“Word for Today” – 1 Thessalonians 2 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
One person’s trash may be another person’s treasure. Then again, one person’s trash may simply be trash. The other morning, I heard a news report on WOAI chronicling those who suffer with compulsive hoarding disorder. People with this disorder will regularly hoard things of limited to no value – things such as empty milk cartons and tin cans and old newspapers – because of deep, and usually complex, psychological disturbances. The report went on to explain that even after a person’s house is cleared and cleaned by a professional housekeeping service, things will immediately begin to pile up again because the psychological addiction to hoarding cannot be addressed by simple aesthetic changes in a person’s living environment.
One person’s trash may be another person’s treasure. This cliché, slightly modified, can help us understand Paul’s condemnation of an unrepentant group of Jews in today’s reading from 1 Thessalonians 2. Paul begins this chapter by recounting his own sufferings (cf. verse 2) and then moves on to address the sufferings of the Christians at Thessalonica:
For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved – so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. (verses 14-16, ESV)
There is group of Jews, it seems, which is stridently bent on preventing the gospel’s spread and will even resort to persecuting the church to thwart its march forward. Paul says that such persecutors “fill up the measure of their sins.” That is, they pile sin upon sin until God’s patience is exhausted and his wrath is revealed.
But at the same time that these recalcitrant unbelievers are filling up the measure of their sins, those who suffer under them are doing some filling of their own. As Paul writes elsewhere in Colossians 1:24: “Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.” Paul is not here teaching that Christ’s suffering on the cross is somehow incomplete or inadequate for salvation. Rather, he is saying that we, as those who follow Christ, get to share in Christ’s sufferings. And the promise is that the same persecutions which fill up the sins of the persecutors also serve also to fill us in Christ the persecuted. In other words, persecution, depending on whether you are unjustly leveling it against another or unjustly receiving it from another, can serve either to fill you up in sin or fill you up in Christ. One person’s trash of sin may be another person’s treasure in Christ.
In the world’s eyes, persecution seems to have limited to no value. But not in God’s eyes. As the Psalmist says, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15). Every affliction that a Christian endures, every unjust accusation under which he stands up, even a death that he dies for the sake of God’s name is precious in God’s sight. The trash of worldly persecution is reformed and remade into treasure by Christ.
So if you are suffering today, take heart! For the trash of this world’s suffering can be a treasure in God’s sight. Ask God what he is seeking to teach you through such hardship and rejoice that you are counted worthy to receive God’s treasure – even when his treasure is suffering.
“Word for Today” – 1 Thessalonians 1 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying, “Actions speak louder than words.” This proverb was first penned by Gershom Buckley, a minister at a congregation in Wethersfield, Connecticut. In his pamphlet “Will and Doom,” Buckley wrote, “Actions are more significant than words.” Since then, this phrase, slightly modified, has become axiomatic, used to express the primacy of acting over speaking.
In our reading for today from 1 Thessalonians 1, Paul opens his letter to this Christian congregation with a commendation: “You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord” (verse 5-6, ESV). Paul here seems to be commending the Thessalonians’ actions in imitating him and, by extension, Christ. “You’ve done what Jesus has done!” Paul seems to be saying. “You’ve acted like Jesus acted! And actions speak louder than words!”
But Paul’s commendation of the Thessalonians is not a matter of their actions only. For Paul continues in verse 6: “And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit.” The Thessalonians imitated Paul not just in his actions, but by receiving the Word. That is, they did not imitate Paul through pious works, charitable acts, or spiritual feats, though all of those things are certainly vital to and a noble part of the Christian life. When it came to the Thessalonians’ imitation of Paul, however, and finally of Christ, it was to be found in their simple, faith-filled reception of the Word of God.
As we are reminded by Paul’s words to the Thessalonians, any and every action of a Christian is to be rooted in the Word of God. This is why the Lutheran confessors upheld the primacy of God’s Word to guide all Christian action: “In order that people do not resolve to perform service to God on the basis of their own pious imagination in an arbitrary way of their own choosing, it is necessary for the law of God constantly to light their way” (FC Ep VI:4). The Lutheran confessors maintained that without the Word of God guiding his way, a Christian would have no idea what good works to do or what charitable acts to perform. Indeed, without the Word of God guiding his way, a Christian would simply have to “make up,” as it were, what constitutes a good work. That is why Martin Luther wrote that the Ten Commandments, as contained in God’s Word, “are to be exalted and extolled above all orders, commands, and works that are taught and practiced apart from them” (LC I:333). God’s Word and commandments are to undergird every work that a Christian does.
