Contents:
ILC COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS (John K. Pfeiffer) FAMILY LIFE UNDER CHRIST (Stephen C. F. Kurtzahn) A COMPARISON OF PRASSO AND POIEO AS USED WITH REFERENCE TO SINNING (Vance Fossum) GAMBLING -- WIN OR LOSE, YOU LOSE (Bruce Naumann) PANORAMA: THE ONLY HONEST LIBERAL? (Stephen C. F. Kurtzahn) BOOK REVIEWS: Uncle Sam and I by Russell Schmitt Job by Rudolph E. Honsey Discovering the Plain Truth -- How the Worldwide Church Of God Encountered the Gospel of Grace by Larry Nichols and George Mather Their Blood Cries Out -- The Untold Story of Persecution Against Christians in the Modern World by Paul Marshall with Lela Gilbert (Reviewer: David Lau)
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(The "President's Address," at the graduation service at Immanuel
Lutheran College, May 23, 1998.)
If, then, you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things
above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind
on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have
died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is
our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in
glory (Col. 3:1-4).
In Christ Jesus, who has ascended to the right hand of the Father,
there to rule in power and glory, fellow redeemed and especially you,
the graduates of Immanuel Lutheran High School, College, and Seminary:
Have you ever heard someone say, "You've got your head in the clouds?"
This is said of a person who has dreams that are so unrealistic that
they are beyond the possibility of fulfillment. He has lost contact
with the realities of life. Such a person cannot function well in the
real world, because he cannot find a place in life that measures up to
his dreams.
I am sure that in the minds of some people, ILC is a "head in the
clouds" kind of school . . . as though we teach some kind of
unrealistic philosophy that disables our students. If we are
constantly looking for a new life to come, we will not function well
in this life. So the world thinks. Christianity is seen as a kind of
drug that puts us in a stupor and suppresses our will to achieve.
Is this true? Do we graduate students that are going to be failures in
life? As president of an institution of higher learning, I am sure
that the world expects me to hold before you the wonders that are out
there. They expect me to talk like this:
"Graduates of Immanuel, no generation has been given more
opportunities that yours. As you stand here on the threshold of your
future, a big, bright, wonderful world awaits you. Technological
advances have opened doors that had been closed since the dawn of
time. With diploma in hand, you can go forth and achieve what no other
generation has achieved. Indeed, with all that the world has to offer,
you can accomplish whatever you put your minds to."
That's what the people of this world want me to say. They want to make
their world appear as a wonderful jewel, sparkling with facets of
power and riches and wisdom and pleasure. The world would be very
disappointed, even angry to hear the thoughts expressed at an Immanuel
graduation.
Do we turn out graduates who have their heads in the clouds? Are we
dreamers? I certainly hope so. That is why I ask each of you graduates
this question:
IS YOUR HEAD IN THE CLOUDS?
This question is twofold. The first part has to do with your Head. The
second has to do with your head.
The vast majority of us are followers. I know of very few people who
actually walk on a pathway apart . . . a pathway of their own making.
This goes for dreamers, too. We may have our own dreams, but so often
these are really not original, but are the dreams that someone else
has implanted in our minds. Who has ever had an original dream?
Jesus of Nazareth is One who has. But His was not an impossible dream.
His was not a dream beyond reality. His was a dream of reality. I call
it a dream, because it was conceived in the mind of God long before
there was any way or reason to have this dream.
This was a dream of gathering to Himself a glorious band of men,
women, and children . . . a grand assembly upon whom He could lavish
the manifold gifts of His love. These would be creatures who would
delight in His love with every ounce of their being. What a dream this
was!
But there was a nightmare in His dream . . . something so dark and
terrible that it caused Him to cry out in anguish from the depths of
His soul. From the shadows of Gethsemene: "My Father, if it is
possible, let this cup pass from Me . . ." From the darkness of
Calvary: "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"
That cry has echoed through the ages and has pierced our very soul. In
order to fulfill His dream, He had to take upon Himself the vile
pollution of our wickedness. And having done so, to take upon Himself
the unthinkable agony of separation from His Father and from all that
is good, for this was the punishment for our sins.
He did it. He suffered the nightmare and overcame it. He conquered sin
and death, rising to life on the third day. Forty days thereafter, He
ascended up on high, there to take His rightful place at the right
hand of His Father.
How wondrously our Savior has brought about the realization of the
dream. Through the word of His suffering, death, resurrection, and
ascension, He has been gathering to Himself this band of people . . .
people made glorious by His cleansing blood and by the imputation of
His righteousness.
You are that band of people, you Christians. You are that band, you
graduates. You have been raised from the death of your sinfulness and
have been joined to Him who sits at the right hand of God.
So, the answer to our question is, "Yes." Yes, your Head is in the
clouds. He has ascended into the clouds and beyond. Jesus is your Head
and you are His body. This is no dream. This is reality.
For us there is yet a dream. If our Head is in the clouds . . . if He
has brought His dream to reality, shall not we join Him there? "For
where the Head is, there full well I know His members are to dwell
when Christ shall come and call them" (The Lutheran Hymnal, 216:1).
Didn't He promise this? "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go
and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto
Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John14:2f.). Jesus is
your Head. Therefore, it is true: your Head is in the clouds.
As you stand here on the threshold of your future, do you do so with
your head in the clouds? Now I am not speaking of Christ, but of you.
Where is your head this day? As your mind hurtles into your future,
what is the focus of your thoughts?
As I have already indicated, the world wants us to focus on dreams of
power and riches and intelligence and pleasure. Is that where your
mind is? But, children of God, these are things of the world . . .
things that fade away so quickly and are gone forever. These are
dreams of smoke and vapor.
Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Above the
clouds . . . that's where your real life is. It is hidden with Christ
in God. Hidden: the world cannot see it. But, you know it to be true.
Christ is your life . . . your life this day, your life tomorrow, your
life forever. From the Head flows down the Spirit who breathes the
life of Christ into these souls, which were dead in sin. Now we are
alive unto righteousness.
We dreamers have our heads in the clouds, all right. That's why you
dedicate your lives to Him who dwells above the clouds. You dedicate
your future education to Him. You dedicate your future power and
riches to Him. You dedicate your future family and your job to Him.
Everything to Him, because your head is not on the earth where there
is death but in the clouds where there is life.
Let the world mock us as dreamers. They will soon learn the truth of
it all. One day, sooner than we think, our Head is going to return
with the clouds of heaven. Then they will see Him and they will see
us. Then our hidden life will be revealed, as we are transformed to be
like Him who first dreamed of this glorious band of people.
As you receive your diplomas today and walk off this stage and into
your future, I hope and pray that you will do so with your head in the
clouds. I pray that all of you will spend the rest of your life
seeking those things which are above the clouds, where Christ sits at
the right hand of God. Even so, O Lord, grant us all such a mind set.
I. Christian Marriage
It should be obvious to us all why a study of Christian marriage is
necessary. As we look around our 20th century society, marriage has
been perverted and abandoned by many and the family appears to be in
serious trouble. All you have to do is read the newspaper -- every day
there is a listing of births at our local hospitals. Have you noticed
over the years how more and more of those who are brought into this
world are born to unwed mothers? It is also a fact of life nowadays
that over 50% of those couples who do get married end up divorcing
each other. We are shocked when surveys are published which show that
a majority of married men and women have affairs outside of marriage.
We all know people who are living together outside of the marriage
bond, and they feel there is nothing wrong with it, and there appears
to be no guilt. And the television we watch every day doesn't help the
situation either. Sex is rampant in the afternoon soap operas, and in
the evenings our children are taught on their favorite shows that sex
is OK as long as it is safe. Celebrities such as Magic Johnson are now
considered heroes, while thirty years ago they would have been
disgraced for their way of life. And when we look at ourselves and our
own lives, we must admit that our own marriages and our own families
are not what they should be. We also feel the effects of an immoral
world in our own lives and in our own homes. Because of the pressures
and temptations of everyday life, we are not the husbands and wives
that we should be, nor are we the parents that God wants us to be. We
all need help!
These are just a few of the reasons why we present a discussion of the
Christian family. We need to be very careful, however, that we do not
think that if we live our lives the way God wants us to everything is
going to be rosy. We should not endeavor to keep God's precepts with
the opinion that if we follow all of His guidelines to a T He will
bless us with success, good fortune, prosperity and happiness all the
days of our lives. We also need to remember that sin is ever present
right down to our innermost beings. Yes, we want to live God-pleasing
lives, but we do so out of response to His great love for us. We
should want to conduct ourselves according to His will--not because of
what we can get out of it, but because of what He has done for
us--that is, in response to the Savior's suffering and dying in our
stead so that we could be saved from hell. We love--we love both Him
and our fellow human beings, including our husbands and wives--because
He first loved us.
Our text takes us back to the sixth day of creation. God had created
Adam by forming him out of the dust of the ground and breathing into
his nostrils the breath of life. God then had all the animals come
before Adam so he could name them. But there was no companion suitable
to Adam to be found anywhere. The Lord then caused a deep sleep to
fall upon this first man; He removed a rib from his side and formed
the first woman. It is significant that Eve was not taken from Adam's
head, to be ruler over him, nor was she taken from his foot, to be
stepped on and tyrannized by him. But she was taken from his side--to
be a helper and a companion. And then we have the first marriage
ceremony. But instead of the father of the bride leading the woman
down the aisle, we have God bringing her to the man. Adam then tells
us about marriage in his own words, "'This is now bone of my bones and
flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken
out of Man.' Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be
joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh."
How blessed that first marriage must have been! There were no
arguments, no fights, no hurt feelings, no taking advantage of the
other spouse. All was perfect--until Satan came onto the scene as a
serpent, that is. And when this old evil foe approached Eve and sin
was conceived in her heart, she made a decision without consulting her
husband; she made a decision which would affect her children to the
end of time. She ate of that tree of which God told her not to eat.
Because of sin, we then have the first family argument. Adam blamed
the woman God had given to him, and Eve blamed the snake for their
disobedience to the Lord's Word. Because of sin, we also behold the
judgment of God--Adam would have to work and toil and sweat in order
to provide for his family. Eve would suffer pain in childbearing, and
her desire would be for her husband. They and their descendants would
also have to suffer death. But God in His love would not leave His
creatures comfortless--He promised a Savior, who would crush the head
and power of Satan--who would save us from all sins!
Now, as we continue reading through the Old Testament, there are
several references to marriage and family life. We have the examples
of the patriarchs, men such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and how they
endeavored to find God-fearing and believing women to be their
spouses--women such as Sarah, Rebekah, Leah and Rachel. But we are
also informed of their weaknesses and the problems they brought upon
themselves and their wives and children. In the book of Proverbs,
chapter 31, wise King Solomon speaks of the virtuous wife. It would be
good if every couple would read these words. "Who can find a virtuous
wife? for her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband
safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good
and not evil all the days of her life." And then throughout the Old
Testament prophets the relationship between God and His people is
pictured as a marriage.
But it is not until the New Testament that the Lord gives us specific
guidelines for Christian marriage. Jesus blesses marriage at the
wedding of Cana. He also deals with the subject of divorce in some of
His discourses when He walked among us. The Holy Spirit, through the
apostle Paul, deals even more specifically with marriage and divorce
in his epistles to the Corinthians. But it is not until we come to the
epistle to the ephesians that we have specifically set before us
divine guidelines for Christian marriage.
Paul begins chapter 5 of Ephesians by saying, "Therefore be imitators
of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us
and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a
sweet-smelling aroma." Throughout this chapter, and to the very end of
the epistle, for that fact, Paul speaks of our Christian
sanctification--how we can live as the redeemed children of God in an
unbelieving and corrupt world. The example we are to follow is that of
our Savior Himself. And this even gets more specific when He speaks of
marriage. Listen to what the Spirit says through His apostle: "Wives,
submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head
of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the
Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to
Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and
gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the
washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a
glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but
that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love
their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves
himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and
cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of
His body, of His flesh and of His bones. For this reason a man shall
leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two
shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak
concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in
particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that
she respects her husband."
