ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the National Council of Churches.
This is the banner photo used upon the re-election of Matt the Fatt, hinting the that food court was ravaged in just a few days.
This dishonest photo group was posted all over while Matt was running for an unprecedented President-for-Life designation, akin to South American democracies. Or perhaps Matt lost 50+ pounds just before convention.
Missouri, WELS, and the Little Sect on the Prairie are so opposed to Justification by Faith that they opposed free materials on that topic at one of their Emmaus cult gatherings. Matt was there, glowering and accusing. However, the same synods have no problem working with the gay, abortion-loving ELCA.
I am in favor of Matt the Fatt continuing to equivocate in the LCMS, along with Spineless Schroeder protecting the GA hazing in the Wisconsin sect. Since both are attached to Thrivent and ELCA like weeds along a farmer's fence, they will shrink just as rapidly - or should I say rabidly?
The denominations have no solutions, except to hide behind their gurus and expect flowers to grow from weeds when even the weeds are dying.
Wayne Mueller - "There is no Church Growth in WELS! But if there is...."
12. David also acted thus. When the Lord inflicted the plagues upon Israel he spake unto the Lord and said: “Lo, I have sinned, and I have done perversely; but these sheep, what have they done? Let thy hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father’s house.”
13. Such should be your bearing toward sinners; inwardly the heart in service, outwardly the tongue in earnest. God requires this of us; and this is what Christ, our Captain, has manifested in himself, as Paul says to the Philippians 2:4-9: “Not looking each of you to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others. Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, yea, the death of the cross.”
14. Christ was filled with all righteousness, and might justly have condemned us all as sinners. But he did not do so. What did he do, then?
He gave himself to be our Servant. His righteousness has served for our sins, his fullness for our feebleness, his life for our death. This we find illustrated, for our example, in the Gospel before us, where he bears himself with such friendliness toward sinners that the Pharisees murmur.
The Lord therefore sets before them the following parables in order to teach how they are to receive sinners and be of service to them, saying: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, and having lost one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it, etc. Or what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a lamp, and sweep the house, and seek diligently until she find it?”
15. Christ is both the shepherd and the woman; for he has lighted the lamp, that is, the Gospel, and he goes about in the desert, that is, the world. He sweeps the house, and seeks the lost sheep and lost piece of silver, when he comes with his Word and proclaims to us, first our sins, and then his grace and mercy. Christ’s declaration, that he is the shepherd and has laid our sins upon his back or shoulders, makes us trust in him fully, and makes publicans and other sinners run after him. These would not have come unto him thus, had they regarded him as a hard and wrathful judge; for they had previously acknowledged themselves to be sinners and in need of his grace.
And so they were drawn to him when they heard his loving doctrine. Here comes the sheep out of the wilderness, and here the lost piece of silver is found.
O God, the Strength of all them that put their trust in Thee,
mercifully accept our prayers; and because through the weakness of our mortal nature we can do nothing without Thee, grant us the help of Thy grace that in keeping Thy commandments we may please Thee both in will and deed;
through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.
The Epistle and Gradual
Gradual
I said, Lord, be merciful unto me: heal my soul,
for I have sinned against Thee.
V. Blessed is he that considereth the poor:
the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
V. Give ear to my words, O Lord: consider my meditation. Hallelujah!
Zach Engleman has returned after his trip to the Philippines.
Our nation, built upon the sacrifices of patriots and the faith of its Founders, has a Constitution that has outlived all others.
Pastor Jim Shrader and Chris Shrader, Dr. Lito Cruz' family, Kermit and Marie Way, Sarah Buck - diagnosis and treatment, Callie and her mother Peggy, those with emotional distress and metabolic disorders.
Those working to protect the unborn, the weakest of the weak, the poorest of the poor.
KJVs are being given away in super large, normal, and compact versions - for those with 1) eyesight issues, 2) men and women's prison ministry, and 3) children.
KJV 1 John 3:13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. 14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
KJV Luke 14:16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: 17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. 18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. 19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. 20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. 21 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. 22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. 23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.
