Firstfruits

A Message from Pastor Hale

I was recently told how to use my bank’s bill pay service to send a monthly offering check to Zion automatically. Because of this I don't have to write a physical check and remember to put it in the offering anymore (Sundays are busy, of course, with a lot to do). It removes the necessity of trying to remember this monthly duty and makes it an easy task to plan out our family’s regular giving. But perhaps the best thing about it is that this regular gift comes out first, regardless of all the others ways that money could be spent. I can report it has been working flawlessly for us the last few months. I get an email reminder when the check is made and mailed to Zion by my bank, but it has been completely automatic and hassle-free.

 

While Christians are not bound to Jewish ceremonial customs, like the tithe, faithful, mature Christians choose to be generous in supporting God’s Word and His public ministers of the Word. And should God get the leftovers—the change and spare dollars we have in our wallet or purse, after the “important stuff” is bought? By no means. Does giving to God’s house get left out due to bad, icy roads, vacation travel, or sickness? Very often it does, due to not planning ahead and making generous giving a regular discipline.

 

Giving does not make one Christian, but a Christian must discipline his flesh and control his sinful nature, which does not love God. So we should not expect ourselves to be automatically generous and to give faithfully, without some effort, intention, or discomfort. The flesh does not cooperate with the Holy Spirit. We must resist the flesh, which has all kinds of selfish ways to employ time and money. But we are simply stewards for the Lord, who must give an account for our actions. We are not baptized to be foolish, lazy, and ungenerous. People who say, “I have faith, I’m baptized, so I don’t need to go to church or give to support my congregation regularly,” are testing God and not following the Spirit’s direction. This is very dangerous to faith itself. We are not to grieve the Holy Spirit, given to us to produce the fruit of good works.

 

God does not want giving to be accidental or randomly spontaneous: “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion” (2 Cor. 9:7). This conscious decision is to be made in the mind, which is renewed by the Word. The flesh wants to “wing it” and do whatever feels good in the moment. But without some choice and decision no one would be regular at church or read God’s Word. The flesh will not naturally follow God’s will—instead, it resists it. So we must control it and make some effort to do what is God-pleasing. And doing good will also mean some planning and sacrifice.

 

If we spend more on eating out, gourmet coffee, or entertainment than we give monthly to church, aren’t we signaling our priorities? Let us make a good confession by being intentionally generous. You can’t get closer to God by what you do, but good Christian discipline helps restrain the flesh and its desires. We are to be self-controlled and wise with what we are blessed, not ruled by our passions and a slave to the moment. Christian giving should be intentional, not accidental. One’s congregational offering is not a bill under some sort of legal obligation, but Christian giving is more significant and should come before all earthly invoices and responsibilities. It supports the preaching of the Word of Christ, which gives eternal life. It should rightly be viewed as more important and significant than water, electricity, or natural gas and put in first place in one’s life. Our Lord does not just want to be first in our heart, He also calls us to live a holy life in our deeds to Him.

 

Of course, to decide to give a fixed amount regularly limits future options. To have your bank send a check automatically to your church, that is a percentage of your income, rules out doing some things that could be fun and opportunities that might come up at the last moment. But we are not to be tossed to and fro by new, exciting things. We are to be content with what we have, since the Lord is the one who gives us our daily bread. Consider what Christ as done for you, and all the spiritual gifts you have in the Gospel. That is why, “if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content” (1 Tim. 6:8). There is no true spiritual generosity without Christ and His forgiveness of sins, which renews a person by the Spirit.

 

To give first is different than just seeing how much is left over, after living selfishly for yourself. The Jews were required to give firstfruits (the very first portion of their crops and income) as offerings and sacrifices to the Lord, signaling that all belongs to the Lord and that He alone deserves the first of what we are given, not the last leftover bits (see, for example, Deut. 23:1-3). Firstfruits were to be given in faith, believing that God, who owns all, will supply all needs. It was meant to be an act of faith.

 

While we are not under the Jewish obligation to give a certain percentage of our income, we are to see God in the same light of faith and not worship unrighteousness mammon, thinking it sustains our life and comfort. The Lord Jesus Christ is to be first in all things. Those blessed materially in this age “are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life” (1 Tim 6:18-19). Christian giving, that pleases our Father in heaven, is done in thanksgiving for what Christ has already done for us.

 

Giving seems like a worthless and pointless activity to the unbeliever. It looks like self-inflicted pain. But Christians are to live to please their Father in heaven, not themselves. And He gives promises to us that He will reward the generous. “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed” (Pr. 19:17). Giving to support the preaching of the Gospel is not like paying taxes, since we are not free to ignore Caesar. Generosity, in however we give, is to be of love, motivated by Christ. Paul urged the Corinthians to give, but not reluctantly or under compulsion: “So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for the gift you have promised, so that it may be ready as a willing gift, not as an exaction. The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Cor. 9:5-6). Do you want to reap more, then you must sow and plant more! God multiplies the seed and causes it to be fruitful, according to His wisdom and generosity. We are called to trust His good will in Christ.

