Walther on Justifying Faith

One month after writing my initial post on the topic of justification in Galatians as presented in the NLT and ESV, I came across this reading by C.F.W. Walther this morning.  For those who may not be familiar with Walther, he was one of the founders and first president of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (see here for more).  Specifically, Walther addresses the question of justification ‘because’ (NLT) or ‘by’ (ESV et al) faith…the initial issue that got me writing in the first place.  In this sermon, he points out a common misconception of justification–in his mind–and counters with his understanding of the biblical teaching.  He says:

Many think that a person is righteous before God through faith and nothing else, since faith is a good work and a glorious virtue.  They maintain that a person makes himself acceptable and pleasing to God by his faith, which cleanses his heart, unites him with Christ, and brings forth the fruit of good works.

It is true that faith has all of these glorious qualities, but it is false to say this makes a person righteous before God.  Scripture never says a person is righteous before God because of or on account of his faith.  Instead, he is righteous through faith.  Faith, then, is not the cause of our justification but only its instrument.  It is the means by which we receive righteousness from God.

Faith does not make us righteous before God because it is such a good work and such a beautiful virtue.  Precisely the opposite is the case.  As [Romans 4.16] informs, faith makes a person righteous before God because righteousness can be obtained solely by grace.
(from God Grant It:  Daily Devotions from C.F.W. Walther, pp. 574-5)

Walther, then, understands justification in the traditional Protestant sense, as “the means by which we receive righteousness from God” not the reason we are considered/declared to be righteous.  I’m still struggling with the NLT rendering in Galatians and reading from my ESV a bit more these days.

Has anyone given this any more thought since last time? (crickets…grin)

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Book Review/Summer Reading: Dreamhouse Kings series

The dog days of summer came early this year to southeast Texas and with them came requests from family and friends for summer reading recommendations.  If you or your teens are looking for a series of fantastic thrillers, let me wholeheartedly recommend Robert Liparulo’s Dreamhouse Kings series.  These books follow the cliffhanging, time-traveling adventures of the King family after they move to a new house in a new town, only to find the home contains eerie portals to other times and places.  What should pose great adventure for the King children turns quickly to terror as a trespasser from one of the portals kidnaps their mother…beginning one of the most harrowing rescue missions ever!

I have previously reviewed and recommended House of Dark Shadows.  Recently, I have finished up Watcher in the Woods and Gatekeepers, Liparulo’s second and third releases in the series, and recommend those with equal enthusiasm.  Liparulo writes with lucid, dramatic prose and fashions stories that draw readers in to his fantastic world.  After finishing up each book in little more than a day, my wife asked if I thought the reading too easy for our twelve year-old daughter.  My reply?  “You don’t read  Dreamhouse Kings books quickly because they are too easy but because they’re too hard…to put down!”

While you may get through these books in rapid succession, that is no cause for concern, because the next book in the series, Timescape, is due for release July 7th!

What could be better than all this?  Well, there are two more volumes (at least) in the works and rumors of a movie!  Read all the latest news about this series at Robert Liparulo’s DHK blog.

The End Times?

So…are we in the end times?  What do you think?

According to the testimony of the Word of God, the closer we come to the end of all things, the greater the world’s security and lust will become.  As the terrible hour nears, an hour in which all things visible and all the glory of the earth will suddenly be swallowed up, more and more people will, as the prophecies of Scripture inform us, immerse themselves in worldly good.  The more signs God sends to His children, warning that the world will soon be destroyed and the Judge of the living and the dead will soon appear in the clouds of the heavens, the less people will believe them.  Everything will continue secure and carefree, as if the world were to stand forever and the Last Day were nothing more than a fairy tale.

Our present age seems to fit perfectly the descriptions of the last days found in Scripture.  All of the signs in nature, in the kingdoms of the world, and in the Church which, according to biblical prophecy, must precede the end of all things, have taken place during the past centuries and especially in recent years.  By the most terrible events, God has loudly proclaimed the imminent destruction of the world.  But what has been the response?  With each passing year, the world sinks deeper and deeper into false security.  At no time has the notion of the Last Day appeared to be more laughable than it is now.  Almost universally, people have denied the Christ who has already come, and they greet with even greater mockery the preaching that says He will return soon.  Even those who believe God’s Word consider those who preach the nearness of Christ’s return to be fanatics.  We have obviously entered that midnight hour when even the wise virgins sleep.

