Repentance And The Material Principle

Modern day Turkey occupies most of what was once the Roman province of Asia. It is also known as Anatolia.This is the area between the Mediterranean and the Black seas. It was the meeting point between the continents of Asia and Europe and the crossroads for migrating people and armies. The western part of Asia Minor holds the site of the seven churches to which John addresses seven letters. By the end of the first century there were more than seven churches in that area. From Paul's letters we know of other cities in that area hosting congregations of Christians. John's seven include Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. Beside these Paul writes to Colossae and Hieropolis. Within these cities there would be many smaller congregations of believers.

John starts with the church in Ephesus:

'The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. "'I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.' - Rev 2:1-7 ESV

The Lord Jesus commends the christians in Ephesus. They did good. They refused to bear with those who are evil. They tested the false apostles. It took a lot of work and an equal amount of perseverance to sort out the truth from the lies. This is the kind of work that still must go on today as we are bombarded from all directions by the media, TV, books, Tweets, letters and so forth. John gives some guidelines on how to do just this. In his epistle he writes,

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. - 1Jo 4:1-3 ESV

This is often called the material principle or the central teaching of the Christian faith.  It points to the faith that says that Jesus is both God and man, the promised Messiah, the Christ. He came among mankind to offer His holy life as the sacrificial payment for the sins of all men. And we are now justified in God's eyes through faith in Christ alone.

The Ephesian christians did the work of sorting through the teachings of false apostles. But they had abandoned the love they once had. Apparently they went beyond this first work and began to be suspicious of one another, dividing into camps. Paul writes about such an approach in Corinth:

For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, "I follow Paul," or "I follow Apollos," or "I follow Cephas," or "I follow Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? - 1Co 1:11-13 ESV

 And later, he writes,

. . . for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not being merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building. - 1Co 3:3-9 ESV 

Divisions and quarrels like this still go on among us Christians. We continually need the Lord's admonition to repent, to rethink and to change the direction in which our lives are moving. This work of repentance is difficult. It requires humility. In John's words again,

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. - 1Jo 1:5-10 ESV

The first of Luther's famous 95 theses posted on the door of the Wittenberg church reads,

When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said "repent," he intended that the entire life of believers should be repentance. 

The Ephesian christians, like all of us, needed to learn this basic truth. But there was one thing for which the Lord did commend them: they hated the works of the Nicolaitans. Who were they? We do not know for certain. It may refer to a certain sect that followed the teachings of Nicolaus ("he who conquers people"). Was Nicolaus one of the seven chosen to care for the widows in Jerusalem (Acts 6:5)? We do not know. What we do know is that this sect taught contrary to the inspired teachings of the Apostles. What we also know is that each congregation must be constantly repenting, rethinking and re-evaluating her teachings and the teachings of those leading them—yet humbly and with patient endurance. Luke joins John as he writes about the Berean believers:

Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. - Acts 17:11 ESV

We all do well to heed these words, as John says in concluding his short letter to Ephesus:

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.' - Rev 2:7 ESV (see also Gen. 2:9; 3:22-24; Rev. 22:14,19)

The Christian's Whole Life Is One Of Repentance

When I read the 10th chapter of Hebrews I notice something peculiar, something that needs to be explained. The author emphasizes again that Christ's sacrifice is a once-for-all act that can never again be repeated. He quotes Psalm 40, words written by David about the Messiah who would be his descendant:

"Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart." - Psa 40:7-8 ESV

Jesus is that Messiah, the Christ. His will was to do the will of His Father. Submitting to that will He offered Himself as that final sacrifice. Note then that the Hebrews author says this,

And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. - Hbr 10:10 ESV

". . . we have been sanctified . . ." It is an accomplished act. It is a deed of the past, completed by Christ for us. Sanctified means that we belong to the Father. We are holy in His sight, made sinless before Him, totally and completely forgiven. He has and does pronounce us forgiven. This is what the Apostle Paul wrote as well.

But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. - 1Cr 6:11 ESV

When we by faith accept what Christ has completed for us we are cleansed, set aside as God's children and declared just. So far so good—and what a wondrous good it is. But now note what the writer says:

For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. - Hbr 10:14 ESV 

 See the shift? First the act is done, part of the past. But now a couple sentences later he speaks about the present, using a participle to describe a process, being sanctified. In other words, he is telling us that we must still deal with our enemies, our sinful flesh, the world in which we live and the demonic empire ruled by Satan, the god of this world. Luther wrote about this in the 95 theses for disputation he posted on the door of the church in Wittenberg on Oct. 31, 1517. They begin like this:

Luther's 95 Theses in Latin

1. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said Poenitentiam agite, willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance.
2. This word "repentance" cannot be understood to mean sacramental penance, i.e., confession and satisfaction, which is administered by the priests.
3. Yet it means not inward repentance only; nay, there is no inward repentance which does not outwardly work divers mortifications of the flesh.
4. The penalty, therefore, continues so long as hatred of self continues; for this is the true inward repentance, and continues until our entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

The Gospel is the good news that forgiveness is ours and remains ours because of Christ, but Christ has willed that we struggle with our sinful nature throughout the remainder of our life, ever acknowledging and despising sin and disobedience and turning again to God in faith, trusting again and again that our sins are truly forgiven for the sake of Christ and Christ alone.

