Dear friends in Christ,
We continue our survey of Church History from the book of Professor E.A.W. Krauss from our St. Louis seminary of a century ago. Last month we began a look at Martin Boos, a Roman Catholic priest who preached the same biblical message that Luther once again brought to light—we are saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ alone. Last month we read of his early life culminating in his ordination as a priest. Now we move on to
42. 3. Boos’ activity in Bavaria
Boos received a theology lesson practically at the start of his work in Bavaria. It was a lesson that he had never heard before but it served for his salvation.
He visited a woman on her sick bed. Because of her good works and charity the Catholics held her in high regard.
“You will have a very peaceful and blessed death,” he told her. She asked, “Why?” “Because you are godly and lived a holy life.”
Then the sick woman looked at him in astonishment and surprise and said, “O that you would be to me a true priest, a beautiful comforter. Where would I go? How would I stand before God’s judgment, where account must be given for every idle word? I would certainly be lost if I built salvation and heaven upon myself and my merits and godliness. Who is pure among the impure? Who is innocent in God’s eyes? Who justifies when He charges with sin? Which of our deeds and virtues would carry weight when He lays them upon His scale? No, if Christ did not die for me, if He did not render satisfaction and pay for me, I, with all my good works and godly walk, would be eternally lost. He, He is my hope, my salvation and my blessedness.”
“Behold,” Boos later said, “Behold, the word from the mouth of a woman bearing the cross, a soul people considered holy, first opened my eyes. I saw Christ for us, and rejoiced, like Abraham did when he saw His day and preached to others the Christ he knew; and they joined in rejoicing.”
He was certainly greatly ashamed that first moment that he, as a teacher in Israel, did not know that. Thus the Gospel, which he truly heard here for the first time, made an impression upon him which remained with him his whole life.
From then on “In Christ alone is salvation” and “the just lives by his faith” were the theme of his preaching and the text for his whole life.
But precisely for that reason God the Lord also wanted to show him that he would have to suffer much on account of His name.
There was still no spirit of persecution in Unterthingau, where he was chaplain two years. First when he was in Kempten, where he was named Canon chaplain, and especially when, right after that, he was named Canon in Groenbach, his faithful preaching and pastoral care awoke many souls out of the pernicious and damning darkness of their self and works righteousness and this aroused the envy and jealousy of the rest of the canons, especially of the head, the dean. They could not stand it that all who sought the way of salvation ran to Boos to be comforted and instructed. The people saw him as one who was earnestly trying to save himself and others. How far the hatred of his fellow priests went, became clear when they secretly, when he was not in his room, broke into his desk and shelves, searched through and read his letters and papers and teased him about them at table and ridiculed and treated him so badly, that they made his life bitter and unpleasant. Their hatred and hostility was so great that they, like Joseph’s brothers, could no longer stand seeing him among them. They cast him out, that is, they dismissed him from his office and sent him away. “In Groenbach I was treated savagely, and all in order to render God a service,” as M. Boos wrote on 20 October 1797.
The Dean would have preferred seeing him “walled up or hung up,” as he himself explains; however, for all the following years until Boos emigrated, he had to forward to him his pay as canon because they could not and were not allowed to take it from him.
Dismissed and driven from his office, Boos then stood on the highway. Which way should he go?
His path took him to a straw hut. There he entered, threw himself to the ground and prayed, casting the heavy burden upon Him who said: “Cast all your care upon Me, for I care for you” {1 Peter 5.7}. After that Boos continued traveling in confidence and joy until he came to Seeg where the former canon again had to become a chaplain at the side of a priest named Feneberg who welcomed him with joy. Boos worked there with more blessing and strength than before.
But neither here nor in Wiggensbach, where Boos was installed as chaplain in 1795, could he peaceably feed the flock entrusted to him.
On the one hand, his sermons and his godly walk made an extraordinary impression, one which had been not seen there until this time. Many souls came to know themselves and Christ; many blind eyes were opened; and many spiritually dead became alive. On the other hand, the old evil foe armed himself with all his might against this faithful witness.
A wicked midwife started the rumor that Boos baptizes the children into the devil because once at a baptism, Boos had, purely from oversight, omitted the question: Do you renounce the devil…? Yet this was still not the worst of it, even though the storm over it lasted long enough, and for a time no mother wanted Boos to baptize her child.
Finally the slanderers had to be silent after these lies had been refuted countless times.
