2ND SUNDAY IN LENT (2)

2ND SUNDAY IN LENT (2)

Text: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-7

Source from Back to Luther with German archive reference. Back to Walther's Epistle Sermons.

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

In our Savior, dearly beloved hearers.

Are good works necessary for salvation ? This is a question which soon after Luther's death began a great controversy in our Church. All true Lutherans, not only then but always, have plainly and positively given a negative answer; only a few untrustworthy theologians because of other points of doctrine have confirmed it.

It is true: It seems most rash and risky, yes, absolutely dangerous and injurious to morality to say, that good works are not necessary for salvation. But what do we find, if we open the Bible, the infallible judge and rule and plumb-line in all questions and disputes of faith and doctrine? It completely excludes all the works of man from the work of justification and salvation, and ascribes both, justification and salvation, alone to God's grace, alone to Christ, and alone to faith in him.

We read in Romans 3,28: "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." In the next chapter we read: "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works." 4,5.6. We find the same thing written in Ephesians 2: "By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast." 2,8.9. Finally, we read in Titus: "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." Tit 3,5.

We dare not, however, think that the beginning is indeed not procured by man by his works but his being preserved in justification and salvation is. For Peter expressly says: "Ye are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation." 1 Pet 1,5. Therefore Paul calls the salvation of souls the end of faith not the end of works.

This much then is clear: It is contrary to God's Word to say that works are necessary for salvation. For if we say that works are necessary, we overthrow the clearly revealed doctrine of salvation by grace, as St. Paul writes: Therefore it (righteousness) is of faith, that it might be by grace, to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed," Rom 4,16; and again; "And if by grace, then it is no more of works; otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace, otherwise work is no more work." Rom 11,6.

Happy may we be, my brethren, that this is so! For if God's Word would tell us that in addition to Christ, in addition to grace, in addition to faith works were also necessary for salvation, we could never be joyously certain of our state of grace and salvation. For we could never be certain which works would please God and how many good works would be necessary for our salvation. Then the Gospel would not be more comforting than the Law; Christ would not be the immovable rock of our hope and we would be forever cast into the hell of doubt.

But since we know that in connection with the work of our justification

before God and our salvation all our own works are excluded; that our works can neither merit, nor work, nor in any way produce heaven and eternal life; that this is rather all the gift of the free grace and mercy of God which has been won for us Christians alone and offered, given, and sealed to us through the means of grace, the Word and the Sacraments, and can be seized by us only by faith, we can become and remain certain every hour of our state of grace and our future salva tion, even though we are and remain poor sinners.

If in addition to faith only one good work on our part were necessary to salvation, all comfort would be taken from us; whilst we are seated at the richly covered table of divine promises of grace, that one work would hover threateningly and frighteningly over our heads like a two-edged sword suspended by a hair. But since we read in God 1 s Word" "Ho, every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price," Is 55,1 that is the comfort for such wretched and helpless persons as we are; that is the kind of Gospel we poor sinners need. Now we can say, even though we can bring nothing to God but our sins and poverty:

By grace! On this I' ll rest when dying;

In Jesus' promise I rejoice;

For though I know my heart's condition,

I also know my Savior's voice.

My heart is glad, all grief has flown,

Since I am saved by grace alone. (373,7)

My friends, though it is certain that good works are not necessary for salvation, it does not at all follow, that the works especially of those who should and want to be saved are not necessary. All Scripture testifies to the very opposite, al the Epistle of today. However, in which sense good works or sanctification is necessary for a believer, that is the subject which will now occupy us.

Quote the text here: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-7.

In this text the apostle not only admonishes Christians to sanctification but he also shows them why it is so necessary for them. Following his lead, permit me now to answer the question:

WHY IS SANCTIFICATION SO NECESSARY FOR THE CHRISTIAN?

With the aid of our text I answer:

1. Because Their Sanctification is and Remains God's Will, and

2. Because They are Called to Sanctification.

Oh all-knowing, righteous, and holy God, who with eyes of flame sees into the innermost part of our heart, who knows those among us who boast that they are Christians, that they are your children and yet do not follow after sanctification without which no one will see you, but secretly continue to serve those sins which you hate, oh give me the power to show such wretched people from your Word that they deceive themselves, alas, that they deceive themselves about their salvation. Give them the grace to make room for your Holy Spirit, smite their breast as lost sons and daughters, truly repent, and begin a new life in holiness and righteousness which is pleasing to you. Yes, bless your Word in us all. Send true fear into all our hearts; permit none to joke about repentance and true faith; let us stand in holy fear and preparedness so that we may

joyfully enter your presence. Amen.

