Christian Teachings

The Beatitudes - Part 4

alandsylvia@comcast.net — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:06:00 GMT

Issue 11, Aug 2008
In the previous three issues of this ezine, we examined the first six of the Eight Beatitudes found in Matthew 5:3-10.

In the Seventh Beatitude (Matthew 5:9) Jesus proclaims the Good News: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God” (NIV).

We live in a world where concepts like mutually assured destruction, truces where centuries old hatred remain, genocide, civil wars, and the like fill our news reports and political philosophies. It is hard to find a real definition and experience of “peace” in this world today and especially in the lives of the people of this world. Since no mere man has ever brought a truly lasting peace to even a part of this world, we have to ask ourselves the question of “Who is the peacemaker of whom Jesus speaks?”

We must look to definitions given by God in His Word to determine the meanings of the words used by God in the Scriptures. In the Scriptures, we do find that there are times where the Scriptures identify peace only with an absence of war or conflict, as in Luke 14:32 and Acts 12:20, for example. But does Christ only point to people who settle the conflicts that break out in this world as those of whom He speaks in this Beatitude?

In Ephesians 2:14-15, Jesus Christ Himself is named “our peace”, while in verse15 He is described as one “making peace”. How can it be that He is “peace” who “makes peace”? Above all else, “peace” is the tranquility of being absolutely certain of our salvation before the One True God through Jesus Christ alone, knowing that we, through Him alone, have nothing to fear under God’s righteous Law, and therefore are completely content with our earthly lot, whatever that may be. Accordingly, “peace making” is, above all else, being in Jesus Christ through faith and witnessing Christ our Peace by word and deed to others.

While a Christian’s life is a life in Jesus Christ, our Peace, and a life proclaiming that Peace to others, the Eighth Beatitude proclaims “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10, NIV)

Note first of all that the promise contained within this Beatitude is set forth in the present tense “is” just as the promise in the First Beatitude is also presented with “…for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3, NIV)

The promises we found in the second through the seventh Beatitude are presented in the future tense of “will be”. Those living in and by the true Gospel have both the assurance of the “now” and the “not yet” but forever eternal life in and through Christ Jesus. But, the life we live now on this earth is a life under the cross.

Because this world is bound up in the complete domination of sin, Satan and death, it will always reject God’s Way. The life of a believer is truly a life of sorrow and tribulation. We bear our crosses under His cross as we exercise our God-given vocations in this world. We live a life of serving others as Christ serves us even though the world rejects us as it opposes Christ as the One Way unto salvation.

He is the Way of our salvation and through faith worked, strengthened and preserved by Word and Sacraments, we rejoice in His Way of our salvation.

I urge you to read and reread all Eight Beatitudes hearing the entire Gospel message proclaimed therein.

Grace alone. Faith alone. Christ alone. Scripture alone. To God be the glory!

By Larry D. Harvey

The Role of Women In The Life of The Church - Part 3

alandsylvia@comcast.net — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:04:00 GMT

Issue 11, Aug 2008
We continue this month our discussion of the role of women in the church, focusing particularly upon why the church for two thousand years did not permit women to be pastors and bishops. As promised last month, we turn now to the question of why Paul and the other apostles forbad women to teach publicly. Why was the public ministry, the office of pastor, reserved for the male sex? We look at this particularly against the background of what is taught in many Lutheran circles in our day, namely that baptism makes us all equally prepared for public ministry. Baptism is viewed as a kind of ordination, giving men and women equal rights to occupy the public office.

In 1 Corinthians 14 Paul claims that the headship of a man must be emphasized. This is a revealed truth that must be lifted up. It is God's Word. The passage in question reads as follows:

"As in all the congregations of the saints, women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.

"Did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached? If anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord's command.If he ignores this, he himself will be ignored." (vv.34-38).

We know our human nature in the qualities of maleness and femaleness. These are binary modes of being human. There are two sexes and no such thing as an abstract human nature exists. Being a male is a mystery. Being a female is a mystery. Both maleness and femaleness must be discovered and revealed. The genders are not the same and consequently there is something to being a man and something to being a woman that demands an ordering in the church assembled for worship and service.

