The Fourth Sunday after Trinity

 The Fourth Sunday after Trinity – July 13, 2025

Psalm 27; Genesis 50:15-21; Romans 8:18-23

St. Luke 6:36-42

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Judge not lest ye be judged,”[1] is among the most abused verses of Scripture, if not the most abused. It is taken to mean there is no place for harsh or negative words on the lips of Christians, as though we are commanded to live and let live. ‘Preach only the Gospel.’ ‘Be nice and the hearts of many will be turned.’

But no one who has read the Scriptures can come to this conclusion. The Bible is full of commandments to judge and condemn false doctrine – including sin. “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”[2] Every pastor is commanded not only to forgive sins but to rebuke and warn against them; as well as train up Christians for every good work.[3] This requires making judgements and condemning false doctrine and sin.

This task of judging and condemning is not just given to pastors in their preaching. The Prophet Isaiah says, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”[4] Psalm 119 goes so far as to command us to “hate every false way.”[5] And Christ commands the sheep to “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”[6] It would be impossible to discern between a false prophet and a true prophet if you could not judge. And how do you judge this doctrine? By comparing it to the Word of God, the only inerrant and infallible rule and norm by which doctrine can be judged.

Then what is our Lord forbidding in these words, “Judge not, condemn not”? He is forbidding judging hearts, not according to God’s Word but according to our own thoughts, preferences, or opinions. It is judging without love and mercy but according to the passions of our own flesh. The synopsis, or summary, of the Gospel text this morning is “Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.”[7] But why should you be merciful as God is merciful? What should move, or motivate, you to be merciful as God is merciful?

First, you ought to be moved by the mercy God has shown toward you. Earlier in the sermon on the plain, Christ told us to do unto others as we would have them do unto us.[8] Here, that command is taken a step further. Do unto others as you would have God do to you. Don’t get me wrong, it is not our mercy that causes God to have mercy on us. It is not our actions that cause God to grant us grace and forgiveness. However, what we do in and with that grace and mercy can certainly cause our Heavenly Father to withdraw the same.

Think of the parable of the unforgiving servant. A servant owes his master 60 million days’ wages, somewhere in the neighborhood of $10 billion, or over 230,000 years of work. The master has compassion on his servant and forgives his debt. But then the servant finds a fellow servant who owes him $16,000, about 5 months of work. Since he can’t pay the debt, the servant has him beaten and thrown in jail. When the master hears what he has done, he throws the unforgiving servant to the torturers and jailers until the debt is paid.

The servant did nothing to earn the compassion of his master but when he failed to show similar compassion to his fellow servant, the master returned his lack of forgiveness upon him with the same measure: pressed down, shaken together, and running over. That servant was forgiven 230,000 years of debt and yet you have been forgiven more. Your Heavenly Father sent His Only Begotten Son to die for your debt of sin and to rise again that you would no longer be a slave but a son, and that you would enjoy this inheritance for all eternity. You have been set free from the punishment of the Law and the sting of death. Such is the sweet mercy of God that has been shown to you. Such is the same mercy you’ve been called to show to your neighbor.

When we say that good works are motivated by the Gospel, this is what we mean. Though we are but frail mortals, incapable of the perfect mercy of God, we who have been set free by such a glorious love are to reflect that love in our mercy toward others. What would it say to God if you refused to show forth the mercy that you’ve been shown? It would tell Him that what He has done means very little to you. It would be an abuse of everything that He has done for and given to you. He gives you life and you would use it in service to death.

Rather, see your forgiveness for what it is. It is a new life, a new beginning, a new existence as a son of God. A son wants nothing more than a father he can be proud of and to be like his father. We have a Father who defines what it means to be a father. As His dear children, our hearts ought to desire nothing less than to be like Him, to walk in His ways and enjoy His favor for all eternity.

I’ve already hinted at the second motivation to be merciful as our Heavenly Father is merciful. It is because of the consequences of not being merciful. When we heard of Lazarus and the rich man, I spoke of how seriously God takes sin. He hates sin. He cannot tolerate sin to stand in His presence. He also provides the antidote to the poison of sin. His great love sends the shed blood of Jesus to be for you the medicine of immortality. As seriously as He takes sin, He equally takes your forgiveness seriously.

