Category: Trinity 13

Two Religions of the World

8/31/2021

Vasily Surikov, "The Good Samaritan," 1874. Public Domain

Trinity 13
Galatians 3:15-22
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
August 29, 2021

How many religions do you think are in the world? A thousand? Should we number every sect and cult, which breaks away from a mainline religion? How could we possibly number them? Well, in fact, there are only two religions in the world. There is the religion of works, that is, the religion of the Law. And there is the religion of grace, that is, the religion of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The religion of works is a false religion that teaches that a person is justified, that is, declared righteous by God and inherits eternal life by his own good works. The religion of grace is the one true religion, which teaches that a person is justified, that is, declared righteous by God and inherits eternal life as a gift through faith alone, when he believes that God forgives his sins for the sake of Christ Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection.
Adherents of the religion of works come in many forms. They call themselves Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Mormons, and even Christians. Yet, they all believe essentially the same thing when it comes to salvation. They believe that they are saved by their own good works. They think that God, or whatever power they believe in, is satisfied and will reward them for what they do in this life. In short, they trust in themselves. Adherents of the religion of grace are true Christians. They do not trust in their own good works, but rely solely on Jesus Christ and his righteousness. Christians believe that they are saved by grace, that is, as a gift from God when they believe that God forgives them for Christ’s sake.
The purpose of St. Paul’s epistle to the Galatians is to teach that a sinner is justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ apart from works of the Law. In our Epistle lesson, St. Paul argues this point by pointing out that God gave righteousness and salvation to Abraham by a promise 430 years before he gave the Law to Moses. If God promised the inheritance as a gift to Abraham, how could he then give it under the condition of works. That would be to break his own covenant. But if not even a covenant made by men can be broken, how could God’s covenant of promise be abolished by the Law. As St. Paul says, “For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.”
And it is not only that God gave it to Abraham by promise, but God gave it to all people by promise. God said to Abraham, “in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 22:18) This offspring is Jesus Christ, who is descended from Abraham according to the flesh and is God most high, begotten of the Father. All nations of the earth are blessed through Jesus, because he alone has paid our debt of sin and won for us salvation. Abraham was saved through faith as well as all who believe. In fact, salvation has always been a gift from God received through faith in the promised Christ. Immediately after Adam and Eve sinned, God promised salvation through the offspring of the woman, when he spoke to Satan, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15) So it is abundantly clear from Scripture that no human being is justified before God by works of the Law, but all are saved through faith in Christ alone.
Why then the Law? If the false religion is a religion that teaches salvation by works of the Law, was God adding something bad when he gave Moses the Law? Or as St. Paul asks, “Is the law then contrary to the promises of God?” He answers, “Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.” God did not give us the Law so that we could gain life by obeying its commands. God added the Law because of transgressions, that is, because we were sinners! If we were sinners even before the Law, how is the Law going to make us righteous? It’s not! But it will certainly show us our sin. It will teach us what is righteous and what is not; what is good and what is evil. And when we look at the Law, we will recognize that our works are but filthy rags, and we need to be saved from our sin. That is why God gives us the Law.
The reason the Law cannot make you righteous or give you life is because it can only tell you what to do, but it can give you no power to do it. That does not make the Law bad. The Law is good. The Law expresses God’s eternal will. If you actually did what the Law commanded, you would indeed be righteous and have eternal life. But if you do not do what the Law commands, then you are under a curse, as it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” (Galatians 3:10; Deut. 27:26). Our problem is that we do not actually do what the Law commands.
Take the lawyer from our Gospel text, who asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life. Since he asked what he must do, Jesus asked him what the Law says. The Law tells you what to do. He answered correctly, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus told him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” And Jesus is right! If you would love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind and your neighbor as yourself, you would have a wonderful life. Your anxiety would go away. You would be content with what you have. You wouldn’t fight with those you love. In fact, you would learn to love even your enemies. And if you did this perfectly, you would live forever.
But do you? Do you love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind? The Law commanded that the Jews give ten percent of their income to the Lord to provide for the Levites. Ten percent or a tithe is still the standard amount Christians are encouraged to give to the church. Yet, you’ll notice these words don’t even mention money. It mentions your heart, soul, strength, and mind. And to love God with not ten percent of these, but all of them. Do you do this? The simplest way to show God that he is your God is to go to church. I once read a motivational poster that said that a one-hour workout is only four percent of your day. Well, if you do the math, you’ll find that going to church then works out to less than one percent of your week.  Yet, still people find other things to do instead of coming to hear the Word of God, learning from him, praying and praising him. If we each exercised an hour a day, we’d be quite fit. Yet, how many of us take even a quarter of an hour to read Scripture and pray each day. We work hard for our children. We want them to do the sports they like, to get good grades, to get a good job. But do we exert our strength to teach them to be Christians and to hold God above all else? No one wants to be considered dumb. We take pride in the power of our minds. Yet, do you seek to learn from God? Do you love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind?
Do you love your neighbor as yourself? Do you honestly do unto others as you would have them do unto you? Do you think of them as you would have them think of you? Do you speak about them as you would have them speak about you? Here is why the lawyer seeking to justify himself asked who his neighbor was, prompting Jesus to tell the well-known story of the Good Samaritan. The Lawyer seeks to lighten the burden of the Law, but Jesus’ story does no such thing for an adherent to the religion of works.
Depending on whether you are an adherent to the false religion of works or the true religion of grace will determine much how you look at the story of the Good Samaritan. If you, like the lawyer, are an adherent to the religion of works, the Good Samaritan is a devastating blow. Samaritans were hated by the Jews. The Samaritan had no reason to believe that if he were in the same situation that that man would have helped him. But despite that, the Samaritan helped his enemy. He took the injured man’s burden, treated his wounds, and laid him on his own animal and brought him to safety. He paid the innkeeper two denarii, which is two days wages, and then he offered to pay back whatever more it cost to care for him. That would be like you handing a hospital your credit card to care for a complete stranger. No one can live up to this standard. “Go and do likewise,” Jesus says? How? Here we see that the Law is not accomplished by outward show, but in that word that must begin from the heart: Love. The law commands what commands cannot bring, that you love your neighbor from the heart. The Law is good, because it reveals how we should be. We should be like Jesus. Jesus is the Good Samaritan. But when Jesus is a mere lawgiver, just an example to follow, he is terrifying.
Yet, if you are an adherent to the religion of grace, then you recognize the Good Samaritan as your Savior Jesus, who rescues you from your sin and pays for your redemption. Through this story, you recognize what St. Paul means when he says, “Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.” By speaking the truth, Scripture exposes you as the beat-up man, half-dead, lying on the side of the road. You have been beaten up and robbed by Satan and your own sinful flesh. You cannot help yourself. The Law doesn’t help you. The priest and the Levite simply walk past. All they can say to you is to get up and be alive. Stop being a sinner! Yet, your Good Samaritan comes, Jesus Christ, with his preaching. He pours wine, which stings, that is, he preaches the Law to you, so that you know you need him. Yet, he pours on soothing oil as well, medicine for your sin-sick soul. He forgives your sins. He bears your burden. He paid for your sins on the cross. And his death fully atones for you. He says, “Whatever more is spent, I will pay it back.” That is to say, as many sins as you have, he forgives them in full.
It is after you have been justified by faith that you can then follow the example of the Good Samaritan, walking by the Spirit. This cannot be done under compulsion, or you will be terrified and it will never be done. But when you have been loved by your Good Samaritan, when you have received the promised blessing through faith in Christ, the Offspring of Abraham, then you will follow with a willing heart. Having loved, you will love without fear of judgment. The Law demands love. It is Jesus, our Good Samaritan, who has perfected love for us. And having received his love through faith, we too will live in love, imperfectly now, but perfectly in eternity. Amen.

