Once when I was visiting a nursing home, I was asked to talk with a Lutheran lady. “Why is God doing this to me?” “I gave generously. Built a seminary in Africa. Etc.”
- This is a common
misunderstanding.
If you do the right
things, you'll go to heaven.
-
The
creed of pretty much every religion … except biblical Christianity.
-
This
is a widespread idea – “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
-
Religion
of the Law
o
Salvation
unto Us Has Come - “It was a false, misleading dream that God His Law had given
that sinners could themselves redeem and by their works gain heaven.”
o
Can
the Law be a guide for the redeemed? Training for the forgiven? Absolutely!
o
It
is also a mirror that relentlessly reveals our sin!
This was at
the heart of the issues that sparked the Reformation.
-
Reading
the Bible, Martin Luther rediscovered what the church had always taught –
salvation was a free gift that flowed from God’s grace and was received by
faith.
-
The
church at the time taught, "no, you need to do something to get forgiveness and
salvation."
-
Summarize
with 3 P’s – Pilgrimage, Purchase, and Penance
o
Pilgrimage
– Luther – 1510 – Sent to Rome
§ Veneration of Relics
§ Praying on each step of the Scala Santa
– supposedly the steps that Jesus walked down after he was condemned by
Pilate
§ May 2024 – Pope Francis offered
indulgences (a certificate of release for the temporal consequences for sins … includes
purgatory.)
· Notice – these are sins that are“forgiven”
but the consequences remain, some of which extend beyond this life.
· Protestants do this, too – forgiven,
but now you have to do something to prove you are forgiven – usually behavioral
– outward action.
o
Purchase
– Indulgences
§ This was a huge motivating factor
behind Luther’s 95 Theses
§ Luther saw the crass money grab and
was deeply offended.
§ “In Christian love, the pope should
absolve sins for free.” – Paraphrased 95 Theses
§ BTW – The church still gives
indulgences… but they are not sold!
o
Penance
– This is the biggest
§ Properly used, penance can be
wonderful – acts that flow from God’s forgiveness to help with reconciliation
with someone we’ve sinned against.
· If you damaged someone’s property, it
is good to fix and improve it.
· If you stole something – replace it,
maybe with something better.
§ But at the time, and to many today,
even in Lutheran churches, people treat penance as the price of forgiveness.
· You have to do something to be
forgiven.
· No, Jesus did something so you can be
forgiven – He died and rose for you!
Romans calls
this “The righteousness that comes by faith.” And we have a lovely example of
this in our gospel lesson today.
Jesus told a
parable about people who trust in themselves – that they did the right things
to be righteous in God’s sight – and they looked down on others who weren’t as “good”
as them.
A Pharisee –
a good church leader – the kind of guy today who would be in church every Sunday,
maybe teach a Bible study, serve on the Council, volunteer, etc.
A tax collector
– traitor – scum – thief – all with government authority!
Jesus starts
with the Pharisee – he stands by himself – notice that! Symbolic of his
attitude!
-
“I
am righteous!” And his prayer reflects this holier-than-thou attitude.
o
I
don’t do the bad stuff. I do the good stuff that God wants me to do!
Then there
was the tax collector – he stands at a distance – feels far from God because of
his sin – wouldn’t even lift his eyes to pray.
-
“God,
be merciful to me, a sinner!”
o
Good
prayer! “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner!”
o
“I
a poor miserable sinner confess unto you all my sins and iniquities …”
-
This
man went home justified (that is, forgiven).
What made
the difference?
-
Pharisee
stands alone, Tax collector approaches God in His mercy
o
We
never stand alone before God – always with and in Jesus!
-
Pharisee
– look at what I have done
-
The
tax collector only looks at what God has done
o
For
us, that comes to its climax in the cross – the greatest revelation of God’s
mercy and the price of our salvation.
o
To
trust in ourselves is, ultimately, to look down not just on others, but on
Jesus himself and to despise his suffering, death, forgiveness, and
resurrection – not good enough!
I suspect we
more naturally identify with the tax collector – he is, after all, the one who
went home justified – but we do well to consider when we act more like the
Pharisee – because that is often how the world sees us!
When it
comes to our relationship with God, there is only one way – humility.
-
This
was Jesus’ way – humbled himself – incarnation, life, death
o
Yes,
now he is glorified, but even that glory is rooted in the fact that he suffered
and died to save sinners – you and me!
o
This
is why we bow our heads
§ Absolution
§ Prayer
§ Lord’s Supper
§ Have to? No! It’s a sign of respect
and humility.
This is the
great truth of Reformation Day, and the true heart of why we celebrate it every
year: God saves sinners. There is no earning this gift. There is no price we
could pay … or repay! “Salvation unto us has come By God’s free grace and
favor. Good works cannot avert our doom They help and save us never. Faith
looks to Jesus Christ alone, Who did for all the world atone; He is our one
Redeemer.” Amen.
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