“Actions are more significant than words.” Perhaps Gershom Buckley was wrong, or at least incomplete. Not because actions are insignificant, but because if it wasn’t for words – or, more specifically, the Word – there would be no actions for a Christian to perform. So today, I would simply offer you this little exercise: Read then Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:1-17. Ponder each commandment and ask yourself three questions. First, ask, “Like the Thessalonians, do I receive these words from God with the joy of the Holy Spirit, or do I reject them in stubborn disbelief?” Second, ask yourself, “How have I broken these words by my sinfulness and do I trust in the sure and certain word of God’s forgiveness in Christ?” For this word of grace is God’s most beautiful word. Finally, after basking in God’s forgiveness, ask, “How can I better imitate in my actions the word that I have received in faith?” Remember, without God’s Word, there would be no actions for you to perform. So praise God for his Word today. For long after our actions fade and falter, God’s Word remains.
“Word for Today” – Philippians 4 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
Last weekend, my wife Melody ran in the Rock ‘n Roll Marathon. She ran the half-marathon. It was 13 miles of pounding the pavement. Actually, as she has reminded me several times, it was 13.1 miles of pounding the pavement. Considering that the longest race I have ever run is a 5k, I am unspeakably proud of her. And she, rightfully so, is proud of herself. For she had to train for months in preparation for this race. My wife has run many a 5k and has even participated in a triathlon. But, from an athletic standpoint at least, this race was her crowing achievement.
Many people have accomplishments in their lives which they would consider “crowning achievements.” Sometimes these crowning achievements are academic in nature, such as the garnering of a degree. Other times they are personal in nature – a marriage or the birth of a child. Whatever particular form these crowing achievements may take, they all share a common denominator: They are all things of which we are proud.
In our reading for today from Philippians 4, Paul proudly speaks of a crowning achievement: “Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends” (verse 1)! Paul speaks of a crown which he proudly wears. But this crown is not a list of his finest accomplishments; rather, it is a group of redeemed people. Paul’s crown is his brothers and sisters in Christ – those whom he loves, longs for, and prays that they would stand firm in their faith. Paul’s crown is full of people!
If anyone could have had a “crown of achievements,” it would have been Paul. As we saw in yesterday’s reading, Paul was known the religious world over for his monumental spiritual achievements. Indeed, Paul had so many spiritual achievements to his name, that he not only could have filled a crown with them, he would have had to shoehorn some of his achievements in just to get all of them to fit! As Paul himself writes:
If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. (Philippians 3:4-6)
As impressive as all these accomplishments might be, Paul does not place a single one of them in his crown. For Paul’s concern is not for his own stature, status, or stateliness. No, Paul’s concern is that more and more people trust in the gospel of Jesus Christ. People redeemed by the gospel, not his own accomplishments, incrust Paul’s crown.
This is why Paul concludes his letter to the Philippians with these tender words: “Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send greetings. All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household” (verses 21-22). More than likely, Paul wrote Philippians while in Rome, under arrest and waiting to be tried before the Caesar of the time, who happened to be Nero. Thus, in his closing greetings, Paul mentions “those who belong to Caesar’s household” as saints who send greetings to the saints in Philippi. Apparently, while under arrest, Paul had shared the gospel with Caesar’s guards and attendants, and some of them had believed. And more people were added to Paul’s crown.
In a world which so often hails those who have great accomplishments to their names, our goal should be to see more and more people bend their knees to the name of Jesus Christ. This goal may not win the accolades of the world, but it will bring a smile to our Heavenly Father’s face. For the crowns of achievements for which men so earnestly strive will one day all be lost. The crowns of people, redeemed by God, however, will last into eternity. So put people in your crown.