But what was a greater factor was that as a result of Boos’ sermons good works decreased—not the truly good works, which took place much more abundantly than before—but the imagined good works of the pope’s saints like praying the rosary, going on pilgrimage, seeking indulgences and the like.
The nearby colleagues of faithful Boos found this a horrible “offense.” It came about that a priest asked a woman why she, unlike others, did not go an indulgence festival. He received the answer: “Jesus Christ is my indulgence because He died for me. The blood of Christ alone is my indulgence.”
Could Satan now peacefully look on? Could he look on when, as a result of Boos’ work, several priests became obedient to the faith? Never! So he stirred up every papistic-minded work saint, both priest and lay, in the entire area, to cry out that Boos was an evil heretic and wolf; and as such he was then accused before the Bishop of Augsburg.
On 10 February 1797 he was placed before his “spiritual” judges in Augsburg.
42. 4. Boos’ Suffering in Bavaria
An hour from Augsburg is the village of Goeggingen where there was a House of Corrections, or Discipline for Priests. Only “clergy” criminals and captured “clergy” lunatics were there. Boos was first put into prison here and was accompanied by a soldier or guard when he had to go from there to Augsburg for his trial. Whoever saw him along the way must have thought he committed the greatest criminal offense; that he was thief or murderer.
He had to sit in this prison for eight months and, even before he was tried, he was already treated like a criminal. In the first 54 days he was examined four times, but more than 50 times in total.
Some of his judges were violent, bitter and hostile. They wanted to brand him forcibly as a heretic. Others, who were more gentle by nature, did not have enough strength to stand up to them. Among the latter was Vicar General Nigg. In order to save Boos at least a little suffering and to shorten the interrogation, put entire piles of Boos’ writings off to the side and burned them. However he lacked the courage to side with Boos.
In prison, Boos composed Principles and Doctrines in which he clearly and distinctly presented flowing, precious truths from the Biblical/ evangelical doctrine of justification, confessed them as his faith and his doctrine and concluded it with:
“I also believe, however, that all these statements will seem and be incomprehensible to the wise and intelligent of this world, just like the peace of God surpasses understanding.” (Phil. 4.7; 2 Cor. 3.4, 6)
If anyone had said that Boos would find little understanding and would not receive a just verdict from his worldly wise judges, they would soon enough be shown to be correct.
In spite of all the effort that was put into the eight month investigation, nothing came of it. The heresies and offenses that they were looking for were not found because Boos had shown from the Holy Scriptures and from quotations of similar readings of the church fathers what he taught and believed. And what they did find, namely mighty testimonies of Christ, fruits of the Spirit and living faith, they neither understood nor believed but attributed it to hell and the devil, like the Pharisees and scribes did with Christ.
By a decree of 14 August 1797 the priest, Feneberg and his chaplains were summoned to the inquisition because they had taken Boos in when he was expelled from Kempten and were like-minded with him.
At first, they, too, were harshly interrogated in Augsburg on 30 August. Then for eight days, each of them was placed in a different monastery in order “to follow spiritual exercises for the just repentance and penance” (“What, really, then are these exercises?” I once asked a Catholic priest from Baden. Answer: “It is a kind of spiritual recreation with prayer and fasting as penance.”)
Several blind zealots, in particular priests and deans from the country, got very angry at the defendants and wrote the Vicar General telling him to make an example of and to burn such heretics. Nigg himself told that and added: “I thought, ‘you are a fool.’”
Nigg gave different guidance and all the rest agreed. “And when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.” (Acts 5:40-41 [ESV])
So far Professor Krauss
WHY GO TO CHURCH?
A man asked an Orthodox priest: "If God is everywhere, what do I go to church for?"
To which the priest replied: "The whole atmosphere is filled with water; but when you want to drink you have to go to a fountain or a well."
The point—although the earth is filled with the goodness of the Lord [Psalm 33.5]—He gives us His greatest gift of forgiveness of sin and eternal life in the word and Sacrament which we hear and receive in church. We go to church because of the blessings we receive there that we can’t get anywhere else.
THIS MONTH’S LWML NEWS:
Hello Ladies,
There is not much new this month. We had a nice meeting with Ginny feeding us. Her lunches are always very good and nourishing. Thank you, Ginny!
We have finished with the quilts. Our small but faithful group finished 47 quilts this year for Lutheran World Relief. Although not too many had time to help, the quilts were fun to do. Tom was a great help, thank you.