What a wonderful example we have to follow here! Just as Jesus
sacrificed Himself upon the cross and shed His blood to redeem us from
hell and to wash us clean of all our iniquity, even so husbands are to
have a self-sacrificing love for their wives. They are to give
themselves and their whole being to make sure that wife and children
are fed and clothed. They are to sacrifice of their time and energy to
make sure the home is a happy one. They are to make the necessary
sacrifices to make sure that the children receive a Christian
education and grow up knowing Jesus as their loving Savior. They are
to bend over backwards to assure their wives that they are loved and
cared for. And this is all to be done willingly, from the heart, not
because the husbands have to, but because they want to!
And just as the Church is subject unto Christ in all things, as both
spouses, therefore, are to submit themselves to Christ, their Head, so
also wives are to have a self-submitting love for their husbands. This
doesn't mean that a wife cannot voice her opinion. This doesn't mean
that she is a slave or a possession of her husband. This doesn't mean
that she is forced or coerced to do things her husband wants her to
do. But she recognizes that her husband is the head of the household
as Christ is the head of the Church. This, too, is done from a willing
heart.
So often this headship principle is misunderstood and misapplied. We
have all known husbands, and maybe we have even been one ourselves,
who treat their wives as slaves sometimes. This is not following the
example of Christ. And then there are wives who misunderstand what it
means to be self-submissive to their husbands. Some simply don't want
to, and they try to wrestle the headship away from their spouse.
Others may take advantage of a Christian, loving husband and demand
this and that in order to keep them happy. Others put up with all
sorts of abuse, both physical and verbal, because they feel that's
what it means to be submissive.
In order to understand this Scriptural headship principle within the
family and within the marriage, one must know and experience the love
of Christ. If we don't know and recognize how Christ has given Himself
up for us, if we have not experienced the forgiveness of the Savior
through Word and Sacraments, we can never hope to follow these
guidelines for a God-pleasing marriage. Jesus Himself said that He
came to this earth not to be served, but to serve, and to give His
life as a ransom for many. Even so, as followers of Christ within the
marriage bond, we should never be thinking, "What can I get out of
this relationship for myself?" but we should be thinking, "What can I
give to the other person in this relationship?"
There are many other things we could speak of when we consider
marriage--for instance, what happens when two Christian people find
themselves divorcing each other? How do we endeavor to follow God's
will for our lives when the other spouse might not be a Christian? One
could probably think of several other questions. May all of us take
seriously the words of Scripture and apply them to our own lives. And
just as Christ has loved us, may we love one another. Just as Jesus
has forgiven us our sins, may we forgive the sins of our spouses. And
just like Joshua in the Old Testament, may we stand and confess with
our wives and children, "As for me and my house, we will serve the
Lord!"
II. Raising Christian Children
As we continue our meditations on the theme, "Family Life Under
Christ," we are going to consider the raising of Christian children.
We learned from Holy Scripture what God wants us to know about
marriage. One of the main reasons the Lord instituted holy matrimony
was to bring children into this world. Listen to what the Creator told
our first parents, Adam and Eve: "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the
earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the
birds of the air, and over every living things that moves on the
earth."
"Be fruitful and multiply ..." Sad to say, however, there is a paradox
in our modern American society concerning children. On the one hand,
ever since the start of the baby boom the commercial world has been
geared to the youth of our nation. Just look at the advertising on
television--we are sold one product after another which are aimed at
children, or which are intended to make us feel younger and younger.
But, on the other hand, children have lost their importance in our
society--we have all heard of latch-key kids, children whose parents
both work, or who have a single parent who works full time, so they
must come home from school to an empty house and are left to their own
devices. Studies have shown that children are now the poorest part of
American society, and they suffer real poverty more than any other
segment of our population. Almost every day in our newspaper we read
about abused and neglected children, who are scarred emotionally and
oftentimes physically for the rest of their lives. Since 1973 unwanted
children have been able to be legally aborted. And many young married
couples today let selfishness get in the way, and so they don't decide
to have children until they have fulfilled other goals in their lives,
usually materialistic goals.
But what does God's Word have to say about children? Listen as the
Holy Spirit speaks to us in Psalm 127: "Behold, children are a
heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows
in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. Happy is
the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed
..." Yes, children are a tremendous blessing, given to us by God in
heaven. But how do we raise them? Some have suggested, tongue in
cheek, of course, that it's too bad children are given to young,
inexperienced adults, instead of to the old, who have gained a
lifetime's worth of wisdom.
But we have not been left without direction. God has given us His
Word, and when we begin to discuss this subject of raising Christian
children we need to remember what God has told us in His Word about
our youth. There are some general, Biblical truths that we always need
to keep in mind above all else: Even though we conceive our children
and give birth to them, they are not our own, but God's. We are but
stewards of these precious little gifts from heaven. And so we always
need to remember that we raise our children with one main goal in
mind--we want to see our children in heaven someday with us at the
side of Jesus, our Savior. This will color and influence the way we
view child-raising and how we mold our young ones as they grow up.
How we all need to remember this! As parents, we want our children to
have the best of everything. We want them to eat healthy food and get
a lot of exercise so that they grow up with healthy bodies. We want
them to have the best teachers and schools so that they can grow up
and become productive citizens. We may spend tremendous amounts of
money to send them to good colleges and universities so that they can
get a high-paying job. In 20th century America we gear our children
for this life.
But how easy it is to neglect their spiritual training and upbringing
for the eternal life to come! Bring them to the Lord through the
Sacrament of Baptism? My schedule is busy enough the way it is--I
don't have the time to make arrangements for that with the pastor.
Teach them to say their prayers at night before they go to bed? The
kids are so tired from watching TV that all they want to do is go to
sleep! Bring them to Sunday School? That's too early and it's the only
day I have to sleep in! Enroll them in the Christian Day School if one
is available in the congregation? They don't have all the modern
conveniences of the public school system! Send them to Immanuel
Lutheran College where they can get a Christian higher education?
That's too far away from home, and what kind of job can they get with
a degree from there? Read them a Bible story every night before they
go to bed? I'm too tired after a long, hard day at work! Be an example
to them by living a Christian life? You can't get ahead in this world
by being nice! As Christian parents, we need to stop making excuses,
and do our utmost to bring our children to the Savior, for their
eternal welfare and salvation depend on it!
Let's take a look and see what the Bible has to say about all this.
The Spirit says through Paul in Ephesians: "And you, fathers, do not
provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and
admonition of the Lord." Notice how God places the responsibility for
such Christian training on the fathers, the heads of the households.
We also have the example of Jesus Himself in Matthew's gospel: "Then
little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on
them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, 'Let
the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is
the kingdom of heaven.' And He laid His hands on them and departed
from there." We have the example of the Old Testament believers, who
were told by Moses in the Book of Deuteronomy, "Therefore you shall
lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind
them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between
your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them
when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie
down, and when you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts
of your house and on your gates ..." And then there are those words of
Solomon who said, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when
he is old he will not depart from it."
Now in any discussion of the Christian training of our children two
other subjects also naturally come up. The first one has to do with
discipline. The second one has to do with grown children of ours who
appear to have fallen away from their faith in Christ and who appear
to reject the Savior they have learned about at home. Let's first
consider discipline.
A great deal has been written and said about discipline in the past 30
years. In the 1960s we had Dr. Spock, and in the late 1970s and early
1980s we had Dr. James Dobson, with his "Dare to Discipline" series of
books and movies. We could perhaps learn something from both these
schools of thought. Almost 500 years ago Dr. Martin Luther, the
Reformer of the church, told his people that parents should have a
stick in one hand, but an apple in the other, when it came to
disciplining children. But what, again, does the Bible say?
We are all familiar with Solomon's words from Proverbs, "Spare the rod
and spoil the child." But it is the same Spirit who says through Paul
in our text, "Do not provoke your children to wrath." Are these two
contradictory statements from the same Bible? No. But what we learn
from this is that discipline should be done in a loving and
understanding way. Discipline doesn't always have to be performed
physically, but our young ones do need to know, sometimes in a very
concrete way, what the difference is between right and wrong. They
need to know the meaning of the word "no." They need to understand
that they can't have the world handed to them on a silver platter.
Just like the twigs of a young fruit tree are bent and shaped so that
it can grow up to bear a multitude of apples, so also Christian
parents are to use discipline as a tool so our children can grow up to
be responsible, productive Christians in an unbelieving world. By
proper discipline, our young ones can grow up to be the salt and the
lights the Lord Jesus wants them to be.
But because of our sinfulness sometimes Christian parents can get a
little carried away with discipline. Anger can fill a father's or a
mother's heart, and the little spanking can turn into actual abuse.
Because of our sinfulness the spanking can turn into a beating, and a
child's spirit can be broken, and a young one can actually end up
hating the parent. This is what Paul was referring to when he said,
"Do not provoke your children to wrath." We can't forget that there
are other ways to discipline a child than by spanking. You can take a
toy away for a while. You can remove a privilege which the child holds
dear. But in any discipline, as followers of the Lord Jesus, may we
take the example of our heavenly Father who still disciplines us His
children for our eternal, everlasting good. Listen to the writer to
the Hebrews as he speaks of this: "... you have forgotten the
exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: 'My son, do not despise
the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by
Him; for whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom
He receives.' If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with
sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you
are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you
are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers
who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more
readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they
indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for
our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no
chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful;
nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness
to those who have been trained by it."
The second subject we need to deal with is that of grown children who
appear to have rejected their spiritual heritage--as adults they
appear to have turned their back on the Savior they grew up to love.
In situations such as this, we need to remember that the Lord does not
allow His Word to return to Him void, but that Word accomplishes
exactly what He wants it to. We also need to remember that the Good
Shepherd always knows when a sheep or lamb of His has strayed from the
fold, and He will do everything in His almighty power to bring that
sheep back. Nor was Solomon blowing hot air when he said, "Train up a
child in the way he shall go, and when he is old, he will not depart
from it."
The Lord desires to bring back His lost sheep. We may not see it in
our lifetimes when it comes to our straying children, but we need to
put our trust and confidence in Christ, the Good Shepherd. I
personally have been involved in several situations where people have
been staring death in the face. These people were brought to baptism
by Christian parents; they were taught about the love of Jesus who
suffered and died and rose again to save them from hell; but when they
became adults it appeared as if they had forsaken their Lord. They
didn't go to church. They didn't want anything to do with the Word.
They didn't appear to have any desire to receive the Lord's Supper.
But there on their death bed, all the Christian training came back to
them. They remembered their faithful Savior, to whom they had been so
unfaithful. They remembered those Bible passages which at one time had
brought such great comfort to their hearts and souls. And they died in
peace, knowing once again that their sins had been washed away in the
blood of the Redeemer, and that they could stand justified before God
in the robes of christ's righteousness. Our Lord keeps His promises!
If we have children who have strayed from the Savior--or
grandchildren, or brothers and sisters--may we in prayer place them in
the hands of our Good Shepherd. Let's not suffer guilt over such
situations either--as parents we all have our faults. We all could
have done things differently with our children--but if we raised them
in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, we have given them the best
gift possible, for we have brought them to Jesus. In doing so we have
nothing for which to apologize; we have nothing of which to be
ashamed. And where we may have failed, where we may have made mistakes
with our little ones, the Lord forgives us and washes us clean, and in
His own way and in His own time He straightens out those mistakes. If
we were blessed to have been raised in a Christian home ourselves, may
we be eternally grateful to our God for bestowing on us such a great
gift. If we have children of our own living under our roofs today, may
we lead them to the Lord Jesus in His Word as those parents did so
long ago who brought their babies to the Savior. And if we are single,
if we never had the opportunity to have our own children, let's
remember those we do know in our daily prayers. Let's make it our
concern that they learn about Christ. Let's pray that they will also
grow up to know the love of Jesus.
III. Children's Relationships With Their Parents
How things have changed over the years, and over our own lifetimes,
when it comes to the way children relate to their parents! I remember
my own folks telling me when I was small, "Children are to be seen and
not heard." In the home where I grew up you never, ever, sassed back
at Mother and Father. We valued the opinion of our parents. We were
taught to honor and respect our aunts and uncles and grandparents and
everyone else in authority.