More on this life of repentance and penance next time. 

Time To Build On The Foundation

A friend told me a few days ago that he had purchased a book on framing. He is planning to help his son with a backyard building project and hopes that the book will give him further insight into this task. I wished him good luck and told him I would be quite useless in this regard. I also asked him what kind of foundation they would be building upon. He said they were using concrete pilings instead of pouring a concrete foundation. I smiled and again wished him well, because I have no skill in laying a basic foundation, let along going beyond that to the task of framing the building.

The apostolic writer of the Hebrews uses the analogy of building to describe the Christian's life. Time to get beyond the foundation, he writes.

Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. - Hbr 6:1-3 ESV

Notice his use again of the word therefore. That word comes up again and again and again. He makes a point and then builds upon it, like a master framer. Its almost as if he's saying, "Time to put up another stud or building stone in this building. Or did you forget that we've already worked on the foundation?

Notice his seven points (BTW, seven is always a critical number in the Bible) :

1. leave the elementary doctrine of Christ
2. repentance from dead works
3. faith toward God
4. instruction about washings
5. the laying on of hands
6. the resurrection of the dead
7. eternal judgment

1. The elementary doctrine of Christ is where we start, the beginning, the foundation upon which we build—and in this case our entire future, not merely an earthly shelter or house. So a quick comment on each of his points. And always keep in mind that he's talking about something dynamic, living—your personal relationship with God. He's saying again, "Time to grow up! Time to move on toward the plan and purpose God has for your life. That's what should be happening if you have a true and alive relationship with Jesus as your Savior."

2. Repentance from dead works. Are you still there trying to prove yourself to God? Are you still desperately hoping that He will overlook your past failings? So often, for instance, we try to get God's attention by sending a big check to some homeless shelter. I personally get so disgusted by the tactics of some of those places. One sent me a bright shiny dime pasted to a card, as if to tell me that I have to add to this and send some more money. Otherwise I'm not a good Christian. I threw the whole letter, dime and all into the trash. I will NOT be shamed into proving that I'm a follower of Jesus Christ. I will not!

3. Faith toward God. Faith is not the mere gathering of information. It is not an intellectual exercise. I read that even the demons believe (James 2:19). James' point is that their lives are not transformed and changed. They remain in rebellion. They remain centered upon themselves. They continue to use others and care nothing about the harm they are doing. Like their leader, Satan himself, they simply devour you, eat you up and move on (1 Peter 5:8). Plenty of examples of people like that in the Bible, people who act like the demons. Jesus points us to the Pharisees

who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation." - Mar 12:40 ESV

The Apostle Paul warns,

But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. - Gal 5:15 ESV 

4. Instruction about washings. My oh my, but the Old Testament is packed full of instructions about ablutions or washings of face, feet, hands, babies, clothes, floors, ones entire body, food, when to wash, how to wash and on and on and on. Read, for instance, the list of things that Aaron and his sons were to do as they went about their duties as priests  (Exodus 29-30; 40:12; Leviticus 1:9-13; 6:27; 11:25-40,  Numbers 19:19, etc.). The list seems endless. What was it all about anyway? We'll be getting to it later in this letter (Hebrews 9:9-10). Basically all these washings were parables, symbols, proverbs, illustrations. They were not ways by which God's wrath over sin was appeased. There is but ONE WASHING (or baptism if you prefer the Greek word): the washing of Jesus to which we were joined when water was poured over us. Paul puts it this way:

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. - Rom 6:4-5 ESV

5. Laying on of hands. This is not and never has been something that has to do with receiving supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit as those of us in the charismatic movement talk so much about. The key to unlocking this reference is the Day of Atonement in the annual liturgy of the Old Testament people. We read about sin, blood, the death of goats and bulls on that Day in great detail in Leviticus 16. A bull had to die. A goat had to die. Then the blood of the bull and goat were sprinkled on the horns of the altar all around. Then a remaining goat was sent out into the wilderness, to Azazel, after Aaron had laid his hands on it.

"And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat. And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness. - Lev 16:20-22 ESV

All this pointed very vividly to Jesus who was dragged out of the city to shed His blood for us all.

