Apology to Augsburg, Article IV. Justification, Part 3 - Justifying Faith - March 7, 2018 - Lenten Midweek 4 - Text: Apology to Augsburg Article IV

This year during the season of Lent through to Easter Sunrise and Easter morning we are continuing our celebration of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation as we did at Advent through Christmas. During Lent through Easter we are covering what is considered the most important doctrine of the Church and the Lutheran Church, Article IV of the Augsburg Confession and the Apology of the Augsburg Confession. Article IV is the article on Justification and how we are made just and right in God’s eyes. Indeed, this article is the article on which the Church stands or falls, because we are saved either by ourselves, our good deeds, our obedience, and so forth or our salvation comes from outside of us, namely it comes from Jesus, who has earned and paid for our sins by His suffering and death and the cross and which He gives freely to us with out any merit or worthiness within us.
 

We believe, teach and confess that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. So, what is this faith through which we are saved? Faith may be understood in different ways. Faith may be understood as head knowledge, that is simply knowing something. I believe, I have faith, I know the sky is blue. One example of such faith is that of the Pharisees, Scribes, Teachers of the Law, Sadducees, and so forth. These people had faith in the Bible, they knew their Bible, at least the laws of the Bible, but they did not have saving faith. The faith they possessed was that they knew the content of their Bible. They knew the Laws and the commands of God. They may not have believed or trusted in the Word of God but they knew it.
 

Another example of such head knowledge faith is that of the Devil. Of all creatures the Devil knows the Bible probably better than you and me. You might recall that at the temptation of Jesus the Devil was quoting bits and pieces of the Bible in an attempt to tempt Jesus. Of course we know that he was not so much quoting the Bible as he was taking passages out of context and misquoting the Bible. Thanks be to God that Jesus knows His Bible better than Satan, after all, He is the author.
 

Certainly we might understand that we have such head knowledge type faith as well and that is not a bad thing. It is good, mete, right and salutary that we know the history and facts of the Bible. It is good that we know the history of the Bible, not as stories, but has history. Certainly Biblical knowledge is important but we must understand that simple Biblical knowledge, simple head knowledge of the Bible is not saving faith.
 

Another type of faith is a faith of emotion, a good feeling that I am saved. One of the tactics of the revivalist movement was to stir one’s emotions so that one might have a spiritual awakening brought on by sorrow for sin, confession and a decision for Jesus. We might call this an experiential faith, that is a faith of experience, but to be sure this is not necessarily saving faith.
 

A similar experience might be had when one attends a rather moving emotional or spiritual weekend conference. We might have what has been called a mountain top experience, an experience in which one might feel exceptionally close to God for the weekend. The trouble with this emotional type faith is that one day I might feel saved and the next day I might not, so does that mean I am saved today and not the next. Jesus addressed this type of faith in His parable of the sower and the seeds. Jesus expressed this emotional faith as the seed that sprang up immediately, but the cares and concerns of the world choked it out. Certainly one attending an emotional weekend gathering understands the descent from the mountain after the weekend and the temptation to loose what was gain. The same is true for the emotional revival, or experiential faith.
 

Faith that is saving faith is faith that is complete faith. Faith that is saving faith is faith that is complete trust, head and heart trust. Indeed, we know in our head and we trust in our heart that Jesus lived for us, took our sins, suffered and died for us and rose again from the dead. As we learn in the great love chapter of First Corinthians Thirteen, these three remain, faith, hope and love and the greatest of these is love. With that statement in First Corinthians we understand that faith is what is based on the past, on actual events, as in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. Hope is based on the future, our certainty of heaven. Indeed, our hope as Christians is not a wishy-washy hope, but a certainty. And love is based on the present, understanding that love flows out of faith.
 

Faith may also be described as an instrument and a gift. Faith is that thing that God gives and that thing that takes hold of and makes the rest of the gifts of God ours. When God gives He gives the whole lot of His gifts and a whole lot more. God does not do fractions. He does not say, “I will give you some of my gifts now and some later.” No, He gives us all of His gifts and then showers us with even more. You have heard me describe faith in this way, it is like your friend giving you ice cream. He does not say stick out your hand and then plop it down in your hand. No, he gives you the ice cream in a bowl and a spoon to use to move the ice cream from the bowl to your mouth. And so it is with God. He gives us all the gifts and blessings He has to give and the faith to take hold of those blessing to make them yours. The faith is the spoon that is the instrument to take hold of those blessings.
 

What does this mean? Faith is not something one gets or claims, you know how your friends talk about the time they got saved. One does not get saved or get faith as the saying might go. Faith is not something one gets rather faith is a gift that is given with no work or merit from the one being given the faith. For one being given faith to claim any part in gaining the gift would mean it is no longer a gift but a merit. Kind of like a drowning persons suggesting they helped in saving themself. The only way a drowning person can save themself is if they were not drowning in the first place. Or to claim faith would be like you giving someone a thoughtful gift or present and then that person holding it up and announcing, “Look what I got for myself.” Faith is gift given through the means that God has of giving it, His means of grace.
 

For faith to be a gift it must come from outside oneself. One does not give oneself a gift. Certainly we have heard of people giving themselves a gift, but that is truly not a gift for one has purchased, earned or merited that which they have given themself. Faith is gift that comes from God, or better said, from the Holy Spirit through the means of grace, either Holy Baptism or the Word of God. And that faith is also strengthened through the means of grace as well, through our Baptism remembrance, through confession and absolution, through the word of God and through the Lord’s Supper. Indeed, just as an apple seed cannot plant itself in the ground so one cannot plant faith in their own heart it must be planted by an outside source, by God Himself.
 

And as we said, faith is gift which is also instrument. Faith is that instrument, that spoon which takes the gifts of God that He gives and makes them ours. Yet all the while we continue to point to God as the one doing the doing and doing the giving. God is the prime mover. God does and gives and we are done to and given to.
 

Indeed, our confidence is in God’s giving and doing. Certainly we might like to think of ourselves as big people, doing it ourselves. We may even like to think that we are good people, that we are good enough, that we have been obedient, that we have made a decision for Jesus, that we have made Him the Lord of our life, but can we truly be sure of ourselves. Can we be sure that we were obedient enough, that we made a sincere decision, that we have enough faith or the right faith. I do not know about you, but I cannot depend on my self, on my own reason or strength. I can only be certain and I am most certain when God is the one in control, doing the doing. When I profess that God gives and we are given to in this I have the most confidence.
 

When it comes to faith, saving faith, the explanation to the third article of the Apostles’ creed sums it up best, “I believe that I cannot by my own reason our strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian Church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true.” To God be the glory for Jesus’ sake. Amen.