This week's article can be found here.
There doesn't really seem to be much to add to these words. Can't really argue with it, after all what this is getting at is that we cannot save ourselves. Salvation is not given to us through our actions. It is important to understand the context here. In that time it was believed that the vows and the lifestyle were what earned salvation. This is not salvation for the sake of Jesus, but based on our own works and merits and therefore this idea must be rejected.
Since this is the case, what do we do? How do we live our lives? Does the free gift of Salvation apart from our works (and in spite of our works) mean that we can live in any way that we chose (cheap grace)? No.
Mr. Old Lutheran, you may want to read that last part again. Our lives don't earn anything, but that does not mean that we can live anyway we want or selfishly. But instead we should live our lives to the glory of God. We do this, not because it earns us anything, but because there is no better way to live.
Things like prayer, fasting, worship, alms giving, these things are known as spiritual disciplines. They do not make God give us anything or love us more. But they are very beneficial. For they cause us to be in a place and position where those things that we give too much importance or too high of a place in our lives can be removed so that nothing becomes more important in our lives than God. It is a good thing. The Fall retreat this year will be spending some time on this topic.
I pray that you would know God's presence and grace this week and always.
Sincerely,
Pastor CJ
3 comments:
Pastor CJ,
You might want to check your hyperlink for the article. It goes directly to the introduction rather than to Part III, Article XIII. That being said, I have decided that I no longer will be a proponent of cheap grace. Happy?
Instead, I am now going to give my wholehearted endorsement to double predestination. It's even better than cheap grace. Once saved always saved. Guess that's what Martin Luther was getting at when he said "sin boldly."
Blessings to you and Happy Birthday on the 28th.
Oops. Big mistake on my part. I read part 13 and should have been part 14. Excuse me, please.
Monastic vows are works righteousness of the first degree and an effront to Christ's atoning death and resurrection.
Pastor CJ,
I'm working on a Bible Study called the Church that Loves and today's lesson called for us to study the Book of James.
I've heard that Martin Luther was less than enthralled with the book, but hadn't really focused on Chapter 2, verse 24 until today. "You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone."
As a hard shell Missouri Synod Lutheran, I'm more than a little bit shaken by this verse, since it seems to clearly contradict Ephesians 2: 8&9. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
not by works, so that no one can boast.
I would sure appreciate your help in reconciling these two verses.
Thanks and Blessing on your day.
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