In college, I remember taking a worship class with the professor who wrote our textbook. He would have us read it for homework, and then we would have classroom discussions and lectures. One day, during a discussion, I noticed he looked painfully frustrated, and a little mad. He put his hand on his face and said, “I can tell you guys aren’t reading the book based on this conversation! I don’t why I even wrote it sometimes.” “You aren’t reading the book.” In a sense, that is the Medieval Church and Reformation. Luther reformed the Church not with his own ideas, but did so with what he read in the Word of God. In fact, that is what he credits the Reformation with. In March of 1522, he says, “I opposed indulgences and all the opponents, but never with force. I simply taught, preached, and wrote God’s Word…I did nothing; the Word did everything….when we spread the Word alone and let it do the work, that distresses [Satan]. For it is almighty, and takes captive the hearts, and when the hearts are captured the work will fall of itself.” The Reformation was a movement found on, powered by, and guided from the Word. Today, as we celebrate the Reformation, we’ll look at a variety of texts that show Reformation, or should I say, scriptural, truths. They don’t come from Luther, but they come from the book where he got them, the Bible. We’ll see a TRUE righteousness by faith, a TRUE gift, and a TRUE certainty.
In Genesis 15, we see the first passage about faith in the Bible, and it comes from the story of Abraham. Just a few chapters back, Abraham receives his call to faith and seven promises that will come to fruition through His future seed/descendant, Jesus Christ. We see his flight to Egypt, rescue of Lot, and blessing by the priest Melchizedek. However, at this point, it has been many years since God made his initial promises to Abraham, and Abraham is discouraged. He wonders how God will keep His Word. So God comes to Abraham in a dream and says, “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” He comforts Abraham by reminding him that He will continue to bless and protect him. But that is not enough. Abraham tells God his struggle. “I am still childless, and Eliezer will inherit everything.” How will God keep His promise of providing an heir when he and his wife are in their 70s and 80s? How will keep His promise of providing the Messiah from Abraham’s line?
So God kindly takes Abraham outside, and shows him the stars in the sky above. He is going to give him a sign and promise. “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them…so shall your offspring be.” As sure as the stars are in the sky, so sure would God’s promise be. That promise of descendants would be fulfilled through that future promised seed, Jesus. Abraham resonates with this, and he puts his faith in that promised seed/descendant, and God’s Word. Then Moses tells us, “he believed the LORD, and He counted it to him as righteousness.”
Oftentimes, we might think that God’s Old Testament people were saved by keeping the Law, or we might not even know how they are saved. But God’s people have always been saved by faith in the Promised Messiah. Faith receives what God gives, and it receives His righteousness. Abraham gained a right standing with God not by what he had done, but by what his great descendant, Jesus, would do. Even though we find Abraham in the midst of sin, doubts, fears, and distress of soul, He is right with God through the future work of Jesus. Even though we find ourselves in the midst of sin, doubts, worries, fear, and distress, we too are right with God because of Jesus. We receive a TRUE righteousness by faith; we are right with God. This isn’t a thing Luther made up, but something he saw and found through the pages of Scripture. Since we receive this righteousness by faith, it leads to our next teaching: it is a TRUE gift.
We live in a world of distinctions, don’t we? Our lives revolve and operate around them. Take politics, for example. American politics is currently about what distinctions get you, or prevent you, from something. It is the quest to find out what distinctions should be in place for things like state insurance, rights, life, student loan forgiveness, stimulus checks, food stamps, housing assistance, tax breaks or tax increases, scholarships, opportunities, and other assistance. Don’t we see this in our work lives, too? Distinctions are made based on performance, education/degrees, skills, experience (past or present), your spot on the totem pole, if you are the boss’ favorite or whipping boy, your role/importance, or seniority. And we can see and make distinctions in our personal lives, too. We can make distinctions based on who we are related to, if someone has the same likes or dislikes as we do, if we are from the same area, or if we simply like the person or not! Distinctions are a part of every sphere in our lives…except for our spiritual one.