So then, how would you like God to consider you? Do you wish that He would overlook your besetting sins, those against which you struggle but still find yourself falling into? Of course! Then you should also be willing to overlook such sins in your neighbor. Do you wish to escape the loveless judgment of hell? Then do not judge your neighbor without love. On the last day, do you want God to commend your righteous and merciful deed to your neighbor, making no mention of your sins, as He does with the sheep at His right hand?[9] Then, whenever you can, speak well of your neighbor to the best of your knowledge. Before others and in your own heart, put the best construction on everything that he does.

Do not wish that God would remember your sins no more, keep no record of your sins nor add them up, turn His anger away from you, smile upon you, and hurl all your guilt into the depths of the sea, then turn around and keep tally of your neighbor’s sins against you so that you can use them against him at the opportune time. With the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.

The final motivation to be merciful as our Father is merciful as presented in our text is the burden of our own sin. You know the depth of your own sin. You know which temptations to which you are likely to succumb. In this knowledge, the temptation to lovelessly judge your neighbor is twofold. There is the temptation to judge those with similar sins. The man prone to anger is especially angered by another man prone to anger. One who steals is often the first to judge another thief. The opposite temptation is also true. It is very easy to judge someone who is tempted to sins that you are not tempted toward. Such self-righteous indignation boils over from a lack of sympathy.

Yet to be ever mindful of the burden of your own sin ought to move you to show compassion and mercy toward your neighbor. It is humbling to ponder your own sinfulness. This humility can then drive your attitude toward others. It is a somewhat slight example but think of the person who cuts you off in traffic or quickly pulls out in front of you. How easy it is to condemn them for driving recklessly. And it is true, what they’ve done is dangerous. What you don’t know is their child was just flown into the city for emergency surgery; or he has just learned of the infidelity of his wife; or he is a first responder who just received an emergency call that pulled him out of bed during his time off. And besides, who among us hasn’t missed a stop sign, unknowingly cut someone off, or even purposely broken traffic laws?

The point is that you know what it is to be a sinner, and you know what a sinner needs. A sinner needs to be forgiven. A sinner needs mercy. It is not your duty to determine the eternal fate of every person you encounter, but to love God and serve your neighbor. There is a time and place to judge and condemn false doctrine and sin, but there is also a time to remove the plank from your own eye first. Attending to your own sin prepares you with a humble heart to seek the reproof, correction, and instruction of your neighbor.

Your Heavenly Father has had mercy on you. By right, there is only One who may even call Him His Father, for Christ is the only True Son of the Father. Yet in His infinite grace and mercy, He has given to you everything that is His own, including your adoption as a child of God. In faith toward Him and in fervent love toward your neighbor, be merciful, even as your Heavenly Father is merciful.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] St. Luke 6:37.

[2] St. Mark 16:15-16.

[3] 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

[4] Isaiah 5:20.

[5] Psalm 119:104, 128.

[6] St. Matthew 7:15.

[7] St. Luke 6:36.

[8] St. Luke 6:31.

[9] St. Matthew 25:34-40.

The Feast of St. Stephen

 The Feast of St. Stephen – December 26, 2023

Psalm 119; 2 Chronicles 24:17-22; Acts 6:8-7:60

St. Matthew 23:34-39

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The word “martyr” means someone who tells others what they have seen. A martyr is a witness, one who testifies to what they have seen. The Bible and the Church have taken this word and given it a special meaning. It is reserved for those who tell others about Jesus and are killed for it. St. Stephen was the first martyr because he was the first Christian who was killed because he told people about Jesus. He told them that Jesus is the God of the Old Testament, who called Abraham out of the land of the Chaldeans and promised to give his children an eternal home.

He told them that Jesus is the God of the Old Testament who was with Isaac and Jacob. Jesus is the same God who was with Joseph when his brothers tried to murder him. Jesus was with Joseph when he was sold into slavery in Egypt and when Joseph rose to be Pharaoh’s right-hand man.

