Faithful & Afire. LCMS Circuit Bible Studies What Difference Does it Make... Participant s Guide. Table of Contents

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1 Faithful & Afire LCMS Circuit Bible Studies What Difference Does it Make... Participant s Guide Table of Contents September 2013 Original Sin October 2013 Repentance and the Forgiveness of Sin. 5 November 2013 The Holy Trinity...11 December 2013 Jesus Christ...16 January 2014 Justification February 2014 The Theology of the Cross March 2014 The Priesthood of the Baptized.31 April 2014 One Holy Christian Church...35 May 2014 The Mission of Christ in the World

2 LCMS Circuit Bible Studies What Difference Does it Make PARTICIPANT S GUIDE TOPIC: What differences does it make to the baptized, un-baptized, if our teaching and preaching of ORIGINAL SIN to is confused, limited or denied? 1. FOCUS OF THIS STUDY Soft Evangelism: Where the emphasis s is on God s gracious love, almost to exclusion of each individual s deadly inbred problem of sin. Such outreach seems dedicated to the easing of the symptom of sin rather than dealing with its cause. So, why bother with Jesus, if you are already loved? I don t need salvation, I only need to be loved. Self-Help Programs: Use of such books as John Maxwell s 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, which offers to fix our various problems with more works, more laws, more rules, easy steps, etc. Such offers are based on the assumption that all the church needs is (1) more/better information and (2) a structured plan of implementation (and metrics ). Original Sin and its lingering effects on baptized is never considered as a cause in the various problems. The programs assume that works of Original Sin can be overcome by mere programs. How is this not a kind of legalism? Preachers as enablers : Rather than point souls to their hopeless and dead situation caused by Original Sin (and make their hearers uncomfortable), they strive to be accepting and non-judgmental so they can win over the lost and won t lose their own parishioners. Even AA warns against the dangers of soft-pedaling alcoholism and being a mere enabler. How does denying the devastating power of Original Sin really do any good for lost souls? 2. SCRIPTURAL WITNESSES READ GENESIS 3:1-19 Though God warned Adam and Eve (2:17) that they would most surely die, Satan denied the consequence of death (mawet to rend, tear apart). In Scripture there are 3 kinds of death: (1) physical (Eccl. 12:7), (2) spiritual (Eph. 2:1, 5 & Col. 2:16), and (3) eternal (Mt.25:41). If one is spiritually dead, how does that impact sinful man s thinking, logic, will, or ability to believe in Christ (conversion), or to choose right over wrong (sanctification)? Eve fell into sin the moment she believed Satan s false gospel instead of God s Word (3:6). The spiritual consequences are listed in 3:7-19: Their eyes were opened (to a new reality: i.e. spiritual blindness) They knew (yadah) they were naked (i.e. no longer God-conscious but self-conscious) They were in fear/terror (3:10) at just the sound of God in the garden. Adam blamed Eve and God (!), and Eve blamed Satan, but they both were unwilling to blame themselves or confess their sins. Self-righteousness! They immediately became spiritually dead (2:17) though physical death would come later (3:19), followed by eternal death (unless God would intervene, which He did in 3:15 with the proclamation of the Proto-Gospel). How does this terrible truth about the earthly consequences of Original Sin help us deal with the ongoing curses in this world of pain, suffering, domination, hard/unfair labor, crop failures and every other sort of human tragedy? READ ROMANS 5:18-19 The first man [Adam] brings condemnation (katakrima) on all human beings (anthropous) through his one trespass (paraptomatos the conscious and willful crossover of a forbidden boundary; not harmartia the missing of the mark/target because of weakness or inability). What does condemnation consist of? [katakrima is the judgment of a death sentence] 2

3 The good News is that this terrible condemnation is countered by a single man s righteousness (dikaiomatos) which brings justification (dikaiosin the suffix denotes the legal action/pronouncement of a judge) bringing life for all human beings. This righteousness is not our own but is the perfect obedience of Christ Jesus, which is ours by faith (cf. Phil. 3:4-9). Without proper understanding of our total lack of righteousness (Isaiah 64:6) brought on by the Fall and passed on to all through Original Sin, how can a person possibly avoid self-righteousness and legalism? Further, what does such a misunderstanding do to sanctification? READ PSALM 51:5 Indeed in sin (yawon crookedness and wrong, including the concept of guilt) I was born, and in sin (chata fault, offense, blame, and guilt) did my mother conceive me. This truth affects not only the sinful corruption of our human nature from conception, but also the necessity for infant Baptism. If something is corrupt (rotten), how can it do anything pleasing to God? How can such a soul convert itself to faith in Christ, or have the will-power to be holy? READ ROMANS 8:5-13 Note the duality of the child of God, who was born again in Holy Baptism (John 3:5) but who also remains a child of the flesh (sarx). Further note the usage of the term flesh : Romans 8:6-8. The mind of the flesh is an enemy of God and is unable to submit to Him. This includes our will, planning, and will-power. Romans 8:10. The body of the Christian is still in the clutches of death, including every sort of suffering, sickness, tragedy, and the final agonies of death. Romans 8:9, 12 & 13. By the Spirit, first given in Baptism, we are enabled to put to death the deeds (praxeis the habitual, practiced, unrepentant mode of action) of the flesh. Note also that the flesh (sarx) lives in a praxis of evil deeds and this flesh is still a part of the child of God! [ Simil iustus et peccator! ] The only way to put to death the deeds of the flesh is by power of the Gospel, specifically in Holy Baptism. It cannot be done by mere human will-power. Romans 6 and Colossians 2 both declare how Baptism has united us with Jesus crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection so that the body of sin is rendered powerless (katargethe military term for totally disarming the enemy) that we should no longer be slaves to sin. (Rom. 6:6). Where is the overcoming of sin found for the unbeliever and the believer? Where is one who has been baptized and caught in sin directed to have their sin overcome? READ COLOSSIANS 3:1-14 The ethical injunctions in this section cannot be carried out on the strength of any human ability or will power (or programs ), as though Original Sin has no power. The significant verbs in this passage harken back to Colossians 2:11-12, which speaks of God s power and action for us in Holy Baptism. According to 3:1, when were you raised with Christ? When did you actually die (3:3)? How can you yourself possibly put to death what belongs to your earthly nature? (3:5) When did you take off (and lay aside) your old self and become clothed with Christ? (cf. Galatians 3:27). [This point can be cut!] Our preaching about Baptism cannot be defined as (1) giving your life to Jesus (willful self-dedication to the Lord) or (2) a mere symbol of one s entrance into a covenant (which one must submit to, but will habitually fail at doing). How does Original Sin affect our proclamation of Holy Baptism and the Good News? 3. DOCTRINAL WITNESSES FC-SD:1:5. Sin is not just the actual transgression of the commands but also and primarily the abominable and dreadful inherited disease which has corrupted our entire nature. In fact, we must consider this as the chief sin, the root and fountain of all actual sins! Therefore Franz Pieper in his Christian Dogmatics says Original Sin comprises: 3