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God Reveals Himself to Us in Mercy

9/7/2020

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Parable of the Good Samaritan by Balthasar van Cortbemde (1647), Public Domain.

Trinity 13
Luke 10:21-37
September 6, 2020

“I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

The wise and understanding of this world live by the Law. That isn’t to say they understand its heavenly meaning. No, they make God’s heavenly Law a very earthly thing. They turn God’s Law which reflects the glory of heaven into the Law of the Jungle, where only the strong survive. God’s Law commands you to do. And to the one who does as the Law commands, the Law promises life. So, in order to manage the Law and make it doable, the wise and understanding of this world add laws upon God’s Law. The Pharisees were known to have come up with over 600 laws in addition to the Law God gave to Moses. These laws helped the Jews accomplish what otherwise seemed too difficult.
And this is always how mankind treats laws. When I was in college, a law professor gave a lecture to one of the political science classes to explain what law school would be like. One of the students came out of the lecture hall and said, “Well, I guess I’m not going to be a lawyer. I could never read that much.” And it’s true. To be a lawyer, you have to read a tremendous amount of information; not just the written laws which increase year after year, but also the decisions courts have made concerning those laws. And because there is so much information about each law, the goal of many lawyers is not to seek the truth or serve justice, but to find a way for the law’s many rules to justify their clients and condemn their opponents.
This explains the attitude of the lawyer, who seeks to test Jesus in our Gospel lesson. He is one of those wise and understanding types, who has turned obeying the Law into an art. “What must I do to inherit eternal life.”, he asks. Put aside for a moment that an inheritance is not something you must work to receive, but it is given according to promise. The lawyer asks Jesus a law question, so Jesus gives him a law answer.
“What is written in the Law?”
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind and your neighbor as yourself.”
“Correct,” Jesus answers, “Do this and you will live.”
Yet, the simplicity of Jesus’ command makes the Law impossible for the lawyer to fulfill. In order to justify himself, he must add to God’s Law, not to fulfill its heavenly goal, but to make it more attainable here on earth. “Who is my neighbor?”, the lawyer asks. You see, if the lawyer simply took the Law of God at its word, he would have to assume that he must love everyone. That is impossible for a mere man to accomplish. So, the Lawyer desires to add to the Law, not so that he can better love his neighbor, but so that he is not to blame when he doesn’t love his neighbor.
Jesus sees right through the lawyer. So, Jesus tells a parable, which crushes the lawyer’s hope in himself that he can fulfill the Law and which reveals to us God’s mercy, which the Law cannot give.
A man goes down from Jerusalem to Jericho and falls among robbers, who strip him, beat him, and leave him half dead. Down come two men: a priest and a Levite. Yet, both of these men walk by on the other side of the road. They do not help the man lying beat up and bloody. The priest and the Levite represent the Law. Their action teaches us both something about those who trust in their works of the Law and about the Law itself.
First, that the priest and the Levite walk by the bloodied man demonstrates to us that those who seek to justify themselves by their works of the Law are hypocrites. Jesus addresses this when he rebukes the scribes and the Pharisees saying, “Woe to you, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.” And in another place, Jesus rebukes those who try to falsely condemn his disciples, saying, “And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.”
The reason why those who seek to justify themselves by works of the Law are hypocrites, is because you cannot make your heart pure by your outward works. A bad tree cannot bear good fruit. When sinners try by their works to make themselves righteous, they become like white washed tombs. They look good on the outside, but inside they are filled with dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. By portraying the priest and the Levite passing by the bloodied man without helping him, Jesus exposed the odor of sin hiding in their hearts.
The Law can be divided into three parts: The Civil, which refers to laws made by the government; the moral, which refers to what is right and wrong; and the ceremonial, which refers to the regulations of worship. The moral law is summarized in the Ten Commandments. Those who seek to justify themselves according to the moral law do so by trying to put on some outward show of keeping the commandment. The priest and the Levite can justify themselves that they have not broken the Fifth Commandment, “You shall not murder.” because they did not physically assault the poor man. Yet, they showed no love for the man’s body, which is the goal of the Commandment. Likewise, the First Commandment says, “You shall have no other gods.” and people think they keep this commandment by not worshiping idols of gold. Yet, in their hearts they worship other things by loving and trusting in people and money instead of God.