In the Bible men and women are both equally human. Both share in the image of God. In turn, male and female are both to support and care for those of the opposite sex. Men and women share common feelings. They love, laugh, cry, hurt and hate. They have common interests. Men and women may both love beautiful creations, enjoy tasteful foods together and so forth. But in all of this a man remains a man and a woman remains a woman.

In our day, especially in the discussions about women's ordination, there is confusion. There is even a tendency to do away with these distinctions between male and female or cancel them out altogether. In this critics follow the example of ancient false teachers who denied that even Christ Himself took on human flesh. They were called Docetists--from the Greek noun meaning "seem to be." They believed that human flesh was a lower form of life, that matter was in fact evil. Therefore Christ would surely not have assumed human nature. He only appeared to do so.

Modern critics are docetic in the sense that they suggest that the distinctions between men and women have been erased by the "order of redemption." That is to say, in Christ we are all one, there is neither male nor female (Galatians 3:26-28). Our baptism into Christ has eliminated all distinctions, including gender.

The problem is that we are nowhere told in the Bible that the distinctive identities for men and women in their relation to each other has changed. Such identities were assigned by God at creation and remain so today. This is commonly known as the "order of creation."

Let's look carefully at what Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 14 about the role of women. When he says that women are not allowed to speak he uses the Greek word lalein, a technical term for what we call preaching or public teaching. This is supported by other biblical passages:

"While he (Jesus) was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before him and said, 'My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live,'" Matthew 9:18 (Jesus was preaching/teaching -lalein. The ruler merely spoke - Greek legein.).

"While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him, Matthew 12:46 (again Jesus was teaching, but his mother and brothers stood outside ready to instruct him instead -lalein in both cases. Jesus was unwilling to accept such teaching from his family, emphasizing the importance of all hearing the Word of God that He alone was preaching. To hear that Word is what truly makes people members of Jesus' family).

"No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began," 1 Corinthians 2:7 (again the word lalein).

"Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends, is for your strengthening," 2 Corinthians 12:19 (once again lalein -what Paul did as he spoke in the sight of God to strengthen their faith).

In Genesis 1:27 we read that “God created the man (Hebrew: adam) in His own image, in the image of God He created him (singular), male (Hebrew: zakar) and female (neqebah) He created them.”

Here is our first clear indication of how central to the biblical vision the distinction of gender actually is. Of course “adam” can refer to our common humanity, but are we humans first and male or female in a secondary way? Not at all.

The Hebrew text at the word him has an athnach, a mark inserted by the ancient scribes that creates a pause in the narrative, a “that is.” So we might render the text: “In the image of God He created him and by this we mean male and female . . .” Thus, from the very beginning, it is evident that maleness and femaleness constitute concrete aspects of humanity. There is no humanity, no personhood, apart from male or female humanity or personhood.

Likewise in spiritual matters there is no spiritual monism. There is no melding together of the sexes. We remain male and female. Our sex roles are not a bondage from which we are freed by virtue of our baptism. How else can the fundamental differences between genders be expressed? Galatians 3:28 does not obliterate the continuing distinction of the “order of creation” within the “order of redemption.” Notice that in the very next verse Paul introduces the terminology of human sexuality, calling believers the seed (Greek: sperma) of Abraham, heirs of the promise. A patriarchal story (Abraham) is used to clarify and explain the Gospel of Christ.

Notice further that the Scriptures speak of God and those who represent him in both testaments through masculine imagery: Adam, Abraham, Moses, the kings, David, first-born son, Passover lamb, scapegoat.

Similarly the people of God and their relation to God are portrayed by means of feminine imagery. We cannot speak in the same way about Jesus’ Jewishness. Being a Jew is not what makes one distinctly human, but being a male or a female is and Jesus was a male.

Does the masculinity of Jesus have anything to say to us about the ordination of women? The Confessions (Ap.VII.28; AC XXVIII,21f; Ap.VII.47; XII.40-41) do teach that the pastor represents the person of Christ. In the words of the minister one hears the words of Christ.

