spirit. For He has fulfilled His promise to send the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit has done, and continues to do, in you exactly what Jesus promised He would do. He convicts you of sin, putting the perfect commands of God’s Law before you and showing you how miserably you measure up. You have not loved God as you should. Not even close. And you have not loved your neighbors as you should. Not even close. Confessing this at the beginning of every Divine Service is not just some rote ritual in which you participate, but a confession of the truth. You have sinned. In many and various ways. St. James tells you in the epistle this morning to “be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:19-21).

He’s talking to Christians - to you. He’s telling you what you should be striving for as those who have received the Holy Spirit. And because you have received the Holy Spirit, you not only know that what St. James tells you is good, but you do strive to live as he tells you to live, and you know when you haven’t, for when you haven’t – when you haven’t been quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, but rather short-tempered and quick to hurl angry insults and hold grudges and gossip about “those people” – the Holy Spirit convicts you of sin, and then comes the guilt and shame, for you know you ought not behave like that. And when you don’t put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness, but either engage in it or turn a blind eye to it, the Holy Spirit convicts you of sin, and then comes the guilt and shame, for you know you ought not do this. And when you do not receive the implanted word, which is Jesus, in meekness and humility, as one who is desperate for salvation, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, but rather come to church to just go through the motions or, worse, skip church altogether to do something else you’d rather be doing, the Holy Spirit convicts you of sin, and then comes the guilt and shame, for you know you ought not treat the Gospel so cheaply. Repent!

But, the Holy Spirit is not only sent to you to convict you of sin, but also of righteousness and judgment. When He has convicted you of sin and lead you to repentance, He is quick to direct your attention to Jesus, to remind you of all that He has done, and continues to do, for you; to show you your salvation by taking what belongs to Jesus – holiness and righteousness – and declaring it to you. Your sins are taken away by the Lamb of God, in whose holiness and righteousness you are clothed, not by anything you have done, but by all that Jesus has done, and continues to do, for you. The Holy Spirit convicts you of righteousness, and then the guilt and shame of your sins is taken away, covered by the holiness and righteousness of Jesus. And, as the Holy Spirit convicts you of righteousness, He also convicts you of judgment, for Satan has been defeated and his accusations against you for all your sins have been silenced by the blood of Jesus, who crushed the serpent’s head on the Cross. Satan is defeated, sin is paid for in full, and death is dead, for Jesus lives and reigns and intercedes at the right hand of the Father for you. You have been judged and found not guilty for Jesus’ sake.    

And so, as strange as it seems, it really is to your advantage that Jesus go away, so that He might send the Holy Spirit to you. He goes away to the Cross to win your salvation, and it is from the Cross that He hands over the Spirit of Truth, that is, His own Spirit, for just as Jesus and the Father are One, so Jesus and the Holy Spirit are One. On the Cross, Jesus hands over the Spirit of Truth along with the life-giving and life-sustaining water and blood that pour forth from His pierced side, for it is through that water and blood that the Holy Spirit will take what belongs to Jesus and declare it to you, clothing you in Jesus’ perfect holiness and righteousness through the water of Holy Baptism and continually cleansing your baptismal robes in the Blood of the Lamb distributed to you in the Holy Supper.

Isaiah prophesied about this, too, dear friends. “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Is. 12:3), and so you have, for, by the Holy Spirit’s gracious working, you have drawn water from the wells of Jesus’ side. And, you “shout and sing for you, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel” (Is. 12:6), for, by the Holy Spirit’s gracious working, you believe that the Holy One of Israel, Jesus Christ, your Lord and Savior, is Bodily Present upon the holy altar, giving you to eat and to drink of His very Body and Blood for the forgiveness of your sins and the strengthening and preservation of your faith.

What all of this means, of course, is that, while Jesus has departed to ascend to the Father’s right hand to be our Mediator, having finished every last work necessary for your salvation, He is not gone. The Holy Spirit directs you to where He is for you, to where Jesus continues to Tabernacle among us in His very Flesh and Blood, here in His Holy Church, at the font, pulpit, and altar. He is your strength and your song, for He has become your salvation. He is your refuge from the sorrows that inevitably fill your lives in this vale of tears, the sorrows that are brought upon you by other sinners and the sorrows you bring upon yourselves by your own sins. He prepares His Holy Church for you as a blessed oasis in the desert of this sinful world, a sanctuary, a safe-haven, that you might come and be fed upon Him, the Word of God that never passes away.    