Second Sunday After Trinity
Lord God, heavenly Father, we give thanks unto Thee, that through Thy holy word Thou hast called us to Thy great supper, and we beseech Thee: Quicken our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may not hear Thy word without fruit, but that we may prepare ourselves rightly for Thy kingdom, and not suffer ourselves to be hindered by any worldly care, through Thy beloved Son. Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Jesus Delivered the Invitation
KJV Luke 14:16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: 17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
People want to know more about heavenly matters, and here it is spelled out for everyone to understand. First of all, this is a parable, which means it is a narrative that delivers a message to us, using common elements of life.
Secondly, "a certain man" is God the Father, who is summoning everyone to the Great Feast, which is everlasting life through His Son.
Thirdly, the servant (doulos - slave) is Jesus.
KJV Philippians 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant (doulos - slave), and was made in the likeness of men:
If these elements are ignored, the meaning of the parable becomes confused. That is why Jesus taught in parables, so the casual listeners would fail to grasp the meaning, the situation we have today. Many people quote passages using bad translations and twist those words beyond recognition as well. The modern translations even erase verses from the Scriptures, watering down the message by removing two essential themes of the New Testament - faith and the divinity of Christ.
God the Father sent His Son to invite or call people into the Kingdom of the Messiah. This began with Jesus inviting the disciples and continued through the preaching (inviting) of Jesus throughout His earthly ministry. The miracles of Jesus were presented as primary because they supported the divine nature of His message - speaking with divine authority, not like the scribes and Pharisees. The miracles lead us to the Gospel Word, so we see that the One who raised the dead can also free us from sin, through faith in Him.
This parable, which seems obscure and difficult at first, is really exciting and motivating.
17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
God sent Jesus to us to include us in that Great Feast, which begins here and continues in eternal life. "All things" are the events and narratives of the Bible, starting with Genesis 1:1. My Old Testament students admit that they are weak on that part of the Bible, and that is probably true in general. However, that means leaving out the vast amount of divine power leading up to the New Testament, which says - for example in the Gospels - "in order to fulfill the Scriptures..."
Creation, the establishment of Israel, the kingdoms of Saul, David, and Solomon, and the prophets all contribute to and frame the New Testament. I met the LCMS leader who bragged that he never believed in justification by faith alone and who also denied the Messianic passages in the Psalms. What God has established can easily be chipped away by the apostates, who are well represented in this parable.
Can we see a connection between this parable and "kiss the Son, lest He be angry" in Psalm 2? Take Jesus away from Psalm 2 and there is only nonsense.
KJV Psalm 2 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying,
3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
7 I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
A student recently said his friend had so many problems that he went over to atheism. This parable and Psalm 2 address that issue.
18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.
This might have been used as the first excuse because it is so funny. Someone has already bought some land, so now he has to look at it, as if the property will slip away, like a difficult and valuable animal.
13. This preaching of Christ is the great and glorious supper with which he feeds his guests and sanctifies them through his holy Baptism, and comforts and strengthens them through the Sacrament of his body and blood, that nothing may be wanting and a great plenty may be at hand and all become satisfied. Thus this supper is justly called a glorious, great supper on account of the fare and food, so costly and richly prepared that no tongue can describe it and no heart sufficiently grasp it. For it is an eternal food and an eternal drink, by partaking of which a man shall nevermore thirst nor hunger, but be forever satisfied, his thirst is quenched and he becomes joyful; and this not only for one man, but for the whole wide world, even if it were ten times wider, they would all have sufficient. For it is an inexhaustible food and an everlasting drink, as our Gospel says: He who believeth on this Lord Jesus Christ, that he was born for us of the Virgin Mary and crucified for out’ sins under Pontius Pilate, died, descended into hell, and rose again from the dead and sitteth at the right hand of God, etc.; he who believes this, eats and drinks truly from this supper. For to believe in Christ the Lord means to eat and to drink, from which the people become satisfied, fat and stout and strong, so that they are joyful forever.
This is good to remember, what Luther says, when times are difficult, disorders plague us, opponents have food fights. The parable of Lazarus reminds us too, that the person with faith in Christ is the blessed one, not the one who has no faith but enjoys endless amounts of luxuries and false friends.