4 Hereditary guilt (culpa hereditaria), that is, the guilt of the one sin of Adam which God imputes to all; and Hereditary corruption (corruptio humanae hereditaria), that is, Adam s guilt is transmitted to all his descendants by natural descent from the first pair. Questions: (1) Since there is this true guilt in Original Sin, what are the two other consequences? (2) Since Original Sin brings real corruption to our human nature, what is man s actual ability to fulfill God s Holy Law? FC-SD I:11. Original Sin is not only a total lack of good in spiritual, divine things, but at the same time, it replaces the lost image of God in man with a deep, wicked, abominable, bottomless, inscrutable and inexorable corruption of his entire nature and all its powers, especially of the highest and foremost powers of the soul in mind, heart, and will So, any preaching that says that Original Sin is just a lack of the good, denies the loss of the image of God and man s spiritual corruption, (and therefore gives the false notion that man has the ability to do good in God s eyes). Questions: (1) Since Original Sin is not just a lack of goodness (a void ), why is it impossible to overcome spiritual problems (or increase spiritual goodness) by the strength of human willpower? (2) Since Original Sin is not just a lack of goodness, why are self-help programs or improved techniques or new organizational paradigms (for congregations or even districts) ultimately ineffective? Apology of the AC II:46. There [in Genesis 3] human nature is subjected not only to death and other physical ills, but also to the rule of the devil. Questions: (1) How does this terrible truth about Original Sin (as the ultimate cause of physical ills and earthly troubles) helpful for the great Problem of Suffering? (2) How is this important also for Christians who are in the depths of earthly suffering? 4. POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES IF ORIGINAL SIN IS CONFUSED/LIMITED/OMITTED FOR BAPTIZED BELIEVERS: Then Holy Baptism is no longer a necessary means of God for blessing the believer (to which he should go for constant comfort), but is only a symbol of personal devotion or of a covenantal vow. Then faith can be easily become redefined in terms of a false notion of Conversion (i.e. that one had the ability by his own reason and strength to come to believe in Jesus Christ ). This denies the necessity of the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3). Then good works are something one can take pride and comfort in because they have merit before God, thereby bringing our works into play as a basis (or partial basis) for our salvation. Then sanctification becomes a matter of our own will-power and we are capable of setting up a workable plan/system, thereby changing humble and thankful piety into a necessary part of the work of salvation. The only course of hope and comfort for the believer caught in doing the very thing they hate, and not doing the very thing they love is greater effort on their part. There is no rescuer for them. FOR THE UN-BAPTIZED, THE UN-CONVERTED HEARER: Though the simple epitome of Jesus message is Repent and believe the Gospel! (Mk. 1:15b), a denial of the deadly severity of Original Sin makes repentance seem to be an achievable human effort at best, or, at worst, unnecessary. Since the denial of Original Sin declares that human nature is basically good, with only a few minor spiritual problems to overcome, legalistic self-righteousness is the only thing that is necessary for salvation, and not the true Gospel of salvation. If Original Sin is denied, then the unregenerate must trust in their own ability to be good and save themselves. Trust is not in Christ but in one s own efforts. Judgment, therefore, is reserved only for those who are really not trying to be good and save themselves by their own righteousness. 4