We are now working on a shoe-box project thanks to Jean. The items we are to donate are: toothpaste, toothbrush, washcloth, bar of soap and a comb. We would like these items by May 1st. Thank you all for your help. This project is being done with the help of Thrivent.
To keep in mind - We have a 5th Sunday dinner coming up the May 29th. This will be
potluck.
I pray you all have a happy and healthy month. Carol, Pres.
NEWS AND UPDATES
May has five Sundays this month and you know what that means—a FIFTH SUNDAY DINNER. Our Fifth Sunday Dinner will follow service on the 29th. This month’s theme is Potluck so be sure to bring your favorite to share and enjoy some of the great cooking of your fellow members at Faith.
CATECHISM REVIEW: Beginning 29 May we will begin the review of Luther’s Small Catechism during the Sunday morning service. The catechism can never be studied enough. It has in simple form the basic teachings of the Christian faith. We target our review of the catechism during the Sundays after Trinity because this is the half of the Church Year we focus in on our Lord’s teaching [the first half of the Church year has as its focus the life of our Lord]. We encourage you to take your bulletin home with you each week and use that portion of the catechism that we reviewed on Sunday as part of your devotions in your home.
SUMMER SUNDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY:
This summer before service, we will try to do the impossible and study the entire book of Daniel. The twelve chapters allow us a quick overview of one chapter for each of the approximately twelve weeks we have this summer. It is a tie in with last summer when we studied the books of the Apocrypha—because some of the books of the Apocrypha deal with Daniel and his time period—and it ties in with our main years-long study of Revelation. Our anticipated start date is 05 June and ending 04 September. Plan now on joining us this summer.
HELP HOSPICE AND BEAUTIFY YOUR GARDEN: Once again I will be selling geraniums for Care First (Hospice) for $3.75 each and you have your choice of five stunning colors to beautify your garden. Last year $21,000 dollars was raised to enable services to be rendered in the Schuyler, Steuben and Chemung county areas. Please see me if you want to order flowers. Thank you in advance. Susan
REMEMBER: THE CHURCH STILL NEEDS YOUR OFFERINGS EVEN WHEN YOU ARE AWAY THIS SUMMER
For Mothers' Day: St. Monica is the mother of St. Augustine [354-430], one of the greatest of the Latin Church Fathers. St. Monica [332-387] was a devoted and faithful Christian even though her husband was a coarse unbeliever. However, he was overcome by the power of her Christian example and became a Christian. Her son Augustine left the orthodox faith and was a heretic for many years. But by the power of her prayers that accompanied Augustine every step of the way, Augustine was converted in 386 and was baptized by St. Ambrose of Milan on Easter 387. St. Ambrose had comforted Monica in her distress over her wayward son, saying: “It is impossible that a son of so many prayers can be lost.”
PRAYER FOR MOTHERS’ DAY— Lord and Savior, You have taught us to honor our fathers and mothers, and to show love and obedience to them. From the depth of my heart I fervently pray to You, my God: hear my prayer. Bless my mother who has raised me up with the help of Your grace. Protect her from evil, harm, and sickness. Grant her faith, health and joy. Bless all her works that she may give You honor and glory all the days of her life. Amen.
PENTECOST SUNDAY IS 15 MAY THIS YEAR
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. [Isaiah 11.1,2]
Some of our hymns refer to the sevenfold gifts of the Spirit [TLH 233:3; 236:5; etc.] These sevenfold gifts of the Spirit are based on Isaiah 11.1-2.
Lutheran scholar Georg Stoeckhardt notes on these verses: “The Spirit of the Lord comes down and so rests upon the Son of David [Jesus]. This phrase reminds one of the similar expression St. John the Baptizer used: that he saw the Spirit descending upon Jesus and remaining on Him. [John 1.32] Christ is the Immanuel [Is. 7.14], God in the flesh of man, the mighty God [Is. 9.6]. Since He is the true God, the Spirit of God has dwelt in Him inwardly from all eternity. But now the Spirit of God also penetrates, joins, and works through His human nature. The humble, despised little Shoot is anointed with the Spirit of God without measure.
