Priesthood of All Believers- All Believers May Serve

DAY 33- 4/2/17- DAY 33- THE PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  (1 Peter 2:9)
Thoughts: The priest had a large amount of power in the Roman Catholic church of the late medieval period.  People were discouraged from reading the Bible. Only the priest was supposed to read (in Latin) and interpret it to the people (though not all priests knew Latin).  Priests had the power to withhold the Lord’s Supper (the Eucharist) and taught that if you did not receive the Eucharist you could not be forgiven.  Priests could tell you what to do in terms of penance in order to achieve forgiveness and could absolve sins in the confessional.  The priest was the mediator between the people and God taking away the authority of Christ as the true mediator between the Father and the people.  The pastor was not a lord and his congregation the fiefdom.  Calvin also taught against the idea of a person getting money from the people and not even ministering to them. The Reformation was in many ways a rebellion against power grabs by the church.  It re-focused power on Christ (only he could forgive sins), and on the people who could pray directly to Him and read God's Word directly.
       The leaders of the Reformation fought against the power of the priest when it went against what scripture said.  They wanted the Bible in the language of the people- both Luther and Calvin were responsible for translations into German, French, and English.  The risk was that people could misinterpret it- but they contended the church too was misinterpreting it.  While communion was still closely guarded for the Protestants, it was not used as a personal weapon as it too often was in the late middle ages.  For Protestants, Jesus Christ is our great high priest, and he is the mediator between God and man (see below).  
     Luther, quoting I Peter 2:9 says (In the Babylonian Captivity of the Church) “In this way we are all priests.  There are indeed priests whom we call ministers.  They are chosen among us and do everything in our name.”  Luther, was not opposed to using the term “priest” and “minister” interchangeably.  Calvin renamed the altar that the Lord’s Supper was served on “the communion table” as a reminder that the minister does not sacrifice Christ again.  We all are called to pray directly to God- we do not have to go through the priest.  We need not over-worry about the content of our prayers- the Holy Spirit helps us to pray and helps us to interpret the scriptures.  We are the priesthood of believers- in that we are called to bring God to others- to the whole world.  As Israel was a witness to God, so all Christians together are an inviting and challenging witness to the Lord.  In our baptism we are all commissioned to go and make disciples and to teach (Mt. 28:19-20). 

Prayer: Lord, thank you that you care about me and desire I know you, read your Word, pray to you, and follow you without hesitation or mediation.  

Tetzel Selling Indulgences in Wittenburg for Forgiveness of Sins

Christ Alone- The Great Single Sacrifice

DAY 32- 4/1/17  CHRIST ALONE- THE GREAT SINGLE SACRIFICE

It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins… We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all…  For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.  And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.  (Hebrews 10:4, 10. 14,18)

Thoughts: The Great Single sacrifice- the one sufficient for all human beings has been offered.  The ransom for our captivity to sin has been paid.  How can one man’s dying pay for all human being’s sin?   Well, Jesus is not just any man- He is the infinite-worth God- man.  Can you compare the value of God’s life to ours?  Could I compare the lives of a thousand amoebas to my pet dog?  I would choose my dog even if it were a billion amoebas!  The value of the perfect Jesus- God in the flesh- does not compare to our own value.  He is not a lamb paying for human sin- He is God paying an infinite price for a finite amount of sin.  For even though we sin a bunch- our sins are limited by death and number.  But God’s value on Jesus- the Son is infinite.  All the Old Testament sacrifices point to the idea that we need a sacrifice- we need to find a way to have forgiveness before the holy God.  But they also point to the One true Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world- Jesus.  Christ alone has this value.  To degrade this value by saying we need to add our own sacrifices or merit to it is ridiculous.  Christ alone is worthy of our praise- He is the lamb that was slain and He alone is worthy.  “You are worthy…because you were slain and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation…worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”  (Revelation 5:9,12).

Prayer: Lord, help me to grow in my appreciation of your worthiness. 

