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Monday, November 20, 2017

Preachers who should be castrated (Galatians 5:7-12 and Luther's comments on it)

The people who misled the Galatians in the first century were saying that they needed to be circumcised in order to be justified before God (i.e forgiven for their sins).  Paul said he'd like to see those teachers do more than just cut off their foreskin, but go farther and take the whole thing off!  Galatians 5:7-12 is the passage where he says this:

"You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!"

Why would Paul use such harsh language (clearly a form of "cursing") in regard to what the Galatians were being taught?  It's because the stakes were so high--namely, the eternal fate and spiritual success of those who were being misled.  (See this post for another example of such cursing earlier in the book.)

Martin Luther, in his commentary on the passage, provides some justifications for Paul's use of profanity (and his own, no doubt).  First of all, he asserts that Satan himself is behind all such false teaching, and shares the apostle's compassion for poor sinners in need of forgiveness and hope...

The devil is a cunning persuader. He knows how to enlarge the smallest sin into a mountain until we think we have committed the worst crime ever committed on earth. Such stricken consciences must be comforted and set straight as Paul corrected the Galatians by showing them that their opinion is not of Christ because it runs counter to the Gospel, which describes Christ as a meek and merciful Savior. 

Satan will circumvent the Gospel and explain Christ in this his own diabolical way: "Indeed Christ is meek, gentle, and merciful, but only to those who are holy and righteous. If you are a sinner you stand no chance. Did not Christ say that unbelievers are already damned? And did not Christ perform many good deeds, and suffer many evils patiently, bidding us to follow His example? You do not mean to say that your life is in accord with Christ's precepts or example? You are a sinner. You are no good at all." 

Satan is to be answered in this way: The Scriptures present Christ in a twofold aspect. First, as a gift. "He of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification and redemption." (I Cor. 1:30.) Hence my many and grievous sins are nullified if I believe in Him. Secondly, the Scriptures present Christ for our example. As an exemplar He is to be placed before me only at certain times. In times of joy and gladness that l may have Him as a mirror to reflect upon my shortcomings. But in the day of trouble I will have Christ only as a gift. I will not listen to anything else, except that Christ died for my sins.

Second, Paul and Luther both recognize that the persecution they faced (which would certainly not be mitigated by the language they used:), is a sign that they were angering Satan and thus "on the right track"...

Saint Bernard observed that the Church is in best shape when Satan assaults it on every side by trickery and violence; and in worst shape when it is at peace. In support of his statement he quotes the passage from the song of Hezekiah: "Behold, for peace I had great bitterness." Paul looks with suspicion upon any doctrine that does not provoke antagonism. 

Persecution always follows on the heels of the Word of God as the Psalmist experienced. "I believe, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted." (Ps. 116:10.) The Christians are accused and slandered without mercy. Murderers and thieves receive better treatment than Christians. The world regards true Christians as the worst offenders, for whom no punishment can be too severe. The world hates the Christians with amazing brutality, and without compunction commits them to the most shameful death, congratulating itself that it has rendered God and the cause of peace a distinct service by ridding the world of the undesired presence of these Christians. We are not to let such treatment cause us to falter in our adherence to Christ. As long as we experience such persecutions we know all is well with the Gospel.

And finally, Paul and Luther were so strong in their language because they believed the truth of the Word of God itself was being intentionally twisted and corrupted, and if unchecked that would lead to the destruction of the very foundations of the Christian faith...

This goes to show again how much importance Paul attached to the least points of Christian doctrine, that he dared to curse the false apostles, evidently men of great popularity and influence. What right, then, have we to make little of doctrine? No matter how nonessential a point of doctrine may seem, if slighted it may prove the gradual disintegration of the truths of our salvation. 

Let us do everything to advance the glory and authority of God's Word. Every tittle of it is greater than heaven and earth. Christian charity and unity have nothing to do with the Word of God. We are bold to curse and condemn all men who in the least point corrupt the Word of God, "for a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." 

Paul does right to curse these troublers of the Galatians, wishing that they were cut off and rooted out of the Church of God and that their doctrine might perish forever. Such cursing is the gift of the Holy Ghost. Thus Peter cursed Simon the sorcerer, "Thy money perish with thee." Many instances of this holy cursing are recorded in the sacred Scriptures, especially in the Psalms, e.g., "Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell." (Ps. 55:15.)

Luther's comments about the importance of "the least points of Christian doctrine" might be taken to mean that we should curse other teachers who disagree on more minor matters like the mode and subjects of baptism, the Five Points of Calvinism, and worship styles.  And perhaps Luther did go too far in that regard sometimes, like when he condemned the other Reformers for their different views of the elements in the Lord's Supper.  But I think we should hear his words in the context of the Galatian heresy, which was about salvation and justification rather than other less important doctrines, and take them as a challenge to not tolerate even the smallest deviation from biblical truth in those areas. 

