Comments on: Who Is the Gospel For? http://www.burrintheburbs.com/2006/04/18/who-is-the-gospel-for/ "I cling to my Lord Christ like a burr on cloth." - Katherine Luther Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:23:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.3 By: VirginiaLutherans http://www.burrintheburbs.com/2006/04/18/who-is-the-gospel-for/comment-page-1/#comment-1330 VirginiaLutherans Wed, 19 Apr 2006 01:10:00 +0000 http://testing8220.wordpress.com/2006/04/18/who-is-the-gospel-for/#comment-1330 I think daytrip got it right. The answer to all is (a resounding) no. If you want to live as God intends, there is only one thing you can do. Imerse yourself in God's Word. But even then, that's useless without faith. Luther talks about works being done as a regular thing in your vocations (parent, spouse, citizen, etc) that you are completely unaware of. It isn't something you read about, just something you do. God provides the works through your vocations. I don't think any of the "Christian Fads" will ever say that. Then again, if they did, they wouldn't be a fad! I think daytrip got it right. The answer to all is (a resounding) no. If you want to live as God intends, there is only one thing you can do. Imerse yourself in God’s Word. But even then, that’s useless without faith. Luther talks about works being done as a regular thing in your vocations (parent, spouse, citizen, etc) that you are completely unaware of. It isn’t something you read about, just something you do. God provides the works through your vocations. I don’t think any of the “Christian Fads” will ever say that. Then again, if they did, they wouldn’t be a fad!

]]> By: CR http://www.burrintheburbs.com/2006/04/18/who-is-the-gospel-for/comment-page-1/#comment-1329 CR Tue, 18 Apr 2006 18:08:00 +0000 http://testing8220.wordpress.com/2006/04/18/who-is-the-gospel-for/#comment-1329 It really should not be that much of a surprise regarding the motives<br/>of those who first of all claim that *they* decided to follow Jesus, give Him their heart, etc.<br/>If it's up to *me* to *do* the faith then it's also up to *me* to<br/>stay in the faith and "get sanctified," et al, right?! But if<br/>God does it in the beginning, He does it all the way through til I breathe my last breathe! It really should not be that much of a surprise regarding the motives
of those who first of all claim that *they* decided to follow Jesus, give Him their heart, etc.
If it’s up to *me* to *do* the faith then it’s also up to *me* to
stay in the faith and “get sanctified,” et al, right?! But if
God does it in the beginning, He does it all the way through til I breathe my last breathe!

]]> By: elaine p http://www.burrintheburbs.com/2006/04/18/who-is-the-gospel-for/comment-page-1/#comment-1328 elaine p Tue, 18 Apr 2006 14:48:00 +0000 http://testing8220.wordpress.com/2006/04/18/who-is-the-gospel-for/#comment-1328 The answers to your questions are no, no, no, but there are unfortunately many Christians who don't think they need to hear the gospel any longer-maybe they are too busy leading the victorious life to see the continuous need for repentance and the forgiveness of sins? They are distracted from the cross while thinking they are working on their own sanctification? I think this is also the underlying issue you have with The Purpose Driven Life and other such programs. There is a very basic difference in doctrine- A Theology of the Cross vs a Thelogy of Glory. Your friend, Pr Matzat's essay, "Hitting for the Cycle" beautifully demonstrates why the Christian continues to have need of the gospel. Maybe you could post it and/or link to it for your readers. The answers to your questions are no, no, no, but there are unfortunately many Christians who don’t think they need to hear the gospel any longer-maybe they are too busy leading the victorious life to see the continuous need for repentance and the forgiveness of sins? They are distracted from the cross while thinking they are working on their own sanctification? I think this is also the underlying issue you have with The Purpose Driven Life and other such programs. There is a very basic difference in doctrine- A Theology of the Cross vs a Thelogy of Glory. Your friend, Pr Matzat’s essay, “Hitting for the Cycle” beautifully demonstrates why the Christian continues to have need of the gospel. Maybe you could post it and/or link to it for your readers.

