Pastor Jackson,
Great
comments on Luther's sermon! I offer the following and hope that you will see
that I’ve done some “homework,” on this:
While again,
quickly reading it - and, your comments, especially your references to the UOJ
- "Universal Objective Justification," crowd, who, essentially
believe, teach and preach cheap grace, I could not help but think of the Gospel
of Luke, chapter 24.
Here, in Luke 24, we have a fitting example of how
Christian pastors are to project the message (Word) of the prophesied holy
sacrificed and risen Christ. The chapter, especially, Christ’s words, speaks
about Moses and the prophets, - the same Moses and the prophets who were
referenced when Father Abraham spoke to the lost and unbelieving rich man
(tormented in hell), in Christ's parable
in Luke 16 - "The Rich Man and Lazarus."
Moses and the
prophets are also God's “Gospel” Word, because in the Gospel wide sense, those
Scriptures present the necessary mirror reflection that sinful man desperately
needs to witness [of] himself and his wretched condition before a holy and just
God. The prophetic part is about the suffering and risen Christ, where the
forgiveness of sins, enter in. When Jesus makes reference to "Moses and
the Prophets" they [it] are inseparable to His birth, life, suffering,
death and resurrection:
Luke - 24:44 - "And he said unto them, These
are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things
must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets,
and in the psalms, concerning me."
However, the
full implication of what Christ stated cannot be comprehended unless it is
granted from above. I'm convinced that the spiritual and mental roadblocks of
the UOJ crowd are there, because they cannot understand (by faith) what Christ
said, and the implications of what He said:
We further
read Christ's precious Gospel words - "Gospel" in both the narrow and
wide sense (Law and Gospel):
Luke 24:45 -
Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
Luke 24:46 -
And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer,
and to rise from the dead the third day:
Luke 24:47 -
And that repentance and remission of
sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem
Luke
24:48 And ye are witnesses of these
things.
Luke
24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but
tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem
Furthermore:
I think it is very noteworthy to point
out Jesus' choice and order of 2 actions - that, being:
"repentance and remission of sins." But, UOJ'S don't want to
preach that because they are blind to that - or don't want to either believe or
convey that, to their congregations. And, horrors should they convey that
“repentance” part, at Christmas, Easter and funeral mixed heathen and Christian
attendance crowds, - that the natural man, the old Adam and sinful Christian
are helpless without the Holy Spirit's initiating action of faith and the
continued generation of that operating and saving faith – as partially
expressed by Luther’s excellent explanation of the Third article of the
Apostle’s Creed:
“I believe
that I cannot by my own reason or strength, believe in Jesus Christ my Lord, or
come to Him. But the Holy Ghost [Spirit] has called me by the Gospel……:”
[Matthew
16:17 ; John 3:3-7 ; John 1:12-13 ; John 6:65 ; Romans 9:15-18 ; Ephesians
2:1-10 ; Colossians 1:20-21 ; 1 Peter 1:3 ; 1 Peter 1:23 ; 1 Peter 1:5 ; 2
Thessalonians 2:13-14 ; Titus 3:5 ; Philippians 2:13 ; James 1:18 ; 1 John 5:4]
Finally:
Also, if my recall serves me
correctly, Verse 45, (in the Greek)
more, pointedly, says: "....then He
opened up of them the mind to understand the Scriptures."
In short, unless the Holy Spirit initiates and
works a grace in the hearts of individuals in the UOJ crowd, - namely, the
"opening up of them, the mind to understand the Scriptures," they
will collectively continue to believe, teach and preach a false (apostasy) type
of Gospel, of cheap grace, devoid of Scripture's teaching of personal faith
acquired and being generated by the Holy Spirit.
Pastor
emeritus Nathan M. Bickel
www.thechristianmessage.org
www.moralmatters.org