Augustine was a hero of Luther's, and the church father was known to say, "In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, and in all things charity."  So Paul's cursing (and Luther's), was an attempt to promote unity on the most essential issue of how we can be right with God, and they believed it was charitable (or loving) because they were trying to wake people up to the danger of getting that issue wrong.

Monday, November 13, 2017

Reformation 500 - Six Days of Luther, Day 6 (from his commentary on Galatians 5:6)

On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany.  Exactly 500 years later, I have been celebrating the great movement of God that followed his initial protest by posting his comments in full on this great passage in Galatians 5:1-6, six posts in a row.  This will be the last entry where I'll post his comments in full, but the celebration will continue every week or so on this blog, as I continue to read and excerpt and comment on Luther's teaching through the rest of the book of Galatians.

Since his comments on Galatians 5:6 are relatively short, at the end of them I will provide a list to my former posts about these two world-changing books (Galatians and Luther's commentary on it)... Perhaps you might want to click on one or a few and discover or review them before we move on.

Here's what the great Reformer had to say about verse 6 of Galatians 5...

VERSE 6. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love. 

Faith must of course be sincere. It must be a faith that performs good works through love. If faith lacks love it is not true faith. Thus the Apostle bars the way of hypocrites to the kingdom of Christ on all sides. He declares on the one hand, "In Christ Jesus circumcision availeth nothing," i.e., works avail nothing, but faith alone, and that without any merit whatever, avails before God. On the other hand, the Apostle declares that without fruits faith serves no purpose. To think, "If faith justifies without works, let us work nothing," is to despise the grace of God. Idle faith is not justifying faith. In this terse manner Paul presents the whole life of a Christian. Inwardly it consists in faith towards God, outwardly in love towards our fellow-men.

And here are the titles and links for my previous posts on Galatians and Luther, in case you'd like to check out any of them...

Martin Luther: "Preach the Gospel to Yourself" (from his commentary on Galatians 1:1-4)

DAMN those gospel preachers! (Luther on Galatians 1:6-9)

Paul and Luther defended themselves...Should you? (Luther on Galatians 1:11-24)

How important is your reputation? (Luther's comments on Galatians 2:1-10)

Paul rebukes Peter (and us) (Luther's commentary on Galatians 2:11-15)

The biggest problem for Catholics (and many Protestants too) (Martin Luther on Galatians 2:16-19)

"I've got good news and bad news..." (Luther's commentary on Galatians 2:20-21)

Blessed for Doing Nothing (Martin Luther on Galatians 3:1-9)

What Martin Luther got right, and one thing he didn't (in his commentary on Galatians 3:10-14)

How did we ever make it without...? (Luther's commentary on Galatians 3:15-18)

Luther's Law/Gospel Distinction (in his commentary on Galatians 3:19-22)

"Law and Gospel cross paths continually" (Luther on Galatians 3:23-29)

No longer a slave (Martin Luther's commentary on Galatians 4:1-7)

Martin Luther, 16th Century Cessationist (from his commentary on Galatians 4:6)

The Danger of Christian Idolatry (Martin Luther on Galatians 4:8-11)

What Martin Luther would say to Donald Trump (from his commentary on Galatians 4:12-20)

Was Luther an Antinomian? (from his commentary on Galatians 4:21-31)

Saturday, November 11, 2017

Reformation 500 - Six Days of Luther, Day 5 (from his commentary on Galatians 5:5)

On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany.  Exactly 500 years later, I am celebrating the great movement of God that followed his initial protest by posting his comments in full on this great passage in Galatians 5:1-6, six posts in a row.  Here's what he had to say about verse 5...

VERSE 6. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 

Paul concludes the whole matter with the above statement. "You want to be justified by the Law, by circumcision, and by works. We cannot see it. To be justified by such means would make Christ of no value to us. We would be obliged to perform the whole law. We rather through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness." The Apostle is not satisfied to say "justified by faith." He adds hope to faith. 

Holy Writ speaks of hope in two ways: as the object of the emotion, and hope as the emotion itself. In the first chapter of the Epistle to the Colossians we have an instance of its first use: "For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven," i.e., the thing hoped for. In the sense of emotion we quote the passage from the eighth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans: "For we are saved by hope." As Paul uses the term "hope" here in writing to the Galatians, we may take it in either of its two meanings. We may understand Paul to say, "We wait in spirit, through faith, for the righteousness that we hope for, which in due time will be revealed to us." Or we may understand Paul to say: "We wait in Spirit, by faith for righteousness with great hope and desire." True, we are righteous, but our righteousness is not yet revealed; as long as we live here sin stays with us, not to forget the law in our members striving against the law of our mind. When sin rages in our body and we through the Spirit wrestle against it, then we have cause for hope. We are not yet perfectly righteous. Perfect righteousness is still to be attained. Hence we hope for it. 

This is sweet comfort for us. And we are to make use of it in comforting the afflicted. We are to say to them: "Brother, you would like to feel God's favor as you feel your sin. But you are asking too much. Your righteousness rests on something much better than feelings. Wait and hope until it will be revealed to you in the Lord's own time. Don't go by your feelings, but go by the doctrine of faith, which pledges Christ to you."

This passage contains excellent doctrine and much comfort. It declares that we are justified not by works, sacrifices, or ceremonies, but by Christ alone. The world may judge certain things to be ever so good; without Christ they are all wrong. Circumcision and the law and good works are carnal. "We," says Paul, "are above such things. We possess Christ by faith and in the midst of our afflictions we hopefully wait for the consummation of our righteousness." You may say, "The trouble is I don't feel as if I am righteous." You must not feel, but believe. Unless you believe that you are righteous, you do Christ a great wrong, for He has cleansed you by the washing of regeneration, He died for you so that through Him you may obtain righteousness and everlasting life.

Luther, Martin. Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians (p. 146). Kindle Edition. 


Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Reformation 500 - Six Days of Luther, Day 4 (from his commentary on Galatians 5:4)

On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany.  Exactly 500 years later, I am celebrating the great movement of God that followed his initial protest by posting his comments in full on this great passage in Galatians 5:1-6, six posts in a row.  Here's what he had to say about verse 4...

"Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace." 

Paul in this verse discloses that he is not speaking so much of circumcision as the trust which men repose in the outward act. We can hear him say: "I do not condemn the Law in itself; what I condemn is that men seek to be justified by the Law, as if Christ were still to come, or as if He alone were unable to justify sinners. It is this that I condemn, because it makes Christ of no effect. It makes you void of Christ so that Christ is not in you, nor can you be partakers of the knowledge, the spirit, the fellowship, the liberty, the life, or the achievements of Christ. You are completely separated from Him, so much so that He has nothing to do with you any more, or for that matter you with Him." Can anything worse be said against the Law? If you think Christ and the Law can dwell together in your heart, you may be sure that Christ dwells not in your heart. For if Christ is in your heart He neither condemns you, nor does He ever bid you to trust in your own good works. If you know Christ at all, you know that good works do not serve unto righteousness, nor evil works unto condemnation. I do not want to withhold from good works their due praise, nor do I wish to encourage evil works. But when it comes to justification, I say, we must concentrate upon Christ alone, or else we make Him non-effective .You must choose between Christ and the righteousness of the Law. If you choose Christ you are righteous before God. If you stick to the Law, Christ is of no use to you. 

"Ye are fallen from grace." That means you are no longer in the kingdom or condition of grace. When a person on board ship falls into the sea and is drowned it makes no difference from which end or side of the ship he falls into the water. Those who fall from grace perish no matter how they go about it. Those who seek to be justified by the Law are fallen from grace and are in grave danger of eternal death. If this holds true in the case of those who seek to be justified by the moral Law, what will become of those, I should like to know, who endeavor to be justified by their own regulations and vows? They will fall to the very bottom of hell. "Oh, no," they say, "we will fly straight into heaven. If you live according to the rules of Saint Francis, Saint Dominick, Saint Benedict, you will obtain the peace and mercy of God. If you perform the vows of chastity, obedience, etc., you will be rewarded with everlasting life." Let these playthings of the devil go to the place where they came from and listen to what Paul has to say in this verse in accordance with Christ's own teaching: "He that believeth in the Son of God, hath everlasting life; but he that believeth not in the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth in him." 

The words, "Ye are fallen from grace," must not be taken lightly. They are important. To fall from grace means to lose the atonement, the forgiveness of sins, the righteousness, liberty, and life which Jesus has merited for us by His death and resurrection. To lose the grace of God means to gain the wrath and judgment of God, death, the bondage of the devil, and everlasting condemnation.

Luther, Martin. Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians (pp. 143-144). Kindle Edition.

Monday, November 6, 2017

Reformation 500 - Six Days of Luther, Day 3 (from his commentary on Galatians 5:3)

On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany.  Exactly 500 years later, I am celebrating the great movement of God that followed his initial protest by posting his comments in full on this great passage in Galatians 5:1-6, six posts in a row.  Here's what he had to say about verse 3...

VERSE 3. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 

The first fault with circumcision is that it makes Christ unprofitable. The second fault is that it obligates those who are circumcised to observe the whole Law. Paul is so very much in earnest about this matter that he confirms it with an oath. "I testify," he says, "I swear by the living God." Paul's statement may be explained negatively to mean: "I testify to every man who is being circumcised that he cannot perform the Law in any point. In the very act of circumcision he is not being circumcised, and in the very act of fulfilling the Law he fulfills it not." This seems to be the simple meaning of Paul's statement. Later on in the sixth chapter he explicitly states, "They themselves which are circumcised keep not the law. The fact that you are circumcised does not mean you are righteous and free from the Law. The truth is that by circumcision you have become debtors and servants of the Law. The more you endeavor to perform the Law, the more you will become tangled up in the yoke of the Law." 

The truth of this I have experienced in myself and in others. I have seen many work themselves down to the bones in their hungry effort to obtain peace of conscience. But the harder they tried the more they worried. Especially in the presence of death they were so uneasy that I have seen murderers die with better grace and courage. 

This holds true also in regard to the church regulations. When I was a monk I tried ever so hard to live up to the strict rules of my order. I used to make a list of my sins, and I was always on the way to confession, and whatever penances were enjoined upon me I performed religiously. In spite of it all, my conscience was always in a fever of doubt. The more I sought to help my poor stricken conscience the worse it got. The more I paid attention to the regulations the more I transgressed them. 

Hence those that seek to be justified by the Law are much further away from the righteousness of life than the publicans, sinners, and harlots. They know better than to trust in their own works. They know that they cannot ever hope to obtain forgiveness by their sins. 

Paul's statement in this verse may be taken to mean that those who submit to circumcision are thereby submitting to the whole Law. To obey Moses in one point requires obedience to him in all points. It does no good to say that only circumcision is necessary, and not the rest of Moses' laws. The same reasons that obligate a person to accept circumcision also obligate a person to accept the whole Law. Thus to acknowledge the Law is tantamount to declaring that Christ is not yet come. And if Christ is not yet come, then all the Jewish ceremonies and laws concerning meats, places, and times are still in force, and Christ must be awaited as one who is still to come. The whole Scripture, however, testifies that Christ has come, that by His death He has abolished the Law, and that He has fulfilled all things which the prophets have foretold about Him. 

Some would like to subjugate us to certain parts of the Mosaic Law. But this is not to be permitted under any circumstances. If we permit Moses to rule over us in one thing, we must obey him in all things.

Luther, Martin. Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians (pp. 142-143). Kindle Edition.

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Reformation 500 - Six Days of Luther, Day 2 (from his commentary on Galatians 5:2)

On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany.  Exactly 500 years later, I am celebrating the great movement of God that followed his initial protest by posting his comments in full on this great passage in Galatians 5:1-6, six posts in a row.  Here's what he had to say about verse 2...

VERSE 2. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 

Paul is incensed at the thought of the tyranny of the Law. His antagonism to the Law is a personal matter with him. "Behold, I, Paul," he says, "I who have received the Gospel not from men, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ: I who have been commissioned from above to preach the Gospel to you: I Paul say to you, If you submit to circumcision Christ will profit you nothing." Paul emphatically declares that for the Galatians to be circumcised would mean for them to lose the benefits of Christ's suffering and death. This passage may well serve as a criterion for all the religions. To teach that besides faith in Christ other devices like works, or the observance of rules, traditions, or ceremonies are necessary for the attainment of righteousness and everlasting life, is to make Christ and His salvation of no benefit to anybody. 

This passage is an indictment of the whole papacy. All priests, monks, and nuns—and I am now speaking of the best of them—who repose their hope for salvation in their own works, and not in Christ, whom they imagine to he an angry judge, hear this sentence pronounced against them that Christ shall profit them nothing. If one can earn the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life through one's own efforts to what purpose was Christ born? What was the purpose of His suffering and death, His resurrection, His victory over sin, death, and the devil, if men may overcome these evils by their own endeavor? Tongue cannot express, nor heart conceive what a terrible thing it is to make Christ worthless. The person who is not moved by these considerations to leave the Law and the confidence in his own righteousness for the liberty in Christ, has a heart that is harder than stone and iron. 

Paul does not condemn circumcision in itself. Circumcision is not injurious to the person who does not ascribe any particular importance to it. Neither are works injurious provided a person does not attach any saving value to them. The Apostle does not say that works are objectionable, but to build one's hopes for righteousness on works is disastrous, for that makes Christ good for nothing. 

Let us bear this in mind when the devil accuses our conscience. When that dragon accuses us of having done no good at all, but only evil, say to him: "You trouble me with the remembrance of my past sins; you remind me that I have done no good. But this does not bother me, because if I were to trust in my own good deeds, or despair because I have done no good deeds, Christ would profit me neither way. I am not going to make him unprofitable to me. This I would do, if I should presume to purchase for myself the favor of God and everlasting life by my good deeds, or if I should despair of my salvation because of my sins."

Luther, Martin. Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians (pp. 141-142). Kindle Edition.