“Word for Today” – Philippians 3 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
“I’ll just wear a hat.” At least that’s what I told myself after my buddy gave me a haircut. I was in seminary at the time and did not have money to see a professional stylist. But that was okay, because my buddy had just bought a pair of clippers with guards of every number. “I want a five on the top and a two on the back and sides,” I told him. And that’s what I got. Except that one side was higher than the other. And my buddy had not learned how blend from a two guard to a five guard. So for the next week, in every class I attended and to every place I went, I wore a hat. And, perhaps illogically, I even went back to my buddy the next time I needed a haircut. Thankfully, he had vastly improved in his craft by my next visit.
Most of us have probably received a bad haircut at least once in our lives. But a bad haircut is not nearly as devastating as what some in our reading for today from Philippians 3 receive. Paul warns the Philippians to stay away from those who “put confidence in the flesh” (verse 4) rather than in Christ. He writes, “Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh” (verse 2). The Greek text of this verse is much more colorful than the NIV here translates it. First, the verb “watch out” is repeated three times in rapid succession in this one verse: “Watch out for those dogs! Watch out for those men who do evil! Watch out for those mutilators of the flesh!” Paul clearly wants the Philippians to be on their guard. Second, the phrase “mutilators of the flesh” refers to those in the early church who insisted on a physical circumcision under the stipulations of the Abrahamic covenant (cf. Genesis 17:10) in order for newly minted Christian converts to be included as part of the church. The common Greek term for “circumcision” is peritome, meaning “to cut around.” But Paul here uses the word katatome. The kata prefix is retained in such English words as “catastrophic.” In other words, these required circumcisions had gone terribly awry.
Why would Paul render such a harsh estimation of those who thought it necessary for formerly pagan Christian converts to be circumcised according to Old Testament law? Because Paul knows that such legalism can lead to a self-righteous and depraved spirit. Indeed, this was precisely Paul’s experience when he was trapped in the strangling strictures of a legalistic theology:
If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. (verses 4-7)
Notably, the Greek word for “loss” is zemia, meaning not only “loss,” but “damage.” That is, Paul’s legalism was actually damaging to his faith. Why? Because it led him to place his hope and trust in something other than Christ. Indeed, it led him to put his hope and trust in himself and his own works. And such hope and trust is sorely, and even damningly, misplaced. This is why Paul so virulently rails against those who insist on circumcision. For such a requirement actually damages faith as it points away from, rather than toward, the all-sufficient work of the Savior.
All of this is not to say that the circumcision of the Abrahamic covenant is unimportant or archaic, mind you. Abrahamic circumcision is still important, but it must be the right Abrhamic circumcision, as Paul explains to his readers: “For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh” (verse 3). The right Abrahamic circumcision is not one of the flesh, but one that instead utterly despairs of the works if the flesh and instead trusts in Christ with the heart. As God himself says about true circumcision: “Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer” (Deuteronomy 10:16). The circumcision of the heart is the circumcision of repentance – when a person turns from their sin and toward Christ. Any other kind of circumcision is just a katatome.
Has your heart been circumcised? Martin Luther, in the first of his famous ninety-five theses, wrote: “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent,’ he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” In other words, we are to live in our spiritual circumcision every day, repenting of our sins and trusting in Christ with our hearts. This circumcision is to mark everything we do. May it mark you today.
“Word for Today” – Philippians 2 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
This fall, Concordia once again held its bi-annual STARS retreats. These retreats, which are held separately for men and women, are meant to be intense devotional times, where retreatents can share their struggles, encounter Christ through his Word, and be led by his Spirit in community with others. The goal of these retreats is to energize, refresh, and renew their participants to go back to their families, jobs, and communities and “shine like stars in the universe, as they hold out the word of life.” Indeed, this is Concordia’s mission statement.
Concordia’s mission statement is also our text for today from Philippians 2:
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life. (verses 14-16)
Interestingly, the English Standard Version of the Bible translates verse 16 not as, “holding out the word of life,” as does the New International Version, quoted above, but as, “holding fast to the word of life.” The NIV, then, translates Paul’s words as an encouragement to share God’s word of life with others. The ESV translates Paul’s words as an admonishment to guard God’s word of life, even in the most trying of times. Which translation is correct?
Actually, both translations are correct. The Greek word for “hold out,” or “hold fast” as the case may be, is epecho. This is a compound word, made up of the verb echo, meaning, “to hold” and the word epi, a notoriously ambiguous preposition which can mean either “out” or “on to.” Thus, this verb can be taken to denote either that Paul’s readers should “hold out” the word of life in evangelism or “hold on to” the word of life in faithfulness.