Oh yes, O Christian, it is to your advantage that Jesus has gone away, so that He might send the Spirit of Truth to lead you into all Truth, that is, to lead you into Jesus and the wells of salvation that never cease flowing from Him. Come, then, at the gracious invitation of your Savior, which the Holy Spirit opens your ears to hear, all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and receive rest for your souls. Receive with meekness and joy the implanted Word, that, filled with Jesus, you might sing the new song of His revealed righteousness not only with your lips, but with your lives, “giving thanks to the Lord, calling upon His Name, making known His deeds among the peoples, proclaiming that His Name is exalted” (Is. 12:4).

Lord, grant this unto us all, in the Name of Jesus, for He Is Risen! (He Is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!)

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Let Solemn Awe Possess Us

I just finished reading this extraordinary paper, written by Pr. Rick Stuckwisch, which he delivered at the recent ACELC Conference. I have long been an admirer of Pr. Stuckwisch's excellent theological contributions, which I have been blessed to receive in various ways over the years, even in person on a couple of occasions, so I'm used to being wowed by him, but this might be the best thing he's ever written. Simply superb! You should give it a read. Seriously. You should.

"Let Solemn Awe Possess Us"

A More Perfect Form of Love?

I received the following email four times in the last 24 hours. It seems the LCMS campaign season is now in full swing. Those supporting Rev. David Maier have set up a "Friends of David Maier" FB page and are busy making contacts and sending out emails, like this one. That's fine. They're certainly entitled to campaign for the man they want to be our synodical president. Like it or not, we have a political process in place, and so politics are with us. No use crying about it. It is what it is.

However, that said, I find it very ironic that the supporters of Rev. David Maier believe "we need a more perfect form of love," but then show a less than perfect form of love in their commentary on the two main issues they believe merit the election of a new synodical president. I'm also left to wonder if they are as woefully naive as they appear to be.

First, we hear about "fear and suspicion," as we always do when the "silly season" begins. The implication is that electing a new synodical president will alleviate this. It won't. That's because the "fear and suspicion" in our synod does not come from whoever sits on the throne at the IC, but rather from the fact that we have some very real, very serious theological divisions in our synod. Currently, we have a synodical president who recognizes this, and who seeks to lead us in tackling these divisions, so that we might come to greater unity. Prior to him, we had a synodical president who always swept those differences under the synodical carpet, highlighting the fact that he believed we were unified on the things that really mattered, and that all the differences among us were nothing more than differences in practice, which did not affect our unity in doctrine. That dog won't hunt. It never could hunt. It won't start hunting now. You cannot be united in doctrine, but divided in practice. Practice is nothing more than doctrine in action.

But, that really gets at the heart of what Rev. David Maier's supporters want when they speak of our synod needing "a more perfect form of love." They believe that "a more perfect form of love" would come from us ignoring our very real, very serious theological divisions. We should just trust one another, after all (I heard that sentiment often at last summer's Michigan District Convention), and relegate our differences to nothing more than differences in practice. We're all Lutherans, for Pete's sake! We all believe the same thing. I wrote about this in a blog post last year, as I gave my review of the Michigan District Convention. 

The truth is that we don't all believe the same thing. We're not all Lutherans, just because we all claim the name Lutheran. And, truth be told, that's where the fear and suspicion really originate. I think we all know this, but it is much easier to sweep it under the rug than it is to admit it and work on it. The pastor who leads the "worship experience" in his ripped jeans and t-shirt, removes the altar to make room for the praise band, and preaches self-help, motivational messages does not believe the same thing as this pastor. That should be obvious, and it is obvious. But, what the supporters of Rev. David Maier believe is that me pointing out that obvious fact is the reason that fear and suspicion exists among us. It's not. The reason that fear and suspicion exists among us is that we have pastors doing the things mentioned above. Duh!

