Search Results

Juhani Uljas | 2000 The Treasure Hidden In a Field -- Prayer is a part of all religions. With its aid, people strive to make connection with their gods. Scripture informs us that during the time of Elijah the priests of Baal cried for assistance from their god on Mount Carmel. People, who have visited Islamic countries or Israel, have heard for themselves how the Muslims hold specified hours of prayer and have seen the Jews praying at the Western Wall. Prayer also belongs to the Christian faith, and Scripture encourages people to pray. Jesus gave an example for this and also taught His disciples to pray. According to Christian Doctrine, “Prayer is the heart's humble and sincere conversation with God” (CD 78). Luther wanted to free prayer from all the formal rituals that had been attached to it in the Catholic Church. He taught that the essence and nature of prayer is to raise the mind and heart to God. From this it follows that everything else that does not elevate the heart, is not prayer. “For that reason, singing, speaking, or blowing a horn are prayer just as little as scarecrows in the garden are people” (Explanation of the Lord's Prayer). The effect of prayer does not depend on its outward form nor on our feelings or fervency. It is the simple uplifting of the heart to God. Prayer cannot be our achievement, by which we would gain merit before God. Prayer is conversation between God and man. Man does not speak alone; God answers also. When we converse with other people, we may notice that sometimes they may not hear or may pretend not to hear what we say. Our message does not reach its destination. When we converse with God, sometimes it may seem the same. The lack of an answer, nevertheless, is not caused by God's poor hearing or our quiet or unclear speech. God truly hears and understands, and difficulties of language are not an obstacle. He is interested in us and our matters. He also answers, although it may be in a different way than we expected. Sometimes, we only later understand God's answer to our prayer. In prayer, we can speak to God of our needs and our hopes. Scripture guides us also to intercede or to pray in behalf of others. We may enclose within our prayers our close ones, our friends, our people, and our homeland. Paul described in his epistles how he prayed in behalf of the congregations in the various communities. He also asked that the children of God would pray for wisdom and courage for him to proclaim the gospel (Eph. 6:18-20). We, too, can pray to the Heavenly Father that He would bless the work of His kingdom. Prayer also inseparably includes thanksgiving. When we, in silence and with open minds are before God's face, we understand with thankfulness how much we have received from Him. Prayer and Justification From time to time, believers are criticized that they do not give prayer its due respect. The criticism is partially correct, for often we pray too little. This gift that God has given to His children remains in little use. We feel ourselves to be poor at praying. The basis for the criticism, however, is usually this that prayer is not a path to justification for us, as it is for many others. Many people believe that they can confess their sins privately to God through prayer and that God, himself, will forgive their sins. One hears this understanding often, when we exhort someone to repent. “I do not need an intercessor. I will resolve matters privately with God.” But God does not justify sinners privately, rather He sends the owners of the office of remission to preach the gospel of forgiveness to the penitent sinner. I remember how once at the conclusion of some services, I asked a service guest if he had need to believe and receive the forgiveness of his sins. He answered, “I say the Lord's prayer every night and confess my sins to God in it. I do not need to repent in the manner that you mean.” I answered him, “I notice that you believe that God hears your prayers. Every night, you have petitioned, “Thy kingdom come.” God has heard your prayer and now His kingdom of grace has come to you. God wants to answer your other prayer and forgive your sin of unbelief along with all of your other sins.” On the other hand, it is sometimes thought that in no wise does God hear the prayer of an unbelieving person. Someone may even support this with Scripture. For example, Isaiah says, “And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood” (Isa. 1:15). However, the matter is not so clear-cut. There are many places in the Bible, that indicate that God has heard the prayer of an unbeliever and has answered it. The decisive factor appears to be what, and with what mind, they pray. I will take three familiar examples from Scripture. They also support what has been said previously about prayer and justification. The eunuch, a servant of the Queen of Ethiopia (Acts 8:26-40), had made a long and difficult journey to pray in the temple in Jerusalem. He thought that it was an acceptable place to pray. There, he hoped to find help and an answer to the distress in his heart, but he did not find help. On his way back, he studied the Scriptures. Again in vain, for he did not understand what he read. However, God had heard his prayers. He sent Philip to the place to explain the writings of Isaiah and to preach the gospel. The eunuch heard Philip's sermon and believed it. Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:1-8), on his way to Damascus, met the resurrected Christ. Heavenly light blinded him. He, who thought that he knew the will of God and that he was righteous having fulfilled the Law, found that he was blind and without understanding. In his distress, he prayed. God heard the prayer even of a persecutor of the congregation and sent Ananias to help. Saul received his sight and living faith in his heart. He became Apostle Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. The Centurion Cornelius (Acts 10) prayed to God. God heard his prayers and answered him first through an angel. This angel did not preach the forgiveness of sins, but told him to send men to get Peter from the city of Joppa. Cornelius followed the angel's instructions. When Peter came and preached the gospel, Cornelius, along with his family, believed and they received the Holy Spirit. We can conclude from these three examples that God hears the prayers of even the unbeliever, when they are in earnest. Jesus' Teachings About Prayer In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught His disciples how to pray (Matt. 6:5-13). He warned them against vain wordiness and praying for their own merit. At least one matter was clarified to the disciples as they listened to His speech: they do not know how to pray by their own means. Many a sincere person has probably experienced this while praying. To His own, Jesus gave the Lord's Prayer, the “Our Father” prayer. Luther has explained the Lord's Prayer in the Small and Large Catechisms, in his sermons as well as his book, “Explanation of the Lord's Prayer.” In the latter he says that the Lord's Prayer is, without a doubt, the highest, noblest, and best, since it originated from our Lord. Had our righteous and faithful Master known a better prayer, He would have taught it to us also. This must not be understood to mean that all other prayers in which these same words do not appear are wrong. Many saints prayed before the birth of Christ and had not heard these words. Instead, all such prayers are questionable that do not have this prayer's content or meaning. The beginning of the Lord's Prayer can easily slip by without our paying attention to it. For a contemporary of Jesus, it was strange and perhaps offensive to refer to the holy and righteous God as Father. Luther leads us to think of the beginning of the prayer, “The best beginning and preface is that we know clearly how to name, respect, and relate to Him, to Whom we are praying, and how we should behave toward Him, so that He would be merciful and willing to hear us. There is no name among all the names, that would make us more acceptable before God than 'Father.' It is a friendly, pleasant, deep and heartfelt address. It would not be equally loving and comforting to say 'Lord,' 'God,' or 'Judge.' For that reason, the name 'Father' is naturally innate in a person and naturally pleasing. Therefore, it also pleases God the best and moves Him most to hear us. At the same time, we confess ourselves to be children of God by that name. In this manner, we move God the most, inwardly, for there is not a more pleasant sound to the Father than a child's voice.…For the person, who begins to pray, 'Our Father, who art in heaven' and does it from the bottom of his heart, confesses that he has a Father and that this Father is in Heaven.” Almost half a century ago, I sat in church one winter evening. The congregation evening's topic was prayer, on which three clergymen spoke. In two speeches, prayer became a means of justification. The words, “Our Father who art in heaven,” were the text for the second speech. The third speaker rose to the pulpit and read a text that was even shorter than the preceding one, “Our Father, Amen.” Beginning with these words, he led the listeners to see what had had to happen so that we are able to pray, “Our Father.” How great was the love of the Father, that He gave His only Son for the remission of sin. In place of prayer, another way to justification opened. Prayer was revealed as a great gift, the secure and trusting discussion of a child with a Father who loves him. Thy Will be Done Our prayers are often about distress, oppression, difficulties, and the obvious hopes and desires that arise from them. There is nothing wrong in this, for a child has permission to speak freely to his Father. However, in the Lord's Prayer Jesus sets the needs in priority and brings a new dimension to prayer. He instructs us to ask, “Thy will be done.” This is not always easy. Jesus did not only teach in this manner, but also set an example in Gethsemane. The most important and critical events of His life were before Him. The cross, suffering, and death awaited him. More frightening, before Him rose the fact that the Father would cast upon Him the sins of the entire world and, for a moment, would turn His back upon Him. In this situation, one more difficult than we can possibly imagine, Jesus prayed, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matt. 26:39). Jesus' example leads us to the correct humility and childlike trust. The Father knows what is best for us, even when it is difficult for us to be therein content. “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: casting all your cares upon him: for he careth for you” (1 Pet. 5:6,7).