Many people who have attended a Concordia’s STARS retreat relay stories of how, before the retreat, they were “barely hanging on.” A marriage was on the rocks. An addiction had taken over. A sense of guilt was strangling a soul. But then these retreatents worship and fellowship with other brothers and sisters in Christ and re-learn, or, in some cases, learn for the first time, how to hold on to God’s word of life for every trial, every need, and every promise of salvation. Then, when they return, firmly holding on to God’s word of life, they are ready and reinvigorated to hold out that word of life to others. And indeed they do. They more freely share their faith and offer spiritual counsel to others. They worship joyfully and pray earnestly. An experience holding on to the word of life at the retreat leads to a desire to hold out the word of life every day.
Both translations of Paul’s epecho in Philippians 2:16 are vital to the Christian life. For in a world that regularly scoffs at the gospel, and in times where comfort, strength, and hope are sorely needed, a Christian must hold on to God’s Word. But they must also not merely keep it to themselves. For they are also to hold it out to others. They are to share it with others so that more sainted stars can be added to God’s universe. It is my prayer that, in faith, you will both hold on to and hold out God’s word of life today.
“Word for Today” – Philippians 1 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
“All You Need Is Love.” Such was the popular sentiment when the Beatles released a single by this name in 1967. This sentiment was so popular, in fact, that their song shot instantaneously to number one in both the US and in the UK. And in a time riddled by bloodshed in Vietnam and frantically shifting cultural tectonic plates, leading to devastating social upheaval, it was not a surprise that love alone might be touted as the answer to the word’s ills, especially since the world’s ills were all too often bulleted by hatred.
“All You Need Is Love.” It made for a number one song, but is it true? In our reading for today from Philippians 1, Paul is trapped in a society similar to that of 1967’s America. The wicked emperor Nero, known for his insanity and disdain toward Christians, is on the throne in Rome and Paul is imprisoned there, waiting to appear before Nero on charges of heresy and insurrection (cf. Acts 28:17-31). The air of society is thick and ominous. How will Paul respond to such a cultural morass? Will he say with the Beatles, “All You Need Is Love?”
Not exactly. Paul does indeed extol the value of love in a society in which hatred and contempt seem to reign supreme as he writes, “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more” (verse 9). But Paul then continues to explain how this love should not operate in a vacuum, but “in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God” (verses 9-11). According to Paul, love is indeed needed, but it is not wholly sufficient. For, according to Paul, the term “love” must not just be thrown around as a squishy non-descript emotion which can mystically salve the world’s ills. Instead, love must be defined. How is it defined? It is defined by knowing the righteousness given by Jesus Christ and by discerning how to apply that righteousness to everyday situations. That is, a person must allow their love for others to be structured by Christ’s righteousness and not by their own flights of emotional fancy and then they must allow the application of that righteousness to be guided not by timidity, anger, or any other human emotion, but by the discernment that comes only through God’s Spirit. In brief, love and its application to a hate-filled world is to be defined by Jesus and not by any human being.
Sadly, love is often not so well defined as it is in Paul’s letter to the Philippians. The term “love” is left to stand alone, as in the Beatles’ song, and many people of many different philosophical, ideological, theological, and ethical stripes are allowed to come along and dump whatever content they might deem appropriate into this term “love.” The irony of this, of course, is that when different people dump different content into this word “love,” suspicion, antipathy, and even scorn regularly ensues toward others who fill this word “love” with content different from theirs. That is, people hate each other over love.
As Christians, we can gladly and unapologetically define “love” by Christ’s righteousness. For in order for Christ to share with us his righteousness, he engaged in a decisive act of love – he died on a cross. No more perfect love ever has been, or ever can be, shared. Christ’s love is the perfect and ultimate love and is therefore to define every Christian’s love.
“All You Need Is Love.” No, not really. You need more than that. You need the love of Christ. For apart from Christ, we cannot know true love. With Christ, however, love can offer comfort, render righteousness, grant hope, and pave the way to salvation. And this is love that the whole world really does need. I pray that you share this love today.
