Dear brothers and sisters of our Lord Jesus Christ, rare and very foolish is the Christian that believes the Christian Church, that is, the sum-total of all true believers in Christ, is without flaw or fault. Yet increasingly, there are two great errors that Christians, and thus congregations fall into.
On the one hand, there is the lie, originating with the devil, that the doctrine of the church does not matter, and that teaching and preaching sound doctrine, that is the Word of God in Holy Scripture as the sole source and norm of Christian belief and practice, causes division. Thus, these esteemed fellows jettison the doctrine of the holy Christian (or catholic, which means universal) and Apostolic Church because they do not want division or strife. This practice is akin to a nation practicing appeasement or surrendering using the excuse that enslavement is better than war. To give up sound doctrine for the sake of peace is to give up peace with God, for the worldly peace that is fleeting and does not last.
The devil, however, knows this quite well. Therefore, if he cannot get Christians to fall into this error, he seeks to drive them with a pharisaical pride in the other direction. The devil would turn preference into doctrine, and the traditions of men into the commandments of God. He seeks to destroy all forms of Christian charity and get brothers and sisters in Christ to despise each other for observing different adiaphora (things neither commanded nor forbidden in Holy Scripture).
This idea of crushing or destroying the opposition and not allowing any variance of thought or opinion is at variance with these words of St. Paul: “Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. 5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s (Romans 14:4-8).”
Yet this freedom in adiaphora (things neither commanded nor forbidden in Holy Scripture), is not an endorsement of liturgical chaos, lawlessness, or hedonism. Elsewhere, St. Paul writes: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein (Romans 6:1-2)?”
Our Lord lays out how He wishes for mankind to live here on earth in the Ten Commandments, which are not adiaphora, but the revealed will of God. Thus, it is his will for us to love and worship Him, God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, to honor our parents, not murder, be the husband of one wife, not steal, not bear false witness, etc. And the end result is not bondage but blessing and flourishing. Do Christians, daily sin and fall short, breaking the commandments of God of course.
But we are saved by grace through faith, and we have a merciful God who has sent His sone to atone (pay the price for our sins, whatever those may be). So it is that the devil can no longer accuse us and death can no longer threaten us, because we have peace with God, the peace of sins forgive, the peace won on the cross by Jesus Christ who rose victorious on the third day from the dead and gave that peace to His holy Christian and Apostolic Church.
This is the peace that surpasses all understanding. This is the peace with which we are to live. I have made mention of Ephesians 4 before, and I am convinced I will continue to make mention of it again and again, because it is marvelous and perfectly articulates right (correct doctrine with brotherly love). It teaches how the Church should work internally and how we should govern our lives. It begins by saying we should be lowly and meek, this is fertile soil for the Holy Spirit to work faith and repentance.
I could write at length on Ephesians 4, but that will have to wait till next time. I leave you with the opening verses which is an excellent beginning for right doctrine and brotherly love: “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ (Ephesians 4:1-7).”
Winston P. Grieser
Pastor, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The Kewanee Voice.
***This column is sponsored by the Kewanee Ministerial Association
