Tag Archives: Faith

Faith in Jesus Christ which comes through the presence of the Holy Spirit

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on October 4, 2015
Tags: Faith,   

Words of Gratitude — Rev. David J. Schreffler

 

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October 4, 2015
Sunday

“Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word.” Hebrews 1:1-3

“The future mattered; the past mattered; the question was how to hold both together in confidence and hope. The opening reflects this concern. God spoke in the past – in Israel’s story, especially through the prophets, and God has spoken again – in the Son. There are subtle contrasts in affirming this continuity. The word through the Son is even better than a word through the prophets. And the single word through the Son is even better than the many and various forms the word took in the past. The message of the Son is not so much words he spoke, but what he did and was. This is why the author goes straight on to speak of Christ’s self offering and his ascent to sit at God’s right hand (1:3b).There are two elements here: forgiveness of sins and the ongoing support which Christ’s presence guarantees.” (William Loader, First Thoughts on Year B Epistles Passages from the Lectionary)

“…but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son.” We have many words that are attributed to Jesus — many of his teachings, his interactions with others, his deeds. But the strongest word we have from Jesus is what he did ultimately for you and me — he died on the cross for our salvation. Can you put your gratitude for this single event into words? That is tough for all of us… But we can put our gratitude into action — by loving G*d and serving others. In following Jesus, we then are rewarded with the presence of the Holy Spirit, who comes to us through the word and through the sacraments. We don’t have to wonder “What Would Jesus Do?” – we have his word and we have his teachings – and both should lead us to serving others.

Pastor Dave

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on September 26, 2015
Tags: Faith,   

By Faith Alone – But a Faith That is Never Alone — Rev. David J. Schreffler

 

image    September 26, 2015

“But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing. If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”
James 1:22-27

“The book of James is something of an enigma in NT literature.  Is it from the very earliest stratum of the church — the Jewish Christians who looked to Jesus’ brother James as their leader, even before the Gentile mission — or a later, second- or third-generation group who struggled to keep the faith amid stress and persecution? Why does this material bear so many similarities to the teaching of Jesus, yet mention him by name only twice (1:1, 2:1)? Is it written in opposition to Paul’s teaching on faith, or does this author simply understand “faith” differently? Is the text a series of loosely connected teachings strung together, or is there an underlying structure? The preacher of James probably will not need to raise and answer all of these questions in the sermon, but will need to consider them as she or he decides how to interpret the text.”         Sandra Hack Polaski, Commentary on James 1 (Working Preacher)

If you are a Lutheran, most likely you have heard your pastor say something derogatory about the book of James. Although this book of the bible has a message we all need to hear, James will probably not get the respect it demands because of one line of text. That verse comes in chapter 2:24 which reads, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone”.

However, James is using the word justified in a different way than Paul. For Paul, the word justified meant “to be made right with G*d.” For James, however, justification meant “being demonstrated and proven.” Here is how one person tried to explain it:

“The 2011 NIV provides an excellent rendering of James 2:24: “You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone” (emphasis added). Similarly, the NLT translation of James 2:24 reads, “So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone” (emphasis added). The entire James 2:14-26 passage is about proving the genuineness of your faith by what you do. A genuine salvation experience by faith in Jesus Christ will inevitably result in good works (Ephesians 2:10). The works are the demonstration and proof of faith (James 2:18). A faith without works is useless (James 2:20) and dead (James 2:17); in other words, it is not true faith at all. Salvation is by faith alone, but that faith will never be alone.“

So, do you still think James is an “Epistle of Straw”? Or, does James have a point about “demonstrating our faith through Good Works”?

Pastor Dave