6. The resurrection of the dead. When Jesus went to the grave site of his dear friend Lazarus, Martha confessed her faith in the Biblical teaching that the dead shall rise on the last day. Some like the Sadducee party denied this teaching, but it is clearly taught in many places. Some believers worry that on that Great Day we will have somehow prove our worthiness, somehow give evidence that we've lived a good enough life after our Baptism so that we may be allowed into heaven. But that is not so for us believers. For us all is completed, finished, over, done, complete, even as Jesus said, "It is finished"(John 19:30). Our sins have been atoned for by Jesus' death on the cross and we have already been raised with Christ. We now await the completion of this great wonder. So Paul teaches,

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. - Col 3:1-4 ESV

7. Eternal judgment. This is a continuation of theWord's teachings about the resurrection. Jesus spoke about that final Day when the angels will gather all mankind to stand before His throne and then the sheep and goats will be separated. This too was clearly taught in the Old Testament.

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. - Ecc 12:13-14 ESV

All this is foundation stuff. It is the beginning. Lets not go back again and again and again to these basics. This is kids' stuff. It is time to move on, time to do some framing of this building. We have the Book and in that Book is this great letter. Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings and move on.

The Ashes of Ash Wednesday

Today Christians around the world begin the 40 days journey leading to Holy Week, Good Friday and on to Easter and the celebration of Christ's resurrection. This day has a very strange name, Ash Wednesday. It is a day when many worshippers gather to have their foreheads marked with the sign of the cross by ashes. The ashes are from burning the palms of the previous year's Palm Sunday celebration.

When and how did this strange practice begin? The Bible refers to the use of ashes as a sign of repentance or despair. The LORD commanded Jeremiah to call the people of his day to repent lest they suffer disaster and ruin for their idolatry and greed. Inevitable judgment is coming, he says. Then you will truly feel sorrow and pain.

O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth, and roll in ashes; make mourning as for an only son, most bitter lamentation, for suddenly the destroyer will come upon us. - Jer 6:26 ESV

The best example of true repentance is found in the book of Jonah. After he had been vomited from the belly of the great fish who swallowed him during a storm at sea, Jonah finally went to Nineveh to command the people to repent. Word of his preaching reached the king of Nineveh . . .

. . . and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish." - Jon 3:6-9 ESV

In the New Testament we hear Jesus proclaim sackcloth and ashes as signs of repentance.

"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. - Mat 11:21-22 ESV

More about the actual history of this practice is found in the American Catholic website.

Despite all these references in Scripture, the use of ashes in the Church left only a few records in the first millennium of Church history. Thomas Talley, an expert on the history of the liturgical year, says that the first clearly datable liturgy for Ash Wednesday that provides for sprinkling ashes is in the Romano-Germanic pontifical of 960. Before that time, ashes had been used as a sign of admission to the Order of Penitents. As early as the sixth century, the Spanish Mozarabic rite calls for signing the forehead with ashes when admitting a gravely ill person to the Order of Penitents. At the beginning of the 11th century, Abbot Aelfric notes that it was customary for all the faithful to take part in a ceremony on the Wednesday before Lent that included the imposition of ashes. Near the end of that century, Pope Urban II called for the general use of ashes on that day. Only later did this day come to be called Ash Wednesday.

At first, clerics and men had ashes sprinkled on their heads, while women had the sign of the cross made with ashes on their foreheads. Eventually, of course, the ritual used with women came to be used for men as well.

In the 12th century the rule developed that the ashes were to be created by burning palm branches from the previous Palm Sunday. Many parishes today invite parishioners to bring such palms to church before Lent begins and have a ritual burning of the palms after Mass.

Lutherans accept this history as their own and so many parishes follow the same practice.

Joel Osteen: Modern Christianity Without Christ

Like so many other critics I have profound difficulty with the deceptive teachings of prosperity preachers like Joel Osteen. I fully agree with Dr. Michael Horton of the White Horse Inn in his evaluation of Osteen's new book "Become A Better You" for which Osteen got a multi-million dollar book contract. Horton's assessment:

"Make no mistake about it, behind all of the smiles, there is a thorough-going religion of works-righteousness: "God's plan for each of our lives is that we continually rise to new levels. But how high we go in life, and how much of God's favor and blessings we experience, will be directly related to how well we follow His directions." God "is waiting for your obedience so He can release more of His favor and blessings in your life...My question to you is: How high do you want to rise? Do you want to continue to increase? Do you want to see more of God's blessings and favor? If so, the higher we go, the more disciplined we must be; the quicker we must obey." "You don't get the grace unless you step out. You have to make the first move. God will see that step of faith and He'll give you supernatural strength to help you overcome any obstacles standing in the way of doing the right thing...Remember: How high you go in life will be directly related to how obedient your are."

