144,000 Will Be Saved

In the historic liturgy, the Divine Service, the gathered congregation enters the presence of God by remembering the cleansing power of Holy Baptism. The worshippers make upon themselves the sign of the cross (†), remembering that this sign was made upon their heads and hearts during their baptism to mark them as those redeemed by Christ's death and washed clean in His blood.

Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin 

And be washed in the blood of the Lamb;

There’s a fountain flowing for the soul unclean,

Oh, be washed in the blood of the Lamb!

The Lamb pauses before opening the seventh seal of the scroll to unleash the terrifying judgments of God upon mankind. He pauses in order to comfort and strengthen the saints and to assure them that He will not forget them during the forthcoming terrors and tribulation. They will be rescued to stand before the throne of God to serve Him and He will shelter them with his presence forever.

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." - Rev 7:16-17 ESV

Ghent Altarpiece - Adoration of the Lamb of God

Who are these sealed servants and how many are they? They are . . .

. . .  a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" - Rev 7:9-10 ESV

God's mercy reaches out to a great multitude that no one could number! Cleansed of their sins and wearing the white robes of Christ's righteousness (Rev. 6:11), they wave their palm branches as did those who welcomed Jesus on the first Palm Sunday (John 12:12-13). He has heard their Hosanna pleas for salvation and rescue and answered them.  In joyful response they lift up their voices to cry, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb!"

In turn they are joined by the angels, elders and the four living creatures to worship God, saying,

"Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen." - Rev 7:12 ESV

 These are those sealed by the seal of the living God. The reference to a seal was well known to the Apostles and early Christians. Just as the Children of Israel received the sign or seal of circumcision to mark them as God's children (Rom 4:11), so God's New Testament children are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit as the guarantee that they will inherit the resurrection from the dead and life eternal with their heavenly Father (Eph 1:13-14; 2 Cor 1:22). They are the true Israel of God (Rom 9:6-16; Gal 6:15-16), saved from the foundation of the earth (1 Pet 1:17-21).

To emphasize and confirm God's eternal plan the Revelation uses the great symbol of the 144,000. This number symbolizes the totality of all believers in both the Old and New Testament times, all those redeemed by the blood of the Lamb

Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood - Rev 1:5 ESV  

And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, - Rev 5:9 ESV  

I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. - Rev 7:14 ESV

It would be a great mistake to literalize this number, contrary to the way numbers are used throughout the Revelation. The number 12 is used to name the 12 tribes of Israel. In turn Jesus chose 12 Apostles (Luke 6:12-16) to lead the new Israel. However note that in naming the 12 tribes of Israel here there are several peculiarities.

1. Judah is listed first rather than Reuben, the eldest of Jacob's sons. This is because the Messiah, the Christ, came from the tribe of Judah as foretold (Gen. 49:10; Heb 7:14). The Christ is the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev 5:5), the King of all kings and the Ruler of His people.  
2. The tribe of Dan is absent. This tribe turned to idolatry (Judges 17:1-18:31) and was eliminated. 
3. In order to complete the symbolical number 12, Manasseh, Joseph's firstborn (Gen. 41:50-51) is substituted.
4. Then, rather than Ephraim, Joseph's second son, the tribe of Joseph is listed (Rev 7:8).

Then the tribes multiply to become 144,000. That number stands for the perfect and complete number of God's people, the square of 12 (both OT and NT believers) multiplied by the cube of 10 (12 x 12 x 10 x 10 x 10). 

Thus believers in the Lamb throughout the 1,000 years of the Lamb's reign are comforted. More on that later (Rev. 20:2-7). 

Cautionary Words to Contemporary Worship Advocates

This past Sunday I was on vacation from my duties as Intentional Interim Pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, Tomball, TX. So I visited another "liturgical" church that I served as pastor some years back, before my retirement from full-time ministry. It has long been the custom of that congregation to print out the entire Divine Service for participants. One thing that struck me as I returned to that worship service and that practice. The Divine Service printed and handed out did not have the Biblical references noted for the various responses as does the Lutheran Service Book (LSB). Let me give you an example from Divine Service - Setting Three

The rubric (red lettered instructions) at the beginning reads: The sign of the cross + may be made by all in remembrance of their Baptism. 

Then follows the words by the Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
The Congregation responds: Amen.

In the LSB, off to the side side in small italics are two Biblical references: Matthew 28:19b [18:20]. 

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, - Mat 28:19 ESV

For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. - Mat 18:20 ESV 

The Biblical references are a reminder of two very important things for worshippers:

1. We who gather to worship are here because our God has called us out of the darkness of this world, gathered us to Himself and cleansed us with the blood of Jesus when we were baptized in the NAME shared by the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That sacred, ancient name was so revered by our ancient brothers and sisters of the tribes of Israel that they dared never to speak it aloud lest they break the commandment to keep it holy. We trans-literate it into our English language with four consonants: YHWH. Our translations of the O.T. follow the Hebrew practice and whenever the NAME appears in the Hebrew we have a translation of the Hebrew adonai. We translate adonai with the capitalized word LORD to remind ourselves that the Hebrew text in that place contains the sacred NAME.
2. So we are taught from the very beginning of the Divine Service that we approach the most holy God who has called, gathered and enlightened us by His grace. He cleansed us. He took us with Himself in His Baptism into death on the cross and then out of death into life eternal. This was all His doing. And yet we have sinned against Him. We have disobeyed His commands. We do not deserve to come into His presence. We have mocked His most holy grace. We are here in His presence. He is among us, but are we forgiven? We need assurance. We desperately need to know that we are welcome in His presence. 

This is why the Pastor, speaking in the NAME of the Triune God encourages us to come, using the very words of God as recorded in sacred Scripture: 

Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins unto God our Father, beseeching Him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness. 

The Biblical reference: Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. - Heb 10:22 ESV

Two more responses follow between the pastor and the congregation from Pss. 124 and 32. Then the congregants humbly confess their sins, acknowledging that they deserve punishment, both temporal and eternal, and begging for mercy for the sake of Christ's holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death.

AND THEN ! speaking as Christ's called representative, the pastor announces God's grace and forgives those gathered in the NAME of the triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Then—and only then—are the gathered believers emboldened to enter the Presence of God to be taught, admonished, encouraged and fed with His holy Word and the Sacrament of His Body and Blood.

