Blessed are the Meek, for They Shall Inherit the Earth

(Part 3 of a series of 9 articles on the Beatitudes)

by Pastor Paul Wolff

Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5 Photo from a mosaic in the Saint Louis Cathedral, St. Louis Missouri

In the third Beatitude, Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5) Meekness is not something Christians would seek for themselves unless it was blessed by Christ. To be meek is to be humble and submissive to authorities, and not asserting one’s rights over others, but viewing others as greater or more important than yourself. Meek people are helpful and kind and are just the sort of people you are grateful to have helping you when you are in trouble or need and have nowhere else to turn. A meek person is a good and faithful friend, and just the sort of person who would “give you the shirt off of his back” if you are in need.

The world says, “might makes right” and “power rules” and other such things. The world despises the meek as weak and powerless people who are to be taken advantage of, and enslaved (if possible). Marxism, especially, is all about the exercise of power, and though we all hoped that Marxism was on its way to oblivion – where it belongs – after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1987 and the subsequent collapse of the Soviet Union, but it seems to be gaining in popularity by ignorant people who don’t mind becoming tyrants who are cursed by all good, peace-loving people whom they oppress.

Marxism would be a very funny joke if people didn’t take it seriously and murder people on an industrial scale. The idea is that there are two types of people: oppressors and oppressed. You could picture two people where one imagines that he has been wronged (oppressed) by the other in some small way and slaps the other. Now the tables are turned, and the other person is oppressed and he slaps back. Since these are both committed Marxists this continues until one gets tired of being slapped and hits back harder. This necessarily escalates until one murders the other. This is the necessary result of Marxist ideology and it cannot be any other way, unless one or both gives up on this demonic way of thinking.

Meek people are not necessarily oppressed, and need not view themselves as such (even when they are). Meekness is about how individuals act toward others in love. Jesus said later in the Sermon on the Mount that Christians ought to “turn the other cheek” (Matthew 5:39) when someone strikes them in the face, rather than escalating the fight to murderous levels. This is how Christians are meek in love – not asserting their “rights” but forgiving their neighbor in love, and enduring all kinds of indignities for the sake of Christ. This is not cowardice at all (though the world may mistake it for cowardice), but meekness comes from the brave trust in the forgiveness and justice of God, and showing their neighbors the love of Christ in their lives.

Though Christian meekness is a virtue, we should understand that we cannot win salvation by being meek. There is nothing that anyone can do to save themselves. James (2:10) says, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” We are all conceived and born in sin, and have inherited the corruption and guilt of sin, so none of us can save ourselves. Yet since Christ Jesus has redeemed us and gives us salvation and eternal life as a gift, then we don’t need to “assert our rights” and “take justice into our own hands” but we can leave vengeance to the righteous judgment of God. Scripture says, “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19 – from Proverbs 20:22 and Deuteronomy 32:35)

The inheritance of the meek is not this corrupted, sinful world, but the new earth God prepares for His people. (See Revelation 21)

The blessing that Christ promises to give the meek is that “they shall inherit the earth”. Obviously this is not something that we should expect to happen in this sinful world. Nor should we seek to take the earth by force. Those who seek to gain control of the earth by force are rightly punished by the authorities which God has established on earth. This “inheritance” is a passive thing, which is a gift from God. Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it.” We can only inherit the earth if God considers us His children and gives it to us as an inheritance. We are God’s children through faith in Jesus Christ, and the new birth which God the Holy Spirit, gives to us in holy Baptism. The “born again” miracle which the Holy Spirit works through Baptism (John 3:5-6) is to adopt us as His children and give us each a new life which is forever. In the same way, the “earth” that we inherit is not this sinful world which is condemned to destruction (Revelation 21:1), but it is the new earth which God is preparing as a paradise for our eternal life with Him.

Jesus was meek to fulfill God's plan of salvation to redeem us from our sins.

Jesus was meek in many ways from His conception to His death. Some misguided rationalist heretics have sayings to the effect of “you can’t put god in a box”, or “the finite cannot contain the infinite”. Yet, in the incarnation of the Son of God, that is exactly what the Omnipresent, Almighty God did. At the conception of Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity was present bodily in a newly conceived, one-celled person who grew up to be Jesus, the Christ, the son of Mary. Jesus is not part-god and part-man. Jesus is fully God and fully man. This is a paradox, to be sure, but it is something that only God can do. Though even in mathematics there is the concept of a structure with infinite surface area contained within a limited, finite volume, so even in the physical (or mathematical?) world the heretical sayings are not true. Even though Jesus, as God, is eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, and more, He lived life as an ordinary man for about thirty years (Luke 3:23) before He began His ministry, and then He didn’t use His divine powers completely, but only for specific purposes.

Though Jesus is the creator (with the Father and the Holy Spirit) of all that exists, He did not come in power and glory, but was born quietly in Bethlehem. Because the census required people to register at their ancestral home, Bethlehem was crowded and no one made room for the birth of the Son of God, He spent His first night after His birth sleeping in a manger. Though after the local shepherds heard what the angels said about Him, surely more comfortable accommodations were found for the holy family after that. When the magi from the East came to worship the King of Judah, they went to Jerusalem first because they expected the newborn king to be in the royal palace in the capital city, yet the Holy Family was still in Bethlehem. This is one way which shows the meekness of Jesus. This was according to God’s plan. God became incarnate in Jesus in order to serve us sinners, not to rule in power. God has all power, but He came meekly to provide forgiveness and salvation for us all.

