Understanding Liberalism?

I do not usually post anything "political" but because I believe this is what is being taught in our schools, of which I pay taxes to support, I must speak up and speak out. And besides, the two most important things in life are religion and politics and we are told to not talk about either. Why not?

I find it interesting and disheartening that those on the left, the Liberal left, dare teach such revisionist history as to accuse Christopher Columbus of such atrocities of genocide and the like and attack imperialism as being bad all the while enjoying the benefits of the founding of this nation and all the work of those who built this great nation, including the blood, sweat and tears, whether the discovery, founding, blood, sweat and tears was right or wrong.

Certainly, as sin tainted human beings we do not always make good, right and salutary decisions. This fact of not making good decisions, however does not negate what good may come from not so good and even bad decisions. The fact that Columbus discovery of America may have brought some disease and death, I believe, is well overshadowed by the fact that his discovery of America just a few years before the Reformation, gave many Christians a place to practice freely their worship of God as well as brought Christianity to many native Americans. Of course I am sure any liberal would suggest that the bringing of Christianity was wrong as well.

The fact that America has achieved greatness through capitalism attests to the fact that capitalism thrives on our inborn sinful nature of looking out for number one. However, capitalism, while making some people “rich” also brings out the best in the fact that those with more are in a better position to help those with less. In other words, contrary to the myth that there is only so much wealth in the world, the fact of the matter is that wealth can be made and the result of some making more is that those with less also benefit in what is well called trickle down economics.

The opposite of trickle down economics is to believe the myth of limited wealth, taking the means from some, who actually hire and support many, to give to the few so that those with much no longer are able to hire and support others meaning there truly is less wealth and what we have is trickle up poverty so that all have less and less.

So, the liberal world view is curse a world where people strive and thrive at doing their best, creating more and more wealth so that everyone is better off, and instead taut the greatness of a world where people have no incentive nor drive to accomplish anything and instead live dependent on a system that simply makes everyone equally poor.

To me the whole thing is like having your parents give birth to you, raise you, feed you, clothe you, and constantly discipline you to help you become a good productive citizen. And then all you can do is criticize them and complain because you do not understand that all the work they did is what made you the person you are, or at least the person they were intending to raise. I think the saying is, “Biting the hand that feeds you.”

The only word I have is “amazing.”

What’s The Difference?

I find it rather perturbing when I read disparaging remarks concerning Roman Catholic Christians when especially made by Evangelical (Reformed, Anabaptist, etc.) Christians. My questions is what is the difference? Both Roman and the Evangelical theology confuse Law and Gospel and change God’s grace into a new type of works righteousness. To be fair, at least the Roman Church is honest and confesses that they believe that one is saved by faith and works. Whereas the Evangelical attempts to hide the insistence on being saved by faith and works by suggesting that they believe one is saved by grace and dedicating ones life to Jesus, or committing ones life to the Lord, or making a decision for Jesus. What is the difference when anything is added to Grace except that one is no longer saved by Grace, but by what is added. To put it in mathematical terms, zero plus anything is the anything, so 0+1=1, 0+2=2, etc. And so it is when anything is added to Grace. Grace is zero, zero requirement on our part. Thus, Grace, zero, plus anything, i.e., works, decision, dedication, committing, etc. means one is no longer saved by Grace, but by works, decision, dedication, committing, etc. In essence there is no difference because Grace is on longer Grace and instead one is pointed to oneself and one’s own devises for being saved.

Grace is Grace and needs nothing added. Grace always and only points to Jesus. I am “saved by Grace (God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense) through faith and this is a gift of God so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8,9). Such boasting as, “I chose Jesus, I dedicated my life to Jesus, I did this or that for Jesus.” Notice that Paul says there is no pointing to self, to works, to decision, dedication, committing, etc only to the gift of God. I make mistakes. I get it wrong. I cannot depend on my doing anything. But I know that God gets it right. He is never wrong and I can depend on Him. Thus I am saved because God chose me. God put His name on me at my Baptism. God put faith in my heart. God gave me forgiveness of sins and wrote my name in the Book of Life. Jesus, just Jesus is the reason I am saved.