Is it really "a more perfect form of love" to turn a blind eye to our very real, very serious theological divisions and pretend that we have unity? Not at all. In fact, the opposite is true. The loving thing is to be honest about these divisions and seek to address them via serious study of Holy Scripture and our Lutheran Confessions.

We do need a new Spirit in our synod. Actually, He's not new at all. He's the Holy Spirit, and He's been around since, well, always and eternally. He convicts us of sin, leads us to repentance, and points us to Jesus. He doesn't ever say, "Just trust one another. Ignore your differences. Live and let live." Rather, He directs us to address our differences and strive toward unity around the clear and compelling Word of God.

Besides all of this, when has a pastor ever began statements at pastoral conferences with, "I am not a heretic, but . . ."? I've never once heard such a thing. Of course, I haven't been to every pastoral conference, so it may have happened. But, I find it hard to believe that it happens "too often." This is just a scare tactic used to get people to buy into the "fear and suspicion" stuff. Scare tactics aren't the most loving things to employ. Just saying.

But, far worse than the "fear and suspicion" nonsense is the second issue Rev. David Maier's supporters raise as a reason we should elect a new synodical president. Are they serious?! Do they really not know how the "Sandy Hook Controversy" made it to the mainstream media and brought "embarrassment" upon our synod? Here's a clue: It had nothing at all to do with the very churchman-like way President Harrison handled it. Caleb Bell, the reporter for Religious News Service who broke the story that the mainstream media picked up on, didn't just stumble onto the WMLT blog. He was directed to that blog by someone/some people who deliberately wanted to bring shame to our synodical president and scandal to our synod. It was a political move - a vile, despicable political move, the kind of political move that has no business in the church. How do I know this? Because I'm not an idiot, that's how. Well, that, and the fact that the original story provided very little evidence that Mr. Bell had even actually read the letter President Harrison had posted on the WMLT blog. It read more like an interpretation of the letter he was presented with by whoever it was that tipped him off about it. The whole thing was rather sickening, but it's nice to know that "a more perfect form of love" is one in which we reopen old wounds and pour some salt in them, all in the hope that we can win politically.

Furthermore, it is one thing for the mainstream media to misinterpret things happening in our synod and go nuts about them, frothing at the mouth to accuse us of all sorts of bad things. That happens all the time. If they can sink their teeth into some Christians, they will, since there is hardly anything tastier to them. But, it's quite another for pastors in our own synod to use this as an opportunity to lambaste our synodical president and bring more scandal to our synod - one that was not in any way scandalous to begin with, but was handled in love and faithfulness by those involved.

And, what of the theological issues at play here? Do they matter? Are the "friends of David Maier" suggesting that he would have given the okay for one of our pastors to participate in the unionistic and syncretistic prayer service held in Sandy Hook? Inquiring minds want to know. Perhaps, if Rev. David Maier's friends are going to bring this up as one of two main issues we should consider electing him, he should make his thoughts known on this. If he has, I haven't seen it. Does he think President Harrison erred in how he addressed the situation? He should go on record, I think, and let us know where he stands.

But, the worst of all is this: "Why do we insert ourselves into conversations that aren’t about us? We have done it before, and without different leadership, we will do it again." First, the fact that they can imagine that one of our pastors participating in a unionistic and syncretistic prayer service has nothing to do with "us" reveals a very strange belief on what it means to belong to a synod in which we claim to be "walking together" in fellowship. Secondly, it is precisely the duties of our synodical president to address matters of doctrine and practice among us, as clearly outlined in our synodical constitution. To suggest that President Harrison should have just minded his own business is to misunderstand what it is our synodical president is to do. I guess we need "different leadership," i.e. a different synodical president who will not perform the very duties outlined for him to perform in our synodical constitution. Otherwise, if we stick with President Harrison, he might actually be a synodical president, and we can't have that.

