Thursday, February 10, 2011

Commentary on Schwan's Propositions on Unevangelical Practice - 1862 (3 & 4)


3. For this very reason, when we follow evangelical practice, we do not discard the Law or make its edges dull through bringing in the Gospel, but we rather preach it with all the more seriousness in its full severity, however, in evangelical fashion.


4. The Law is used in an evangelical way if it is employed solely for the purpose of preparing the soil for the evangelical message (the Gospel) and of submitting a divine norm for the manifestations of the new life that spontaneously arises through the evangelical message.


Relying on the Gospel does not mean that we reject the law. In fact it means that we preach it with earnestness. The Gospel lesson ( Matthew 5:21–37) for this week is a prime example. In his Preface to his Commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, Luther points out that his opponents say, “Christian teaching would have much too hard a time of it if it were loaded down with things like this.” But we understand that Jesus meant exactly what He said in His Sermon on the Mount, “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire."


We along with the Pharisees must come to understand that the mountain of keeping the Law is too great even for those who have the best intentions. We must rely solely and completely on the work of Christ for Salvation. The only solution to the deadliness of Sin is faith in Christ. Without a full and complete proclamation of the Law, we will always be tempted to also avoid the foolishness of the cross.


However When we believe and trust in the sweet message of forgiveness, life and salvation through faith in Christ, we are more than willing to live the new life that has been born anew in us by the working of the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacraments.


Schwan's Propositions on Unevangelical Practice - 1862

Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Commentary on Schwan's Propositions on Unevangelical Practice - 1862 (#2)

"2. This means that since we expect justification before God, the renewal of the heart, and the fruits of the Spirit only through the Gospel, we have this one thing in mind in everything that we do, to give free course and sway to the Gospel."

Here is something that we seem to find tremendously difficult. It always seems easier to manipulate results with the law rather than to trust God and the Gospel.

When the church needs money, we are often guilty of finger pointing and trying to shame people into giving more rather than trusting the Holy Spirit to work through the Gospel to make people generous.

When we are disappointed in church attendance, we are tempted to make rules regarding membership privileges that are connected to church attendance. Such as giving a break in school tuition to those who are more faithful, etc.

As soon as we use the world's standards to judge success, we are tempted to use the world's methods to create this success rather than relying on the promises of God. This is how marketing and commercialism gain entry into the Holy Christian Church, The Communion of Saints.

Sunday, February 06, 2011

Commentary on Schwan's Propositions on Unevangelical Practice - 1862

You can find Schwan's Propositions on Unevangelical Practice - 1862 on Matthew Harrison's blog and also in his book At Home in the House of My Fathers

Today I am starting a commentary on each of his propositions. I find them insightful and helpful even today. As I read through them, I am struck by the thought that Schwan would not have written these propositions if unevangelical practice had not been an issue among pastors of his day.

Here we are almost 150 years later and most of his examples of unevangelical practice are still very common in our churches. In fact I often hear pastors boast of their faithfulness as they recount their activities that Schwan identifies as unevangelical practice. What a different church we would be if we allowed the Gospel to have sway in our practice as well as our preaching.

Schwan's first proposition is:

Evangelical practice consists not in this, that we teach and treat nothing except the evangelical message (the Gospel), but in this, that we treat everything in evangelical fashion.

I would like to have a nickel for every meeting that I have attended where Gospel practice has been abandoned in favor of a law solution to problems in the congregation.

When things don't seem to be going well, everyone points the finger at those uncommitted people. We must force them to attend church, give more, etc.

It takes patience and trust to allow the Gospel to work in the hearts of people so that they will respond in a Christian fashion to the challenges of day to day life in the church and the world. The law offers a quick fix to our perceived problems but it damages the hearts of our people.

Faithful evangelical (Gospel preachers) will be faithful in evangelical (Gospel) practice.

More to come as we walk through the propositions.

Thursday, February 03, 2011

Our greatest battles are not against culture per se

"Our greatest battles are not against culture per se, but rather against the demonic abhorrence of the humiliation and weakness of God." is quote from today's Memorial Moment by Dr. Scott Murray.

He goes on to say:

"Sometimes the gurus of "church growth" encourage the church to get rid of her culturally objectionable practices as she goes about her business of proclaiming the Lord's Word in the world. The theory is that if we could just remove the stumbling blocks that keep people from joining the church they will come to faith in Christ more easily: "If we could just get rid of chanting in the church, more people would be attracted to join it." You could replace the word "chanting" with a thousand other examples, but the significance would be the same. This is something like suggesting that lipstick applied to a pig would make her more beautiful. The big deal issue of the cross still looms over the church, overshadowing every other "objectionable" thing the church says and does. "So you don't like chanting, because it sounds 'weird.' If you want weird; how about the fact that the church worships a dead guy as very God and Savior and the only way to heaven, who was crucified by the Romans a couple millennia ago and claims to have risen from the dead?" How do you put lipstick on that?"

Dr. Murray insights are always worthwhile and well done. Read his entire devotion here.

The challenge of Cross and culture are always before us. The danger on one hand is to capitulate and on the other is to stubbornly refuse to recognize that the Vulgate is no longer the language of the people. Luther was able to navigate this Scylla and Charybdis well. He held firm to Scripture but made God speak German like a native in his translation of the Bible.

How do we model reverence in a culture that deifies the casual?
How do we preach the cross to a success driven Christian mindset?
How do we raise the level of worship beyond "giving it a 78 because it has a beat and you can dance to it"?

Consumerism Christianity is the mega church game and it works. It is justified under the guise of being missional. Pragmatism seems to be the "...ism" that challenges our people.

The promises of God in Christ through the cross are never in vogue. Yet we seek to make God speak clearly in the language of the people.

May the Holy Spirit give us such wisdom, patience, and trust that we do not weary in proclaiming Christ and Him crucified.