19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.
If we were talking about an E-truck, that might be a good idea. In fact, those with expensive animals can be very sensitive about the animals, their values, and their place on the farm. But this is a way of reminding us that such things seem very important at the moment, but they are nothing compared to the Great Banquet. Although we can get beaten down by a thousand negative things, we are still being nurtured by the Lord of Creation. Thus we do not cherish the least important things, which are temporary, but we store up for ourselves treasures in heaven.
20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
Personal matters displace eternal values, when allowed.
22. The third class say: The Gospel is a doctrine that will not allow covetousness, nor permit us to strive to have sufficient for our bodily needs, but commands us to risk everything, body and life, money and goods, for Christ’s sake. Therefore we will and cannot come, for we must see how we may keep our own, which God has given us. For to take a wife is not to do or undertake anything dishonorable, but to enter an honorable state, and to be at home and plan how to support yourself, which is everyone’s duty. But all this is just that by which an honest housefather commits sin, when he only thinks of this, how he may become rich, keep house well and prosper. God grant it whether it be done with or against God.
21 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
This is how the Gospel flowed into all the lands, into the Western Roman Empire, and to the Eastern or Byzantine part of the Empire, lasting until 1453 (only one small city by then).
Europe craved spices and god, and that led to North America and South America having visitors and missionaries. The original heirs of the Gospel have converted in many places, but the numbers are few. Nevertheless, the Gospel has gone everywhere and is more appreciated in the lowest parts than the highest.
Compel Them - There Is Still Room
22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. 23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.
40. This constraining, however, is necessary in preaching both repentance and forgiveness of sins; for without repentance we remain too hard and obdurate under his wrath, in our sinful nature and in the kingdom of the devil. And moreover, when the terror of divine wrath strikes us, we are again too fearful, modest and disturbed, to take this to heart and believe, that he will show us such great grace and mercy, and we are always full of anxiety that we do not belong to them, and that he will reject us because of our sins and great unworthiness. Therefore he must himself command and work that men continue and persevere evermore to constrain and urge as much as possible, both by holding forth wrath for the wicked and grace for the faithful. Wrath and repentance urge man to run and cry for grace. This is then the right way a person goes to this supper, and thus from Jews and Gentiles there will be one Christian church, and all will be called alike poor, miserable people, lame and crippled, for they accept the Gospel heartily and with joy.
9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
13 And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
Explanation
Hebrews is like the Gospel of John in this respect - the divinity of Jesus Christ is described eloquently. The Fourth Gospel is impressive in its soaring revelations, revealed with plain simple words. Hebrews is quite different in being the most difficult in Greek and in condensing so much thought.
But it would be a truly Christian work, if you received sinners, if you entered into your closet and there said, in earnest prayer to the Lord: “Oh, my God! of such a person I hear so and so, he lieth in his sins, he hath fallen. Oh, Lord, help him to rise again,” etc. This is just the way in which to receive and serve the sinner.
9. Moses acted thus when the Israelites worshipped the molten calf. He mingled freely with the people in their sins. Yet he punished them severely, and caused three thousand men to be slain from gate to gate.
Exodus 32. After that he went up and bowed down before God, and prayed that he would forgive the people their sin, or blot him out of the Book of Life. Behold, here we have a man who knew that God loved him and had written his name in the book of the blessed; and yet he says: “Lord, I would rather that thou shouldest damn me and save the people.”
10. Paul, too, acted thus. At times he rebuked the Jews severely, calling them dogs and other names. Yet he knelt down and said: “I could wish that I myself were anathema from Christ for my brethren’s sake.” Romans 9:3. It is as if he had said: “I would willingly be anathema, if only the mass of the people might be helped.” Such a course as this is much too lofty for reason, and passes beyond its conception. It is thus that we, too, must act, and thus that we must serve our neighbor.
11. Again, we have an incident in the first Book of Samuel. When the people demanded a king, and would not be ruled by God’s Word alone, but lost faith in the Lord, and said that they wanted a temporal king to go out before them and fight their battles, like all the nations, 1 Samuel 8:20.
