Martin Luther was out of the public eye five hundred years ago. His prince had arranged to have him taken to the Castle Wartburg, his fortress overlooking Eisenach, the town where Luther went to school as a child. He had a suite designed to house noble hostages, where he was able to write letters and had been working on model sermons for Advent.
One of the major projects that Luther and his allies had on their agenda was to translate the Bible into German so that everyday people could read and understand it themselves. There were some rather wooden, inaccurate versions of the Bible available in German, none of which were very popular and were translated from the Vulgate Latin version To complicate matters, German was spoken in many hundreds of dialects, some of which could not be understood outside of a small area. Two dialects were understood in all the courts in Germany — one spoken by the court of the Holy Roman Emperor and the other by the court of Luther’s prince, the Elector of Saxony.
Luther had made some quiet visits outside the castle from time to time, disguised as Junker Jörg. During one trip to Wittenberg, he arranged with Georg Spalatin and his friend Philipp Melanchthon to gather materials to translate the New Testament. In mid-December of 1521, he began his work. In eleven weeks, he finished the first draft.
Luther translated the New Testament from Erasmus’ Greek New Testament of 1519. Erasmus also prepared a new Latin translation he published alongside the Greek. Luther used the court language of Saxony to for his German version. He would frequently ask everyday people how they would say things to bring the New Testament into everyday language. For the book of Revelation, he even had his friends at court show him the jewels mentioned and asked them to describe the jewels. The result was a conversational, easy to understand version of the Bible.
When the reformer returned to Wittenberg in March of 1522, he and Melanchthon improved the translation. The first edition appeared in September 1522. It sold out quickly and was reprinted in December of 1522. Luther then turned to translating the Old Testament with a group of his friends that he called his Sanhedrin. The first publication of the full Bible came in 1534. Luther and his friends would continue to revise the translation until the day of Luther’s death.
The Luther Bible was very popular. The printing press made a copy of the Bible affordable to every middle class household in Germany. Even Luther’s opponents praised the work. So many people now read the Bible that it unified the literary language of Germany as High German. William Tyndale was inspired by its success to translate the Bible into English. Tyndale’s work would be modified by the compilers of the King James version eighty years later. To this day, the principles Luther developed for the work of translation is used to bring the Bible to many languages around the world.
It’s one of the five solas of the Reformation. They are: sola scriptura, sola fide, sola gratia, solus Christus, and soli Deo gloria. The Latin means: scripture alone, faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone, and to the glory of God alone. Last time, we talked about Solus Christus. To wrap this up, Soli Deo Gloria is the topic. Soli Deo Gloria puts a tidy bow on the five solas.
Rome was the opposition force for the reformers. But, Soli Deo Gloria teaches against my own understanding just as much as the Pope. We, modern Christians, tend to make popes of ourselves. We want to be the sole interpreter of the scriptures. Moreover, we want to exclude or ignore the parts we don’t like. We like to excuse our laziness toward or neighbors. Somehow, they don’t deserve our works to serve them, because Faith and Grace don’t drive us to love and serve our neighbor. We want to define Jesus by our own ideas apart from His word. We seek Him within ourselves, rather than in His house and through His Word.
All of this puts us afoul of the first commandment. “You shall have no other gods. What does this mean? We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” [SC 1:1] God is glorified in His Word and His work for us. When, we stand in His way, or obfuscate His clear teachings, we make little popes of ourselves. Actually, we make gods of ourselves.
And, we don’t stop there. We will setup idols all around the house. We’ll place the church’s status within the community ahead of God’s Word and gifts to us. We’ll worship the activities outside of God’s house among ourselves as a greater good that the gifts He gives us on Sunday mornings. We’ll worship our openness rather than the foolishness of the Gospel that separates us from the world.
Johann Sebastian Bach, lived and work in the 18th century, 200 years after the reformation. But, his signature shows the lasting influence on Lutheran musicians like Bach. He signed ever work with “SDG” as well as his own name. The abbreviation stands for Soli Deo Gloria, redirecting the attention from himself to the Lord attested to in his sacred music.