The entire Divine Service—also known by its Latin name: the Mass— is thus built around the teaching and guidance of God's Word. Literally millions of believers have gathered together in this manner for two millennia—and still do, around the world. And before the coming of the Christ—Messiah—this worship has its roots in the gatherings of Israel and their temple.

Certainly within that framework there is room for a wide variety of musical styles and the artistic expressions of many sorts and kinds. But let those who would cast away the framework for what they call "contemporary" worship be very careful to consider the theology (the teaching about God) that they espouse, for the entire Divine Service is, by its very nature and construction, theology.

God's Call And The Response Of Faith

The Hebrews letter's author guides us next to Abraham, one of the most famous of all Biblical personages. Abraham's name occurs 233 times in 220 verses in the ESV. Abram, his original name, occurs 55 times in 47 verses. Abram means exalted father. He was the founder and father of the nation of Israel, the son of Terah, born in Mesopotamia. When called by God, he left and spent the remainder of his life in the land of Canaan with his flocks (cf. Genesis 12-25). Hebrews refers to this journey. There is much to learn from the life of Abraham (father of a multitude). We have room only for a very few thoughts.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. - Hebrews 11:8-10 ESV

What is the Call of God? And how do I know that I am hearing God call me?

The Greek word is the same as ours, but with slightly different letters—kaleō. So we read that both Mary and Joseph called their son Jesus as they had been so instructed by the angelic revelation (Matt. 1:21-25.) Later Matthew tells us that Jesus was called a Nazarene in fulfillment of prophecy (Matt. 2:23). The same use of the verb is found in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount when he says that the peacemakers shall be called sons of God and those who relax even one of the least of the commandments and so teaches will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. From these and other examples we conclude that the verb refers first to giving someone a name and then with that name a description of their destiny and blessing or curse. 

So it was with Abraham. Paul writes of how he received a new name and a new destiny. In some detail in his letter to the Romans Paul says that Abraham, the prime example of a man of faith, received circumcision as a seal—not as a result—of the righteousness he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. Paul's huge point is that faith is the critical factor, not circumcision as an act of obedience. Thus Abraham was pronounced and declared righteous as a gift of God's grace (Gen. 15:6) before and without circumcision. So he is 

. . . the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. - Rom 4:12 ESV

God does the calling, the naming and declaring. He called or declared Abraham righteous in His sight. God counted Abraham's faith as righteousness. Abraham believed the vision the LORD gave that the He would fulfill His promises to make Abraham's descendants as numerous as the stars above (Gen. 15:5). Abraham believed that the land of Canaan on which he sojourned would be the land in which those descendants would dwell. He believed all this even though he, Abraham, had no children and was already an old man. As such his name was still Ab-ram (exalted father). He was not yet named Ab-raham (father of a multitude).  But his name was indeed changed and with that name change came the promise.

Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, "Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Ab-ram, but your name shall be Ab-raham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God." - Gen 17:3-8 ESV

And the lesson for us? 

The LORD called you to faith if you believe in Jesus as the Christ and your Savior. This is the call He spoke in your baptism when He called you by name and declared you to be His child. In that call He declared you to be pure, clean and without sin. He declared you to have suffered the consequences of your sinning with His Son upon the cross of Calvary. He declared you forsaken and rejected along with Christ. He declared you dead. And then He declared you to be alive, risen with Christ. He declared that your life is already hidden with Christ in heaven. He declared that you will not die, but live and be given a new and eternal body. All this is yours when He called you His own in Baptism.

 

Consider what the Apostle writes to the Romans and to others about being baptized into Christ.

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 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 6:3-5 ESV

This does not exhaust the meaning of God's Call. But let it be sufficient for today. Consider your Call and rejoice. In my next posting I'll consider the LORD's Call as God directing and guiding our lives.

Baptism, The Life Of Repentance And Renewal

In my last post I noted that the writer of the Hebrews says that we have been sanctified through Christ's offering of his body—once for all—and also that we are being sanctified by that single offering, that single sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10-14 - ESV). In other words, God for Christ's sake has already declared us to be holy and pure, freed from all guilt for the sake of Christ. And yet we are sinners, carrying in our bodies the stain and impurity of our sinful human nature. Consequently we participate in that process of being made holy. How? How does this go on? How does the Holy Spirit bear witness to us that we are forgiven, that

our hearts are sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water? —Hebrews 10:22 - ESV

The answer lies within that very statement, for it points to our Baptism. The Apostle Peter writes about the water of Baptism. He shows us that Noah and his family were brought safely through the terrifying destruction of the ancient flood through water (Gen. 6:1-18). Then he continues, saying that Baptism corresponds to this act of deliverance. Baptism is the ark, if you will, that saves us. Or to be more accurate, the rescue of Noah and his family was a type or pattern of God's grace and mercy. He chose that family and so delivered them from the judgment that came upon all other men. Baptism is the anti-type of that deliverance, its counterpart. Here are Peter's words,

Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. - 1Pe 3:21-22 ESV

What then does God the Father keep saying to us in Baptism? Christ died for you. When he died, you died with him. I have accepted that sacrifice. As a sign and assurance of this I have raised up my Son, never to die again. He has gone into heaven. He is now at my right hand, with angels, authorities and powers subject to him. He rules over all things.

This is why the Apostles urge us to return again and again to Baptism, the Baptism of Christ into which we entered when water was sprinkled or poured upon us. Listen.

How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 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 6:2-5 ESV

 There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. - Eph 4:4-6 ESV

For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. - Gal 3:26-28 ESV

This is sweet comfort indeed. This is why day after day we return to Baptism, the Baptism of Jesus Christ and to the fact that we died with him and rose again on the third day. In Baptism our God has poured His grace out upon us without end. We are forgiven, forgiven, forgiven, day after day after day. We are the children of God, reborn with a new and an ever renewed hope. The Spirit of Christ has been poured out upon us. Our hearts are sprinkled clean. In Baptism we hear this good word over and over again. The Spirit reminds us that we are the church, the Bride of Christ and that

. . . Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. - Eph 5:25-27 ESV

So when your conscience attacks you, when Satan throws your guilt at you, when you begin to wither under the weight and power of your sin, return to Baptism, hear again the Spirit speaking to you, telling you what happened when Christ died and rose again. Hear, rejoice and begin anew to follow Jesus and live the life of Christ.