But what is this meaning of Christ’s masculine humanity? Some would suggest that His maleness has no significance whatsoever. The biblical position is that it has great significance. I'll take up that question in next months discussion of this topic.

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By Dr. Al Franzmeier, editor

All God’s Promises Are Yes In Christ - Part 2

alandsylvia@comcast.net — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Issue 11, Aug 2008

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the Amen is spoken by us to the glory of God. 2 Cor. 1:20

Last month we began a two part Bible study of God's promises. We learned there are over 7,500 promises by God to mankind. We looked at the words for promise in the Bible, provisions of the promises, promises about afflictions and promises about physical life.

This month we conclude our brief study with a look at promises about daily life and promises concerning prayer, We pray this meditation upon God's Word will bless you and those with whom you may share it.

Promises About Daily Life

1. Promises about sleep

Eccl.5:12 - sleep of a laboring man sweet

Ezekiel 34:25 - dwell safely and sleep in the woods

Proverbs 3:24 - sleep shall be sweet

Psalm 121:4 - He that keeps Israel never sleeps

Psalm 127:2 - He gives his beloved in sleep

Proverbs 20:13 -love not sleep, lest you come to poverty

I Thess.5:7 - they that sleep, sleep in the night

I Corinthians 15:6 - but some have fallen asleep

2. Promises about accidents

Ruth 2:3 - as it turned out

Luke 10:31 - a certain priest happened to be going

Prov. 16:33 - lot into lap, but every decision is from Lord

Gen.45:4-15 - God sent me ahead to preserve your life

Rom.8:28 - all things work together for good to those who love God

Promises concerning Prayer

In the LORD I take refuge. How then can you say to me: "Flee like a bird to your mountain. For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart. When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" Psalm 11.

The answer to this ancient doubter is given in the same Psalm and in many other places of the Bible. The righteous can pray: "Upright men will see his face."

Matthew 7:7-11 - Ask, seek and knock.

Philippians 4:6 - Let the Lord know your desires

I Thessalonians 5:17,18 - Pray without ceasing

Hebrews 4:16 - Pray boldly

Hebrews 11:6 - Believe in His rewards

James 1:5-7 -Ask in faith

James 4:8 - Draw near and He will too

James 5:16 - Effectual prayer

Luke 11 - Jesus' Teaching on Prayer

1One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."

2He said to them, "When you pray, say: "Father, hallowed be your name,   your kingdom come. 3Give us each day our daily bread.   4Forgive us our sins,  for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation. "

5Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.'

7"Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' 8I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

9"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

11"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

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The Holy Spirit is indeed the best of all the gifts. It is the Spirit who has called us to faith in our Baptism. It is the Spirit who continues to call us to die with Christ and rise again daily to a new life. It is the Spirit who strengthens our faith in the Lord's Supper. It is the Spirit who grants us gifts to share with those around us, enabling us to serve and care for one another in body and spirit. It is the Spirit who works through the Word of God to sustain and encourage us until that day we enter into the glory of God in the Father's house.

All these and many more are the promises of God's Word.

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By Dr. Al Franzmeier, editor

The Beatitudes - Part 3

alandsylvia@comcast.net — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 22:00:00 GMT

Issue 10, Jul 2008
In the previous two issues of this ezine, we began an examination of the Eight Beatitudes found in Matthew 5:3-10. Specifically, we looked at the meaning of “blessed”, “poor in spirit”, “those who mourn”, “the meek”, and “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness”. (Matthew 5:3-6)

In the Fifth Beatitude (Matthew 5:7), Jesus offers this blessing: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (NIV) Unfortunately, many people today understand this Beatitude as a command of law demanding an action to be chosen by a believer on a case by case basis. However, the original Greek word is really an adjective so that could be translated as “the merciful ones." So the ones blessed are they who are merciful in the very essence of their being, not just in their actions, whether those actions be thoughts, words or deeds.

The First Beatitude should be considered alongside this one. In the First Beatitude, the “blessed” are “the poor in spirit”. As we saw, the “poor in spirit” are they who daily empty themselves in contrition and repentance, dying to self and living only in Christ through Baptism. They are filled with Christ Jesus. In that they are now defined as ones alive only in Christ, their lives are Christ at work within them.

