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Psalm 1
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Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
(ESV)
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The Order of Justification
Wednesday of Pentecost 3
20 June 2012
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Martin Luther uses the word "order" in an interesting way as he discusses the obedience of the children of the church in his lectures on Galatians. He uses it to refer to the church's obedience to the Word of the Lord, especially in preaching the article of justification, the teaching by which the church stands or falls. Truthful and life-giving teaching and preaching are at the center of what it means to be in proper order in the church. We almost always understand the word "order" as a legal term referring to obedience within the social structure of the church and its proper authority, and rightly so. But for Luther that order is always in the service of the holy gospel. It is never obedience for its own sake, but obedience conformed to the cross of Christ. The beautiful feet are always marked by nails (Rm 10:15). The mouths that proclaim Christ have always been fed on His body. The hands that hold forth the Word of life are always cleansed by his precious blood.
Interestingly, the American edition of Luther's Works simply does not translate the Latin words mansimus in ordine, "we have remained in order" in this text. Perhaps the translator was baffled by Luther's use of this term or even thought that it obscured the gospel itself; doubting that order and justification have anything to do with each other. Yet this is precisely what the order of the church consists in for Luther: the teaching of the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus given to sinners as a free gift. The church has no right to exist apart from this teaching. She has no order apart from this teaching. It is what distinguishes her from all other institutions and organizations. She has a message of life that comes entirely apart from the law and this is her rightful order.
This order of God-given righteousness for Christ's sake will always attract opponents and generate controversy. Old Adam hates this teaching with a satanic passion. He wants ever and always to be at the center of all things. That means that Christ cannot be God for him. He wants to be his own paltry god. He wants to be the master of all things. He will fight against the order of God's righteousness in Christ tooth and claw. He will hate with extreme viciousness those who insist on proclaiming Christ as the only source of righteousness in the presence of God. Those who are mastered by the old Adam will battle those who are under the order of Christ. And those who are under the order of Christ will always have to battle the old Adam within. This is and remains Christ's war; not merely our own. We do not stand alone on the battlefield, but our Lord Christ keeps the mastery of the church under the order of justification. To defend the gospel preaching we must remain under the order of justification in the church. We may not give even an inch when the Lord's truth is at stake.
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Martin Luther
"Here Paul describes the effect of vainglory (Gal 5:26). A teacher of error and author of a new doctrine is bound to provoke others. For if others do not approve his new doctrine and receive it immediately such a teacher begins to hate them bitterly. Today, we see that the fanatical spirits are so ablaze with implacable hatred against us, because we decline to accede to them and to approve their errors. In the first place, we certainly do not provoke them, nor have we spread about false doctrine in the world, but we stop the abuses in the church and we remain in order by faithfully passing on the article of justification. Forsaking this faith, they godlessly taught contrary to the word of God about the sacraments, original sin, the oral word, etc. Because of this we oppose ourselves to them and we condemn their pernicious errors lest we lose the truth of the gospel. They would not bear this, even though they not only provoked us first and without any fault on our part, but they also envy us and hate us most viciously. They themselves are considering only their own vain glory. They openly want to have mastery while shoving us off into obscurity. They dream that there is great glory in professing the gospel, when, however, the fact is that there is no greater ignominy before the world."
Martin Luther, Lectures on Galatians, 5.26
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Prayer
Dear Lord, help us to withstand those who hate us and Your holy gospel. Keep us under the order of justification that we might ever proclaim Your holiness to a world in such desperate need. Amen.
For the family of Eva Ward, that the Lord would comfort them in the midst of their sorrow
For the family of Edward Pennington, that they would mourn as those who have hope in the resurrection of the flesh and the life of the world to come
For those who await the redemption of Jerusalem, that they would be converted to Christ and live
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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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