 

Trust the Lord and listen to Him. Your reward is safe in heaven. On the other hand, you can’t take any earthly goods with you when you leave this world. You are not to give out of fearful obligation, dread, or guilt, but love for all our Lord Jesus has done for us. We give and help others because He first loved us. “The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives” (Psalm 37:21).

 

We can be generous, because we have the Lord’s promise and do not have to depend on our own strength or resources to survive and scrape by. On the contrary, glory awaits you in faith: “Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power” (1 Cor. 15:20-24). Christ is our firstfruits when it comes to death and life. Resurrection glory has been assured us in Jesus’ rising, so we are rich in God, free to be generous with all which the Lord has blessed us. Christ’s death and resurrection is the pattern for every believer. The firstfruits is significant—it determines how we view the rest. Amen.

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Published: 22 September 2019 22 September 2019

Last Updated: 22 September 2019 22 September 2019

Zion's Updated Communion Announcement

A Message from Pastor Hale

After running very low on our printed attendance cards recently, Pastor Berndt and I, with the help of the elders, took the opportunity, as we must order new cards, to fine-tune Zion’s Communion policy. While our practice and who is invited to Communion is not changing, this gives an opportunity to be more clear and upfront with visitors and prospective members. It also gives us the occasion to discuss the practical issue of how to talk to visitors and family who are not versed with our doctrine and practice – and may have never even heard of such a thing as “closed communion.”

We live in an inclusive (at least in theory) society. No one is excluded based on personal beliefs, actions, or characteristics. So many people can be downright stupefied that a church would not offer a gift from Christ (the Lord’s Supper) to all. But we are not discussing donuts or breakfast pizza between the services. We show hospitality to all, when it comes to human things that do not compromise the revealed teachings that Christ Himself gave us. We can be as loving and generous as possible when it comes to giving out earthly food. As pastors, we can pray with and visit anyone, even if they have no church or professed religious belief. We would, however, be respectful of those under another’s pastoral care. But Christian love reigns in human things, as long as good order and unity in Jesus are not sacrificed.

So what makes Communion different? That is a very divisive question within Christianity. Historically, before the days of the Reformation, it was universally confessed that the bread and wine of the Supper is Christ’s actual body and blood. This is what the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches still hold, as do we. But right after Martin Luther, many teachers and churches said that Luther did not go far enough in reforming. Almost out of spite, and in an unchristian reaction to the Roman church, false prophets denied what is a truly universal, Scriptural teaching – that Christ was serious when He instituted Communion on the night that He was betrayed. These various teachers became the forefathers of the protestant/ reformed/evangelical churches we have around us today. They have a radically different view of what Communion is, opposing not only Lutherans, but all of historic Christianity. They deny Christ’s actual words: “Take, eat; this is My body… Drink of it all of you; this cup is the New Testament in My blood, which is shed for you and for many, for the remission of sins.” It becomes to them merely a symbol or reminder, and therefore, just an earthly meal.

A characteristic understanding of most all generic Protestant churches is that Holy Communion is not Christ’s real body and blood for all who commune. Some talk in the traditional language, and it may sound compatible with Lutheran teaching, but when the rubber meets the road it is offensive to most of them that the unbeliever would also receive Christ's body and blood, along with the believer. Faith and what the person is and does, not Christ’s Word, are the main thing for them. So the question of what the unbeliever receives became the litmus test for determining who has the right understanding of the Supper. The unbeliever also receives Christ’s body and blood, though not for forgiveness, but to his condemnation (1 Cor. 11).

If the Supper is not Christ’s body and blood for all who receive it, then the visible elements are not the main concern. Sure, many churches speak of God’s action surrounding or as being simultaneous with the reception of Communion, but the Supper alone is not the sole cause of forgiveness and the Spirit’s work. Usually faith or remembrance – what man does – is the focus for churches who deny Christ’s body and blood in this meal.