This, after all, is why Christians make the sign of the cross upon themselves, why they carry crosses over their hearts, around their necks and as rings on their fingers. This is the sign that was put upon our heads and hearts when we had the water of Baptism poured out upon us. We are the baptized children of God in Christ Jesus ! Alleluia!

Our Daily Prayer: Thy Will Be Done

It disturbs me to realize that my will is often opposed to God's will. Even the great Apostle Paul wrote in deepest humility about this fact as he said,

For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? - Rom 7:15-24 ESV

Find it to be a law? Always? Captive to the law of sin in my members? How can this be?

There are those among us Christians who claim to have conquered sin. They claim to be holy. Among Protestants this movement and set of convictions can be traced back over a hundred years to John Wesley, founder of Methodism, who called for Christian perfection. When you examine the teachings of holiness churches today it is not unusual to see statements such as these:

We believe In the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a holy life.

Likewise among Roman Catholics there is still the cult of saints, the belief that some Christians have attained to such Christian perfection in their walk with Christ that they may be called holy and without sin. They are the heroes of faith, if you will. Thus it is appropriate to ask these heroes to help us, assuming that they have special influence with the heavenly Father. And for their sakes, the Father intervenes, sometimes in a miraculous manner, bypassing the usual laws of nature.

Both ways of thinking are quite dangerous ways of approaching the Christian life. More needs to be said about these dangers another time.

For today we return to the LORD's prayer,

Our Father in heaven . . . Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven? 

Are we also not praying that He fill us with His Spirit and grant us the power and strength to submit our wills to His in all things? Are we not praying that He empower us to be holy, even as He is holy? And does He not hear our prayers? Indeed we are and indeed He does answer prayer. Do the so-called Catholic saints know what we do not? Do the holiness Christians have insights that we have overlooked?

Return to what Paul says to us: "I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand." This is what Paul means by the flesh that still dwelled within him and dwells within each of us even after the Holy Spirit has come to make His home within and give us a new birth in Christ Jesus (John 3:3-6). The Spirit empowers us to say yes! to Christ and to His sacrifice for us, but . . . the flesh remains. And within that sinful flesh there is ever the desire to reject the will of God and seek my own instead. Paul warns about this as he writes,

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. - Gal 6:7-9 ESV

We hear that Word. We ponder it in our prayers. And we strive to do good, believing that sowing to the Spirit will ultimately reap eternal life. But, but, but we fail again and again.

At that point it is ever and always important to remember that our good is good only because God is gracious and merciful in Christ, for none of our good is, in the strict sense of the term ever good! Even our so-called good deeds are infected by the imperfection of our sinful flesh. So Paul reminds us when he says,

"For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what  I keep on doing." 

This is why the entire life of us Christians is hidden in Christ, as Paul says,

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. - Col 3:3 ESV

And this is why we flee again and again to the truth given to us in Christ as taught by John,

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. - 1Jo 2:1-2 ESV

John knew himself. He knew us. Through his writing the Spirit warns that the flesh remains and that we will not be perfected until Christ returns to grant us a new body like His (Phil. 3:20-21). Hidden fleshly desires, ambitions and unbelief remain within even the most dedicated. Aware of the power of this law of sin that ever wages war with our reborn life in Christ, we return each and every day to our Baptism and to the wonder of what that means. Each day we remember that Christ and Christ alone is the complete and full atonement for all of our sins (1 John 2:1-2). When He died and was buried, we were buried with Him. And so we are certain that we who died with Him will be united with Him in the resurrection from the dead. In that faith we rise again each day to give battle to the sin that remains within us and in the world around us. And in that faith we find confidence, victory and hope in this day, as Paul also teaches,

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. - Rom 8:1-2 ESV

Begin each day then in peace and hope. Put your life into the hands of Jesus and live that day in the joy of your Baptism and under the guiding of His Spirit within. Tomorrow is in His hands.

The Duty Of Parents To Discipline Their Children

We're examining the sad fact that many children are abused by parents and loved ones. In that connection I want to take another look at what the Bible says about the training and discipline of children. Here are some proverbs to guide us.

Discipline your son, for there is hope; do not set your heart on putting him to death. - Prov 19:18 ESV 

Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him. Prov 22:15 ESV 

Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol. - Pro 23:13-14 ESV 

The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. ... Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart. - Prov 29:15, 17 ESV

In Deuteronomy Moses writes about discipline (yacar) as the duty of parents. He notes that sometimes parents may try everything they can to get a child to listen and understand in vain. Finally, if he will not listen to them, they may have no recourse other than to bring him to trial before the elders of the city. He continues,

. . . then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives, and they shall say to the elders of his city, 'This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.' Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear, and fear. - Deut 21:19-21 ESV

Solomon urges parents to discipline their son so he is not put to death by the courts. Sad to say, thousands of rebellious sons from those days until now have received the judgment of capitol punishment in spite of their parents' training and guidance. At times this happened because parents failed to discipline and train them. The Proverbs above point out why discipline is so important.

Folly (ivveleth) is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him. - Prov 22:15 ESV

This folly word is found frequently in the Proverbs. For instance,

He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray. - Prov 5:23 ESV 

The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down. 

A man of quick temper acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated.  

The crown of the wise is their wealth, but the folly of fools brings folly. - Prov 14:1, 17, 24 ESV 

Like it or not, the fact is that children inherit the sin and iniquity, the folly, of their parents. This is what David reflected upon after his own horrific sins of adultery and murder.

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. - Psa 51:5 ESV

Our Lord Jesus taught the same about our sinful human flesh.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. - John 3:6 ESV

The Lord was speaking, of course, about the rebirth that comes from the creative work of the Holy Spirit. It is critical that parents bring their children to be baptized and taught the Good News of Jesus. Through these means the Spirit gives also our children a second birth. That is the promise. And happy is the home where Jesus and the Spirit dwell in love and forgiveness.