Anyway, if what is revealed in this little political missive is "a more perfect form of love," count me out. I'll stick with the supposedly less perfect form of love we have in President Harrison, who is not afraid to admit that he's a sinner and repent of mistakes made, even when those supposed "mistakes" were brought on by those playing nasty politics (you know, the loving sort among us). President Harrison has shown exemplary leadership among us, displaying not only the theological acumen we should all desire in a synodical president, but a true pastor's heart, full of compassion and love for those he serves, and I hope and pray that we will reelect him to serve this year, and in many elections to come.

Oh, and by the way, St. John means something completely different when he says, "Perfect love drives out all fear," but I'll leave you to study that on your own. 

Here's the email:

        

Dear Friends:   (Make sure you read down to the action items.)

We have had an EXCELLENT response from the Church to initial efforts to lift up David Maier’s candidacy for Synod President.  The positive response (great Facebook activity, many have passed our letters on to others, many other have contacted us, some have even offered $$ support—so far we have not had to spend any money!) took off quickly and is growing.

All this supports the notion that electing David Maier this summer is possible!  Apathy and inactivity are not allowed.

WHY DAVID MAIER? 

We need a new spirit in our Synod, a spirit of humility, gentleness, love and faithfulness.  Please consider these two issues.

1.)     The fear and suspicion pastors experience in our circles is ungodly and debilitating.  Too often pastors begin statements at pastoral conferences with, “I am not a heretic, but…”  Is our Church’s culture so filled with fear that every statement must begin with an apology?!?  John writes, “Perfect love drives out all fear.”  We need a more perfect form of love.

2.)    The recent issue with Sandyhook and the apology/non-apology that was in the news is another sad example that we need a new spirit.   There was a profound tragedy in the town of Newtown, Connecticut, and the next thing we know our church body began the predictable internecine squabbles that turned the event into something about us.  Charges were lobbed.  Strident online conversations were conducted.   A faithful local pastor was brought under undo Synodwide scrutiny.  It was never clear who was really apologizing for what.  People throughout our Synod were embarrassed.  AND IT WASN’T ABOUT US!  Why do we insert ourselves into conversations that aren’t about us?   We have done it before, and without different leadership, we will do it again.  We need to break this long standing pattern.  We need a more perfect form of love.

There will always be conflicts in the Church that must be handled.  We believe that David Maier will be a leader who can guide us gently, appropriately, lovingly and faithfully through future conflicts.  We believe David Maier through his leadership, example, team building, faithfulness to the Word and concentration on first things (Great Commission and Great Compassion) will help us develop a new spirit and keep conflicts from becoming problems. 

(For more info about David, please see the attachment.)

REGARDING VOTING PROCEDURE

The ballot for President will have just three nominees.  Biographical information on each candidate will be available in the next Lutheran Witness.    (BE INFORMED)

The voting procedure is described this way on the LCMS website

Four (4) weeks prior to the national convention, the Secretary of the Synod, using lists of delegates in attendance at the prior year’s district conventions as submitted by the secretaries of the districts, shall provide, via a secure and verifiable method, opportunity for two (2) voting delegates from each congregation in attendance at the previous district conventions who remain members of the congregations they represented to vote for one (1) of the three (3) candidates for President.  If no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast, another vote will take place.  (For more information on the voting process, see the 2010 Handbook, Bylaw 3.12.2.3.)

As you can see in order to vote you:  

1)      had to be a delegate to your 2012 Disctrict Convention.   (make sure you were counted)
2)      need to have your email registered with Synod’s secretary,  Rev Raymond Hartwig (make sure your email works)
3)      need to vote via the prescribed email method when it is available.  ( make sure you vote !!!)

ACTION ITEMS:

·         If you are an elector, make sure that your email is properly registered with the Synod for voting purposes.
·         Pass this note on to as many people as you can, especially called teachers and official lay electors.
·         Join us on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/friendsofdavidmaier
·         Pray for God’s guidance for our Synod.

Friends of David Maier:  Rob Appold, Larry Eckart, David Davis

As the Great Sanctification Debate of 2013 Winds Down . . .