In the book, War and Peace, there is a wealthy countess who does not love her husband and desires to marry another man. So, she converts from Eastern Orthodox to Roman Catholic and justifies herself by saying that the marriage vows she made before her conversion were invalid. And in a myriad of other ways, people justify themselves by adding to God’s Law, so that it is easier to outwardly perform it. All the while, their hearts remain black with sin.
The ceremonial law refers to the regulations God set in place for sacrifices in the temple. The priest and the Levite are coming down the road, which means they are leaving Jerusalem. They have just performed the ceremonies commanded by God in the temple. Yet, they prove that their performance was just an act. They did not worship God with their heart, otherwise, they would have helped the beaten man, for one cannot love God while he despises his brother.
Likewise, this shows us not to be hypocrites in our worship. It does not please God that you simply show up to church, mouth the liturgy, and ignore the teaching in the sermon. We must worship God in Spirit and truth. This means, we must worship God by receiving his grace through faith. Mere outward actions are not what please God. And when Christians treat others with utter hatred instead of in humility counting others more significant than themselves, they betray the true condition of their heart. You cannot be a Christian while you continue in unrepentant hatred.
Secondly, that the priest and the Levite walk by on the other side demonstrates to us something about the Law itself. The Law isn’t going to help you when you are lying half dead on the side of the road. The Law does not feel compassion for you. The Law commands you to do. The Law doesn’t care if your legs are broken; it will still tell you to run. The Law doesn’t care if you are dead in your sin! It will still command you live without sin! As helpful as the priest and the Levite were to that beaten up man, so helpful is the Law in rescuing you from your sin and eternal damnation.
Then along comes the Good Samaritan. Samaritans and Jews were considered enemies. The Jews at that time were taught, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” (Matthew 5:43) According to the additional rule set up by the wise and understanding of this world, the Samaritan would have been justified in walking past his enemy lying bloody on the side of the road. Yet, the Samaritan had compassion. He loved his enemy and took care of him. He bound up his wounds, poured on wine to kill infection and oil to keep the wounds clean. He carried the man to an inn on his own animal and paid in full all his expenses.
Then Jesus turns the question around on the lawyer. He doesn’t answer his question, “Who is my neighbor.” He asks him rather, “Which one of the three was the neighbor to the one who fell among the robbers?” And when the lawyer answers, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus answers, “You go and do likewise.”
You see, Jesus is the Good Samaritan, who shows mercy. He comes to your aid where the Law offers no help at all. The Law can only tell you to get up and improve yourself. Jesus picks you up and heals you. The Law can only blame you for the terrible situation your foolishness has placed you in. Jesus rescues you from your own folly and sin by forgiving you.
The wise and understanding of the world think that they are in control of the Law. And because of this they are blinded from God’s love and mercy. They cannot see or know the Father. They can only serve themselves. It is only through the revelation of Jesus that you can see God as your heavenly Father. And Jesus reveals himself to you in showing mercy. Jesus is the Good Samaritan, who suffers the loss for your sin, who helped you when you were his enemy, who does for you what the Law could never do, because of your sin.
“Go, and do likewise.”, Jesus says. As God has had mercy on you, have mercy on others. Forgive one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Only those to whom the Father has been revealed through the mercy of his Son can go and do likewise. Only those, who have experienced God’s mercy through faith in Christ, can go and be merciful.
The story of the Good Samaritan is not an example of how you can earn eternal life by your own works, as if the wise and understanding of this world are just off on a few minor details. The story of the Good Samaritan is a story of God’s Grace. It teaches us that the Law is no help to us in our sinful condition. This parable is meant to clear us from the delusion that adding a few of our own rules to God’s Law will somehow make our sin pleasing in God’s sight. This story shows us a Savior, who loves his enemies. Yes, the Samaritan pours wine on the wounds, which stings, so Jesus rebukes our sin, which hurts. Yet, Jesus heals our sin with his own blood. He baptizes us, anointing us children of God. He carries us when we are too weak to walk. By his death and three day stay in the tomb, he gives God the Father a token of payment, so that we are never cast away. In his Church he continues to provide for us, forgiving our sins week after week, day after day. We are assured that his grace will never run out, but whatever expense our sin has incurred, he will pay.
The wise and understanding in this world add laws that chip away the requirement of the Law to love. Yet, we love, because God first loved us and gave his Son to die for us. Christ Jesus is the completion of the Law for righteousness to all who believe. As his love is poured out on us, so his love pours from us to our neighbor. This love is known only through the revelation of God’s mercy in Christ. Amen.