A Part of the Family - August 3, 2014 - Eighth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 13) - Text: Romans 9:1-6 (6-13)

This morning, as we move from Romans chapter eight to chapter nine, Paul shifts gears. We have been following along as Paul has been encouraging and teaching us about the importance of the law and the Gospel; about making a proper distinction between the law and the Gospel; about the fact that we are sinner/saints making our way through life; about the fact that there will be difficult times and easy times, but that no matter what life brings God is with us, He will work out the best for us, and really the difficult times in life are nothing compared to the glory which will be ours in heaven. This morning Paul shifts gears, and perhaps this is what he has been leading up to, especially in his own life as a “Messianic Jews” (as Jewish Christians are sometimes called today). The fact of the matter is, for Paul, as he realized his own people are rejecting Jesus, he has a concern.
 

We read about Paul’s concern beginning at verse one. Paul says, “1I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—2that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. 4They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen” (v. 1-5). Paul’s concern, Paul’s anguish is over his own people, his own flesh and blood, his own relatives and family. He knows his own people are being condemned because of their lack of faith and this is a difficult thing for him to acknowledge.
 

Paul knows that salvation is no longer the birthright of his own people because they have given up their birthright. And his own people did have a birthright. They are able to trace their lineage back to Abraham whom God called and promised to make a great nation and that through Abraham’s Offspring all nations would be blessed. The covenant God made with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, to send a Savior for all people, Jew and Gentile was narrowed so that the Savior would be born through the line of Abraham. The most important part of God’s promise to Abraham was the narrowing of the covenant He first made to Adam and Eve that the Savior of the world was born through the line of Abraham and all the famous people of that line; Isaac, Jacob, King David, King Solomon and so on. But Paul knows that this line of descent does not guarantee one’s own salvation. Perhaps we would do well to take note of Paul’s concern as we think in terms of our own family and friends. Are there people we know who do not believe in Jesus? Do we realize and acknowledge that these people, unless they are given faith in Jesus, will be eternally condemned? Unfortunately, we live in such a “tolerant” world that we never like to think about such condemnation. I cannot tell you have many people I know who rationalize and think; certainly God has a different plan for my friend who does not believe in Jesus and after such rationalization, we go on living and never share the good news of the saving grace of our Lord. And so, we condemn them because Jesus is quite clear that apart from Him and faith in Him there is only eternal spiritual death.
 

Paul understands that his own family, relatives and friends are at risk for eternal spiritual death unless they turn from their unbelief and are given faith in Jesus. Thus, his wish is that he might be condemned so his people might be saved. That is quite a wish, but one we know cannot come to fruition. We cannot give our lives for another, at least not spiritually. Only one person has ever been able to do that and that of course is Jesus.
 

Paul goes on to explain what he means, we might say to give his defense from God’s Word. We pick up at verse six, “(6But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’ 8This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. 9For this is what the promise said: ‘About this time next year I will return and Sarah shall have a son.’ 10And not only so, but also when Rebecca had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of his call—12she was told, ‘The older will serve the younger.’ 13As it is written, ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated’)” (v. 6-14). God made His covenant way back with Abraham. God reiterated His covenant time and again. God fulfilled His covenant in the sending of Jesus to gives His life on the cross. Unfortunately, for many of the children of Israel, they rejected God’s fulfillment. They rejected Jesus. Paul wants us to know that just because the children of Israel have abandoned the covenant, this does not mean God has abandoned the covenant. God is faithful and just and He always keeps His Word.
 

