True Religion
Grace to you and
peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Law of God is
relentless toward sinners. It is impossible for fallen men. It is summarized in
two commands: “Love the Lord your God
with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. The second is
like it, love your neighbor as yourself.” And the judgment for breaking the
Law is heavy. “Whoever breaks the least
of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom
of heaven.” And that’s the truth. According to the old Adam, you are least.
You are not better than anyone. In keeping the Law of God, in teaching the Law
of God, in being mindful of the Law of God, you are the least, except for your
pastor, who is even worse. You stand convicted by the very words that you use
to judge one another.
When we pray for
God to graft in our hearts the love of His name, an increase in true religion,
nourishment, and mercy—as we pray in the Collect—we are not praying for the
Law. True religion for sinners is never found in the Law. This fact contradicts
every other religion in the world. It even contradicts most other Christian
denominations. True religion is found only in Christ, who fulfilled all that
the Law and Prophets have recorded. It was Jesus who preserved every tiny bit
of the Law for Himself.
The Law has been
satisfied, fulfilled, and completed for you. But it has not been abolished. It
is still binding. It is still how God desires us to live; it describes the
best, healthiest, and happiest way to live. When we break it, there are
consequences. People get hurt. Our lives are made more complicated and
disappointing. Despite the promise of your temptations to make you happy, they
leave you empty and lonely. Faith is weakened. Sin is dangerous and deadly. But
still, it is just sin. And we who have been born from above by water and the
Spirit are not slaves to sin. We are anointed by God. Christ our Lord died to
sin and has been raised again. We have been joined to that death, buried in the
waters of Holy Baptism with Him, and raised up again to life with Him. We have
been made His: living and pure. We live, day-in and day-out, in the forgiveness
of sins; in the daily rhythm of drowning the old Adam and the daily emergence
of the new man through Confession and Absolution; through hearing God’s Word
and eating His Supper. You are not above the Law, but you are freed from its condemnation.
There is nothing left to pay back. The treasuries of heaven which we inherit in
Christ have filled us with the hope of the glory to come and eager expectations
for the Day of His return.
Because of this,
you can confess: “The Lord is our strength,
and He is the saving refuge of His anointed.” You—anointed, redeemed
sinners—are loved by the Lord your strength. You are invited to cry out to the
Lord your Rock, for He is not silent concerning the certainty of your
salvation. He hears and answers the prayer of the faithful. Be afraid no
longer. The Lord is your strength and your shield. If you feel that you are not
worthy of Christ’s love…well, you’re right. But His love for you is not based
upon your worthiness. It’s based upon His pure love for you. If you feel sorrow
over your past sins, then rejoice. This is a gift from God to keep you from
falling into those sins again. As baptized Christians, you daily participate in
His death and resurrection, returning to your Baptism in confessing your sins and
receiving forgiveness from Him. By consuming His Body and Blood in the
Sacrament, you are intimately connected with Him and with everyone who has
received His grace with thanksgiving. Together with angels and archangels and
with all the company of heaven, we cry out, “Lord,
You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Even from everlasting to
everlasting, You are God.” In the name of the Father and of the Son (†) and
of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The
peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus always. Amen.
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