If the Supper is not holy in itself – actually distributing Christ’s body and blood to all – in the eyes of many churches, we should expect them to have differing views of who may receive the supper. And they do. If it is not anything for all who receive, it is nothing in itself. It cannot hurt, the deniers of Communion think, though with faith it may help. But this assumption goes against Scripture: “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died” (1 Cor. 11). The Supper always does something, because it is not just a human meal. Therefore, it is not ours to offer as we see fit – we must answer to Christ in how and to whom it is served. We must not treat as common what is holy. Those churches that confess the Lord’s Supper as truly Christ’s body and blood, by virtue of Christ’s all-powerful Word, will take who can publicly receive it together very seriously. All churches affirming this truth historically have also practiced closed Communion – it is not open to all Christians. Why is it not just a personal matter for each person to decide whether they wish to receive it or not? Because Communion is not a private ritual, it is a public act, administered by publicly called ministers. It is not something Christians do at home in their basement, rather it is a communal meal received in common, hence the name “Communion.” We share something in common (Christ’s body and blood) when we take the bread and wine. This is also a public act, so it matters with whom we take it. Very few Christians would want to take Communion with a Jew, Muslim, or Atheist that denies that Jesus is the Son of God. But some supposedly Christian churches allow and celebrate unity in receiving communion with such people. They blaspheme Christ and make a mockery of Christ’s holy Supper. But how much division does Christ tolerate in this meal in which He offers Himself?

Christ is not divided – He is one. But actual Christians here on earth are divided in what they say and confess about Christ, unfortunately. Yet Communion is more than the strengthening of personal faith – it says something to take Christ in common with others. In communing together, we are making a statement about the content of our faith (the teaching of Christ), not just our personal faith. Scripture says that communing without thinking of or preserving unity in Christ is not really the Lord’s Supper: “For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal” (1 Cor. 11).

On the positive side, we are also told in 1 Cor. 10: “I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” We demonstrate our unity with each other when we receive the one Christ in His body which was given unto death and His blood which was shed for us. So Lutherans have always seen Communion as the highest form of fellowship, which expresses unity in the things of Christ.

But where there is not unity in the teaching of Christ, we should not say or pretend there is. And since we do not judge the hearts of people, nor personal faith (which we cannot see or judge), we must go on one’s public confession or statement. How do we know what a Christian stands for and what teaching he approves of? Must we administer a lengthy theological test on all aspects of the Christian faith before Communing with someone? No, church membership is a simple and quick way to signal our beliefs. It says to the world what we believe. Though of course there will be hypocrites, we expect and assume that all people agree with what their church teaches. A person who disagrees with his own church is inconsistent – and is really saying two different things about the one Christ. May that not be among God’s children! So our closed communion policy is not about us or our personal relationships, it is about Christ and His teaching. Fellowship is not determined by laypeople or pastors. It is done at the church level – for us by the official representatives of our synod. And so membership is not merely a human thing, it is divine, insofar as it expresses what we confess about Christ. It is shorthand to refer to what is taught in our churches and how the Lord’s sacraments are distributed.

C.F.W. Walther, the first president of our synod, taught that Communion fellowship is Church fellowship – and vice versa. This means that to take Communion at an altar is to make the teaching of that church one’s own, just like membership expresses. It is not just a statement about your beliefs on the Supper by itself (though it includes that too). Communing with other Christians publicly is a public statement about Christ – and we know believers by their teaching and fruit. We cannot judge people’s hearts and minds – God does – but we are told to judge others’ teaching: “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting” (2 Jn.). To love the truth of God more than human acceptance is obedience to Christ.

Our new Communion statement also positively states that no one is excluded from the possibility of communing. Thanks be to God, one’s beliefs and confession can improve and be corrected by God’s Word. So we want all who desire to receive Christ’s body and blood with us to have the opportunity to do it in a way that is God-pleasing and based on God’s Word, not merely human emotion. Only instruction in the Word, which is free of charge, and membership, where one says that our church’s teaching is his own, is needed. But remember, unity is not about our action or attracting, it is God the Spirit’s work to teach, convict, and move one to confess Jesus as Lord and His Word as true. So this unity in Christ is precious and well worth safeguarding among us. It is out of love for Christ and His Gospel, not intolerance or hate, that motivates genuine Lutherans to preserve Christ’s Supper and the unity it professes.

It is Christ’s will that we be united, but a unity apart from, or in place of, God’s Son who died and rose, is not a real unity. We rejoice that we have Christ’s Holy Supper and it remains His. It not only signals unity among us, but fosters such unity by the Holy Spirit and the forgiveness of sins. Our Lord invites sinners to Him and would have us receive His Supper according to His Word and our public confession of Jesus. Amen.

Zion’s Communion Statement:

Because communing together in the Holy Supper of Christ’s body and blood presupposes unity in Christ’s doctrine, we cannot invite all guests to the Lord’s Table. Only members in good standing of a church in official fellowship with the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod are invited to commune at this altar.