Those who grew up in the 1920s, 30s and 40s were probably raised to
have even more respect and honor for parents and superiors. In many
instances, especially during the Great Depression, basic family
survival often depended on it. But during the 1950s a change started
taking place. Americans became more prosperous. Parents were able to
do things and buy things for their children that they could never
dream of having in their own youth. The young people in our country
gradually became spoiled. Many of our youth began to expect to have
the world handed to them on a silver platter. Our children then began
to rebel, and many of us can still remember the chants and slogans of
the late 60s and early 70s when the young people in our country
revolted against almost everything their parents believed in and stood
for.
Well, the children of the 60s and 70s are now having children of their
own. And in many instances, the picture is not pretty. There is little
or no respect for elders. Little ones don't hesitate to "mouth off" at
their mothers and fathers. And in areas where there is a rather large
elderly population, we find that many end up in nursing homes and
retirement centers, totally forgotten and abandoned by their children.
Someone has suggested that if you want a glimpse at the attitudes and
the morality of our present-day American culture, all you have to do
is turn on the television set. If you would look at many of the
popular TV shows going back to "All in the Family" and Archie Bunker
in the early 70s, you can see how respect and honor for parents and
those in authority have virtually disappeared. Life on TV centers
around the children. The kids are the ones who are smart; they have
the answers to every problem; and the world revolves around them.
Parents, on the other hand, are dumb. They are the ones who need to
learn the important lessons of life. They are the ones who need to be
controlled and disciplined. Government officials are pictured as
always corrupt. Church officials are depicted as greedy or spineless.
It shouldn't surprise us that children have little or no respect for
their elders and superiors in our day and age.
But apparently this was also a problem in the days of the Apostle
Paul, for he addresses the subject very bluntly in his epistle to the
Ephesians. We read in our text, "Children, obey your parents in the
Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the
first commandment with promise: that it may be well with you and you
may live long on the earth." When this letter was first sent and read
to the gathered believers in this congregation, they must all have sat
at the end of their chairs, listening to the Holy Spirit speak to them
through the words of Paul. How the children must have perked up and
listened when they heard Paul address them specifically: " Children,
obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." Obey your mothers
and fathers. Love them. Honor them. Respect them. Do what they tell
you to do, because this is what your Savior, who suffered and died to
save you from your sins, wants you to do. This is the right thing to
do. And then to show how important this matter is to God, Paul simply
quotes the Fourth Commandment: "Honor your father and mother, which is
the first commandment with promise: that it may be well with you and
you may live long on the earth."
Do we truly realize how important this is to our God? Look at all the
commandments--all ten of them. "Thou shalt ..." "Thou shalt not ..."
Only one of them has a promise attached to it, however, and that is
the one that has to do with parents. God wants us to honor our parents
and superiors because they are His representatives through whom He
would give us His blessings, such as food, clothing, shelter,
education, protection, the Word of God itself, and many other
blessings which are too numerous to mention.
There are many other portions of Holy Scripture which speak of this
same thing, and not just our text, and not just the Fourth
Commandment. In Romans, chapter 13, Paul speaks of our obedience to
the secular government, "Let every soul be subject to the governing
authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the
authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists
the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will
bring judgment on themselves." In Hebrews, chapter 13, the holy writer
speaks of honoring those who are over us in the church, such as our
pastors and Sunday school teachers, "Obey those who rule over you, and
be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must
give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that
would be unprofitable for you."
But what we are mostly concerned about today is the relationship
between children and their parents, how they should treat and interact
with Mother and Father. The Scriptural principle is simple: Honor your
mother and father, for this is right. We have several examples of how
this is to be done, and not to be done, throughout the Bible. The best
example we have is that of our Lord Jesus, who was the perfect child.
We are told in Luke's gospel that "He was subject" to Mary and Joseph,
and that He "increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God
and men." On the other hand, we are given examples not to follow. At
the time of David and the prophet Samuel in the Old Testament, the
high priest's name was Eli, and aged Eli had two sons, Hophni and
Phineas, who "hearkened not unto the voice of their father ..." They
were both killed in battle. We are all familiar with the story of King
David's son, Absalom, who rebelled against his father and tried to
take the throne away from him. Absalom's long, flowing hair got caught
in a tree, and he, too, was killed by a soldier loyal to King David.
And then we have these very powerful words from Solomon in the book of
Proverbs, "The eye that mocks his father, and scorns obedience to his
mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young
eagles will eat it."
We also need to address how grown Christians should respond and react
to their older parents. Yes, the little ones need to hear what God has
to say about obeying Mom and Dad, but we older ones, who have left the
nest, so to speak, also need to know what God expects of us when it
comes to our elders. Needless to say, the Fourth commandment still
holds true, no matter how old we are: "Honor your father and your
mother ..." Does this mean then, for example, that a person who is 30
or 40 years old, with a family of his own, must do everything his
mother or father tells him to do? Relationships change. We become the
heads of our own households. We become mothers and fathers to our own
children. And to answer this question we need again to go back to
Jesus, who is the perfect example for us. Remember when the Lord was
at the wedding of Cana with Mary, His mother, and with His disciples?
The bridal couple ran out of wine to serve their guests. Mary came up
to Jesus, thinking that He was the same boy who obeyed her every word
at home in Nazareth. She simply said to Him, "They have no wine." But
Jesus was now a man, and He had also entered into His public ministry.
The relationship had changed, and Jesus tells her so--but yet He
treats her with love and respect: "Woman, what does your concern have
to do with Me? My hour has not yet come." And then we have Jesus as He
hung dying upon the cross. After three days He would rise from the
grave and ascend to His heavenly Father. He wanted to make sure that
Mary, His mother, was provided for, so He placed her into the care of
the Apostle John. "Woman," Jesus said, "Behold your son!" and to John
He said, "Behold your mother!"
So also, as followers of Christ, we should hold our own parents in
love and honor, even to their old age. This means that if our parents
offer us advice when we are 30 or 40 or 50 years old, we should take
that advice into serious consideration. But we are now ultimately
responsible for ourselves and our own families. Listen to what God
says in the Book of Leviticus, "You shall rise before the gray headed
and honor the presence of an old man, and fear Your God: I am the
LORD." This also means that if our parents need to be taken care of
and provided for in their old age, we do it. Listen to Paul as he
writes to Timothy, "... let them first learn to repay their parents;
for this is good and acceptable before God." And again he says in the
same book, "But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially
for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than
an unbeliever."
As children and as adults, as we look back upon our own past lives, we
will have to admit that we have not honored our parents as we should
have. How often we disobeyed them. How often we treated them with
disrespect. How often we blamed them for our problems when they were
trying their hardest, under sometimes very difficult circumstances, to
raise us in a Christian home. How we all need to fall before the cross
of our Lord Jesus Christ and pour out to Him all of our sins and
transgressions. How we all need to cry out with David in the 25th
Psalm, "Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions;
according to Your mercy remember me, for Your goodness' sake, O LORD."
And this same Lord forgives us. He washes us clean in His holy,
precious blood. And the thing we need to remember the most is that our
Lord's goodness and perfection covers over and makes up for our evil
and our sinfulness. As Jesus grew up under the roof of His parents, He
was subject unto them in all things. He was the perfect Child. He
fulfilled all the commandments perfectly. His obedience covers over
our disobedience. His honor to His mother and step-father makes up for
our dishonor. His submission makes up for our rebellion. His
righteousness covers over our unrighteousness. and so when we stand
before God on the Day of Judgment, we will not be condemned for the
sins of our youth, for we will stand there in the beautiful white
robes of Christ's righteousness, purchased for us on the cross.
Children, in response to the Savior's great love for you, may you
honor your moms and dads as the Lord Jesus wants you to. Listen to
them and obey them, for this is the right thing to do. And for those
of us who are older, and who still have parents living, may we honor
them and respect them. May we provide for them and help them in their
old age. May we remind them of our love, for this is the right thing
to do. And for those of us whose parents are not here anymore, may we
honor and respect their memory, and may we thank our God in heaven
that He has raised us and led us through life to the point that we
find ourselves today gathered around the Word with fellow believers.
IV. Living as a Christian in an Unbelieving World
As we sit in our living rooms with our spouses, our children, and our
parents, and look out into the real world, everything looks so
exciting and enticing! It's almost like Eve in Genesis, chapter 3,
where we are told, "When the woman saw that the tree was good for
food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make
one wise, she took of its fruit and ate." We aren't exactly tempted
with fruit trees, but my goodness, there is a lot of money to be made
out there! There's power to be had! There are places to go, pleasures
to be enjoyed, and lusts to be gratified!
But the beauty of this world is only skin-deep. The grass really isn't
greener on the other side of the fence, for under all of the glitzy,
enticing make-up of this world is a dirty, filthy cesspool of sin.
Jeffrey Dahmer, from all outward appearances, looked like your normal,
midwestern young man. Who could have imagined in his wildest dreams
the crimes which he committed and the pain which he inflicted on so
many families! We have paraded before us several smiling presidential
candidates who are all saying what they think we want to hear, all of
whom want to be the leader of our land. But how much dirt and how much
corruption and how many skeletons are being dragged out of some of
their closets! Millions of people throughout the world have contracted
the AIDS virus, mostly as a result of trying to gratify their sinful
flesh! And how many have used religion and the facade of a Christian
ministry in order to bilk millions of dollars out of hard-working
people, just to fill their own pockets! We can go on and on with
example after example of how crooked and corrupt this world really is!
The Bible has a great deal to say about this sinful world and the
people who live in it, and it's not very pretty. Paul is very blunt in
Romans, where he writes, "There is none righteous, no, not one; there
is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have
all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is
none who does good, no, not one. Their throat is an open tomb; with
their tongues they have practiced deceit; the poison of asps is under
their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet
are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways; and
the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before
their eyes."
It's definitely not a pretty picture out there when you remove all the
make-up and window dressing. But we never should forget that in His
mercy, God has called us out of this sinful, unbelieving world to be
His children. He has called us out of this darkness by His sweet
gospel into His marvelous light! The Holy Spirit has worked faith in
us; He has worked through the Word and through the Sacraments so that
we can now take hold of the Savior who has redeemed and delivered us
from eternal destruction. That same Lord, risen from the dead and
ascended into heaven, is now preparing a place for us in His Father's
house of many mansions, so that we will have a wonderful home to live
in for all eternity. It's just as the hymnwriter wrote,
Being washed clean in the blood of Christ, being clothed in His
beautiful white robe of righteousness, we are now the adopted children
of the heavenly Father. Yes, we are still in the world, but we are not
of the world. Our bodies may be down here, but our eyes are pointed
heavenward, looking for the return of our Savior to take us to our
real home, where we shall sit on the lap of our God as His children
and where we will live in peace with all of our brothers and sisters
in Christ forever and ever.
So how do we then live as strangers in a strange land? How do we
conduct ourselves during this earthly pilgrimage? There are those
Christians who would just like to huddle up on a corner and forget
about the rest of the world while they wait to be taken home. This
occurred in the Middle Ages with all of the monasteries and cloisters
throughout Europe. Christians were trying to hide and protect
themselves from an evil world. We have basically the same thing going
on in our own time when we find Christians forming and living within
their own little societies and communities, trying to stay out of the
world as much as possible. One author writes in a book recently
published about a town in California:
Does our Lord want a new kind of monastic life for His children on
earth? Or does He tell us something else in His Word? Listen as Jesus
speaks in our text: "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt
loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for
nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are
the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a
lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and
glorify your Father in heaven."
The Lord doesn't want us to hide in a hole somewhere while we live out
our lives in an unbelieving world. Instead, using the picture of salt
and light, He encourages us to influence the world around us. As long
as our God leaves us here living and breathing, He has something more
for us to do before we go home. Salt was used in ancient days as a way
of preserving meat and other foods. There were no refrigerators back
then. The Christian is to be a salt in the sense that, with our
presence in society, those who have not yet come to faith in the
Savior are spared for the moment from destruction. They are given more
time to repent of their sins and turn to the Lord Jesus in faith.
The Christian is also a light. When the lights in your house go out
during a bad thunderstorm and you light a candle to see, you don't put
a bowl over it-- that would defeat its purpose! but you hold the
candle up high in the center of the room so it can shed its light on
everything and everyone. So also the Christian lets his or her light
shine by living a different life from the rest of the world by living
a life of good works, so that others take notice and may be led to the
Savior as He reveals Himself to us in the Word.