Juhani Uljas | 2000 The Treasure Hidden In a Field -- The Passover Meal and the Lord's Supper The Scriptures describe how the Israelites prepared to depart from Egypt. They had a long journey before them to the land that God had promised to their fathers. Not one of them had seen the land, but in their hearts they wanted to get there. Just prior to departure, the people gathered in families to eat the Passover meal as God had commanded them (Exod. 12). The meal included a yearling ram roasted over fire, unleavened bread and bitter herbs. If something was left over, it had to be burned. The outer doorposts of the houses were to be marked with the blood of the Passover lamb. This was important, because God punished the Egyptians the same night and killed all of their firstborn. The punishment did not touch those on whose dwellings the doorposts were marked with blood. This Passover meal was not eaten just the one time when they departed from Egypt, but God commanded that it was to be eaten at the same time every year. This was to be done on the journey to the Promised Land as well as after they had arrived there. “And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and thy sons forever. And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep, this service. And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses” (Exod. 12:24-27). This is the meal that Jesus and His disciples gathered to eat in Jerusalem on that Passover when He was captured and crucified. During the meal, Jesus deepened and clarified the meaning and substance of the Passover meal. He, himself, is the Paschal Lamb. The wine that they drank during the meal is His blood, which soon was to be shed for the remission of sins. The unleavened bread, which He broke to give each one his own portion, is His Body. He is the Bread of Life, which is owned by faith (John 6:51). The Passover meal changed into the Lord's Holy Supper. The Word of the Lord was joined to visible elements, bread and wine, and made them and the partaking of them a Sacrament. The institution of the Lord's Supper is described in a consistent manner four times in the New Testament (Matt. 26:19-21, 25-29; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:15-20; and 1 Cor. 11:23-25). The differences in the details emphasize the significance of the different parts of the Supper. John does not describe the institution of the Lord's Supper, but describes, instead, that the Lord Jesus washed the disciples feet in connection with the meal (John 13:1-17). Luther writes, “The Lord's Supper was not invented or devised by any man in his thoughts, rather it was instituted by Christ without man's counsel or deliberation” (Large Catechism V:4,5). "As Often" The Lord's Supper is intended to be received often. “For as often as ye eat of this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come” (1 Cor. 11:26). From the start, the Lord's Supper firmly belonged to the life of the New Testament congregation. “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). In the beginning, they gathered daily at a meal, then on the first day of the week, and later less often. We do not have to set guidelines on how often the Lord's Supper should be received, but God's Word instructs us to go to the Lord's Supper when we feel the most need. The words, “as often,” emphasize the great significance of the Lord's Supper. Luther teaches, “Christ means to say: 'I institute a Passover or Supper for you, which you shall enjoy not just on this one evening of the year, but frequently, whenever and wherever you will, according to everyone's opportunity and need, being bound to no special place or time.'…Thus you see that we are not granted liberty to despise the sacrament. When a person, with nothing to hinder him, lets a long period of time elapse without ever desiring the sacrament, I call that despising it” (Large Catechism V:47-49). The Lord's Supper Is a Meal of Remembrance In their descriptions of the institution of the Lord's Supper, both Luke and Paul mention that Jesus said, “Do it in remembrance of me.” As they ate the Passover meal of the Old Testament, the children of Israel remembered their liberation from Egypt and how God had led them to their destination, the Promised Land. The Passover meal reminded the people about the patient love and faithfulness of God. At the Lord's Supper, we, for the strengthening of our faith, remember Christ, our Paschal Lamb, Who gave His life and shed His blood for our sins and the sins of the entire world. As believers at the Lord's Supper, we can eat the body of Christ and drink His blood and thus enjoy the fruit of His work of atonement. Although we do not fully understand the mystery of the Lord's Supper, we still go to the Lord's Supper, since He has encouraged us to do so. At the communion table, we feel the presence of Christ and the strength of His grace. The Lord's