Join Our Mailing List Like us on Facebook

John

20:24-31

 

Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin,was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe." Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

 

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

 (ESV)

 

 

 

 

Human Messengers

Wednesday after the Epiphany

9 January 2013

God has placed in the hands of the church the gospel and all the gifts of Christ, so that these things could be extolled and proclaimed not just in the whole world but also to the heavenly principalities and powers (Eph 3:10). This seems to me to be a tenuous enterprise on God's part; leaving to the church the responsibility and of making known the unfathomable riches of Christ, her Lord. There has to have been a better way; a more certain way, of doing this than depending on humans in the church to tell the story of salvation to the world. But God's wisdom is God's wisdom and man's wisdom is foolishness. God has arranged the economy of salvation so that His church is His messenger to take His Word and proclaim it. Even when God sent angels to draw attention to His work, He always pointed those who received angels to the earthly, incarnational substance of the faith (Lk 2:9-12). Even when Cornelius was visited by an angel, the message delivered to him was, "Go, find Peter and listen to him" (Acts 10:3-5). Wouldn't it have been more certain and compelling to have the message of the messiah delivered by an angel than a mere man? However, God's specific plan for evangelization is that the people to whom He has given His Word should deliver it to the world, both see and unseen.

 

God's plan to use the testimony of His church to proclaim the saving work of Christ is put into practice when we baptize infants and children. The church, of which their parents are members by reason of their own baptisms, then witnesses to children that they have been baptized into Christ. Modern evangelicals, like the Anabaptists of Luther's day, often insist that the baptism of infants and children is invalid because they have no recollection of the experience. Yet many things, even the most important things about us must be believed on the basis of other persons. In that sense, human life is always corporately constructed, that is, in relation to others and on the basis of their witness and testimony. Take the example of the third child born to parents of whom there were far fewer photos in their baby book than the first and second child. When the third child reaches early teen age, he or she has been known to approach parents and ask, "Why are there so few photos of my infancy and early childhood? Was I adopted?" More seriously, the story of our parentage and birth must be taken on faith, because we are reduced to trusting the testimony of the people who claim to be our parents that they are our natural progenitors. We have had no experience of birth or the events surrounding it. We must believe what the people around us tell us. Empiricism is not all it's cracked up to be.

 

So it is when baptism of infants and children. We are required to testify to the marvelous riches of God's grace lavished on our children in holy baptism. We are to live the baptized life into which we have been placed by Christ in such a way that our children will know of their own baptism. We are to speak of what God has done, so that the child will know. This was the way from the New Testament times. God sent human messengers to testify to what they had seen and heard, so that others too would believe it. Those who had believed and not seen were the truly blessed (Jn 20:29). So it is today. God has sent messengers to us so that we might know His gracious will toward us. This is His Word. It just comes on the lips of our parents, fellow believers, and pastors. We should believe this as the divine testimony.

 

Martin Luther

 

"The Anabaptists say that they know nothing of their [infant] baptism, and exclaim, 'How do you know you have been baptized? You believe people who say you have been baptized. But you should believe God himself and not people, and you must be sure of your baptism.' This seems to me to be a pretty shaky argument. For if I were to reject everything which I have not personally seen or heard, I would indeed not have much left, either of faith or of love, either of spiritual or of temporal things. I could reply, 'My friend, how do you know that this man is your father, this woman is your mother? You cannot trust people, you must be sure of your own birth.' In this manner all children would immediately be free from obedience to the commandment of God, 'Honor your father and your mother.' For I could retort, 'How do I know who my father and mother are? I can't believe people. So I will have to be born again by them in order to see for myself, else I will not obey them.' By acting in this way God's command would indeed be made altogether null and void.

 

"Likewise I might refuse to recognize anyone as brother, sister, cousin, or relative, constantly repeating, 'I did not know we were related, because I am uncertain who my parents were,' etc. But, if I were ruler of the land, I would repay such a spirit by forbidding him to retain, expect, or receive any inheritance, either house, land, or a single cent from his parents, and so play with him at his own game until his spirit takes on flesh for him again. For since he neither recognizes nor trusts his parents, he cannot know or hope for their possessions. O, how well society would be ordered when no one would want to be related to another as child, brother, sister, cousin, relative, heir, or neighbor! To be among such Christians would be no better than being among wild wolves." 

 

Martin Luther, A Letter Concerning Rebaptism  

 

Prayer

Lord Jesus, help me to listen to those whom You send to me with Your Word. They are faithful witnesses to Your truth. Give me confidence to believe their testimony to me. Grant me the true blessedness of believing what cannot be seen. Amen.

 

For President Barak Obama, that the Lord would keep him safe and strengthen him to carry out his office

 

For those who have absented themselves from the gathering of the church, that they would be called home again by faithful friends and family

 

For all those struggling in the estate of holy marriage, that they would shape their lives by love and Christ-like sacrifice 

Art: CORREGGIO Nativity Holy Night (1528-30)

Find me on Facebook                                                                                       � Scott R. Murray, 2013