“The Spirit who rests upon Him is described with seven names. These names point to the manifold gifts and powers of the Spirit. On the basis of this prophetic passage the Church speaks of a sevenfold Spirit. In accord with this, the prophecy of Zechariah [4.6, 10] and Revelation [1.4; 3.1; 4.5; 5.6] speaks of the seven eyes or the seven Spirits of God, that is, of the Holy Spirit in the variety of His gifts, powers and works.
“The first, general name, “the Spirit of the Lord,” calls the Spirit ‘the Bearer of the complete fullness of divine power.’
“Then the six special gifts, which are connected in pairs, are highlighted. ‘The Spirit of Wisdom,’ is the Wisdom who searches the essence of things, even the depths of God [1 Co 2.10]; the Spirit of Understanding, the Insight, knows the distinction between things. Jesus, upon whom the Spirit of wisdom and understanding rests, reveals to people the heavenly, divine wisdom and shows them what is good and what is evil.
“The second set of paired names of the Spirit, ‘the Spirit of counsel and might’ refers back to names of the Messiah, ‘Counselor’ and ‘Mighty God,’ which have been paired together in Isaiah 9.5 The One who is called ‘Counselor’ and ‘Mighty God,’ and who has the ‘Spirit of counsel and might’ knows the counsel for His people in their great sufferings; and He creates counsel and brings His people their long awaited redemption.
“The final pair of names points to the direct relationship between the Son of David [Jesus] and God and His attitude toward God. The ‘Spirit of knowledge’ is…the knowledge grounded on the communion of love; and ‘the Spirit of the fear of the Lord,’ is ‘the devoted fear of the Lord in adoration.’
“What we read in verse two, points to the work which the Messiah carries out in the power of the Spirit of God during His visible, humble appearance on earth… And so the New Testament testifies that the Son of David, Jesus Christ, who was conceived and born through the power of the Holy Spirit by the Virgin Mary, was anointed without measure with the Spirit of God from the beginning; that the Spirit of God was already with the Boy Jesus; that at baptism, when He was to be revealed before Israel, the Spirit of God descended then upon Him in visible form; and that He, anointed with the Holy Spirit went about doing good [Ac 10.38]. Christ displayed in His whole life and works on earth the gifts and powers of the Spirit. His whole life was devotion to God, fear, love and obedience; He preached with authority and not like the scribes [Mt.7.29]; He revealed the mysteries of God to the little children [Mt 11.25]; He showed the right path to God. He counseled and helped His people in all distresses and rescued them out of its greatest distress as by suffering and death He redeemed Israel from all its sin.”
--So far, Dr. Stoeckhardt
So what about these gifts of the Holy Spirit for us today? The sevenfold gifts of the Spirit are given to support and encourage Christians. These gifts help us discern and do the will of God.
Wisdom—the gift of knowledge about divine matters, especially the will of God.
Understanding—helps us to see beyond the surface to find meaning in the mysteries of the faith and in life. In particular, this gift helps us see how our faith unites us to God and to one another.
Counsel—directs our attention to God as the source of genuine values and helps us apply judgment to particular actions. Counsel also helps us assist others in finding what course to take.
Might—helps us to do what we know is right—even when we are afraid
Knowledge—is insight into what we ought to believe and what is not worthy of belief
Fear—leads us to respect and give honor to God and others. Fear helps us subject ourselves to God and ask for what we need. Rather than making us afraid of God, fear of the Lord helps us to abandon ourselves to the Love that is God. It shows itself in true piety and devotion.
THIS MONTH WE CELEBRATE THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE OPENING OF THE COUNCIL OF NICAEA on 20 May 325 A.D. It was held to preserve the true doctrine against a rising heresy of the day. Eventually, as a result of this Council and a following one, we have the Nicene Creed, which we confess in the Divine Service. The second heretic Luther mentions, Arius, is the one who promoted the false doctrine about Jesus that caused the council of Nicaea and whom that Council condemned. In remembrance of this anniversary we offer up the reminder:
DON’T BE A HERETIC
Besides the obvious reasons—such as God’s wrath and eternal damnation in hell— Luther comments in a sermon for Trinity Sunday:
The histories say that at the time of John the Evangelist there was a heretic with the name Cerinthus who was the first to preach against the apostles’ doctrine and who reviled our Lord Christ, saying that He is not God. This slander so gained ground that the holy evangelist John wrote his Gospel after the other evangelists and mostly had to direct it, as can be seen, toward defending and maintaining the deity of Christ against this Cerinthus and his crowd.
