Dive In!

Some of you have been Christians your whole life. Others are relatively new to Christianity. In either case, how do you view the Christian life? Have you immersed yourself in the baptismal grace that is yours in Jesus Christ? Do you splash around daily in the new life He gives you to live? Or are you content dipping in your toes when you need a little spiritual refreshing?

The blessings of forgiveness, life, and salvation Christ gave you in Holy Baptism are as vast and endless as the ocean. In that water you were baptized into His death and resurrection. You died there and were raised to newness of life. And yet, many have become so comfortable in this world and its ways that they want little to do with the new life Christ purchased for them at the price of His very own blood.

Think of it this way. A bunch of kids go to a lake to swim. One of them dips his toes in the water and cries out: “It’s cold! I’m not going in.” Another goes in up to his ankles and says the same thing. Some may even go in up to their knees. Then comes the kid who runs down the dock and dives in head first. It’s fearfully chilly. His blood is pumping. It even stings at first. But in no time his head emerges and he exclaims: “It’s awesome! Come on in!”

This analogy isn’t perfect. For starters, we don’t take the initiative on living the Christian life. Christ does that! But the Christian faith is much like a swim. Many are happy to walk around in the shallow waters of Christianity, barely getting their toes or ankles or knees wet. There they stand, shivering in the cold air of the world they are afraid to leave behind. But that’s not Christianity. Being a disciple of Christ means taking up your cross and following Him day in and day out. To return to the analogy, it means diving in and swimming around in the grace and mercy and forgiveness He provides on a daily basis. Is it cold? Will it sting? Almost certainly. Living the Christian life is not an easy calling. It involves daily crucifying the sinful flesh and living in the baptismal grace with which Christ has washed you.

So dive in. Take the plunge into the river of life. Swim around in His grace. Drink deeply of His mercy. Be a Christian! This is not your own doing, but God’s doing in you. He has already washed you clean and claimed you as His own dear child. Don’t walk away from it. Live as His child!

“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.” [Psalm 46:4]

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.” [John 7:37]

“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” [Hebrews 10:22]

“The Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their Shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” [Revelation 7:17]

Being a Christian does not mean a life free of trial and tribulation. Yet, you have Christ’s promise that He will see you through those trials and tribulations in the strength of His Word and presence.

Don’t dip your toes into Christianity and then complain it’s not what you hoped or expected or wanted. God Himself says you need it. So dive in. Live daily from every Word that proceeds from Christ’s mouth. Be fed regularly with His true body and blood. Swim daily in His gifts and splash His grace onto everyone you encounter in your various vocations. Living the baptismal life may take some getting used to (the Old Adam doesn’t drown easily), but our gracious Lord will show you over and over again how refreshing such a swim in His sacred flood is.

True Worship

[1] In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of His robe filled the temple. [2] Above Him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. [3] And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” [4] And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. [5] And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” [6] Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. [7] And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” [Isaiah 6:1-7 ESV]

This beautiful text reveals the following about true worship:

• God is really present in His temple/house (6:1)
• Man is sinful and unworthy to be in God’s presence (6:5)
• Worship is directed to the Triune God (6:3)
• Worship acknowledges God’s holiness (6:3)
• Worship includes a confession of sin (6:5)
• God’s forgiveness is spoken by His servant (6:6-7)
• God’s forgiveness is delivered through means (6:6-7)

It's About Christ

I’ve heard it a million times. OK, maybe a thousand times. But it’s still misleading:

The church is not about buildings, it’s about people.

Let’s cut to the chase. The Church is not about buildings or people. It’s about Jesus Christ. He is the source of everything, the Word through whom all things were created, the Word who became flesh to save us from our sin, the Word whose blood was shed for our redemption, the Word who rose again on the third day to give us His new life. This same Word now comes to His people in the preached Word and the visible Word (i.e. the Sacraments) to give us Himself, His forgiveness, His life, His salvation.

Cut out that little word about and I agree with the statement above. The Church is people. The Church is the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:22-33). The Church is the congregation of saints in which the Gospel is purely taught and the Sacraments are correctly administered (AC VII.1). As Luther wrote, even a seven-year-old child knows what the Church is, namely, the holy believers and lambs who hear the voice of their Shepherd (SA III.XII.2).

Words mean things. While the Church is Christ’s people, the Church is about Christ! It’s not about buildings, though Christ is regularly proclaimed in church buildings. It’s not about people, though Christ is always preached to sinners. The Church is about Christ. Let that be enough.