Though he wrote massive works too, the bulk of his repertoire consists of smaller works for church musicians to use on Sunday mornings. These pieces added beauty and fulness to the worship life of the church. Bach’s intention was not his own fame or glory. In his own lifetime, his fame was limited. And, without a revival of his music in the 19th century, we may know far less of him. His work remains, teaching the Word of God and our Lutheran understanding of it. Bach’s focus on the worship life of the church serves as a guide to Christian musicians and all Christian servants to this very day.
+ SDG +
Rev. Jason M. Kaspar Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool La Grange, TX
It’s one of the five solas of the Reformation. They are: sola scriptura, sola fide, sola gratia, solus Christus, and soli Deo gloria. The Latin means: scripture alone, faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone, and to the glory of God alone. Last time, we talked about Sola Gratia. This week Solus Christus is the topic. Solus Christus follows quickly on the heels of Sola Gratia. It’s also a corrective reaction to an error of Rome in teaching salvation by way of the church, but not only from Jesus.
Jesus was not absent in their teaching. But, He took a backseat to penance, prayer to the saints, councils, and popes.
The works of penance, those assigned duties were delivered as if forgiveness couldn’t be had without that exchange. The semi-ecumenical western councils determined that Rome had sway over the whole church. Conveniently, Rome was the only voice speaking at these councils following the Eastern and Western Christian schism of 1054 AD. The popes claimed authority as vicars of Christ that gave them a voice equal to the revealed Word of God. Christ alone was the reformation correction.
We still struggle with Solus Christus today too. But now, our idols live within us.
The Depeche Mode song “Personal Jesus” accidentally typifies the issue. We tend to fall into the other ditch. We look away from Christ crucified, who delivers Himself to us in the divine service, instead seeking a private, personal relationship and revelation.
We expect to find Jesus within us and in places of our own choosing. “I can be a Christian without going to church.” “I’m spiritual, but not religious.” “I’m going to heaven because I’m a good person.” These are all ways in which we dodge what we learned clearly from Luther’s Small Catechism in the 3rd commandment.
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.” [SC 1:4]
The actual personal Jesus we have is the one who promises to deliver Himself to us in the Word and Sacraments. When, we are gather in Him name, He promises to be there. When his Word is read, we hear His voice. When we receive His Body and His Blood, He delivers the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.
Let us seek Christ alone in His house.
Rev. Jason M. Kaspar Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool La Grange, TX
Crown Him with many crowns, The Lamb upon His throne; Hark how the heav’nly anthem drowns All music but its own. Awake, my soul, and sing Of Him who died for Thee, And hail Him as thy matchless king Through all eternity.
When we speak of crowning someone, we think of a king. But here we sing that the Lamb is crowned and He is upon the throne. From the very beginning, this hymn is at the very end, at Revelation 7, at the Lamb’s high feast.
Crown Him the virgin’s Son, The God incarnate born, Whose arm those crimson trophies won Which now His brow adorn: Fruit of the mystic rose, Yet of that rose the stem, The root whence mercy ever flows, The babe of Bethlehem.
When we think of crowning someone, we expect a person of royal family, in a palace. But this baby of Bethlehem, a small town, without even a place for Him, is crowned. What kind of Savior we have, who comes humbly into the earth to redeem with His crimson trophies of blood those who He loves.
Crown Him the Lord of love. Behold His hands and side, Rich wounds, yet visible above, In beauty glorified. No angels in the sky Can fully bear that sight, But downward bend their wond’ring eyes At mysteries so bright.
Would you ever think of crowning a dead man? Even one who is crucified? His hands are side are nailed upon the cross to show His great love, not a feeling, not a lust, but love by sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. It hardly feel like the conqueror worthy of a crown would be dead on a tree. And yet this He did once for all for you and for me.
Crown Him the Lord of life, Who triumphed o’er the grave And rose victorious in the strife For those He came to save. His glories now we sing, Who died and rose on high, Who died eternal life to bring And lives that death may die.