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The Law Imprisons, so that the Promise of Christ might set us free through faith

9/16/2019

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Jan Wijnants, Parable of the Good Samaritan, 1670, The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Public Domain

Galatians 3:15-22
Luke 10:21-31
September 15, 2019

Four hundred thirty years before God gave the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai, God made a promise to Abraham that all nations of the earth would be blessed through his Offspring, the coming Christ. Four hundred thirty years before God gave the Law, Abraham believed God’s promise and God counted it to him as righteousness. Four hundred thirty years before God gave the Law, Abraham rejoiced to see the day of Christ, through faith he saw it and was glad. The promise offered the inheritance of eternal life to all people who believe. The Law of works, which came four hundred thirty years afterward cannot nullify the promise.
Why then the Law? You cannot be justified by the Law. Scripture says, “Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” (Galatians 3:11) Our Epistle lesson makes this clear. The Law does not offer a new and different way to salvation. So, why the Law? St. Paul tells us that the Law was added because of transgressions: sins. If a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would certainly be by the law. But the law does not give life. Rather, it kills. God added the Law in order to imprison us all under sin, so that we might be saved through faith in the promise of Jesus Christ.
If the Law does not imprison you under sin, then you will think that you are free from sin. You won’t value the promise that God gives eternal life as a free inheritance through faith in Christ. The Law is necessary to show you how much you need Christ; how much you need forgiveness and salvation. You cannot do it on your own.
Our Gospel lesson gives us a perfect example of a man, who gets imprisoned by the law. A lawyer thought he was clever. He thought he could test Jesus and find some fault in him. So, he asks him, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus asks him, what is written in the Law, and the lawyer answers correctly, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” So, then Jesus responds, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” It is as if Jesus is saying, “It is not the hearers of the law, who will be justified, but the doers. Don’t be proud of yourself that you answered correctly; now you must do it.”
Here the lawyer has been put into a corner. His plan to trap Jesus has backfired and the Law has caught him in its chamber under sin. This is why St. Paul warns, “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.’” (Galatians 3:10)
Yet, the lawyer hasn’t given up yet. He still tries to get out. He asks, “And who is my neighbor?” He doesn’t ask, “Who is my God?” or “How can I truly love God with all my heart, soul, strength, and mind?” He thinks that he has loved God simply by not setting up an idol of gold, by going to the temple and outwardly observing the Sabbath. It is as God says in Scripture, “This people honor me with their lips, while their heart is far from me.” (Isaiah 29:13) But why does the lawyer ask who his neighbor is? It’s because he’s trying to soften the command. He’s trying to make it easier to obey. He’s still trying to justify himself.
Yet, it’s not just that he is trying to make the law easier to obey, but he has revealed the true condition of his heart. Why must he know who his neighbor is? So that he knows whom he must love. It’s because he doesn’t want to have to love every person he meets. He only wants to love those whom he absolutely has to love. This is no love at all. The lawyer’s heart is far from his neighbor and far from his God. And with this question, the bonds and shackles of the Law tighten their grip, and the prison cell closes in closer. And Jesus tells a parable.
We all know this parable well. A man goes down to Jericho from Jerusalem, but he doesn’t make it. He’s jumped by robbers, stripped, beaten, robbed, and left halfdead on the side of the road. And three individuals come by. With which one does the lawyer identify himself? Which one of these travelers are you?
The first two are a priest and a Levite. These are good people, respected by all. They are no doubt going to Jerusalem to worship in the temple, offer sacrifices, pray, and study the Scriptures which teach you to love God and your neighbor. The lawyer is friends with many priests and Levites. So are you. Perhaps you even are one. Yet, do the priest and Levite stop and help? No, they pass right on by.
Now, this is understandable. The priest and Levite would risk a lot helping the beaten-up man. They could be made unclean and unable to participate in the sacrifices in the temple or even made late to the festival or Sabbath they went to observe. It was dangerous, perhaps the robbers were waiting nearby for a second victim. And besides, was it really their job? Certainly, some law enforcement officer would be passing by soon, someone more equipped to help. That didn’t fall under their vocation, did it? They didn’t beat up the man. They didn’t steal from him. The priest and the Levite aren’t to blame if the man succumbs to his injuries and dies.
