Soteriology – Page 3 – What Does This Mean?

Sunday School: Angel in the Temple

Encore Post: Four Hundred years had passed since the prophet Malachi spoke to God’s people. God had been silent all those years, but had not been idle. Now an elderly priest named Zechariah was chosen to burn incense in the Holy Place of the temple, right outside the Holy of Holies. The Angel Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God himself appeared to Zechariah to announce the miraculous birth of a son. He was to be named John (God’s gift) and would fulfill Malachi’s last prophecy to send a herald to prepare the way of the Messiah. The last time this angel appeared, he brought dreams to Daniel.

You’d think Zechariah, who should have known better, would accept the news that he would have a son with joy. Yet that, like Abraham, he would have a child in his old age, when he was barren, was too much. Gabriel punished him by taking his voice until the day his son was to be circumcised.

When John was born, his relatives asked Zachariah what name to give his son. Zechariah wrote on a Roman wax tablet, “His name is John.” Then the silence of God was broken. Zechariah prophesied about the coming salvation and the role his son would play. We sing this prophecy in the liturgy of morning prayer. It is called the Benedictus. This old priest was, therefore, the second last prophet of the Old Testament. His son, who we know as John the Baptist, would be the last and greatest.

John the Baptist had almost all the credentials to be the Messiah. His Father was a priest, descended from Aaron. His mother was related to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and so descended from King David. Gabriel the Archangel announced his birth in the temple, while his father was offering the prayers of the people to God. Both of his parents were very old, like Abraham and Sarah, and barren, like Hannah, the mother of Samuel. God named him in the same way he named Isaac and changed Jacob’s name to Israel. The angel announced he would come in the spirit and power of Elijah, one of the greatest prophets. Yet from the very start, he and his parents understood John was not the Messiah, but the one who would reveal him to the world and prepare the way for him.

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Pastor Emeritus

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Blog Post Series

Sunday School: Malachi, The Last of the Old Testament Prophets — Almost

Encore Post: The people of Judah had returned from exile in Babylon. Through the Persian ruler Cyrus, the people had resettled in the promised land. They rebuilt the temple — although not nearly to the glory of Solomon’s Temple. They rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem — and their lives. And then the people felt forgotten and isolated, a small province of a foreign empire — vast and worldwide. God sent the prophet Malachi. His name means Messenger, Angel.

Malachi assured Judah of God’s love, called on them to repent — especially the priests. He then lifted their eyes to look towards the future. He would send another Malachi — a messenger — Elijah, to prepare the way of the Lord. He would turn their hearts to each other, so that the Lord would not need to destroy them completely. With that, the voice of the prophets fall silent. It would be at least four hundred years before God would again speak through a prophet.

The people would not forget this time. They would bring together all the prophecies and types of the Messiah and his Malachi — Messenger. They came to look for an earthly kingdom and the day of the Lord. And so they missed the return of the Prophets — a Son of Levi and David — a second Zechariah and his son, the last and greatest prophet. But that is another story!

While God was silent, he was not absent or idle. In the time of between the testaments, God began to prepare the ground for his prophets — and for his Son. The next few posts will go into the ways he did this.

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Pastor Emeritus

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Grace alone, Faith alone

Encore Post: You’ve seen plenty of ads on websites, TV, billboards, in stores and just about everywhere you go. You can lose thirty pounds if you just eat the new diet. You do not even have to exercise! If you buy that brand new sports car, you can hangout with beautiful women! That brand new pan will make you into a chef and you can clean it in no time! People who know better will tell you if it’s too good to be true — it is! There is no such thing as a free lunch! And most of the time, they’re right!

So, it’s not surprising that people think they need to do something — anything — to earn God’s mercy and eternal life. Every religion on earth is about what you have to do to win the love of their gods. Their gods bless those that do the most. Those that fail have at best a second or third place in their blessings.

Some Christians believe God expects them to do some good works to match the grace God gives them in order to be saved. This may be as simple as accepting Jesus as their savior, inviting him into their hearts. Others feel they must do certain rituals, confess all of their sins, speak in languages they don’t understand or give substantial money for God to bless them. They may even say that they are saved by grace, just not grace alone.