I.

After the apostle in the preceding verses had in part praised and comforted the Thessalonian Christians, in part encouraged them to remain in faith and love, he continues in our text: “ Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.

For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus." Vv. 1.2. The apostle admonishes them to sanctification; for sanctification is that " abounding more and more " of which the apostle here speaks; namely, an abounding more and more in love, in humility, in patience, in purity, in conscientiousness, in short, in all Christian virtues and good works.

In the following verse the apostle gives the reasons why sanctification is so necessary also for them as Christians. And what does he mention as the first reason? He says: " For this is the WILL OF GOD, even your sanctification." V. 3a.

It will appear unusual to many that the apostle gives this as the first reason for the necessity of Christians pursuing sanctification. Is it necessary to remind Christians of that? Who does not know that, even if he has merely grasped the first letters of Christianity?

Yes, so it seems. Sad to say, experiences us something entirely different. It is only too common that when Christians constantly hear of God's free grace in Christ, of the Savior ’ s great love for sinners, of being righteous and saved alone through faith, of the willingness of the heavenly Father to forgive all sins to all sinners, even the greatest, for the sake of Christ's merit, of the tarnished character and lack of merit of all of man's works even of Christian's, and the like, when as I said Christians continually hear and read this but do not earnestly search the Scriptures, do no t pay close attention to the impulses and reprimands of the Holy Spirit, do not diligently watch and pray, then only too easily the thought sneaks in that God is not so particular about sins, that God at the very least is a gracious, indulgent, loving Father who does not enquire too closely into the question whether his children still serve one or the other sin, or whether they are intent upon sanctifying body and soul.

Experience teaches: When the first terrors of repentance and conversion have passed, only to many gradually get the idea that after Christ has come into the world and since the Gospel is now being preached, God's Law is no longer valid; that without having to fear God's anger or punishment a Christian can permit himself to transgress God's Law by surrendering to one or the other sin, by omitting this or that good. If those who were true Christians but seldom consciously cherish this thought, it nevertheless slumbers in very many hearts without their knowing it,for they act accordingly.

Against such thoughts the apostle writes in our text: " We exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that ye would abound more and more. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification." Vv. 1.3.

So, far be it that after the completed reconciliation of the sinner through Christ God would not be minded otherwise toward sinners than before; far be it that he should become like a weak old father who makes allowances for the evil deeds of his children, is not highly displeased, and does not punish them; far be it that God's Law should have lost its universal power; God

rather still is and remains unchangeably the same holy God that he always was; his will is perfect holiness in all beings created for communion with him, and that means man also; he continuously hates and hates into eternity all sinfulness; he cannot help but be the enemy of every sin; fire -could sooner cease burning than God surrender the holiness of his essence and cease burning in anger against sin wherever he finds it; every sin is an insult to his holy essence, an impudent rebellion of the creature against his unchangeable, stated will; he therefore still is and remains the strong, zealous God who visits the sins of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation; he is and remains the God who will be a swift witness against all unholy deeds; his wrath still burns against every intentional,wilful sin to the lowest hell. Even for the sins of weakness in believers must God’s Son stand before God as their Intercessor until Judgment Day, in order to stop God's wrath so that he does not turn himself loose upon the sinners and destroy them.

Woe, woe therefore to those who after they have come to faith in Christ think they have received a charter for not having to pursue sanctification earnestly! Woe to those who think that because of their faith they can permit themselves some of those things which God punishes in unbelievers! who remain secretly in fornication or adultery, or even in shameful, unnatural self-defilement, or are addicted to impure lusts and desires and thus make their body, which should be a temple of the Holy Ghost, a cloak for the spirit of unchastity; or who in their business now and then try to profit from thievery and indulge in small or great amounts of fraud, or who indulge secretly in greed, avariciousness, miserliness, and love of riches; or who get drunk now and then and still want to be Christians; or who lie in order to help themselves out of a predicament; or whose tongue secretly spits out the poison of slander; or who cool their embittered, raging, and angry heart by sweet vengeance on their offender, all these are not in God's grace; God is not their friend but their avowed enemy; in our text the apostle cries to all them: " This is the will of God, even your sanctification. that ye should abstain from fornication; that everyone of you should know how to possess his vessel," that is, his body which is the receptacle of the soul, " in sanctification and honor; not in the lust of concupiscence. even as the Gentiles, which know not God; that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter. because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified." Vv. 3-6. You see that the apostle says most clearly: All who serve any sin in their supposed faith are like the heathen " which know not God "; God is not their gracious, considerate Father but the fearful " Avenger of all such "; for God is and remains a righteous, holy God who hates sin, becomes angry against sin, and is strong and zealous to take vengeance upon it; his will is and remains our sanctification in body and soul, in all our powers and members, in all our thoughts, desires, wishes, gestures, words, and works.