Supper strengthens our faith and fixes our gaze on that land which the Lord Jesus has promised and prepared for His own. Who Is an Acceptable Communion Guest? This question was asked in my hometown at a discussion evening for young people where the sacraments were the topic. The same question arose as a burning issue once when we celebrated the Lord's Supper in the small village of Kolyvan, near the bend of the Volga River. At the communion table, we experience, especially clearly, the presence of God, His sanctity, and His love. God's Word exhorts us to try ourselves that we would not be unacceptable communion guests, who partake of the Sacrament of the Altar for their own condemnation. The Small Catechism answers the question in this manner, “He is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words: 'Given and shed for you, for the remission of sins.' But he who does not believe these words, or who doubts, is unworthy and unfit, for the words, 'for you,' require truly believing hearts.” Luther states in a short form in the Large Catechism, “But he who does not believe receives nothing” (V:35). That we would make ourselves acceptable, for example, by fine-tuning a special piety, is in no wise the question. The crux of the matter is this, that as pardoned sinners, we can meet our Lord and Savior. Luther says to the communion guests, “[Weak] people with such misgivings must learn that it is the highest wisdom to realize that this sacrament does not depend upon our worthiness” (Large Catechism V:61). As we prepare for the Lord's Supper, we often feel that we are unworthy communion guests. We can be under heavy doubts, and may ponder, “Are we believing in the right manner?” Sometimes there may be some special sin on one's mind, that he has not had the strength to set aside: “Can I go to the Lord's Supper if I have done such a thing?” Before the sanctity of God, our sinfulness comes powerfully evident. The gift of communion is also in the fact that it speaks strongly and admonishes a person to correct his matters. Confession is a grace-privilege, in which we can put away the matters that trouble the conscience. On the other hand, the Lord's Supper does not demand perfection from us. We are sinners in thought, word, and deed. By faith, we can entrust ourselves into God's grace and forgiveness. Jesus has fulfilled all on our behalf. The holy meal gives us strength to rectify our matters. The invitation, “Come, for all is prepared,” is intended for every believer. Most often, congregants who have attended confirmation school partake in the Lord's Supper. According to present practice [in the Ev. Lutheran Church of Finland], children may also come to communion with their parents. As parents, we have the duty in raising our children to prepare them for communion. This means that we speak to the children about its significance. An opportunity for this opens if we take our children with us to communion services. I have noticed, as a father and grandfather, how the children follow the communion service with interest. Already in church, and later at home, they ask about it. We need to answer the questions, explaining that the Lord's Supper is the body and blood of Jesus, which have been given and shed for us. It strengthens our faith. We can bring even small children to the communion table to be blessed. Jesus set the children as an example for a believer, “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14). In this way, children learn to revere communion already when they are small. A Meal of Unity As we kneel at the communion table, we experience communion with Christ and His family members, the other children of God. We do not endeavor alone as believers, but there are dear brothers and sisters around us who escort us. We also experience joy and thankfulness at communion. “The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread” (1 Cor. 10:16,17). During the time of Jesus, table fellowship signified a deeper communion than in our time. “He eats and drinks with sinners,” was a great cause of offense for the Pharisees. At communion, we experience the unity of love towards the other children of God. As we prepare ourselves for communion, matters come to our minds by which we have tried the love of our family and friends. For that reason, we see that communion guests often have matters to discuss with one another and that they ask for forgiveness and forgive each other. The fellowship that we experience at the communion table is not limited to the congregation that is present, not even to just the congregation that is now endeavoring and battling. It extends to that entire rejoicing congregation, which shall once gather at the great communion in heaven. In the manner of the Old Testament, the Lord's Supper is the meal of those preparing for the journey, those on the journey, and those who have made it to the Promised Land.

