Something from ... Norman Nagel on sins against God

Our world does not deny that sins are real.  But the world does limit our sins only to what offends another person.  The world would reduce the Ten Commandments to "Do no harm."  That's fine as far as it goes.  I do not want to hurt or harm my neighbor.  But that commandment, "Do not harm," also allows my to have no concern for my neighbor.  I can ignore him.  And although I have done him no harm, neither have I done him any good.

The Bible does not begin with, "Love your neighbor as yourself."  This is the second commandment.  The first and greatest commandment is, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30).  The world ignores any accountability or responsibility to God.  What I do in the privacy of my house or when no one is watching will not harm my neighbor.  The world responds: "No witnesses?  No sins!"  But God sees and knows.  He knows all my secrets thoughts and motives.  And he holds my accountable for them.  

Rev. Norman Nagel discusses this accountability in a sermon on the Festival of the Holy Innocents.  The whole sermon is worthy of reading, but these paragraphs nicely summarize why my accountability to God as his creature matters.  (He does get to the Gospel promises later, so his sermon does not disappoint.)  Here is something from Norman Nagel:

            “We do not grow in stature by merely looking at Herod and saying what a wicked man he was.  For growth, first comes repentance, the recognition of our sins of putting ourselves first and the various ways we have of putting others second.  However, we have not yet seen the true horror of sin so long as we have only looked at the damage that sin causes between us.  The full and hideous enormity of sin is seen only when we recognize the damage that it does between us and God.  If sin is only what hurts my neighbor, it is not such a problem.  I, then, can do whatever I like, so long as I don’t injure others.  This is the level of morality of many with whom we associate.  This is, however, rank rebellion against God, for it excludes God, denies that He is Lord, dethrones God, and has us take over the role of God.  You can’t push almighty God around like that and get away with it.  When we try to overthrow God, it is not God who comes to grief.

            “The first fact about us is that we are creatures of God.  This is what God made us to be, and if we insist on being something else, we are not what God wants.  Therefore, we have coming to us the wrath and rejection of God.  This direct insult and exclusion of God is not unrelated to our sins against others; rather, it is the cause.  If I refuse to recognize myself as a creature of God, then, naturally, I also fail to recognize my neighbor as a creature of God.  Then I do not value and deal with my neighbor according to his or her connection with God but only according to the connection with me.  If my neighbor is not understood in connection with God, then he or she has value to me only as he or she is useful to me and I feel free to push him or her around to suit my convenience.

            “Facts, however, are not changed by denying them.  No matter how much I may deny it and act contrary to it, I cannot ever change the fact that I am my father’s son.  It is the same with the fact that I am God’s creature and that my neighbors are God’s creatures also.  If I damage someone in his or her health, welfare, or fulfillment, I am damaging a piece of God’s workmanship, God’s creature.  God meant that person for something, and if I injure him or her, I am working against God.” (pp 326-327.  Norman Nagel.  Selected Sermons of Normal Nagel: From Valparaiso to St. Louis.  Concordia Publishing House: St. Louis, MO. © 2004)

Something from ... Martin Luther on abandoning our presumptions about ourselves, whether good or bad

 The devil will always use what he can.  He does not care.  His goal is your damnation.

This means that the devil may convince you that you are such a good person.  He will cite your admirable qualities and will show you your acts of charity.  He will teach you to put your trust in those so that you take pride in how good you are.  But the devil is a liar.  Do not believe him.

On the other hand, he is also willing to flaunt your sins in your face.  He will remind you of regrettable and shameful things you have thought, spoken, and done.  He will use these to prove to you how wicked you are and convince you that not even God could forgive these.  He makes your sins heavy so that they would crush you in despair.  But the devil is a liar.  Do not believe him.

Martin Luther addressed both ends of that spectrum and points you to the only place where you will find assurance and comfort from either extreme.  He points you to the mercies of God, revealed, obtained, and delivered by faith in Jesus Christ.  Those mercies were demonstrated to the Old Testament people.  Some were examples of piety and goodness; others were exposed as blatant sinners who were guilty of murder, intrigue, slave trading, incest, and so on.  But none of them was saved by their goodness or rejected by God because they were sinners.  God's mercy saved them and sustained them.

Luther urges us to take these examples to heart so that we are not deluded by Satan to take pride in how good we have been or lose heart because of the sins we have done.  All are saved by faith in Jesus.  All are consoled by the mercies of God.  God does not lie when he reveals these things to us.  Contrary to Satan, God desires your salvation and wants to grant you peace.  Here is something from Luther on how this relates to the patriarchs and to us.