The problem, of course, as we’ve discussed in other posts, is that we are not able to please God by what we do. Without the work of the Holy Spirit, we are dead in our sins. That is why it is such good news that Jesus already has paid the price for our salvation on the cross. Because he did this, God loves us, is gracious to us and gives us salvation as a gift — without strings attached. So it is by grace alone that we are saved. He even places the faith in our hearts that trusts this good news and cherishes this gift. It is this faith alone that saves us, for Christ’s sake alone. This precious truth is the very center of Christian teaching and the most important of all the insights of Martin Luther and the Reformation.

Blog Post Series

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Fort Wayne, Indiana

What does it mean to be saved, anyway?

Encore Post: Puffy, white clouds. People all dressed in white, wearing feathery wings, going in and out of golden gates. All of them strumming on harps they carry everywhere. This image shows up in American culture often when the subject of eternal life. Is this really what salvation is all about?

Not at all. People do not become angels when they die. There is a lot of singing before God’s throne, but nowhere does the Bible say everyone will play the harp! The truth is, we do not know what being with God forever will look like. The Scripture uses many images. Jesus himself describes it as paradise and a great wedding feast that never ends. Other passages talk about a shining, gleaming city, full of mighty rivers. Life is described as very happy and as eternal rest. The images of a great judgement seat and a reward ceremony are also there. But salvation really is not about us — it is about living with God, seeing His face and being with Jesus.

The Bible describes the relationship between God and his people as a marriage. In Eden, God walked and talked with Adam and Eve. When they ate the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they traded another god for their creator. They were unfaithful to him. This broke the bond between God and his children. Jesus reconciled God to us by paying the price of our unfaithfulness. Salvation is all about our return home to live with God again — this time forever.

What this means for us is salvation begins now. When we were baptized, God adopted us as his children. He drowned our sinful self and a new life began in us. In this life, the old us fights back. We still sin a lot, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, we no longer have to sin. We can now do good deeds. Our relationship with God grows as we receive his gifts in worship, especially when we eat Christ’s Body and Blood in the Lord’s Supper.

When we die, Christ takes our spirit to live with him, kept safe until the last day. When he returns, he will raise our body from the grave and we will be restored to life. Our new life will be like his. What it will be like we will not fully know until we get there. But what is sure is we will live with him forever. Sin and death will be no more and all suffering, grief and pain will be gone forever.

Blog Post Series

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Church Words #24: Salvation

Encore Post: One of the most used words in the church’s vocabulary is salvation. We sing about it, we preach about it. It is the goal that every Christian aims for. You can ask even a child what it means. It means that we go to heaven when we die. Right?

Not really. Salvation is not about what we are saved for. It is about what we are saved from. The Hebrew word ישׁע (yasa) and the Greek word σῴζω (sozo) mean “to help, to make whole, to save, to deliver” and similar things. The Hebrew word is behind the names Joshua, Jesus and Isaiah and many others. It is used for saving people from disaster, sickness, enemies and oppression. God saved his people from slavery in Egypt. He saved and preserved his people countless times, not because they deserved it but because he loved them.

It is also used by the prophets for the ultimate rescue — from sin, death and power of the devil. These begin with the promise to Adam and Eve that their Seed would crush the head of the serpent, Satan, and he would bruise the heal of the Seed. (Genesis 3:15) The promised Messiah would bear our sins, atone for them and intercede for them. (Isaiah 53) Finally, he would be born of a virgin at just the right time. (Galatians 4:4-5) The Angel announced to Joseph that he would name the Messiah “God saves” (Jesus) because he would save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21) Jesus was the Lamb of God, who bore the sins of the world to the cross. (John 1:29) His death destroyed death and his resurrection won the victory for us, opening the grave for us on the last day. (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)

Ultimately, then, what Jesus saves us from is sin. Sin threatened to destroy us and separate us from God forever. This is why we do not return to sin, now that we are baptized. It would be like having a fireman carry us out of our burning home, only to try to go back to get our favorite pictures. There is no point in being saved when you are going to put yourself in danger. When we were baptized, we died with him. When he rose, we rose to new life.

So, what are you saved from? From sin, death and the power of the devil. Why? So that you can live as his child, redeemed, forgiven and be with him forever.

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Blog Post Series

Church Word #23: Compassion

Encore Post: After Jesus was baptized and tempted by the devil, he went from town to town, mostly in Galilee, near the Sea of Galilee. He preached, taught and healed the sick. The longer he did this, the more people came to see him. What he saw moved him deeply. He had compassion on them. They were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. So he send seventy disciples out to care for them. (Matthew 9:35-38)

The English words compassion and sympathy are very similar in meaning. Compassion is from Latin and sympathy from Greek. Both are from words that mean “to suffer with.” The word used for compassion by the Gospels and St. Paul is σπλαγχνίζομαι (splagchnizomai — a feeling of sorrow over the suffering of others that comes from deep inside [literally the liver, stomach, heart, etc.] Compassion is a feeling that moves you to action. You just can’t watch such suffering and not do something.

