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1 Timothy 6:2-16
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Teach and urge these things. If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time- he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. (ESV)
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Life Ours, Doctrine God's
Wednesday in Pentecost 4
13 July 2011
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Occasionally, a confessing Christian is found to be guilty of some major moral failing. For example, William Bennett was found to be squandering large sums of money in Las Vegas on a regular basis or a Lutheran pastor exposed himself to an undercover police officer and was arrested for public indecency. Run of the mill clergy don't often get "outed" in the public media, but people like Bennett are pilloried by the media in the ongoing double standard applied to famous Christians. An immoral atheist gets only editorial yawns in the newsroom, but even hint that a Roman Catholic Bishop might have tolerated sexual malfeasance among his priests and you get the Spanish Inquisition from the media. It appears that there is a double standard applied by the media to Christians. But this is not true. The media applies one standard to Christians and applies none at all to everyone else.
Christians can be accused of hypocrisy because they have a standard of behavior. They recognize certain things are inherently wrong and that they cannot be defended or tolerated. When we do such things, they need to be admitted and repented of. Holy absolution must be the remedy. Remarkably these are the people who are pilloried in public. However, about the people who maintain no standards to break we should really worry. For those who transgress against the law there should be some tolerance, if they are willing to admit their transgression. Those who brazenly deny that sin is sin cause the gravest offense to the church and the community. Those who struggle and are sorrowful over their sin should be received with mercy and love. Those who deny that sin is sin offend against God and His divine truth, not just against the community. This is why brazen sin is beyond toleration.
The divine truth cannot be ignored by God's creatures without great harm. The teaching must remain inviolate. That we can never give up. About life we must bend, because we ourselves fail, as do all who are born of woman. Christ is that divine truth. He must hold sway. He must teach; even among those who will transgress against His Word and teaching. That Word and doctrine must still be taught, no matter who it offends and angers. About life we may be patient. About doctrine we may not. Life is ours. Doctrine is God's. |
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Martin Luther
"Today, we regard those men as excommunicated and condemned who say that the doctrine of the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ is uncertain or who do violence to the words of Christ in the Lord's Supper. With the highest rigor we demand that all the articles of Christian doctrine, both large and small (although none of them should be considered small) be kept pure and certain. This is highly necessary. For this doctrine is our only light, which illumines and directs us and shows the way to heaven; which if it is overthrown in one point, it must be entirely overthrown. When that happens, our love will not help us. We can be saved without love and concord with the Sacramentarians, but not without pure doctrine and faith. Otherwise we shall be happy to observe love and concord toward those who faithfully agree with us on all the articles of Christian doctrine. In fact, so far as it depends on us, we shall have peace with our enemies; and we shall pray for those who slander our doctrine and persecute us and our doctrine out of ignorance, but not with those who knowingly and against conscience violate one or more articles of Christian doctrine.
"By his example Paul teaches us to be as firm as he is when he predicts with complete assurance that they will bear their judgment on account of a matter that seemed not only trivial but even wicked to the false apostles and their disciples (for both groups thought they were teaching in a proper and godly way). Therefore, as I often warn you, doctrine must be carefully distinguished from life. Doctrine is heaven; life is earth. In life there is sin, error, uncleanness, and misery, mixed, as the saying goes, "with vinegar." There love should condone, tolerate, be deceived, trust, hope, and endure all things (1Co 13:7). There the forgiveness of sins should have complete sway, provided that sin and error are not defended. But just as there is no error in doctrine, so it has no need for forgiveness of sins. Therefore there is no comparison between doctrine and life. "One point" of doctrine is worth more than "heaven and earth" (Mt 5:18); therefore we do not permit the slightest offense against it.
"We can be lenient toward errors of life. For we too err daily in our life and conduct; so do all the saints, as they constantly confess in the Lord's Prayer and the Creed. But by the grace of God our doctrine is pure; we have all the articles of faith solidly established in Holy Scripture. The devil would dearly love to contaminate and overthrow these. That is why he attacks us so ingeniously with this specious argument about our not offending against love and harmony among the churches."
Martin Luther, Commentary on Galatians, 5.10
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Prayer
Heavenly Father, grant us grace to be patient with those who err in ignorance and struggle with the power of Your law. Keep Your truth among us. Rescue us from the urge to compromise what is Yours, by giving up Your teaching for the sake of external harmony. Give us courage to confess Your Son to Your glory and the benefit of our neighbor. Amen.
For John Meyer, who fell and suffered injuries, that the Lord would grant him swift healing
For Pauline Michulka, who has cancer, that the Lord of all compassion would strengthen her and grant her healing
For those seeking a Christian congregation where the divine truth is still taken to be the divine truth, that the Lord would lead them to a faithful church home
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Art: DÜRER, Albrecht The Adoration of the Holy Trinity (1511)
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 © Scott R. Murray, 2011
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