Juhani Uljas | 2000 The Treasure Hidden In a Field -- Baptism Is the Sign of Covenant God has given promises to people and with them has made covenants, which He has strengthened with visible signs. God does not need signs to remember His covenant, but we weak people with poor memories need them. God made the first covenant with Noah and his sons. “And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth” (Gen. 9:11-13). God made a second covenant with Abraham. God called him and gave him a promise. Abraham accepted the call, believed the promise and was justified by faith. God instituted circumcision as the sign of the covenant. God strengthened this covenant by giving the Law to His people on Mount Sinai. God made His third covenant in His Son, Jesus Christ. The Scriptures call it the New Covenant. Jesus instituted baptism as its sign. Just prior to His ascension into heaven, He said to His disciples, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19,20). This covenant is the fulfillment of God's plan of salvation. Baptism and Faith According to the Gospel of Mark, Jesus said to His disciples, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15-16). The order of God's work is clearly evident: first the gospel, then faith, and after that baptism. The same order appears in the familiar descriptions of repentances in the Acts of the Apostles. The Ethiopian Queen's eunuch listened to the gospel that Philip preached to him as he explained Isaiah's writings. The eunuch believed and wanted to be baptized. Philip said, “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.” The eunuch confessed his faith, and Philip baptized him (Acts 8:26-40). Peter preached the gospel in the home of Cornelius and the listeners believed it; God gave them His Spirit, and they were baptized (Acts 10). According to these portions of Scripture, faith is first and it is followed by baptism. In his treatise, “On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church,” Luther discusses the unity of faith and baptism. He explains that baptism without faith is ineffective: “In like manner, neither does baptism justify or benefit anyone, but it is accomplished by faith in the word of the promise, to which baptism is joined. For faith justifies and fulfills that which baptism signifies.” Are Children Not Worthy? In Scriptural instruction, baptism was not tied to any known age, but it speaks only of baptism. In the early congregation, persons of all ages were baptized in families. This is an example for us. Infant baptism has divided the opinions of people. Already, at the time of the Reformation, there were people that opposed infant baptism, and such continue to exist. They do not approve of the baptism of infants, as the Scriptures do not contain clear instructions on this and they have the opinion that a child does not know how to believe. Luther fought powerfully against this understanding. In the Large Catechism, he wrote, “Here we come to a question (by which the devil confuses the world through his sects), the question of infant baptism. Do children also believe, and is it right to baptize them?” He responds to this question, “That the baptism of infants is pleasing to Christ is sufficiently proved from his own work” (Large Catechism, IV:47,49). When the disciples disputed about who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, Jesus took a child and presented him as the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, as a “model Christian.” He exhorted them to care for children in His name and warned them about offending them because they believe in Him (Matt. 18:1-6). In another context, Jesus said, “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14). According to the teaching of Jesus, no one is more worthy to receive baptism than a little child. Infant baptism is also supported by the circumcision of the Old Testament, which was performed when the child was eight days old. In the Epistle to the Colossians, Paul considers baptism to be the spiritual counterpart of circumcision, “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus, the Lord, so walk ye in him…in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead” (Col. 2:6,11,12). There is reason to examine the faith of a child from the perspective of Christ's redemption work. Christ was born as a person like we are. By sinless conception and birth, He sanctified our births. We are born into a redeemed and reconciled mankind, into the fellowship of the redemption work of Christ. For that reason, a small child believes and is justified by faith. The opponents of infant baptism have the understanding that faith is a work of man by which he shows himself to be acceptable to be a child of God and to be baptized. But that faith, of which Scripture speaks, is a gift of God. Those who disparage infant baptism do not have righteousness of faith but righteousness of works. Baptism and Good Conscience In baptism, God joins a child into the fellowship of His congregation to be cared for. The endeavor as a child of God begins there. When a child grows older, the battle against sin begins. Baptism obligates us to it. Paul writes to the Romans, “So