The Reformation: Law and Gospel (Part 1 of 2) 1

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1 October 18, 2015 Reformation of 2 Text: Luke 11: As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed! 28 But he said, Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it! (ESV) The Reformation: Law and Gospel (Part 1 of 2) 1 How important is Martin Luther? Consider this: More books have been written about him than about any other figure in history except Jesus Christ. 2 Moreover, author Henry Halley, a non- Lutheran, says that, next to Jesus and Paul, Luther is the greatest man of all the ages. 3 Christian History magazine rates the posting of Luther s 95 Theses and his courageous stand at the Diet of Wörms to be two of the top 25 events in all of Christian history. 4 Today, on this Sunday before Reformation Sunday, I want to focus on the two great doctrines of Scripture which Luther rediscovered, namely, the Law and the Gospel. Luther, more than anyone else, articulated them clearly and decisively. Moreover, he taught that if the two were not rightly divided and properly applied, the Bible would remain a closed book. In our text, Jesus says, Blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it. 5 There is certainly Gospel in this passage, for Jesus calls those who keep his Word blessed. Is there Law in this passage? Yes, for the opposite is also true: Cursed are they who hear the Word of God and don t keep it! But what does it mean to keep God s Word? It means to guard it in the heart as the greatest of all treasures. My friends, the Law always accuses. He who preaches the Law cannot be concerned for his own popularity, for the Law is offensive to human ears. The Law is never pleasant, but it is most necessary. In no other way than by the use of the Law can the Holy Spirit soften and humble a person, i.e., to make him to fear the prospect of eternal ruin. For the Law is the hammer of death, the thundering of hell, and the lightning bolt of God's wrath, crushing the calloused and hardened heart. If your god is money, drugs, or whatever turns you on at the moment, what do you think Luther would say to you? He would say, You, sir, are a dead branch already severed from the vine. You have deceived yourself; your life reveals that your faith is dead. If, you have the habit of complaining, or demeaning others, or caring only about what you want, what do you think God would say to you? He would say, You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting. 6 If you habitually lie, or spread rumors, or do what s easy at the expense of doing what s right, Page 1 of 5

2 what do you think Jesus would say to you? Let s ask him. Lord Jesus what do you say to those who are not alarmed by their sins? He replies, Did I not say, Blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it? 7 But these have not kept it. Therefore, into the everlasting fire with them! But at once you say, I have heard the Law. Now give me the Gospel. But I say to you, not so fast! If you remain impenitent, if you think that you are not a poor, miserable sinner, the Gospel is not for you. No, you shall hear nothing but the angry words of Jesus who says to you, Woe to you hypocrites. Outwardly you appear righteous unto men, but inwardly you are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. 8 But the minute you say to me, God is, indeed, rightly angry with me, and my heart is crushed and afraid, at that very instant I shall give you nothing but Gospel. My friends, Martin Luther once feared the wrath of God. The Law kept accusing and threatening him with death and hell. Hence, he tried get right with God by living a holy life. Renouncing the world, he entered the monastery at the age of 22. There he intended to make his peace with God by practicing the manifold duties of a pious monk. Whatever good works a man might do to save himself, these Luther was resolved to do. Yet, despite it all, he was far from God--and he knew it. He was driven to the very abyss of despair, for he always fell short of that perfect obedience that the Law of God requires. He did not yet know what he was later to so brilliantly teach, that God s Law does not show us the way of our salvation, but only our utter sinfulness. Indeed, in Romans 3:20, St. Paul writes, By the works of the Law no one will be justified in [God s] sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. Let me say that again: Through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. But Luther, when studying Paul s Letter to the Romans, suddenly discovered the greatest news of his life, namely, the Gospel, and with it, his salvation. What Luther rediscovered was that God, by grace alone, sent his only-begotten Son into this world to completely rescue humanity from the wages of sin. Salvation was not something for mankind to earn, but something that Jesus had already earned for all mankind. He earned it by his sinless life and by his substitutionary death. So then, if you come to me with a penitent heart, God directs me to preach only the Gospel to you. That means that I am to hold before you only the merits of Jesus Christ. I should say to you, Beloved, God sent his Son into this world for no other reason than to earn your forgiveness and salvation. This he has done completely, for on the cross he said, It is finished! 9 So, go in peace, your sins are forgiven. If another comes to me and asks, What must I do to be saved? I reply, Do nothing. Simply trust in what the Lord Jesus has already done for you, and you shall be saved. 10 Indeed, St. Paul very clearly excludes works and calls for faith alone in the equation of salvation. To us, he says, We maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. 11 And again, he declares, To the one who does not work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith Page 2 of 5