Those who eat and drink our Lord’s body and blood unworthily do so to their great harm. Holy Communion is also a confession of the faith which is confessed at this altar Any who are not yet instructed, in doubt, or who hold a confession or membership differing from that of this congregation and the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod are asked not to commune with us until instruction can take place and your confession in God’s Word fully matches our teaching and practice. Please speak with a pastor or elder if you have questions or would like to find out more about the path to communion fellowship with Zion.

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Published: 11 September 2019 11 September 2019

Last Updated: 11 September 2019 11 September 2019

Review of "The Path to Understanding Justification"

A Message from Pastor Hale

Justification, God’s declaration of sinful man to be righteous on account of Christ, has always been a central topic of Lutheranism. Justification through faith in Christ, as opposed to man’s works, was a stirring refrain of the Reformation. However, in the last century and a half there has been a new debate over the cause of man’s justification before God within Lutheran circles. It precedes the issue of faith versus works, portraying how Christ’s work activated and brought forgiveness to mankind. This is a needed doctrinal emphasis, since “faith” is often considered a worthy, active power meriting salvation within modern Christianity. This wrong view of faith within Protestantism has become just as dangerous to justification and prevalent as works-righteousness within the Roman church.

What is termed “objective justification,” that is, the basis for personal justification by faith, has divided modern Lutherans off and on at various times, but especially this decade. Put another way, objective justification is not another sort of justification apart from faith, but brackets off faith doctrinally to look at the foundation for justification – what brings about Christ’s righteousness that is applied to man. This world reconciliation is considered from God’s side, apart from man’s response. It highlights the objective power of the Gospel and the cause of the forgiveness of sins, regardless of whether one believes or disbelieves the Gospel of Christ preached in time. Objective justification, properly understood, does not deny that God declares sinners righteous in Christ through faith, but highlights that justification depends in no way on man or his faith, but solely on Christ Jesus. Indeed, it is this prior, existing righteousness that the reconciled God offers to the world, and which comes in the Gospel, upon which faith feeds and lives. The increased emphasis on the objective side of justification is necessary because faith is actually a preeminent work for many Christians today that earns and deserves forgiveness from God, eclipsing entirely what Christ did in dying and rising from the dead. The teaching of objective justification preserves the universal character of the Gospel of forgiveness which Scripture presents.

In The Path to Understanding Justification, Gregory L. Jackson continues what seems to be his singular mission in life – that of trying to convince basically all of American Lutheranism that they have been wrong on justification for at least 150 years. Though he once published in support of objective justification in an early writing (the first edition of Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant), he is now convinced that it is the greatest error possible in doctrine today. According to Jackson, it bridges the conservative–liberal divide by including: the “ELCA,” “LCMS – Concordia Publishing House, Higher Things, both seminaries, Christian News,” “All the mainline, apostate denominations,” “The Evangelical Lutheran Synod [ELS],” “WELS,” “The Church of the Lutheran Confession [CLC]”, and “Francis Pieper and his acolytes” (8). Jackson is brutally direct, inflammatory, and takes his status as an “independent Lutheran” seriously.

However, simply put, Jackson is wrong. His argument is actually not theological, but instead evolutionary. He traces the history of this supposed error (objective justification) through different historical periods and theological schools, as if it were a virus infecting people genetically within institutions. “The great and wise Pietists and Rationalists, even since Halle University’s F. Schleiermacher [1768–1834], have defined Justification as God declares the entire world forgiven and saved, apart from faith” (8). But even on the historical side, Jackson is in error.

Most conservative Lutheran churches in America have confessed that Christ’s righteousness avails for the world, since justification depends on His finished work, not the presence of faith in the individual. But the church bodies that denounced the Synodical Conference (the WELS and LCMS) on objective justification in the 19th and 20th centuries (such as the Augustana Synod, and later, the Iowa and Ohio synods) ended up merging into what eventually became the liberal ELCA. It was the doctrinally flimsy Lutheran churches that thought objective justification was offensive to reason and piety. Furthermore, there has even been a divergence in how this teaching is applied in the parties that hold that the world was absolved in our Lord when He rose from the dead. Since the early 19th century, specifically, several theologians at the WELS Wauwatosa seminary, certain elements of WELS and ELS have applied this teaching of world-forgiveness to specific individuals who are outside of Christ, that is, faith. The LCMS for the most part did not do so, but left this world-forgiveness generic, saying that the world as a whole, or unit, was absolved in Christ's resurrection, as Scripture does – not particular individuals outside of Christ (faith). So, not all who uphold the term or concept of “objective justification” fully agree. This 20th century development and the theological nuances of this issue are detailed much further in my 2019 book Aspects of Forgiveness: The Basis for Justification and its Modern Denial.