When the Church is about Christ, you can come to Him and confess your sins and go home justified. You can splash around daily in the baptismal grace with which He has washed you. You can live from every word that proceeds from His mouth. You can partake regularly of His true body and blood that He may dwell in you and you in Him. You see, when it’s all about Christ, you can take your eyes off of yourself and your own efforts toward righteousness and look to Him, the author and perfecter of your faith. This is a blessing not only for you, but also for your neighbor. For in looking to Christ, your eyes and ears and heart and hands will be drawn toward your neighbor in need, where Christ Himself will live His love through you as you serve those whom He has given you to serve.

Let’s stop the silliness. The Church is not about buildings or people. It’s about Christ!

A Strange Obsession

I think that the church in America today is so obsessed with being practical, relevant, helpful, successful, and perhaps even well-liked that it nearly mirrors the world itself.

Michael Horton
Christless Christianity

Baker Books, 2008, p. 16

Pornography

Few sins enslave a person more readily than sexual sins: adultery, fornication, sexual abuse, rape, incest, homosexual activity, obscenity, and pornography. Holy Scripture equates sexual sins with idolatry (i.e. one’s passions and desires become his god). I’m not naive. Sexual sins have been part and parcel of mankind’s history ever since our first parents ate the forbidden fruit. But any honest observer can see a massive shift in our culture’s views on sexual sins. Many of the aforementioned sins are now considered “normal” and “perfectly acceptable” not only by our culture, but even among many who profess to be Christians. God have mercy on those who are so deluded!

Surveys suggest that the sexual sin growing at a faster rate than all others is pornography. And it’s destroying individuals, marriages, families, and faith in the process. Viewing pornography used to take some time and effort (i.e. one had to purchase/rent videos or magazines in certain stores or via the postal service). Today, however, pornography is easily within reach on most electronic devices and can be viewed from the privacy of one’s own bedroom, office, basement, even on the go. Such availability and privacy has helped the pornography industry thrive and has enslaved millions of users in the process.

Perhaps you are caught up in this. If so, you need to stop. It is self destructive. It is addictive. And it is an abomination to the Triune God. For your own sake, and for the sake of your loved ones and friends, stop immediately. Pornography is no more tolerable to our Lord than adultery or fornication or sexual abuse or rape or incest or homosexual activity or obscenity. In fact, here is what God says about sexual sins of every sort:

“For out of the heart come … sexual immorality…” [Matthew 15:19]

“The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord.” [1 Corinthians 6:13]

“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.” [1 Corinthians 6:18]

“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality…” [Galatians 5:19]

“But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.” [Ephesians 5:3]

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality … which is idolatry.” [Colossians 3:5]

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; … for God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.” [1 Thessalonians 4:3, 7]

In each of the Scripture passages above, the Greek word behind our English translation “sexual immorality” is porn- (“porn”). In the ancient world pornography encompassed a wide range of sexual sins. In our day and age it is more narrowly defined as the viewing of sexually explicit images. It was sinful then and it is sinful now.

If you are caught up in pornography, seek God’s forgiveness and a new beginning in Christ. Seek the support of a trusted friend or colleague to help you from lapsing back into this detestable sin. If you know of someone else who is caught up in pornography, assist him or her in stopping and seeking God’s forgiveness and a new beginning in Christ. After all, being enslaved to one’s deepest, darkest passions and desires is one of the quickest ways to destroy yourself, your marriage, your family, and your faith.

To that end, may our gracious Lord give all of us the strength to “lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do” (Luther’s Small Catechism: Sixth Commandment), to the glory of His holy name.

38 Years and Counting

Today, 22 January 2011, marks the 38th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized the murder of unborn children in our country. Since this landmark decision more than 53,000,000 have lost their lives via abortion. I pray for the parent(s) who chose this route and the doctors and nurses who assisted in the slaughter. May our gracious Lord lead them (and all of us) to repentance and the forgiveness of sins found only in Jesus Christ and Him crucified. All life is precious to the Author of life!

For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb. [Psalm 139:13]

The Word of God

Before I let any one take from me the Word of God and ask me to deny my God I will kneel and let them strike off my head.

George
Margrave of Brandenburg
June 1530

quoted from
Johann Michael Reu
The Augsburg Confession (Historical Introduction)
Concordia Publishing House, 2005, p. 93