What Does This Mean?

Everybody’s Good at Heart? Right?

Encore Post: “He meant well,” you explain when someone you love really makes a mess of things. He may have tried to do something good, but his actions just complicated an already bad situation. You may have defended your actions with similar words. “I was just trying to help,” you say. Sometimes we can convince others not to blame us or our friends when our actions end up hurting others. This kind of argument often works because we all would like to believe that people are good at heart. No one really wants to hurt others, we think. There must be a reason why someone does even evil things. Maybe they are poorly educated or have been harmed by others or grew up in a violent neighborhood. deep down we like to think of ourselves as good people.

Unfortunately, this is more fantasy than reality. From time to time, mass murderers or other criminals show this to us by committing horrible crimes, even though they grew up with every advantage in life. We study their lives, but we cannot find even a motive for their evil.

And even so, they are not alone. We also were born as sinners. (Psalm 51:5) Our hearts and minds were filled with evil thoughts. (Genesis 6:5, Genesis 8:21 , Mark 7:2-23 ). We were dead spiritually, caught up in the ways of this world, controlled by Satan. Down deep, we really didn’t even want God to save us. (Ephesians 2:1-3, Romans 3:9-18) We spent our lives, like the rest of the world, chasing whatever makes us feel good and entertains us. What we really deserve is God’s punishment and nothing we can do will change that.

Yes, we were spiritually dead, filled with sin. Yet God loved us anyway. So He sent His son to die in our place. On the cross, Jesus paid the full price for our salvation. So, our sins are forgiven, our guilt removed and the power that the world, the devil our flesh has over us was broken once and for all time.

Now, together with Jesus, he raised us from the dead, spiritually now, but literally on the last day. He did this, so where Jesus is, we will be also. All of this is because of his grace alone.

The Rich Fool

How often do we hear that it is our God given right to have everything and more? How often are we told that over-abundance is a thing to strive for? We do not want to have to depend on anyone or anything. We want the American dream, the acres of land, the warm home, the children, and to be left the heck alone. We want to rest and be merry, eating and drinking without cares in the world. And so, we are told the lie that we need to fight and claw for everything we have and make sure that it can never be taken away. “Be on your guard,” says Jesus when he preaches the parable of the rich fool. Covetousness is idolatry. We become the gods we serve.

The rich man had won the game. He was the top dog in this dog eat dog world. Time to relax and be at peace. And we know the rest of the story. His soul would be required of him that very night. And what would become of all that he had collected on the earth?

And while possessions may not be something that gives you trouble, we covet the rest that we see others living in. We want strife to end in our families, etc. We want to eat drink, and be merry. However, more often than not, we find ourselves hungry, afraid, and alone. We covet peace.

Jesus says to be on our own guard. And we should take him to heart. But we should also take heart in his warning. In warning, Jesus shows how deeply he cares for us. He does not want anyone to forfeit the one thing that makes us rich towards God, namely Himself.

Jesus is the one thing that truly matters. He is the one who has won for you and then continues to give you the forgiveness of sins. He is the one who actually has procured rest for you. By His blessed passion and death, He is the one who has not only laid up for us treasure in heaven, but calls you to come to his feast to truly eat, drink, and be merry. So come to the feast thereby guarding yourself against all covetousness, valuing the richness of your Savior Jesus.

Rev. Jacob Hercamp
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church
La Grange, MO

And There’s None Other God

Encore Post: The word “Trinity” is old — it was first used in second century AD. (100-200 AD) Yet, it is not a term used by the Bible. Christian theologians use it to sum up what the Scripture says about the nature of God. It helps to look at the passages that brought the Church to talk about God in this way.

The first truth that the Word of God reveals to us about God is that he is unique. There is only one God. On this point, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, the Jehovah’s Witnesses and a number of other religions agree. Here is how the Holy Spirit talks about the number of gods and the unity of God.

Judaism uses Deuteronomy 6:4 as its creed: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” Jesus and Paul agree. (Mark 12:29, Romans 3:30, Galatians 3:20). Other passages emphasize that there is one God. (Ephesians 4:6 1 Timothy 2:5, James 2:19).

There are no other Gods besides the Lord. (Isaiah 45:21, 1 Corinthians 8:4) None of the so-called gods of the nations are like him. (Isaiah 46:8-9) None of the false gods can bring rain (Jeremiah 14:22) Since they are not real, they cannot help, much less save.

From these, and many other passages, the Church concluded and still believes that there is only one God. It is this God that we fear, love and trust as our own.

The Bible Calls Jesus God

Encore Post: The Church knew from the start that Jesus was God. Yet both the Scripture and the Church from its earliest days confessed that there is only one God. They fearlessly proclaimed this truth when every culture around them believed anything but that there was just one God. They were even called Atheists because they didn’t believe in the Roman Gods or play the game of merging their religion with those around them.

The early church recognized that the New Testament clearly assumes Jesus is God. In some places, it calls him so point blank. (John 1:1, John 1:18, Romans 9:5, Philippians 2:11 (Jesus Christ is Lord), Titus 2:13, Hebrews 1:8, 2 Peter 1:1) He is identified as the Son of God and calls himself the Son of Man. Jesus is called Lord, calls himself Lord or implies he is Yahweh.