Christ Alone Forgives Sins

DAY 31- 3/31/17 CHRIST ALONE FORGIVES SINS
No one can forgive sins but God alone…but that you may know the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins, take up your mat and walk.   
All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name. (Acts 10:43)

Thoughts: Our hope is not in ourselves and Christ or someone and Christ.  We fail ourselves.  Others fail us.  Christ never failed and never fails.  What makes us realize our sins are forgiven as far as the east is from the west is that Christ has paid the price for them.  Many do not name “forgiveness” as their problem. Guilt and shame are not perceived in our culture.  But alienation from others, depression and loneliness, and purposelessness are aching and nagging problems.  But the root of these things is our own selfishness and pride- which are also sins that we must somehow get past.  Sadly, we usually cannot name our basic sin, but we can only name the symptoms without naming any kind of real cure.  The cure to emptiness, depression, and purposelessness is the hope offered by Christ- and that is the hope of the cross.  It is on the cross alone that we can get past our past failures and alienations to move on in life.  Forgiveness is not made up for by doing good.  For how much good do we need to do?  We cannot earn our way to feeling better and being reconciled to God, others, and ourselves.  If we could, then we could boast about how good we are.  However, Christ gives us a way to pay our debt from outside of ourselves.  The Creator who designed things and holds things to account- also made a way to reconcile us to Himself.  He Himself has paid the price and bore our sins.  To think that we have added to that payment by our own small acts of goodness is demeaning to the majestic cost of the cross.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the forgiveness offered in Christ. 

Christ Alone- Not Christ AND

DAY 30- 3/30/17 CHRIST ALONE- NOT CHRIST AND…
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

Thoughts: Late medieval theology (Ockham) had disintegrated into thinking that doing good was so important that it should be rewarded with eternal salvation.  One can understand why we should motivate people to do good. 
      Similarly, late medieval Latin theology talked about forgiveness being earned by penance, by confession, by the Eucharist, by indulgence, and by the transferring of righteousness/grace from one person to another.  The problem is that while a priest could say that they absolve someone, that does not mean that the sinner felt forgiven.  Luther, when he was a good monk, felt he needed to do more and more to somehow obtain forgiveness for his sins.  It was only when Luther realized Christ alone could forgive that he actually realized he was forgiven and trusted his forgiveness.  Protestants could speak of assurance of salvation because of the assurance that they were forgiven by Christ’s act (and not their own plus Christ’s act).  The Roman Catholic church at the time taught that repentance and our actions were necessary for salvation and that we could lose our salvation.  While Luther was more vague, Calvin spoke of the doctrine of eternal security and perseverance.
       Our salvation does not depend on our actions plus Christ.  Our salvation does not depend upon some saint and the cross of Christ.  Our salvation does not depend on our taking the Lord’s Supper and Christ’s cross.  It is not doing any law or good that makes us acceptable.  Christ’s grace shown on the cross and accepted by faith makes us acceptable- and forgiven. 

Prayer: Lord, help me to appreciate your love alone and your work for me.  

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Solus Christus and Pluralism

DAY 29- 3/29/17- SOLUS CHRISTUS- AND PLURALISM
11And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12)

Thoughts- E pluribus unum- “Out of many one” is a motto of the United States on the Great Seal.  Ironically the official motto of the United States (1956) is “In God we trust.”  This trust in God can be a uniting thing that brings people of different races and backgrounds- rich and poor together.  In our day the ‘E pluribus Unum” motto has taken precedent in a kind of reverse.  Today we seem so divisive that perhaps a better descriptive motto (that I do not recommend) is “E Unum pluribus” (out of one- many).  The sense of oneness is disappearing along with the spiritual and purposeful bonds that once helped us pull in the same moral and spiritual direction.  What is missing is a sense of love. The idea of True Love has been derided and confused with lust.  We have elevated an ever- hungry but never-satisfying-government into the role of the One who cares for us above all others.  Though all religions in America are equally protected, not all are equally useful for the good of the state nor are they all equally valid.  For example, some religions do not encourage charity but instead encourage focus on self in order to find inner peace.  Arkansas struggled in 2015 as the government put a Ten Commandments statue up.  Some Satan worshipers asked to put a statue of the devil up claiming equal treatment and equal validity and were recently (1/25/17)given the green light to move ahead.  For some, this is simple fairness- everyone should be on equal grounds.  But this goes beyond common sense into the realm of silly moral ineptitude.  The solution is not to get rid of all statues- or even all religious monuments.  The solution is to begin to make a distinction.  Who makes that distinction?  The people should be able to make (by vote or by representatives) that distinction.  For a Satanic symbol could quickly become an idol and an object for worship for some, and Satanists elevate hate and division over love and unity.  There are those who think Christianity is evil- but it is a religion that teaches love.  There are some who believe Christianity is judgmental- but Christianity teaches to leave judgment to God and it is the Christians who teach “he who is without sin cast the first stone” and “Judge not lest ye be judged.”  Yet, having said that, Christianity has always been a believer in truth.  God is the ultimate judge of truth.  What we believe matters.  If we really believe that all religions are alike, would we allow ISIS to have a monument on the statehouse grounds out of fairness?  It matters what you believe.  There is a difference between those who behead Christians (like ISIS) and those who are beheaded for simply being Christian.  It is not wrong to affirm Christ as our model for belief and practice.  The Reformers were right to affirm that Christ is our truth, and we would be right to not be ashamed of the truth of Christ.  