Finally, this stanza brings us to something worthy of a king, that He rose from the dead. Nobody does that. And yet, the Lord Jesus Christ most certainly rose from the dead. This is the crowning moment for Him, that sin, death, and the devil have no dominion over Him or over us.
Crown Him the Lord of heav’n, Enthroned in worlds above, Crown Him the king to whom is giv’n The wondrous name of Love. Crown Him with many crowns As thrones before Him fall; Crown Him, ye kings, with many crowns, For He is king of all.
This final stanza sums up each of the previous stanzas. Jesus Christ did not come to be an earthly king back then or any time in the future. He is not only the Lord of creation, but the Lord of heaven and that can never be taken away from Him. And faith in this can never be taken away from us. Crown Him, for He is king of all.
Rev. James Peterson First Lutheran Church Phillipsburg, Kansas
Encore Post: In ancient times, major events were marked with feasts. Births, marriages, victories large and small, all were marked with feasts. The most important of these would involve spreads of lots of food and drinks. Greeks and Romans turned these into a fine art and would throw these feasts much more frequently. They would hold symposia — literally to drink together — and were more like our parties than the feasts of middle eastern and Jewish culture.
One of the images Scripture uses for the joys of eternal life is the great feast of the end of time — the Marriage Feast of the Lamb. Isaiah speaks of this banquet as a feast provided by the Lord of Armies (Lord of Hosts) [Isaiah 25:6-9] On Mount Moriah, Mount Zion, where the Angel of the Lord promised Abraham and Isaac “the Lord will provide,” God will provide the finest meat and drink for his people. He will swallow up death forever. He will wipe every tear from their eyes and take away their shame forever. To this banquet are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the patriarchs and prophets. Believers from all corners of the earth are invited. (Matthew 8:11) The Lord’s Supper is the first course of this supper, helping us focus on the feast to come in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 26:29)
The Book of Revelation calls this Wedding Feast the Marriage Feast of the Lamb. Jesus is the Lamb of God, who took away the sins of the world. By His death he destroyed death and by his rising opened the kingdom to all believers. He is the bridegroom who takes as his bride the church. He washes her clean in the waters of Holy Baptism, making her holy and clean for her wedding. (Ephesians 5:25-27) He then married her and brings her to the wedding feast, where we are both guest and bride. The joy of this feast goes on and on, lasting forever. To this banquet, the Spirit and the Bride says, “come!.”
Dear saints, last week our Lord tells us what will happen as the end drawn near and warns us to be prepared. Next week He will bring a parable about His return. But today we hear of the Day of Judgment. And in it, we find that it is really the announcement of the judgment which has already taken place.
Jesus, our King, has come in glory and sits upon His throne. All nations are gathered before Him, and the peoples of these nations are separated from one another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. The sheep are welcomed to heaven and the goats are condemned to hell.
And it is at this point in many churches the sermon goes wrong. The question, “Have you been good enough to be a sheep?” or some variation of it is asked of the congregation. It is a well-intentioned question, but it can bring no hope. It contains no Gospel. It can only bring the heaviest teaching of the Law. The question will either puff up or condemn the listener.
Consider what Jesus says of the sheep: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”
In trying to answer the question, “Have I been good enough to be a sheep?” the listener is led to consider their works. Have you ever fed Jesus? Given Him a drink? Welcomed or clothed or cared for or visited Him? Even if you know what comes next, that Jesus says that doing these things for any of His brothers is doing it to and for Him, you have then to consider what you have done for your brethren.
What of these things, then, have you done? All? Some? Have you even had the opportunity to do them? Can you even dare calling yourself a sheep? Also, remember the standard of God’s Law. He is perfect and commands that we also be perfect. So, even if we assume you are exempt from fulfilling the things you have not had the opportunity to do, have you served the listed people perfectly every opportunity you have had to serve them? Have you slipped up even once? Then no. You have not done enough to be a sheep.