But parents face another task. They must help their children to face up to their sin, the rebelliousness that remains in the hearts of us all. The battle to overcome this inherited old Adam or old Eve, the sin passed on from generation to generation, remains throughout life. It is for this reason that the proverbs says: "Folly (ivveleth) is bound up in the heart of a child . . ." The critical question then is how to deal with this fact. How do parents discipline and teach their children to confront their sins, admit them, ask for and receive forgiveness and recommit themselves to following Jesus' path of love? This is what the proverbs are all about, even when they speak about the rod of discipline.

In my next post I will say more about methodology, about the how of training children and point you to some resources.

Jesus Himself Descended Into Hell

So far we've examined the false teaching of purgatory as a place of cleansing and the fact that hell, like heaven, is eternal and without end. We've been reminded that only in Jesus Christ, God's Son, does God's mercy and justice meet. Jesus himself proclaimed this by his descent into hell itself after his death upon the cross and before his resurrection. The Apostle Peter describes that great event in his words of encouragement to those believers who were being persecuted, slandered and reviled because of their godly lives and good behavior in Christ.

For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. - 1Pe 3:17-22 ESV

What is he saying? He is telling us that the residents of hell will forever continue to reject God's mercy and choose their own delusions, despair and darkness instead. But we have our Baptism to cling to.

1. Christ suffered at the hands of evil men in order that he might return us to God. His death was for us. The righteous One suffered the sorrows of hell and death so that we may never be forsaken, but may forever be the forgiven and reconciled children of God (Matt. 27:46).   
2. When he had completed his sacrificial work upon the cross, he committed his spirit into the hands of his heavenly Father (Luke 23:46). Joseph of Arimathea then placed Jesus' lifeless body into Joseph's previously unused tomb (Luke 23:50-53). 
3. While his body lay in Joseph's tomb, Jesus, "made alive in the spirit," went "in spirit" to the spirits in prison (Acts 22:4; 26:10). Why were they locked up, imprisoned? And who were they? They were the millions who lived before the great flood in the days of Noah (Gen. 6:3-13). They all had rejected the LORD God in spite of the fact that the LORD gave them a hundred years to repent (Gen. 5:32; 7:6) while Noah built the ark. 
4. What did Jesus proclaim? He proclaimed his victory over judgment, sin and hell. The people of Noah's day had all rejected God's mercy. In this hellish prison there was no change of heart on their part when Christ appeared among them. Like the demons who forever continue to be chained to gloomy darkness (2 Pe 2:4), these millions of deluded souls continued to reject their rightful LORD and God, just as  they had while living on the earth. 

There is a lesson for us all, writes Peter. Remember that Noah and his family, eight in all, were indeed saved by the ark that Noah obediently built during the hundred years that the LORD waited before the flood. We too have such an ark. It is called Baptism. In our Baptism we have a boat that delivers us from the fast approaching flood of God's judgment upon the rebellious world of this day. In our Baptism God comes to us with the Good News of Christ. He proclaims to us that when Christ died upon the cross, we died with him. When Christ rose on the third day, we rose with him. And now Christ sits at God's right hand. He is the Hand of God, with all authority in heaven and earth (Rom. 6:1-11). And now, since death no longer rules Christ, it no longer has mastery or dominion over us either. It has lost its power. We will never die. We will never be forsaken. We shall ever be with our Lord in that new creation that awaits us (Rom. 8:18-25). 

The Door Duty Of Pastors

We continue our study of the duties of pastors and their relationship to the flocks they are called to shepherd. Listen again to Jesus' comment about himself as the Good Shepherd in John 10.

I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. - Jhn 10:9-13 ESV

This door to the sheep fold business is quite interesting. Consider what this meant to a first century shepherd. Quite often the sheep belonging to several families were grouped together and led by a hired shepherd. His job, of course, was to protect and guard the sheep from potential predators like wolves or even lions, to say nothing of human thieves. Consequently this could at times be a demanding and dangerous job. He is their door day and night. As the day begins they leave the protecting walls of the sheepfold by passing between his legs. And then throughout the day he guards them. As night draws near they return to the sheepfold by passing between his legs. He counts them and checks each one for wounds or bites received during the day's foraging. Then he sleeps at the door of the sheepfold, ready to spring into action should any marauding predator or thief suddenly appear in the darkness of the night.

This is why "a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep" would run rather than fight with a wolf. This hired shepherd "flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep." The true shepherd, however, hired or owner, takes ownership and responsibility for the sheep. He may have as many as a hundred sheep under his control. Nevertheless, he learns to know each of them individually and they, in turn, know and accept him as their shepherd. They know and listen to his voice and they follow where he leads them.

The writer to the Hebrews urges his readers to recognize the same thing about their shepherds.

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. - Hebr 13:17 ESV

Note well that shepherds or leaders, as the Hebrews passage calls them, "will have to give an account." To whom? To the Master Shepherd, of course. He calls each under-shepherd to oversee a flock in a particular place and time. They carry out their duties in the name of the Master  And when they do them well, the sheep recognize the "voice" of the Good Shepherd and they follow their shepherd. And what does the Good Shepherd say to his sheep? Listen.

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 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. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. - Rom 6:1-8 ESV

Sin returns day by day. Consequently the faithful pastor calls his sheep to confess their sins before Jesus, to pass, as it were, between his legs again. Show him your faults and failings, he urges, and permit him to pour on you the soothing and healing water of your baptism. Hear him tell you that you were buried with him by baptism. You died with him. Your sins are forgiven. Now rest and be prepared in the new day to follow where he leads. And rejoice that we all are destined to live with him into all eternity.

Thus the pastor leads each sheep of his flock to rethink his/her relationship with Jesus day by day. This is what it means to repent. The original Greek word metanoiein means "to get a new mind" or way of thinking. This re-thinking is a daily process for the follower or Jesus. It is quite literally a dying to sin and rising again with Jesus day by day.

The same thing is true for the flock as a whole. The entire flock together is an individual body. So the Apostle writes to the congregation in Corinth as he says,

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. - 1Cr 6:19-20 ESV

Note that he does not say "your bodies" are each temples of the Holy Spirit. Rather he says "your (plural) body (singular) is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you." This particular body in Corinth—and then in Houston or Philadelphia or Omaha, etc.—is a temple of the Holy Spirit, a temple tempted to sin, a temple that must also must repent and rise with Christ. The under-shepherd speaks the voice of the Good Shepherd as he also leads the particular corporate body of Christ, flock assigned to him, to die to sin and rise again with Jesus.