True compassion begins with God himself. When God finished creating the world, he looked at everything he made and he called it all “very good.” He knows what life was like for Adam and Eve before they sinned and what life would have been like for us if sin never existed. He knew how sin would ruin everything. He warned them, “In the day you eat of it, you will surely die.” (Genesis 2:17) It is no surprise, then, that he became very angry when Adam and Eve fell. Death colors everything in our world. Sickness and suffering are the beginning of death in our lives as it seeks to tighten its grip on us.

So God in his love shares our pain at the effects of sin in our lives. In the person of Jesus, he experienced all of its effects and died to break its power over us. The Holy Spirit suffers along with us, praying for us even when we cannot pray. (Romans 8:23-26) One day, Jesus will return to bring an end to sin, death and the power of the devil forever.

God in his compassion does not wait for the end of time to help and to save. Today he calls on us to be compassionate as he is compassionate. He sends us to where people need his presence and his help. He especially sends pastors with his gifts and spirit and deaconesses to meet the physical needs of people. We are then, his heart to suffer with others, his hands to care for them and his feet to go where others will not go. Through us he demonstrates his own self-description: the Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abound in faithful love.

Blog Post Series

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Church Word #22: Redemption

Encore Post: One of the most common stories of redemption in the Old Testament comes to us in the book of Ruth. That whole book is about her Redemption. Remember Boaz was her kinsmen redeemer. There are redeemers in the Old Testament, but the story of Ruth and Boaz is one that has always caught my attention. By that act of redemption, Ruth is grafted into the genealogy of Jesus, the redeemer of the world! But what do we mean by “redemption”?

Redemption is one word that dutifully describes the work of Christ’s atoning sacrifice for us. Redemption has to do with gaining possession of something in exchange for payment. Dr. Luther is a master at talking about the term of redemption when speaking about the meaning of the second article. There Luther says in line with Scripture, “[Jesus Christ] has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins from death and the power of the devil, not with gold or silver, but with His innocent sufferings and death….”

It is not like however, that Jesus is paying Satan, as if Satan has power over Jesus. No, its not like that at all. While, humanity was in the grasp of sin and death, it was not Satan who needed the payment of Christ’s blood. Rather it was Holy and Righteous God.

God, who is indeed Holy and Righteous, could not be in the presence of sin. Therefore He certainly could not be in the presence of sinful man, and allow them to live. However, by the work of the Son, Jesus Christ, He came to redeem sinful man. He came to gain possession of humanity from the grips of everlasting death for himself.

Jesus pays what we owe to God, who has been gracious and merciful to us, having sent his own Son into the world to be our redeemer. Jesus is the bride groom is who pays the dowry to have His bride. And He pays that price with His own body and blood at the cross. Christ’s bride is the Church. And He dresses her in his own clothing, and presents her to Himself. Redeemed and a possession of Christ forever.

Rev. Jacob Hercamp
Christ Lutheran Church
Noblesville, Indiana

To Block Post Series

Church Word #20: Mercy

Encore Post: Many Lutheran pastors begin their sermons with the greeting: “Grace, Mercy and Peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” St. Paul used this blessing to begin both his letters to Timothy and St. John used it for one of his letters. Two other posts cover grace and peace. In this one we take up the third of the triad, mercy.

Yet, in a way, we’ve been here before. One of the Hebrew words for love, חֶ֫סֶד, often translated lovingkindness, is also used for mercy. You probably already know the Greek word for mercy. It is ἐλεέω — eleeo — the word in the ancient prayer we call the Kyrie Eleison: “Lord, have mercy.” This prayer appears as the congregation’s response to prayer in worship services of the 4th century (300s AD) To this day, Christians still pray it in traditional worship services. The word mercy is love in action. It is the response that someone who cares had when his sees another in pain and suffering greatly.

When God shows mercy, he acts out of his compassion to save, to help and to heal. Most of the time, the person suffering cannot help themselves. All of the time, they do not deserve mercy. Mercy comes from the love and grace of God. Sometimes the person asking for mercy is about to be sentenced for a crime and hopes for punishment less severe than he should receive. God’s mercy is always for the sake of his Son, who took the punishment we deserved, atoned for our sins on the cross and suffered for us in full. God is indeed merciful for us, for he forgives our sins and grants to us everlasting life.