To answer the question, “Have I been good enough to be a sheep?” will only bring one of two conclusions. You will either realize you are not good enough and bring upon anxiety and despair, or you will deceive yourself and become boastful and conceited in thinking you are better than you are.
The only good thing I can think of when considering this wrong question is that it reminds us that none of us are good enough to be called sheep. None of us have loved our neighbors well enough to be a sheep. By failing to help your fellow brother or sister, you find you fit the description of a goat instead. We will return to this thought.
These sheep in the parable confused by our Lord’s words and respond, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?” Notice that there is no surprise that they are sheep. The surprise is what our Lord tells them they have done. They do not recall doing any of these things. And Jesus responds, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”
Our Lord’s attention then turns to the goats. “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” Like the sheep, the goats do not seem to understand: “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?” And he answers them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.”
In the parable, the sheep are called blessed by the Father and the goats are cursed. The sheep are those declared righteous. They know they do not deserve to be sheep, but since they trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior, God has made them sheep. Because they are blessed and declared righteous, they inherit the kingdom which was prepared for them. This is why the sheep are surprised at what they hear next. They know they put their faith in Jesus, and not their works, for their salvation.
The goats, on the other hand, are cursed. Rather than being washed and clothed in righteousness, they remained estranged from the Lord. They rejected the call to trust in Christ. And so, when given the opportunity to love and serve Him, they declined. Yet they are still surprised to hear the judgment. They do not recall seeing the Lord in need and failing to care for him. Because they have no faith, they are cast into the eternal fire. But notice that this fire was not created for them. It is not supposed to be where they are sent. It was created for the devil and his angels, but they go there anyway.
The sheep in the parable are not sheep because of the works they did. The goats are not goats because of the works they did not do. Each are what they are because they do or do not trust in the Lord. Those who are baptized, who believe that Jesus has died for them and has taken away their sins, who try to do good, are Christian. They are righteous. But those who do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah, even if they are baptized or try to do good things, are not Christian. They remain unrighteous.
Many think the parable is about works. But it is not about works. The parable is about being declared by God what you are. The sheep are made sheep by the power of God and His Holy Spirit. The goats remain goats because they reject God and His Word. The good works that the sheep have done must be put into their proper context, or else we might falsely believe that our works have somehow merited our salvation.
The author of the epistle to the Hebrews says, “without faith it is impossible to please God.” Serving your neighbor is a good work only if you have faith in Christ. Good works are the evidence of faith. They are the indicator that faith is present. It is impossible to have faith but not have good works. Yet these works do not save; they are the fruit of faith.
This might make some of you uneasy. Perhaps you are afraid you have not born much fruit. Think about it this way: If you give to the congregation because you support the mission of the Church and want to see the Word preached and the Sacraments administered, you are supporting Christ. If you made a dish for a potluck, you are feeding Christ, for those who eat of it are part of the Body of Christ.
If you have changed a diaper, you have clothed Christ. If you have carried that child to the Baptismal Font, you have carried Christ. The list goes on: If you have fed your children, given them clothes, spoken words of comfort to the sick or mourning, or any of the many other good works that you do because you are God’s child, you have done it to and for Christ Jesus.
Of course, these works are not done perfectly. How many of us have muttered to ourselves changing that blow-out diaper? Or got frustrated that some of your kid’s new clothes have been ruined after a single use? Or been wearied by yet another request from someone in need? God’s Law instructs us even as it accuses us. We see and do what we know to do because we know we are God’s redeemed. But we see how poorly we do these works and repent of not doing better. Or for thinking that what we have done is ‘good enough.’
Repent, but do not despair. Your status as a sheep does not rest upon you. You are what you are because of the mercy of your Savior, the King who rules over all things. It is He who has taken on your flesh and was born of the Virgin. He is the one who kept the Law perfectly. He is the one who, out of love for you, took on your sins and purchased you with His shed Blood and His death on the cross. And in that love, he rose again that you would enter His eternal kingdom with Him.