Of course, I do not have space here to spell out the implications of this task. Suffice it to say for now that this duty of the under-shepherd, the pastor of a flock assigned to him, is ongoing. The members of the flock recognize this, rejoice in it and do everything they can to support and love their pastor as he carries out his responsibilities.

About Our Confusion About Baptism

If you have followed my study of Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus in John 3, you have come across some common words and phrases used by Christians. These include born again, born from above, water, Spirit, flesh. Confusion and disagreement about these words and their meanings continue among us Christians. We argue back and forth about water baptism versus Spirit baptism, one baptism versus many baptisms, about which baptism saves, the baptism of children, making a decision for Christ before being baptized and so forth.

I do not suggest that my comments will bring an end to these arguments. Each of us must make his or her own decisions about these matters. Instead, I will summarize what I have shared in my earlier blogs about this important conversation and invite you to draw your own conclusions.

1. Nicodemus and his party saw Jesus as a Rabbi, but failed to see Him as the LORD, YHWH, God with us, Emmanuel, the Word (logos), the Son of God.
2. To gain this insight and faith, one must be reborn.
3. This rebirth comes from above; it is the work of God's Holy Spirit. Like the wind it is outside human control or decision making.
4. These reborn are chosen by God to be members of the royal family of Jesus Christ (Messiah), priests of God, members of Jesus body and of the Father's eternal family. 
5. Water plays a critical role in this rebirthing work of the Holy Spirit. It points to the long history of God's chosen people Israel and to their Exodus journey from slavery to the promised land. 
6. In, with and through this water (baptism) the Spirit declares us reborn to be members of God's chosen people, forgiven for all sins for the sake of Christ and promises that God will raise us up with Him in the new creation.
7. This powerful Word connected with the water (baptism) both creates and sustains the Spirit's new life within us as we continue on our journey to the promised land.

If indeed you are a reborn member of God chosen people, you personally know and understand what I have summarized above. You are not like Nicodemus who asked, "How can these things be?" (John 3:9). You also understand that these are but earthly things. Knowledge about heavenly things still awaits us (John 3:10-13). however, the center, the crux of the matter, the most important point at issue in the whole conversation is to be found in these words of Jesus:

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. - Jhn 3:14-18 ESV

Jesus purposely draws a parallel between what was to happen to him upon the cross and the bronze serpent Moses was commanded to raise up as he led the Israelites on their journey to the promised land (Numbers 21:7-9). You see, they complained again about the misery of the wilderness. There was no food, no water and they had come to loathe the daily supply of Manna, calling it "worthless food". To awaken them to their sin the LORD sent venomous snakes among them. Many died. This led to their confession and plea, "Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us." So Moses did and the LORD heard their prayers.

And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live." So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. - Num 21:8-9 ESV

This bronze serpent event, said Jesus, points beyond itself to the cross upon which Jesus was to be raised up. And it is all God's doing, God's gracious gift. Just as the wilderness people did not die from the snake bites, so all who believe that Jesus was judged, condemned and killed upon the Roman cross on the hill of Calvary for us and for all, will not die. They will be saved from the eternal wrath of God and receive instead a resurrected body and a new life that will never end.

That, as I said, is the crux of the matter, what its all about. Nothing else matters more than this. It is all about God's grace, unearned and undeserved. And faith to believe it is all the working of God's Spirit, sent from above and beyond us, working through this Word of grace. This is the rebirth Jesus speaks about, for which we shall praise him and the Father to all eternity.

I shall wrap up this discussion in my next post.

There Is But One Baptism

As noted earlier, the more we ponder John's Gospel the deeper gets the water. In previous postings on Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus, the Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin (John 3:1-17), we learned about the work of the Spirit in the water of baptism, a word Christians borrowed from the Greek. Jesus’ incarnation is a type of baptism. Just as the Word (logos in Greek) ‘became flesh and dwelt among us’ (John 1:14), so in Christian Baptism the Spirit becomes water and dwells among the community of believers. Martin Luther explains this in his Catechism:

Water doesn't make these things happen, of course. It is God's Word, which is with and in the water. Because, without God's Word, the water is plain water and not baptism. But with God's Word it is a Baptism, a grace-filled water of life, a bath of new birth in the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul said to Titus in the third chapter :

"But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people." - Titus 3:4-8 ESV

Here's what Jesus Himself says about His baptism when James and John asked for permission to wield power in Jesus' kingdom by sitting or exercising His authority from his right and left hands:

Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" And they said to him, "We are able." And Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." - Mar 10:38-40 ESV

Indeed all Christians acknowledge that they share in Jesus' baptism, for there is but one baptism, namely the baptism of Jesus. Paul reviews this in his letter to the Ephesians as he urges his readers to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace:

There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. - Eph 4:4-6 ESV

This bath of new birth in the Holy Spirit that Jesus and His apostles write about, this outpouring of the Holy Spirit that creates a new life within, is a creative act of God's Spirit, an act that unites us to Jesus and His baptism. Over and over the Apostles write about and teach this mystery.

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and all were made to drink of one Spirit. -1Cor 12:12-13 ESV 

. . . in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. - Gal 3:26-28 ESV

And what is Jesus' baptism that brings rebirth? It is His incarnation, His union with all mankind as truly a man, born of Mary. And why this union? As the ancient prophets foretold, to carry our burdens and bear our guilt, to be wounded for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities (Isa. 53:4-12). On the cross of Calvary He completed that work. So John records Him saying from the cross,

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. - Jhn 19:30 ESV

In the water of Baptism the Holy Spirit speaks God's Word of completion. The work of salvation, the task of gaining forgiveness for all men's sins is finished, come to an end, concluded, fulfilled and wrapped up. Jesus has joined Himself to us and to all mankind. He has made the punishment we deserve for our sins His own. Now the Holy Spirit announces to us in our baptism that we have both died with Christ and risen with Him to new life. Paul summarizes this:

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 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 6:3-5 ESV

All baptized in the Name of the LORD (Psalm 148:13, Phil. 2:9), the Name shared by every person of the Trinity, the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit—all share in the life of Christ, the life that cannot end. They will, therefore, certainly share in Jesus' resurrection.