Stephen told people that Jesus is the God of the Old Testament who called Moses to be His prophet. Jesus is the same God who led His people out of Egypt and stayed with them for forty years as they wandered in the desert. Stephen also told people that it was Jesus who came to dwell in the temple built by Solomon at God’s direction. In all those times and at all those places, God was with His people and this God was Jesus.

The Pharisees and the Sadducees, the Jewish leaders of Stephen’s day, didn’t like what Stephen was saying. They didn’t believe that Jesus was God. They didn’t believe that He was the Savior who came to take away their sins. But that wasn’t the only reason they killed Stephen. They also killed him because Stephen told people what Jesus had said, “Destroy this temple and in three days, I will rebuild it.” Now, Jesus was speaking of the Temple of His body, that when they crucified Him, three days later He would rise from the grave.

The Jews believed that the Temple was the only place where God would come to them. They believed that it was the single place that united them as a nation and as a religion. Without the Temple, they would not be a people and they would not be the people of God. But Jesus very clearly taught them that the Temple was only a sign that God was with them. God had promised to be with His people, most especially in the Temple, but He never promised that the Temple would last forever, nor that it was the only place where He would be with His people. To make sure people understood this, when Jesus was crucified, He tore the Temple curtain from top to bottom, showing that He would no longer be found in the Temple. He was now with His people in His Word.

When Jesus was born of Mary, He came to be with His people in a new way. He walked and talked with His people. After His death and resurrection, He promised to be with His people always, even to the end of the Age. He is still with us. He is with us in His Word and in His Holy Sacraments. He is with us most especially in the Holy Communion, but He is also with us each and every day.

These things made the Jews of Stephen’s day angry. They were angry because of what Stephen was saying. They were angry because of what Jesus had said. They were angry because what Stephen and Jesus had said meant they were wrong. They were wrong about the Bible, and they were wrong about God. They could have listened to Stephen and Jesus. When they realized they were wrong, they could have repented, told God they were sorry, and listened to God’s Word instead of believing what they wanted to believe. Instead, they chose to kill Jesus and then to kill Stephen.

The same things happen today. People think it is weird to go to Church the day after Christmas, let alone three days after Christmas. Friends, neighbors, coworkers might make fun of you for being a Christian, for being a Lutheran. They might think you are wrong to believe that Jesus died for your sins. They might think you are wrong to believe that the most important thing in the whole world is your faith, that you trust in Jesus for your salvation. Some people might not stop with just laughing at you. They might choose not to be your friend, to take you job away from you, and yes, maybe even kill you. There are places in the world where Christians still have to meet in secret for fear that the government or others who hate Jesus will find them and kill them.

Don’t be scared by this. I’m telling you this because it is true. But even if they take away your friends, your job, or even your life, you still have the victory. You have the victory because like Stephen, you have Jesus on your side. When the Jews and the crowd picked up rocks to throw at Stephen to kill him, he looked up to heaven and saw Jesus. He saw Jesus with open arms, ready to receive Stephen into heaven. You might not be given such a blessed vision, to get to see Jesus just before death, but the truth is the same. Jesus will receive you and all the faithful into heaven with open arms. Because of that, because of the promise of Jesus to receive you and all the faithful in heaven, you have nothing to fear in this world.

And because you have nothing to fear, you can tell others about Jesus. Stephen tells the Jews and the crowds about Jesus because he wants them to believe in Jesus, too. He wants them to meet Jesus in heaven and to be with Him forever. So, he tells them about what Jesus has done, that He is the Savior who came to earth to take away our sins. He tells them to believe what Jesus has done and trust in Him to save them. You get to do that too! You get to tell people about Jesus so that they would be with you and Jesus for all time. Isn’t that wonderful?

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity

The Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity – October 20, 2024

Psalm 119; Isaiah 25:6-9; Ephesians 6:10-17

St. John 4:46-54

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The nobleman in our text today went on a journey in three parts.[1] First was his trip from Capernaum to Cana to meet with our Lord. Second, he journeyed back to Capernaum after hearing of the promise that his son lives. Finally, there is the reunion in Capernaum. This three-fold journey will serve as the basis for our understanding of this text.