Because Jesus is your Savior, it is Jesus who makes you a sheep. He takes your ‘goat nature’ and covers it with His perfect nature as the Lamb of God. He has remade you in His own image. And this extends to the works you do. God sees your works and sees them done for Him. He does not see your sins, for they are hidden from his sight. What you do in weakness and sin, He perfects in Himself and His righteousness.
On the cross, Christ Jesus became the sin of all men that all men might be redeemed. Any who are clothed in Christ have been made to be Him in disguise. Thus, the good works of His saints, His sheep, overflow with His glory.
But that does not work for the goats. They may have mighty and noble works that appear to be selfless acts of charity. We can see that throughout the world. But they reject Christ. They do not believe the work done for them in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Thus, they also reject His presence and serve their god, the devil. Their good deeds, lacking faith, are nothing but stained and filthy garments in the eyes of God.
But for you, dear sheep of Christ, your every action shine like the very Light of Christ. God’s Final Judgment is made, and it is for you. You are the righteous ones. You are those whose lives are made perfect in Christ. You are innocent and pure. So, you will be crowned with everlasting honor, bestowed upon you through the merit of Christ. You will enter the Kingdom of Glory, prepared for you by your Father from the foundation of the world. Amen.
Rev. Brent Keller Peace Lutheran Church Alcester, SD
Dear saints, in Genesis 19, we hear of Lot, a righteous man and nephew to Abraham. He settled in the land of Sodom. He remained righteous despite the moral and ethical depravity of the city, but also foolishly remained there. As God prepared to judge and destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, He sends two angels to rescue Lot and his family. The wickedness of the city is seen in the narrative, and when Lot lingers, the angels forcibly take him, along with his wife and daughters, out of the city. The family, minus Lot’s sons-in-law, is rescued from disaster, though the effects of sin even in the righteous are soon seen.
In our Gospel lesson this morning, our Lord warns his disciples of what will soon come in Jerusalem. But as often is the case in Scripture, the warning has both an immediate and future meaning.
Our Lord had just finished teaching publicly, and as He was leaving the Temple, the disciples marveled at the complex. But Jesus stuns them saying, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” They reach the Mount of Olives, and the disciples ask what the sign of the Temple’s destruction and the sign of His return are.
Jesus answers the question about the end times first, concluding the verse before our lesson this morning. He begins to answer the first question saying, “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak.”
Just as Lot was warned of Sodom’s imminent destruction, Jesus warns His disciples of what will occur before Jerusalem’s. But unlike Lot, God’s faithful people will not have an angel escort them out. They must hear and heed the Word of Christ, staying vigilant in what is occurring around them. This is what happens. And it happens before Jerusalem is besieged and the Temple destroyed. Though most of the apostles had left Jerusalem and were serving in their vocation around the world, those Christians in Jerusalem knew of our Lord’s teaching. And when they saw the abomination of desolation take place, they knew the cities time was short. They heeded our Lord’s warning and fled to the hills and settled in a place called Pella.
But why does Jesus also say, “And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.”? It is because of the urgency in the needed flight. Those who are pregnant cannot move as fast as others. Families with small children move slowly as a unit. Jesus shows concern for them, as their escape will be more difficult than others. The cold and damp conditions of winter would inhibit a rapid flight. And because of the legalism of the Jews, an escape on the Sabbath would be impeded by those trying to enforce their Tradition on the Christians escaping. God’s people are exhorted to pray because God listens. Everything is in His hands, and the judgment coming to Jerusalem may be delayed or even be sped up through fervent prayer.
All these things which our Lord said would happen have come to fruition. The abomination occurred. God’s elect fled. The city was sacked, and the Temple was destroyed. Most of the remaining population were killed. And still, there is more to our lesson. While what we have covered so far is history, the rest of the lesson is just as applicable to us today as it was in the days leading up to the destruction of the Temple.
Jesus warns us, “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it….”
There are ideas of what the abomination of desolation was, but we do not know for sure. What we do, however, know for sure is that abominations are rampant today, as they have been at all times. And tragically these abominations are spreading like a malignant tumor into many places that see themselves as a Christian church. False teaching is everywhere from false prophets and even false christs. Many have large followings and speaking out against their false teaching paints a large target upon your back and chest.