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works
and glorify your Father in heaven." The Holy Spirit put it this way as
He spoke through the Apostle Peter: "But sanctify the Lord God in your
hearts, and always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you
a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear."
I think it is safe to say that all of us have memories of things that
happened to us years ago, but we remember them as if they had occurred
yesterday. It seems like only yesterday that I sat in the junior
religion class of the Lutheran high school I attended. We were talking
with our professor about marriage and family life and the bringing of
children into this world. One student made the comment that he wasn't
sure if he wanted to have little ones growing up in such a corrupt and
evil society as ours. Well, the professor did not hesitate for a
moment to point out that a Christian child who grows up to be a
Christian adult is not a bane to society but a blessing, for the
Christian is a salt and a light to those around him.
But there are dangers and difficulties in living as a salt and a light
in an unbelieving world. Back in the days of the early Christian
church, before Christianity became the official religion of the Roman
Empire, believers lost their lives for confessing Christ. Yes, they
caught other people's attention, but it often landed them in the
Coliseum.
But Satan has learned over the years that such outward persecution
actually increases the number of believers in the world, and so his
persecution is much more subtle and dangerous today. There is the very
real possibility that when unbelievers realize that we are different,
that we have a Savior we want to please by our actions, and that we
look for a heavenly home, they start to treat us differently. Maybe it
is a sly word. Maybe they start talking behind our backs. Maybe they
don't give us the job promotions and recognitions that we feel we
deserve. Maybe they outrightly mock and ridicule our faith and
generally make life difficult for us! Satan directs these subtle
persecutions towards us maybe through neighbors, maybe through
co-workers, maybe even through friends and relatives, and many times,
yes, even through members of our own families! We all need to remember
Jesus' words when it comes to persecution for living the Christian
life: "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it
hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet
because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world,
therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you,
'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me,
they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep
yours also."
Another danger of living as a Christian in an unbelieving world is
that we ourselves start behaving like those around us. Even though we
have been called out of this sinful world by the gospel of Christ and
have been born again as children of the heavenly Father, we are still
afflicted with a sinful flesh. On the one hand, the new person within
us wants to do the will of God. but on the other hand, our sinful
flesh wants to fulfill its own lusts and desires. How often we
suppress the fact that we are Christians, simply to be accepted by
those around us! How often we behave as the unbelieving world, because
we don't want anyone to know that we are different! How often we
succumb to our sinful lusts and desires, because we think we should be
able to enjoy life, even if it does mean breaking a commandment or two
in the meantime!
And so the Christian always has a struggle going on within himself,
just like the Apostle Paul did so long ago. It's as if we are going to
be torn apart from the inside! Paul tells us in Romans, "For I know
that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is
present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For
the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to
do, that I practice. ... O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me
from this body of death? I thank God; through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
"I thank God; through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Left to our own devices
we have nothing to look forward to but eternal death and hell, for we
are sinners. But God has sent His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, to bear
our sin and to suffer the wrath of the Father in our stead. This He
did upon the cross. And when we now fall in weakness, when we succumb
to the temptations of this world, when we start to behave like the
unbelieving world ourselves, that Savior is always there, and His
forgiving blood washes away a multitude of sins. His arms are always
open. His love never fails.
And so, as Christians living in an unbelieving world, may we by our
words, and by our conduct and by our behavior lead others to the
Savior. And by our witness may those who do not yet know the Lord also
learn to fall down before the cross where we have all been reconciled
to our heavenly Father. "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ ..."
This brings to an end our study of "Family Life Under Christ." We pray
that these meditations will bring us closer to one another in our
families and in our personal relationships. But more importantly, we
pray that they will bring us closer to Christ, our Savior and
Redeemer. As David wrote in the 127th Psalm, "Unless the LORD builds
the house, they labor in vain who built it; Unless the LORD guards the
city, the watchman stays awake in vain." May the Lord bless our
families, our children, our parents, and our witness to the world
around us. May He continue to bless us and help us in every trouble
and lift us up in every affliction through His Word and Sacraments,
through which alone He showers upon us every spiritual blessing. In
Jesus' name.
(Presented to the CLC Minnesota Pastoral Conference, November 3-4,
1993.)
{HTML Editor's note: since there is no easy way to import Greek or Hebrew
into the Journal, all Greek and Hebrew has been replaced with
(***)).
Why do we ask whether (***) prohibits entrance into the kingdom of
God? To begin with, the Christian may indeed recognize the works of
his own sinful flesh in the apostle's listing or supply "the like" of
verse 21. In the continual battle against the flesh, christians fall
repeatedly into sin and into certain sins. It is with us as Paul
confesses to the Romans: "The evil I will not [to do], that I practice
(***)." The question is whether such repetition of sinful deeds
constitutes the "practice" that prohibits entrance into the kingdom of
God.
I. A comparison of (***) and (***)
As we might expect, (***) is by far the more widely used of the two
verbs and possesses a great variety of meanings. We offer the
following representative summary: DO (Acts 5:35); MAKE (Acts
17:24,26); PRODUCE (Matt. 7:17-19); CAUSE (Rom. 16:17); PRACTICE what
is good (John 3:21; Luke 1:72; etc.); COMMIT sin (John 8:34; 2 Cor.
11:7; 1 Pet. 2:22; etc.).
In 32 of the 37 times the verb (***) appears in the New Testament, it
may be rendered "DO," "COMMIT," or "PRACTICE" (exceptions: Luke 3:13;
19:23; acts 19:19; Rom. 2:25; and 1 Thess. 4:11).
One would think that Romans 1:28-2:3 would provide us with some clear
and consistent distinction between these two similar verbs, since both
are used so often in these verses. W.E. Vine thinks there is such a
distinction (Expository Dictionary, 330); Lenski says there is not
(Interpretation of Romans, 125). In view of the fact that the one who
"judges" others is said to "practice" (***) the same things in 2:1,
and is charged with "doing" (***) the same in 2:3, I see no moral
distinction between the verbs in this context, although perhaps a
distinction is being made between the doing of an evil deed and the
habitual practice of it.
However, John 3:20-21 surely seems to tie (***) with evil and (***)
with good. For there Jesus speaks of "practicing evil" (***) as
opposed to "doing the truth" (***) . The same distinction is found at
John 5:29 where Jesus speaks of the resurrection of those who "have
done good" (***) and those who "have done evil" (***). Likewise in
Romans 7:19 we find (***) associated with (***) and (***) linked with
(***).
We would make a statistical argument to show that (***) is most often
used to speak of committing an evil deed: In over half of its 37
occurrences in the New Testament, (***) is used for the doing of evil.
(***) is so used in less than one tenth of its New Testament
appearances (approximately 45 of 550 times, by my count). Furthermore,
of the six times the noun (***) occurs, four of these speak of evil
deeds.
A more useful distinction in terms of our assignment is between
"doing" something and "practicing" something in a repeated, habitual
manner; this distinction is represented by (***) and (***),
respectively.
In 2 Corinthians 5:10 we are reminded that we must all appear before
the judgment seat of Christ, "that each one may be recompensed for the
things [done] through his body, according to what he has practiced
(***8), whether good or bad. Morally, (***) is neutral here, as it
refers to both good and bad activity. Yet it may be that (***) is used
here because the apostle is not speaking so much of a deed or deeds
done in the earthly body, but of the "habitus" or way of life in the
body.1
"Generally speaking, in Paul's Epistles, (***) denotes an action
complete in itself, while (***) denotes a habit" (Vine, 330). However,
in 1 John 3:4-9, we find that apostle using the present tense of (***)
to speak of a practice or habit of doing something: "Whoever practices
(***) sin also practices (***) lawlessness ... the one practicing
(***) righteousness is righteous ... The one practicing (***) sin is
of the devil ... Whoever has been born of God does not practice (***)
sin ..."
In his treatment of the synonyms (***) and (***), Trench mentions that
scholars have been studying the difference between these two verbs for
over two thousand years ("since Prodicus" -- Greek sophist of the 5th
century BC). Trench appears to agree with many of their conclusions.
We quote some of his remarks:
Two general conclusions may be drawn from the New Testament usage of
(***) and (***): (1) Of the two verbs, (***) speaks more specifically
of doing evil; (2) whereas (***) generally points to the deed done,
the product itself, (***) most often points to the doing, the on-going
activity, the practice, or habit.
II. The practice of sin which prohibits entrance into the kingdom of
heaven.
It is helpful not only to compare the word "practice" in Galatians
5:21 with the same word in Romans 7:19, but to compare the contexts of
these verses as well. We could use pages drawing parallels between
Galatians 5:16-25 and Romans 7:14-8:17. For our purposes we shall be
content to sketch very briefly the material relationship of these
passages in the following chart:
Without question, the "practice" of sin in the context of Galatians
5:16ff. does indeed prevent the inheritance of the kingdom of God. The
activities described here are the "out-workings" of the flesh. And
in-so-far as the Christian is flesh, he too will cry out: "That's me!"
But then, the Christian relates just as easily (and with a sigh) to
the embattled apostle's words in Romans 7:14ff. For in that passage of
Scripture, so dear to our fearful hearts, Paul confesses: "The good
that I would, I do not do; but the evil I would not, that I practice
(***)" (v. 19). But quickly he adds: "Now if what I would not, that I
am doing (***), no longer am I myself working it out, but the sin
dwelling in me" (v. 20).
Paul says the same thing in verse 17. In verse 25 Paul proclaims his
only hope and ours, giving thanks to God "through Jesus Christ our
Lord." Then he sums up "how it is" for the Christian who "practices"
the evil he "would not do": "Accordingly, therefore, I myself with the
mind am serving the law of God but with the flesh the law of sin."
What is it that really constitutes the "practice" of sin that keeps
the soul from heaven? It cannot be merely the repetition of evil,
implied by the bare verb (***), for Paul "practices" sin, too -- yet
only so far as sin dwells in him (vv. 17, 20), in his members (v. 23).
The real Paul, the redeemed and believing Paul -- the one God regards
in mercy for Christ's sake -- the "I myself" in this context, does not
practice sin!
How can this be? What are the inner motions involved here? In the
Galatians setting, the "works of the flesh" are practiced willfully.
The condemned in this passage are those who feel secure in the flesh;
they go about to fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Luther comments
regarding Galatians 5:21b:
This is a very hard and terrible saying, but yet very necessary
against the false Christians and careless hypocrites, which brag of
the Gospel, of faith and of the Spirit, and yet in all security they
perform the works of the flesh. (LW, XXVII, 92)
In Romans 17:19 Paul expresses the frustration of every true Christian
when he cries out: "But (****) the evil I would not (***), that I
practice (***)." The will of the Christian has no interest in
practicing sin. Why not? Because "those who are Christ's have
crucified the flesh in its passions and desires" (Gal. 5:24).
By one radical act in the past, at our conversion, the Holy Spirit
brought us to faith! At that moment the Spirit of God Himself helped
us to dethrone the will of the Old Adam from our hearts. Romans 6:6
speaks similarly of how through the power of baptism "our old man was
crucified with Christ, so that the body of sin might be done away
with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin." the Christian "has
sin," but he does not willfully "commit" or "practice" sin (cf. 1 John
3:4ff.), in the sense that sin has free and total rule over him. For
"sin shall not have dominion" over him, since he is "not under law,
but under grace," as Paul says later in that same "baptism" chapter at
verse 14.
Now, if the Old Adam, the "flesh," was once crucified with its lusts
at our conversion, and if it can also be said that those who "are
Christ's have crucified" the flesh (as Paul surely does), then let not
the Christian permit the activities, passions, and desires of the
flesh to rise up again and carry him back into absolute dominion of
sin! For "if you keep living according to the flesh, you will die; but
if with spirit you keep putting to death (***) the deeds (*** ***) of
the body, you will live" (Rom. 8:13).
We should keep in mind when considering such passages as Romans
8:1-17, Galatians 5:16-24, and also 1 John 3:3-9, that, while the
"practice" of sin cannot keep the Christian from his heavenly
inheritance, the "practice" of sin can destroy saving faith. For the
apostle says in Romans 8:13, quoted above, "If you keep living
according to the flesh, you will die."
1 Cor. 6:9ff. warns: "Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor
idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves
with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers,
nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God." Gal. 5:21, Eph.