The conflict over objective justification has been purposely made vague and confused by its deniers. The real argument is not over human words, as if we need perfect, heavenly terms to speak the truth of God. Instead, at the core of this debate is whether Christ’s finished redemptive work is the cause of the forgiveness applied in justification or faith in man activates Christ’s righteousness. The main issue has not been elucidated in The Path to Understanding Justification. It includes many Bible passages (even some in Greek), but does not honestly show what his opposition (all of Lutheranism) actually believes. Instead, Jackson chases lines of endless theological genealogy and casts odd insults without helping lead anyone to understanding.

What is the main issue, according to Jackson? He accuses most modern Lutherans of universalism – that all are saved, regardless of faith or belief. But this is not the position of those he attacks. He provides no citations or quotes to buttress his argument. In his mind, it is the inevitable logical conclusion. But Scripture’s words establish true Lutheran doctrine, not what we think a doctrine must lead to or imply. Surely over hundreds of years of this “error” and thousands of pastors being taught this he can quote one seemingly orthodox man who simply says that because of Christ’s righteousness being won for the entire world, all people are automatically saved by this world-forgiveness without faith. But he cannot seem to find in practice what he accuses so many of. Instead, like the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America (ELDoNA), a small church body who has similarly aligned themselves against all of North American Lutheranism on justification, Jackson delights to single out Samuel Huber [1547–1624], a minor, long dead errorist, who is inconsequential to the real debate.

Jackson’s foundational premise is flawed. He thinks “justification by faith,” as a slogan or summary formula, is the only way to talk about justification. A justification without mentioning faith must be a personal justification leading to salvation without faith, in his view. But justification in Scripture, according to its root, deals with righteousness. Objective justification is not the full picture of justification or some kind of blatant universalism. It merely highlights what the Gospel and Christ’s righteousness is, before faith and preaching come into the picture. It describes and upholds the universality of the Gospel, which is not dependent on whether man believes it. This is a very practical issue. If personal faith actually completes forgiveness, then the true Gospel must not (and cannot) be spoken to one who does not believe. If objective justification is denied, then the Gospel becomes a conditional statement demanding a work of faith: “If you believe, then you will be justified.” But the Gospel itself is unconditional forgiveness to the world, and though it is only personally received in faith, it has been earned by Christ for the world. “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men” (Rom. 5:18). The forgiveness of all sin for all mankind is complete and accomplished in Christ. This truth establishes the power and sufficiency of the Gospel to create the Church on earth.

We do not say Christ died for only some (the error of Calvinism), nor do we say our Lord assumed human flesh only for the elect. The critical issue in making the Gospel truly good news is: who was Christ raised for? Rom. 4:24-25 states that Christ “was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” There is a biblical parallel between Christ’s death and His resurrection. His death was for the world, as also, in some sense, was His rising from the dead. While Rom. 4 and many other parts of Scripture connect justification to faith, it does not always do so. This is because justification is only received in faith, but it does not depend on faith. It is complete and whole in Christ. The real issue is Christ’s work, the source of the righteousness received in personal justification. Is it complete, and forgiveness truly valid for all mankind, because of what Christ did in the flesh? Or is the free forgiveness of sins something that is illusionary, until the ingredient of faith is added and makes what Christ did in His body truly effective? The latter is the error of much of general Protestantism, implying that forgiveness is something that is brought about or completed by the act of faith. Personal faith becomes more important than Christ. “Objective justification” is not a necessary term, but it has been helpfully used by many to highlight the source of our righteousness and the power inherent in the Gospel.

The proof text for this teaching is 2 Cor. 5: “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (18-21). God has reconciled the world in its entirety through Christ, meaning its status has changed to God the Father. But that does not mean every sinner is ok and does not need to hear the Gospel or repent – quite the contrary. Because of Christ’s completed work of appeasing God’s wrath and His resurrection to life in mankind’s stead, the Gospel must go out to all, so that Christ’s presently available righteousness is applied to individuals. This happens through “the message of reconciliation,” which is a universal message of forgiveness to the whole world. The preaching of Christ does not bring about forgiveness in believers when faith is added, since the Gospel itself is the actual forgiveness of sins offered to all humanity.