5 5. COMFORT AND CONSOLATION FOR all THE HEARERS READ ROMANS 8:31-39 There is no condemnation against us because Christ is the one who died (8:34), not us! There is no condemning charge that can be leveled against us (8:33) because God has justified us (dikaion declared us not guilty & free to go). Yet, in spite of this blessing, we still have tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril and even the sword (8:35). We are put to death all day long and considered to be sheep for the slaughter (8:36 quoting Psalm 43). But, in spite of all this, no earthly power or calamity can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (8:39). READ ROMANS 7: This is St. Pauls personal confession of the terrible struggle against Original Sin in terms of the flesh. He admits nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh (sarx). His desire/will fails to carry out what is good. The law of sin (7:23) habitually makes him a prisoner (aichmalotizonta Present particle referring to ongoing or habitual action). The only salvation from this terrible and losing battle is the Gospel of Jesus Christ! So in 7:24-25 St. Paul remembers the work of the Savior as his only salvation and finally exclaims, Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! 6. POINTS TO PONDER Since Original Sin has such pernicious power within our own souls and such tragic effects in this fallen world, overcoming the curse of Original Sin cannot, in any way, be found in human will-power or in human programs! Only the pure Gospel is the power (dunamis) of God unto salvation for all who believe. (Rom. 1:16). The Gospel s power to actually overcome Original Sin is found only in the Means of Grace, that is, in Word and Sacrament! Any emphasis on personal or corporate/institutional self-help programs which emphasize human will-power and human methods is doomed to fail, especially when such programs are promoted ahead of or instead of God s own means of overcoming the powerful curse of Original Sin. Evangelism that disregards the power of Original Sin always ends up embracing Decision Theology and Pelagianism (or at least Semi-Pelagianism), being dependent on human thought, will-power, or mere emotionalism. All of this bad theology inevitably leads to such bad practices as the rejection of Holy Baptism for infants and small children, emphasis on the born again experience (based on personal decision or emotionalism), or an emphasis on one s election (and the success and good works required to prove it). If Holy Baptism is not clearly seen as the only power that is able to break the strangle-hold of Original Sin (cf. Romans 6 and Colossians 2 & 3), then the soul is left to its own devices and will-power, which ends up as nothing more than pietistic legalism and self-righteousness. Even the Christian who knows the power of Holy Baptism remains in a dire and very difficult struggle with in-bred sin (as confessed by St. Paul in Romans 7). The only victory that is possible is by faith in the mercy of Jesus, a faith sustained only by Word and Sacrament. In short, it is a deadly delusion to deny the terrible power of Original Sin in the life of world, in the life of unbelievers, and even in the life of believers. No human power can overcome this curse. All proposals to overcome it that are based on the power of human will or human methods will not only fail, but lead souls into every sort of legalism and work-righteousness the very damnation of souls! Only Christ Jesus brings us victory over the power of Original Sin as He is graciously present and active in His Word and Sacraments! AUTHOR: Rev. James H. Blain Pastor, St. James Lutheran Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan GENERAL EDITOR: Rev. Mark W. Love markwlove@gmail.com 5

6 LCMS Circuit Bible Studies What Difference Does it Make to the baptized? the unbaptized? October 2013 PARTICIPANT S GUIDE TOPIC What difference would it make, if the means of grace are not rightly taught and administered for both repentance and the forgiveness of sins? 1. FOCUS OF THIS STUDY Bill and Sue come to you for pre-marital catechesis/counseling. You ask them if they are currently living together. Sheepishly, they look first at one another, then at you. Well, says Sue, we figured we should see if we re compatible before we make it official. And it really made sense for us financially. Do you recognize that living together and having sex before marriage are sinful? you ask. Sue begins to tear up. Bill turns red. Are you willing to confess your sins and be absolved? Are you willing to rectify the situation by moving out until the wedding? Bill stands up. What business is this of yours anyway, Pastor? This is between the two of us and God. Most people live together before marriage nowadays. And besides, even if it is sinful, God forgives us. Sue looks at you, then at Bill, then at you again. Bill storms out of the room. Sue, in obvious distress, whispers, I m sorry, Pastor, and follows Bill out of the building. How have Bill and Sue misunderstood the nature of both repentance and forgiveness? the role of the pastor as a called servant? What may be at the heart of Bill s anger? As their pastor, how might you apply God s Word of Law and Gospel with the goal of bringing Bill and Sue to repentance and absolving them of their sins? C. F. W. Walther s theses on Law and Gospel, particularly theses VI and VIII is helpful here: You are not rightly distinguishing Law and Gospel in the Word of God if you do not preach the Law in its full sternness and the Gospel in its full sweetness You are not rightly distinguishing Law and Gospel in the Word of God if you preach the Law to those who are already in terror on account of their sins or the Gospel to those who are living securely in their sins (Law & Gospel: How to Read and Apply the Bible, Trans: Christian C. Tiews [St. Louis: Concordia, 2010] p. 3). Bill and Sue have failed to understand that repentance includes the desire to turn from sin, and that forgiveness frees us from the power of sin. God doesn t forgive us so that we can go on sinning, but in order to free us from sin and guilt. What difference would there be in the application of the Law and Gospel to Bill and to Sue? 2. SCRIPTURAL AND DOCTRINAL WITNESSES A. BIBLICAL WITNESS to the nature of repentance and its essential relationship to the forgiveness of sins. Repentance and the forgiveness of sins are the heart of the Church s proclamation. Our Lord sets the standard for Christian preaching: The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel (Mark 1:15; ESV [cf. Luke 24:47]). St. Peter follows 6