5:5, Rom. 8:13, Col. 3:6 make the same statement. Quoting these
passages, the Lutheran Confessions declare: "The false Epicurean
delusion is to be earnestly censured and rejected, namely, that some
imagine that faith and righteousness and salvation which they have
received can be lost through no sins or wicked deed, not even through
willful and intentional ones" (Trig. 947, F.C., Sol. Decl., IV,
31-32). Faith cannot endure in the heart which is given to sin
because, as Scripture so plainly tells us, the Holy Spirit, who is the
causa efficiens of faith, is grieved by evil works and will finally
depart from the heart. Hence the earnest admonition of Scripture:
"Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day
of redemption" (Eph. 4:30). The Holy Spirit is not only "the spirit of
faith" (2 Cor. 4:13), but also the Spirit of sanctification and good
works. He incessantly admonishes and urges believers to avoid the evil
and perform the good. And if the Holy Ghost is persistently thwarted
in this part of His work, He will cease to perform the other part, the
preservation of faith. The Christian Church has always taught that
evil works destroy faith. (F. Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, III, 23-24)
In conclusion, let us call to mind the importance of yet another
paradox of the Christian faith: The "flesh," the "body of sin," the
"Old Adam," was crucified in our conversion by the Spirit of God, and
we ourselves have crucified it! Yet we must keep on putting it to
death by repentance and renewed faith in our dear Savior. Those who
practice the works of the flesh willfully and intentionally in
unbelief are naked before God and cannot "inherit the kingdom of God"
in that spiritual condition. But the believing child of God is ever
regarded by the heavenly Father as completely holy because of Christ.
The sins still "practiced" by the flesh, which still clings to the
Christian and wars against his spirit, are entirely covered by the
precious blood of Jesus. He has also delivered us from this body of
death! Thanks be to God! All glory be to Him forever and ever!
NOTES
(Presented at the CLC Great Lakes Delegate Conference, June 1-2, 1998,
Fond du Lac, WI.)
It has been variously described as the devil's tool, a form of
harmless recreation, and a "volunteer tax." Different religious
leaders have condemned it, tolerated it, or even promoted it for their
church's enrichment. People travel long distances to indulge in it,
yet it can also be found as close as the nearest gas station or
convenience store. It is nearly as old as mankind, yet it is making
its fastest inroads into the future through the Internet. It is
gambling, and its tremendous growth in recent years should move us to
take another look at its impact on the world, and on Christians in
particular. Consider the following facts:1
The Explosive Growth of Legalized Gambling:
What is it, exactly?
Since the word "gamble" has been used in a variety of ways, it would
be good to establish a working definition for it. People may use the
word "gamble" for any kind of risk that is taken, such as the start of
a small business or the purchase of stocks. However, the kind of
"gambling" that will be discussed in this paper has these
characteristics in common: (1) The betting of money or anything of
value, (2) The conscious element of risk (uncertain outcome), (3) The
hope of gain at the expense of others, (4) An outcome that is
determined by chance or accident, and (5) A prize of some value.2 The
most common forms of this kind of gambling in our society are casinos
and state-run lotteries. Business and investment risks are not
"gambling" by this definition, first of all because the money that is
put at risk actually purchases something of value. In addition, it is
not necessary for other people to lose their money for such a venture
to be successful, and the outcome is not determined by mere chance.
Likewise, promotional sweepstakes do not fall into this category,
since they do not involve the betting of any money. One could argue at
great length about whether one or another activity can be classified
as "gambling." For the sake of simplicity, let us concentrate on the
two most common forms of gambling today -- casino gaming and
state-sponsored lotteries. These forms of gambling certainly do fit
under the definition given. They have also become so common that even
Christian people are becoming desensitized to their effects on the
general public, as well as on our own hearts. So what's wrong with
casinos and lotteries? Consider the following five points:
1. The motive to gain from the loss of others involves the sin of
coveting.
Gambling, by definition, involves the desire to gain from your
neighbor's loss. This also happens to be a good definition for
coveting. Many may quickly object, saying "Of course I would like to
win, but that doesn't mean that I want anyone else to lose." Such a
person should realize that if he ever does win, it will only happen
because other people get nothing for their money. The fact that other
people willingly give up their hard-earned money for nothing does not
make it right to benefit from their losses. Both casino gaming and
lotteries entice people to play by offering winnings that come
directly from the losses of others, and that is what invariably links
these activities to coveting. It's true that a statement such as "Thou
shalt not gamble," or "gambling is sin" is not found in the Bible.
Yet, the Bible does address the subject when it addresses the sin of
coveting. Consider the following:
A person who claims, "I don't care at all whether I win," is only
indulging in self-delusion for the sake of excusing his behavior. The
motive to win is always involved. Here we encounter the argument of
the "recreational gambler." This is a person who sets a certain limit
which he will wager at the casino or the lottery ticket counter. It is
money that he feels he can afford to lose, and he considers it to be
part of his entertainment budget, spent much the same as for dining
out or for movie tickets. Is there a difference between this kind of
"recreational" gambling, in comparison with those who gamble strictly
for the money? The answer is yes -- but the difference is only one of
degree. The man who is addicted to gambling, who throws away his
family's means of support and then commits crimes in order to support
his habit, certainly does sin in ways that the casual purchaser of an
occasional lottery ticket does not. Both, however, have this in
common: they act on an inner motive to gain what others must first
lose. Therefore, one covets "only a little bit," while the other is
consumed by covetousness. "A little bit" of coveting may seem to be a
minor matter, but it is still wrong, in the same sense that "a little
bit of lust" is wrong. That's why the Scriptures urge us to do away
with coveting completely:
2. The aim to gain at the loss of others is the opposite of the Lord's
command to "love your neighbor as yourself."
In summarizing the two tables of the Law, our Lord gave us the command
to seek the highest good for our neighbor, that is, our fellow man:
(Matthew 22:37-39) Jesus said to him, " 'You shall love the LORD your
God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it:
'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"
This standard is, of course, out of reach for us. Since we still have
a sinful flesh, there will always be a part of us which is completely
self-centered, as long as this life continues. The fact remains,
however, that anything less than this perfect standard must be
regarded as sin. St. Paul put the command this way:
If we truly "loved our neighbor as ourselves" we would want our
neighbor to keep what he has and prosper even more. In other words, we
would always want him to win, rather than desire to come out ahead as
a result of his loss. If we would happen to come by something he had
lost, we would not gleefully say "I'm a winner!" No, we would do our
level best to return it to him. This, of course, is contrary to the
whole purpose of pulling the slot machine handle or scratching the
lottery ticket. Whenever I do those things, I am demonstrating a
sinful love for myself, which wants to be enriched at the expense of
others. When a person gambles, he is not seeking his neighbor's
benefit at all. On the contrary, he is trying to take advantage of his
neighbor's misfortune. This attitude and action is completely at odds
with Jesus' command to "love your neighbor as yourself."
Besides the fact that gambling winnings come as the result of our
neighbors' loss, there are also many social ills that are besieging
our country because of legalized gambling. These ill effects include
an increase in bankruptcies, increased crime to support gambling
habits, and the siphoning off of resources from low-income families
for the necessities of life:
"Gambling victimizes the poor. The poorest citizens spend the largest
percentage of their incomes on gambling. Those who can afford it the
least gamble the most; both public and private gambling businesses
target advertising directly at the weakest individuals in society
because they are gambling's best customers."3
Love for our neighbor -- and our country as a whole -- should move us
to oppose legalized gambling, not participate in it! It is an activity
that simply cannot fit in with the Lord's will that we love our
neighbor as ourselves. The fact that we are incapable of practicing
that kind of love perfectly is no excuse to do the opposite on
purpose.
3. Seeking "easy money" undermines the Biblical work ethic.
One of the great strengths of a moral people is the reputation for
honest, hard work. For Christians, this does not come by accident, for
the Christian is directed by God's Word to seek the blessings of God's
daily bread by genuine effort:
The enticement of gambling, by contrast, depends on "Lady Luck" to
bring unearned dollars into the coffers of the winners. The Scriptures
warn us that this is a demoralizing influence and a trap:
Instead, the Lord's will is for us to look solely to Him for our
welfare, and to be satisfied with the blessings that He gives us
through honorable means, such as gifts or inheritance, but especially
diligent work:
The desires of our hearts are not to be placed on luck or blind
chance, which might bring us thousands or millions of dollars which
others have lost. Instead, the Bible tells us:
As a matter of common sense, even apart from the Lord's specific
instruction, it is easy to see that a pervasive culture of wagering
has a corrupting influence on ourselves and our children:
"Gambling presents a bad example to our children. Gambling promotes
the idea that luck, not education and hard work, is the key to
success. Gambling produces no wealth for society, and suggests that
productivity is not important. Gambling sets up artificial risks and
glorifies individuals who take the biggest, most foolish risks."4
4. Gambling is poor stewardship of God's blessings.
A "steward" is one who manages the goods of another. The Christian
recognizes that none of this world's goods truly belong to him,
because the Lord is the creator and rightful owner of all things. The
steward is simply put in charge of the Lord's goods for a time. He is
expected to make good use of God's things while he lives in this
world, until the Lord comes and asks for an accounting (See the
Parable of the Talents, Matt. 25). The Bible gives us a clear idea of
what constitutes a God-pleasing use of these gifts:
People have attempted to classify their gambling "budget" as a
God-pleasing expenditure under each one of these categories, without
success. As mentioned before, many consider their gambling money as
part of their family's needs, in the category of "recreation and
entertainment." However, since the "entertainment value" is always
linked with the desire to benefit from my neighbor's misfortune, this
is better described as coveting, not as a personal or family need.
Sadly, many church organizations have tried to promote bingo and
raffles as a means of supporting the church. But the support for the
gospel is supposed to come from hearts that are overflowing with
thankfulness for God's love in Christ, not from hearts that eagerly
desire the next jackpot or door prize. Gambling does not fit under the
category of "taxation" for Christians either, since it is not
something that the government requires anyone to participate in. As
for charitable efforts toward our neighbor, gambling undermines this
as well. It is often promoted as a great boon to society, because some
of the profits fund educational or charitable causes. However, the
opportunity to do a true good work by supporting such things is ruined
by the self-serving motivation. The motive for personal gain kills
true charity.
5. Coveting, poor stewardship, and disregard for one's neighbor are
not matters of Christian liberty.
The word "adiaphoron" is a technical term for something that is a
matter of Christian liberty and good judgment. It is something that is
neither commanded nor forbidden by God's Word. That means that there
can be circumstances where a certain activity may be wrong, but it is
not always so. For instance, the use of alcohol is an adiaphoron.
People are neither commanded nor forbidden to partake of alcoholic
beverages in the Bible. There are several places in the Bible that
describe a beneficial use of alcoholic wine, for instance (Ps.
104:14-15; Matt. 26:27-28; 1 Tim. 5:23). The Scriptures are clear,
however, that drunkenness is a sin (Prov. 23:29-31; Isa. 5:11; Rom.
13:13; etc.). The Lord explains to us through St. Paul how it might be
necessary to refrain from certain freedoms that we would otherwise
have, so that others will not be led astray (see Rom. 14 and 1 Cor.
8). This would be another good reason to abstain from drinking
alcohol. It is clear, though, that the moderate use of alcohol need
not be a sinful thing, assuming that it does not lead to drunkenness
and does not set a trap for others to fall into. The use of alcohol,
therefore, is a good example of an adiaphoron, something we may or may
not do in a God-pleasing way, depending on the circumstances.
Many people consider gambling to be an adiaphoron in this same sense.
For instance, the Wisconsin Synod, in its monthly magazine, the
Northwestern Lutheran, has taken this position on the subject. As part
of a series of articles published in 1988, Pastor Thomas Franzman
wrote:
Thus, in the Northwestern Lutheran, the Wisconsin Synod legitimized
lotteries and casino gaming as matters of Christian choice and
judgment.5 This conclusion is incorrect, and the Wisconsin Synod has
done its members a disservice by making allowances for these worldly
things. The desire to gain as a result of someone else's loss is
always a desire that is born of the flesh, and not of God. As such, it
is not something to ponder and then enjoy in moderation. Rather, it is
something to be avoided as much as possible. Our conclusion must be,
then, that gambling (at least in the case of casino gaming and
lotteries) is not a matter of Christian liberty at all, since it is
invariably bound together with coveting, poor stewardship, and
disregard for the well-being of one's neighbor.