Then God came and punished them for the sin of having despised him, and spake thus to the prophet Samuel: “They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me.” After that the people came to Samuel and besought him to pray for them, saying: “Pray for thy servants unto Jehovah thy God, that we die not; for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask a king.”
Then Samuel, among other things, said unto them: “Far be it from me that I should sin against Jehovah in ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way. Only fear Jehovah, and serve him in truth with all your heart, for consider how great things he hath done for you.” 1 Samuel 12:19-24.
The Very Reverend Bishop James Heiser, Philippines.
Where are the Almy costumes?
Was the miter (fish hat) hidden in the suitcase?
Here are the Almy costumes. The "Early Church" dressed up like Halloween? The Apostles could not afford it.
The so-called High Church (Society of the Holy Trinity, only Latin STS) gained a foothold with Cardinal Newman, who led the English Episcopal clergy to Rome. Some did not leave but walked the tightrope, sinu-flecting toward Rome, a delightful term for slithering back and forth like a snake.
The Protestant denominations have their papalist factions and glorify the clergy who have left the Reformation in favor of the Jesuit brand. ELCA was out in front, yet behind the rapidly shrinking Episcopalians.
Smells and bells, extolled at the two LCMS seminaries, are literally a smoke screen, to hide their blasphemies and lies behind a cloud of incense.
1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.
2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward;
3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?
5 For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.
6 But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man that thou visitest him?
7 Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:
8 Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.
Explanation
If the angels speak the divine truth, how much greater is the proclamation from the Son of God? Verse 2 reminds everyone of the Word (Logos) spoken from the angels. If that Word is glorious, how much greater is the preaching of Christ Himself!
If the angelic declarations at Mt. Sinai were powerful and effective, how much greater are the direct commands from the Messiah?
6. This we clearly see in the two sorts of people here presented to us as examples. In the first place, we have the Pharisees and hypocrites who are exceedingly pious people, and were over head and ears in holiness. In the second place, we have the open sinners and publicans, who were over head and ears in sins. These, therefore, were despised by those shining saints, and were not considered worthy of their society. Here, however, Christ intervenes with his judgment and says that those saints are to stoop down and take the sinners upon their shoulders, and are to bear in mind that, with their righteousness and piety, they are help to others out of their sins. But, no! That they will not do. And this is indeed the way it goes.
7. A truly Christian work is it that we descend and get mixed up in the mire of the sinner as deeply as he sticks there himself, taking his sin upon ourselves and floundering out of it with him, not acting otherwise than as if his sin were our own. We should rebuke and deal with him in earnest; yet we are not to despise but sincerely to love him. If you are proud toward the sinner and despise him, you are utterly damned.
8. These, then, are great and good works in which we should exercise ourselves. But no man pays attention to them. Such works have entirely faded away and become extinct. In the meantime, one resorts, in the name of the devil, to Saint James, another proceeds to build a church, a third provides for the saying of masses, — this one does this, the other does that, and no one thinks of praying for the sinner. It is therefore to be feared that the holiest are in the deepest hell, and that the sinners are mostly in heaven.
But it would be a truly Christian work, if you received sinners, if you entered into your closet and there said, in earnest prayer to the Lord: “Oh, my God! of such a person I hear so and so, he lieth in his sins, he hath fallen. Oh, Lord, help him to rise again,” etc. This is just the way in which to receive and serve the sinner.
"A new public library in Gettysburg is years away, but a vision of the facility is beginning to coalesce.
The Adams County Library System (ACLS) and United Lutheran Seminary (ULS) this week announced a sale agreement for a nearly 4.5-acre site, where a new building will replace the current facility at Baltimore and High streets downtown."
***
GJ - Your midnight reporter stays up to alert Lutherans about how many expensive properties the leaders have sold off to remain solvent. ELCA should have increased seminary enrollment and marriages after the 2009 vote against the Scriptures. The best selling bad beer in America, Bud Light, joined the same stampede and found itself orphaned by its own customers.
The LCMS, under the leadership of Matt the Fatt, is selling off educational properties faster than Bed, Bath, and Beyond outlets. Yes - that overpriced store that we called Bed, Bath, and Beyond Our Budgets.