“Word for Today” – 3 John – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
They used to be called “Dear John” letters. Now they’re more like “Dear John” emails or texts or even Facebook posts. An increasing and alarming number of people, not wanting to have difficult face-to-face conversations with a partner, will opt for a less confrontational, even if more devastating, option of breaking up with their partners using electronic means of communication. The brilliant spirit of American capitalism has even, well, capitalized on this trend. A boyfriend or girlfriend can pre-record a breakup phone message to be sent to their partner so they don’t have to have an actual conversation through one service. There is another service known as the “Rejection Hotline,” available in more than eighty area codes. If, after a first date, someone does not want to give their date their real phone number, they can give them the “Rejection Hotline” phone number, which, when called, explains that they have been rejected. Then, there are “STD e-cards.” This debacle of a service allows its users to send anonymous e-cards to past sexual partners if they suspect that they may have given them an STD. A money maker? Absolutely. A pathetic example of sin and deceit at its worst? Sadly, yes.
There are certain things and situations for which a face-to-face conversation is needed. Indeed, this is John’s argument in today’s reading from 3 John. At the end of this very brief letter, the apostle concludes: “I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face” (verses 13-14). Apparently, a leader in one of John’s churches in Asia Minor named Diotrephes was gossiping maliciously about John and his fellow ministers seeking to discredit John’s ministry and wreck John’s church (verses 9-10). In light of this difficult situation, John feels a face-to-face visit, rather than just a letter, is in order with Diotrephes and this congregation.
The letters of the New Testament are the most lengthy and colorful of all the ancient world. Typically, letters from antiquity are short and without pathos. One of my favorite examples is this letter, written from Mystarion to Stoetis:
Greetings. I have sent you my Blastus to get forked sticks for my olive gardens. See that he does not loiter, for you know I need him every hour. Farewell.
Wow. How boring. This letter, however, written in AD 50, is a fine example of standard first century epistolatory fare. Contrast this with the towering rhetoric of the New Testament epistles, and there is no comparison. And yet, as towering as their written rhetoric may be, there is still no substitute for verbal, face-to-face communication. Indeed, this is one of the reasons that the reformers so extolled the value of preaching. For as wonderful as the written Word of God is, the reformers knew that the written Word of God takes on a unique power when it is spoken. In one of my favorite quotes from Martin Luther, and one that I take to heart every time I teach and preach, he declares, “The Gospel should not be written, but screamed” (AE Companion Volume 63-34). People who have heard me know that I have no problem screaming the gospel.
So here is your challenge for today. With whom can you share a message from God’s Word? Not just in an email or through a text message or over a Facebook post or via a blog (and yes, I am keenly aware of the irony of that statement), but with your mouth. With whom can you actually speak about Jesus today? We are commanded and commissioned to do such speaking and, if need be, even screaming. So speak with someone about Jesus and his gospel today. Who knows? God’s Word, spoken through you, might just change a human heart. And that’s heaven’s greatest joy. I hope it’s yours too.
“Word for Today” – 2 John – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
“What, then, does Jesus mean to me? To me, he was one of the greatest teachers humanity has ever had,” said Mahatma Gandhi. He continued, “To his believers, he was God’s only begotten Son.” Jesus was a great teacher of humanity, even, as Gandhi would claim elsewhere, a divine teacher of humanity. But was he God’s only begotten Son? This, it seems, Gandhi could not so readily accept.
The words of Gandhi represent a stance that that is regularly, readily, and unthinkingly parroted by countless people all over the world, albeit with less eloquence than that of Gandhi. “Jesus was a great teacher and a fine moral example,” it is said, “but God’s Son? God come in the flesh? I can’t believe that!” In a stance such as this, the pluralistic sensibilities of Gandhi are often merged with the anti-miraculous biases of a naturalistic worldview to create a strange hybrid portrait of a Jesus who is spiritual in his teaching, but certainly not miraculous or theistic in his person.
All of this, of course, is nothing new. In our reading for today from 2 John, the apostle warns believers, “Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world” (verse 7). In our day, people object to Jesus being God’s Son because they think it impossible for a man to be God, much less for one man exclusively to be God, as is claimed by Jesus. In John’s day, however, people objected not to a man being God, but to God being a man. For in their thinking, the divine ethereal essence would never stoop so low as to become a mortal, fleshly being. People in our day say, “Jesus ≠ God.” People in John’s day declared, “God ≠ Jesus.” On whatever side of the equation you place the factors “God” and “Jesus,” however, the effect remains the same. To quote the Nicene Creed, such equations deny that Jesus is “God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father.”