II.

My friends, sanctification is necessary for all men, even for Christians, not only because their sanctification is and remains God's will, but also for the second reason: They are called to sanctification; this is the way the apostle closes his exhortation in our text: " For God hath not called us to uncleanness, but unto holiness V. 7.

Here the apostle means to say: Christians are not only not freed from the duty of sanctification which all men have, but this very call of grace which they have received has no other purpose and goal than their sanctification. If they are already obligated to sanctification as men created for communion with God, then they are twice obligated as Christians.

Here again the apostle opposes certain false thoughts and ideas which many have of Christianity. Even if they do not always say it aloud, many think in their hearts: What's the use of Christ having come into the world, of God commanding the comforting Gospel of the forgiveness of sins to be preached, of faith being ordained as the way of salvation, if Christians still have to be so concerned about battling against every sin and strive after greater and greater sanctification? If this is so necessary, what then is the difference between Christ and Moses, between the Law and the Gospel, between the believer and the unbeliever? But how such people err!

If we were to be saved, it was most necessary for Christ to come into the world and win grace and a righteousness which avails before God for us; and it is indeed necessary for every person who is to be saved to seize and receive through faith in Christ that grace of God won for him and that righteousness which avails before God. But this is not the final goal of Christ's incarnation and our call into his kingdom of grace; it is only the means, only the way to our real goal. God did not send his Son into the world, reconcile mankind with himself, and pardon them so that mankind would be relieved of the worry that God is his enemy and that he has to expect his punishment after death. The final, the real goal of all of God's works of grace for and to man is nothing else but his sanctification.

Man was originally created after the image of God in righteousness and holiness. This image which he lost through sin, must be restored and man become holy again; for only if he is holy can he be saved. So that man may become holy he was redeemed; so that he may become holy the Gospel is preached to him; so that he may become holy righteousness is imputed to him by faith; so that he may become holy he is baptized; so that he may become holy his sins are forgiven; he is comforted; in the Lord's Supper he is given to eat of Christ's body and given to drink of Christ's blood, salvation is promised him, heaven is opened.

Does it not follow of itself how necessary sanctification is for the Christian already saved in hope through faith? It is true: No one can merit salvation by sanctification; rather man must first have seized salvation by faith before he can follow after sanctification; but just as impossible as it is to merit and procure salvation by sanctification, just so certainly can one again trifle away his salvation by omitting sanctification.

For tell me, what does he do who does not want to follow after sanctification? Since God offers him the means of grace and his grace by faith so that he can again become holy, he resists God, grieves and drives away the Holy Spirit from his heart who alone can preserve him in the faith; he must therefore of necessity suffer shipwreck of his faith and finally is most certainly lost.

Luther is correct in writing: "A Christ who died for sinners who will not forsake their sins after receiving forgiveness of sins and lead a new life means absolutely nothing. Christ is Christ for the reason that the Holy Ghost should make us into new men.... He who does not stop sinning but remains in his former evil ways must have another Christ. The true Christ is not there, and if all the angels cry nothing but Christ ! Christ! and he must be damned with his new Christ. ”

My friends, let him who wants to be saved first of all seek grace in true repentance; if he has grace, then let him also be in earnest in becoming holy, for that is the will of God, and for that reason Christians are called. Of course, we will never reach perfection here on earth, but woe is he who uses

his weakness and imperfection as a pretext for excusing his service of sin and half-heartedness ! He will receive his reward with the hypocrites.

But blessed are they who can say with Paul from their hearts: "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect; but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus." Phil 3,12. In such people is mirrored even here the Lord's glory with an unveiled countenance, and they will be glorified in the same image from one glory to the next until finally in heaven they will awake in perfection according to his image. May Jesus Christ, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption grant that to us. Amen.