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8 the Savior s example in his Pentecost sermon: Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins (Acts 2:38; ESV). Repentance and forgiveness go together. The Apology of the Augsburg Confession defines repentance: we have established two parts in repentance, namely, contrition and faith. We will not object if someone wants to add a third part, namely, the fruits worthy of repentance [Matt. 3:8]. (Kolb/Wengert, Ap. XII:28; p. 191). Read 2 Samuel 12:1-15a & 15b-23). How are the two parts of repentance manifest in David s repentance? The third (15b-23)? What is the sequence of Nathan applying Law and Gospel to bring about David s contrition and consolation? What bearing does the Absolution have on the temporal consequences of David s sin? Read Luke 22:31-34, How does our Lord use the Law to lead Peter to repentance? How is His call to repent also a demonstration of His grace? How are the two parts of repentance manifest in Peter s repentance? For Peter s restoration, see John 21: Read Matt. 27:3-10 and contrast David and Peter s repentance with that of Judas. What is the difference? How did the religious leaders fail in their responsibility to Judas? What was missing in Judas repentance? B. DOCTRINAL WITNESS to the nature of repentance and its essential relationship to the forgiveness of sins. Luther describes contrition as a result of God s Law in the Smalcald Articles III 3:1-2 The New Testament retains this office of the law this is the thunderbolt of God, by means of which he destroys both the open sinner and the false saint and allows no one to be right but drives the whole lot of them to terror and despair. This is the hammer of which Jeremiah speaks: My word is a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces [Jer. 23:29]. This is not active contrition, a contrived remorse, but passive contrition, true affliction of the heart, suffering, and the pain of death. (Kolb/Wengert, p. 312) Why would God want to drive sinners to despair by the preaching of His Law? What is the difference between active contrition and passive contrition? The place of the Gospel and faith in repentance is described in SA III 3:4-5 To this office of the law, however, the New Testament immediately adds the consoling promise of grace through the gospel. This we should believe. As Christ says in Mark 1[:15]: Repent, and believe in the good news. This is the same as, Become and act otherwise, and believe my promise. Even before Jesus, John the Baptizer was called a preacher of repentance but for the purpose of the forgiveness of sins. That is, John was to convict them all and turn them into sinners, so that they would know how they stood before God and would recognize themselves as lost people. In this way they were to be prepared for the Lord to receive grace, to await and accept from him forgiveness of sins. (Kolb/Wengert, p. 313) What is the goal of preaching repentance? In the first of his 95 Theses, Luther writes: When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, Repent [Matt. 4:17], he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance (LW V. 31, p. 25). How is daily repentance simply the living out of the baptismal life? 8

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10 Confession and Absolution IS repentance and forgiveness in practice. The Small Catechism: Confession has two parts. First, that we confess our sins, and second, that we receive absolution, that is, forgiveness, from the pastor as from God Himself, not doubting, but firmly believing that by it our sins are forgiven before God in heaven (CPH 1986). In confession, the penitent expresses his/her contrition. The Law has done its work. The sinner has been killed. Here the Holy Spirit has done His alien work, bringing the sinner to nothing, that He might do His proper work, bringing the sinner to new life by the Gospel. The repentant sinner comes believing the Promise that when the called ministers of Christ deal with us by His divine command this is just as valid and certain, even in heaven, as if Christ our dear Lord dealt with us Himself, because He does deal with us Himself in Absolution: If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven (John 20:23; ESV). How might you lead Bill and Sue in the example from part 1 of this study to receive the blessings of Confession and Absolution? 3. CONSEQUENCES FOR THE HEARERS IF UNCLEAR/INCONSISTENT What might be some potential consequences for the Baptized if we do not clearly articulate the relationship between repentance and forgiveness? 1. The baptized Christian may presume upon God s grace, the very situation St. Paul addresses in Romans 6. I like to sin, God likes to forgive, so we re both happy. I know it s a sin, but after all, God will forgive me. How does this cheapen God s grace? 2. The baptized Christian may despair, wondering if he/she has repented enough, thinking of repentance as something the penitent must create within the self ( contrived repentance ). Here there is a failure to recognize that true contrition is given by God. So also, the second part of repentance is missing, namely, faith in the Promise: Your sins are forgiven. 3. The baptized Christian may find him/herself trapped in a particular sin, unable to get free. Pastoral care applies preaching of repentance and forgiveness, Law and Gospel, to the baptized Christian, in such a way that the sinner is unbound. How might private Confession and Absolution be helpful for such a person? 4. Other consequences? 4. COMFORT AND CONSOLATION FOR THE HEARERS A. BIBLICAL WITNESS to the comfort and consolation afforded the repentant sinner, when Christ has His right place in both repentance and forgiveness in the daily life of the believer. [A] bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench (Isaiah 42:3; ESV). Read the following passages from Holy Scripture: Psalm 103:8-14; Psalm 130; Isaiah 1:18; Eph. 1:7. How do these passages comfort the repentant sinner in Christ crucified? In what way are the two parts of repentance, contrition and faith, included in these verses? How do these verses hold forth God as the active agent of our forgiveness? B. DOCTRINAL WITNESS to the comfort and consolation afforded the repentant sinner, when Christ has His right place in both repentance and forgiveness in the daily life of the believer. 10