Conclusion -- Is this our biggest problem?
With all the violence, immorality, and godlessness out there in the
world, is it really worthwhile to focus our attention on what many
consider to be a harmless activity, or at worst, a minor vice? Isn't
all the false doctrine that is being propagated, to the great harm of
many souls, of far greater consequence?
It is true that our role in the world as believers is to be witnesses
to the truth of the gospel. It would not be right to have, as our main
objective, the cleaning up of social ills. Neither would it be right
to conclude that someone who has purchased a lottery ticket or visited
a casino must therefore be an unbeliever. Our commission is to use the
means of grace, the proclamation of law and gospel, so that sinners
can know their lost condition and find in Christ their full salvation.
That having been said, it should be a cause for grave concern that our
entire society has, in recent years, been given over to the promotion
of legalized gambling. It should be a cause for grave concern that,
where churches once firmly denounced the ill-gotten gains of gambling
for Scriptural reasons, they are now making allowances for it, for
earthly reasons. We should not be hesitant or ashamed to speak out
against the worldly influences that war against our souls, whether or
not most people consider them to be of minor consequence.
Rationalizations for gambling and exceptions to the rule can go on
endlessly. "My buddies and I play golf, and we wager a nickel a hole.
Is there really any harm in that?" One could well answer: Isn't the
scorecard enough? But why waste time discussing every possible example
of a "gray area"? Any moral question can be argued to its logical
extremes and be made to look ridiculous. That does not take away from
the principle of the matter, which is God's command to work with our
hands, be content with what we have, and not to yearn after a quick
gain from other people's losses.
When we do refrain from going along with the world's infatuation with
"Lady Luck," what should our motivation be? Surely, it should not be
legalism, pride in personal holiness, or a feeling of superiority over
others. Rather, we should be motivated by the gospel of a crucified
Lord, thankfulness for God's many blessings, and an eager desire to do
all things for His glory. Then, our life and conduct will be a clear
witness that speaks of the Lord's grace shown to us. May the Lord so
lead us in His own right way.
NOTES
Abbreviated List of Resources
Grams, Rick -- "Recreational Gambling," presented to the Minnesota
Delegate Conference, September 1987.
Libby, Douglas -- "Observations from Scripture Regarding Participation
in State-sponsored Lottery," presented to the Minnesota Pastoral
Conference, November 1994.
Lutheran Sentinel, (ELS), June, 1997.
The National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling Homepage,
www.ncalg.org.
Northwestern Lutheran (WELS), January - April, 1988.
Steadfast -- A publication of the ELCR in Australia, 33:1
Sydow, Michael -- Martin Luther's Small Catechism.
Dr. Gerd Luedemann recently criticized attempts by liberal theologians
to reinterpret Christian doctrine so they could continue to describe
themselves as Christian. "They don't [really] believe what the
confession of faith says,"1 Luedemann stated, adding that he found
liberal theology "contemptible." He also went on to say, "I don't
think Christians know what they mean when they proclaim Christ as Lord
of the World. That is a massive claim. If you took that seriously, you
would probably have to be a fundamentalist. If you can't be a
fundamentalist, then you should give up Christianity for the sake of
honesty."2 Since 1983 Luedemann has been Professor of New Testament
and Director of the Institute of Early Christian Studies at the
University of Goettingen in Germany.
Interviewed about his upcoming book, The Great Deception--What Jesus
Really Said and Did, Luedemann told Idea, the information service of
the German Evangelical Alliance, "I no longer describe myself as a
Christian." He also said, "A Christian is someone who prays to Christ
and believes in what is promised by Christian doctrine. So I asked
myself: 'Do I pray to Jesus, do I pray to the God of the Bible?' And I
don't do that. Quite the reverse."3
This isn't the first time Dr. Gerd Luedemann has rocked the
theological boat. He is also the author of The Resurrection of Jesus,
published by Augsburg Fortress of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of
America (ELCA). Concerning the events of the first Easter Sunday, he
wrote, "We can no longer understand the resurrection of Jesus in a
literal sense..."4 And, "about the fate of Jesus' corpse: Did it
decay? At any rate I regard this conclusion as unavoidable."5 The
professor also suggested that Jesus was born after Mary was raped. Two
years ago he was suspended as a church examiner by the Confederation
of Protestant Churches in Lower Saxony after he described ordination
on the basis of the Bible and the creeds as "schizophrenia."
It is always difficult for a child of God to read such blasphemy. But
it is necessary for confessional pastors and professors to know what
is being promoted as "theology" out in the world of academia. Dr.
Luedemann is a living example of what finally happens when "a little
leaven leavens the whole lump" (Gal. 5:9).Like the so-called "Jesus
Seminar," he has arrived at the final, logical end-point of what used
to be known as "Gospel-reductionism" and the "historical-critical"
method of Bible interpretation.6 It is truly sad that the largest
Lutheran body in the United States, the ELCA, is travelling down that
same road.7 But at least Luedemann is honest in confessing that he is
no longer a Christian. Why couldn't the ELCA be so forthright?
NOTES
"Truly, the Trinity is simply the Father and the man Jesus and their
Spirit as the Spirit of the believing community" (Robert W. Jenson,
Christian Dogmatics, 1:155, quoted in Leppien/Smith, 102).
"Contrary to other 'resurrection' stories in the Bible, Jesus is not
perceived as having returned to this life. His resurrection was not
a resuscitation indicating that in certain exceptional instances
people can be returned to their former state of life" (Hans Schwarz,
Christian Dogmatics, 2:558, quoted in Leppien/Smith, 115).
Uncle Sam and I, by Russell Schmitt , Christos Basileios Publishing,
153 N. Agency St., Eagle Lake, MN 56024, 1998, paperback, 552 pages.
Russell Schmitt, a member of our congregation in Mankato, Minnesota,
is an unusual young man, and he has written an unusual book. Perhaps
we can say that he has written two books and combined them into one.
One part of his book is Schmitt's account of his experiences in the
United States Navy. The other part of this book is a defense of the
Christian faith and Christian lifestyle over against such currently
prevalent satanic lies as evolution, abortion, unionism, sexual
immorality, and decision theology. There is, of course, a connection
between the two parts. In his life as a Navy sailor Schmitt tried to
confess his Christianity by word and deed. This led inevitably to
verbal and physical persecution by his peers and superiors. As he
tells this story, Schmitt does not present himself as a pious
do-gooder but as a sinning Christian struggling against his own sinful
flesh. One of the things he likes to write about in both parts of his
book is God's grace, and he stresses that God's grace is
unconditional.
For example, while he is describing his early training in the Navy,
Schmitt says (34):
Schmitt's experiences in the Navy are divided into two clearly
different phases. In the first phase Schmitt is doing excellent work
and is moving up rapidly in the Navy's Nuclear Power Program. But then
he is the victim of an automobile accident in Idaho and spends 15 days
in a hospital, recovering from serious head injuries.
After this accident Schmitt is unable to make progress in his
training. Yet for some reason the Navy expects him to do as well as
before the accident. This leads to one failure after another, demotion
to kitchen duties, and eventual discharge. He is continually being
faulted and scolded for not carrying out his assigned duties when it
should have become clear to his superiors why he was unable to carry
out these duties.
In his description of Navy life Schmitt calls attention to the
incompetence, laziness, drug abuse, sexual immorality, and foul
language of his associates. Most of the time Schmitt wisely refrains
from quoting the actual filthy words spoken in his presence.
Nevertheless, there are a very few examples of blasphemy and obscenity
that may trouble some Christian readers.
There are also many examples of the author's sense of humor, even in
the middle of unpleasant circumstances. Early in the book (11) the
military's fondness for acronyms is lampooned in the following
sentence:
After all, the SOP for US SSN's and SSBN's directed by the DOD of the
USA, not the FBI or CIA, regardless if GOP or DFL appears as the DMV
at sea, and disregards the EPA, but favors the NRC RADCON which
appears to the USSR as the NFL on an NHL rink.
Our reading of this book should make us more aware of the temptations,
dangers, and persecutions that are experienced daily by Christians in
the military, or, for that matter, by Christians in any walk of life
where unbelievers are in control. We are living in a wicked world.
Many nominal Christians escape the persecutions by living or at least
talking like the ungodly, and in fact they themselves are the ungodly.
Some of Schmitt 's severest words are reserved for the so-called
Lutheran teachers and leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America ( ELCA ), which has seemingly surrendered to Satan in matters
of doctrine and lifestyle. In spite of all of this, Schmitt returns
more than once to the comfort of Romans 8:28: "We know that all things
work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the
called according to His purpose."
Since Schmitt's book is self-published, and since writing and
publishing a book such as this is no minor feat, we can expect to find
some flaws in style, grammar, spelling, etc. Proofreading is not easy.
When I was editor of the Lutheran Spokesman, I don't think I ever put
out an issue that did not have at least one error. The proofreading in
the first chapters of Schmitt 's book seems to be much better than
that of the later chapters. If another printing is made, these errors
ought to be corrected. The bibliography at the end of the book
indicates that the author has done a lot of reading of sources as
dissimilar as Charles Darwin and the Lutheran Spokesman.
Job, by Rudolph E. Honsey, in the People's Bible series, paperback,
364 pages, Northwestern Publishing House, 1992.
The series of books known as The People's Bible is now almost
complete. All that remains to be finished are commentaries on the
prophet Isaiah and the prophets Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah in the
Old Testament and in the New Testament commentaries on Paul's letter
to the Romans as well as on James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1 and 2 and 3 John,
and Jude. Perhaps by the time this review is printed the entire series
will be available.
The fourteen years since the first volume in this series was published
have gone by faster than this reviewer has been able to read the books
as they appeared in print. No doubt many users have been using them as
reference books for the understanding of specific chapters or passages
rather than reading them from beginning to end. Yet even as the Bible
itself ought to be read in its entirety so that we grasp the whole
context of a chapter or passage, so also these commentaries are best
read from cover to cover.
I certainly recommend that the commentary on Job by the highly
respected Bethany College professor Rudolph Honsey be read in this
fashion. For it is easy to misunderstand an individual phrase or
sentence or section in the book of Job if we do not comprehend the
plan and organization of the entire book.
What, then, is the meaning of the book of Job? There is no doubt that
the book of Job grapples with some of the most profound questions of
life on this earth: the wisdom and power of the Creator, the reason
for human suffering, the character of Satan as a cruel tempter and
accuser, the relationship between the justice and the mercy of God,
and especially the horribleness of the feeling of being forsaken by
God. Martin Luther said that parts of the book of Job can be
"understood only by those who also experience and feel what it is to
suffer the wrath and judgment of God, and to have his grace hidden"
(Luther's Works, 35: 252)
Professor Honsey's Introduction points out that Job is presented in
Scripture as a real person rather than as a fictional character.
Nevertheless, we cannot positively say where or when Job lived, nor
can we know for sure whom God used as the human author of the book of
Job.
The main theme of the book is the meaning of suffering. Job's three
"friends" (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar) defended the thesis that
"great suffering is a direct consequence of some special sin" (8), and
that Job therefore should repent of whatever secret sin he had
committed that had caused his suffering. Job, on the other hand,
proclaimed his innocence and accused God of injustice and his three
friends of lovelessness. The young man Elihu then pointed out that
"God uses troubles and afflictions to test and strengthen the faith of
a Christian" (8). In the end God Himself appeared to Job, not to
justify or explain His treatment of Job, but simply to manifest His
inscrutable majesty. Job then humbled himself before this mighty God
and God "later blessed him even more richly than He had earlier
blessed him" (7).
We are familiar with Job's bold confession of his Savior in Job 19: "I
know that my Redeemer lives." But Professor Honsey points out that
there are in the book of Job also "other passages that point forward
to our Savior" (9). In fact he agrees with the German exegete Franz
Delitzsch, who wrote: "The real contents of the book of Job is the
mystery of the Cross: the Cross on Golgotha is the solution of the
enigma of every cross; and the book of Job is a prophecy of the final
solution" (9).