Except, they are. It is their job to help the poor man. It is their vocation. This is what love calls us to do, to help those in need. The Fifth Commandment, “You shall not murder.” does not simply forbid that we hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but it commands that we help and support him in every physical need.
The priest and the Levite failed. The Law hems them in. They’re stuck in a cell with their sin of hatred for their neighbor. They should have helped. What about the lawyer. What was going through his mind? Did he try to justify the actions of the priest and Levite? Does he identify with them? How about you. How does the law speak to you concerning this? Are you the priest or the Levite? Have you loved your neighbor as yourself and done unto others as you would have them do unto you? Does the Law convict and imprison you?
Now, let’s look at the Good Samaritan. What does he do? As soon as he sees the man, he has compassion on him. His heart aches for this man and his suffering! He does for the man, what the man wishes someone, anyone would do for him. He helps him. He pours on oil and wine to stave off infection. He binds up his wounds. He puts him on his own animal and leads him to an inn. He pays for his medical care and when he leaves, he makes sure that this stranger gets all the attention he needs, promising to pay whatever cost accumulates when he returns.
The Good Samaritan doesn’t make you look good, does he? He truly loves this man and treats him as he would want to be treated. He truly is good. Are you good?
Yet, Jesus doesn’t answer the lawyer’s question; does he? Well, not exactly. Jesus then says, “Which of the three proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” Jesus wants this lawyer, hemmed in and shackled by the Law, to identify himself as the beat-up man. And he wants him to see the Good Samaritan as his neighbor.
Jesus is the Good Samaritan. He is truly good. He has fulfilled the Law by loving God with all his heart, soul, strength, and mind. He did not see equality with God a thing to be grasped, but became obedient even unto death on a cross. Jesus loves his neighbor. He willingly died for the sins of the whole world. Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse, as it is written, “cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” By his death, he breaks the bonds of the law, opens the door and frees us.
Satan, the world, and your own sinful flesh beat you up and left you mangled on the side of the road. Your sins are killing you. They lead only to hell. The priest and the Levite symbolize the Law. Will the Law help you? No. The Law tells you to do. You can’t do. You’re beaten up. The Law doesn’t help. The Law condemns. The Law only helps those who help themselves. The Law passes by.
The Good Samaritan is Jesus. He doesn’t pass by. He has compassion. Your suffering is his suffering. He wants to take away your pain. He binds up your wounds caused by your own sins. He pours his grace upon you, baptizing you, cleansing you in his blood, preaching the Good News of the Promise to you. He carries you where you have no strength to take yourself. And he brings you to the inn.
The inn is Christ’s holy Church. Here in the inn, Christ makes sure that you are taken care of. He instructs the innkeeper, who is his minister how to care for you to bring you back to good health. He supplies the Church with all that she needs to provide necessary care and he promises that his provisions will never run out. Christ daily and richly forgives your sins, he speaks his word of grace to you, he even feeds you his own body and blood, which is medicine like non-other, because the one who eats such food becomes like it: immortal. When Christ returns, he will find all those in his inn healthy and whole.
The Law imprisons you, so that you have no place to go, but to Christ. The Law makes your sins visible, shows you who you really are, a beaten-up sinner at the side of the road. The Law shows you that you cannot help yourself. This is why even Jesus preached the Law to this lawyer. To hem him in, so that he would be ready to believe the promise.
Unless you see yourself in need of salvation, you will not accept Christ. And unless you see Jesus as your Good Samaritan, you will not love God or your neighbor as the Law requires. “Go, and do likewise,” Jesus says. Do as the Good Samaritan has done to you. Do not try to justify yourself by loving God and your neighbor the minimal amount possible. Rather, love as God has loved you in Christ Jesus. Love God, sing his praises, hear his word, pray to him, because he has given you an inheritance through Christ. Love your neighbor, whomever that might be, do unto them as you would have them do unto you, because Christ has loved you even when you were his enemy.
No, Jesus is not a Law giver. He is the promise keeper. And he frees us from the condemnation of the Law. Yet, to love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself remains the greatest good you can do. It was good before the Law was given and it remains good after Christ has rescued us from its threats. Now, we are free to love God and our neighbor. To love is a fruit that the Law cannot force, but which is produced by the love of God received through faith.
Four hundred thirty years before the Law was given, God gave Abraham a promise. And it is this promise by faith in Jesus Christ that we believe. And it is by faith in this promise that we will inherit eternal life. Amen.

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Trinity 13: Inheritance by Promise, Not by Works of the Law

8/27/2018

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Galatians 3:15-22
Luke 10:21-37
August 26, 2018

The Law does not nullify the Promise. St. Paul makes it explicitly clear in our Epistle lesson that the inheritance of eternal life is given by promise to those who believe in Jesus Christ. And if the inheritance is given by promise, then it cannot be obtained by works of the law, as the Apostle says, “For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.” It cannot be both. It is either by works of the law or by promise, that is, as a free gift from God.
St. Paul goes further in his explanation by reasoning that the law, which came 430 afterward, did not annul the covenant previously ratified by God. Let me refresh your memory of Old Testament history. God called Abraham out of his father’s country and promised to make a great nation out of him and that in him all families of the earth would be blessed. He had Abraham look at the promised land and said he would give it to him and to his offspring forever. This offspring, St. Paul tells us, is Christ Jesus himself, through whom all families of the earth are blessed. Abraham believed God’s promise and through his faith, he received what was promised to him, namely an eternal inheritance. This is why St. Paul writes, “So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” (Galatians 3:9)
430 years after Abraham received this irrevocable promise from God, God through Moses gave the law to Israel, the nation, which descended from Abraham. God did not give the law as a second path to obtain this inheritance. There can only be one way to receive the inheritance of eternal life. And if it is by the law, then not only does God contradict what he said to Abraham, but this creates a huge problem for those who lived before the law was given!
If one receives the inheritance of eternal life through works of the Law, what happens to Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and his wives and children and all the people of Israel who lived before the law was given? Or for that matter, what about Adam and Eve, Abel, Seth, Enoch, and Noah. How could these people obtain their eternal inheritance by a law, which had not been given to them?
The promise given to Abraham that through his seed all families of the earth would be blessed is no different than the promise given to Adam and Eve in garden. The offspring of the woman, who would crush the head of the serpent is the one and the same offspring of Abraham, through whom all families are blessed. God promised to all these generations an inheritance to be received by faith long before he gave the law.
So, there must be something wrong with the law, right? Certainly not! The law is good and wise. The entire law can be summed up in two simple sentences: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.” The law expresses the holy will of God. There is no greater work you can do than to love God with all your heart. And to treat your neighbor as you would have him treat you is how God desires you to live at all times. So, what’s wrong with the law? Why can’t it give us the inheritance of eternal life? Didn’t Jesus himself say to the lawyer, “Do this, and you will live.”?
The problem lies in us: Sin. Sin, which corrupts each and every one of us caused St. Paul to lament, “The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me.” (Romans 7:10) The problem is not that there is anything lacking in the law or commandment. The problem is that we do not have the ability to do what the law requires. “Do this and you will live.” That sounds quite simple. It’s certainly easy to understand! Yet, it is impossible to do. King Solomon says in Ecclesiastes chapter 7, “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.” (vs. 20) And St. Paul declares in Romans 3, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...” (vs. 23)
“Do this and you will live.” Quite easy to say. Impossible to do. And the lawyer knew this or at least he learned it. Desiring to justify himself, something only God can do, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Why did he ask this question? Because the commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself” is too difficult. It can’t possibly mean love everyone! That would be impossible! Perhaps if Jesus would narrow it down a little bit, then he could focus on a smaller pool of people to love. That would be more manageable. Perhaps, then he could fulfill the demands of the law to “love your neighbor as yourself.”
But you can’t modify the law to make it easier. The law demands perfect devotions. It is doers of the law, who are justified, not simply hearers. But no one does what the law requires. Therefore, those who are under the law are under a curse.
So, the law must contradict the promise, since it cannot give life! Right? “Certainly not!”, St. Paul proclaims, “For if a law had been given that could give life, then the righteousness would indeed be by the law.” It was never God’s purpose in giving the law that people would earn eternal life through it. The law was added because of our transgressions. The law accuses us of our sins and doesn’t let us escape blame, so that we can look to nothing else for help than the promise given to Abraham, the promise by faith in Jesus Christ.