Apostasy and false teaching will continue to get worse until our Lord returns. Heretics and antichrists, large and small, will seek to damage the Church under the guise of wisdom and truth. Our Lord warns us here to hold firm to the true faith. Should a teacher say that Christ is in the wilderness with the pagans or in the halls of the philosophers, do not believe them. Christ is in His church, where He promised to be.
Yet we do not have the warning to flee in the sight of such abominations. Instead, we have the imperative to stand firm in the faith. We are to remain God’s faithful witness to the truth, even when the world and those aligned with it look to silence the proclamation of God and His Holy Word. When a siege is laid upon us, we seek refuge not in running away, but in our God. For He, as we heard and sang last week, is our Refuge and Strength. He is our very present help in trouble. Recall the words of the Introit: “Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutor! O Lord, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon you…Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!”
It is right for us to say these words today. It is not upon your own strength or merit that you believe in Christ. You do not keep yourself in the true faith. It is not your wisdom or understanding that keeps you from being led astray by a false teacher. Rather it is the Holy Spirit at work in you. He keeps you. He is gracious to you and comforts you in distress.
God is your deliverer; not you. When you are mocked for your old-fashioned, that is, Biblical beliefs, you will not be put to shame before Him. You will be His witness. When you are weak, He is strong. When your heart faints, He gives you courage. When you sin, He calls you to repentance and forgives you your trespasses. All this He does out of divine love for you. A love that took on your flesh, died, and rose for you, forgiving all the sins of those who trust in Him.
In the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple, you see the awful consequences of sin. Temporal consequences of destruction, starvation, and violence. And eternal consequences of disregard and unfaithfulness to God. We continue to see these consequences today with all the errors and abominations of our culture. But whatever may befall you temporally, cling to your Christ. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
As Jesus says, “For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.” When your Jesus does return, there will be no mistaking it. It will be known everywhere instantly. He will Himself descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And whether living or asleep, you will be gathered together with Him in the air, like vultures surrounding the corpse, and will always be with your Lord. He will gather you to Himself, rescuing you from the destruction of sin and delivering you to eternal life. Amen.
Rev. Brent Keller Peace Lutheran Church Alcester, SD
It’s one of the five solas of the Reformation. They are: sola scriptura, sola fide, sola gratia, solus Christus, and soli Deo gloria. The Latin means: scripture alone, faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone, and to the glory of God alone. Last week, we talked about Sola Fide. This week Sola Gratia is on the topic. Sola Gratia is also a corrective reaction to an error of Rome in teaching Christian works.
Rome’s confusion lay in the idea that grace was a substance, which added a superpower to humanity. Gratia Infusia (infused grace), delivered in baptism, forgave only original sin in their teaching. That infusion, they held, also gave people the ability to perform good works and merit a clear conscience before God.
As before, we can’t look honestly at our lives without seeing our sin on plain display. This flies in the face of gratia infusia. St. Paul teaches us, “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.” [Ephesians 2:8-9]
It’s not my works that merit anything. Instead, Jesus died for my sins and delivers forgiveness to me, received through faith. St. Paul has more to say here. “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it — the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.” [Romans 3:21-25]
This grace is delivered through means. The physical instruments by which we receive in our Baptism, the hearing of the Word, and the Sacrament of the Altar. Yes, yes, the Holy Spirit can inspire faith in anyone He desires by any means. But, we can have confidence that He will and does work faith and deliver grace through His means as promised. And, we should only look for grace where Jesus has promised to deliver it.
“While the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” [1 Peter 3:20b-21]
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” [Romans 10:17]
“And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” [Matthew 26:27-28]
So, this grace we receive means we are free to sin with reckless abandon, yes? No, St. Paul disagrees. “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” [Romans 6:1-4]
So, we do have to do good works, right. Yeah, not quite. Let’s look at Ephesians 2 again. “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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. [Ephesians 2:8-10]
The beautiful thing about grace is that even our works are prepared beforehand by God. The works merit us nothing. Yet, in faith, we forgiven by grace. And, our faithful hearts do the works for our neighbor. Not me, but Christ living in me.