How absolutely in contrast to what the Bible teaches about repentance, faith, grace and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Even TIME Magazine called him a prosperity preaching wolf.

Most unnerving for Osteen's critics is the suspicion that they are fighting not just one idiosyncratic misreading of the gospel but something more daunting: the latest lurch in Protestantism's ongoing descent into full-blown American materialism.

To be sure, the Bible does promise victory and hope, but not in the way Osteen proclaims it.

Let's take a look at what Isaiah, the true prophet of God, has to say.

On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. It will be said on that day, "Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation." - Isa 25:6-9 ESV

The prophet presents us with an astounding vision, a vision that grew out of an era of devastation and destruction. The glory days of King David and his son Solomon were gone, gone, gone. Step by step the worship of idols, greed, pride, jealousy and hate divided the great kingdom of Israel into minor, warring northern and southern states. Weakened by internal strife, the chosen people became a wide open prize for Babylon, the rising world power to the northeast. Because of Israel's widespread apostasy and disobedience, the LORD had withdrawn His loving hand of protection. Towards the end of the seventh century before Christ, both kingdoms ceased to exist. Those who survived the destruction of their homes and villages and the mass murder of their families were dragged off into slavery by the rapacious Babylonians.  The prophet Jeremiah pronounced God's judgment upon them:

This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. Then after seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, declares the LORD, making the land an everlasting waste. - Jer 25:11-12 ESV

A glimmer of hope out there in the future, but for generation after generation they had to face the loss of everything. Psalm 137 describes it well.

By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion.
On the willows there we hung up our lyres.
For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"
How shall we sing the LORD's song in a foreign land? - Psa 137:1-4 ESV

How could both Jeremiah and Isaiah offer hope to these helpless slaves? Was it because they had suddenly started doing the right thing? Was it because they now made a decision to become disciplined and ready to follow God's directions? Was it because they realized they were as far down as they could ever be and so finally decided to go higher? Was the promise of feasting on rich food and fine wine their's if only they had the internal guts to reach for it? Would tears and hate become a thing of the past if only they claimed the victory? Was God only waiting for their obedience so that He could release His favor and blessings into their lives?

How absolutely, totally and radically stupid a thing to say and to teach! In my next post I want to help you to understand that repentance, remorse and contrition for disobedience follow from and flow out of God's grace. God's grace, mercy and blessings are not, cannot and will not ever be a result of our decisions. We can make no bargains with Him. As the blessed Apostle John says,

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. -       1John 4:18-19 ESV

But more on this next time.

Calmly Preparing for the New Year

When David fled the anger of King Saul, some men joined him "who understood the times" (1 Chronicles 12:32). We would all like to have such men around, especially as we move into another new year.

Jesus challenged the crowds who followed him to interpret the signs. He told them that when they see a cloud rising in the west, they say, "It's going to rain," and it does. In the same way they interpreted a south wind to be a sign that it was going to be hot. We in our day are much more sophisticated at forecasting the weather, but like the people of Jesus' day, we not good at interpreting and understanding the times (Luke 12:54-56). Why not? Perhaps it is because we have not adequately prepared ourselves.

As we move into the new year with a desire to understand the times, here's a Biblical way to prepare yourself. John the Baptist called upon the people of his day to "repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:2). To repent is to change your mind, to feel sorrow for your sins and turn away from them. The next step is to accept the forgiveness of sins offered to you in the Good News of Jesus Christ. You are to do this daily by 

• examining your heart in the light of the commandments. One commandment a day is sufficient to remind you that you have not loved your God with all your heart and soul and you certainly have not always loved your neighbors, friends and family as you love yourself. 

• recalling the Good News of God's love in Christ, as the Psalmist puts it, "The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18). 

• returning to your Baptism, even as St. Paul says, "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life" (Romans 6:4). 

Now you are ready to read the paper, look at the internet or listen to TV to learn what is going on in this world. As you do you will recall that the world about us—at all levels—is at enmity with God. It is full of hypocrisy, false idols and deception. In the midst of this, you will wait on the LORD. He will reveal His will and plan for your life, just as He did to the shepherds and the Magi who knelt before the Child of Bethlehem. He will post signs for you to read and to follow. He will close paths He does not want you to travel. 

Here are some Psalm verses from God's Word to guide you prepare to enter this new year. 

• But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God. My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me. Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love" (Psalm 31:14-16).

• Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law (teaching) of the LORD and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers" (Psalm 1:1-3). 

Do not be afraid, then, of anything that the new year holds, for you are a child of God in Christ and when Christ returns you will dwell with Him and His family in ages without end. Until that day, carry on. The best is yet to come.