Yet mercy does not end with God. Because God is merciful to us, we are merciful to our suffering neighbors. Since the very beginning of the church, Christians have sought to be channels of God’s mercy to all who suffer. They have visited the sick and brought healing where they could. They have fed the hungry, clothed the naked, sheltered the homeless, visited the imprisoned, befriended the lonely and those grieving and cared for orphans and widows. In us, they see God, who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and full of faithful love. Most of all, we bring the good news of God’s greatest mercy — salvation in Christ Jesus, our merciful Lord.

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Blog Post Series

Church Word #18: Peace

Encore Post: Every culture has a different way of greeting. We say “hello” informally, “Good morning,” “Good afternoon,” and “Good evening.” The Romans said, “Salve” (“be well”) The Greeks said, “χαίρετε” — kairete (“be joyful”) From ancient times, the Hebrews, and now Israelis, says “שָׁלוֹם” — shalom (peace, be well, whole and complete) They also say shalom when they say “Good bye.”

When we say “peace,” we mean that everything is calm, that we are not at war and all is calm. In God’s Word, it is much more than that. Peace means everything is right with our world. Peace begins with our relationship with God. It comes from knowing he loves us, cares for us, will be with us always and know we will live with him forever. No matter what else is wrong in our world, nothing can take away our peace. Peace is what Adam and Eve had in Eden, when God saw all that he made and said it is “very good!”

Yet sin makes peace on earth nearly impossible to find. Theologians say that we are “curved in on ourselves.” Sin makes us think of what pleases us, to seek our own interests over others and to run over anything that gets in our way. This outlook on life puts us in conflict with God, with others and with our world. It is the source of evil, sickness, grief and death. No matter what we do, we cannot reconcile with God or each other on our own power. Selfishness is a part of everything we think and do. Death rules and fear of it colors all we are.

To bring peace, God’s Son, the Prince of Peace, became one of us. He lived his life in perfect harmony with his Father. He offered himself to pay the price of our rebellion and warfare against God. He reconciled us with God by his own blood. In his body, all walls that separate us from God and each other fell. We now are at peace with God, even in this world of war.

Soon the day will come when the Prince of Peace returns to rule. Then he will once and for all bring an end to sin, death and the power of the devil. God himself will live with us. No more will there be sin, sorrow, grief and pain. All these things will pass away as he makes all things new. Then peace will reign and God will again say, “See! It is very good!”

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Blog Post Series

Church Word #16: Love

Encore Post: Love makes the world go around. We love our pets, our favorite food, good weather, our sports teams, our friends, freedom and truth — just about everything. Americans seem to love just about everything!

In the Bible, two Hebrew words are used to speak about love. The word אהב (‘ahav — love) means just about the same things as our word love. The Holy Scriptures this term means most of the time the love shown by people and very rarely is used for God’s love. The word חֶ֫סֶד (chesed — love, kindness, mercy, loving-kindness) is very hard, if not impossible, to translate. The King James Version called it lovingkindness. It is in almost all the expressions of God’s love in the Old Testament. The word חֶ֫סֶד and the Greek Word ἀγαπάω mean about the same thing. Yet it has a tenderness to it that includes compassion and mercy.

The Greek language of the New Testament has several words for love. φιλέω (phileo) is the love and affection between friends. ἔρος (Eros) is sexual love that is obsessed with another and is not satisfied until it gets what it wants. ἀγαπάω is a love that sacrifices for the good of the one it loves. (See 1 Corinthians 13) ἀγαπάω is God’s love and the love God wants us to show to him and our neighbors. With Faith and Hope, Love is the greatest of the three virtues and lasts forever.

Our love is rooted in the love of God. God loved us before he made the world. (Ephesians 1:4-5) He loved us so much that he sacrificed his only Son to save us. (John 3:16-17) Because he first loved us, we love him and want to please him.

In the Gospel of John, we learn God is Love. The two greatest commandments are to love God and love our neighbors. He commands us to love him and our neighbors. Jesus tells us that the whole of God’s law is to love God and our neighbors as ourselves. (Matthew 22:37-40) Actually, our love is itself God’s gift to us. The way people know we are disciples of Jesus is that we love each other. While our love in this world is not perfect, God’s love for us is perfect. It lasts forever and conquers even death.

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana