11TH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY-2
Text: 1 Corinthians 15:1-10
Source from Back to Luther with German archive reference. Back to Walther's Epistle Sermons.
Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father in truth and love. Amen.
Dear friends in Christ Jesus.
We now live in such dreadful, and dangerous times, that it must almost be considered a miracle, if here and there a very few still recognize, accept, and hold the truth firmly. On the one hand, whole legions of unbelievers now a rise who even deny and with the coarsest ridicule censure all those truths, which are written in every man's heart from his very youth. What in even the most corrupt ages only a very few dared express to the horror of their contemporaries, that almost all leaders of the people now proclaim frankly and freely from the housetops as those principles finally recognized and accepted by the whole world. Nowadays a person can scarcely go into a public gathering or pick up a periodical without hearing or reading the most sacrilegious expressions against the Almighty in heaven, his works and counsels, and besmirching his heart with them.
Christianity, however, does not oppose these atheists and blasphemers as once it opposed the unbelief of heathenism. Christianity does not stand like a tightly closed line of battle against the foes of the faith, not like one immense light beaming into the darkness of these evil times. Alas, no ! even among Christians, who still claim they want to preserve the divine truth, there is such great disunity, that it seems as though Christians in turn are just as distinct from each other as they are different from manifest unbelievers. Split up into countless sects, Christians fight against each other like the most bitter enemies. Each party claims to have the true alone, and the more ingenious their spokesmen are, the more deceivingly they present their errors as the only truth.
The result is that great numbers despair completely of ever becoming certain where the truth can really be found. Many of the unlearned especially say: How are we to decide who is right, if even the learned cannot unite on this matter?
And it is true, when so many thousands of wise deceivers of all kinds arise, it is not a very small matter to remain on the correct way of the truth and be able to say without a doubt: This is the way which I intend to and must go; I will not swerve either to the right or the left.
However, my friends, we dare not think that this is actually impossible. No, no, the name of the Lord be praised and blessed for this! God has not only commanded us to walk the way of truth, but he has also seen to it that every person of every age can recognize the way of truth and find it and become so certain, that he can say: Even though the entire world would think and believe otherwise, I know that I am not upon the wrong way but have the truth which saves me.
This, however, is the most wonderful thing: He who wants to become certain of his faith need not leave his calling and study until he knows what is in the Bible; he need not have as great a knowledge as a learned professor. There are rather certain simple principles which even the unlearned can easily grasp, and if a person holds fast to these and tests all things according to them, no one, not even the wisest and most learned, can lead him astray. There are certain simple principles which are like a thread with which one can enter even the darkest maze of human opinions and can successfully find his way out again. There are certain simple principles which are like a good touchstone; as a goldsmith with the aid of a touchstone can easily find out whether something offered him as real gold actually is gold or brass or other worthless imitation metal, so if every Christian holds firmly to these main principles, he can easily make the test whether that which is being sold him as the gold of truth actually is.such gold or the worthless brass of human opinion and errors.
Since in our today's Epistle we are directed to the two chief principles to which above all every Christian must firmly hold, if he does not want to be misled, let us in the present hour examine them more closely.
The text. 1 Corinthians 15:1-10.
My friends, even the Corinthian Christians were once in great danger of being misled. Many false teachers had arisen among them who had caused them to cast suspicions upon the doctrine of Paul. Now what did the Apostle Paul do in order to preserve the Corinthians against being misled and make them certain of the doctrine which he had preached to them? He reminds them of two things, namely, that the source of all his doctrines was the Scripture, and that the foundation of all his preaching was Christ and his grace. Here Paul places the true touchstone into the hands of Christians of all times. Therefore, permit me to present to you:
THE TWO HIGHEST PRINCIPLES TO WHICH EVERY CHRISTIAN MUST HOLD FAST IF HE DOES NOT WANT TO BE MISLED IN THESE DANGEROUS TIMES
1. The First Is: Holy Scripture Is The Only Source And Rule Of True Faith, and
2. The Second Is: Ma n Is Righteous Before God And Is Saved Only By Faith In Jesus Chris t
Oh Lord God, heavenly Father, you have called us to live in a time when your Word and truth is impudently mocked and blasphemed by countless numbers, cunningly falsified and twisted by others; and alas! in the face of these things our own heart is so inclined to unbelief and so uninclined to
believe, sometimes indifferent, sometimes fearful. Therefore, if you do not interest yourself in us, we would never reach the blessed goal which you have placed before us. Oh, then graciously behold our helplessness and the danger in which we hover and come to our aid. Give us your Holy Spirit and never take him from us again. Do not forsake us if we stray away from you and your truth but bring us immediately back to the true way. And finally grant us a blessed death in your comforting Word, and in eternity receive us among the host of your elect. To that end bless your Word also during this hour. Amen.
I.
My friends, when someone caused the Corinthians to suspect the doctrine of the Apostle Paul, one would have thought that Paul would have quashed all suspicions simply by stating that he was an apostle immediately enlightened and filled with the Holy Ghost and endowed with the gift of doing miracles; therefore, no one should dare to doubt the truth of what he has taught.
But what does Paul do? Of himself he speaks last of all; yes, calls himself one born out of due time, the least of the apostles, who is not worthy to be called an apostle; the real, true reason why his doctrine is certain and true he mentions first of all; twice he says that everything which he explained to the Corinthians he has expounded " according to the Scriptures." In these words the apostle clearly confirms the first principle, that the Holy Scriptures are the only source and rule of true faith.
Of course it is true, that there were times when there simply were no Scriptures, namely during the entire period of the patriarchs, from the beginning of the world until the time of Moses. Even though, for example the teachers in the Papal church cite this in order to prove that Holy Scripture must not be so necessary, this does not in the least prove their contention; rather, the very opposite is true. True, at first God let his Word be transmitted by word of mouth through the patriarchs and the house fathers; but what happened? It soon appears that this way of preserving and transmitting divine revelation was chosen by God only for the first period of world history; for behold! at the time of the flood divine truth was found in unadulterated form only in Noah's family, whilst among the millions of his contemporaries lies and error held sway as being God's Word, and the true, oral, holy traditions were despised and rejected as vain, uncertain things and fables; and even afterwards it lasted but a short time and the whole world was found in the same darkness again, so that God had to choose Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and once again reveal to them directly the divine truth. However, scarcely was Joseph dead in Egypt when the old faith was again suppressed and falsified; it appeared as if God's Church on earth would soon come to an end. What did God, therefore, do? He finally chose Moses to be his servant and through him did not only let his holy Word be preached orally to the people, but in order that it might stand firmly without change, it was also written down; later on God himself began the recording of his Word when with his own finger he himself had engraved the Ten Commandments on tables of stone.
However, from the moment that God began to let his Word be written down, the written Word became and is for all times until the end of the world the only source, rule, and guide of all true faith. From that moment every teacher has had to prove that he is a true prophet and that his doctrine is true by showing that his doctrine agrees exactly with the Word of God already written down. Therefore, when Moses was to complete the first books of the Bible, he had to add the warning: "Thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it." Dt. 12:32. Even the later prophets who received new revelations from God not only had
to prove by prophecies and miracles that the Lord spoke through them, but also in the fact that their new revelation agreed completely with God's words already recorded, yes, that their new revelations were really nothing more than further explanations, unfoldings, and confirmations of the old revelations already written in the Holy Scriptures. Therefore, the next prophet relied and appealed to the writings of the preceding prophets from Moses to the last of the prophets, Malachi. They all said as though with one voice what is written in Isaiah 8:
"To the Law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." V.20.
And if we examine the New Testament we find that all the apostles as well mostly proved that their doctrine was correct because they agreed completely with the written Word of God in the Old Testament. Thus the Apostle Paul says to the Corinthians in our text: What I have given you I have given " according to the Scriptures." And when this same Paul preached before King Agrippa, he testified loudly and openly: "I say none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come." Acts 26:22.
Yes, and more; even Christ, the Son of God, in his doctrine continually appealed to this: "It is written." In everything he spoke and did, we read: "So that the Scriptures might be fulfilled." "Thus it is written, and thus Christ must die, and on the third day rise from the dead." And he declares: "Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." Mt 5:17. In another place he says: "Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me." Jn 5:39. "Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me, for he wrote of me. But if he believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?" Jn 5:46.47. Never do we read, that Christ or the apostles in addition to the Scriptures appealed to the oral traditions; rather, wa hear that Christ severely reprimanded the Pharisees who annulled God's Word in the interest of the traditions of their elders.
Therefore, when John had written and finished the last book of the New Testament, the Book of Revelation, he added the earnest, threatening warning: "I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book; and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." Rev 22:18.19.
On the basis of these facts this is clear: The principle that Holy Scripture is the only source, rule, and guide of faith has from the moment that God's Word was written always been the chief principle of the true Church, and it will and must remain that until the end of days. All the prophets of the Old Testament and all the apostles of the New, yes, Christ Jesus himself, the Son of God, the Most High, have stood on this principle.
Though this principle is so simple that the most unlearned can easily grasp and remember it, it is also a very precious, safe, infallible means for not being misled in these dangerous seductive times. He who clings firmly to this principle has a light which reveals all error, a sword with which he can conquer all opponents and falsifiers of the true faith. No sect can deceive him who clings firmly to this principle. For if one sect makes something else than the Scriptures the rule of faith, he knows that this cannot be the true Church. If, for example, the papists say: You must believe not only the written but also the unwritten Word of God, the traditions of the Church, he says: Get thee hence !
Not the unwritten traditions but Scripture alone is the source and rule of my faith. If the Reformed say: You cannot believe everything which is written; you must explain unbelievable things according to one’s reason, he says: Get thee hence ! Not reason but Scripture alone is the rule of my faith. If the enthusiasts say: You must not cling to dead letters, but to the Spirit, the inner light, he says: Get thee hence! Not the Spirit without the Scriptures, not an inner light but the lamp and the light of the written Word is the source and rule of my faith.