“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7)

The ultimate expression of the meekness of Jesus was His passion. When His work was done, He allowed His enemies to arrest Him, put Him on trial prejudicially, and crucify Him. Jesus was meek as he was led to his crucifixion. This fulfilled the prophesy from Isaiah, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7) Sheep don’t mind going to the shearers, but Jesus knew He was not just going to get a haircut, but would suffer and die a horrible death. Even his judge, Pontius Pilate, was surprised that Jesus didn’t defend himself from outrageous, unsubstantiated accusations. He was mocked, beaten, and nailed to a cross. No false god in the world would be caught dead on a cross, but the true God was there to pay the price for the sins of the world. The result of Christ’s sacrifice is the full forgiveness of sins, and salvation for all who put their trust in Him. Because Jesus faithfully fulfilled God’s plan for salvation the result for Him is described by Saint Paul in this way: “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11) Now, that Jesus has paid for our sins and won our salvation, He is glorified, and uses His divine power fully always. Perhaps the only meekness He displays now is that He remains hidden, and He allows sin on the earth (with limits). When Jesus returns on the Last Day we will see Him in all His glory and power. Then He will judge the world and fulfill His promise to give His beloved children the inheritance of the new earth.

 

 

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Other articles in this series:

Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

Blessed are Those who Mourn, For They Will be Comforted 

Blessed are Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness, for They Shall be Satisfied

Blessed are the Merciful, for They Shall Receive Mercy 

Blessed are the Pure in Heart, for They Shall See God 

Coming soon:

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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The Problem with Democracy

by Pastor Paul Wolff

God's Heavenly Kingdom is not a democracy

God rules perfectly for the joy and benefit of all.

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Several years ago in a Bible Study at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Dearborn, Michigan, our current senior Pastor, Joel Baseley, paraphrased Plato’s The Republic when he said something like this: “The problem with democracy is that a simple majority can approve whatever they want. If one vote more than 50% agrees to approve something immoral, then what is immoral becomes law, and the society deteriorates.”

Pastor Baseley’s brilliant paraphrase is even more remarkable when you read The Republic. Because of the question-and-answer style of the prose, Plato is not easily quotable. The first time I read through Book 8 on Democracy I did not see where Pastor Baseley got his quote from. Only a closer reading showed that it is accurate, though Plato’s reasoning is subtle. Plato’s character of Socrates looks at the strengths and weaknesses of Democracy from many different points, and evaluates each one in depth. Also, maybe it is just me, but I frequently found it hard to follow. Sometimes the Socrates character would seem to ask questions which would lead to obvious false answers, but it is possible that he was just exploring the assumed truths of his day in order to show them false.

Nevertheless, in The Republic, in the dialogue between Socrates and Adeimantus (in Book 8), Socrates also notes, “see how sensitive the citizens become; they chafe impatiently at the least touch of authority and at length, as you know, they cease to care even for the laws, written or unwritten; they will have no one over them. … Such, my friend, I said, is the fair and glorious beginning out of which springs tyranny.” Here Plato shows that as long as the majority in a Democracy are willing to elect and submit to good, wise rulers then things will be fine and good, but once the majority refuses to submit to the benevolent elected rulers then they will elect tyrants to rule them. It might seem counter intuitive at first for this to happen, but like all the great ancient philosophers, Plato had a very good understanding of human nature, and his conclusions still explain people’s behavior 2,500 years after he wrote it. This is why modern people ought to read the ancient classics (in addition to the Christian Holy Scriptures).

Our national motto ought to be a way of life for all people.

There are some (mostly Americans) who think that democracy is the same as freedom, but that is not even close to being true. In the rare cases where democracy upholds freedom it is because other societal influences help make democracy work. We saw the failure of democracy when U.S. President George W. Bush conquered Iraq after the attacks of September 11, 2001. President Bush was naïve to think that democracy would solve all the problems of that predominantly Muslim country which had been ruled for decades by a tyrant. For anyone paying attention it was clear from the start that democracy was never going to work there, and it would quickly devolve into an Islamic hell (i.e. hell for everyone, including the followers of Islam), which it did. One of the problems there was that Islam isn’t just a religion, but it is also a system of government. Those who follow Islam have already given up their freedom to their religious leaders, and the citizens will not rule themselves wisely.

Americans have found that a system of democracy in a predominantly Christian nation with well educated and informed citizens is the best way to ensure freedom and prosperity. But the problem with democracy is that it only takes one vote more than fifty percent of the populace to turn freedom into tyranny and slavery, and prosperity into poverty. Though in practice, it may take far less. In the United States, it apparently may take as few as five votes to take away our freedom. Five people out of three hundred million, and we no longer live in a democracy, but a tyrannical oligarchy. It only takes five people if those five are Justices of the Supreme court, and their grab for power goes unchecked.