God’s covenant was not a covenant of flesh. God’s covenant was not a birthright but a covenant of faith. In other words, God did not come to Abraham and promise him that just because children would be born from his lineage that they would be saved. As a matter of fact, God’s covenant, even to Abraham, was a covenant of faith. In the book of Hebrews we are reminded that “Abraham believed and it was reckoned (or counted) to him as righteousness.”
 

As a matter of fact, continuing on through the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, the writer continually reminds us that the patriarchs are shown to have been a part of the covenant because they believed God’s Word, not because they were children of a certain person. Abraham did what he did, left his family and went to where God showed him to go because of faith. The children of Israel crossed the Red Sea in faith. Rahab hid the spies because of faith. The covenant was a covenant of faith, not a right of birth.
 

Remember the covenant was not first made with Abraham. He was the one to whom God called and specifically said that through his family the Savior of the world would be born. The covenant goes back to the Garden of Eden and the fall into sin. The covenant goes back to a time before there were Jews and Gentiles. The covenant was God’s covenant to all people. And now that God has fulfilled His covenant Paul is reminding us that all people are a part of that covenant. Not only the Jews, but only those who believe, are a part of that covenant. Even the Gentiles, again, those who believe, are a part of God’s covenant. We are a part of that covenant but only by faith.
 

Today, God’s Word continues to be true as His covenant continues. And His covenant continues to be a covenant of faith. God has not called a certain culture or nationality of people to be saved. God has called and continues to call all people to be saved. God’s salvation is not offered to any because of their lineage, their birthright, but He calls all people to be saved by believing in Jesus.
 

What does this mean? This means that we are not saved because of who we are or who our parents are. This means we are not saved because we are members of St. Matthew Lutheran Church of Westfield. This does not mean we are saved because we important people in our community. This does not mean we are saved because we know someone who is saved. Our salvation is not a birthright.
 

Nor does this means that we are saved because of how good we are, or how good we might think we are, or for that matter for any reason on our own part. Our good works, our civil good works do not earn or merit any salvation for us. Our volunteering for service to the community and to the church and to anything and everything else neither earns nor merits anything in God’s eyes, because His is not a covenant of good works.
 

Instead, this means we are saved by grace through faith, given through the means of grace. We are saved because God has made a covenant with us to save us. God made His covenant back in the Garden of Eden. God fulfilled His covenant in His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus came to do for us and for all people what we are unable to do, live a perfect life. Jesus came to take care of our sins because we cannot, that is He came to give His life, to pay the price for sin, for us in our place. Jesus died and rose. He showed Himself to be alive, again and again, so that we might have the certainty of His death and resurrection and the certainty of our own eternal life. Jesus ascended and sent the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is with us today, working through the means of Grace, the Bible, God’s Word, confession and absolution, Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The Holy Spirit continually works through these means to give, strengthen and keep us in faith. And so again, we see the importance of making regular, every week, and diligent, every day, use of these means.
 

Finally, this means we rejoice because we are a part of the covenant and we never take that for granted. Being a part of the covenant is a gift. It is not something we do, although, as we have heard time and again, this is something we can refuse and reject. As Paul calls us to rejoice in our own part in God’s covenant, he also calls us to lament those of our family and friends who have and who continue to refuse and reject God’s call. He calls us to pray for them, that the Holy Spirit might continue to call them to faith, and that we might have the opportunity and courage to share God’s Word with them as well, so that they too might become a part of His Kingdom.
 

The Word of God has not failed. The promise is made to all people. God has fulfilled His Holy Word. God will continue to fulfill His Holy Word, and ultimately He will fulfill His promise to come again to take us and all who believe in Jesus to be with Himself in heaven. Until that time, until the time of our Lord’s return, He gives us opportunities to be given His good gifts and blessings. He gives us opportunities to share His Word with others as well as to invite others to come to worship and to hear His Word. Thanks be to God that He continues to call people to faith, forgiveness, life and salvation. And thanks be to God that He has given us these gifts and blessings as well, faith, forgiveness, life and salvation. To Him be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Working Together for Our Good - July 27, 2014 - Seventh Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 12) - Text: Romans 8:28-30