The Gospel is empowered and valid because of what Christ has already done in defeating sin and rising to life for all. It does not depend on whether a particular hearer accepts the message or not. But Jackson says we cannot take a few individual Bible verses too seriously: “The sectarian approach is to isolate a verse, part of a verse, or a few verses to shape their little group, to the exclusion of the rest of the Scriptures” (43). Much like ELDoNA, Jackson cannot fit this universal nature of the Gospel into his rational scheme. Since it does not fit logically, it must be the error of universalism. But true Lutherans uphold the unity of God’s Word in all its verses. We must hold together, and not assume a contradiction, the twin truths that a person is justified by Christ in faith and also the biblical truth that righteousness has come to mankind in Christ. This justification of the world is not outside of Christ, but comes in His Gospel. This confession of the objective nature of the Gospel allows forgiveness to be spoken to all, so that faith is created and sinners justified. It is the greatest comfort to know that the forgiveness of my sin does not depend on my faith or reaction to the Gospel, but Christ alone. It is because its power does not depend on man’s response, that it saves poor, wretched sinners who cannot stop sinning against their God on their own. This objective side of justification does not dull the need for sinners to actually hear the Gospel, nor the demand to stop sinning and repent of deadly sins.

While “justification by faith” can be understood correctly, as a simplistic slogan it is not the full picture of justification because it does not even mention Christ! And our Lord who died, and did not stay dead, is the source of all justification. Forgiveness is not won or created within the believer when faith comes, instead the sinner is made alive by the Spirit in the external Word, so that he believes in the objective righteousness of Christ that exists for the entire world. Forgiveness, Christ’s righteousness, and real absolution for all sinners must precede faith in that same forgiveness. The failure of Jackson to address the real concerns of the proponents of objective justification makes his writing most unprofitable and The Path to Understanding Justification a path not worth taking.

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Published: 11 September 2019 11 September 2019

Last Updated: 11 September 2019 11 September 2019

Pastor's Pen 09/05/2019

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the LORD.” (Psalm 122)

In Name + of Jesus. Amen. Glad to go to church? Really? Pull over the covers, hit the snooze, sleep in, it is the weekend. It is football season. Glad to go to church? Indeed you are – for you are the NEW creation in Christ.

The 3rd Commandment: Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we may not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred, and gladly hear and learn it.

Gladly hear and learn the Word of God. What is it that Holies the Sabbath Day? The Word of God. Go to church! Sinners get to go to hear the proclamation of the Gospel! We get to confess our sins to the Lord (1 John 1). I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents. (Luke 15)

Repenting of our sin and turning to Jesus in faith, our sins are forgiven. Rejoicing in Christ mercy. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalm 51)

O LORD, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells. (Psalm 26) The House of God is WHERE the Lord gives out His gifts. In Church we see the FOUNT OF MERCY. Where the flood of forgiveness never runs out.

You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6)

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. (Isaiah 12)

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Romans 6)

Walking by the Spirit you live the sanctified life. Fighting against your sin. (Repenting). The fruit of repentance is to live by faith. To love God and serve your neighbor. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. (Romans 6)

God’s Word is the power for you to live the sanctified life. Living selflessly, giving yourself to serve one another. God’s Word fills you with peace and mercy all for the sake of Christ. We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4)

You shall love your neighbor as yourself…..the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (Galatians 5)

Entering the House of the Lord with gladness because Jesus is here. Christ is in His Word. We have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus…Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10)

Jesus is here with His good gifts of life and salvation overflowing through His Holy Word and His Blessed Sacraments. Gladly we enter the Lord's House at His invitation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. (Psalm 100)

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Published: 07 September 2019 07 September 2019

Last Updated: 07 September 2019 07 September 2019

Pastor's Pen 08/21/2019

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 3)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea. Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. (Matthew 3) John is the Voice in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord. Preaching God's Holy Law. Repent of your sin. Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly. (Mark 6)

BUT there was something Herod loved more than the Word of God. Herod loved his sin. He refused to repent. I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. (John 8)

It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife. (Mark 6) Preaching has a goal. That sinners REPENT! Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6)

By the Holy Spirit's power God gifts to you REPENTANCE. The Lord is working through His Word on you. Repenting you. Herod attempts to silence the Word of God by having John the Baptist beheaded. It does NOT work. The Word of God remains forever. Jesus preaches: The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel. (Mark 1)

The Lord has sent you your Pastors. The Pastor’s job is to preach the Word of God. Law and Gospel. Calling sinners to repentance. To speak the truth in love to sinners. How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? How are they to hear without someone preaching? How are they to preach unless they are sent? (Romans 10)

By the Holy Spirit's power you repent. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret. (2 Corinthians 7) There is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents. (Luke 15)

Rejoice in hearing the call to repentance. Jesus took the wrath of God for all your sins on Good Friday's Tree. In Jesus’ death and resurrection your sins are forgiven. You are the Lord’s Baptized Children. To live a life of repentance. Turning in faith to Christ for forgiveness. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1)

Repent and be forgiven. Confession and Absolution. Rejoice in God's Word reigning in your ears and hearts. The Lord is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

 

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered…

I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity;

I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”

and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. (Psalm 32)

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Published: 07 September 2019 07 September 2019