Pr. Mark Surburg has written a blog post theological treatise over at his blog, sharing his final thoughts (at least for now) on the Great Sanctification Debate of 2013. But, don't worry. It's not really over. They'll be another Great Sanctification Debate coming to a blogosphere near you sooner than you think. Lutherans can't help themselves. They love arguing with one another. Especially Lutherans of the more "confessional variety," if you get my drift. But, that's a good thing. They argue because they really do care about this stuff. They argue because they really do want to get this stuff right. And, often, their arguing leads them to sharpen not only how they think about this stuff, but also about how they put this stuff into practice and teach others. Iron sharpens iron, and all that. 

According to Pr. Surburg, the issues in the Great Sanctification Debate of 2013, which seems to be winding down, have been centered around 1) confusion and concerns about nomenclature, 2) arguments about whether the new man cooperates in new obedience, 3) disputes about growth and increase in new obedience, 4) some forcing and imposing an extreme form of Law and Gospel on texts of Scripture, and 5) the ever-popular dust-up regarding the third use of the Law (always my personal favorite, and yours, too - admit it!).

I certainly don't want to make light of Pr. Surburg's fine effort to get to the nitty-gritty here. He has put forth a lot of serious effort in this latest Great Sanctification Debate, and I appreciate his willingness to engage the topic and to identify what he believes to be the points of contention. However, my concern is that he, and others, have chosen to make far more out of all this than is really there. That was my concern in the Great Sanctification Debates of 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and it remains my concern again this year. I really think it's always much ado about not much.

I could be wrong, of course. Maybe there really are confessional Lutherans among us who really don't believe that the new man cooperates with the Holy Spirit, albeit in great weakness, in new obedience. I've just never met one. Maybe there really are confessional Lutherans who don't believe there is any growth or increase whatsoever in new obedience. I've just never met one. Maybe there are confessional Lutherans who really are too dense to grasp the fact that the apostles of our Lord proclaim the Law not only to convict of sin, but also to encourage holy living. I've just never met one. Maybe there are confessional Lutherans who really don't understand that, for the new man in the Christian, the Law is a good thing in which he delights. I've just never met one.

I have met confessional Lutheran pastors who may give the impression that they might believe some of these things by over-emphasizing a theological point, usually in reaction to other Lutheran pastors over-emphasizing a different theological point, but, lo and behold, when the smoke clears, both of those pastors actually do believe, teach, and confess the same thing. I've also seen some confessional Lutheran pastors make less than salutary comments either out of frustration or to make a point, which leads others to conclude that they're crass antinomians, who must be dealt with expediently. Or, from the other side, a confessional Lutheran pastor says something that causes others to jump on him for being an obvious pietist, who, again, must be dealt with expediently. Sometimes, we confessional Lutherans can be a little childish. Not me, of course. But, others. And, when we fail to see things for what they really are and end up making mountains out of molehills, the terrorists win.

And so, while I appreciate Pr. Surburg's attempt to summarize the issues in this latest Great Sanctification Debate, and add my hearty "Amen" to much of what he has written, I take issue with his assertion that there is a "new Lutheran understanding of new obedience/'sanctification'" out there threatening the "traditional Lutheran view," or as Pr. Jordan Cooper put it on FB last week, a "new school of thought" on sanctification, the proponents/students of which he deemed "Radical Lutherans," providing one of my dear seminary professors, the Reverend Professor John Pless, as an example of such. I'm sorry, but that's just crazy talk if ever there were crazy talk.

None of this is to say that the Great Sanctification Debate of 2013 has been a total waste of time. Some good has come of it. As Pr. Surburg rightly notes, we need to be careful about what nomenclature we employ. When confessional Lutherans start talking about sanctification in a way that doesn't appear all that different from the way in which Americanized Protestants do, other confessional Lutherans are going to get grumpy. Not me, of course. But, others. When confessional Lutherans start talking about "preaching sanctification" as something that Lutheran pastors can deliberately accomplish, other confessional Lutherans are going to lose it. Again, not me, of course. But, others. And, when confessional Lutherans even hint at the suggestion that sanctification is something that comes after Jesus, as if it is not totally wrapped up in Jesus, other confessional Lutherans are going to start throwing things. Not me, of course. But, others.