3 is credited as righteousness. 12 Paul wants there to be no misunderstanding, so he sums up the Gospel in these words: For by grace you are saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Yes, if this is your confession, i.e., if this is what you believe, then you possess saving faith and, with it, God s forgiveness and salvation. But what happens when people confuse Law and Gospel? Let me give you an example. In many Protestant church bodies, after a person becomes a Christian, he is immediately directed to the Law. Go and live the victorious Christian life! say their preachers. When they say this, it almost always used to tell you what you must do to be victorious over your sins. You came to faith by means of the Gospel. And now, are you supposed to grow in the faith by means of the Law? Never, for the Law always accuses. You grow by means of the Gospel. Victory comes through Jesus Christ alone. The only victorious life is the life of Christ which ours through faith. We are accounted as righteous through faith in him. One man, who was taught this false doctrine, found himself in the clutches of despair. He found he could not gain victory over his sins. Summarizing his words, he wrote the following to his pastor: Dear Pastor, As a result of a growing conviction in my heart and my seeming powerlessness against the temptations which arise in my heart and which I constantly succumb to, my growing doubts have led me to believe that I m not saved. So many times I have determined in my heart to repent, to shake loose of my desire to sin, to forsake all for Jesus only to find myself doing the sin I don t want to do and not doing the good I want to do. After my fiancée and I broke up I memorized Ephesians as part of an all-out effort against sin, only to find myself weaker and more painfully aware of my sinfulness, more prone to sin than ever before.... I m enthralled by the gospel of the beautiful Messiah. But I m a pile of manure on the white marble floor of Christ, a mongrel dog that sneaked in the back door of the King s banquet to lick the crumbs off the floor. I ask you to pray for me as you think best. 13 This man is despairing because he s a penitent sinner who needs to hear the Gospel, that Christ forgives all his sins. Instead of hearing the Gospel, that Christ s victory over sin is accounted as his own, his pastor does nothing but direct him to the Law: Try harder; pray more; do better! This is what happens when the Law and Gospel are confused. We Lutherans have a great treasure, for we have been trained to rightly divide Law and Gospel. And we realize this: The same Gospel that justifies also sanctifies. Never forget that! Page 3 of 5

4 And never forget that the Law is meant for impenitent sinners; and the Gospel is meant for penitent sinners. To understand this makes all of the Bible an open book. Yes, what a great treasure we have! Let us cherish it! In the name of Jesus: Amen. Soli Deo Gloria Endnotes 1 In 2017 we will be observing the 500 th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation. In 2015, in addition to observing Reformation Sunday, I will preach an addition sermon on a Reformation topic a week before, namely, this one. In 2016, I will preach two additional sermons in the 2 weeks prior. In 2017, I will preach three additional sermons culminating in the 500 th Anniversary of the Reformation (observed on October 29, 2017). 2 Tim Dowley, ed., Eerdmans Handbook to The History of Christianity (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1977), p Henry H. Halley, Halley s Bible Handbook, 24th ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1965), p Kevin A. Miller, ed., The 25 Most Important Events in Church History, Christian History vol. 9: p See Luke 11:28. 6 See Daniel 5:27. 7 See Luke 11:28. 8 See Matthew 23:27. 9 See John 19: See Acts 16:31 where the jailor a Philippi asked, What must I do to be saved? Paul replies, Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. 11 See Romans 3: See Romans 4:5, NASB. 13 See John MacArthur, Saved without a Doubt: Being Sure of Your Salvation, 3 rd Ed. (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook; 2011), pp Alternatively, see Google book result: +of+manure+on+the+white+marble+floor+of+christ%22&source=bl&ots=jw2201otn4&sig=hxhzdyp9ecdehw wrd7e6k0bx78k&hl=en&sa=x&ved=0ccuq6aewawovchmiy4bg_- Page 4 of 5

5 7KyAIVWOljCh1Y7A5F#v=onepage&q=%22But%20I%E2%80%99m%20a%20pile%20of%20manure%20on%20 the%20white%20marble%20floor%20of%20christ%22&f=false. Page 5 of 5