Meanwhile, WELS deliberately spooks their own congregations so they can sell off the choice properties when sold "for the good of Holy Mother Synod." The officials dab their tear-filled eyes and use the cash to make up enormous shortages piling up in the near future. WELS in Columbus, Ohio has gone from six congregations to three. Seifert kicked out Prince of Peace for doing what WELS was doing all over, especially at dimwit synodical level. Lamb of God staggered under the CN-loving Kovaciny era. German Village, in spite of its pastor being the gay GA Pope, has dwindled.
Bethany Lutheran College/Seminary has so few ELS members that they could merge with the CLC campus (donkey basketball) and still not notice an uptick in the student population.
CLC Donkey Basketball has been a disappointment, stated the deflated high school, college seminary president.
St. Ignatius Seminary was going to have a fancy building, but they had to downgrade due to the cost of mandatory papal costumes in all colors.
The Church of the Lutheran Confession continues to deny Justification by Faith, because the ELCA-WELS-ELS-LCMS share the same dogmatic foolishness and enrollment disasters.
8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:
11 They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.
13 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?
14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
Explanation
The Seminexers, Rationalists, Church Growthers, Trinity Divinity Divines, and future Roman Catholic priests all want to skip Hebrews 1 - the Son of God glorified in Heaven, sitting on the Right Hand of God.
When Christ ascended to Heaven, the End Times began, the Gospel was first preached by the Apostles and written down through the work of the Holy Spirit. This was so new that the New Testament included the names of these first Christians. Their persecutions and deaths spread the Gospel even faster.
The Bad Bible Boosters demand the human nature of Christ only, so they water down and remove the divine nature of the Savior and faith in Him. The End Times mean all this will be adjudicated with Christ sitting on His throne in glory.
Hebrews is a wonderful compilation of the Old and New Testaments, a final word for those awaiting God's plan.
1. The words of the Gospel are living and quickening, if we only comprehend them aright. But, in order that we may learn to understand this Gospel better, we will now place before us two classes of men, namely, public sinners and Pharisees, and will make Christ their judge. You have often heard that it is our duty, for love’s sake, to serve our neighbor in all things. If he is poor, we are to serve him with our goods; if he is in disgrace, we are to cover him with the mantle of our honor; if he is a sinner, we are to adorn him with our righteousness and piety. That is what Christ did for us. Philippians 2. He who was so exceedingly rich did, for our sake, empty himself and become poor. He served us with his goods, that we in our poverty might become rich. He was made to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
2. Now, the outward works of love are very great, as when we place our goods in the service of another. But the greatest is this, that I surrender my own righteousness and make it serve for the sins of my neighbor. For, outwardly to render service and help by means of one’s goods is love only in its outward aspect; but to render help and service through one’s righteousness, that is something great and pertains to the inward man. This means that I must love the sinner and be his friend, must be hostile to his vices and earnestly rebuke them, yet that I must love him with all my heart so as to cover his sins with my righteousness. I am commanded to rebuke; but Christ tells me, in Matthew 18:15-18, how I am to do this: “If thy brother sin against thee, go, show him his fault between thee and him alone; if he hear thee, then hast thou gained thy brother. But if he hear thee not, take with thee one or two more, that at the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may be established. And if he refuse to hear them, tell it unto the church; and if he refuse to hear the church also, let him be unto thee as the Gentile and the publican. Verily I say unto you, what things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
3. In short, such an enemy of my neighbor am I to be that I cannot let him suffer. So dearly must I love him that I shall even run after him, and shall become like the shepherd that seeks the lost sheep, like the woman that seeks the lost piece of silver. On this occasion, therefore, we shall speak concerning such great work of love as is shown when a pious man invests the sinner with his own righteousness, when a pious woman invests the most wanton harlot with her own honor.
4. This is something that neither the world nor reason will do. A work like this cannot be done by honorable and pious men who are actuated only by reason, by men who would prove their piety by turning up their nose at those who are sinners, as here the Pharisees do who murmur and grumble at public sinners.
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