"Moreover, examples of this kind are recounted to us for the purpose of teaching and consolation, and for the strengthening of our faith, in order that we may consider the immeasurable mercy of God, who has saved not only the righteous--namely, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob--but also the unrighteous--namely, Judah, Tamar, Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, who were outstanding sinners.  Consequently, no one should be presumptuous about his own righteousness or wisdom, and no one should despair on account of his sins." (Martin Luther, Lectures on Genesis (chapters 38-44), Luther's Works: American Edition, pp 10-11)

A Pastoral Concern -- Same Sex Marriage

The Supreme Court of the United States is close to announcing a ruling on whether or not states have a constitutional right to ban same-sex marriages.  Based on the swell of American sentiments (or at least the sentiments that are getting the press's attention), I suspect that the Supreme Court will rule according to what seems to be the popular opinion and will declare same-sex marriage to be a constitutional right.

We can debate all day long about the definition of the word "marriage."  The sad reality is that definitions of words change.  Only at Christmas do we sing, "Don we now our gay apparel," and not think of anything immoral.  It is perhaps the only time we understand the word "gay" anymore by its original definition.  But the definition has been re-assigned.  Very few even attempt to use it according to its original definition.  We have conceded the argument there.  It seems that American culture is likely to accept the perverted (understand that however you wish) definition of "marriage" being a contractual relationship between two people regardless of gender as the new norm.  I doubt that hand-wringing and screaming in protest will stop it.

So what is the Church to do?  Some, actually many, have insisted that the Church needs to cease and desist calling homosexual behavior a sin.  Some take great pride in supporting and blessing same-sex marriages.  One sizable Lutheran denomination (ELCA) not only celebrates gay men and women, they even ordain them.  Romans 1:26-27 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 have been declared antiquated, in other words, rejected.

Finally, this is the big problem: When churches read what God clearly says and then give reasons why God's plain word is misunderstood, outdated, embarrassing, or just plain wrong, that is an abandonment of the Christian faith.  Once God's word is put up for a vote or rejected (reasons for such rejection abound), the floodgates are open for all kinds of ungodly ideas and behaviors to sweep through.  Finally, the Holy Spirit must depart.  He who is holy cannot dwell where people insist on supporting and celebrating evil.  Why should he stay?  If churches insist on opposing his word, he must depart.  And sinners are no longer called to repent.  If we no longer call sin what God calls sin, what is there to be repent of?

Let's break it down with this simple exercise.  Consider the following verse and ask if it is true or false.
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, no adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, ESV)

1)    T or F?  The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God.
2)    T or F?  The sexually immoral will not inherit the kingdom of God.
3)    T or F?  The idolaters will not inherit the kingdom of God.
4)    T or F?  The adulterers will not inherit the kingdom of God.
5)    T or F?  Men who practice homosexuality will not inherit the kingdom of God.
6)    T or F?  Thieves will not inherit the kingdom of God.
7)    T or F?  The greedy will not inherit the kingdom of God.

8)    T or F?  Drunkards will not inherit the kingdom of God.
9)    T or F?  Revilers will not inherit the kingdom of God.

10)  T or F?  Swindlers will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Many churches and pastors are saying "false," and especially to #5.  

So the question must be asked: Is God's word on this true?  If the answer is "no," then we must wonder if God's word can be believed on anything.  How can you trust that you are really forgiven (assuming you still think you need it) or saved (assuming you ever thought you were lost or damned)?  Based on what?  The Bible, which many have already declared faulty?  If God's word is unreliable or untrue in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, then how can you believe 1 Corinthians 6:11: "And such were some of you.  But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God"?

Is all of God's word true, or only the parts you like?  If you start to pick and choose, that makes YOU the judge over God, and that means God is no longer to be feared or taken seriously.  And if God is not to be taken seriously, how can we enforce any standards at all?  Who decides what is right or wrong?

You can see where this whole thing is headed.  What is amazing is how fast we are getting there.

The Church will continue to be the Church.  There will always be a remnant who believes, teaches, and confesses that every word of the Bible is true.  And there will always be churches which distort or reject God's word to the cheering and pleasure of many people.  God's word says that will happen (2 Timothy 4:3-4).  And such churches will be much more popular.  God's word says that will happen, too (2 Peter 2:1-3).

