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Psalm 23
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The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
(ESV)
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Sinners in Faith
Monday of Easter 4
30 April 2012
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Sometimes, out of despair people fall into greater and greater shame and vice. This comes from an overwhelming sense of guilt due to their failure. What is the point of repentance when their failures prove their unworthiness in God's sight? They presume that their struggles against the desires of the flesh only reinforce the fact that they cannot be saved, because of their bitter battles against sin. How could God want someone who has such a brutal struggle against evil desire always going on within? Convinced as they are that God has cast them off forever, they reinforce this conviction by doing those things they know to be indulging and cultivating the very sins they once battled against.
In weakness believers may have too much to drink, but they are truly sorry for their excess and seek out their confessor to speak the words of absolution, after confession. They may well battle with sexually depraved thoughts, especially when they are young, but rather than indulging them, they shed tears of bitter self-recrimination. They may covet the signs of their neighbor's success, but they deeply regret their lack of trust that God would never leave them nor forsake them. We poor sinners will always battle sin until we draw our last ragged breath. We will not always succeed in the fight, but fight we will. Therefore, we should not despair when we feel the battle raging between the spirit and the flesh going on within us. We should not despair when we fall into sin, but rather return to Christ, who is the Savior of sinners and (Lk 5:31-32), who lifts up the fallen (Ps 147:6). Those who sin are not necessarily living in sin. Sinners in the faith, live in repentance, which returns to Christ (2Co 7:10).
Some preaching reinforces this unfortunate focus on the self, as a true sign of God's gracious care for His people. Especially sensitive people, confronted by the reality of their sin, will doubt the divine promise that God gives grace to those who have sinned, and perhaps in time of utter abandonment will fall into depravity and fall from grace. They take their inner struggles between the spirit and the flesh to be incontrovertible evidence that they are unworthy of God. They have found the wrong sign. They are looking for certainty where there is none. They have depended on their own legalistic judgment and the weakness of their own conscience as though it could portray to them their status in God's sight. Nothing could be more misguided. The sign that obtains for all sinners is the sign of the cross. We must look away from the battle to Christ, who is our peace. We must look to Jesus, the Savior, not to ourselves, for we cannot save ourselves.
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Martin Luther
"In every time of life believers suffer temptations peculiar to it: for youth it is sexual desire, for the mature it is ambition and vain glory, and the aged are chiefly affected by greed. As I said above, absolutely every saint has often in life had the flesh cause impatience and anger, etc. Here Paul speaks about those saints using the words that the flesh in its desires battles against the spirit, etc. (Gal 5:19). So the desires and struggles of the flesh are not absent, however they do not overcome those who feel them. Here is how it should be considered: it is one thing to be disturbed by the desires of the flesh and not to be carried along by desire beyond a certain point, but to walk by the Spirit and to resist. It is entirely another thing to only appear to be a believer and to drive out the Spirit, etc. The former Paul is consoling, when he says that those who are led by the Spirit are not under the law. The latter are threatened by eternal death.
"From time to time the saints will fall and fail, carrying out the desires of their flesh. As David fell into a huge and horrible lapse by committing adultery, so he is the model for the fall of many. When he wished to kill Uriah in the line of battle, David also gave occasion for mocking the people of God to their enemies, who honored their false god and blasphemed the God of Israel. The fall of Peter, when he denied Christ, was also horrible. However great their sins might be, they were not committed out of contempt for God or intentional wickedness, but out of weakness. Consequently, such people must be admonished, not as though they were obstinately persevering in sin, but would recover their senses, etc. Paul commanded them to be received, instructed, and restored, saying: "If anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness" (Gal 6:1). Therefore, those who sin out of weakness and fail, cannot be denied grace, so that they arise and not persevere in their sins, for perseverance in sin is the worst of all. However, if they do not come to their senses, but absolutely obstinately persist in the desires of the flesh, it is a most certain sign, that there would be deceit in their spirit."
Martin Luther, Lectures on Galatians, 5.19
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Prayer
O Lord Jesus Christ, as we battle against the desires of the flesh, lead us to repentance that we might lament our sin. Keep us from being dragged into greater sin and vice, because we have despaired of Your grace. Keep us focused on You as our only salvation. Amen.
For all those who are receiving calls into the holy ministry at the seminaries, that the Lord of the harvest would bless them and grant them great joy
For Don Porter as the Lord continues to grant him strength, that he would give thanks to the Lord His God for the return of his health
For the pastors and staff of Memorial Lutheran Church and School, that they would be strengthened in their life of service
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Art: DUBOIS, Thomas Lamb of God
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 © Scott R. Murray, 2012
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