Having said this, I acknowledge that we are now swimming in rather deep water. The water will get even deeper as we discuss the gifts of the Holy Spirit and untangle the confusion about so-called water baptism versus Spirit baptism, etc. But that must wait for another time.

Salvation for Special-Needs Children

Life With Trig: Sarah Palin on Raising a Special-Needs Child - The Daily Beast:

When I discovered early in my pregnancy that my baby would be born with an extra chromosome, the diagnosis of Down syndrome frightened me so much that I dared not discuss my pregnancy for many months. All I could seem to muster was a calling out to God to prepare my heart for what was ahead. My prayers were answered beyond my shallow understanding of what true joy could be. Yes, raising a child with special needs is a unique challenge, and there’s still fear about my son Trig’s future because of health and social challenges; and certainly some days are much more difficult than if I had a “normal” child.

My parents didn't have a special-needs child, but I grew up with one such in our home. His name was Eddie. He was a teenager when he came to our farm to work for my Dad. He could read at about the third grade level. In a sense, he was always my little brother. He was a ward of the state and remained as my parents' ward until he died in his middle fifties.

Eddie is the source for Orville, one of my favorite characters in the three novels I've written. I touched on this in an earlier Blog: Caring For Mentally Challenged People. You can also read there a brief article about mental retardation and Bethesda Lutheran Homes and Services, now known as Bethesda Lutheran Communities.

In searching for what others have written about the mentally retarded—better 'special-needs'—I came across a most tragic answer to a parent's question about her 20-year old son, with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy with cortical blindness, epilepsy and mental retardation. Since he is cognitively less than a year old, she worries he cannot make a decision for Jesus. So she asks, "Will he go to be with the Lord forever?"

The author responds, "Perhaps one of the most damaging doctrines to parents is the one that says children are sinful from birth. The scriptures seem to teach otherwise."

He continues,

Our sons (the author also has a mentally retarded child of 26 years), incapable of understanding right from wrong, are not guilty of sin, and will not be excluded from heaven. Someone once phrased it that they are "not saved, but safe" . . .You do not need to say the 'sinner's prayer' for Elijah (her son). If he needed salvation, which he does not, it would have to be his own decision; you couldn't do it for him. 

How sad. What an incomplete and non-biblical answer to a very critical question. This is the blind alley down which one must go if you are caught up in a theology that makes salvation in Jesus dependent upon your decision!

What will you do with Bible verses like the following?

For God shows no partiality. For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. - Rom 2:11-12 ESV

Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. - Ecc 7:20 ESV

I suppose you might say, as did the author quoted above, that the challenged are not men, that they are not capable of making decisions to sin. But you still have the problem with other teachings such as,

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. - Psa 51:5 ESV 

The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies. - Psa 58:3 ESV  

Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. - Jhn 3:5-6 ESV

All the fears and doubts about our mentally challenged, special needs children go away when you understand that salvation is a pure gift of God's grace. It does not and it never has needed anyone's decision, be they young, old, brilliant, retarded, challenged, difficult or anything else. The Apostle, following our Lord's comments above to Nicodemus, writes,

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. - Eph 2:8-9 ESV

That includes, by the way, the work of making a decision. The challenged share their parents' sinful nature, as do we all. We cannot be separated one from the other. We are all children of Adam and Eve. By Adam's sin we all died (1 Cor. 15:22). But the blessed good news is that in Christ we shall all be made alive. In truth, all who are buried with Christ in baptism already share in His life. When the waters of Holy Baptism are poured upon us we have His Word that He has taken us with Him into death and from death to life. If this is so, then we, including the special-needs, will certainly be united with him in his resurrection (Romans 6:3-5).

If you are a Christian, born anew by the power and blessing of the Holy Spirit, and are troubled about your retarded or special-needs child's salvation, fear no longer. Bring her or him to the waters of Holy Baptism. Let Jesus speak to you and to your child the comforting words of the Gospel. Listen as Jesus joins your child to His baptism. There are not many, many baptisms! There is no such thing as making a decision to be baptized! There is but one baptism, the baptism of Jesus.

There is but one Lord, one Faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. - Eph 4:5-6 ESV 

And rejoice. You and your baptized child will be with Jesus forever. You have His Word! 

 

Mysteries, Sacraments And The Great Tradition

In earlier blogs I wrote about traditions, about handing down the teachings, about how the correct word passes on the correct concept and about mysteries and sacraments. Now is a good time to tie all this together.


Jesus is the truth revealed to us, the truth about how God forgives sinners. The mystery is that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for our sins. God the Father raised Jesus up on the third day as the great sign that he has accepted Christ's sacrifice as the full and complete payment for those sins. That's the Gospel, the good news, the Word of God and, yes, The Great Tradition!


However, no one can by his own power accept or chose to believe this Word of God and embrace Jesus as his Savior and Lord. We cannot and do not receive him as Savior. By nature we are his enemies and insist on justifying ourselves. So we are involved in a deep and wondrous mystery, the mystery of how or why anyone believes in Jesus. We accept this mystery, as do millions upon millions who have and who continue to believe in Jesus. And that is a result of the work of the Holy Spirit. Unless the Holy Spirit works faith in a person's heart, he remains an unbeliever without the forgiveness of sin. The Holy Spirit works through the Word of God, the gospel, to create faith. And the Spirit works to keep that faith alive. 2 Corinthians 3:12-14 speaks about being transformed. The whole chapter speaks about the Spirit pulling away the veil to reveal Jesus as the Christ, the promised Messiah. As we gaze upon Jesus and realize what he has done for us, we are changed and transformed from glory to glory. The Holy Spirit does that through the Word of God.


With this in mind, we can tie together the whole discussion about the sacraments or mysteries, as the Eastern Christians still call them. Baptism and the Lord's Supper are the Gospel, God's Word of mercy and forgiveness to us, the Great Tradition. Through them the Spirit shows us this mystery of God's love in Christ. And the more we return to our Baptism and to the Supper, the more the Spirit transforms us from within. We become more mature children of God, changed by His Spirit from glory to glory into the image of Christ.