The New Testament also gives titles to Jesus that the Old Testament reserves for God alone. He is the Savior (Isaiah 45:21, Hosea 13:4, Luke 1:47, Acts 5:31) God is our shepherd (Psalm 23:1, Ezekiel 34:15) and Jesus is the shepherd (Hebrews 13:20) God is the first and the last (Isaiah 44:6). Jesus is the first and the last. (Revelation 1:17) Other titles are also given to both God and to Jesus. These reinforced the conviction of the church that Jesus is both God and Lord.

The Eternal Son of the Father

Encore Post: Jesus has always been God’s Son and always will be God’s Son. “I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity…” Martin Luther explains in the Small Catechism. “And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds…” we confess in the Nicene Creed. It is why we sing in the ancient hymn Te Deum Laudamus, “you are the Everlasting Son of the Father.”

We can somewhat understand how Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. But how he could be “begotten” by the Father in eternity — outside of time — without having a beginning makes no sense to us. Yet that is exactly how God describes the relationship between God the Father and God the Son.

So far, so good. The problem comes when we try to understand how this can be. As we discussed in a previous post, we cannot fully understand God because we are creatures and he is our creator. It is a mystery — a riddle human logic cannot solve. The issue has to do with the quality of God (attribute) that he is eternal — that time does not exist for God. For human beings, everything has to do with the fact that time passes. We are conceived in our mother’s womb, grow, are born, become adults, grow old and die. Even though we we live forever, it is at best difficult to imagine life without a beginning and an end.

Yet God, in his wisdom, uses this language to help us understand the closest relationship in the universe — the eternal Father begets his eternal Son. (Psalm 2, John 1:18, 3:16-18, Hebrews 1) So, we also use this way to describe the Son and be content to understand him this way.

Program Note: Updated Blog Series Page

Program Note: I’ve updated the Blog Post Series page ( https://whatdoesthismean.blog/blog-post-series/ ) to reflect all of our Church Words posts. More to come.

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Electronic Resources Librarian
Concordia Theological Seminary
Blog Editor

Grace Alone and Scripture alone at Leipzig

It really was not about indulgences. The Ninety-Five Theses were a spark that ignited a debate about the place of the Pope and other church authorities. Luther’s opponents noticed the Reformer had challenged their authority when he criticized the abuse of indulgences. Luther had given German princes the excuse they needed to forbid the sale of forgiveness. Luther pleased Renaissance thinkers, who lived by the motto Ad Fontes (to the source) and put the allies of the papacy on the defensive. That is why the attack on an obscure monk consumed all of Europe and why Johann Eck led the charge.

Eck challenged Luther’s friend Andreas Karlstadt to a disputation about free will and grace. He did this hoping the Reformer would join the debate. His goal was to get the Reformer to admit he was attacking the Pope and his power. Duke George “the Beard” of Saxony offered to host the disputation in Leipzig. He pressured the University of Leipzig into organize the event. On 27 June 1519, the disputation opened with a mass at St. Thomas Church (where two centuries later Johann Sebastian Bach would be a Church musician and composer) The event itself was held in the great hall of Duke George’s castle.

Karlstadt and Eck began the debate by discussing the role of free will and grace in the salvation of sinners. Karlstadt argued that a sinner had nothing to contribute to his own salvation, but was completely dependent on the grace of God. He defended this doctrine on the basis of the Scriptures. Eck responded that the Pope and Church tradition taught that grace was necessary, but there was something in a person that worked with it to save him. Karlstadt countered that Scripture is the final word on such matters. The Wittenberg professor was a good scholar, but Eck was a brilliant debater and had set the table for Luther to enter the discussion.

Luther and Eck covered a wide range of topics. In the end, the debate turned on the authority of the Pope and Church Councils. Eck accused Luther of promoting the teachings of Jan Hus, who was condemned as a heretic by the Council of Constance one hundred years earlier. Hus was burned at the stake when the Holy Roman Emperor at the time went back on his promise to Hus of safe conduct. It was a powerful slander. With that, Eck labeled Luther and his followers Lutheran, implying they followed Luther and not Christ. This forced Luther to admit that both Popes and Councils could make mistakes and that there was some truth to the charge.

Later Eck would admit that Luther had proved twelve of his thirteen theses. The last one, and in his eyes, the most important, Eck believed he had won. The result was to make clear the brake between the teachings of Luther, and the Scriptures, and the Pope. There would be no turning back. It was only a matter of time before the church would excommunicate Luther.

Meet Andreas Karlstadt

Andreas Bodenstein von Karlstadt (known as Karlstadt) was a professor of theology at Wittenberg when Martin Luther arrived at the university. Born in the village of Karlstadt not far from Frankfort on the Main River. He attended the University of Erfurt at the same time Luther was studying for a law degree. From there he studied at Cologne and Wittenberg, was ordained a priest and served at the Elector‘s Castle Church. After becoming a Doctor of Theology, he briefly studied canon law in Rome.