Although we don’t know for sure where Biblical Cana is located, Scripture indicates that it is about a day’s walk from Capernaum. The nobleman was desperate enough to leave his dying son behind and make a two-day trip to and from Cana to entreat Jesus. We know that this man had heard the Word of God sometime prior to making this trip. Perhaps he had been at the wedding in Cana and knew of Jesus from the miracle performed there. Perhaps he had even returned to Capernaum with Jesus after the wedding, hearing Him teach along the way.[2]

What we know for certain is that this nobleman had faith at the beginning of our text. If he didn’t, he would not have risked leaving his dying son in the care of servants. What kind of faith did he have? We can answer this in two ways.

The tiniest drop of faith is all sufficient for the salvation of man. The newly baptized child has the same faith as Elijah, the great prophet of God who was carried into heaven without experiencing death.[3] The young man newly converted to faith in Christ has the same faith as St. Paul, who endured scorn, beatings, prison, and martyrdom on behalf of Christ.[4] The lonely widow weeping over the death of her son has the same faith as Blessed Luther, risking his life to proclaim the purity of the Gospel against the Pope and his minions. This saving faith is one and the same. There is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”[5] It is not the work of man but the free gift of God, wrought in you by the Holy Spirit through the proclamation of the Gospel – the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.

At the same time, this faith necessarily needs to grow and be strengthened.[6] It is one thing to possess something. It is something entirely different to care for it, use it, and benefit from it. This faith is exercised in three ways – meditation on the Word of God, prayer, and affliction.[7]

Meditation on the Word of God is best illustrated by a cow chewing her cud. She eats of the grass, chews and swallows into her first stomach, but only a small portion of her nutrition is gained. The grass is brought back into her mouth to be chewed a second time and swallowed again. More nutrition is gained. This continues over and over again until the full measure of nutrition is gained from the mouthful of grass. In this way, we are to chew the cud of the Word of God. The first eating of the grass is hearing and reading the Word of God. Each subsequent chewing is revisiting this Word in contemplation – reading the Word again and again and filling your mind with it. For the cow, there is an end to this process. For the Christian, it is a life-long endeavor.

Prayer exercises faith in taking the spiritual nutrition gained from the Word of God and turning it into action, into words given back to God. The Word of God forms our own words, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit of God gives form to our prayers.[8] Not only is prayer an act of turning our hearts and minds toward God and expecting all good things from Him, but it also trains our flesh to do the same. By turning to God in prayer, we train our flesh for all future times when we find ourselves needing Him. It trains us to turn to Him always; to expect all good things from Him always; and to trust whatever He delivers to us to be for our benefit.

Finally, there is affliction or suffering. Our Lord promised that all who follow Him would suffer in this world. In a sense, our suffering is doubled because we know that we deserve it. When we suffer in this world, we know that it is on account of our sin. We also know that we deserve this suffering because of our sin; even as the beloved children of God. In fact, because we are beloved children of God, we hate our sin and wish to be free from it. We desire that God would purge our bodies and souls of sin, of the love of sinning, and of sin’s effects. And we endure this suffering because we know that God chastens those whom He loves.[9] We know that the suffering of this present age is nothing compared to the joys of the world to come.[10] A wise man loves the rebuke of his Father because he knows by it, he will be wiser still.[11]

As the nobleman journeys to Cana, his faith is weak. He insists that Christ come to his son. He trusts enough to know that Christ’s presence is the one thing his son needs but his faith is weak because it believes that his son will not be healed without the physical presence of Jesus. This is why our Lord rebukes him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.”[12] The nobleman wants a display of the power of God in signs and wonders. He is already suffering the sickness of his son and now he wants a great miracle of God in grand visible gestures.

