Abiding truth: Part 7
Law and gospel. Diagnosis and cure. We need both. The law show us our sin, and the gospel shows us our Savior.
Joel V. Petermann
Toleration. Thatās been the catchword for the first decades of the 21st century. In social settings it means that we accept other cultures and races without passing judgment on or discriminating against them. It means we donāt judge anyoneās actions and orientations if they are different from ours. In the education setting it often means we are careful not to tell a student they have made a mistake. Instead of pointing out an error, we are to dwell only on the positive.
Unfortunately, toleration easily becomes indulgence, and it also can cause chaos. A toleration mindset that accepts the idea that nothing is wrong, anything goes, or you just have to accept that others are different from you means no standards, guidelines, or boundaries for behavior or thought exist. In society, relativity becomes the watchword; what may be wrong for you is okay for me. Such thinking leaves us unable to enforce laws, to punish wrongdoers, and to keep order. In school, students begin to lose the ability to accept constructive criticism and to rise above failures.
Letās face it, none of us like to be told that we have done something wrong. It affects our self-worth. It demotes āego.ā It can depress us or make us angry. We often respond to accusations of failure with defensiveness or excuses. We try to find a way to make ourselves look better, to restore our self-fantasy that we are better than we really are.
So toleration is handy. It speaks the language of our soul. Donāt tell me I canāt be the way I am. Donāt tell me Iāve made a mistake. Let me live in my bubble of self-glory, and Iām much happier.
At least so I think.
Law speaks harsh reality
Martin Luther knew that this isnāt the way that Scripture speaks. Godās Word has two teachings. Even though the Bible calls one of them the āstrangeā work of God (Isaiah 28:21), it is nevertheless his work. It isnāt the work of toleration. It is the work of calling a spade a spade. It isnāt couched in politically correct verbiage. It doesnāt allow for any wiggle room or loopholes. It is called Godās law. Proper use of the law in our lives is to let the ax fall true and swift. The law cuts to the heart of the matter. There is no, āyes, butā allowed. Wrong is wrong. Right is right.
Luther pulled no punches when he categorically stated, āThat . . . upon which you set your heart and put your trust is properly your godā (Concordia Triglotta, p. 538). Thatās the first commandment. You either worship the Lord your God and he is most important to you, or you are an idolator. If money is more important to you than God, then money is your idol. There is no middle ground.
The rest of the Ten Commandments are not tolerant of our lives of sin. Say the name of Jesus flippantly and you are sinning. Despise Godās Word by not gladly hearing it and you sin. Disrespecting your mom and dad is not mimicking the Simpsons, it is sin. Abortion and hatred are both sins. Revenge is sin. Having an affair online is sin. Feasting your eyes on sexy pictures or movies is sin. Wanting everything in the ad flyers or online sidebars even though you donāt have the money is sin. Badmouthing your boss in the breakroom is sin. Itās not just sin if we act on it; itās sin already in our hearts. Thatās not toleration. Itās truth. There are standards. Theyāre called Godās commands, and they are not negotiable.
Gospel is good news
But neither is his gospel. Thatās the other teaching which Godās Word speaks to us. Luther knew it better than anyone, because Luther had deep anguish over his sin. He knew that God didnāt tolerate his sin. He feared God. He trembled at the intoleration of Godās law. It is perfect and unbending. Thatās why Luther found the gospel so sweet. The gospel is complete and final. The gospel simply states: āDonāt be afraid!ā Why shouldnāt we be afraid of the intolerant law? Because the law finds its end in Christ and his cross. The law is destroyed by the conquering cry, āIt is finished!ā The lawās threats and curses are gagged by the Easter morning declaration: āHe is not here; he has risen, just as he saidā (Matthew 28:6).
God didnāt tolerate our sin. He paid its price for us. He became the damned in our place. There is no more wonderful truth. My worth is not found by convincing myself I am not as bad as I know I am. It is found in knowing that Jesus loves me as I am. He gave me new worthāworth in Godās eyes through his precious blood. Thatās the uncompromising truth Godās Word and Luther still speak today.
Joel Petermann, president of Michigan Lutheran Seminary, Saginaw, Michigan, is a member at St. Paul, Saginaw.
As we celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, this is the seventh article in a 12-part series on our Lutheran heritage.
Luther still speaks
Luther had much to say about the proper use of the law and the gospel. In a sermon on Galatians 3:23,24 he proclaimed, āāTo be sure, both are Godās Word: the law, or the Ten Commandments, and the gospel; the latter first given by God in Paradise, the former on Mount Sinai. But everything depends on the proper differentiation of these two messages and on not mixing them together; otherwise one will know and retain the proper understanding of neither the one or the other.ā (What Luther Says, Vol. 2, #2276)
Both law and gospel are Godās Word. Both need to be heard and absorbed by the sinner. In his law God tells us what he wants us to do or not to do. He also shows plainly that we have failed and deserve eternal punishment. In his gospel he tells us how his Son has paid our punishment and fulfilled his demands. We might say the law is Godās strong left arm that shoves the sinner away as unworthy. The gospel is his gentle right arm that draws the sinner close and clothes him with Christās righteousness.
When the law is soft-pedaled, the need for the gospel is diminished. Anemic preaching of the law seduces us to careless contentment about our spiritual condition instead of showing us our desperate need for salvation.
When the gospel is thinned out, it leads to uncertainty about our salvation and leaves us with an unsettling question, āHave I done enough?ā
A veteran professor once advised, āPreach the law in all its severity. Preach the gospel in all its sweetness.ā Luther would agree!
Richard E. Lauersdorf is pastor at Good Shepherd, West Bend, Wisconsin.
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Author: Joel V. Petermann &Ā Richard E. Lauersdorf
Volume 104, Number 7
Issue: July 2017
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