Last Updated: 07 September 2019 07 September 2019

Pastor's Pen 08/08/2019

I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die. (1 Kings 17)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The widow knows death. Her husband is dead. Death is closing in on all sides. She is driven to despair. Hopeless. The cursed world = death. The widow is preparing for the impending doom of the black hole of death. The Lord rescued. A miracle through the Word of God preached. The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah. (1 Kings 17)

Is this only postponing the impending doom of the grave? The son of the woman became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. She said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!” (1 Kings 17)

Death is back with a vengeance. The Grim REAPER comes for her son. What is there left to hope in? JESUS. The Word of God that preached to break the darkness. I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? (John 11) Elijah proclaims God's lifegiving Word. “O LORD my God, let this child's life come into him again.” The LORD listened to the voice of Elijah. The life of the child came into him again, and he revived.

God's Word IS LIFE. JESUS goes to the cross to kill your death. As a fisherman baits a hook to catch the fish. The fish bites into the hook for his end. Jesus is on the hook for all your sin. Death comes and bites into Christ. As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matthew 12) Jesus died in your place. He has risen. The church gathers around our Risen Lord Jesus each Sunday to worship Him. Christ has Risen! He has Risen indeed!

The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6)

We come with our hurts. Struggles. We come with our weak sinful bodies. We come in FAITH, holding onto Christ’s Word. JESUS’ Word goes forth into your ears and heart. Truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. (John 5) The Word of God brings life everlasting to you. Death can harm you none.

The widow’s sorrow is gone. The joy and celebration of receiving her son back from the grave. Elijah said, “See, your son lives. “The woman said, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the WORD of the LORD in your mouth is TRUTH.”

Christ’s Word is TRUE because JESUS has been raised from the dead. Believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. (Romans 4) Because I live, you also will live. (John 14)

Peace and comfort for you the Baptized. Living in God's promises. If we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. (Romans 6)

When you are sick. When death is stalking you. When your sins haunt you. Run to the living Word of God. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. (John 3) God's Word of life is reigning in your ears and hearts. Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body. (Philippians 3) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

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Published: 07 September 2019 07 September 2019

Last Updated: 07 September 2019 07 September 2019

Pastor's Pen 07/23/2019

Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets. (Luke 5)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Work is hard. Living outside of Paradise. Thorns and thistles grow. Work is filled with the sweat of your brow. Peter has been out fishing all night with nothing to show except an empty net and a heart filled with frustration.

Work is hard. Working as a parent. (Home.) Working in the Lord's Church. (Kingdom of God.) Working in your community. (Citizen.) Do NOT go it alone. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (1 Cor. 15)

Peter tried all he could to catch fish only to come up EMPTY. The Lord Jesus proclaimed His Word. “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for A CATCH.” (Luke 5) The Word of God gives what it says. So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55)

At the Lord's speaking it was done. The nets that the Disciples let down were so filled they began to break. Peter confesses his sin. “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” (Luke 5)

FEAR NOT. Jesus has come for sinners. To atone for ALL your sins. In Christ you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3)

Jesus teaches Peter now you will be a "fisher of men". The net to catch sinners is the Gospel.

I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. (Romans 1)

This is the Good News of Jesus Christ that has brought you into Christ’s Church. The net of Baptism the Lord caught you. Christ has placed you into the boat, the Ark of the Holy Christian Church. By the power of God's Word you were rescued from the depth of sin and death.

God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4)

The WORD OF GOD is the power. The Lord has called you into the Kingdom of God. To hear God’s Word and believe it. Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. (Psalm 119)

“Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” (Luke 11)

Each week the Church gathers around the Holy Spirit filled Word of God. (The Church) devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (Acts 2)

Gladly hearing the Word and holding it sacred. At your Word, Lord, the Church bows her ears, hearts, and lives. In Baptism the Lord gifts repentance and forgiveness. At God’s Word the Church receive forgiveness all for Christ’s sake. The Church comes hungry to the Lord’s Supper to receive the Body and Blood of Christ.

The Word sends you forth in peace. Comfort. Strength. Boldness. Confidence in faith in Christ. To confessing God's Word one to another. I will also speak of your testimonies before kings and shall not be put to shame, for I find my delight in your commandments, which I love. (Psalm 119)

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Published: 07 September 2019 07 September 2019

Last Updated: 07 September 2019 07 September 2019

Pastor's Pen 07/09/2019

When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him. (Genesis 50)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Revenge. Payback. We know what it is like to be sinned against. It hurts. Betrayed. Gossiped about. Cheated on. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. (1 Thessalonians 5) “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” (Acts 7)

Joseph knew what it was liked to be sinned against. Betrayed by his brothers. He was stripped of his clothes. Thrown into a pit. Mocked. Left for dead. Sold into slavery for 20 pieces of silver. He suffered at the hands of his own brothers. ...but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones. (Genesis 50)

Joseph is a Christ-like figure in the Scriptures. What men meant for evil against Joseph God meant for good. At the Cross of Calvary, Christ’s Crucifixion was meant to get rid of Jesus. God used it for Good. The FORGIVENESS OF SINS. “Father, forgive them.” (Luke 23) Christ Risen from the dead brings His FORGIVENESS to sinners.