In any other time or place, Karlstadt would have been a significant figure. He was learned, insightful and committed to what he believed. Yet he lived in the shadow of a genius who changed the world and ended up more of footnote in the history of the Reformation. Like St. Peter, he lived life governed by his heart, with all the subtlety of a loaded freight train. At the beginning of the Reformation, he was a loyal friend and ally of Luther’s, one of the first to be convinced of the truth of the Reformer’s insights. When Martin Luther received his Doctor of Theology degree, it was Karlstadt who conferred it.

In 1517, he lectured on Saint Augustine’s book, On the Spirit and the Letter, a work on Law and Gospel. When Johann Eck’s criticisms of the Ninety-Five theses were published, Karlstadt waded into the debate to defend his friend and his university. In May 1518, Karlstadt published his book Apologeticae conclusiones, which directly challenged Eck. He argued that man could not of his own free will do anything to earn God’s grace, but only receive it as a gift. He insisted, as did Luther, that Scripture is the final authority in matters of theology.

Johann Eck responded in August 1518 with theses on the relationship between grace, free will, penance and indulgences. He challenged Karlstadt to debate them. In the following months, he added theses, that on the surface appeared to attack the professor, but were really aimed at Martin Luther. Luther, who had been trying to bring the two together felt betrayed and entered the war of words.

Unlike the Ninety-Five theses, which were never publicly debated, the theses flying back and forth between Eck, Karlstadt and Luther were explored in the Leipzig Disputation, five hundred years ago today. This conference made it clear to everyone, including Martin Luther, that the reformers would accept no authority but the Holy Scriptures in faith and the teachings of the church — not even the pope or church councils. The breach between Rome and Wittenberg was not able to be closed.

Meet Johann Eck

Johann Maier von Eck (known as Eck) was born the son of a judge in the little town of Eck, a Swabian village between Stuttgart and Augsburg. A child prodigy like Philip Melanchthon, he enrolled at Heidelberg University at age eleven and earned his Doctor of Theology degree by age twenty-four from the University of Freiburg. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1508. In 1510, he moved to the university at Ingolstadt where he earned a second doctoral degree and joined the faculty.

Eck quickly became a leading figure in the German Humanist movement. As a true Renaissance man, in wrote works in many fields, especially philosophy and theology. One of his major works, called Chrysopassus explored the doctrine of predestination. He argued that God predestined people because he could see in advance the sins and good works they would perform. He and Martin Luther struck up a friendship over their shared interest in reforming university education based upon the insights of the Renaissance. He earned a reputation as a skilled debater, not exactly known for his subtlety — just like Luther.

When the Indulgence Controversy broke out, the Bishop of Eichstätt requested Eck’s opinion on the 95 Theses. He wrote what were more or less footnotes on them. Someone leaked this private opinion to the printers and soon the criticisms were published with the title Obelisks. Luther soon fired off a response entitled Asterisks. The friendship came to an end as Eck assumed the role of Luther’s chief and most skilled opponent.

Andreas Bodenstein von Karlstadt (known as Karlstadt), a colleague of Luther at Wittenberg, rose to the reformer’s defense. Soon Eck and Karlstadt agreed to meet in a disputation (a debate). Under the sponsorship of George “The Beard,” Duke of Saxony, cousin of Luther’s prince, the conference convened five hundred years ago tomorrow in Leipzig. It became know as the Leipzig Disputation and was the event that set in motion Luther’s excommunication.

God’s Delight

We should know Who Wisdom is. God the Father did not create alone; this act of creation was Trinitarian in nature. We know the Spirit was there from Genesis, as the Spirit hovered over the waters. But Wisdom, the eternal Son of God was there and played a critical role. John says in his prologue.

Jesus is Wisdom, the master workman who is the with the Father before the world was created and in whom the Father delights. And Jesus rejoiced before the Father. It was in this joy that the world was created. Father, Son and Holy Spirit working together to bring all things into being and after working those 6 days, on the seventh God called his work very good and rested.

Wisdom is seen rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of men. They are his inheritance after all. Jesus delighted in the children of men prior to the fall. And even in that great fall into sin, joy would be a driving force for God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to bring about man’s redemption and his salvation.

It is sad to consider how many people think God is a momentary fix for a horrifically bad moment in life. A divorce, a flood, whatever it may be. God is only needed when things get extremely bad. That makes God into a very small God. In so doing we make God in our own image, breaking that first commandment, making God fit our own fleeting needs. That is not who God is at all. He is the one who created, redeemed and keeps holy. And you now wish to form Him?

God the Father delights in his Son. Even after the creation fell into sin and was cursed to die for our sins, the Father still loved the Son, because Jesus chose to come, to die for you many sins, and rise for your justification. The author to the Hebrews talks about Jesus this way: “the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Joy was driving force. Jesus delights in saving you, that you might be reconciled to His Father in Heaven.

Now, Wisdom has built the Church, calling us to table. Delight in what our Lord delights to give to us: Salvation.

Rev. Jacob Hercamp
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church
La Grange, MO