In essence only Christ Himself is truly merciful. However, in that He is the One working in us in the Gospel, recreating us new by Word and sacraments, He is the One Source of that merciful essence within us. It is He who equips and empowers us to manifest that mercy in our lives. We are free to be dead to self and alive to serve others.

Withholding mercy from another, or in any way avoiding being a merciful one in any particular circumstance of life, is, in reality, turning away from the Gospel and Christ Jesus Himself. It is not simply choosing to avoid an opportunity for an action of mercy. It is to deny the very presence of Christ Jesus in you.

In the Sixth Beatitude, our Lord Jesus Christ blesses the pure in heart, promising that they will see they God (Matthew 5:8).Once again, in that this is Gospel, we must first seek the Person and work of Jesus in this passage. He is the Son of God and the Son of Man. He is the only One truly pure in heart, in His entire humanity. In fact, Jesus is the very definition of purity. If Jesus Christ is the only One who is truly pure, then the question arises as to how are we included in this Gospel passage?By His Word and the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, the Triune God not only imparts saving faith into us, but He preserves us in Jesus Christ, as our Savior and Lord. Through that saving faith worked and preserved by God, the purity of our Lord Jesus Christ is ours solely on account of the Person and work of Christ.

Now lay this Sixth Beatitude next to the Second Beatitude that speaks of “those who mourn." Behold the reality of sinners living in a sinful world, deserving only wrath, yet saved through faith alone. By that faith we receive the very righteousness, holiness and purity of Jesus. And all this is by God’s unmerited grace.

Defined by Christ's free gift of forgiveness, reconciliation and eternal life, we confidently endure everything in this life, moving forward in faith with hearts and minds focused ever on Him.Grace alone. Faith alone. Christ alone. Scripture alone. To God be the glory!-----------------------------------------------------------------------

By Larry D. Harvey

The Role of Women In The Life of The Church - Part 2

alandsylvia@comcast.net — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 21:58:00 GMT

Issue 10, Jul 2008
A dear friend wrote to me after last month’s article saying, “This topic ought to keep you busy for the next two years.” I agree. There is much to be said. This month I will pick up where I left off as I wrote in the final paragraph,

The fact that the NT apostles did recognize that God revealed His Word through women, is not a question of dispute. The ordering of their speaking was, however, a great concern (1 Corinthians 11). This did not make them holders of the Apostolic office, public spokesmen for Christ, e.g. public ministers or pastors. That is where the issue still resides. We dare not deny that God may still reveal insights to His Word and will through women who may be thus called prophets. This does not make them eligible to be called to the Apostolic office, that office through which the Christ, the Bridegroom, nurtures and nourishes his Bride, the church.

“I don’t think your last paragraph can be your final word,” my friend continued. And indeed it cannot be. For the next couple months I will continue the discussion, based in large part upon a very important monograph written by Dr. William Weinrich of Concordia Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana, “It is Not Given to Women to Teach – A Lex in Search of a Ratio.”*

For two millennia the Christian church authorized only men to function in the public office of Word and sacraments. We know it today as the pastoral office. Some traditions call it the priestly office. That designation clouds the issue, especially since all baptized—male and female—are members of the priestly family of Jesus Christ, 1 Peter 2:9. In that connection it is important to note that the Greek word translated as priest is presbyteros, a word often translated as elder. It is not the same word—and office—as that to which Peter refers in his letter. In the New Testament, however, it does refer to what is often called the pastoral or ministerial office. So it may be also called the priestly office by simply transliterating the word presbyteros.

The designation of men as presbyters, i.e. priests or elders, was the unbroken practice of the church, except for some heretical or marginal groups. Interestingly, those folks justified the practice of ordaining women pastors on the basis of Galatians 3:26-29, where the Apostle Paul writes,

“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

That particular passage is still surfaced today by most groups who seek to justify the practice of women serving in the role of public teachers and pastors in the life of the church. I’ll come back to that a bit later.