When Job was first afflicted by God, he spoke the well-known words:
"The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD
be praised" (Job 1:21). Professor Honsey comments: "In his patient
submission to the will of God during his deep affliction Job gives us
an Old Testament preview of that Person who suffered even more, and
not for His own sin -- our Savior Jesus Christ" (23). Later, in
connection with the prolonged physical and spiritual suffering of Job,
Honsey says: "It is questionable whether any other human being except
our Savior has suffered more severely than Job" (55).
In chapter nine we find Job expressing his hope like this: "If only
there were someone to arbitrate between us (that is, between Job and
God), to lay his hand upon us both, someone to remove God's rod from
me" (Job 9: 33-34). Professor Honsey comments: "Job's words in this
passage surely appear to point forward to that one God-Man, Jesus
Christ, the Mediator between God and men" (74).
In Job 14:16-17 Job says to God: "Surely then You will count my steps
but not keep track of my sin. My offenses will be sealed up in a bag;
You will cover over my sin." Honsey's comment: "What a beautiful
expression of God's forensic act of justification! God would not hold
Job's sins against him" (102).
In Job's complaints against God recorded in Job 16: 6-14 Honsey sees a
similarity to the language of David's Psalm 22 that described 1000
years in advance Christ's suffering on the cross. "There are a number
of striking parallels between Job's suffering and Christ's. Although
Job was a sinner, his suffering was not directly related to any
particular sins of his own. Likewise, the sinless Jesus Christ
suffered not for any sins of His own, for He had none, but for the
sins of the world. In both cases Satan was responsible for their
suffering" (112).
In connection with Job's complaints in Job 19:13-20 Honsey says: "Job
appears to have hit an all-time low. He was in the dumps. He felt
desperate. We might safely say that, of all the characters in the
Bible, none was more forsaken than Job -- except one, Jesus Christ.
... Unlike even Job, He suffered the pangs of hell for all of us,
including Job, you, and me" (126).
In describing Job's complaints in Job 30 Honsey says: "Job felt the
heavy hand of God pressing down upon him as he looked forward to
nothing better than death. Jesus felt the heavy hand of God pressing
down upon Him as He bore the sins of all others. ... There are truly
many striking parallels between the suffering of Job and the suffering
of Jesus. But there are also many striking differences. ... Although
at first Job did not complain, in due time when he felt his
afflictions so intensely he did complain bitterly, as everyone else
would complain under these conditions -- except Jesus" (217-218).
When we come to the young man Elihu's words in Job 32-37, we find
Professor Honsey supporting the view that Elihu was a true gospel
preacher, especially in Job 33: 23-30, telling Job "that God is
loving, that He redeems and restores people from the clutches of
suffering and sin. ... Who is the individual described in verse 23?
... We believe that He is none other than our Savior Jesus Christ. ...
In a true sense Jesus Christ the God-Man is the Mediator between God
and men" (248-250). Yes, Elihu speaks of "a mediator, one out of a
thousand, to tell a man what is right for him, to be gracious to him
and say, 'Spare him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom
for him!'" Jesus Christ is plainly in view!
There are other fine features of Professor Honsey's commentary on Job
apart from his emphasis on Jesus Christ. He disagrees with the
attempts made by many to correct or emend the Hebrew wording when it
is difficult. He interprets Scripture by Scripture. He shows how
practical the book of Job is in the consideration of such current
issues as evolution, abortion, decision theology, and sexual
immorality. But above all we recommend Honsey's commentary for its
emphasis on Jesus Christ and His saving work in our behalf.
Discovering the Plain Truth -- How the Worldwide Church of God
Encountered the Gospel of Grace, by Larry Nichols and George Mather,
paperback, 141 pages, InterVarsity Press, 1998.
Larry Nichols and George Mather are Missouri Synod Lutherans who want
the world to know what an amazing transformation has taken place in
the religious organization known as the Worldwide Church of God ( WCG
). No doubt most of us have heard of Herbert W. Armstrong and his son,
Garner Ted Armstrong. The senior Armstrong founded the WCG in Oregon
in 1933 and controlled it with an iron hand until he died in 1986 at
94 years of age. For many years Garner Ted Armstrong, born in 1930,
was the chief spokesman of the WCG through his popular programs (The
World Tomorrow) on radio and television. Father and son had a falling
out in 1978, and Garner Ted Armstrong then founded his own church
called the Church of God International (COGI).
The WCG has also been known for its attractive magazine, The Plain
Truth, and its Ambassador College in Pasadena, California. In 1974
attendance at Ambassador College and two other WCG educational
institutions reached a high of 1400 students. The highest circulation
The Plain Truth ever reached was about 6,000,000. But in Herbert
Armstrong's last years both father and son were alleged to have been
involved in sexual sins such as incest, adultery, and unscriptural
divorce. These scandals and divisions caused by these scandals led to
membership loss even before Herbert Armstrong's death.
In their little book Nichols and Mather delineate the many false
doctrines taught by Herbert W. Armstrong and his church. He denied the
doctrine of the Trinity, claiming that the family of God is now
comprised of two Persons, Father and Son, and that in the future many
thousands of disciples will be born again and be Persons of God like
Father and Son. Armstrong taught that Jesus died with a human body but
that He rose from the dead with only a divine nature. He taught that
hell does not mean eternal death. Armstrong's system involved
obedience to all kinds of regulations such as triple tithing, and
observance of Saturday as the Sabbath as well as the observance of
other Old Testament feasts such as Passover and the Feast of
Tabernacles. Armstrong also strongly promoted the view that Great
Britain and the United States are the ten lost tribes of Israel and as
such are foretold and described in advance in the Bible. Much of
Armstrong's teaching was plagiarized from others. We can see certain
resemblances to Mormonism, Seventh Day Adventism, and Jehovah's
Witnesses. About the only thing positive one can say about Herbert W.
Armstrong is that he taught that the Bible is the final authority for
the Christian, even though for him the Bible was not his real
authority.
A very strange thing happened after Herbert W. Armstrong's death. The
man hand-picked to succeed him, Joseph Tkach, Sr., while at first
teaching Armstrong's doctrines faithfully, began to allow debate and
discussion on the church's teachings with the Bible as authority. In
this debate Armstrong's doctrines were shown to be his own opinions
rather than Bible teaching. One by one his false doctrines fell, and
Biblical teachings began to take their place. In fact a WCG preacher
in Atlanta, Georgia began to preach salvation by grace through faith
in Christ, rather than salvation by obedience to laws. When Joseph
Tkach, Sr. was invited to address the Georgia congregation on this
issue, he realized that if he preached law, half the congregation of
1500 would leave, and if he preached grace, the other half would
leave. Although Tkach , Sr. tried to urge moderation, division was
inevitable. Joseph Tkach , Sr. died in 1995, less than a year after
this confrontation in Georgia.
His son, Joseph Tkach, Jr., is continuing to carry out the reforms
that were begun when his father was in charge. At the present time, as
revealed through interviews printed as appendices in this book, the
present leaders of the WCG openly admit that their founder taught many
false doctrines. Most remarkable of all is this statement of the
present leader, Joseph Tkach, Jr.:
Such a radical change in position is bound to bring about great
struggles among the members of the WCG. Many have left the church and
formed splinter groups loyal to their founder and his teachings.
Others have left because reform has not come as quickly as they have
desired. But at present there are still 425 WCG congregations in the
United States served by 230 full-time pastors. The world total is 450
pastors serving 530 congregations (115). The Plain Truth now has only
125,000 subscribers. Since 1990 40,000 people have left the WCG
without joining one of the many splinter groups. Among those giving
encouragement to the WCG leaders in their doctrinal reforms are
Missouri Synod leaders such as President Alvin Barry (whom Joseph
Tkach, Jr. calls "big Al, the preacher's pal" -- 79), Roger Pitelko,
Rod Rosenbladt, Paul McCain, and Don Matzat. Other Protestant groups
have also welcomed the changes. The WCG has even been accepted as a
member of the NAE (National Association of Evangelicals). In spite of
some Lutheran influence, however, the WCG does not seem to be moving
in the direction of confessional Lutheranism but in the direction of
a rather tolerant or loose ecumenical evangelicalism. For example,
the last paragraphs of the book show the WCG leadership as favoring
the Reformed view of Baptism and the Lord's Supper rather than the
Scriptural doctrine confessed in the Lutheran Book of Concord.
Nevertheless, we can rejoice that the Holy Spirit in very strange
ways and in unusual circumstances has drawn at least some away from
the fatal darkness of Armstrongian legalism into the light of the
glorious saving gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us continue to
pray that God's name may be hallowed and His kingdom come through the
preaching of the true gospel among those formerly led astray. We thank
the authors of this book for making us aware of this miraculous work
of God.
Their Blood Cries Out -- The Untold Story of Persecution against
Christians in the Modern World, by Paul Marshall with Lela Gilbert,
hard cover, 336 pages, Word Publishing, 1997.
The Lord God said to Cain, the first human murderer: "The voice of
your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground" (Gen. 4:10).
When the Lord God became man in the person of Jesus Christ, He
likewise spoke of Abel's blood and "all the righteous blood shed on
the earth" (Matt. 23:35) from the beginning until His own day. The
author of this book claims -- and proves his claim -- that the
righteous blood of believers like Abel is still being shed today, and
their blood cries out. But who is listening?
It is the contention of Paul Marshall in this book that we who are
confessing Christians ought to be listening. That which is "untold"
ought to be told by those who know, and the rest of us ought to be
listening and praying and doing something about it as we are able. I
believe Paul Marshall is right. For it is written: "Remember the
prisoners as if chained with them -- those who are mistreated -- since
you yourselves are in the body also" (Heb. 13:3). If we are to
remember our fellow-Christians who are being imprisoned for their
faith, how much more should we remember those who are being put to
death for their confession of Christ!
But is it really true that Christians are being put to death just
because of their confession of Christ? Paul Marshall says: "There are
people now, as I write -- as you read -- who are being imprisoned,
raped, sold into slavery, and tortured to death. Christians should
note that in orthodox Christian theology, this must be treated the
same as Jesus being tortured to death" (231). Again Paul Marshall is
right. For when our Lord Jesus addressed the Pharisee Saul as he was
on the road to Damascus to persecute and torture Christians there, He
asked him: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" And when Saul
responded by asking, "Who are You, Lord?" the answer came back: "I am
Jesus, whom you are persecuting" (Acts 9: 4-5). Should we do nothing
when we see our Lord Jesus "imprisoned, raped, sold into slavery, and
tortured to death"?
But is it really true? Marshall's book does not refer to any
persecution taking place in our own country at the present time,
although we can be sure there is some. Rather, he circles the globe
and gives us authentic reports of what is going on. In Sudan, Iran,
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Egypt Christians are being persecuted and
killed by Muslim fanatics in power. The section on Sudan is especially
horrifying. "Non-Muslims are given the choice of converting to Islam
or being denied food, clothing, and shelter. The unconverted are left
to die, naked in the blazing sun" (21).
The holy book of Islam, the Koran, does not teach such cruelty.
"Historically, other religions of the book, Christians and Jews, were
allowed to continue their religious practices within Islam provided
they accepted dhimmi status -- a protected position that was also
distinctly second-class" (42). One of the biggest problems for
Christians today, however, is that those who are Muslims cannot ever
legally leave Islam. "People who want to leave Islam can face death.
In some situations, if they refuse to return to the fold, they may be
killed -- by anyone -- with impunity" (43).
Christians also face serious persecution in those countries that are
controlled by Communists: China, Vietnam, Cuba, and North Korea in
particular. In these countries the Christians are not usually put to
death, but they are worn down by continual discrimination and
repression.
Christians are also persecuted to some extent in those countries whose
populations are predominantly Buddhist or Hindu: India, Nepal, Sri
Lanka, Mongolia, Bhutan, Burma or Myanmar, and Cambodia. Because of
our association with the Church of the Lutheran Confession of India
(CLCI) and the Bharath Evangelical Lutheran Church (BELC), also in
India, we are especially interested in how Christians are being
treated in India. Paul Marshall refers to the growing power of the BJP
(Bharatiya Janata Party), the largest Hindu political party. He says
that this party is "a threat to India's twenty-five million
Christians." Persecution of Christians in India, he says, generally
takes three forms: "discrimination, especially against lower caste
Christians; restrictions on changing one's religion or talking to
people about changing one's religion; persecution and communal
violence directed against Christians, who are often accused of
undermining Hinduism" (100). Let us pray that our Lord God will
continue to bless the work of our Christian brothers and sisters in
India and deliver them from persecution if it is His will or
strengthen them in spite of persecution if that is His will.