Last week we were reminded by Paul that God never promised us that life would be easy. I might suggest that the phrase, “God never promised us a rose garden,” is quite true, because the fact is that even roses have thorns. So, even with the beauty of the rose comes the pain of the thorns. There may be times in our lives when everything is beautiful and there may be times when things are thorny. Yet, Paul’s ultimate reminder was that our present suffering is nothing, really nothing, compared to the glory which will be ours forever in heaven. This morning Paul again reminds us of the fact that our God is a God of love who never leaves us nor forsakes us and as He is always with us through good times and bad times. Paul even reminds us that it is God who works all things together for good.
 

This morning, in order to better understand our text, we will begin in the middle, at verse thirty, and work our way back to verse twenty-eight. First, which is the middle in our text, Paul talks about predestination. We read verse thirty, “30And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified”(v. 30). Very often people have questions concerning this thing called predestination. Who did God predestine? Did God predestine only some to go to heaven and others to go to hell. The logic is that if He predestined some to go to heaven and we know others are going to hell, then, logically speaking, He must have predestined the others to go to hell. However, that argument is not substantiated by God’s Word. As a matter of fact, God’s Word tells us the opposite. According to Paul, writing young pastor Timothy, God’s will is that all people are saved. Paul says, “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,  who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:3-4). God’s desire is not that some are saved and others are not saved. His desire is that all people are saved. So this negates the human logic that God has predestine some to be condemned.
 

How does God work out His desire? He has called all people to be saved. How has He called all people to be saved? The way in which we have been talking about over the past few weeks, through means, namely, through the means of grace. Through the Word of God all people are called to believe in Jesus as their Savior. The Holy Spirit works through the Word of God to give faith and forgiveness and with faith and forgiveness is also given life and salvation. This is God’s usual way of working with us in His world today. This is God’s usual way of calling people to faith. Certainly He can call directly as He did the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus, but that is not His usual way of dealing with us in our world today. God’s desire is that all people are saved and He calls all people to faith through His Word.
 

Then, the question is asked, “How come some are not saved?” Some are not saved because some refuse the call. This should not be a surprise to us. Even as God has called us and given us faith and all His good gifts and blessings, we constantly refuse the gifts He has to give as well. Whenever we fail to remember our Baptism, we are refusing the gifts God gives through our Baptism. Whenever we fail to read our Bible, we are refusing the gifts God gives through His Word. Whenever we fail to confess our sins, we are refusing the gift of God’s forgiveness. Whenever we fail to come to the Lord’s Supper, we are refusing the gifts of God’s forgiveness and strengthening of faith. Whenever we fail to be in worship and Bible class, we are refusing the gifts and blessings God gives through His Word and the hearing and study of His Word. Yes, we daily, and weekly refuse the gifts God has to give. Fortunately for us, the only condemning refusal, that is the only unforgivable sin is the sin against the Holy Spirit. What that means is, refusing the Holy Spirit is refusing faith in Jesus. In other words, the only unforgivable sin is dying in unbelief. So, although we may at times refuse the gifts God has to give, we still cling to our faith in Jesus. Whereas, those who refuse faith in Jesus are refusing all God’s gifts. Thus, to complete Paul’s words in this verse, one who dies in unbelief has no glory because he or she desires to stand before God of their own justification meaning they are refusing Jesus’ justification, meaning they are standing before God as sinners, condemned sinners. Thus, they have refused God’s call to faith and His desire for their salvation.
 

This predestination does not negate nor contradict the fact of God’s foreknowledge. Backing up to verse twenty-nine, Paul says, “29For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers” (v. 29). Although God’s desire and will is that all people are to be saved, being God, He knew before He even began creation who would refuse. Again, just because God knew who would refuse and reject does not mean this is what He has determined would happen. He does not make this refusal and rejecting happen. It is like when a teacher has a certain student in her class. She knows when that student is sitting next to another certain student what will happen, they will get into trouble. It is not that she has predetermined this, but she just knows it will happen. The only difference between this and God is that what God knows will happen.
 