This is what the law accomplishes. Just look at the self-righteous lawyer. What did the law reveal about him? It revealed that he didn’t love his neighbor. We find this out by the lawyer’s question, “And who is my neighbor?”. Why did he ask this question? Because he didn’t love his neighbor. If he loved his neighbor, and indeed desired to treat everyone he met as he himself would like to be treated, then he would not have attempted to limit how many people he was required to love. Think of it. He is asking, who his neighbor is, so that he knows whom the law requires him to love. That means that he is okay with not loving the people, who are not his neighbor. And not only that, even those who are considered his neighbor, he only loves them, because the law requires it of him. And that is not love at all!
The law pushed him into a corner, like a king on a chess board, who can’t move without getting checked. It’s a check mate. He’s lost. And the law does the same thing to every one of you. It imprisons you. Why? So that you can receive the inheritance through faith in the promise.
It is the most dangerous and widespread false teaching that you can save yourself by your own good works. And this crosses denominational lines. Even Lutherans, who belong to churches, which teach that we are not justified by our own strength, merits, or works, but that we are freely justified through faith when we believe that we are received into favor and that our sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake, who by his death has made satisfaction for our sins, yes, even these Lutherans will then believe that they will go to heaven because they ultimately aren’t that bad. Or they’ll comfort themselves that their unbelieving friends will not be condemned, because they are after all pretty good people.
Atheism isn’t really as popular as you’d think. People just can’t get over the many mysteries, which science can’t explain, so that even the least religious people in the world will refuse to completely reject the existence of God. Yet, these many millions who will not reject the existence of God will also reject their need for a savior. Instead, it is becoming an increasingly popular belief that if God exists and if he judges us at the end of our life, then he will only punish the really bad people. People frequently take comfort in the opinion that they really are basically good, and if God is just he will not punish them. This of course means, that we don’t need Jesus.
And this is exactly why we need the law. We are not basically good. By nature, we are sinful. King David says, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me.” If you examine yourself honestly according to the Ten Commandments, not trying to limit the scope of each commandment as the lawyer in our Gospel lesson did, then you will see clearly that you have fallen short of the kingdom of God. This will destroy any notion you have that you can inherit eternal life by works of the law. But that will mean that the law has done exactly what it was intended for.
St. Paul wrote, “But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.” Everyone is imprisoned under sin, because the promise is for everyone. God promised Jesus to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, yes, even to Adam and Eve and all their children, because they were incapable of saving themselves. But they don’t need to save themselves. Jesus has done it for them. And Jesus has done it for you too; you, who have been imprisoned by the law.
“Go and do likewise.”, Jesus says concerning the Good Samaritan, who proved to be a neighbor to the one who fell among the robbers. Does Jesus teach a different interpretation of the law in our Gospel lesson than St. Paul does in our Epistle lesson? Certainly not. The Good Samaritan is not simply an example of how to follow the law. He is Jesus. And the man, who fell among the robbers is you. The Good Samaritan out of pure mercy bandages up the half-dead victim and treats him for his injuries. He places him on his own animal and bears the burden of the man. He pays the cost to bring him back to health without requiring anything from the man.
Jesus is the Good Samaritan. You are the victim he helps. “Go and do likewise” doesn’t simply mean, “This is how you follow the law.” It means that as God has shown mercy to you, you also should show mercy to others. The law only threatens you, so that you obey. And when you fail to obey it condemns. The gospel forgives your sins out of pure mercy and gives you the will to show mercy to others. “Go and do likewise” doesn’t have the threatening force of the law to those, who have received mercy. Jesus isn’t threatening condemnation with these words. Rather the one who goes and does likewise is the one, who, having received mercy freely shows mercy to others without fear of the law.
The law condemns those who are under it. But for those who are in Christ Jesus there is no condemnation. Those who believe in the promise given to Abraham receive the promised inheritance, even though their works fall short. This means that you, who have faith in Christ, can show mercy to your neighbor without fear of the threats of the law. You don’t show mercy like the lawyer, who is only seeking to earn his inheritance. You show true mercy and love as one who already knows that your inheritance is secured for you by the blood of Christ.
So, the promise of Jesus accomplishes two things that the law cannot accomplish. First, it gives you the inheritance of eternal life. Second, it gives you the will to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind and your neighbor as yourself, not by the coercion of threats, but through love and mercy.
Amen.