John wastes no time dispensing with such heresy: “Any such person [who teaches that Jesus is not God] is the deceiver and the antichrist” (verse 7). Jesus is indeed God who is “coming in the flesh.” Interestingly, John uses a present tense participle to describe Jesus’ incarnation rather than a past tense verb, even though John penned these words around AD 90, some forty years after Jesus’ ascension into heaven. How can John maintain that Jesus is coming in the flesh when he has already come? Some believe John’s language here alludes to Communion and Christ’s presence therein. For instance, Ignatius of Antioch, echoing John’s language, writes:
Let no man deceive himself. Unless he believes that Christ Jesus has lived in the flesh, and shall confess his cross and passion, and the blood which he shed for the salvation of the world, he shall not obtain eternal life…[Some people] abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they confess not the Eucharist to be the flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ, which suffered for our sins, and which the Father, of his goodness, raised up again. (Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Smyrnaeans, chs. 6-7)
Ignatius, along with other church fathers, say that Christ not only came as a carpenter from Nazareth, but also comes through the proclamation of his Word and the administration of his Sacraments. God, time and time again, comes to be with his people.
The question of Christ’s identity is the linchpin of history. Either he was and is the Son of God, who continues to dwell with his people even now, or he was and is a deranged madman who only claimed divine authority and God remains distant and aloof, unwilling to commingle himself with sinful and broken people. Which one is Jesus to you? My prayer is that he is the former. For a Christ who is only a good teacher can never save you or dwell with you. A Christ who is God, however, can do all this – and so much more.
“Word for Today” – 1 John 5 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
Recently, I received as a gift the new The Lutheran Study Bible. I own several study Bibles, and make regular use of them for different purposes according to their strengths. Like most study Bibles, The Lutheran Study Bible contains the biblical text on the top half of its pages with extensive notes marking the bottom half of its pages. These notes contain important interpretive commentary as well as quotes from the church fathers and even the occasional prayer to assist me as I meditate on a particular biblical text.
One of the concerns that many study Bible publishers share, including those who published The Lutheran Study Bible, is that a clear demarcation be made between the biblical text itself and the notes on the biblical text. For as helpful as study notes may be, and as salutary as the doctrine that they confess may be, a study Bible’s notes are not the inspired, inerrant words of God. Another study Bible, the ESV Study Bible, explains thusly:
The ESV Study Bible contains two kinds of words. The first kind is the actual words of the Bible, which are the very words of God to us. These are printed in the larger font at the top of each page. The second kind is the study notes, which are merely human words. These are printed in the smaller font at the bottom of each page. The difference in font sizes serves to remind readers that the words of the Bible itself are infinitely more valuable than the words of the notes. The words of the Bible are the words of our Creator speaking to us. (ESV Study Bible, 10)
As valuable as notes on the Word of God might be, it is important, say the publishers of the ESV Study Bible, to distinguish between the words of man on the Word of God and the Word of God itself. For the latter are inspired and inerrant words while the former are not.
This all brings us to our reading for today from 1 John 5. For John writes about man’s testimony about God over and against God’s testimony about himself:
This is the one who came by water and blood – Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. We accept man’s testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. (verses 6-9)
Interestingly, the King James Version of the Bible inserts another sentence immediately before verse 8 not found in the New International Version of the Bible, quoted above. The KJV includes: “There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” Why does the NIV not include this sentence?
The earliest biblical manuscript in which this sentence from the KJV appears is Minuscule 88, a twelfth century manuscript, now housed at a museum in Naples. Notably, this sentence is not included as part of the biblical text, but on the side margin, much like a study Bible note. Apparently, some early biblical interpreters took John’s reference to “the Spirit, the water, and the blood” in verse 8 to be a reference to the Trinity and so inserted this note clearly proclaiming the doctrine of the Trinity. With time, this originally marginal note made its way into some manuscripts as part of the actual biblical text! The translators of the KJV used one such manuscript and so included it in their translation. More recent scholarship, however, has noted that these words were not originally penned by John as part of his letter. Thus, they are not included in more modern translations.