What does Peter say in cautioning Christians about such a time?  He says, “The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.”  This does not mean that when the end of all things is near, Christians should no longer make use of the world, that they should deprive the body in self-chosen spirituality and humility and not provide for the necessities of the flesh.  Nor does it mean they are not allowed to rejoice in the bodily refreshment God gives them in this last time.  No, says the apostle, we should be serious and watchful only in our prayers.  Even in the nearness of the Last Day, we can eat and drink, but we should not weigh down our hearts in these pursuits.  We can like something in this world, but we must be prepared to sacrifice it readily to God.  We can have and continue to accumulate gold and silver, but we should not attach our heart to them, not rely upon them, and not mourn when we lose them.  We can build dwellings for ourselves, but they must be considered as lodgings for the night from which we will set out on the following morning (in other words, we must always prefer to go to the house of our heavenly Father than cling to our earthly abodes).  We can continue to plant and sow in the face of the Last Day, but we must be prepared not to reap the harvest, if that is what the Lord desires.  we can also care about the future, but only in such a way that our heart does not become burdened with worry.  We are serious and watchful in prayer when our heart is not trapped by any earthly thing.  It must always be free to be lifted up to God in prayer.  In the midst of the things, business, cares, goods, and pleasures of this world, our deepest desire must be for salvation and heaven.  We must seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.  And we must pass through this world like strangers and pilgrims, pausing here and there to rest and refresh ourselves, but soon thereafter hastening on toward our heavenly goal.  Our entire life must be, as Luther expressed, an eternal Lord’s Prayer in which our principal desire is for God to deliver us from evil.  And we may add, “Come, Lord Jesus, take us out of this evil world, and take us to Yourself.”
(C.F.W. Walther, God Grant It, 445-447)

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Book Review: In the Footsteps of Paul by Ken Duncan

In the Footsteps of Paul is a breathtaking collection of photos chronicling the life of the Apostle Paul.  Through his camera lens, Ken Duncan has traveled through Israel, Turkey, Greece, and other locations to give readers a stunning glimpse into the places where Paul lived, worked, preached, and traveled.

The photos in this work are magnificent and are a real gift to visual learners like me who can easily imagine the Apostle traveling along Roman roads and sailing from beautiful Grecian harbors.  Photos of ancient frescoes and churches show us early Christian renderings and memorials to the events in Paul’s life.  Modern cityscapes and aged ruins connect the past to the present.

Some have criticized the text and quotes that are interspersed from page to page, and I personally have mixed feelings about them.  The quotes from Scripture corresponding to a given location or event provide a great visual to link biblical accounts with a real-world location.  In my opinion, however, the “inspirational” quotes don’t contribute much to the overall work.  That said, the text in this book is really quite secondary to the beautiful photographs that are its main focus.

In short, this spectacular gift book has taken up residence on our coffee table and has created a regular time of adventure, learning, and conversation for our children and guests.  I recommend it heartily for anyone wanting a glimpse into the real-world locations that made up the life and labors of the Apostle Paul!

Justifying Faith? Luther on the Bronze Snake…

My recent post on justification by faith in Galatians has sparked some good conversation here, on Twitter, and via email…but it all begs the question, “What is this justifying faith in Christ?”  Not surprisingly, Luther asks and answer the question beautifully, illustrating it with the bronze snake in the wilderness:

Some people imagine that faith is a quality that sticks to the heart on its own, with or without Christ.  This is a dangerous error.  Christ should be placed directly before our eyes so that we see and hear nothing apart from him and believe that nothing is closer to us than Christ.  For he doesn’t sit idly in heaven but is continually present in us.  He is working and living in us, for Paul says, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2.20).  He also says that you “have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Gal 3.27).  Therefore, faith is an unswerving gaze that looks on Christ alone.  He is the conqueror of sin and death and the one who gives us righteousness, salvation, and eternal life.