Another problem is when the government keeps secrets from the people about things which they need to know. In a democracy, we, the people, must have enough of the relevant information in order to make wise decisions, and when we don’t have it, or have the wrong information, then democracy is thwarted. Likewise, when the news media keep vital information from the people, or gives them false information, then the people cannot make informed decisions, so the majority makes ill-informed decisions. This is why wise people are so upset by “fake news”, which are news companies pushing propaganda instead of news.

Another of the major flaws of Democracy has to do with lawmaking. In a pure Democracy a simple majority (one vote more than half the voters) can determine what is legal and what is illegal. This would work fine if a majority of the people have the good of all people in mind when they make the laws. However, we live in a sinful world, and sinners are naturally selfish. Selfish people tend to want what they think is profitable for them, but is not necessarily fair for all people. When such selfishness is codified in law this creates not only an inequality in the society, but it creates an injustice. If someone desires to make something immoral legal, then all they need to do is convince a simple majority of the voters to vote for it, and it becomes law.

There is a funny scene in the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie (“At World’s End”). The pirates convene a court, and the rule is a simple democracy, but with a stipulation that the pirates can elect a king. The winner of the election doesn’t need a majority of the votes, but whoever gets the most votes wins. It is explained that the pirates have never elected a king because all the pirates only vote for themselves. This is a major fault with democracy. If people only ever vote for themselves and their interests over the general good of the society as a whole, then they will choose unwisely and make foolish decisions, and the society will suffer. A society of pirates is dysfunctional at the best of times, but when the whole society has a pirate mentality then that is bad for all of us.

The residents of this house have filled their brains
with strange chemicals and aren’t thinking clearly.
Voting for yourself is selfish,

and leads to a society full of pirates.

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This “pirate mentality” illustrates the Biblical doctrine of Original Sin. Original sin is the sin we all inherit from our parents going all the way back to Adam and Eve. We sin because we are corrupted by original sin. Though some Christians would deny it, it is clearly taught in the Bible, and it is easily seen in society. No one has to teach children how to be selfish, it comes naturally because they have been corrupted from the time of their conception. In Psalm 51:5, King David noted, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” This did not distinguish David from anyone else on earth (except Jesus), but it is common to us all. We see the result of original sin in the corruption and violence of the people who lived before the great flood in the days of Noah. In the early days (see Genesis 6), the people were distinguished between the Sons of God (those faithful to God) and the children of men (the unbelieving descendants of Cain), but gradually even the believers were seduced to wickedness and unbelief. The result of their unbelief was great violence upon the earth (Genesis 6:11). The people did what they wanted to do (see my August 2018 article, How to Avoid Going Your Own Way to Hell) which was democratic in its way, but it resulted in violence and evil. Original sin makes simple democracy end in tragedy sooner or later.

Our inherited sin (Original Sin) corrupts all our governments and all our interactions with people.

In the Bible God does not prescribe any particular form of government for all people. We are encouraged to submit to the worldly authorities as much as we can, though, in case of conflict with God’s law, “We must obey God rather than man.” (Acts 5:29). If we are forming a government ourselves, then we can take some lessons from how God organized Israelite society after the Exodus in the days of Moses. We should be careful how we do this, however. Many of the laws and ordinances of Ancient Israel were unique to them, and were prophetically and typologically pointed to their fulfillment in Christ, so that the Israelites (or those in Israel who still believed God’s Word) would recognize the Messiah when He fulfilled them. Once Jesus fulfilled the prophetic laws (such as becoming the One, true, atonement sacrifice which paid for the sins of the world) then those laws were no longer required to be practiced by believers.

When God first gave the Ten Commandments to the people, He began by saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:2-3) Here God was telling the people to obey Him first of all. There is no democracy in this. We don’t get to choose what is right and what is wrong. God created us and knows what is best for us. God’s Law is right and best, and when our laws are in line with God’s Law then they are good and right. If our laws contradict God’s Law, then it doesn’t matter if the whole world elects to approve something immoral, it is still wrong.

If all the people and all the leaders put God first, above all else, then we would have a truly good and just government, and a peaceful, obedient, productive citizenry who govern themselves well. Citizens who govern themselves well are well governed. However, citizens who do not control themselves well require a much stronger government to maintain peace and prosperity. Note also that when God gave His commandments He reminded the people of His love for them. God is the one who rescues His people from slavery and captivity. God’s primacy in our lives, and in our governance isn’t just because He is our creator and God (though that is sufficient), but that He cares for us and rescues us from tyranny and oppression, along with sin and death, too.

There will always be inequality in society because people have different abilities, capacities, talents, desires, and the like. If the law is fair to all people, then people can prosper in a fair way according to their abilities and desires, even if it is not all equal, and that is enough to make people content. If the law unfairly favors some people over others, then those who are favored will prosper out of proportion with their abilities, and others will fail to prosper while working much harder to make a living. This is always unjust, and results in slavery, or serfdom, or oppression.

If we live by God’s Law then we can rule ourselves wisely first, and we can likewise choose wise people to govern us.

