Freedom of the Will - February 21, 2024 - Second Wednesday in Lent - Text: Rom. 8:7; 1 Cor. 12:3

Last week we began our series on Lutheran Doctrine by hearing what we believe about the creation of the world. Today we continue our series by being reminded of what we believe about the freedom of the will and I will break the news to you now, truly we really do not have a free will because our will has been cursed and tainted from the fall into sin in the Garden of Eden.
 

The apostle Paul tells us, “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot” (Rom. 8:7). Our nature is that we are dead, dead in our trespasses and sins. Our nature is that we are spiritually dead, spiritually blind and enemies of God. Our nature is that we are conceived and born in sin. Our nature is that sin is in our DNA and because the price for sin was set in the Garden of Eden, we will die. We will die an earthly physical death, and except for the fact that Jesus paid the price for our sins, we would be destined to an eternal death in hell.
 

Because our nature is that we are conceived and born in sin our natural inclination is to refuse and reject anything that is good and from God. We cannot accept Jesus as our personal Savior. We cannot choose to follow Jesus. Because we can only refuse and reject, our condemnation is our own fault. Truly, although God’s desire and will is that all people are saved, and although He has never intended, let alone predetermine or predestined anyone to hell, because our nature is to reject Jesus, it is our own fault if we die in unbelief. At the same time, Jesus gets the credit for our salvation and rightly so, after all, He is the one who gave His life for us.
 

So, our journey in understanding the freedom of our will is that our will has been tainted by sin and the curse so our will and our nature is evil and contrary to God.
 

Paul continues by telling us, “Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says ‘Jesus is accursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3). Here again we are reminded that we cannot choose or accept Jesus, except by the power of the Holy Spirit working faith in our hearts, meaning, it is not we who are doing the choosing and accepting, but God who is choosing and accepting us and giving us faith. We reiterate Paul’s words in our confession of faith. In the explanation of the third article of the Apostles’ Creed we confess, “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to Him.” We might well add, thanks be to God that He comes to us, that He chooses us, that He accepts us.
 

We further confess that our being given faith also comes from outside of us and it comes by the work and power of the Holy Spirit. As we confess, “but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.” Here we confess the means through which the Holy Spirit calls us to and gives us faith, the outward means of the Gospel and the means of grace, Holy Absolution and the Sacraments, Holy Baptism and the Holy Supper.
 

Here we are reminded once again that faith is not some internal feeling or inclination. Faith is a gift given to us from outside of us. Here again we are reminded of the importance of the external means of grace. God comes to us from outside of us through the means He has given, His Word, water, bread and wine. He gives us life and conception. He gives us new life, even eternal life, forgiving our sins and writing our names in the book of life, writing His name on us through the water and His name at Holy Baptism. He forgives our sins through Holy Absolution. He strengthens us through bread and wine and His Word, His body and blood in His Holy Supper.
 

What does this mean in ourselves? Because we may die at any time from the moment of conception this fact means we are accountable for our sins from the moment of conception. Remember there was no death until Adam and Eve sinned. At the moment of their sin they and all God’s cursed world was subject to death. Thus, we see the importance of infant baptism. Just as no one can choose to be born, so we cannot choose to be reborn. Thanks be to God that our parents brought us to the font so that God, using the hands of the pastor could put water on us and using the mouth of the pastor could put His name on us, giving us faith, forgiveness and eternal life.
 

Just as a dead man cannot bring himself back to life so we cannot bring ourselves back to life. We cannot choose Jesus. We cannot accept Jesus. We cannot dedicate our lives to Jesus. We can do nothing because we are born spiritually dead. We are born spiritually blind and enemies of God.
 

Whenever be begin pointing to ourselves we lose. We can never be sure of ourselves. We can never be sure of our feelings. As Ebenezer Scrooge would admit, he did not believe in ghost because it could have been something he ate. Our surety and confidence must and does come from outside of us. We are most sure that God speaks to us, that God calls us from the external means of grace, especially His Holy Word. And when God gives us His gifts through the external means of grace of Holy Absolution, Holy Baptism and His Holy Supper. These means are most sure because they are outside of us and from God who does and gives what His Word says. Left to ourselves we would refuse, deny, and reject anything of God and from God because that is, after all, our conceived and born in nature. Thanks be to God that there is another way.
 

What does this mean in Jesus? When we come to Divine Service we are not pointed to ourselves. Although we hear the Law, that we are sinners in need of forgiveness, we are never pointed to ourselves as if there is something in us that can have any part in gaining God’s forgiveness and favor. We are not encouraged to accept or choose Jesus, to dedicate our lives to Him, to be obedient to His Word.
 

Rather we are encourage and we rejoice in hearing the Gospel, the good new that it is God who has chosen us. It is God who promised and sent Jesus to dedicate His life to us. It is Jesus who was obedient, perfectly obedient to all God’s Laws, all God’s commands and demands. It is Jesus who lived the perfect life for us in our place because we cannot. And Jesus did what He did for us of His own, untainted, perfect and holy free will. Because of His great love for us God created us and Jesus redeemed us, bought us back with His Holy Precious Blood and His innocent suffering and death, again as we confess in our creeds.
 

As we rightly confess and as we should indeed confess every week, in our creeds we confess our faith in God our Creator, in Jesus our Redeemer and in the Holy Spirit, the one who gives us faith and strengthens us in our faith. What better confession can we have and what joy and relief to confess that our salvation does not depend on us. What joy to confess that faith, forgiveness and life are all gifts from our great and loving God.
 

And even more, not only does God give us faith, forgiveness and life He also stirs in us to respond by living lives as priest in the priesthood of all believers. He stirs in us our response of faith, giving praise and glory to Him for all His good gifts and blessings.
 

As we continue on during this Lenten Season we are reminded of our part in these events of Jesus life. We are reminded of our sin and the price for our sin, death, blood being shed. We are reminded of our nature, our sinful nature that is always contrary to God. We are reminded of our total depravity. And we need that reminder lest we begin to think more highly of ourselves as if we have any part in our salvation, thus denying all that our Lord has done, does and continues to do for us. And so we most certainly rejoice in the fact, that although in and of ourselves we would be lost thanks be to God that He does all and all gives all to us. Thanks be to God that He calls us to and gives us life. He calls us to and gives us faith. He forgives our sins. He strengthens our faith. He gives us eternal life with Him in heaven. He stirs in us our response of faith, that is to live lives of faith, imperfect as they may be. He shows His love for us in creating us, in sending Jesus to live for us, in taking our sins and paying the price for us, in giving us all the good gifts and blessings He has to give. Indeed, to God be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.