Forgiveness, Life, and Salvation, by grace through means.
Rev. Jason M. Kaspar Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool La Grange, TX
It’s one of the five solas of the Reformation. They are: sola scriptura, sola fide, sola gratia, solus Christus, and soli Deo gloria. The Latin means: scripture alone, faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone, and to the glory of God alone. Last week, we talked about Sola Scriptura. This week Sola Fide is on the menu. Sola Fide is a corrective reaction to an error of Rome in teaching the Christian faith.
The error, simply stated, is the attribution of works, to merit salvation for Christians. Popes and councils, cardinals and bishops had developed a teaching apart from the scriptures, that salvation came by way of baptism and the works done by Christians. It’s obvious to us, when we observe ourselves, that our righteousness isn’t greater than our sin. The papal solution was “treasury of merits” stored-up by the canonized saints. These could be bought and earned by the faithful.
The methods: confession, penance, indulgences, and the like deserve their own treatment elsewhere.
Martin Luther and the reformers who follow him found a different teaching in the Word of God. Our righteousness before God comes by way of faith. Our works merit us nothing before God. St. Paul says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” [Romans 1:16-17]
Our salvation is from God. His righteousness is revealed by the faith we have been given. And, in this faith we dwell. The faith we received clings to Jesus. And through that faith, we are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus.
Paul also teaches us, “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it — the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.” [Romans 3:21-24]
Grace and faith to believe are these gifts to us in Christ. Now, the opposite error lives among us in modern Christianity. We are tempted to think of our believing like a work. When asked we may say, “I’m going to Heaven because I believe.” We’re so trained in that idea, that the inconsistency passes right by us. Placing confidence in our “believing” is just another works-righteousness method of salvation. We’ve traded external works for an internal one. But, we make faith into a new work that we do for salvation.
The Disciples reacted differently concerning their faith in response to the command to forgive your brother. “The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ And the Lord said, ‘If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.’” [Luke 17:5-6]. They realized the smallness of their faith and the lack of its power to accomplish anything. The apostles also see that its source, Jesus, will make them better from without rather than from within.
The writer of Hebrews also exhorts us concerning good works and church attendance. “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” [Hebrews 10:19-25]
The faith we receive in baptism clings to Jesus for salvation. But, it also does things in us. It drives us to good works for the benefit of our neighbor. It drives us to gather with the faithful in the Lord’s house. We tend to think that great faith can exist in us, or more commonly, in our loved ones apart from works and the church. This just isn’t so.
The faith dwelling in us desires only to love and serve our neighbor. The faith dwelling in us desires only to dwell in the Lord’s house among His people. Selfishly keep our works from our neighbor, willfully absenting ourselves from the Lord’s house on Sundays, these are the marks of unbelief. We are called to exhort each other concerning this unbelief.
We: “Where have you been lately? I haven’t seen you in church.”
They: “Well, I’ve been busy hunting/attending kids’ games/sleeping in/out of town on vacation/attending an unfaithful church.”
We: “You know, faith can’t be kept from the House of God and the gathering of the faithful.”
That’s a brutally uncomfortable conversation. But, you owe it to your neighbor to serve them in love like this. Silence towards the marks of unbelief is the opposite of love.
Faith alone can never hate its neighbor, encouraging their unbelief.
Rev. Jason M. Kaspar Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool La Grange, TX
Dear saints, we consider this morning how often we must forgive our fellow brother or sister before we may retain the sins committed against us. Our Gospel lesson begins with St. Peter asking our Lord, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” He thinks this is a large number, for the rabbis of the day said you only needed to forgive the same sin three times. Imagine, therefore, Peter’s surprise when Jesus replies, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.”