Sinners like to imagine that if they were God they would make laws that only benefited them and enslaved all other people. God’s law doesn’t work like this. God is holy and just and righteous and loving, and His law is good for all people. God does not need, nor does He desire, to make us His slaves. It is true that there is much talk in the Scriptures about serving God. For example, Psalm 2:11 says, “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.” But because God loves us and wants what is best for us, serving Him results in our freedom from worldly oppression and enslavement. Psalm 37:28-29 says, “For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever.” It seems counter intuitive to our sinful, selfish minds, but serving God not only makes us free, but it results in our salvation from sin and death. Although God made us to serve Him, He loves us as His children, and it was out of that love that God became a man in Jesus Christ and lived a humble life of service to God, the Father, and us, in order to redeem us from our sins.

Sinners often rebel against God’s law because they imagine that they would be better off serving themselves than God. However, the sinful nature is a wicked taskmaster, and the person who is his own master actually enslaves himself to his base desires and is much worse off than the person who serves God. It is a paradox, but the one who serves God is free, while the one who serves himself is enslaved. Psalm 34:9-10 says, “Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.”

In the United States of America we have been fortunate that our founding fathers were wise in creating the laws of our land to make them fair, and instituting checks and balances on abuse of power so that they would stay fair for a long time. This, combined with a basis of Christian (or Christian influenced) rationalism which encouraged strong education, made sure that the voting citizens made and kept good laws which were generally fair.

God’s Commandments do not bring us salvation, but they are given to us for our good and can lead us to lead peaceful lives with our neighbors.

The laws of the United States were never perfect, but it was our laws that made the American people free enough to become the greatest country on earth in the 20^th century. It actually took a great deal of effort, however, to get there. The practice of indentured servitude in the 18^th century colonial period eventually became permanent slavery in some of the states, though not all. In the states that permitted slavery the majority of voters determined that it would be profitable if a minority of the population would be a permanent slave class. In some sense, this profited the slave owners greatly, and even some of the free men who didn’t own slaves may have profited to a lesser degree. However, when it came to the Civil War, the North won because it had prospered much more than the South because all citizens were free. The Union not only had greater wealth and manufacturing abilities, but it had a population who cared enough for the concept of freedom and “justice for all” that large numbers of their men were willing to volunteer to fight and to die to bring freedom and equality to all people in the Confederate states, not just a certain class of people. It is also true that, after the war, poor Federal oversight allowed Southern Democrats to keep some vestiges of oppression and slavery alive for a full century after the Civil War in the “Jim Crow laws”, but even then, the impoverished citizens were free to migrate north and prosper in the boom times of the 20^th century.

The last verse in the Biblical book of Judges says, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” In America we might be tempted to think that this is the democratic ideal, but in truth this is democracy gone wrong. American history shows that our forefathers rebelled against a tyrannical king and set up a better government in place of King George III, and that government included a form of democracy. However, the refrain in the last four chapters of Judges that there was no king in Israel is not a statement of what was right in Israel, but it is a condemning statement. God was Israel’s king, but the people kept turning away from God so that He sent their pagan neighbors to harass them and steal their food and belongings until they repented and turned back to Him as their true King. Also, everyone doing “what was right in their own eyes” is not the democratic ideal, but it is anarchy.

Doing “what is right in your own eyes” is sure to bring calamity on yourself. When we live righteous lives according to God’s law then we can live at peace with others.

In the 19^th and 20^th centuries, when the U.S.A. was prospering, they did not do “what was right in their own eyes”, but they generally did what was right. When the evil of slavery became too entrenched in the economy of the South, tens of thousands of free white men from the North answered the call to take up arms against their brothers in the South and fought and died to make all men free. This was not doing “what was right in their own eyes” because none of the men who were maimed or died in the American Civil War wanted to lose their arms and legs or die. It was not profitable to be permanently disabled or dead, but they did what was right because it was the right thing to do in God’s sight. It was also the right thing to do for their children and their descendants who followed them. If Americans could enslave a whole class of people just because of a particular shade of their skin, then they could enslave other classes of people such as those of a different shade of their skin (as some 21^st century American racists are now openly calling for!) or for any other reason.

The Southern slave owners in 19^th century America (and those who secondarily benefited from the free labor of the slaves) only did what was right in their own eyes. It is much more profitable to hire a slave than to pay the man what his labor is truly worth, so that seems right in the eyes of sinful people. It is not right in God’s eyes, however, and we can see that, in a way, the American Civil War was God’s punishment of the U.S.A. for allowing the evil of slavery to endure for too long.

Even worse than the evils of slavery is the evil of abortion which goes on in the United States to this day (as I write this). God have mercy on the United States when He calls our people to account for the evil of abortion. Under slavery, it was neither common nor profitable for slave owners to murder their slaves or their children. However, the evil of abortion is that many Americans think they have the “right” to murder their children so that they can use the money and resources they should be using to raise their children for their own profit instead. This was not enacted democratically, but by the illegal fiat of seven tyrants on the Supreme Court. However in the 46 years since that wicked decision, no democratically elected President, nor Congress, nor subsequent Supreme Court, nor Constitutional Convention has seen fit to right that wrong. As a result, our country is divided as it has not been since before the Civil War. As the beginning of God’s judgment, our country is being invaded by illegal aliens and neither the Democrats nor the Republicans have the will to stop it because they both have significant factions who want to enslave the illegals, or otherwise take advantage of them. There are growing signs elsewhere that the United States is headed towards another Civil War, or worse. Though that may yet be far from a necessary conclusion, we still seem to be heading on that path in 2019 as I write this.

