"Reformation from Law to Grace"

Do You Love Christ, then Tend His Sheep?

            Revelation 14:7 ⁷And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

            This is the celebration of Reformation, in which we remember Martin Luther the German monk of the 1500's.  Surviving a lightning storm Luther promised to follow God.  The members of the church that Martin Luther attended were widespread and taught to fear the church because at that time the church was the law.  The church that I am describing is not the body of Christ, but rather made up of the body of man.  It is the church of the small c, and surely not the Church of the large C as in Christ our savior.

            Martin Luther feared for his life while running for safety through a lightning storm of which he may have not witnessed before.  But his fear translated directly to God as he pleads through fearful prayer for God to spare his life.  You see, God created the storms as well as He created the days of calm and sunshine.  Martin Luther must have known this as he makes his life changing decision to walk with God more closely than he had done before.

            Romans 3:19–20 ¹⁹Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. ²⁰For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

            Martin Luther becomes a monk and like the Jewish Essene Priests Luther spent a lot of time confessing his sin and then afflicting much pain to pay penances for his sin.  The law of the church demands penances be paid for ones sin.  If one had enough money or monetary gifts one could buy their penances and forgo the physical self afflicted flogging. 

            Martin Luther had to have gotten tired of this self afflicting painful penance after awhile.  Lucky by secular thought or Devine intervention by those who believe in Christ our savior; Johann von Staupitz lead Luther away from the self-punishment and towards repentance as a change of heart.  It was not until Martin Luther studied the writings to the Romans that he learned that our justification to enter into eternal life does not come from works or works of the law.  Martin Luther I'm sure was joyful to learn that through faith that Jesus Christ bought us forgiveness through His suffering, death, and resurrection gives us not only eternal life but also eternal relationship with our God.

            Romans 3:27–28 ²⁷Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. ²⁸For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

            I suppose that if one had money enough it would give one bragging rights to show the public one's righteousness to be enough to enter heaven.  However, it would seem that the one who punished themselves would also have the same bragging rights and maybe more because they were willing to take the self afflicting abuse to pay for their sin.  Be that as it may, there is not enough Luther whips nor time to punish one's self enough to earn ones way to heaven. 

            Martin Luther through his studies of the Holy Scripture discovered the meaning of the Truth.  The truth is that through the help of the Holy Spirit we can all find that our God went about to procure a means to justify to Himself the ones who cannot do it for themselves.

            Martin Luther now through the word of God, realizes the answer to how salvation works.  One is justified by faith, but not of your own works, rather by the works of our Triune God. 

            Romans 10:17 ¹⁷ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

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

            The gift of God that is given at baptism is the drowning of the old Adam, then being revived by Christ, which does not come wrapped up in a package for you to choose to take, but as a gift of God that comes like one being revived from drowning.  In other words it the entire choice of our God that we are brought to faith and are saved for eternal life and relationship with Him.

            John 8:31–36 ³¹So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, ³²and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

            So some of you have heard me say the truth that sets you free is Jesus Christ who claims to be the "way, truth and life," here is another place where we can see that Christ is the truth.  The truth will set you free, "the son remains forever," So it is the Son who sets you free.

            John 8:31–36 ³⁴Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. ³⁵The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. ³⁶So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

            The only freedom worth having is the freedom from the law that punishes us for our sin and sends us to eternal death.  Christ is that freedom that sends us His gift of salvation to all who are brought to believe and have faith in the only savior our Lord.  Amen.

 

 

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