Our Lord uses the question to launch into our parable for this morning. It concerns a king who decides to settle the accounts with his servants. As he settles them, a servant is brought before him who owes 10,000 talents, which means he owed about 20 years’ worth of wages to his king. It was an insurmountable debt and could never be repaid. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made.
From our perspective, and considering the customs of the first century, we might understand selling the man into slavery. It’s like what used to be ‘debtors’ prison.’ Selling his things, like today when items are repossessed when a loan defaults, makes sense. But the wife and children? That seems harsh. But under the law of the time, the wife and children would be considered part of the man’s property, and thus, part of his possessions. Do not impose our current day law and morality on a parable making a point while using the customs of the day.
So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.”The man’s plea brings pity and compassion to the king, and he does have mercy on the man. The full debt of the man is forgiven, and he is sent on his way, reconciled to his king. He has no burden of debt, large or small, regarding his king.
You would think this act of mercy would have a profound impact on him. You would think that, if anyone owed him anything, he would reciprocate the mercy. Or, at the very least, not require full payment immediately. But we see the hard-heartedness of the servant immediately.
But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt.
It is a shocking response. Even the worldly among us would bristle at such an action. It is not surprising that the news of this gets out quickly. And it is less surprising that the king is told quickly. Now, imagine the dread the forgiven servant feels when he is again summoned before the king. And the horror he feels when he hears the judgment: “You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?”
It doesn’t end there. It gets worse for the wicked servant because this isn’t just a chastisement. For in his anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debts. The jailers here aren’t the jailers we think of today. They aren’t just making sure you don’t escape. These jailers are oppressive and often torture those they have as a prisoner. In fact, their job is to exact torture and pain. And this man will be under them until all – every cent – of his debt is repaid. Said another way, they will oppress him forever. He will never get out.
It is important to remember that, when looking at parables, we should look for the shocking thing. And when we find the shocking thing, it is nearly always the work that God is doing. Here, the shocking thing is the king simply waving away billions of dollars in debt as if it were nothing. And so, we find ourselves God’s debtor. Our debt is sin. We constantly and continually wrack up our debt of sin. A debt that we are hopeless to pay a single one of them back.
We began the Divine Service today with a verse we also found in the Introit: “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?”It is a fearful thing to stand before the Holy God. Especially when you know the debt you owe to Him. Yet we continue saying, “But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.”
God has mercy and pity upon you and forgives your sins. The whole of your debt is canceled. You may stand before Him guiltless and go your way in peace. It is, after all, what we come here for. We hear His absolution. We hear His Word read. We receive His gifts in the Holy Supper. And we hear His benediction, sending us out in peace.
Because of all this, we are mindful of the mercy shown upon us when our brother or sister, our fellow servant, sins against us. In a few minutes, we will pray, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Luther writes of this petition, “We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look at our sins, or deny our prayer because of them. We are neither worthy of the things for which we pray, nor have we deserved them, but we ask that He would give them all to us by grace, for we daily sin much and surely deserve nothing but punishment. So we too will sincerely forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us.”
Our forgiving the sins that are committed against us is part of bearing fruit in keeping with repentance. If we refuse, we do not bear the good fruit of a good tree, but the bad fruit of the diseased tree. Such a bad tree is cut down and thrown into the fire. Or, in the words of our parable, the hard-hearted servant who has no mercy on his fellow-servant, is given to the torturer for eternity.
We forgive because we have been forgiven. We have been forgiven of more sin than could ever be committed against us. Therefore, we may look to our persecuted martyred brothers and sisters when they forgave those sinning against them. At Joseph, whose brothers committed sins against him, and he returned their evil with good. For Stephen, who asks that God forgive those murdering him even as stones reigned down upon him.
And we look to Jesus, who took on your flesh and died for you. On account of Him, you do not receive the just punishment you deserve because He has already suffered it. Rather, you get to show the mercy you have received to others. And each other. It is why you freely forgive and do good for those who sin against you. And why, as we prayed, our faithful Lord grants that what we ask in faith, we obtain. Amen.
Rev. Brent Keller Peace Lutheran Church Alcester, SD
