Romans 3:21-24 * Reformation Sunday 2004 *
Pastor Leyrer
Dear Friends in Christ,
There’s an interesting discussion being had by some of our
home mission pastors – especially, but not limited to, those in outlying areas
of the
Which raises the obvious question, why? What’s really going on here? Should this be raising some red flags? Why are some of our pastors talking like this?
Are they attempting to distance themselves or their church from historic, confessional, Lutheran-slash-Biblical doctrine? Are they consciously or unconsciously beginning down a slippery slope that empties into the broad waters of tepid non-denominationalism where doctrinal substance is a mile wide but an inch deep and the only hard stand taken is that no hard stands be taken? Or, are they simply selling out to a “church growth” mentality that some might suggest borders on deception?
The truth is there is nothing sinister or compromising behind the conversation. The pastors in our fellowship who talk this way are not selling out, nor are they in any way ashamed of who and what we are. What is behind this talk is the sad realization that for those who don’t know the things that we know, the word Lutheran doesn’t say much any more. And what it does say, to many, is not all that complimentary.
It used to be that the word Lutheran was associated with a
strong stand on Scripture and the keystone doctrine of justification through
faith in Christ alone. That’s the way we
see it and that’s what we mean by it as members of the
Today much of the world associates the name “Lutheran” with
the liberal positions taken by the largest branch of the Lutheran Church (the
ELCA), and now the term calls to mind endless public debate over the acceptance of gay unions and same-sex
marriages and abortion and all kinds of other politically (as opposed to
Scripturally) correct issues. I say this
not to be combative or uncharitable; this is all a matter of public
record. It’s just the way it is. But because this is the general perception of
Lutheranism, we in the
But today is not a day for laments. Today is a day to celebrate true, orthodox, authentic
Lutheranism. And true, orthodox, authentic Lutheranism is nothing more or nothing less than Biblical Christianity. And at the heart of Biblical Christianity is the Gospel message of Jesus Christ which is so clearly and so eloquently set before us in our text for today. What we have before us from the inspired pen of the Apostle Paul – and what we have the opportunity to joyfully review – constitute
THE BEDROCK AND BUILDING BLOCKS OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH
1. The bedrock is the Gospel
2. The building blocks are grace
alone, faith alone, and Scripture alone
Romans chapter 3 reveals not only the heart of the Gospel; it reveals the very heart of God. Let’s work our way through it…
“But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” We need to define some terms. God’s righteousness that Paul talks about here can be understood in two ways. One way is as a characteristic or quality of God. God’s righteousness in this way is a reference to His holiness.
The other way to understand God’s righteousness is not as
something He is, but as something He does.
In other words, it is God’s pronouncement
or declaration of righteousness upon those who believe in Jesus Christ as their
Savior. This is brought out in the
statement: “This righteousness from God
comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” In effect, God
says to the believer: “Through your belief in the work of Jesus, I
declare you righteous, or holy, or forgiven, in My sight. As such, the door to heaven is open to you.”
Furthermore, we are told this righteousness from God is “apart from law.” The word “law” refers to God’s commands. Meaning, this righteousness does not come to us through our keeping of God’s commands. God’s declaration of righteousness upon us is not something that we can earn through outward obedience or performance.
Moreover, this declaration of righteousness as the way in which God saves people eternally is not something that was first revealed to the Apostle Paul in the first century. Rather, he says it is something to which the “Law and the Prophets testify.” This is a common Bible name for what we today refer to as the Old Testament.
In other words, Jesus Christ and His redeeming work was and is highly visible throughout the Old Testament with its hundreds of Messianic prophecies. Old Testament believers were saved eternally the same way as New Testament believers (you and me) – through faith in a Savior from sin. The only difference is that they looked forward to a Savior who was to come, while we look back on a Savior who has come. Jesus Christ is the glue that holds the entire Bible together; He is the scarlet thread that is woven throughout Scripture from the first book to the last.
Righteousness is bestowed upon those who believe in the work of the promised Savior. Righteousness through our own efforts is impossible because, as our text goes on…
“There is no
difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”
“All” means
everybody. Everybody means you and
me. Although we are sometimes unwilling
to admit it (or willing to admit it on an intellectual level but unwilling to
believe it on a practical level), these are the facts: We are born sinful. And even as Christians, we continue
(sometimes in weakness, other times in ignorance, still other times in
defiance) to sin. To “sin” in its
simplest sense means to “miss the mark” that God asks us to hit. And as “missers of the mark” we “fall short of the glory of God” – that
is, what God intended and asks man to be: perfect.
That’s bad news. But now comes
the good news. Sinners though we are, we
“are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by
Christ Jesus.”
We need to look at a number of these words, because each of them is
significant.