In the days of Noah, the people did what pleased them, but this brought God's condemnation on them. Noah submitted to God and was saved.

When sinners do “what is right in their own eyes” they are sure to commit evil, wickedness, and sin. That is what the corruption of sin does to our human nature. The result is anarchy, rather than benevolence and prosperity. The genius of the American democracy for the first 175-200 years or so of our nation was a great education system based on Christian principles. The U.S. Constitution makes allowances for people’s sinful nature by putting into place checks and balances on all levels of the federal government. When that works it does not let any one branch of government (neither the Judicial branch, nor the Executive branch, nor the Legislative branch) act in a tyrannical way over the other branches. When the Constitution does not work (due to corruption or ignorance of those in power, or even those citizens who participate in the democratic process) then evil abounds and democracy cannot rescue the people from tyranny because the power to do what is right has been taken out of the hands of good people. Plato is quoted as writing, “Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws.” This is why we have checks and balances in our constitution.

God has certainly blessed the United States in the past 250 years. We ought not to take that as an endorsement of democracy. God had His own purpose for our nation, and if we continue to rebel against Him, then He could easily turn His back on us and let us destroy ourselves in civil war, or let a foreign power conquer us or otherwise take control. If God sent the ancient Assyrians to conquer the 10 tribes of Israel and the survivors were so dispersed and assimilated into the peoples of where they were sent that they have disappeared as a distinct people since ancient times, then God would have no problem doing something similar to an unfaithful America. In that case democracy will not be our salvation, but it could be our undoing.

There is much good about the democratic system of society, but it is not in itself the answer to all problems. It is much better at recognizing basic human dignity and personal property than socialism or communism. It is much more free than a monarchy or tyrannical dictator. It is much safer and prosperous than anarchy. Democracy gives people a chance to participate in their governance, and lets them convince others of the rightness of their cause, but without other controls in place, a democratic system can be turned into tyranny when a majority of voters act in ignorance or malice, as sinful people are likely to do.

I should also note here that democracy is not equivalent to protesting. Marching for a cause to inform voters about the rightness of your cause can possibly aid democracy, but it is not necessary for democracy. Just because people are marching in protest for something, it doesn’t mean that their cause is worthy or right. Depending on your cause, the informed voters may reject your cause as being immoral, or otherwise not good for society. You can protest all you want, but if your cause is wrong the voters are free to reject your cause as immoral. That is democracy working as it ought.

The scriptures are clear that believers always have to fight against evil and for what is good, right, and proper. Often the fight begins within ourselves against our own sinful nature. It is not natural for sinful people to want to do good and work for the benefit of others. It was not easy for Jesus to win our salvation either, yet He did it. Though He is the almighty, eternal, creator of the universe, He had to live a humble life and endure the scorn and hatred of His sinful people, and let them nail Him to a cross and crucify Him until He died. But, in doing so, Jesus paid the punishment for our sins, and won for us life and salvation forever. Fortunately we didn’t get a vote to say if we wanted that or not. Both Jew and Gentile sinners turned against Jesus and had Him put to death, but God used that to win our salvation so that Christ gives life and salvation as a free gift to all who trust in Jesus to forgive them from their sins. God’s vote is the only one that counts, but He has elected to save us from our sin, rather than to punish us as we deserve. This is not a bad deal at all. It is the best deal in the world. If people insist on rejecting God’s gift of forgiveness in Christ, then He will let them condemn themselves to torment in hell, but why would anyone do that? It is much better to receive the gift of Jesus and all the eternal blessings which go with it. Whatever we may suffer in this wicked world is small and fleeting compared to the blessings of eternal life in paradise with Jesus.

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See also my article on “The Problem with Socialism”  

See also my article on “The Problem with Sexual Politics”

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You can read The Republic by Plato online at 
http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/republic.html

The Chapter on democracy is here: 
http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/republic.9.viii.html 

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The True Power of God’s Word

by Pastor Paul Wolff

The Power of God’s Word is seen when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead by simply saying, “Lazarus, come out.” (John 11)

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” 
(Isaiah 55:10-11)

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Words are very often seen as weak, malleable things that can be twisted and turned into unrecognizable things bearing little resemblance to their original meaning. You know it is bad when even in literature words are disparaged. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Polonius sees Hamlet reading a book and asks, “What do you read, my lord?” and Hamlet answers, “Words, words, words.” Which is to say, the content of the words doesn’t matter – they are just words.

The problem isn’t with words themselves. When used properly, words can be used for great things even in this sinful world. The problem is that sinful people misuse words. Sinners use words to lie, cheat, and twist and spin the truth. Even when people speak the truth, people can ignore good words. This all makes words seem weak and ineffective.

All people are descended from Adam and Eve. God created one race of people and two sexes. There still remains one race and two sexes.

