October 30, 2016
Reformation Sunday Year C

“Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For “no human being will be justified in his sight” by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.” Romans 3:19-28

“In his letters Paul is fond of speaking of God justifying people through Christ.”Justification” does not primarily refer to God transferring moral purity to people or stamping “not guilty” on their foreheads. Rather, God repairs the fractured relationship between humanity and God through Jesus’ death. Most English translations make it impossible to see that the words justification and righteous-ness mean the same thing, for both translate the same Greek noun. Likewise, the verbs justify and make righteous are synonymous. When Paul refers to God’s righteousness in one breath and then says God justifies, he is essentially redundant. Through grace, God’s salvific activity claims people, nullifying the separation that human beings have opened up in their proper standing place before God. To be justified is simply to be set right with God, to be brought into the sphere of God’s deliverance and justice (“righteousness”), making our relationship and future with God secure.” (Commentary on Romans 1:16-17; 3:22b-28 [29-31], Matt Skinner, “What does the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ accomplish? What does it mean?”)

The Reformers who sparked the Protestant Reformation were trying to reclaim what Paul was speaking against – the tendency of people to find ways to justify themselves through works. Like Paul says, works do not justify – but works are necessary if we are to live the Christian life. So what do we make of works? They can be good, and they can be dangerous. Why? Because they can lead us to sin. How? Through self-righteousness. Doing good works can lead us to think we are better, more holy, more special than others. Odd as it sounds, doing good works can be dangerous – but only to your own sense of self-importance.

Now Paul emphasizes something we need to remember: “No human being will be justified in God’s sight by deeds – by good works. But now, the righteousness of God has been disclosed”. Right now, Paul says, things are different. Right now, things have changed. “Now”, and forever more, our salvation is effective through faith, not works. G-d is declaring something new, right now. This very moment you have a gift, which has come unexpectedly, just for you – and that is the gift of grace, which comes through the cross of Jesus.

Both Luther and Paul agree that the law can not “justify” us — cannot produce good or goodness in us. “…we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law” Paul writes. For that, to become righteous, we need to become “new creations”, through faith. That begins within us – inside our very being. Our inclination is to be bent in on ourselves, only concerned about ourselves. If we are to become new, then we need to begin to change – from the inside out – beginning in our hearts which are transformed when the Holy Spirit washes over us in Word and Sacrament. We cannot earn it, we can only accept it – into our hearts and minds. The rest is up to the Holy Spirit.

Pastor Dave

October 29, 2016 – Words of Wisdom
HP

“People think being alone makes you lonely, but I don’t think that’s true. Being surrounded by the wrong people is the loneliest thing in the world” (hplyrikz.com)

“For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is plain that this does not include the one who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to the one who put all things in subjection under him, so that God may be all in all. Otherwise, what will those people do who receive baptism on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? And why are we putting ourselves in danger every hour? I die every day! That is as certain, brothers and sisters, as my boasting of you—a boast that I make in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If with merely human hopes I fought with wild animals at Ephesus, what would I have gained by it? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” Come to a sober and right mind, and sin no more; for some people have no knowledge of God.” 1 Corinthians 15:27-34

Paul is writing to a church in Corinth that has been dealing with a lot of problems among the believers, including divisiveness, litigation, food offered to idols, and class divisions at the communal meal. In his first letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul wrote of the false teachers who had come into the church at Corinth teaching that the resurrection of Jesus Christ wasn’t true. These people considered only their physical existence and denied life after death or the resurrection. As a result, their moral outlook on life influenced the rest of the Corinthian believers. Paul writes: “Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” The point Paul makes here is something we all need to remember, when we associate with the wrong people, we run the risk of mimicking their behaviors, their language, and their habits. Before long we are no longer of Christ, but of the world. This can especially be true for our youth.

I think some of the loneliest times in my life were when I was living my life with people who did not harbor the same beliefs as me, the same faith, and the same outlook on life. When we surround ourselves with these people, they take us away from a faith community, away from the Word of G-d, and away from a relationship with Jesus. This is one of the reasons I encourage people to come to church – and to become active in a church. One of the best benefits of belonging to a faith community is that you surround yourself with people who are also trying to understand their faith, trying to understand what G-d is doing in their lives and in the world, and people who understand that we are all stronger when we live in community. Too many people leave their homes in the morning, drive their cars to work, work all day, drive their cars home, pull into the garage and close the garage door and do not appear again until the next morning. When we get to know people in a faith community, we are learning one of the most important lessons of life – that we all struggle with the same questions, the same concerns, and the same fears. If you are not involved in a faith community, I encourage you to seek one out soon. Not only is it for your own good, it promotes good morals as well.

Pastor Dave