God makes no distinctions. That is what Paul tells us in Romans. “For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. We all have sinned: we are guilty and unholy. We all have fallen short of His glory: we are rejected before Him and under His wrath. We all carry something that separates us from God, something that draws death and judgment on us: sin. No one is better or worse in His eyes. No one is more wretched or less wretched. No one is more savable or less savable. No one is more deserving, or less deserving. We’re all the same in His eyes: miserable sinners who have utterly fallen short of what He expects and demands. There is no distinctions, there.
And there is no distinctions for grace, either. Jesus died for all, and so grace is available for all. Paul says, “For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace”. The word “to justify” means “to be declared righteous,” or “acceptable before God.” It can be helpful to picture a court room scene where a judge makes a verdict, like on Judge Judy or Judge Mathis. Jesus took our place under the Law, and took on our sin. On the cross, He bore the responsibility and blame for all our sinful actions. When God looked at Jesus on the cross, He said, “Guilty!” When God looks at us, He says, “Not guilty!” because of Jesus. In Christ, we are not guilty of our biggest regrets, our most ashamed secrets, the skeletons in our closet, the ghosts of our pasts, the hauntings of our worst words, and the dreadful work of our hands.
And this verdict comes “by His grace as a gift”. Since we have no claim or merit, it has to come as a gift. This gift has been purchased and paid for. It is wrapped in the Word and Sacraments. It is given freely, regardless of what we have done, or who are. God doesn’t care; He makes no distinctions. This true gift shows the wonders and extravagance of God’s love towards us. It shows His immense mercy and graciousness. The righteousness that comes by faith is a TRUE gift. And since it doesn’t depend on us, it leads us to the next teaching: it is TRULY certain, and gives TRUE certainty.
When you think about it, there is nothing that is certain in life (except death and taxes). Our provision isn’t certain: we could lose our job, the market could crash, prices can spiral out of control. Love isn’t certain: people change, people leave, people are finicky, and people are selfish. Life isn’t certain, either: who knows when our time on this earth could be up. It could be in a tragic car accident on your way home, or could come in another 30 years, as you take your last breath, surrounded by loved ones. Health isn’t certain, and neither is happiness. Happiness ebbs and flows, and it never lasts. Our situation can change overnight, or a chemical imbalance can create a life long depression and anxiety. Peace isn’t a guarantee, either; in fact, life has been rather tumultuous the last three years! Perhaps the only certainty is uncertainty. Jesus tackles that in the Gospel text for today.
Jesus talks about true freedom, and a true bondage, except, His hearers don’t understand. They think they are free, and always have been. They are blind to their true bondage to sin. To help them see that, He gives them an illustration. He says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.” In those days, the status and live of a slave was anything but certain. You could be bought and sold in a moment’s notice. You could be moved to a new location, or to a different master. Your place in the house was not guaranteed, nor even promised. It would be completely out of your control. A slave was never sure of their present or future status. Only a Son, or child, could be. Their place and status was secure.
And so Jesus says, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Talk about certainty! Only the Son, Jesus, can bring genuine freedom and make us children of God through faith, and He does. And since it is His Work, His righteousness, and His gift, it is absolutely certain. We don’t have to doubt or fear. We don’t have to worry or wonder. We get to live in the certainty as God’s redeemed children. That certainty that we have in Christ ripples out into every area of our life.
It ripples out to provision: we have a God who truly cares for us and provides us with our daily bread. It reaches out to love, where we have in Christ a God who loves us unconditionally, and will always. It ripples out to life: for in Christ, we have a tomorrow, whether in this life or the next. We have a certainty in health, for in Christ, a future healing is coming. Revelation 7 says, “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their Shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” In Christ, we have a certain joy, a joy that will not end, nor one that depends on my situation. And we see that this ripples out to stress and anxiety, for we have a Lord who invites us to trust in Him as He guides, protects, provides, and watches over us. We are invited to rest in hands greater than our own.
As we celebrate another Reformation, we continue to live in the book that started it all: Scripture. In it, we see a true righteousness by faith, that it is a true gift, and gives a true certainty.