“Justified” is a courtroom term that means “to declare
righteous” or to declare forgiven. This is the decision that has been rendered
by God, the Judge, upon each of us. This
decision has been done “freely,”
without cost to us, but at great cost to Him, “by His grace.” Here is the
motivation behind this great act. Grace
is often described as God’s undeserved love, and perhaps that’s the best we can
do for a definition. The truth is that
grace transcends any description. It is
incomprehensible because we have nothing on this earth to which we can compare
it. We human beings generally love the
loveable. God’s love, on the other hand,
extends to a planet full of creatures who, according to any definition, are
unlovable because they routinely bite the hand that feeds them.
Yet He loves us because of His amazing grace. Grace is the motivation; here comes the
method: “…and are 1)
justified 2) freely 3) by His grace 4) THROUGH THE REDEMPTION THAT CAME BY CHRIST
JESUS. Some
translate the word “redemption” as “ransom.”
The idea is that a price had to be paid.
And it was. The price was God’s
Son, Jesus Christ.
He paid out the price by being perfect for us in our place and then
dying for us in our place. He satisfied
God’s demand for our perfection with His sinlessness, and He satisfied God’s
demand for the wages of sin by His death in our place.
The result: God in His grace
forgives us freely for Jesus’ sake. The
work of Christ is credited to those who trust in Him. And eternal life is not a hope, a dream or an
aspiration. It is the reality of those
who embrace Christ as Savior. Which
means God is not an ogre to be appeased, but a Heavenly Father to be worshiped
and adored.
Here ends one of the clearest expositions in the Bible on the glorious
message we simply call “the Gospel.” If
you pretend you are hearing it for the first time, it will literally take your
breath away. Just like it did for a man
in the 16th century named Martin Luther who said that when he came
to understand the Gospel, it was as if the gates of heaven had been opened up
to him. That wasn’t an
overstatement. Because that’s what the
Gospel does. It literally opens up the
gates of heaven.
The Gospel is the bedrock of the Christian faith. The building blocks contained within it are
salvation by faith alone through God’s grace
alone, a truth which can be found in Scripture
alone.
And knowing this Gospel transforms us, just as it did Martin
Luther. In what ways?
First and foremost, it gives us assurance in death, which – unless
Jesus returns in our lifetime – is something we all will face. It is the promise that heaven is ours. It is the guarantee that everything necessary
for our salvation has been taken care of.
It is this message that takes the sting out of attending the funerals of
our loved ones. It is this message that
removes any sense of mystery as to knowing where we’re going the moment we take
our last breath. It is this message that
enables believers to say without a hint of arrogance or boastfulness that we
know we’re going to heaven, because heaven doesn’t depend on what we do for
God, but on trusting what God has done for us in His Son, Jesus Christ.
However, it’s not as if the Gospel only pays dividends upon our
death. The Gospel gives us equal
assurance and comfort in our daily lives.
The cross of Christ communicates a strong message of God’s love for us
each and every day. This love which God
demonstrated for us in Christ never dies but always lives, just as the Risen
Christ lives. Later in the Book of
Romans (chapter 8), the Apostle Paul asks this question: Who or what shall separate us from the love
of Christ? His answer: Nothing.
Not hardship or pain or suffering or disappointments or any of the other
bumps along the path of life. Nothing
shall separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And so the Gospel message is the equivalent of a big, bright neon sign
in which the Lord tells us He loves us – and will continue to love us even
though, as He has told us, pain and hardship may enter our lives just as it did
His while on earth. The Gospel message
is God’s declaration that He loved us enough to meet our greatest need, the
forgiveness of sins, and the promise that He will meet every other lesser need
as well.
Finally, it is this Gospel message that moves us to live our lives for
our Lord. Knowing the Gospel brings
about a response. In the 16th
century the response of one man who finally and fully understood the Gospel
culminated in the reformation of the church.
Today it has the same effect on everyone who truly understands it. It fills us with a desire to serve, rather
than be served. It fills us with a
desire to draw closer to our gracious God through the means He has given us to
do so – the Word and sacraments. It
fills us with the desire to put away those habits that are not God pleasing in
order to center our lives on our Lord.
It fills us with a desire to be used by God for the high and noble purposes
of spreading the Gospel through carrying out the Great Commission.
It may be a sad but true fact that in the world today the word Lutheran
does not mean what it once did. But we
know what it stands for. The Gospel
message is the bedrock of Biblical Christianity, and Biblical Christianity is synonymous
with authentic Lutheranism. And this is
the day we celebrate the blessings of authentic Lutheranism. We are so blessed to know Christ. We are so blessed to be part of a church body
that rightfully places Him at the core of everything we do and everything we
are.
So on Reformation Sunday, let this be our prayer. Lord, thank You. And ever keep us – as individuals, as a
church and as a church body – steadfast in Your Word. Amen.