Do these words from the KJV concerning the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost teach false doctrine? Absolutely not! Are these words helpful in properly understanding the Trinity? Of course they are! Then why leave them out from modern translations of the Bible? Because as true and helpful as these words might be, they are finally words of man, written later, and not part of the inerrant, inspired Word of God. These words make a terrific note for a study Bible, but they are not part of the Bible itself.
More notes, commentaries, and books have been written on the Good Book than any other book in the history of the world. Many of the notes, commentaries, and books have lots of enlightening, encouraging, and true things to say. But remember, they are the words of man on the Word of God, not the Word of God itself. And nothing can displace or replace the Word of God as primary for a Christian. Thus, commit yourself to continued reading of God’s Word, first and foremost. For this is the only Word in which we hear the absolute sure and certain voice of God. Everything else is just commentary. And so ends my commentary for today. Now, go and read your Bible.
“Word for Today” – 1 John 4 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
“Beam me up, Scotty.” “It’s elementary, my dear Watson.” “Let them eat cake.” “Play it again, Sam.” Who said each of these quotes? If you guessed James Kirk, Sherlock Holmes, Marie Antoinette, and Ingrid Bergman, you are incorrect. These are famous misquotes that, because they have been so often repeated, have become more well known than the real quotes which they parody! Captain Kirk didn’t say “Beam me up, Scotty,” but “Beam me up, Mr. Scott.” The quote “It’s elementary, my dear Watson” is found not in a Sherlock Holmes novel, but in a 1929 New York Times film review. Marie Antoinette said, “Let them eat bread,” not cake. And that oh so famous line uttered by Bergman to Dooley Wilson from Casablanca is, “Play it, Sam. Play ‘As Time Goes By.’” She never said, “Play it again, Sam.”
Accurately quoting someone is very important. That’s why books and articles have footnotes, endnotes, and in-text citations. Indeed, the value of accurate quotation is what John extols in our reading for today from 1 John 4:
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. (verses 1-3)
John reminds us that to acknowledge Jesus Christ and correct doctrine about him is paramount to the Christian faith. The Greek word for “acknowledge” is homologeo, meaning, “to speak the same thing as.” Thus, John is exhorting us to “speak the same thing as” Jesus. He is exhorting us to faithfully and accurately quote Jesus in all he teaches.
There are three main ways in which Jesus is not homologeo-d in our world. It is useful to briefly examine each of these.
People speak against what Jesus says.
The first failure to homologeo Jesus constitutes a crass and belligerent rejection of what Jesus has said and done. For example, when Jesus foretells his suffering and death to his disciples, one of his disciples, named Peter, responds, “Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you” (Matthew 16:22). Peter is speaking against Jesus’ mission of the cross. And Jesus’ response is fierce and frank: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men” (Matthew 16:23). We are never to speak against what Jesus says.
People speak part of what Jesus says.
Some people, who are not nearly so bold as to crassly dismiss Jesus’ words, instead subtly undermine his teaching by taking into account only the parts of Jesus’ teaching which comport with an already preconceived world view. For example, some people may proudly quote Jesus saying, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged” (Matthew 7:1), but never read on to see that judgment of sin is allowed, albeit only after a Christian has carefully considered and judged his own sin (cf. Matthew 7:3-5). What is prohibited in Matthew 7 is rash and hypocritical judgment, not all judgment of sin. In order to quote Jesus correctly, a person must take all of what Jesus says, not just some of what he says.
People speak arrogantly what Jesus says.
Some people, although they may speak the words of Jesus, refuse to speak them in the spirit which Jesus sepaks them. In other words, rather than saying the same thing as Jesus from a position of humility and compassion, they say the same thing as Jesus from a position of arrogance and self-righteousness. As the apostle Peter, himself familiar with the dangers of arrogance, reminds us, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). We are not only to say what Jesus says, but we are to say it in the way which Jesus says it.
Homologeo-ing Jesus is a sobering mantle. For it is imperative that we speak Jesus’ words accurately and appropriately. But speaking Jesus’ words is also a joyous privilege. For his words bring hope to the hurting, joy to the pained, and even life to the spiritually dead. With whom can you homologeo Jesus’ words today?
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