Oh my friends, cling firmly to this highest principle of the true Church of all ages; then you have a rock upon which you stand firmly even if everything else about you wavers and totters. Then you will never doubt that our Evangelical Lutheran Church is God’s true Church upon earth, for this our Church confesses not only the principle that the Scripture is the only source, rule, and guide of faith but it also follows this principle; they believe and teach everything as it is written in the writings of the apostles and prophets and abandons traditions, reason, and the inner light, or upon whatever foundation of sand other groups otherwise base their false faith.
II.
There is yet a second principle to which every Christian must cling firmly if he does not want to be seduced during these dangerous times. Permit me now to add a few things about this.
It is true, one would suppose that if one would cling firmly to the first principle one would be safe from any seduction. But this is not so. There are not a few even among the false teachers who often say that the Bible is the only source and rule of faith and in their sermons and writings also quote many Bible passages. Many, therefore, are deceived by them because they do not notice that these preachers not only omit the chief points of Biblical doctrine, but also falsify and distort most of the things which they pretend to take from Holy Scripture. We conclude: If a Christian does not want to be misled, he must not only hold firmly to the principle that Scripture is the only source and rule of faith, but he also needs another principle which also mentions what a true teacher draws from this source of faith. Now which is this second principle ?
The apostle mentions it is our text when he says: " For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose a gain the third day according to the Scriptures. " Vv.3.4. We see from this: As proof that he taught the true doctrine, the apostle appeals to the fact that he presented to the Corinthians " first of all." that is, as the first thing, as the chief thing, as the foundation upon which he built all else, that Christ died for our sins, that is, that Christ redeemed us from sins by his death, reconciled us with God, won grace and forgiveness, and brought righteousness, life, and salvation to light by his resurrection. He wants to say: You indeed know, my dear Corinthians, it was faith in the crucified and risen Christ which I preached first of all to you, which I preached to you as the only way to salvation, as the only way to heaven, as the only comfort, and as the only hope for your soul. Must you not, therefore, know and confess that you have heard the true doctrine from me?
According to Paul's declaration, what is the second principle by which one can recognize a true teacher and the true Church? It is: That man is
righteous before God and is saved alone through faith in the crucified Christ.
And so it is, my dear hearers: The doctrine that one cannot stand before God through works, nor through one's own righteousness, nor through one's own worthiness, nor through one's own merit, but that the crucified and risen Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, that has been the heart and center of divine revelation at all times and will remain that until the end of the world. The moment man had fallen God made the start with this teaching in Paradise when he said: "The seed of the woman will crush the head of the serpent and it will bruise his heel." This doctrine is the sum total of the preaching of all the prophets of the Old Testament and all the apostles of the New. For the sake of this teaching God revealed his Word to us. This teaching separates Christianity from heathenism and all other teachings of the world. Without this doctrine the Gospel is no longer Gospel, Christianity no Christianity. What the shell is from which the kernel has been taken, what a lampstand is from which the light has been taken, what a brook is in which there is no water, what the human body is from which the heart has been torn, that is what a so-called Biblical sermon is without the teaching that we are righteous before and are saved only through faith in the crucified and risen Christ.
Therefore, if a Christian does not want to be deceived in these dangerous times, he must also cling firmly to this second principle.
If a Christian does this, no one can mislead him. If he hears a preacher who can indeed make beautiful words about virtue and piety, praise Christ highly but promise salvation for virtue and piety, then a Christian says: You are a false prophet, for we are righteous before God and are saved alone through faith in the crucified and risen Christ. If a Christian hears a Catholic priest say that faith in Christ is necessary for salvation, but that in addition one must do good works, must himself make satisfaction for his sins, confess his sins to the priest, and by hearing the mass, giving alms, fasting and similar works must earn his own merit before God, this Christian says: You are a false prophet, for we are righteous before God and are saved only through faith in the crucified and risen Christ without the works of the Law. If this Christian hears an enthusiast say, that it is indeed correct that one must believe in Christ, but that this does not end the matter, one must also be able to pray a certain kind of prayer, one must also feel one's faith and the rebirth, one must also have a holiness of a certain degree, this Christian says: You are a false prophet, for we are righteous before God and saved alone through faith in the crucified and risen Christ.
Oh, would that everyone of us would note and cling firmly to both of those highest principles: First, the Scriptures are the only source and rule of our faith, and secondly, we will be righteous before God and be saved alone through faith in Christ; if he would always use both of these divine touchstones correctly even in these last dangerous times, I am certain not a one would be deceived and misled. Both of these supreme principles are divine armor, in which even the most unlearned Christian is unconquerable in the face of all the cunning and arts of the most learned and wisest person. Both of these principles are two suns before which all the deceiving qualities of false doctrine melt away like clouds and fog.
Oh my friends, let us not be unthankful for the inexpressible mercy of God, who has been pleased to give us poor, unworthy sinners the most precious treasures of his unadulterated truth! Let us hold fast what we have, that no one will rob us of our crown! Only in the true doctrine is the true Christ, only in the true Christ i s true grace, only in true grace is the true God, only in the
true God is true blessedness. Therefore, let us pray: "Oh, God, preserve us in thy truth, grant us the eternal freedom to extol thy holy name through Jesus Christ. Amen."