This is beautifully illustrated by the story of the bronze snake, which points to Christ (Jn 3.14).  Moses commanded the Israelites, who had been bitten in the desert by poisonous snakes, to look at this bronze snake with an unswerving gaze.  Those who did so were healed, simply by steadily gazing at the snake alone.  In contrast, others who didn’t obey Moses looked at their wounds instead of the snake and died.  So if you want to be comforted when your conscience plagues you or when you are in dire distress, then you must do nothing by grasp Christ in faith and say, “I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s Son, who suffered, was crucified, and died for me.  In his wound and death, I see my sin.  In his resurrection, I see the victory over sin, death, and the devil.  I see righteousness and eternal life as well.  I want to see and hear nothing except him.”  This is true faith in Christ and the right way to believe. (26:356)

Amen.

Take that, all who accuse Luther of disparaging the Old Testament (grin).

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Justification in Galatians–Struggles with the NLT

Let me start by saying I’m a huge fan of the New Living Translation and have used it regularly, even if not as my primary bible for teaching/preaching, since shortly after its debut in the mid-90s.  Yes, even after pre-ordering my ESV back in 2001 (my primary bible for almost seven years), being shunned by ESV-only seminary types for years at Southern, and feeling indecisive about the whole formal v. dynamic equivalence bit…I still loved the NLT so much so that toward the end of last year I switched to it exclusively for preaching and teaching and relegated my ESV to the #2 spot.

(Perhaps I’ll write sometime about the reasons I made the jump, but that’s another post for another day.)

Today I write because I’m troubled by how the NLT renders some key verses on justification in Paul’s letter to the Galatians.  By way of background, I should say that I’ve always looked to Galatians as ‘the’ treatment on justification by faith in the bible and, with Luther, I view justification as ‘the’ doctrine by which the church stands or falls.  With that in mind, my heart sank when reading through Galatians this weekend and realizing that the NLT makes faith the cause of our justification as opposed to the instrument of our justification.  Here is an excerpt from Galatians 3, the NLT in parallel with the ESV (the emphasis, of course, is mine):

New Living Translation (NLT)	English Standard Version (ESV)
1 Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross.	1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.
2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ.	2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?
3 How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?	3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
4 Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?	4 Did you suffer so many things in vain–if indeed it was in vain?
5 I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.	5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith–
6 In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”	6 just as Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness?
7 The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God.	7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.
8 What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would declare the Gentiles to be righteous because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.”	8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, In you shall all the nations be blessed.
9 So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.	9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Some thoughts…

1. Again and again, the NLT translates the Greek preposition ἐκ as “because” where it is traditionally rendered “by,” as shown in the ESV (NB, almost every other translation, contemporary or otherwise, follows the ESV here)
2. Intentionally or not, the NLT reading makes faith causative in justification, i.e. we are justified because of our faith, instead of understanding faith as the instrument by which we receive Christ’s merits, i.e. justified by means of our faith.
3. The NLT reading opens the door to the synergistic idea that our faith is itself meritorious, a “good work” that is at least partly responsible for our salvation.

So how does this stand in relation to a Reformational understanding of justification by faith?  Here are some excerpts from classic Systematics texts or confessions in the Reformed, Lutheran, and contemporary Evangelical veins (again, the emphasis is mine):

• Louis Berkhof (Reformed):  “Scripture never says we are justified dia ten pistin, on account of faith.  This means that faith is never represented as the ground of our justification.”
• Wayne Grudem (Evangelical): “Scripture says that we are justified ‘by means of’ our faith, understanding faith to be the instrument through which justification is given to us, but not at all an activity that earns us merit or favor with God.”
• Book of Concord, Epitome of the Formula of Concord (Lutheran): “We believe, teach, and confess that faith alone is the means and instrument whereby we lay hold of Christ, and thus in Christ of that righteousness which avails before God, for whose sake this faith is imputed to us for righteousness”

It would seem here that the NLT’s translation is at odds with the traditional, Protestant understanding of God’s means of justification.  This saddens me a great deal and surprises me, given the NLT translation team for Galatians (one of whom I studied under at seminary and who I know firmly believes in justification by faith).