A part of God’s foreknowledge is that He knew He would send Jesus to take care of our sins. Even before He created the world. Even before Adam and Eve were created, God knew they would sin. Even before you and I were conceived, God knew us and He knew our name. He knew when we would be conceived. He knew when we would sin. He knows when we will continue to sin. Before sin entered the world, God knew what He would do. It was no surprise to Him that Adam and Eve disobeyed and brought sin into the world.
 

God created a perfect world, which He knew His creatures would mess up, but God knew He could and would make everything right. He knew He would send His Son, even Himself to take on human flesh and blood, to became as one of His creatures, except without sin, in order to do for us, in our place, what we are unable to do. Jesus came to bring us back into a right relationship with Himself. And God knew this beforehand as well. God knew us, before we were created. His will is that we will be as His Son, that we will believe in His Son so that we might have eternal life with Him in heaven.
 

Because God knows all things, it is not difficult for Him to work out the good for us, His children. We back up to verse twenty-eight. Paul says, “28And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (v. 28). Last week we mentioned again the question which is actually the title of a book, Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People, and we mentioned that the premise of the book is wrong. A better title would be, Why Do Good Things Happen to Sinful People? And the answer is, of course, because God loves us.
 

Now, Paul says that it is for those who love God that the good is worked. We understand from other parts of Scripture that this is not the first and prime thing. We understand that we cannot love God unless He first loves us. And time and again we are reminded by His Word of His love for us. Greater love can no one have than this, that one would die for another. Jesus shows His love for us in that He gave His life for ours. We are called by God, who knew us from before creation, to believe in Him, to be given His gifts, to be justified and glorified by Him. And as Paul lays out in the last half of our text, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” And, “We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Indeed, God is the prime mover.
 

Again, we love because He first loved us. We love as we reflect His love back to Him and others. You have heard me use this illustration before, it is like the Sun and the moon. The moon has no light of its own. Whenever we see the moon shining in the sky, it is because the moon is reflecting the light of the Sun. We have no love of our own. When we love God and when we love others it is because we are merely reflecting the light of the Son of God.
 

So, what does this mean? As the phrase, sort of goes, “life happens” and God knows what will happen, but He does not predestine or predetermine  life to happen or what will happen in life. God gives each of us a mind to think and to make decisions. Many times it does not matter to God what decision we make, if we choose this or that, He will bless us either way. Please understand, this does not mean that God does not care, sometimes He simply gives us more than one option and He will bless us no matter what we choose. Certainly when it comes to temptation and sin His desire is that we make the right decision, which we can only make with His help. God’s desire is that we do what is good and right. He does not predetermine our doing what is good and right, just as He does not predetermine when we do what is wrong and sinful.
 

God is the prime mover. He has created us to love us and He has given everything to us. He gives us life at conception. He gives us new life, eternal life through the waters of Holy Baptism. He gives us faith and strengthening of faith through His Holy Word. He gives us forgiveness of sins through confession and absolution and through His Holy Supper. He gives and He gives and He gives and we are given too.
 

God loves us so very much and He has so many gifts and blessings that He desires to give to us. He shows the ultimate love in the giving of His life, in the giving of Jesus’ life on the cross for us and for our sins. And God continues to watch over us and work out the best for us, according to His good and gracious will. We may not understand what His good and gracious will is at the time we are going through the struggles of life. We may not even see it later. But, by faith in Jesus we can be confident that God is working out the best for us.
 

By faith in Jesus, given through the means of grace, we have been predestined to eternal life. We have been justified and Jesus works to conform us to His image.  Because of His love for us, all who love Him, as a response of His first love for us, know that all things work together for our good according to His good and gracious will. To Him be the glory for Jesus’ sake. Amen.