These mysteries, these sacraments, are then part of the Great Tradition that must, notmay, be passed on. God's Word of good news does not come to us only by preaching. It also comes to us by water, wine and bread. Does the Bible speak of other ways by which God's Word, the Gospel comes? I'll take that up next time.

Mysteries, Sacraments And The Great Tradition

In earlier blogs I wrote about traditions, about handing down the teachings, about how the correct word passes on the correct concept and about mysteries and sacraments. Now is a good time to tie all this together.

Jesus is the truth revealed to us, the truth about how God forgives sinners. The mystery is that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for our sins. God the Father raised Jesus up on the third day as the great sign that he has accepted Christ's sacrifice as the full and complete payment for those sins. That's the Gospel, the good news, the Word of God and, yes, The Great Tradition!

However, no one can by his own power accept or chose to believe this Word of God and embrace Jesus as his Savior and Lord. We cannot and do not receive him as Savior. By nature we are his enemies and insist on justifying ourselves. So we are involved in a deep and wondrous mystery, the mystery of how or why anyone believes in Jesus. We accept this mystery, as do millions upon millions who have and who continue to believe in Jesus. And that is a result of the work of the Holy Spirit. Unless the Holy Spirit works faith in a person's heart, he remains an unbeliever without the forgiveness of sin. The Holy Spirit works through the Word of God, the gospel, to create faith. And the Spirit works to keep that faith alive. 2 Corinthians 3:12-14 speaks about being transformed. The whole chapter speaks about the Spirit pulling away the veil to reveal Jesus as the Christ, the promised Messiah. As we gaze upon Jesus and realize what he has done for us, we are changed and transformed from glory to glory. The Holy Spirit does that through the Word of God.

With this in mind, we can tie together the whole discussion about the sacraments or mysteries, as the Eastern Christians still call them. Baptism and the Lord's Supper are the Gospel, God's Word of mercy and forgiveness to us, the Great Tradition. Through them the Spirit shows us this mystery of God's love in Christ. And the more we return to our Baptism and to the Supper, the more the Spirit transforms us from within. We become more mature children of God, changed by His Spirit from glory to glory into the image of Christ.

These mysteries, these sacraments, are then part of the Great Tradition that must, not may, be passed on. God's Word of good news does not come to us only by preaching. It also comes to us by water, wine and bread. Does the Bible speak of other ways by which God's Word, the Gospel comes? I'll take that up next time.

 

Jesus' Little Lamb

This coming Sunday is called Good Shepherd Sunday for those churches that follow the ancient church year. The readings for this day emphasize that Jesus is our Good Shepherd who cares for His sheep and sees that not a single one is lost or harmed (John 10:1-30). 

For our family this Sunday, May 15, 2011, is also the day on which my first great-grandson will be baptized into the family of Christ and declared a member of the Good Shepherd's flock. He is the first born son of my grandson Shawn and his wife Marian. I am privileged to officiate. It is a time of great celebration for us. His baptized name is Byron. 

Curious about the name Byron's parents chose for him, I did a little research. There are a number of towns in the U.S. named Byron. Since I grew up in Minnesota, I was interested to learn that there is a little town in Minnesota ten miles west of Rochester named Byron. In 1865, when the Winona—St. Peter Railroad (now known as the Dakota Minnesota and Eastern Railroad) was being built, S.W. VanDusen, a New York millionaire, purchased land near Rochester and platted a village he named Byron, after his hometown, Byron, N.Y. Byron, N.Y. is 25 miles SW of Rochester and was first settled around 1807. Settlers named their town in honor of Lord Byron, the renowned British poet.


So, acting in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I will pour water upon Byron's head. In that very simple act, Jesus will declare He has taken Byron with Him into death and out of death into life eternal (Romans 6:3-11). Thus Byron will begin his life as a lamb of the Good Shepherd. In this simple little song we all join Byron to say,

I am Jesus’ little lamb,
Ever glad at heart I am;
For my Shepherd gently guides me,
Knows my need, and well provides me,
Loves me every day the same,
Even calls me by my name.

 I rejoice that Byron will become Jesus' little lamb on Good Shepherd Sunday. 

My White Stone Name

We were on our way home from Colorado this past Monday evening and stayed overnight in Amarillo, TX. As is my necessary custom, I was walking our little dog 'Wee-Z' before retiring. Suddenly I saw what looked like a quarter on the ground, sparkling and inviting. I bent down to pick up the coin only to discover that it was a token for a car wash and had "of no cash value" written on it. I kept it nevertheless. It is hidden in the pocket of my parka, now hanging in my closet because we're back in Texas where the weather is in the sixties. But I shall wear the coat again when required.

This reminds me of a Bible verse. Revelation 2:17 reads:

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.

My unused token brings to mind that white stone with a new name written on it. I received such a new name when I was baptized into Christ, now over 77 years ago. And yet the Word says this name is known only to the one who receives it.

Romeo says to Juliet in Act II, Scene II of Shakespeare's well-known play:

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose would by any other name smell as sweet."

What indeed. There was a long time when I struggled with the name I received both on the day I was born and later when I was baptized. For many years I thought I remembered my mother saying I was named after my father and both of my grandfathers, Henry and Stephen. I later looked anew at my birth and baptism certificates to discover that Grandpa Stephen's name was not recorded. Did my mother forget? I know not. All I know is that in my childhood I proudly announced that I had three given or baptismal names instead of the usual two.

There have been so many explanations for this mysterious Bible verse. Among the best I've discovered to date is A New Name Written Down in Glory by Sam Storms. Sam concludes,

To sum up, there is an identity you have in God, reflected in your new name, that transcends whatever shame or regret or disappointment is wrapped up in who you are now. There is a very private and personal place of intimacy with him that brings hope and freedom and joy that none can touch or taint or steal away. Paul said it best when he declared that “your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3b). Peter echoed much the same thing in saying that we have “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven” for us (1 Peter 1:4).

I tend to think that I shall forever have my baptismal name 'Alvin Henry', because it was spoken upon me on the day Jesus forever claimed me as His own and took me with into His death and resurrection (Romans 6:1-14). What only I know in the depths of my heart is that Jesus has claimed me as His very own brother, a member of His family. I can now confidently pray to His Father and mine, saying 'Abba' or Papa and know with certainty that my Papa hears my prayers and answers them (Luke 11:1-11).

