Division

It is just as our Lord foretold. The truth divides. It divides those who confess it from those who deny it.

“Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” [Luke 12:51-53]

Salvation is God’s free gift to you. It doesn’t cost you anything, though it cost Jesus His very life. He redeemed you, not with gold or silver, but with His holy precious blood and His innocent suffering and death.

And yet, while salvation is free, confessing Christ’s name comes at a cost. Confessing His Word comes at a cost. Confessing truth comes at a cost. It is the cost of discipleship. This cost is the cross Christ’s own are given to bear. This cross takes many forms. Mockery. Intimidation. Bullying. Ridicule. Persecution. Division. Even death.

But fear not, O Christian. You have a Savior who has already shouldered the cross—the ultimate cross—for you. And He delivers the fruits of His cross—forgiveness, life, and salvation—to you in Word and Sacrament, that you might daily die to sin and rise to newness of life in Him.

By God’s grace, abide in Christ, His Word, His truth. Whatever the consequences, do what you have been set apart in Holy Baptism to do: Repent. Hear. Receive. Believe. Confess. Serve. Pray.

And whether the cross you bear is light or heavy, don’t forget the Lord’s gracious words:

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” [Matthew 5:11-12]