Marshall's book includes a chapter on Christians being persecuted by
other Christians. Some of the Orthodox churches of Russia and Eastern
Europe have a long history of making life difficult for those
Christian groups not associated with the official state church, that
is, the Orthodox Church. Some of the "evangelical" groups that are now
trying to establish themselves in Russia face restrictions of one kind
or another.
Adherents of the Roman Catholic Church, likewise, have made life
difficult at times for non-Catholics in South America and Central
America, and especially in Mexico at the present time. "On September
11, 1994, the Evangelical Covenant Church in San Pablo Yaganiza was
raided during Sunday worship and church members were driven out and
beaten. The evangelical pastors in the area have all received death
threats, church members have had their water and drainage services cut
off and farm animals taken" (139-140). Many such examples are reported
in this book.
There is even one country predominantly Lutheran, Estonia, that has
restricted religious efforts by other religious groups, such as the
Roman Catholics and the Russian Orthodox.
One of the most revealing chapters in this book is Marshall's
discussion of American apathy in response to all of this persecution
of Christians in the world. What are the reasons for this apathy? One
reason is that news reporters in general do not consider religion,
especially the Christian religion, an important element in modern
life. Another reason, as stated by the Reverend David Stravers, vice
president of the Bible League: "American Christians for the most part
are not interested in anything that happens outside the boundaries of
the United States, and in many cases outside the boundaries of their
own little community" (152).
A third reason is that American Christians cannot really fathom what
it is like to be persecuted for their faith and therefore refuse to
believe that persecution is taking place elsewhere.
Paul Marshall lists some other reasons for American apathy:
My conclusion is that I think it would be good for all of us to read
Marshall's book or another like it and seriously consider what is
going on in the world, and how Christians are faring. Then the least
we can do is pray regularly for the Christians who are being
persecuted and tortured and killed for their confession of Christ.
Then we can go on to getting ourselves more informed particularly w
Is Your Head In The Clouds?
John K. Pfeiffer
Family Life Under Christ
Stephen C.F. Kurtzahn
Genesis 2:21-24: And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on
Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the
flesh in its place. Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from
man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. and Adam
said: "This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She
shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."
Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined
to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
Ephesians 6:4: And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to
wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
Ephesians 6:1-3: Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this
is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first
commandment with promise: that it may be well with you and you may
live long on the earth.
Matthew 5:13-16: You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt
loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for
nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are
the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be
hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on
a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let
your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works
and glorify your Father in heaven.
I'm but a stranger here, Heaven is my home;
Earth is a desert drear, Heaven is my home.
Danger and sorrow stand round me on every hand;
Heaven is my fatherland; Heaven is my home.
Letting their fingers do the walking through the Christian Yellow
Pages, [people] could buy a car from a born again dealer, get their
taxes prepared by a devout CPA, get their necks uncricked by
Christian chiropractors, consult Christian lawyers for Christian
divorces, purchase their fashions from a Revelation outlet, get
their carpets cleaned by a Christian operated hydro-steam unit,
have their coiffures trimmed at Hair After, have their pools
cleaned by New Life Pool Maintenance, have their drains unclogged
by Agape Plumbing, and get their pests fumigated by Golden
Exterminators, Inc.
A Comparison of PRASSO and POIEO as Used With Reference to Sinning
(Galatians 5:21). Does the Former Prohibit Entrance Into the Kingdom
of God?
Vance Fossum
++ "(***) brings out more the object and end of an act, (***)the
means by which this object is attained" (361).
++ "The idea of continuity and repetition of action is inherent in
(***) = 'agere' or 'gerere,' 'handeln,' 'to practice'; but not
necessarily in (***) = 'facere,' 'machen,' which may very well be
the doing once and for all; the producing and bringing forth
something which being produced has an independent existence of its
own; as (***) (***), of a woman, (***) (***), of a tree; in the
same way, (***) (***), to make peace, while (***) (***) is no more
than to negotiate with the view to peace" (361).
++ "'(***),' in the words of a recent German scholar, 'ist die
geshaeftige, (***) die schaffende Taetigkeit'" ('(***)' is the
busy, (***) the productive action') (362).2
++ "It is not to be denied that very often where the words assume an
ethical tinge, the inclination makes itself felt to use (***) in a
good and (***) in an evil sense" (363).
Romans 7:14-25 Galatians 5:16-25
An objective, doctrinal A subjective, practical
setting(justification) setting (sanctification)
Acknowledges the battle Acknowledges the battle
between flesh and spirit between flesh and spirit
Tells "how it is"! Tells, not only "how it is,"
but "how it should be."
Emphasis: We are engaged Emphasis: We are engaged
in a spiritual warfare, in a spiritual warfare,
where the flesh often but as Christians we "have
wins so that we fall re- crucified the flesh with
peatedly into sin, and its passions and desires."
are saved from this "body of death" only through
So let us "walk by spirit" the mercy and redemption
that we may not fulfill the that is in Christ Jesus.
lust of the flesh.
1 In his commentary on 2 Corinthians, J.P. Meyer states that Paul
"has in mind the practice and attitude of a man, whether he was
motivated by faith, or by the opinio legis." With this, I can agree.
I believe he goes too far, however when he writes: "'A (***) does
not refer to the individual good or bad deeds, but to the spirit in
which a man's life is conducted" (Ministers of Christ, 87; emphasis
added).
2 In Acts 26:9-10 we have an example of this distinction, I believe:
"Indeed, I myself thought I must do (***) many things contrary to
the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I also did (***) in Jerusalem,
and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received
authority from the chief priests . . ."
Gambling -- Win or Lose, YOU LOSE
Bruce Naumann
* Legalized gambling increased 3,200 percent between 1974 and 1995,
from $17 billion to $550 billion in revenues.
* In 1995, more money was spent on casino gambling than was spent
on movie tickets, theater, opera and concerts combined.
* 23 states allow casino gambling, either by native American tribes
or commercial interests.
* 37 states and the District of Columbia have a lottery.
* Every state except two (Hawaii and Utah) allows some form of legal
gambling.
* Coveting is plainly forbidden by God's Word.
* The desire to gain what others (not you) have worked for is nothing
else than coveting.
* Gambling (as defined above) always involves this enticement to gain
from the losses of others. If it did not, no one would play.
* Therefore, gambling (as defined above) always involves the sinful
desire called "coveting," whether the participant's conscience tells
him so or not.
(Colossians 3:5) "Therefore put to death your members which are on
the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and
covetousness, which is idolatry."
(1 Corinthians 10:24) "Let no one seek his own, but each one the
other's well-being."
(Proverbs 28:19-22) "He who tills his land will have plenty of
bread, But he who follows frivolity will have poverty enough! A
faithful man will abound with blessings, But he who hastens to be
rich will not go unpunished. . . A man with an evil eye hastens
after riches, And does not consider that poverty will come upon
him."
(1 Timothy 6:9-10) "Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation
and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men
in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all
kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their
greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
(1 Thessalonians 4:10-12) "We urge you, brethren, that you increase
more and more; that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind
your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded
you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and
that you may lack nothing."
(Hebrews 13:5) "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content
with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, 'I will never
leave you nor forsake you.'"
A. To provide for one's own needs and for the needs of the family
(1 Tim. 5:8). "But if anyone does not provide for his own, and
especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith
and is worse than an unbeliever. "
B. To support the work of the gospel (2 Cor. 9:6-7). "But this I
say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who
sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give
as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for
God loves a cheerful giver."
C. To help others in need (Heb. 13:16). "But do not forget to do
good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased."
D. To pay taxes (Rom. 13:6-7). "For because of this you also pay
taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this
very thing. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes
are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom
honor."
Some think the Bible does not speak about gambling at all; therefore
the church should not attempt to teach right and wrong regarding it.
Others think that gambling is almost always a sin against the
seventh commandment, a form of stealing; therefore it should be
soundly condemned. In between are the majority, we think, who see
gambling as an adiaphoron. Therefore the individual Christian may
make his or her own decision regarding it, depending upon the
circumstances . . . to say "gambling is sinful" is a blanket
statement difficult to prove from Scripture in all situations.
(Rom. 12:2) "And do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what
is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
1 Statistics cited from the National Coalition Against Legalized
Gambling (NCALG) Internet Resource Center -- www.ncalg.org
2 From The New Encyclopedia Britannica, 5:104, "Micropaedia."
3 From the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling (NCALG)
Internet Resource Center -- www.ncalg.org
4 NCALG.
5 Interestingly, the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS), which is a
sister church body to the WELS, disagrees with this conclusion. In
the June, 1997 edition of the Lutheran Sentinel, Prof. John Molstad
writes, "In our ELS Explanation of Dr. Martin Luther's Small
Catechism, we find this comment: 'We get our neighbor's money or
goods in a dishonest way by such sins as cheating, gambling,
bribing, overcharging, giving false measure, and filing false tax
returns.' ... This writer continues to stand on the Scriptures and
feels that 'recreational gambling' is improper, just as the gambling
condemned by the church in ages past."
P A N O R A M A
The Only Honest Liberal?
Stephen C.F. Kurtzahn
1 Ecumenical News International article, March 23, 1998, reprinted in
Christian News, March 30, 1998, 23.
2 CN.
3 CN.
4 Quoted in Christian News, March 30, 1998, 1.
5 CN.
6 Now referred to as the "new theology" or the "new thinking" in such
publications as What's Going on Among the Lutherans? by Patsy A.
Leppien and J. Kincaid Smith ( Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing
House, 1992, 15).
7 Examples of such ELCA apostacy:
"Today it is impossible to assume the literal historicity of all
things recorded. What the biblical authors report is not accepted
as a literal transcript of the factual course of events. Therefore,
critical scholars inquire behind the text and attempt to
reconstruct the real history that took place" (Carl E. Braaten,
Christian Dogmatics, 2 vols., eds., Carl E. Braaten and Robert W.
Jensen, Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1984, 1:77, quoted in Leppien/
Smith, 56). Christian Dogmatics is the primary dogmatics text in
ELCA seminaries today.
"... the story of the descent of the Son of God to earth and his
ascent into heaven cannot be taken literally. The question is
whether the meaning of the myth of the incarnation can be saved
without taking it literally yet without getting rid of its mythic
structure" (Braaten, 1:529, quoted in Leppien/Smith, 90).
"But what does it mean to speak of Jesus as 'divine'? Does not this
word call for some interpretation? Theologians today are concerned
to interpret the divinity of Jesus in a manner which avoids turning
him into a bizarre, mythological creature who contains both a divine
and a human nature" (Paul Jersild, Invitation to Faith, Minneapolis:
Augsburg, 1978, 100, quoted in Leppien/Smith, 99).
BOOK REVIEWS
In addition to my introduction to nuclear propulsion comes the
introduction to the conditional grace taught by many religious
faiths. Conditional grace is a false teaching of deeds that a
person must do to receive the grace of God; but grace is a largess,
an unearned, generous gift. I begin to study more than simply
nuclear related material; I study so that I might learn why I
believe what I believe. One of my roommates ... is one such
example of this teaching. He is certain that he must remove
himself from even moderate consumption of alcohol in order to
receive the grace of God, but the restriction that he alone
places upon himself is too much for him to bear. He then hurls
his belief to the other extremity shown by his drunkenness and
disobedience of a base rule by storing alcohol in our room.
If you were to ask me ten years ago the classic question that D.
James Kennedy asks in Evangelism Explosion -- you're standing
before Jesus and he says, "Why should I let you into my kingdom?"
how would you answer? -- I would have been one of those who said,
"Because I have been striving to be the best man I can be." That's
how I would have answered ten years ago. Of course now I would
give a totally different answer, because it's Christ's
righteousness imputed to me (106).
The popularity of health and wealth theology that teaches that
living a Christian life leads to prosperity, not persecution;
The confusion of Christianity with American patriotism; An
obsession with prophecy of future events; A desire to keep all
funds for our own American projects; A lack of information.