By the way, 'Wee-Z' is not just a name I happened to give to our little Pekapoo. His full and hidden name is Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10). But like Zacchaeus, he's a wee little 'man' of only ten pounds. So we named him Wee-Z. I trust that he too will be restored to be with us in eternity. At least that is my prayer.

Quarrels and My Christian Family

One of the things I learned in my years of pastoral ministry was that quarrels among the people of God are inevitable. The Apostle Paul addresses this issue in the very first chapter of his letter to the Corinthians in this manner:

"I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas; still another, "I follow Christ."

"Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power" (vv. 10-17).

At the same time I found many wonderful and close brothers and sisters in God's family. It has been over fifty years since I first began to serve as a public minister of God's Word. I still receive emails and other correspondence from some of the people I served in those early years. Sylvia and I go back to the congregations we served and are immediately received warmly and with great affection. This is one of the reasons I claim to be among the wealthiest of men. My wealth consists of the love and affection I have received and long to share with those, my brothers and sisters in Christ.

The point is that we who are baptized into Christ become family. Our ties transcend any differences we may have because of culture, race or status. What we have in common is the cross of Christ, that power of God to rescue and save us from our own very human weaknesses and failings. In receiving that free and undeserved grace and mercy, we find a unity unknown in any other area of human life.

There are folks with whom I have great conversations about intellectual matters. We talk about history, science and the natural world at great length. I really enjoy those conversations. But this or that person I have in mind is not my brother.

There are people who help me to manage my money. We talk about the best way to invest, the future of the stock market and our mutual distrust of the IRS. We moan and groan about political matters and decisions by congress. Some of these people are and some of these people are not my brothers.

I attend conferences that discuss writing. I attend conferences that offer insights into social problems and solutions to psychological problems. I learn from the presenters, but I know that many of them are not my brothers and sisters.

There are members of my extended family who send me Christmas cards and with whom we share gifts and even hugs and kisses, but some of them are not my brothers and sisters.

You see what I say? Being baptized into Jesus Christ changes everything. In Him we find our unity, not in intellectual pursuits, social status or political leanings, not even in our family. In Christ we are bound together in a spiritual unity, both in this life and for all eternity. What an awesome revelation. What a wondrous reality.

I like the motto adopted recently by the little congregation Sylvia and I attend. It helps me to think about this matter: "Living Today for Eternity."

Baptism and Catechesis

In many Protestant churches the only prerequisite for Baptism is some kind of loosely defined profession of faith. The candidate may simply confess a faith in Jesus and a desire. Then he or she is baptized. Since such a Baptism is seen as a sign of this profession, many are re-baptized upon moving to a new fellowship. How strange and how confusing.

There is no support in the New Testament for such a practice. In the Apostolic church the prerequisite for Baptism was a fully informed faith. Adult candidates, especially people with no knowledge of the Old Testament, were instructed at times for years before being baptized. Along with their confession that the crucified and resurrected Jesus was Lord and Christ, the Church required candidates to confess their sins.

This confession was in line with what happened when John baptized the Jews. They had prior knowledge of the promised Messiah and Old Testament teachings. For them the basics were in place. So upon confessing their sins, they were baptized. Jesus fleshed this out by claiming His crucifixion and resurrection fulfilled the Old Testament. He was the Christ, the Son of God. He said:

"These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:44-48).

Several prominent scholars present strong evidence that the Gospels of Matthew and Luke were the form of the catechesis or full instruction of candidates for Baptism in the first centuries of the Church. The Gospel of Matthew was aimed at the Jews. Luke probably directed his Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles.

For Lutherans instruction in the Small Catechism follows the model of the New Testament. It is intended either to bring believers to Baptism or to confirm that faith. So the Catechism begins with repentance (10 Commandments) and the Gospel (Creed). The catechumen is then taught the Lord’s Prayer as his model and receives Baptism, the gateway to participating in the Lord’s Supper. This process helps believers to understand that faith is much more than a mere intellectual exercise. It is above all a relationship of trust in the mercy and love of our Lord Jesus.

Children Who Die Without Baptism

The married daughter of one of our church families recently had a miscarriage. While I did not personally minister to this mother and her husband, I can relate. The same thing happened in the early years of our marriage. I remember the pain and the confusion that filled our lives for many months after that. The premature death of a child is a frequent occurrence in many families. With that so are the questions about the eternal destiny of that child, especially when the family shares the Christian faith in the mercy and love of our heavenly Father. With that in mind, I'd like to share a few thoughts, about premature death and about abortion.

In the days when the Church began it was common among pagans to kill unwanted children. Newborns were simply abandoned and left to perish. As horrible as that sounds, the crime of our modern world, abortion, is no less horrible. A mother chooses to kill a helpless child, the fruit of her own body. These children are denied both physical birth and rebirth in Holy Baptism.

What about the millions of children who die unbaptized? They must be committed to the unsearchable judgments of God: “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Romans 11:33). Possibly He will not hold them accountable since they die by treacherous hands.

What Luther says about the uncircumcised in Israel is applicable to aborted children:

“Even though infants bring with them inborn sin, which we call original sin, it is nevertheless important that they have committed no sin against the Law. Since God is by nature merciful, He will not let their condition be worse because they were unable to obtain circumcision in the Old Testament or Baptism in the New Testament” (Luther’s Works, vol. 3, p. 103).

This concern also applies to grieving parents whose children are stillborn or who die shortly after birth. Any suggestion that all children who die without Baptism are necessarily consigned to damnation is essentially a Christianized version of Manicheanism, an ancient pagan religion that attributes to God both good and evil motives at the same time. In this teaching physical death automatically carries the penalty of eternal death. This is not the Lutheran position.

Children of believing parents come under the influence of God’s Word through their parents, even before birth. The congregation also prays for them. Even before birth such children hear the Gospel and believe. The case of John the Baptist who leaped for joy in the womb of his mother Elizabeth is critical in helping bereaved parents (Luke 1:38-44). The Word of God has power to create faith also in unborn infants. Faith is present in such children both before and at the time of Baptism. Let this be a source of comfort and encouragement. Baptism remains important for many reasons, but it is the Word of God that creates faith in children as well as in adults, both in and outside Baptism.