Peace be with you…If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld. (John 20)

Repent of your sin. Let all your sins die with Christ. In Christ’s death and resurrection.

What to do with the sins committed against you? FORGIVE. Forgive those who sin against you. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. (1 Peter 3)

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4)

The life of a Christian is one of FORGIVENESS. Christians receive the forgiveness of sins all for Christ’s sake. Now, living in this forgiveness, you forgive those who sin against you. You forgive your spouse, children, and neighbor. Where there is forgiveness of sins there is life and salvation.

Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. (James 5)

Rejoice in the rich treasure of the forgiveness of sins. Rejoice in hearing, receiving and forgiving one another. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. (Colossians 3)

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Published: 07 September 2019 07 September 2019

Last Updated: 07 September 2019 07 September 2019

Pastor's Pen 06/19/2019

Jesus had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Sheep NEED a Shepherd. Sheep love to wander. Sheep get lost. Sheep are weak. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned — every one — to his own way. (Isaiah 53)

Skipping church. Shutting our ears to the Word of God. Lusting, hating, lying, coveting, and gossiping. Outside the sheep pen danger abounds.

As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them…Declares the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed. (Ezekiel 34)

Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd. Jesus comes to seek and save the lost. Christ pulls you up from the pit of death.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep....I lay down my life that I may take it up again. (John 10)

The Good Shepherd places you into the flock of His Church. Jesus tends His flock with His Word. Calling sinners to repentance. Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost. I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. (Luke 15)

The Sheep listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd. Sheep gather around God's Word to be fed with The Bread of Life. “Feed my lambs.”…“Tend my sheep.” (John 21)

Jesus tends His flock. By Christ’s wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (1 Peter 2)

The Good Shepherd’s words from the Font – I baptize you in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. From the Altar – the Good Shepherd feeds His Sheep with His Body and Blood to eat and drink. God’s Word filling you with life and salvation.

Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12)

Jesus sends Pastors (under-shepherds) of the Good Shepherd to preach God’s Word to His Sheep. Pastors are to teach God's Word in its truth and purity.

 

Savior, like a Shepherd Lead Us LSB 711:1

Savior, like a shepherd lead us; Much we need Your tender care.

In Your pleasant pastures feed us, For our use Your fold prepare.

Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus, You have bought us; we are Yours.

 

Happy receiving the care from your Good Shepherd tending His flock. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

 

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil. (Psalm 23)

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Published: 08 July 2019 08 July 2019

Last Updated: 08 July 2019 08 July 2019

Pastor's Pen 04/16/2019

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? (1 Corinthians 10)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Holy Week. Christ’s passion for you. Jesus dies on the Cross for you. Jesus Risen from the grave never to die again.

Maundy Thursday — the night on which Jesus is betrayed. The Lord's Supper is instituted. Jesus is the Host. Jesus is the meal. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. (1 Corinthians 11)

How to prepare to receive the Holy Body and Blood of Christ? With your heart and mind, review what our Lord teaches us about His Supper.

The Sacrament of the Altar

What is the Sacrament of the Altar?

It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ Himself for us Christians to eat and to drink.

Where is this written?

The holy Evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and St. Paul write: Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.” In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

What is the benefit of this eating and drinking?

These words, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,” show us that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.

How can bodily eating and drinking do such great things?

Certainly not just eating and drinking do these things, but the words written here: “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” These words, along with the bodily eating and drinking, are the main thing in the Sacrament. Whoever believes these words has exactly what they say: “forgiveness of sins.”

Who receives this sacrament worthily?

Fasting and bodily preparation are certainly fine outward training. But that person is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words: “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” But anyone who does not believe these words or doubts them is unworthy and unprepared, for the words “for you” require all hearts to believe.

 

What Is This Bread LSB 629:1, 2

What is this bread? Christ’s body risen from the dead: This bread we break, This life we take, Was crushed to pay for our release. O taste and see—the Lord is peace.

What is this wine? The blood of Jesus shed for mine; The cup of grace Brings His embrace Of life and love until I sing! O taste and see—the Lord is King.

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Published: 07 June 2019 07 June 2019

Last Updated: 07 June 2019 07 June 2019