Specifically regarding same-sex marriage, what will the Church do?  It will speak and act as the Church of Christ.  It will bless only that which God calls blessed, and it will withhold its blessing on that which God calls evil.  As a pastor, I am privileged to preside over worship services, some of which include people who are getting married.  I am not obligated to marry anyone, not even members of Good Shepherd.  I AM obligated to speak and teach the word of God faithfully, and that also means calling people to repent of anything God calls sinful.  Those who thumb their noses at God's commandments and live together in open fornication and cohabitation will not find a blessing from God.  I will not suggest that God blesses such people by presiding over that wedding.  So, it is not strictly a same-sex issue; it is an issue of repentance and of believing the word of the Lord.  As was shown above, those who support same-sex marriage no longer believe the word of the Lord on this issue.  They encourage people to persist in their sinful rebellion.

If the Supreme Court declares same-sex marriages to be a constitutional right, gays and lesbians will get "married."  I can't stop that, just as I can't stop murder, prostitution, drug dealing, or shoplifting.  But when the opportunity presents itself to call one who is guilty of such things to repent, I must issue that call.  I must call evil what God says is evil.  While it is true that Jesus Christ loves sinners and has paid for all sins, we must, then, admit that we are sinners, that such sexual sins are indeed sins, and repent of them.  Jesus did not tell the prostitutes to go out and by godly prostitutes.  He called them to repent.  Note from 1 Corinthians 6:11 above: "And such some of you were."  In other words, they are not anymore.  They repented and fled form their sins.

If it comes to a point where I have to refer people to judges for their legal marriage certificate, I will do that.  The Church will still bless what God calls blessed, such as the man and woman whose marriage is in line with God's word.  We will pray for all people.  We will offer consolation and encouragement and absolution to those who are struggling against their various temptations.  We will point people again and again to Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins.  And we will emphasize that Jesus forgives sins; he does not excuse them.

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:16)  This is undeniable truth.  Therefore, it is also undeniably true that those who reject God's word on the issue of same-sex marriage are, at best, flirting with damnation.

Summer Reading Snippets -- A wicked character vs. A corrupt nature

Here is a quote from Charles Porterfield Krauth, regarding a person's character vs. his sinful nature.  A man's character is what we usually judge (e.g., Is he jovial or is he a grouch?  Is he generous or is he stingy?  Is he helpful or is he self-absorbed?).  All people vary in their character, as some are more friendly, more patient, or more charitable than others.  But all men have the same sinful nature, and it is fully corrupt.  That is what God sees and judges, no matter how highly or lowly we think of a person's behavior or character. 

Here is Krauth: 
          The relative innocence of any human being cannot in itself save him.  The innocence of any human being can only be relative.  There is a great difference in the character of unregenerate persons relatively to each other, but there is no difference whatever in their nature.  A thousand things mould and modify character, but the corrupt heart is untouched by them all.  The phenomena of a corrupt heart are infinitely diversified, not only in their number, but in their intensity.....
          Every man is more guilty absolutely than he is innocent relatively....
          God can no more save sin in nature than he can save it in character, and hence a new nature is as absolutely needed by an infant as by an adult." (pp 415-416, emphases are Krauth's, The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology)

The world may still regard an unbeliever as a wonderful person and a believer as nothing special because of their deeds, but God judges the nature.  One's character will, by and large, remain what it is after conversion (a grouchy person may not magically become jovial), his nature and status do change.  God no longer regards the man a sinner, but a saint.  And that's the only judgment that matters.

Lenten Meditation

We are coming up on another Lenten Vespers tonight.  We will begin the Passion readings from the Gospel according to St. Luke.  Rather than blend all of the Passion readings from all of the Gospels together, we ponder what St. Luke records as he has a specific aim in his Gospel.

The Lenten Vespers also differ from Sunday's Divine Services as the Vespers focus more intently on the sufferings and death (the Passion, from that Latin, passio, meaning sufferings) for us.  Some people are unsettled thinking of the Son of God being beaten and tormented and finally dying by crucifixion.  But such agonies were necessary.  He dies for sins.  For sinners.  For us. 

Yes, sins are that bad.  The wages of sin are that great.  And God's love is greater.

If you think of sin but lightly, nor suppose the evil great,
   Here you see its nature rightly, here its guilt may estimate.
Mark the sacrifice appointed; see who bears the awful load--
   'Tis the Word, the Lord's Anointed, Son of Man and Son of God.
                                               (Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted, CW 127:3)