For example, in the beginning God created one race of people and two genders – male and female. Today people twist words to say that there are many races and many genders. Some people even say that they are a different gender than what God created them to be. Despite what people say, there is still one human race, and only male and female genders. What people say does not change the reality of the world, it just makes people look foolish, and it makes us distrust words.

Sinners go to great lengths to justify their sin to themselves. Thieves say, “I didn’t steal that thing which didn’t belong to me. I just ‘borrowed’ it.” Or adulterers say, “I didn’t cheat or betray my wife (or husband, as the case may be), it was true love.” Well, “love” is a powerful word. Who can be against “love”? But when “love” is used to justify even the worst kind of betrayal or all kinds of sexual perversions, then it is just a “word”.

Jesus taught God’s Word, and many people heard it and were saved, but some did not believe and were condemned.

Since words are so weak and untrustworthy, you have to wonder why God uses words as a primary Means of Grace – that is, the means by which God delivers to you the salvation that Jesus won for you in His life and death. If words are so weak, can you really trust God’s Word either? That is the wrong question. It needs to be asked, but it is the wrong question. Of course you can trust God’s Word, as long as it truly comes from God. The Holy Scriptures are the true Word of God. A better question to ask is why do people misuse words so much? It is because God relies so much on His Word that the devil tempts us to lie and otherwise misuse words so that we don’t even trust the Word of God.

God does not misuse words. God does not lie or twist the truth when He speaks. God’s Word can be trusted and relied upon to be true at all times and in all places. More than that, God’s Word has power to do what it says. In Isaiah 55, God tells us, “My Word goes out from my mouth (and) will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light, and the light was good.

We see this very clearly in the creation account in Genesis 1. On Day One God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light, and the light was good. Likewise, on each of the first six days of creation, God created the universe by speaking it into existence, and ordering it according to His will. God’s Word has power, and it is good, as God is good. When people speak it does not change the reality of the world, but when God speaks, He can change the world.
 
Even when Adam and Eve rebelled against God and ate the forbidden fruit, God came to them that very day and had mercy on them and in cursing the serpent, God promised to send an offspring of the woman to crush the head of the serpent, and bring salvation to people. God kept His promise, and Jesus came as the Son of God to fulfill the law in our place, and to pay the price for our sin, which is death. In doing this, Jesus won our forgiveness and eternal salvation. God’s promises are not like the promises of wicked and devious sinners. God’s promises can be trusted.

God remembered His promise to Adam and Eve,and saved Noah and his family from the great flood.

When God determined to destroy the world in the days of Noah, He remembered His promise to Adam and Eve and spared Noah and his three sons, and each man’s wife, along with two of every kind of animal on the surface of the earth. Also, later when the Israelites turned away from God to idols, though God sent the Assyrians to destroy the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and the Babylonians to destroy Judah, He saved a remnant of the Judahites (or Jews, as they came to be known) so that His promise could be fulfilled, and the savior of the world would be born from their descendants.

One day when Jesus had entered the city of Capernaum (Matthew 8:5-13), a centurion came to Him and asked Him to heal his servant who was paralyzed and suffering. Jesus said, “I will go and heal him.” The centurion said to Jesus, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one,’Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” Jesus was astonished at the faith of the centurion, and said, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant has healed at that very hour. A centurion’s word can command his soldiers and servants, but the Word of Jesus can command healing and bring life where there is death. Jesus also raised Lazarus from the dead by calling out to his grave, “Lazarus come out.” At the word of Jesus, Lazarus was given life after being dead four days. (John 11)

Jesus is the Word of God made flesh.

This is why John writes that Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. Jesus is not only the fulfillment of God’s promises to send a savior into the world, but Jesus is God, Himself, become incarnate into our flesh to take away the guilt of our sins and give us salvation and eternal life. Because Jesus is the Word of God made flesh, you can trust God’s Word more than anything else in this world. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35)

God’s Word is eternal, and God will never forget or take away his promised forgiveness and salvation. Psalm 105:8 says, “(The Lord our God) remembers His covenant forever, the word He commanded, for a thousand generations.” Isaiah (40:8) prophesies, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” So when God’s Word says, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” You can know that Jesus will save you, because he remembers and keeps His promises forever.

God’s Word is freely spread among all people, like a farmer throwing seed all over his land so that everyone who believes in Jesus will be saved.

God’s Word is a means of grace. That is to say, God’s Word is a delivery vehicle for our forgiveness and salvation. We can’t get to God to get forgiveness and salvation from God, but God comes to us where we are in His Word and Sacraments. In the words Christ’s Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23), God’s Word is a farmer who brings the seed which gives us salvation. Like the farmer, God spreads His Word freely, to all people, that it may accomplish salvation. As the seed is generously spread on all the different soils on the farm, so God’s Word goes throughout all the world so that it may bring forgiveness and salvation to all who believe.

I wondered above why God would use something as weak as words to bring to us our salvation, but it is by God’s grace that He uses words to bring this great treasure to us here today. Because words are weak they can be rejected. Anyone who doesn’t want Christ’s forgiveness and salvation can reject it. God won’t force anyone to receive His salvation. He gives it as a free gift. So those who are saved are saved completely by the work of Christ without any help or cooperation on our part. Those who are condemned, on the other hand, are condemned by their own doing.