Prayer: Lord, let me claim the truth and not be ashamed of it.  

Solus Christus- Christ Alone

DAY 28- 3/28/17 SOLUS CHRISTUS

“I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father but by me.”  John 14:6
“Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction , and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Mt. 7:13,14
There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs 16:25

Thoughts: For some Jesus is only one among many ways, one among many truths.  Jesus was not saying, “Follow me and I will lead you to the truth” rather- “I am the truth.”  Many do not have a problem adding Jesus to their spirituality- or having Jesus as one god among many.  But the “solus” or “only” claim of Jesus is what not only rubs them the wrong way but frustrates them.  For them, all roads lead to the mountaintop, however winding.  But, despite what post-moderns think, Jesus was saying that truth matters.  To say that truth matters means that lying and deceiving is not okay. 
     At the time of the Reformation (and still today), people were trying to get around the idea that salvation comes through faith in Christ and trust in the cross as a sacrifice for our forgiveness.  So the idea of purgatory- that we may somehow pray for others to have their sins burned off in time with punishment; or as some Catholic sects believed- transfer the righteousness of one saint over onto us was followed.  Luther and the Reformation leaders called people back to the idea of Christ as our Savior. 
    Once a baby had jaundice and her parents were told that if they put the baby underneath a special light for so many hours, the baby would get better.  But suppose the parents quarreled- “That’s too easy!  How about if we scrub her, warm her, put a little skin coloring on her, and drops in her eyes? If we work hard enough at it, I’m sure we could get her normal coloring back.”  The doctor would have insisted, No, there’s only one way to handle this.”  If the parents had said, “No, we will just ignore this and maybe it will go away.” The doctor would remind them that things can get better if they do not follow his simple but important steps.  Believing in Christ is simple but it is also important.  Jesus opens the door to belief to whosoever will.  It is not exclusive in its invitation it is exclusive in its solution.  
    Lee Strobel asks, if there were two country clubs- one of which had an exclusive membership for those who earn it and do a multitude of tasks; and the other invited everyone- no matter what they looked like or what they had to join. For the second, entry was not based on qualifications or earning it but on accepting the invitation.  Christianity is like the latter.  All are invited and we do not earn our way.  Rather we depend on one who has paid the way for us. 

Prayer: Lord, help me to see you are my only and most important savior.  Help me to trust in you alone.  

Song: "In Christ Alone" 

Soli Dei Gloria- To Glorify and Enjoy Him

DAY 27- SOLI DEI GLORIA- TO GLORIFY AND ENJOY HIM

“I have come that they might have life and have it abundantly.”  (John 10:10)
WSCQ1: “What is the chief end of man?”  A: Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”
Translation: “What is the main purpose of human beings?”

Thoughts:  The Christian life is not so purposeful that it has no fun.  The old saying is, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”  We are made to glorify and honor God and find our pleasure in that.  I remember the movie, “Chariots of Fire” about Eric Liddell who won the gold in the Olympics.  He said, “When I run, I can feel his pleasure.”  We can run, skip, jump, play in a way that honors God. Having good, clean fun can honor Him.  Calvin talked about sailing on Lake Geneva on Sundays.  In fact, if you know you are enjoying your life for God- and not just for yourself- there is even more fun in that!  Your work and your chores can also have more meaning if you are doing them to God’s glory but also if you are learning that you may enjoy God’s presence and help in the midst of the work you do.  It is not merely an inconvenience.  Interruptions can become ways we see God’s providential hand leading us.  So whatever you do, know Jesus came to help, to heal, to comfort, to give you life- abundantly.  The abundant eternal life does not begin after you die and go to heaven- it begins now.

Prayer: Lord, help me to find you in my life.  Help me to find purpose but also joy in my journey.