11 Small Catechism: A confessor will know additional passages with which to comfort and to strengthen the faith of those who have great burdens of conscience or are sorrowful and distressed. Consolation of the penitent is paramount in pastoral care. How have you incorporated this into your practice of Confession and Absolution? What Scripture passages have been particularly helpful to you in consoling the penitent? The pastor must not leave the penitent sinner with the Law. The Gospel alone offers comfort and consolation, generates faith in Christ, and endows the penitent with new life in Christ. But where the law exercises such an office alone, without the addition of the gospel, there is death and hell, and the human creature must despair Moreover, the gospel does not give consolation and forgiveness in only one way but rather through the Word, sacraments, and the like (as we shall hear), so that with God, there is truly rich redemption from the great prison of sin (as Ps. 130[:7-8] says). SA III 3:7-8 (Kolb/Wengert, p. 313). Finally, Christ alone is our consolation and confidence in God s mercy. Thus, satisfaction can never be uncertain either. For it consists not in our uncertain, sinful works but rather in the suffering and blood of the innocent Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world [John 1:29]. SA III 3:38 (Kolb/Wengert, p. 318) So that Christ may be our comfort and confidence, He has given us the Gospel. We now want to turn to the gospel, which gives guidance and help against sin in more than one way, because God is extravagantly rich in his grace: first, through the spoken word, in which the forgiveness of sins is preached to the whole world (which is the proper function of the gospel); second, through baptism; third, through the holy Sacrament of the Altar; fourth, through the power of the keys and also through the mutual conversation and consolation of the brothers and sisters. Matthew 18[:20]: Where two or three are gathered SA III 4 (Kolb/Wengert, p. 319) Why is it vital that the pastor lead the penitent to the means of grace for comfort and consolation? 5. POINTS TO PONDER The penitent will find comfort, consolation, and new life in Christ alone, by whose blood we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Therefore, the penitent must not be directed to look within himself or to his own powers, but to Jesus only. The content of all Christian preaching is repentance and faith in Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Mark 1:15; Acts 2:28). Repentance and forgiveness go together. The goal of preaching repentance is always to prepare the heart for the preaching of the forgiveness of sins in Christ Jesus. The Law leads the sinner to contrition. The Gospel alone gives the repentant sinner to real and eternal consolation. The Law must be proclaimed in its full sternness to the unrepentant sinner. The Gospel must be proclaimed in its full sweetness to the sinner who has been crushed by the Law. AUTHOR: Rev. Jonathan Krenz Pastor, Epiphany Lutheran Church, Dorr, Michigan GENERAL EDITOR: Rev. Mark W. Love Pastor, St. Peter s Lutheran Church, Rockford, Michigan 11

12 TOPIC LCMS Circuit Bible Studies What Difference Does it Make to the baptized? the un-baptized? November 2013 What difference would it make, if our witness to God s Trinitarian nature lacks clarity and consistency? 1. FOCUS OF THIS STUDY PARTICIPANT S GUIDE In the movie Toy Story, the toys come to life. Their greatest joy is to belong to and be loved by a child. Woody, the cowboy toy, proudly displays his boot with Andy written on it. He is Andy s toy. At the end of the movie, the new toy Buzz shows he too now fits in. Andy has written his name on Buzz. He belongs to Andy. At every age, we understand that to put our name on something, or better, to give someone your name is to give them a relationship. A child s first word is often Mamma or Dadda. It s the result of work. The parents have been saying the names for months, awaiting the day their child will grasp the unique relationship of love and care the names indicate. Historically, we legally give our names to another in three circumstances: marriage, birth and adoption. It is not accidental that the Lord uses all three name giving events as metaphors to describe his relationship to his people. In fact, every time God gives us one of his names, it is in connection to a promise, And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved (Joel 2:32). It is not we who name God, he names himself and that name is revelation to us. At the culmination of Jesus earthly ministry, he stands on the Mount of Olives and bestows a name on His church 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 (Mt. 28:19). Although God s Trinitarian nature was known to the Old Testament people, this is the first time the Lord gives this name to his people. It is a name full of revelation. While many of the names that God had given to his people described God s character and activity, this name is a revelation of his being. It bespeaks the fellowship of the persons of the Trinity and then places that name on his disciples. Those who bear the name through baptism have a place in that eternal fellowship (e.g., Rm. 6:1-11). For the rest of eternity this name will define God and his people. The doctrine of the Trinity cannot be overlooked or ignored. It is the heart of the Lord s promise of salvation, Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made (Is.43:6b-7). 2. SCRIPTURAL AND DOCTRINAL WITNESSES Biblical Witness to the Holy Trinity: Read Genesis 1:1-3, In what way do we see God explicitly present as Trinity and at work in creation (feel free to reference other Scriptural witnesses to creation)? Read Colossians 1: In these passages, each of the persons of the Trinity is credited with particular work regarding the creation, redemption and sanctification of God s people. 2. Identify the persons of the Trinity and the work credited to each of them regarding creation. 3. Identify the persons of the Trinity and the work credited to each of them regarding the salvation and redemption of the world. 4. Identify the persons of the Trinity and the work credited to each of them regarding the sanctification of the faithful. 12