God’s Word was made flesh in Jesus but He had to live in obedience to the Father, and suffer and die to save us from our sins.

Our salvation comes to us through God’s Word, but it was won for you by the actions and work of Jesus. God is a just God, and according to His nature, He could not just wipe away sin with a word and pretend it didn’t matter. If he had done so, he would have either had to accept sin – and become evil Himself – or He would have had to destroy us all with our sin. So in order to save us, and still punish sin, Jesus offered to take our place as our substitute. Jesus had to live as a man and live a perfectly obedient life in order to fulfill God’s Law which we broke. Then Jesus had to suffer and die in our place to take away the punishment for our sins, which is death. The Word of God is completed in the life and death and resurrection of Jesus. Because Jesus worked to win our forgiveness and salvation in His life, God’s Word is fulfilled, and salvation comes to us today through the Word, so that whoever believes in Jesus as their savior from sin, is saved.

Isaiah 55:10-11 says, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is [God’s] word that goes out from [His] mouth: It will not return to [Him] empty, but will accomplish what [He] desire(s) and achieve the purpose for which [He] sent it.” God’s purpose and desire is that you believe in Jesus and receive His salvation, and live with Him in Paradise forever. Jesus is your life and your salvation. He is the truth that saves you. We thank and praise Him for His Word that brings to us this precious gift.

The Sovereignty of God

by Pastor Paul Wolff

The Crown of Life from Zion Lutheran Church, Columbus, Ohio

The Sovereignty of God is the Biblical teaching that God rules as King and there is no one above Him that He must answer to. This is one of the key attributes of God as the Holy Scriptures clearly show in many passages. One example of this is Deuteronomy 10:17 which says, “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.” However, though God is Sovereign, that is NOT His primary attribute. God’s primary attribute is His mercy, for which all Christians are eternally grateful.

The teachings of Calvinism hold that God is sovereign above all else, and His sovereignty never gives way to any of His other attributes. This leads Calvinists into false teachings such as double predestination, which wrongly says that God predestines some people to salvation and others to damnation. They rationalize that if God is sovereign above all else, then He determines all things that happen, both good and bad. As a result of this false teaching, Calvinists end up with a god who is essentially evil, because he is responsible for evil. This is one reason why many Calvinists end up as atheists. This teaching of Calvinism overlooks one glaringly obvious teaching of Scripture, and is refuted on nearly every page of the Bible, which I will do below.

Opposite to many of the teachings of Calvinism are the teachings of Arminianism, which holds that man has free will. In practice this means that they essentially believe man is sovereign. This is so obviously false that it would be laughable if it didn’t lead so many people to their destruction. If sinful man has free will then he can do as he wills, and therefore has this power over God. This is so easy to prove wrong that I have already refuted this in the first paragraph above in the Deuteronomy passage where God rules over all other gods and lords (including the willful Christian). Arminianism leads people to atheism (or the worship of one’s self as god) even more quickly than Calvinism. (If you wonder how both Calvinism and its opposite can both be wrong see my article, “Heresies and Half-Truths”).

Although God’s sovereignty is one of the main attributes ascribed to Him in Holy Scripture, it isn’t His primary attribute. This is to say that although God is sovereign, He doesn’t exert His sovereignty to the exclusion of all His other attributes. It is easy to show this, and I can do it with just one word: Jesus.

God humbled Himself to be born of the Virgin Mary

The life of Jesus shows us that God’s sovereignty is not His primary attribute. From the moment of His incarnation at His conception, Jesus humbled Himself to live as one of the people He created. This is so beautifully described by Saint Paul in Philippians 2:5-8, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!” Though Jesus was (and is) the sovereign God, He did not exert His sovereignty during His earthly ministry. If He had, He wouldn’t have been born in Bethlehem, and He certainly wouldn’t have been caught dead (so to speak) lying in a manger. And speaking of being caught dead, if Jesus had been sovereign above all else, He certainly wouldn’t have been caught dead (literally) nailed to a cross. But then He would have had to exert His sovereignty to condemn us all for our rebellion against Him, and there would be no forgiveness or salvation for anyone.

Jesus humbled Himself and did not succumb to the temptation to rule on earth as king. (See Luke 4:1-13)

Both in His life, and in His death, Jesus shows that His primary attribute is His mercy. Though Jesus is, and was, the almighty sovereign God, He set aside His mighty power and authority in order to win forgiveness and salvation for us poor helpless sinners. Jesus said, “my kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36) and He lived that out from His conception to His death. Jesus did this on account of His mercy, so that He could save us from our sin. Christ’s death on the cross is not a sign of His weakness, but of His humbleness and love for the people He created. (See my article: “The Humble God”)

Saint Paul describes Christ’s humility when he writes that “(Christ) is the image of the invisible God.” (Colossians 1:15) This means that because Jesus is God incarnate as a man, He does exactly what God the Father or the Holy Spirit would do because He is One God with the Father and the Spirit. So God is not ashamed to humble Himself because Jesus is not ashamed to humble Himself and show mercy. Jesus Himself taught, “The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28) Not only is Jesus merciful, but He delights in being a servant for the sake of His beloved people in order to save us from the consequences of our sin.