The church did not prohibit women from entering the public office based upon some notion of the natural or created inferiority of women in either intellect or virtue. I know, I know. I can hear some of you saying, “Hold on there, buddy. That was not so.” And it was not—in all cases. In many ancient societies, women were seen as inferior versions of men, useful primarily as bearers and nurturers of men’s children. Much could be written about those most unfortunate views, views that influenced the church in some instances. Such views survive to our day in some circles.

Dr. Deborah Vess of Georgia College and State University has posted an extensive website about this issue, based upon her class notes, “Women in Ancient and Medieval Worlds.” She points out the mixed roles that women occupied in various societies and offers many links. In one, Dr. Elizabeth Clark of Duke University turns to early Christianity to write,

What seems to happen within the first few centuries is that whatever limited activities women might have had in the beginning begin to get curtailed as you have the development of a hierarchy of clergy members with bishops, presbyters and deacons, and it's pretty firmly established that women should not be either bishops or priests. Many church fathers write about this. So that women tend to get excluded from those functions, [though] they do have some roles, [such] as joining a group called the widows or deaconesses in the fourth century. We have good evidence of an order of deaconesses, but they are excluded from the priesthood.

This practice of excluding women from the public office (she calls it the priesthood) was not based upon some law to enforce female inferiority. Nor was it based upon some idea that women were not bearers of the image of God or receivers of the benefits and blessings of Christ’s work upon the cross. Instead if was based upon three major points in the biblical narrative:

1) In the Old Covenant priests of God (holders of the public office) were always men, never women. Even the prophetesses I wrote about in last month’s article did not speak in the public assemblies.

2) Our Lord Jesus appointed men as his apostles. Even Mary, who gave birth in her womb to the omnipotent Son of God did not receive the task of baptizing him.

3) The Apostle Paul writes about this matter in detail in 1 Corinthians 11 and 14 and again in 1Timothy 2.

When the church appealed to the Bible and to the practice of the Apostles, she did so based upon a very fundamental belief that Jesus is the Creator of all things. He is the Word of God who became flesh and tented among us (John 1). His light has shined in the hearts of his people, calling them out of darkness. In this revelation we also have God’s will revealed in the events and orderings of God’s people. In turn, the Bible testifies to those events and orderings. As the Creator of all things, Jesus did what agrees with the will and plan of his Father. In him all creation is being made new. In mankind the image of God is being renewed. In us humans this new life is typified and represented also in the public ministry.

In today’s culture there is a strong movement toward what is called egalitarianism. This is a word borrowed from the French. It refers to the idea that all mankind, both male and female, are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities in all things. Influenced by this culture, some church teachers no longer view the Scriptures as the story of God acting according to His will and intent. Instead, the stories of the patriarchs are seen as examples of sinful men, dominating males who opposed the will of the God who created them. They did so by forbidding women to occupy the priesthood, that public office in which the will of God was taught, that office that led the people of God in worship. This view of Holy Scripture is quite different from that embraced by the early Fathers and teachers of the church as well as that of the Lutherans who made their original confession of faith in the sixteenth century.

The point again is quite simple and plain. There have been women saints, martyrs, prophets, missionaries, monastics and secular rulers across the centuries. There has, however, never been a woman who held the public office of pastor or bishop. Today, however, the church has bowed before the unrelenting pressure of the surrounding culture and has made a leap that is both dangerous and not well considered.

There remains a deeper question that I will pursue next month. What really is behind the Apostle Paul’s forbidding women to teach publicly? What is the way of God in this world? What is the rationale, the set of reasons for this practice of reserving to a Christian man the office of Word and Sacraments? We must look for a biblical theology, a Word of God based upon his revealed Word. We look for what is; not for what we personally want to believe ought to be. We must avoid speculating. Rather we will do what we can to lay bare the boundaries, the natural features and outline of Paul’s own words.

_______________________ by Dr. Al Franzmeier, editor __________________

Please find Dr. Weinrich’s essay in Church and Ministry Today: Three Confessional Lutheran Essays. The Luther Academy, St. Louis, Mo. 2001.