But he will not receive it. Our Lord offers a second, albeit subtle, rebuke. “God your way; your son lives.”[13] It is as though Jesus is saying, “My Word is enough for you and for your son. Your weak faith needs to be nourished and to grow. Let it be nourished on My Word alone. Go in the promise of this Word and your soul shall be healed.”

The nobleman must now make the journey back to his son. This journey is fraught with more anxiety than the first. He now has a clear Word of God, but he does not necessarily know the meaning. He is like Martha after Jesus said to her, “You brother will rise again.” She answers, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”[14] The nobleman must be meditating over and over again on this Word of Jesus. “When I get home, will my son have breath in his body? Or will he live in the life eternal?”

It is not until the nobleman is almost home that he receives an answer. His servants meet him outside his home and announce the healing of his son. They even repeat the words of Jesus, “Your son lives!”[15] The father recognized that his son had been healed at the very Word of Jesus the night before. He receives confirmation of his joy, and his faith is now praised in the eternal Scriptures.

As we near the end of the Church year and the celebration of Advent, our minds begin to turn toward the last things, toward the time when Christ will reveal Himself to the world for the final time. The three-fold journey of the nobleman can be seen as an allegory for our journey in the church.

The journey from Capernaum to Cana signifies our faith in its infancy. It is complete unto salvation, but it is unformed by meditation, prayer, and affliction. When we encounter suffering, the only outcome we can imagine from God is according to our wishes. It does not occur to us that God’s ways are not our ways. We know what we want from God, and we demand that He give it to us in grand and splendid ways.

Then, as we mature in the Word of God and begin to be formed by meditation, prayer, and affliction, we join the man on his journey home. We know and hear the Words and promises of God, but we do not have visual confirmation of them. Faith has grown and it continues to grow. This is the majority of our life on this side of glory. This knowledge of the Word of God, while it exercises our faith and results in its strengthening, also leads to more frustration and anxiety. This is because Satan wants nothing more than to drive the Words and promises of God from your heart. I’d say the nobleman was in greater danger of losing his faith on the journey home than the journey to Cana. And yet the nobleman endures. He endures because he holds to the Word of God and continues to contemplate it in his heart.

The joyous reunion at Capernaum is the consummation of our faith. It is the glorious revelation of our Lord in glory. It is that day when faith will no longer be necessary because the promises of God will be manifest before your very eyes.[16] It is the reunion with all the faithful in heaven and the Marriage Feast of the Lamb.[17] In that day, there will be no tears, save tears of joy and rejoicing.[18] On that side of glory, you will look back at your time of affliction, your time of suffering, and realize that the joy and bliss of heaven was made yours at that very hour, before you ever set foot on the final leg of your journey home. It was in the Words and promises of God given to you from the very lips of Jesus. 

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] This outline of the text is loosely based on Fred H. Lindemann, The Sermon and The Propers, Volume 4 (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1962), 111-112.

[2] St. John 2:1-12.

[3] 2 Kings 2:11.

[4] 2 Corinthians 11:22-33.

[5] Ephesians 4:5-6.

[6] Hebrews 5:13-14; Proverbs 9.

[7] This is a reference to Martin Luther’s oratio, meditatio, and tentatio.

[8] Romans 8:26-27.

[9] Hebrews 12:6.

[10] Romans 8:18-19.

[11] Proverbs 9:8-9.

[12] St. John 4:48.

[13] St. John 4:50.

[14] St. John 11:23-24.

[15] St. John 4:51.

[16] Job 19:27.

[17] Revelation 19:6-9.

[18] Revelation 21:4.

The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity – September 22, 2024

Psalm 119; Proverbs 25:6-14; Ephesians 4:1-6

St. Luke 14:1-11

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

When Christ our Lord went to the house of a ruler of the Pharisees for dinner on the Sabbath, he posed a question to the lawyers and Pharisees. He asked, “It is lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” He is not asking them to compare the Third and Fifth commandments. This is not a question of whether it is more important to love God or love your neighbor. Rather, our Lord is asking these experts in the Word of God which is more important, the moral or ceremonial law?