As can be seen, St. John especially begins his Gospel higher than the other evangelists. He does not cite many miracles of the Lord Christ, but cites His sermons, in which he forcibly describes that He is true God, born from the Father in eternity and equal to Him in power, honor, wisdom, righteousness, and all other divine works.
One time it happened that dear St. John went into a public bath with some of his disciples. When he now became aware that the heretic Cerinthus was also there with his crowd, he did not delay long, but told his disciples to hurry away with him and not to remain among those who slander God. The disciples followed him and went away with him. When they had now gone out of the bath, the room immediately fell down and killed Cerinthus with his followers, so that not one escaped.
We also read the same about the heretic Arius, who above all others vigorously attacked the article that our Lord Christ is true God. He did such significant harm in Christendom that four hundred years after his death people still had to deal with it, and still today it has not completely been rooted out. Here our Lord also stepped in and defended His honor with a significant miracle.
The histories write that Arius had so greatly placed himself into favor with Emperor Constantine and his counselors—and in addition persuaded him with an oath—that people thought he had never taught incorrectly. Emperor Constantine commanded Bishop Alexander of Constantinople to recognize [Arius] as a member of Christendom and to admit him again to the priestly office. Because the godly bishop refused to do this, since he clearly saw what Arius and his crowd had in mind, Eusebius and the other bishops who were on Arius’ side threatened him: if he would not again admit him according to the command of the imperial edict, then they would forcefully expel him, and Arius would be admitted by the entire congregation. He could think the matter over until the next day.
The godly bishop was anxious about this matter. Therefore, because Arius’ adherents were so many and powerful, and in addition they had the emperor’s edict and the whole court on their side, he planned to seek help from God, where alone, in these matters which concern God’s honor, help can be found. He fell down in the church with his face to the ground and prayed the whole night that God would send the means to rescue His name and honor, so that the wicked intentions would be stopped and His Christendom would be helped against the heretics. When it was morning, about the time people were to assemble in the church at a particular place and Bishop Alexander would either admit Arius or be expelled from his office, Arius was quickly coming to the church with his adherents in magnificence and with the great crowd. However, on the way he felt pain in his body, so he desired a toilet. Now, as the solemn procession hesitated in the street waiting for him, the message came that he had died on the toilet, and his lungs and liver had ceased functioning. The history rightly says: Mortem gignam blasphema et foetida mente; that is, he had an end which agrees well with a slanderous and stinking heart.
[AE, vol.78, pg. 27-29]
More on the Nicene Creed: One of the chief points of differences between the Eastern [Greek speaking, today’s Orthodox Church] Church and Western [Latin speaking, today’s churches tracing their ancestry to the Roman Church] Church, concerns the phrase “and the Son” in the Nicene Creed, where we confess: And I believe in the Holy Ghost, The Lord and Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
The Western/ Latin Church added the phrase “and the Son” to the Nicene Creed that was originally accepted. This became known as the “Filioque [Latin for “and the Son”] Controversy." The Western Church did not do this to be different but in the interest of fighting heresy. And it did not do so without Scriptural warrant, John 15.26. The addition, and the Son [Filioque], was used for more than 200 years before being formally accepted at the Council of Aachen in 809.
Our Lutheran church Father, Martin Chemnitz [1522-1586], writes about this:
This division [of the Eastern and Western Church over the Filioque Controversy] was healed at the Council of Florence in 1441. The proceedings are extant showing what each side said. When the Greeks [the Orthodox] saw the explanation of the Latins [the Western/ Roman Church] and how they believed that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son and on the basis of what evidence they established their case, they agreed with the statement. There was present in the discussion a very learned man of the Greeks by the name of Bessarion. It is worthy of note that the Greeks said and proved on the basis of authentic manuscripts of the Nicene Canon, not only in the Greek manuscripts but also in the Latin ones which had been preserved at Rome, that the wording was, “The Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father.” They were vehement in their contentions that the Latin manuscripts had been falsified because they had added the words “who proceeds from the Father and the Son.” But when the explanation of the Latins was heard, they approved with general consensus that this had been done because when the controversy had arisen, this expression, “proceeds from the Father,” had been taken in a sinister sense as if the Son were not in all respects equal and consubstantial [“of one substance”] with the Father. Therefore the Latins had not added the words “who proceeds from the Father and the Son,” but had taken them over from the Athanasian Creed because there the statement is more explicit. [Loci Theologici, pg. 143]
THIS YEAR TRINITY SUNDAY IS 22 May: On this Sunday we boldly and proudly proclaim this main doctrine of Christianity—that there is one God but three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Please be sure to review this creed this week leading up to Trinity Sunday that you may boldly and with knowledge and feeling confess it.