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14 Doctrinal Witnesses to the Holy Trinity Martin Luther wrote, Here it is relevant to state that Scripture calls our Lord Christ according to His divine nature a Word (John 1:1) which the Father speaks with and in Himself. Thus this Word has a true, divine nature from the Father. It is not a word spoken by the Father, as a physical, natural word spoken by a human being is a voice or a breath that does not remain in him but comes out of him and remains outside him. No, this Word remains in the Father forever. Thus these are two distinct Persons: He who speaks and the Word that is spoken, that is, the Father and the Son. Here, however, we find the third Person following these two, namely, the One who hears both the Speaker and the spoken Word. For it stands to reason that there must also be a listener where a speaker and a word are found. But all this speaking, being spoken, and listening takes place within the divine nature and also remains there, where no creature is or can be. All three Speaker, Word, and Listener must be God Himself; all three must be coeternal and in a single undivided majesty. For there is no difference or inequality in the divine essence, neither a beginning nor an end. Therefore one cannot say that the Listener is something outside God, or that there was a time when He began to be a Listener; but just as the Father is a Speaker from eternity, and just as the Son is spoken from eternity, so the Holy Spirit is the Listener from eternity (Luther s Works, Vol. 24: Sermons on the Gospel of St. John: Chapters Ed. Jaroslav Jan Pelikan, Hilton C. Oswald and Helmut T. Lehmann (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1999), p How does Luther s description of the persons of the Trinity and their inter-trinitarian relationship impact our teaching about prayer? 2. How does Luther s description illuminate our teaching concerning the nature of the sacraments? 3. How does Luther s description inform our teaching of the church and her worship? On the basis of the Holy Scriptures we teach the sublime article of the Holy Trinity; that is, we teach that the one true God, Deut. 6:4; 1 Cor. 8:4, is the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, three distinct persons, but of one and the same divine essence, equal in power, equal in eternity, equal in majesty, because each person possesses the one divine essence entirely, Col. 2:9, Matt. 28:19. We hold that all teachers and communions that deny the doctrine of the Holy Trinity are outside the pale of the Christian Church. The Triune God is the God who is gracious to man, John 3:16-18, 1 Cor. 12:3. Since the Fall, no man can believe in the "fatherhood" of God except he believe in the eternal Son of God, who became man and reconciled us to God by His vicarious satisfaction, 1 John 2:23; John 14:6. Hence we warn against Unitarianism, which in our country has to a great extent impenetrated the sects and is being spread particularly also through the influence of the lodges (Article 4. A Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod, 1932). 1. Why does the brief statement tie faith in the Trinity, and God s Fatherhood to faith in Christ, the Son of God? 2. Many sects, cults, and civic religions have in common a Unitarian confession of God. Are there circumstances in which this could be legitimate? 3. Does this warning against Unitarian expressions of faith limit our opportunities for fellowship and proclamation of the Gospel with those outside the church? 3. CONSEQUENCES FOR THE HEARERS IF UNCLEAR/INCONSISTENT 1. Potential consequences to the baptized, if our preaching and teaching of God s Trinitarian nature is confused, limited or denied: Read Romans 8:1-17 What do these verses say concerning the work of the Holy Trinity as he interacts in the daily life of the baptized? Read Romans 8:26-39 What do these verses say to the baptized concerning Christian prayer, the intercession of the persons of the Trinity, and the promises of God? 14

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16 2. Potential consequences to the unbaptized/unconverted, if our preaching and teaching of God s Trinitarian nature is confused, limited or denied: Read John 3: How does Jesus describe the individual work of the persons of the Holy Trinity in these verses? 2. John 3 has been called, The fullest example of dividing Law and Gospel (Walther, Christmas Day Sermon, 1852). For the unbaptized or unconverted how does Jesus divide Law and Gospel calling them to repentance, baptism and faith? 4. COMFORT AND CONSOLATION FOR THE HEARERS 1. Biblical Witness to the comfort and consolation in the name of the Triune God afforded the baptized as they live in this yet fallen world, and that draws the unbaptized hearer to the Sacrament. Read Acts 2:29-41 Who is the audience to whom Peter speaks? What is the comfort and consolation they receive? 2. Doctrinal Witness to the comfort and consolation in the name of the Triune God afforded the baptized as they live in this yet fallen world, and that draws the unbaptized hearer to the Sacrament. Luther writes, [In baptism,] we have not only God s ordinance and injunction, but also his promise. Therefore, it is far more glorious than anything else God has commanded and ordained; in short, it is so full of comfort and grace that heaven and earth cannot comprehend it (Large Catechism, 4:39). How can this comfort, so incomprehensible to heaven and earth, be proclaimed? 5. POINTS TO PONDER The divine Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, could also be known as Mother, Child and Womb or Rock, Redeemer and Friend at some Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) services after action by the church's national assembly. New York Times (AP) June 20, What are the consequences of changing the Divine name so as to be acceptable to modern sensitivities? 2. When receiving someone into membership of a congregation should we question the baptism of someone baptized in the name of the Rock, Redeemer and Friend? Luther wrote, For God's ordinance and Word cannot be made variable or be altered by men. But these people, the fanatics, are so blinded that they do not see the Word and command of God, and regard Baptism and the magistrates only as they regard water in the brook or in pots, or as any other man; and because they do not see faith nor obedience, they conclude that they are to be regarded as invalid. Here lurks a concealed seditious devil, who would like to tear the crown from the head of authority and then trample it under foot, and, in addition, pervert and bring to naught all the works and ordinances of God. Therefore we must be watchful and well armed, and not allow ourselves to be directed nor turned away from the Word, in order that we may not regard Baptism as a mere empty sign, as the fanatics dream (Large Catechism 4:60-63). AUTHOR: Rev. Robert Zagore r z a g o r t c t r i n i t y. o r g Pastor, Trinity Lutheran Church, Traverse City, Michigan GENERAL EDITOR: Rev. Mark W. Love markwlove@gmail.com Pastor, St. Peter s Lutheran Church, Rockford, Michigan 16