What this means for Christians is that since the Son of God humbled Himself, we, too, ought to live humble lives. There is much admonition in the Scriptures for Christians to be humble. This is, in part, because we are God’s creation, and all people should humbly recognize God’s rule as our King and creator. But Christians especially ought to be humble in recognition of the humbleness of the almighty, sovereign God as we see how He acts through Jesus. God does not force anyone to believe in Him, so He does not exercise His sovereignty in that way also, but to all who believe in Him He rescues from sin and gives eternal life.

Jesus humbled Himself to save you from your sins (Window from Holy Cross Lutheran Church Detroit, Michigan)

If God always acted in a sovereign way then He would never let adulterers and other sexual sinners harass Christians as they now boldly do here in New Sodom (formerly, the United States of America). Don’t get me wrong, I do not mind so much being called a bigot and hateful, especially since I know it isn’t even close to being true, and I certainly do not equate that with persecution. Though I know that such rhetoric is only a small step away from full-blown hate and the kind of persecution that ends in murder. I am aware that although we are likely to head in that direction (and sooner rather than later), we aren’t quite there yet.

Likewise, if Christ always acted according to His sovereignty, he would not let His children be tortured by Muslim Jihadhists (for example) nor crucified, nor beheaded. Muslims take this as weakness on Christ’s part, but even there it is mercy. Jesus died for the sins of the most murderous Jihadhist, and will forgive any and all who repent of their sins and look to Him for Salvation.

Not only is Christ a God who does not ask His followers to become murderers to gain a spot in Paradise, but He Himself paid the price to redeem the worst murderer and idolater. Jesus offers salvation as a free gift to all who trust in Him as their savior from sin. Jesus uses His sovereign power to rescue us from death and to give us eternal life. He doesn’t use His power to prevent the temporal death which must come to all sinners. This is why Christian martyrs are willing to forgive their murderers. Christians know that not only did Jesus pay the price to redeem us from sin and death, but He also has the power to restore us to life everlasting without sin, and He has promised to give eternal life to all who believe in Him.

The Incarnation of God

by Pastor Paul Wolff

The Incarnation of God in Jesus is one of the greatest mysteries in all of history. Yet, we ought to remember that whenever the Holy Scriptures speak of a mystery it is something that has been revealed to us in Jesus. It is not that all our questions are answered, but the great mysteries are no longer hidden, but are revealed in Jesus.

“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” (Hebrews 1:1-3)

When the Angel Gabriel said to the virgin, Mary, “You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus…” God was then incarnate in a microscopic single celled person, Jesus. He was still God, but He humbled Himself and from the moment of His conception He lived a life just like the rest of us, except without sin.

It should be little wonder that “the world did not recognize Him” (John 1:10) because in His humility Jesus did not use His Divine power until his ministry began. Jesus had to learn who He was, and why He came to earth to live as one of His beloved creatures. And yet, even though Jesus had to learn and grow like any other child, He still lived the sinless life according to His nature. Even though Mary and Joseph surely sinned against Him (how could they not?), and even though His siblings: James, Joseph, Judas, Simon, and his sisters (Mark 6:3); surely sinned against Him, yet Jesus never sinned against them, nor against God, the Father.

Window from Trinity Lutheran Church, Herscher, Illinois

It is a good exercise to consider all that Jesus sacrificed in order to save us. Though we cannot know all that Jesus sacrificed, the better idea we have of what He sacrificed, the better we can appreciate what He did to save us from our sin and death.

Pastor Jared Melius of Mt. Zion Lutheran Church, Denver, Colorado, has some great insight into Luke 2:41-52 (Issues Etc. audio link) which shows just how much Jesus gave up to win our salvation. This story is not about Christ’s Nativity, but it happened when He was 12 years old. Sometimes this event is described as the boy Jesus teaching in the temple, but that is not the way Luke records the event. Pastor Melius’ brilliant insight is that although Mary and Joseph regularly went to Jerusalem for the Passover this may have been Jesus’ first time there since He was 40 days old (Luke 2:22-ff). Jesus did not come to teach, but to learn, as Luke makes a point of saying how Jesus grew as a child.

Since it was the Passover celebration, Jesus likely asked questions about the sacrifice of the passover lamb, and how it saved God’s people from the plague of death, and how the death of the lamb related to the promised messiah. He learned from the Scriptures that God’s messiah would sacrifice His life like a passover lamb to save all people from their sins. In His state of humility, Jesus had to learn that it was the will of God, the Father, that He would give up His life to save sinners from the consequences of their sins. And yet, Jesus did not once turn away from the path that God, the Father, had placed before Him.

The Holy Scriptures were not written only for us sinners, that we may believe in Christ as our savior, but they were also written for Jesus, so that He might also know what He had to do in obedience to God to win our salvation. Jesus, too, had to trust in God’s Word, and obey God as a man, even though it meant great suffering and torment for Him. Out of His love for God and for us sinners, Jesus obeyed His Father and was obedient unto death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:5-11)!

May Christ bless you and your family through the Christmas Season and throughout the whole year as you contemplate God’s incarnation, and all that Jesus did to save you from sin and death!