The Three Cs

This was one of the most unique assignments I have been given since coming to Concordia Theological Seminary. I was tasked with outlining the Salvation History of the Old Testament in 800 words or less, while hitting all of the major points, and introducing you and me into the story. I did miss one major event: the exile. But here is my entry ... in 800 words, on the nose. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In him was life, and through that life, through that light ... He will send his messengers to herald His coming and to turn the hearts of all who long for the life we lost.  The genesis of John coupled with the conclusion of Malachi, which buttress in their own way, is a wonderful starting point to begin a conversation about where we are in Salvation History. Here, we see the past meeting the future. Here, we see that from the beginning, the Old Testament isn’t mere history; it isn’t just law; it really isn’t old; and it certain...

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. In my last post, I challenged the idea that Jesus never said he was God, by laying out from just the first eight chapters of John how in fact he did say he was. The Jews knew what Jesus was saying, and they wanted to stone him; they just didn't get the chance. And if you will listen to Jesus' words today, you will hear him say it clearly. Today, we have what I think is the most powerful testimony yet, the Father and the Son ar...

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded. If you are a regular Bible reader, I am sure you must have looked quizzically at the title of this post and my Bible reference. The title is James 1:22. So, what's with the Proverbs reference, you ask? Yesterday, I had lunch with a Christian friend of mine who has been struggling with his faith, struggles that have him occasionally wondering if he is really saved. Maybe I am doing too much, he says. Maybe I am not doing enough. Maybe I don't really believe. Maybe my faith is dead. Passages like those in James have a way of doing that to every Christian. Do not merely listen to the Word, James writes, do as it says (James 1:22 NIV). Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? (James 2:20 ESV) For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it (James 2:10 NIV). Am I really goo...

I am not ashamed of the gospel ... Say it with me again: "I am not ashamed of the gospel." So why are so many of us ashamed? Why are so many of us unwilling to stand up for truth? Why are so many of us willingly abandoning the Word of God? How sad are these questions. For the record, the gospel is the good news: Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world, lay in a tomb for three days, defeated death, and raised himself from the grave for all believers. Today, everyone who believes this good news, this gospel from God, will receive eternal life in the light of love! And yet Christians around the world continue to abandon this good news, this gospel from God. How, you ask? We continue to deny sin. Haven't you heard: There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good (Psalm 14). Their throats are open graves; their tongues practi...

Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” It would be easy to get stuck in the big picture of this story in Matthew. A rich man comes to Jesus and asks what some might think is a rather simple question. So Jesus spells it out. If you are seeking eternal life, obey the Word: Don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie or gossip. ... And if you think you have those bases covered, then make sure you also sell everything you own, take up your cross and follow Jesus. That man, just like me, was crushed. I haven't killed anyone. But obeying the Law ... well, everyone fails. To be clear, EVERYONE fails, everyone except Jesus, that is. Jesus (Matt. 19:26), and Paul (Rom. 3:20) make that perfectly clear in the New Testament. And the Old Testament writers did, too, most notably David in Psalm 14. Maybe you missed it, but that was the point of the story: "There is only One who is good" ...

A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given except the sign of Jonah. I have been spending too much time talking about the law lately. Do this. Do that. You gotta do this. You gotta do that. And while it's all true, there is good news, the true Gospel: We have the sign of Jonah, the miracle of miracles, the greatest sign of God's love for us. This verse, or actually a very similar one, caught my eye yesterday. Right after Matthew records Jesus healing many more sick, including a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute (Matt. 12:22), the Pharisees came to our Lord and demanded a miraculous sign. And so Jesus responds by reminding a "wicked and adulterous nation" (Matt. 12:39; 16:4), in other words the unfaithful, that they will get their sign in due time: The greatest sign of all-time will be the slaughtered innocent lamb of God raising himself from the grave. Hear the good news of the Gospel again: "Every sin an...

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received  it, and it will be yours. I understand why some people don't believe. When they ask and don't receive, well, things don't always turn out the way they think God works. ... Or at least they think they ask. Or they ask without believing. Or they ask for something completely ridiculous, as if to test God. And then, when they don't receive, they try to blame it on Him. But Jesus' words here are clear. "Whatever you ask in prayers, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." I can testify that I believe, I ask, and I receive. I have never tried to move a mountain. But I still believe. Wait, I take that back. I did try to move a mountain, or maybe it was a tree, whatever. And it didn't move. But you know, Jesus was clear ... you need to believe that you have received it, too. I know now I didn't believe I had received it. But that doesn't mean God do...

No need for commentary on this today. I re-discovered Psalm 84 again, and well, it sang to me. Enjoy! How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young — a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty; listen to me, God of Jacob. Look on our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one. Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a ...

Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.  It's easy to get stuck on that first verse. Neither the sexually immoral, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality ... will inherit the kingdom of God. Paul doesn't mince his words, does he? The sexually immoral are destined for hell, we like to say. God has a special place for men who practice homosexuality, we like to say. Make no mistake, the words are black and white. But don't stop there. Neither the idolaters, nor the thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. God is talking to me. God is talking to you. So you have neve...

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Jesus died for you. Did you catch that, Christian? You are ungodly. Just like me. No one is righteous in God's sight (Psalm 14:3); that makes us ungodly. You are a sinner. I am a sinner (1 John 1:8). That makes us ungodly. It's a difficult truth to face. I have to tell you, it's even more difficult when you have a 4-year-old daughter like we do. Nora is so sweet. She talks with God. She started saying the Lord's prayer during church when she was 2. She remembers her friends in some of the most amazing ways, and then prays for them. Last Wednesday, during a midweek Bible study our church calls Oasis, Nora's class had an interactive lesson in which the teacher presented the children a problem, and they would respond with a solution. On the last one, one of the children was given a beach ball, and the teacher says, "I don't have any friends." Nora quietly looks...

I have been meaning to write about my readings from Acts. But today, let's just sing God's praise. Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise! Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name." Selah Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.

    For you formed my inward parts;         you knitted me together in my mother's womb.     I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.     Wonderful are your works;         my soul knows it very well.     My frame was not hidden from you,     when I was being made in secret,         intricately woven in the depths of the earth.     Your eyes saw my unformed substance;     in your book were written, every one of them,         the days that were formed for me,         when as yet there was none of them. (Psalm 139:13-16 ESV)

Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the  Lord  your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. Some people call work a four-letter word. Of course, it actually is, but you know what they mean when they refer to it that way. For most of my life, I didn't view it that way; Dad and Mom taught me that work is important. But like most people, there have been times when work was, well, work, the four-letter word. I am here, I have sometimes said when colleagues see me walk into the office and ask me how I am doing. My response was not necessarily meant to be derogatory, but it certainly could be construed that way. Unfortunately, I am not like many people. For many, work is, well, work, the derogatory four-letter word. They don't want to be at work. They don't want to enjoy their work. They just want to p...

Love is patient , love is kind , it is not envious . Love does not brag , it is not puffed up . It is not rude , it is not self-serving , it is not easily angered or resentful . It is not glad about injustice , but rejoices in the truth . It bears all things , believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13 doesn't say it, but but love is semper fidelis, too. I wish I could say the same about myself. I wish I could say I had perfect love as described here, my favorite chapter in the New Testament. Even though I was a Marine, who was trained to be semper fidelis, I failed. In fact, I failed a lot. I was far from semper fidelis. So today, I am thankful that God is. OK, you didn't hear that part in chapter 13. But God clearly is semper fidelis. We hear it in Psalm 25: The Lord always proves faithful and reliable ... and in Psalm 100, he is faithful through all generations. I am thankful God is always fa...