17 LCMS Circuit Bible Studies What Difference Does it Make to the baptized? the unbaptized? December 2013 TOPIC: PARTICIPANT S GUIDE What difference would it make, if our witness to the person of Jesus Christ did not center and remain on His vicarious atonement/substitutionary work for us? 1. FOCUS OF THIS STUDY The Vicarious Atonement of Jesus Christ for the sins of the world is a cornerstone of the Christian witness to the fallen. It is Good News, setting free the sinner from of damnation. The atonement accomplished for us by Jesus Christ is justification of the sinner through faith. It answers the blood of Abel, it is catches the ram in the thicket by its horns, and is vividly portrayed on Good Friday in the offensive corpse of our Savior hanging lifeless on the cross. Atonement is good. We know atonement. Guilt can lead us to self-chosen and even prescribed acts of atonement for our sins that may seem to soothe our conscience, but they atone for nothing before God. One may even be taught to repeat, I m sorry, but apart from contrition and faith in Christ s vicarious atonement, there will never be any atonement for sin. Atonement is the answer to an eye-for-an-eye. It inflicts a punishment; it fulfills a demanded justice, and it stops escalation. Boyfriends everywhere are right now offering to do whatever it takes to make up for the transgression they committed against a weeping girl. Thereby showing that atonement not only answers an offense against another but it calms if not relieves an inner stricken conscience. Atonement is a relational experience. A man stranded on a desert island, may think he has no need for atonement, as it appears there is no one around him to offend. This thinking however, ignores the man s relationship to the God who demands we worship none other, that we use His name properly and that we hear and believe His Word. In the civil realm or in the eyes of other people, it may be possible to repay or to make it up to the neighbor against whom we have sinned. However, in the spiritual realm before God, we have no means by which we are able to atone for our sins against God or against our neighbor. The challenge is not so much Jesus death on the cross, but the idea that His death is a vicarious atonement. Vicarious is not always a positive term. It may be a foreign concept for people who understand vicarious experiences negatively, for instance, someone who lives vicariously through another. Better to allow the Lord to provide His own definition of vicarious atonement through His prophet Isaiah: He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely, he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:3-5. The he is Christ whom God sent to be our substitute so that He might do for us what we cannot ever do to atone for our sins and our sinfulness. Be mindful that this is not some kind of virtual substitution, but an actual reality as the Son of God took on human flesh. Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Hebrews 2: To say that we are saved from eternal hell by the act of another, does not fully communicate the height, depth, width and breath of what Christ s substitutional sacrifice has accomplished for us. It is vicarious for us precisely because the sacrifice is not done in any way by us, but is finished totally and completely by 17

18 Christ for us (Jn 19:30) and in us (Ph 1:6). The validity of this vicarious atonement is assured to us in the bodily resurrection of Christ. Its blessings are given to us in baptism where we are fully united to Christ in His death and resurrection. Baptized into Christ, believing His promises, we are so wedded to Christ that what is ours (sin and death) totally becomes His, and all that is His (righteousness, life, peace, etc.) totally becomes ours. In this way, He washes us, prepares us and presents us to Himself as His spotless bride (Ephesians 5). Now God the Father deals with us only according to Him who is our bridegroom. He stood in our place that we might be united with Him in His place. 2. SCRIPTURAL AND DOCTRINAL WITNESSES THE SCRIPTURAL WITNESS 1 Peter 2:24 What is the result of His vicarious atonement? 1 Peter 3:18 What is the result of His vicarious atonement? Matthew 20:28 Mark 10:45 Isaiah 53:1-12 Is there intent behind His vicarious atonement? What is the relationship between servanthood and His vicarious atonement? What is the result of His vicarious atonement? 2 Corinthians 5:21 Who benefits from His vicarious atonement? Galatians 3:10, 13 John 12:27-33 Luke 4:16-22 Romans 5:1-11 Revelation 21:5 THE DOCTRINAL WITNESS What is the relationship of works to His vicarious atonement? When is His vicarious atonement accomplished? Who benefits from His vicarious atonement? His vicarious atonement was accomplished in a moment in time. What is the state of our existence now that it is accomplished? The purpose of His vicarious atonement? Consider these words from the Article IV of the Augsburg confession. Comment on how the atonement drives this article of faith. IV. [JUSTIFICATION] 1 It is also taught among us that we cannot obtain forgiveness of sin and righteousness before God by our own merits, works, or satisfactions, but that we receive forgiveness of sin and become righteous before God by grace, for Christ s sake, through faith, 2 when we believe that Christ suffered for us and that for his sake our sin is forgiven and righteousness and eternal life are given to us. 3 For God will regard and reckon this faith as righteousness, as Paul says in Romans 3:21-26 and 4:5. The Book of Concord. T. Tappert, p. 30 Read this brief excerpt from Pieper s Christian Dogmatics: Whoever denies the substitutional satisfaction of Christ denies the very essence of the Christian faith, because only the reliance on Christ s vicarious satisfaction is the Christian faith. Christian Dogmatics, F. Pieper, Vol. I, p. 232: Does Pieper go too far? (Perhaps get out the volume and read the quote in context.) How does this clash or harmonize with popular notions and statements of the Christian or personal faith? 3. CONSEQUENCES FOR THE HEARERS IF UNCLEAR/INCONSISTENT Perhaps the biggest mistake any Christian can make today is trying to set aside Good Friday and bring back the Day of Atonement. After Easter, the Christian church set aside the sacrifice of animals because it was fulfilled in the sacrifice of Christ. Yet, sometimes in our honest efforts to make Christianity real for our contemporaries, we devise acts, rituals, and idols that take us from observing Christ to co-opting His work. How are pastors pressured to change proclamation of Christ s vicarious atonement into acts of experiences for their people? What difference does it make? 18