In this wrap-up post by Pr. Surburg, he is very careful to make clear what he is and is not saying, and he does his best to put forth what he hears his "opponents" saying. But, I think he still has some more listening to do, as he attributes to them positions they simply do not hold (at least, not the "opponents" of whom I'm aware), as I mentioned above. Furthermore, I'm not sure what he's trying to accomplish in his second-to-last paragraph by noting, "it must of course be granted that only the Holy Spirit determines how the Law will actually be applied to the individual. Yet this does [not] remove the fact that the speaker or writer knows the goal he intends to achieve in the hearer or reader." He goes on to give the example of St. Paul exhorting husbands to love their wives (Eph. 5:25), stating that St. Paul's intention is clear -  he wants husbands to love their wives. And?

This is Pr. Surburg's response to those pastors, like me, who have contended that only the Holy Spirit determines how the Law will actually be applied, and that, at the end of the day, Law is Law, and it is a dangerous thing for pastors to leave their hearers with the Law. Pr. Surburg jumps to the conclusion that this must mean that we are hesitant, or worse, that we refuse, to speak like St. Paul and the other apostles speak, and that, because of this, our theology might need to be reexamined (does he realize that a) this comes off as very condescending, as if he is the only serious theologian in the room, and b) this is a pretty serious charge, one that should not be made unless it can be clearly backed up with supporting evidence?). Of course, this is nonsense. I don't know of any confessional Lutheran pastors, whose theology Pr. Surburg worries might be in need of reexamination, who hesitate or refuse to speak like St. Paul and the other apostles. We're simply stating the truth, which Pr. Surburg nowhere refutes, that the intention of the speaker/writer/preacher, whatever it may be, does not change the fact that speaking/writing/preaching Law is speaking/writing/preaching Law. When St. Paul exhorts husbands to love their wives, even if he does so with a clear intent and in the most pleasant, lovely, non-threatening voice he could manage, it may, in fact, be heard by some husbands as the harshest, most accusatory Law ever. I think we're on extremely thin ice when we start highlighting intentions in relation to preaching the Law. What's that saying about the road to hell?

I don't think this means that the theology of Pr. Surburg differs from mine, and I'm certainly not going to claim that his theology is in need of reexamination based on this. I think, at the end of the day, we would be in agreement, which leads me back to my assessment above that this is really just another case of different emphases and talking past one another. As I said above, I may be wrong about this. I'm simply basing my assessment on what I've actually seen and heard throughout the various Great Sanctification Debates over the years. I've asked for examples from the confessional Lutherans who make the claims that there is some "new understanding" or "new school of thought" brewing among us, but I've never yet been provided with anything that would lead me to conclude that there actually is. Usually, the examples are nothing more than bad behavior or hyperbolic statements made in response to other hyperbolic statements, and almost always, upon further reflection, the apparent differences turn out to be nothing of the sort (some nuances may remain, but nothing that destroys the confession of the faith both parties hold). Maybe Pr. Surburg will provide some evidence to back up the claims he makes in his post, but until then, I'm inclined to believe that this latest Great Sanctification Debate has really been much ado about not much, as the previous six thousand were. And, I really think we should all try to remember that blog and FB posts are not detailed, theological treatises. They're usually just snippets, and often reactionary. They very rarely reveal the full extent of a pastor's theological understanding of this or that issue, and we should be a little more careful before rushing to conclusions based on them. 

Also, I want to make clear that I definitely do understand that there is a very real tension we confessional Lutherans feel when addressing this issue, which comes from our colorful history. We know that both antinomianism and pietism are bad things we need to avoid, and sometimes we might seek so much to avoid one or the other that we come off as falling into the opposite pit, even if we really haven't. That's one of the reasons these arguments are good; they're reminders to all of us that these dangers still exist and still need to be avoided.

For a couple of excellent, easy-to-understand articles which bring some much needed clarity to these Great Sanctification Debates, see Pr. Todd Wilken's:

Sheep Don't Keep Track: Stop Measuring Your Moral Progress       

and

Legalism and License 

As for another Great Sanctification Debate coming to an end, my closing thoughts (and by closing thoughts, I mean, maybe my closing thoughts; I reserve the right to have future thoughts), which have always been my closing thoughts whenever one of these Great Sanctification Debates comes to an end, are best expressed by this: