Last Newsletter Article:
Dear Members of Redeemer,
Reading the explanation of the third article at the 8:45 service this past Reformation day bought up an awesome doctrine we have in our confessions. We confess as Lutherans that we do not have a “free-will.” We believe we have a “bound-will” or in other words a sin tainted limited free will. What we experience as freedom is not really as free as God planned for us to be. Freedom is a great blessing we experience here in America, but I think it is very important to stop and reflect on the reality of our freedom. It is limited. There is no getting around that. For example there are laws that govern and protect its citizens from murderers and thieves, if we all did exactly what we want at all times then we would be living in a society based on anarchy.
Luther wrote an amazing work on this topic, entitled The Bondage of the Will. And in the Formula of Concord (2,II,8), which is one of the confessions we have in our Book of Concord, we have a clear statement about our “bound-will.”
For, first of all, even though human reason or natural intellect may still have a dim spark of knowledge that a god exists (as Romans 1[:19–21*, 24*, 32*] states) or of the teaching of the law, nevertheless it is ignorant, blind, and perverted so that even when the most skillful and learned people on earth read or hear the gospel of God’s Son and the promise of eternal salvation, they still cannot comprehend, grasp, understand, or believe it on the basis of their own powers; they cannot regard it as the truth. Instead, the more assiduously and diligently they exert themselves and want to comprehend these spiritual matters with their reason, the less they understand or believe. b They regard all these matters as simply foolishness and fables, until the Holy Spirit enlightens and teaches them. 1 Corinthians 2[:14*][2]
Just like Luther’s explanation of the 3rd article of the Apostle’s Creed states, we can not choose to believe in Jesus by our own reason or strength. We must rely on the work of the Holy Spirit to regenerate us through His Word and Sacraments. He is only one who can convert the lost person into a heaven bound follower of Jesus. The weight and burden of converting unbelievers is off our backs. But just as there are means of grace given to us through the Word and the Sacraments, we must be open to the Spirit using us as His instruments of grace to the world around us. He uses Christians to share the good news about Jesus, He uses Christians to teach and to preach God’s Word, He uses Christians to baptize and administer Holy Communion.
There is some freedom in knowing our limitations. Especially when it comes to our own strength and determination, because then we know that it is through God’s work in our lives the gospel is proclaimed. Our job as Christians is to: Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. 1 Peter 3:15
In His Grip,
Pastor Ryan