When we consider the Law of God, we are right to distinguish the laws given by God to man into three categories: the civil, moral, and ceremonial laws. This division of the law is given by God, Himself when He says, “Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded…”[1]

The civil law is a particularization of the moral law, given by God, to produce a certain kind of outward behavior by which the civil society might be best governed among the people of Israel, the Old Testament nation of the Hebrew people.[2] That is to say, the civil law takes the precepts of the moral law and makes them fit the particular nation of God’s people in the Old Testament.

The moral law is written in the hearts of man from the moment of creation.[3] It is the eternal will of God and it is summarized most clearly in the Ten Commandments. Our Lord summarizes the moral law even further when asked about the greatest commandment in the Law, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind…and You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”[4]

The ceremonial law is a particularization of the moral law regarding the worship of the Triune God. Put another way, the ceremonial law is God’s description of how man is to keep the First, Second, and Third Commandments. However, the final purpose, or the goal of the ceremonial law is in three parts: 1) to be a reminder of sin;[5] 2) a shadow of what is to come, that is, Christ Himself;[6] and 3) to guard our consciences until the coming of Christ.[7]

Everything about the ceremonial law was given so show our need for a savior and to tell us about Him. Therefore, once the Christ came, once the Son of God took on flesh and dwelt among His people, once He bore the sins of the world upon His shoulders and died to atone for them, the ceremonial law was fulfilled and no longer had a purpose. God showed the end of the ceremonial law to His people by tearing the temple curtain in half from top to bottom at the death of Jesus.[8]

Our Lord’s question to the Pharisees is the same as asking, “Which takes priority: the eternal will of God, rooted in the love of God and love toward neighbor or the temporary law given to point to the Savior who is sitting in your midst?” The silence of the lawyers and Pharisees is deafening. When phrased this way, the answer to our Lord’s question is obvious. It was probably obvious to you from the moment it was read because you’ve read your bibles and listened to sermons on this text before. But, if you allow your conscience to be silent and content not to meditate on the meaning of the question, then you do not know the Scriptures nor the power therein and your silence is as deafening as that of the Pharisees.[9] “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things.”[10]

By asking the Pharisees what seems like a simple question, our Lord is asking if they are babes requiring spiritual milk or if they are mature and prepared for spiritual meat.[11] The same Word of God is spiritual milk for the unlearned and hearty meat for the mature. These Pharisees, who thought themselves mature, are not willing to speak up, to engage with Christ. They are also not willing to put their supposed mature faith to practice as they would’ve done nothing for the dropsical man. Their faith is sluggish and immature and yet they would claim to be the teachers of Israel. In this way, our Lord is mocking the Pharisees that they would see their error, repent, and begin anew to receive the Word of God.

The same is true of us. Our Lord’s words seem simple, but they hold a deeper challenge to our spirituality and our understanding of the Word of God. Upon hearing such a question that seems simple, your soul ought to begin to wonder, “Why is our Lord asking this question?” “Is He referencing the Old Testament?” “To whom is He speaking and what do I have in common with them?” Such questions will foster the faith given to you by the Holy Spirit into a more mature understanding of God’s Word. And, guided by the light of the Holy Spirit, you will find yourself growing in wisdom and understanding.[12]

And should you take an honest assessment of yourself and find that you are the immature and in need of spiritual milk, then you have the example of the man with dropsy. He was likely a fellow Pharisee, though we don’t know for sure. He may have been a servant or even someone passing by on the street. The only person recorded as speaking in our reading is Christ but the man with dropsy is the only person who was not expected to speak. He stood silent before the dinner party and silent before Christ. Our Lord knew his needs without him saying a word. He came into the presence of Jesus and our Lord healed him with three straight forward actions: He took him, and healed him, and let him go.[13]

So too, Christ has had mercy on us all. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died, and was buried. On the third day He rose again and ascended into heaven. Such a simple, straightforward miracle for the recovery of your soul from hell. There is an infinite depth of understanding to be had in these words, but the simple truth is easy to grasp for all the immature requiring spiritual milk.