I’m looking for some interaction here, good readers…talk to me!

• Do you think I’m making much of nothing?
• Is my reading of the NLT not a plain, straightforward reading of the translation?
• Is the NLT’s rendering here a deal-breaker for teaching justification by faith?

Update (6.3) — after being prompted by several of you, I emailed Dr. Tom Schreiner, who was on the NLT translation team for Galatians.  Part of his reply is included in the comments here.

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Book Review: Helping Those Who Hurt by Barbara Roberts

Helping Those Who Hurt: A Handbook for Caring and Crisis is a purse/backpack/satchel-sized treasure trove of practical, biblical information for reaching out in the name of Christ to those in very difficult situations.  Barbara Roberts, the author, has more than two decades of experience in crisis ministry and offers readers concise and wise counsel for ministering in a variety of crisis situations, including: hospital visits, death/dying, aging, relationship problems, addiction, and abuse.  Potential readers should not let the books small size mislead you–this book is jam-packed with practical information to help you understand what the troubled individuals are going through as well as godly, Christ-centered advice on how to reach out and provide care.

In addition to this immediately helpful information, Ms. Roberts provides over twenty pages of bibliography, organized by topic, to give readers additional resources for study and preparation.  With the multitude of books out there on counseling and caregiving, it is hard to overestimate how valuable this listing can be.  While not familiar with every book in her list, it appears she has given us a fantastic listing of counseling’s “Greatest Hits” from a conservative, Evangelical perspective.

As one who has counseled in hospital, local church, and military chaplaincy settings, this is one book I highly recommend for vocational and lay counselors alike.  Even those who would not consider themselves “counselors” could benefit greatly from Helping Those Who Hurt, using it to prepare themselves to be used of God to provide words of comfort, encouragement, and hope to those in crisis.

The God Who Uses Means, Part 2

My last post took a quick look at God’s providential use of means in the life of Israel during the wilderness wandering and in our lives each day over against idleness in the name of ‘faith.’  My point there was that we mustn’t use faith as an excuse for inaction when God has clearly provided means by which to accomplish his promises.  On the contrary, in faith, we utilize these plain, ordinary means God has graciously given us instead of expecting (or dare I say demanding) God to respond through some extraordinary means.

Is this a real shift in thinking for us?  For many of us it is not.  For some, however, especially in the Word-Faith movement, this might be a huge shift in understanding.  While I appreciate their openness to God’s extraordinary means, i.e. miracles, there is much in the movement that is deeply troubling–from the pragmatic problem of expecting  God to heal by miracle in lieu of seeking medical care to the theological problem of turning God into a jinn/genie at our beck and call.  While God certainly can and does use extraordinary means, they are just that, extra-ordinary.

Back to my focus…more from Luther on God’s use of means, plain and ordinary, to accomplish his will:

We aren’t supposed to question if God in his unchangeable wisdom is willing to help us and give us what we need.  Instead, we should say with conviction, “I believe that God will take care of me, but I don’t know his plan.  I don’t know exactly how he’s going to fulfill his promise.”

So we must take advantage of the opportunities we have at hand.  We have to earn our money through hard work and diligence.  In order to stay alive, we have to have milk, food, clothes, and so on.  This means we have to cultivate the fields and harvest the crops.  Providing for ourselves is a God-given responsibility.  We can’t use God’s promise to take care of us as an excuse for not working diligently.  That would be wrong.  God doesn’t want us to be lazy and idle.  He tells us in Genesis, “By the sweat of your brow you will ear your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken” (Gen 3.19).  He also says of the ground, “It will produce thorns and thistles for you” (v.18).

The Lord is saying, “I promise that I will take care of you and give you food.  But to the best of your ability, I want you to take advantage of the opportunities I have made available to you.  Otherwise, you will be testing me.  However, if you are in need and have nothing available to you, at that time I will take care of you and give yo food in a miraculous way.  But keep this in mind: if any opportunities aren’t available to you, don’t forget that I am the one who gave them to you so that you would be able to take care of yourselves.”
(from Faith Alone: A Daily Devotional / LW 7:219)

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