The Athanasian Creed
Whoever desires to be saved must, above all, hold the catholic faith.
Whoever does not keep it whole and undefiled will without doubt perish eternally.
And the catholic faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance.
For the Father is one person, the Son is another, and the Holy Spirit is another.
But the Godhead of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is one: the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.
Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit:
the Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, the Holy Spirit uncreated;
the Father infinite, the Son infinite, the Holy Spirit infinite;
the Father eternal, the Son eternal, the Holy Spirit eternal.
And yet there are not three Eternals, but one Eternal,
just as there are not three Uncreated or three
Infinites, but one Uncreated and one Infinite.
In the same way, the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, the Holy Spirit almighty; and yet there are not three Almighties, but one Almighty.
So the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God;
and yet there are not three Gods, but one God.
So the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord;
and yet there are not three Lords, but one Lord.
Just as we are compelled by the Christian truth to acknowledge each distinct person as God and Lord, so also are we prohibited by the catholic religion to say that there are three Gods or Lords.
The Father is not made nor created nor begotten by anyone.
The Son is neither made nor created, but begotten of the Father alone.
The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son, neither made nor created nor begotten, but proceeding.
Thus, there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.
And in this Trinity none is before or after another; none is greater or less than another;
but the whole three persons are coeternal with each other and coequal, so that in all things, as has been stated above, the Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity is to be worshiped.
Therefore, whoever desires to be saved must think thus about the Trinity.
But it is also necessary for everlasting salvation that one faithfully believe the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, it is the right faith that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is at the same time both God and man.
He is God, begotten from the substance of the Father before all ages; and He is man, born from the substance of His mother in this age: perfect God and perfect man, composed of a rational soul and human flesh;
equal to the Father with respect to His divinity, less than the Father with respect to His humanity.
Although He is God and man, He is not two, but one Christ:
one, however, not by the conversion of the divinity into flesh, but by the assumption of the humanity into God;
one altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person.
For as the rational soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ, who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead, ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father, God Almighty, from whence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
At His coming all people will rise again with their bodies and give an account concerning their own deeds.
And those who have done good will enter into eternal life, and those who have done evil into eternal fire.
This is the catholic faith; whoever does not believe it faithfully and firmly cannot be saved.
Athanasian Creed: LSB. Copyright © 2006 Concordia Publishing House.
A VITAL ARTICLE FROM OUR SYNOD’S STEWARDSHIP DEPARTMENT:
Do we Christians really have to tithe? Are we really under a compulsion to give? Aren't we free? Don't we have a freedom from the law that was purchased for us by Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection?
The problem is that our sinful flesh uses our freedom for selfishness. Christ did not die and rise so that we could give less and do less good work in the world. He died and rose to free us from the compulsion of the Law, to free us from a burden we could not bear.
We are missing the point completely if we use the freedom from the Law that Christ won by His passion, crucifixion, and resurrection to give less, or to do less of any good work. Christ set us free to live in His image of faithfulness, generosity, and kindness. We are free from the Law's condemnation so that we can walk in the good works the Lord has prepared for us.
Our freedom is not given to indulge our sinful and selfish flesh. Our freedom was purchased and won by Christ so that we could serve our neighbors — our family, our society, our church.
As a result, much of your freedom is not a freedom from, but a freedom to and for. You are not free from serving your neighbor. You are free for service toward your neighbor—willingly and without compulsion. You are not free from giving to your church; you are freed to give to your local congregation in joy, willingly, and without compulsion.
The reason you are free to serve, the reason you are free to give is because of Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of sin He won for you on the cross, which He delivers to you in the Gospel and the sacraments. That is our motivation. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). And since God loves us in this way, by giving us His only-begotten Son so that we do not perish, we also love one another in this way, by giving what we have so that our neighbor does not perish.
If the God who has provided the sacrifice for your eternal salvation, the God who delivers that salvation to you in Holy Baptism, the God who continues to forgive you and show you His faithfulness, if that same God is the one who also promises to give you daily bread and take care of your earthly life, you can trust in Him, even in giving. After all, Jesus Christ is proof that God loves you and will take care of you.
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