It is fashionable among Lutherans to always speak of how we are all children before God and therefore we require nothing but spiritual milk. Christ even says, “whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”[14] But these words are often misunderstood (at best) and abused (at worst). It would be false humility to make a show of being immature. It would be false humility to assert your rights as being more humble than someone else. It would be false humility to insist that no one is exalted. Such false humility is nothing but the height of sinful pride.

 Pride is the love of your own excellence, even if you’ve fallen in love with your excellence in false humility.^[15] “[True] humility is the virtue by which a man recognizes his own unworthiness because he really knows himself” and agrees with God’s assessment of man.^[16] It is so very easy for us to overlook our own pride because it brings results. Results make us feel better. Feeling better about ourselves causes us to love our own efforts, our own ideas, ourselves for our own excellence.

Pride is not the same as striving for excellence, or godly ambition. As a Christian, you are called to grow in wisdom and understanding of God’s Word. The entire life of the Christian is one of catechesis, growing in the Word of God. No one ever outgrows the Word of God. There is always more to learn and more to receive.

Striving for excellence is not the same as loving your excellence. Loving your excellence is thinking highly of yourself; striving for excellence for the sake of recognition from others; and seeking worldly gain solely based on how great you are. This is pride. This is sin.

Humility, on the other hand, is the basis of our salvation. The Son of God humbled Himself to be born of a virgin. He took on our flesh and made Himself unworthy of salvation by bearing the sin of the world. He who knew no sin became sin for you, so that you would become worthy of His salvation.^[17] It could even be said that Christ humbled Himself so that He could learn our suffering, and having learned our suffering, He might bear it to the cross and bring it to an end.

It is because the Son of God took on flesh for our salvation that humility is the fundamental Christian virtue. It is the basis of the Christian life – humility to confess, repent, learn, grow, and receive the gifts of God with a pure heart. The Christian must always strive toward humility because such an endeavor means you are striving to live as Christ.

There is a single road between sin and salvation. Each step toward salvation is a step away from sin and each step toward sin is a step away from salvation. Thanks be to God we are not left alone on this journey. Christ died for you that you would share in His life. The victory over sin and death is won for you. The gates of eternity stand open. The days of your life on this side of glory are perilous because they contain temptations to pride. Every day presents you with manifold opportunities to turn away from salvation and indulge in your pride, the love of your own excellence; to take the highest seat of honor and stick up your nose at those less fortunate than you.

Yet every day also presents you with the opportunity to repent. Every day offers you the opportunity to look at yourself and recognize yourself for who you are. You are a sinner. Sin lies at the door, waiting to devour you.^[18] You are unworthy of salvation because your heart is willing to turn from God and indulge your flesh.

You are also a child of God. You have been washed in the waters of Holy Baptism. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit, who forms your prayers to be acceptable to the Father.^[19] You have received the mercy of God in Christ Jesus. Because you know the mercy and love of God, you have access to the Father. You may come to Him and beg forgiveness.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Deuteronomy 6:1.

[2] This definition comes from Martin Chemnitz, Loci Theologici, Chemnitz’s Works, Volume 8, translated by J. A. O. Preus (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2008), 619.

[3] Romans 2:15.

[4] St. Matthew 22:37-39.

[5] Hebrews 10:3.

[6] Colossians 2:17; Hebrews 10:1; 8:5.

[7] Galatians 3:24.

[8] St. Luke 23:44-46; St. Matthew 27:51; St. Mark 15:38-39.

[9] St. Matthew 22:29; St. Mark 12:24.

[10] 1 Corinthians 2:14-15.

[11] Hebrews 5:12-14.

[12] Psalm 119:105; St. John 16:13-15.

[13] St. Luke 14:4.

[14] St. Luke 14:11.

[15] Bernard of Clairvaux, “On the Steps of Humility and Pride,” Bernard of Clairvaux: Selected Works, The Classics of Western Spirituality, translated by G.R. Evans (New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1987), IV.14 [112].

[16] Bernard of Clairvaux, “On Humility and Pride,” I.2 [103].

[17] 2 Corinthians 5:21.

[18] Genesis 4:7.

[19] Romans 8:26-27.