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Trinity 13:Inheritance by Grace

9/11/2017

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Luke 10:21-37

September 10, 2017

"Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?", asks the wise and understanding lawyer. And in his question, he claims to answer the greatest debate concerning Scripture: Does one inherit eternal life by works of the law or by grace through the promise? The lawyer presumes that one earns eternal life by works of the law.
He of course is wrong. Scripture does not teach that a person inherits eternal life by his own works, but by grace according to the promise of Jesus Christ, the offspring of Abraham. This promise is to be received by faith. St. Paul told us in our Epistle lesson, "For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise." (Gal. 3:18) Scripture has always taught that this inheritance comes according to the promise. In fact, when Israel was about to enter the Promised Land God made sure to let them know that they were not receiving this inheritance because of their own righteousness, but for the sake of his promise to Abraham. "Do not say in your heart, after the LORD your God has thrust them out before you, 'It is because of my righteousness that the LORD has brought me in to possess this land,'" God says to his people in Deuteronomy 9, "Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the LORD your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm the word that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." (Deut. 9:4-5)
Scripture makes clear that the inheritance of eternal life comes by promise, not by works of the law. But the wise lawyer is blind to this. As St. Paul writes in Romans chapter 10, "Being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness." (Rom. 10:3)
The Lawyer isn't interested in the promise. He asks what he should do. Jesus asks him what is in the Law. The Lawyer answers this correctly: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and your neighbor as yourself. "Do this and you will live." Jesus says. Indeed, this is the same answer Moses gives. Do the commandments and live by them. St. Paul points out the problem here, "For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse, for it is written, 'Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them." (Gal. 3:10)
So now the lawyer is caught. If he wants to inherit eternal life by works of the law, he must obey the law perfectly. So, he tries to justify himself by softening the law a bit. "Who is my neighbor?", he asks.
Now why does he ask that? Well, he figures he's got the loving God thing down. Who doesn't love God? But his neighbor. Ooh. That's tough. Surely the law doesn't mean everybody! Perhaps if Jesus will just narrow it down to the few people he needs to love, then he can work on that and earn his inheritance. Of course, this mentality shows that he doesn't really love God. He just wants to do what he needs to do (no more) to earn eternal life. And by asking, "Who is my neighbor?", he is really asking, "Whom do I not need to love? Whom can I still hate? Can I still hate tax collectors, sinners, and Samaritans?"
So, Jesus tells him a story; one we're all familiar with. A man going down from Jerusalem gets beat up, robbed, and left half dead. A priest and a Levite both come by, see him, and then walk on the other side of the road. Jesus picks the priest and Levite, because they are known to work in the temple serving God. That's what they do: serve God, literally, for a living. If anyone would love God with all his heart, soul, strength, and mind it should be this priest and Levite. But these men don't help the poor beat-up man! They show no love at all. St. John's words should be ringing in all your ears right now. "If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen." (1 John 4:20)
You love God by loving your neighbor. Who's your neighbor? Well, for whom did Jesus die? Did he not die for all people? Does God not desire that all be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth? You are to love everyone for whom Jesus shed his blood! That includes everyone who's done you wrong, cursed you, slandered your name behind your back, and done evil against you. Do onto others what you would have them do to you. Be more patient than they would expect. Be more willing to forgive than they are to repent. Be quicker to help than they are to ask.
Now this does not mean that as long as you show compassion on your neighbor that you love God even if you ignore his word, and never pray to him or praise him. Rather, your service for your neighbor should reflect your praise and trust in God.
One could argue that the priest and Levite didn't hate the man. They didn't beat him up or rob him. Many make the same defense with God. "I don't hate God. I just don't want to listen to anything he says or sing praises to him or receive Christ's body and blood or be gathered with God's people. I don't hate God." Well, yes, you do. If you refuse to hear God's word, you hate his word. If you do not show love toward God, you hate God. It's the same way with your neighbor. If you see someone lying on the side of the road beat up and naked, well, what would you want someone to do for you in such a situation? Just walk by and hope someone else helps? Pray to God that he will send someone upon this poor man's path, who will help, but not me!?
The priest and the Levite were murderers. Sure, they didn't physically beat up the man, but neither did they help him in his physical need. Are you a murderer? Do you love your neighbor as yourself? Do you put yourself in others' shoes before you refuse to help them? Do you love God? Sure, you do. With all your heart, soul, strength, and mind? Hmm, well, perhaps that would be going too far to say. And so, you see the futility in trying to earn your inheritance by the law. If you want to earn eternal life by the law you must keep the law perfectly in all its parts.
So, the law doesn't give life after all. Rather it proves to give you death. (Romans 7:10) It condemns you. "Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scriptures imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe." (Galatians 3:21-22)
The law to love God and your neighbor does not contradict the Gospel. The law is good. You should certainly love God and serve your neighbor. There is no fault in God's law. But the law doesn't give you life. Rather, it imprisons you, catching you in your sin. The law destroys your delusion that you could earn your own inheritance and leaves you with no other choice than to repent of your sins and believe the promise. It's the promise spoken to Abraham that all nations, all families would be blessed through his offspring, Jesus Christ. He is the eternal Son of the Father. He is the promise fulfilled. He fulfills the law for you and he dies in your stead. His works become your works and your guilt becomes his guilt. It is a wondrous exchange that does not depend on the law, but on God's promise.
The Samaritan helped the poor man. He poured wine and oil on his wounds to kill the germs and protect against infection. He carried the man on his own animal, so that he had to walk himself. He paid with his own money to give the man safe lodging. The Good Samaritan is Jesus. He is your neighbor. He did for you beyond what you would have him do for you. He did for you what you would be ashamed to ask him to do. He takes your guilt for failing to love God with all your heart, strength, soul, and mind. He takes your guilt for failing to love your neighbor as yourself. He takes your hatred for God and your neighbor and he bears God's righteous wrath for it on his own flesh and soul. Jesus pays your expenses.
What must you do to inherit eternal life? Nothing. Jesus did it all for you. He became your brother by being incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary. He didn't need your help there. Jesus fulfilled God's law without your aid. And he died for you and reconciled you to God without your council. He did this according to God's promise so that God could give you a free inheritance. You do not receive this because of your own works. You receive this through faith in God's promise to you.
If you understand Jesus as your Good Samaritan and that your inheritance is a gift, not to be won by your works, then you can go and do likewise. You can serve your neighbor without fear that you'll fail. You won't need to try to figure out who your neighbor is. Rather, you can show Jesus' love to whomever God presents to you: father, mother, son, daughter, employer, employee or stranger.
What must you do to inherit eternal life? What a foolish question. Jesus has done it all. You are God's own child through Baptism and faith. You do not earn your inheritance. It is given to you by your loving Father. Amen.

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"For faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." ~ Romans 10:17

Two Religions of the World

God Reveals Himself to Us in Mercy

The Law Imprisons, so that the Promise of Christ might set us free through faith

Trinity 13: Inheritance by Promise, Not by Works of the Law

Trinity 13:Inheritance by Grace

Rev. James Preus

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