19 Hypocrisy is the act of saying one thing but doing another. It was Jesus chief complaint against the Pharisees. How difficult is it for a Pastor or Christian Teacher to avoid proclaiming the gift to his congregation but then take it back by demanding/suggesting certain behaviors or attitudes in order to receive the gift? What difference does it make? Some have said that a Pastor s aim is to deliver a good conscience to his people. How does an unclear proclamation of His vicarious atonement foil this? The Lutheran Cyclopedia lists these various false atonement theories: 1. Jesus death was an unplanned accident. 2. Jesus was a martyr who died for a principle. 3. Jesus died to show us how much God loves us. 4. Jesus died to show us how to live morally toward others. 5. Jesus died to show God s wrath and you better behave or this will happen to you. Which is your favorite and how does it pervert the Gospel? It is one thing to make a mess of His vicarious atonement for Christians, but think of the consequences for the one hearing the Gospel for the first time. The first question in the Explanation to the Small Catechism goes like this: What is Christianity? Which is the correct answer? 1. Christianity is the life and salvation God has given in and through Jesus Christ. 2. Christianity is a life and salvation God offers in and through Jesus Christ. 3. Christianity is a personal relationship with God and Jesus too. 4. Christianity is Jesus Christ offered in and through your life s work for God. Explain how the other answers recast Christianity to be like every other religion that subverts His vicarious atonement? Moreover, what difference does it make? An inquisitive person asks you, How does Jesus dying on a cross help me? Can your answer make any sense without referencing His vicarious atonement? Try it. Across the backyard fence, your neighbor tells you that his church requires him to tithe. How does His vicarious atonement work its way into the conversation? A woman stands up at the Voter s Meeting and shares that her cousin came to church with her a few weeks back and was appalled at the crucifix on display on the altar. Because she is sensitive to others, she suggests that it be replaced with an empty cross or even nothing at all. There is opposition to this idea from the Voters but they do not know why. How would His vicarious atonement fit into your explanation? A child in the local Christian school is told if she does not fold her hands and bow her head during prayer she is making Jesus sad. In this classic example of mixing Law and Gospel, how does a clear presentation of His vicarious atonement untangle this mess and comfort this child (and her parents)? A couple in your Pastor s Class returns after Spring break travels telling you that in the church they attended on Easter neither Jesus nor His resurrection was mentioned much in the sermon. They want to know how come. How would you respond and reference His vicarious atonement in your answer? 19

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21 4. COMFORT AND CONSOLATION FOR THE HEARERS John 11:25-26 John 14:18-19 Mark 9:23-24 Psalm 4:8 Jesus proclaims that whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and every one who lives and believes in Me shall never die. He then invites Mary and Martha to believe in Him, for He is the Resurrection and the Life. While the cross was yet in the future, was there room for the sisters to misunderstand Jesus? How does the vicarious atonement help us understand and proclaim Christ s promises? The RSV here reads, I will not leave you comfortless. Jesus is about to remove His visible presence from His disciples (through His death, resurrection and ascension). However, His promise remains, I will come to you. In our sin, we have no hope for anything good, but in Jesus God gives sure and certain comfort and hope. Because I live, you will live also, He says. How does the vicarious atonement help us fill out this picture? The father of the possessed boy expresses our situation very well. We believe and yet we are aware of unbelief chasing us at every turn. How much does it comfort us to hear that His vicarious atonement was Christ s work for us even as we wallow in unbelief? When Christians become anxious, it is because Satan is putting them in doubt of the firmness of the Gospel. This only increases at night when we are alone with our thoughts and the devil s whispers. Our peace has to be of God s making. How do His vicarious atonement and Holy Baptism come together to calm a troubled heart? Martin Luther is recorded as having said, The Lord Christ died and was buried; I too. Then He rose and ascended into heaven; I too. Luther shows us how the vicariousness of the atonement is of such a pureness that in God s eyes we too have suffered in completeness and ascended in holiness. What is left for us to do but to rejoice? In Article XX of the Augsburg Confessions we read: First, that our works cannot reconcile God or merit forgiveness of sins, grace, and justification, but that we obtain this only by faith when we believe that we are received into favor for Christ's sake, who alone has been set forth the Mediator and Propitiation, 1 Tim. 2:5, in order that the Father may be reconciled through Him. Whoever, therefore, trusts that by works he merits grace, despises the merit and grace of Christ, and seeks a way to God without Christ, by human strength, although Christ has said of Himself: I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. John 14:6. How can negative reinforcement, coupled with speaking gently, be helpful in waking pre-occupied souls that are in error against Christ if they reduce or deny the vicarious atonement of Jesus Christ for them by worry or display of trophies? In the Large Catechism, under the description of the Lord s Supper, we read: Thus we have briefly the first point which relates to the essence of this Sacrament. Now examine further the efficacy and benefits on account of which really, the Sacrament was instituted; which is also its most necessary part that we may know what we should seek and obtain there. Now this is plain and clear from the words just mentioned: This is My body and blood, given and shed for you, for the remission of sins. Briefly, that is as much as to say, "For this reason, we go to the Sacrament because there we receive such a treasure by and in which we obtain forgiveness of sins." Why so? Because the words stand here and give us this; for on this account He bids me eat and drink, that it may be my own and may benefit me, as a sure pledge and token, yea, the very same treasure that is appointed for me against my sins, death, and every calamity. Christ instituted His Supper for us and our forgiveness. The culmination of the vicarious atonement is that forgiveness is not effected upon a distant cross and left there, but brought to us and delivered to us at an altar where simple bread and wine have been consecrated. What stands between Christ and a Christian when the Supper is served? 21