]]> By: Ryan Schroeder http://www.burrintheburbs.com/2006/04/18/who-is-the-gospel-for/comment-page-1/#comment-1332 Ryan Schroeder Tue, 18 Apr 2006 12:55:00 +0000 http://testing8220.wordpress.com/2006/04/18/who-is-the-gospel-for/#comment-1332 While I do not think that we can ignore the "Life Application" part of being a Christian, I do not think that a Sermon is the appropriate place to do so. A sermon is part of a WORSHIP service. In a WORSHIP service, we are to be focused on what God does for us, not what we do for God. In a Worship Service, all of our actions should be nothing more than reactions or response to God's work. <br/><br/>This is why, for instance, most Lutheran Churches have the offering after the sermon instead of before. Our giving of an offering should be a response to hearing the saving Word of Christ. Most evangelical churches have the offering before the sermon, to me this almost feels like pay per sermon church. It is a small detail, but the offering makes so much more sense as a resonse to what we have heard.<br/><br/>We must also remember the point of a Chapter like James 2 (not traditionally a Lutheran favorite). The point of the chapter is that works and faith go together, we cannot seperate them. However it is also important to remember that truly good works can only come as a result of Faith. Faith cannot be built up by works. Faith can only be built up by the Word of Christ. Because of this simple fact, Christ needs to be at the center of each an every message, whether it is taught in a service, bible class, or privately. Christ's death and resurrection are necessary in every sermon, with out Christ crucified we have an example with whom we cannot keep up. Without Christ risen, we have not hope of our own resurrection. Without Christ, crucified and risen, there is NO faith. Without faith, Life application and Good Works are completely meaningless. <br/><br/>Christ says "I am the way, the truth and the life"<br/><br/>Why would we want to preach anything else? While I do not think that we can ignore the “Life Application” part of being a Christian, I do not think that a Sermon is the appropriate place to do so. A sermon is part of a WORSHIP service. In a WORSHIP service, we are to be focused on what God does for us, not what we do for God. In a Worship Service, all of our actions should be nothing more than reactions or response to God’s work.

This is why, for instance, most Lutheran Churches have the offering after the sermon instead of before. Our giving of an offering should be a response to hearing the saving Word of Christ. Most evangelical churches have the offering before the sermon, to me this almost feels like pay per sermon church. It is a small detail, but the offering makes so much more sense as a resonse to what we have heard.

We must also remember the point of a Chapter like James 2 (not traditionally a Lutheran favorite). The point of the chapter is that works and faith go together, we cannot seperate them. However it is also important to remember that truly good works can only come as a result of Faith. Faith cannot be built up by works. Faith can only be built up by the Word of Christ. Because of this simple fact, Christ needs to be at the center of each an every message, whether it is taught in a service, bible class, or privately. Christ’s death and resurrection are necessary in every sermon, with out Christ crucified we have an example with whom we cannot keep up. Without Christ risen, we have not hope of our own resurrection. Without Christ, crucified and risen, there is NO faith. Without faith, Life application and Good Works are completely meaningless.

Christ says “I am the way, the truth and the life”

Why would we want to preach anything else?

]]> By: Kletos Sumboulos http://www.burrintheburbs.com/2006/04/18/who-is-the-gospel-for/comment-page-1/#comment-1331 Kletos Sumboulos Tue, 18 Apr 2006 12:54:00 +0000 http://testing8220.wordpress.com/2006/04/18/who-is-the-gospel-for/#comment-1331 When I first began to attend a Lutheran church as a compormise between my wife's Roman Catholicism and my own confused reformed-influenced Evangelicalism, I started to listen to the Lutheran Hour online. I remember thinking that this was clearly outreach oriented becuase I already knew about salvation and all about Jesus. This was like entry-level stuff. I remember thinking that I shouldn't be bored with Jesus, but that there was just a finite amount of things one could say about him, and then you would need to preach on the rest of the bible. Since then I learned the truth that all of scripture is about our Lord. There is this implicit assumption in american evangelicalism that after you get the basics down you can start to focus on how to live a good life and make God happy. My new LCMS home is blissfully free of topical sermon series. Sometimes character studies (the life of David) can be just as unhelpful and distracting. When I first began to attend a Lutheran church as a compormise between my wife’s Roman Catholicism and my own confused reformed-influenced Evangelicalism, I started to listen to the Lutheran Hour online. I remember thinking that this was clearly outreach oriented becuase I already knew about salvation and all about Jesus. This was like entry-level stuff. I remember thinking that I shouldn’t be bored with Jesus, but that there was just a finite amount of things one could say about him, and then you would need to preach on the rest of the bible. Since then I learned the truth that all of scripture is about our Lord. There is this implicit assumption in american evangelicalism that after you get the basics down you can start to focus on how to live a good life and make God happy. My new LCMS home is blissfully free of topical sermon series. Sometimes character studies (the life of David) can be just as unhelpful and distracting.

]]>