many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the newness of life” (Rom. 6:3,4). According to the teachings of the Small Catechism, baptism signifies that the old Adam in us should be pressed down by daily sorrow and repentance. It must be mortified, with all its sins and evil lusts. In its place, the new man should daily come forth and rise, who shall live before God in righteousness and purity forever (Small Catechism IV:3). Many have been preserved in childhood faith and in the covenant of baptism, but many have lost their faith and good conscience, when endeavoring has been forgotten. The conscience has hardened and has ceased to rebuke. Faith has been replaced by unbelief. God has not forgotten them, but still seeks and calls them into His fellowship. When the lost one receives the grace of repentance and new birth, he returns to the covenant of baptism. He does not need to be baptized again, for the covenant is still in effect on God's part. Baptism and Instruction The commandment to baptize contains the duty to teach: “Teach them to keep all that I have commanded you.” As parents, we have a primary obligation to teach our children and to rear them in the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ. Our own example is an important part of our work of childrearing. Children learn to value faith, God's kingdom, and the holy values associated with them, if these matters are truly important to us. The important things are seen in the life at home. The question is not of overwhelmingly difficult matters, but for example, evening prayers, asking forgiveness, and forgiving. Times for discussion and singing are also good. How blessed it is, if the children are raised so that all go to hear God's Word, whenever the opportunity exists. Instruction in a Christian home is a two-way education. So often the child teaches us to believe. Once, my wife and I were discussing in a rather stern manner. The discussion was broken by our three-year-old firstborn saying, “Why are you arguing? Ask each other for forgiveness already.” In connection with baptism, two or more godparents are named for the child. Their duty is to support the parents in the work of rearing the child. The godparent has received a great gift, a godchild, whose life he can follow as an adult friend. He can be happy and sorrowful with the child, listen to the child and show him love. The godchild also has received an important person to whom he can turn when he wishes. The godparent also has received a duty. When the child was baptized, the godparents and the parents were encouraged to rear him in the Christian faith. It signifies in the first place that, as the child grows, he comes to know what gift he has received in baptism. The gift of baptism is the covenant of a good conscience, as Apostle Peter writes about it (1 Pet. 3:21,22). The most important matter in our lives is to keep faith and a good conscience.

Juhani Uljas | 2000 The Treasure Hidden In a Field -- What Is a Sacrament? The word, “sacrament,” is not found in the English or the Finnish Bible, yet the sacraments are deeply founded in Scripture. In the Latin Bible, the word sacramentum corresponds (ex. Eph. 5:31) to the word mysterion, mystery in the Greek Bible. The mystery of faith, which we cannot fully understand, is connected to sacrament. For that reason, we regard it with the timidity and humility of a child, for we remember that God has ordained it. Christian Doctrine tells about the means of grace, the Word, and the sacraments. In God's Word there are two blades: the Law and the gospel (Heb. 4:12). The duty of the Law is to awaken man to see his condition. The gospel, on the other hand, awakens faith and gives the gift of the forgiveness of sins to the penitent person (1 Pet. 1:23-25). God has given the sacraments to those who have been helped unto faith to support them in their endeavor. According to our Christian Doctrine, the sacraments are holy acts of the congregation, that Jesus Christ himself has instituted. Christ himself is present in them and distributes His grace to us through visible elements (CD 56). In the sacrament God's Word is joined to the visible, even to the elements touchable to the hand, so that we are assured again and again how real is God's grace toward us. The Sacraments Are Signs Given by God The Augsburg Confession teaches that the sacraments are not instituted among people only to be signs of public profession among men. They are, above all, signs and testimonies of God's will toward us. The purpose of the sacraments is to awaken and strengthen the faith of the partakers. For that reason, the partakers must believe and trust in the promises that are offered and shown through the medium of the sacraments (Augsburg Confession XIII). In both the Old and New Testaments the Sacrament is associated with the covenant made by God and His people and the promise given in that connection. God has instituted the sacrament as a sign to remind of His promise. Faith takes hold of the promise of God; the sacrament supports and strengthens faith. There Are Two Sacraments In the Roman Catholic Church there are seven sacraments. During the transitional period of the Reformation, the number of sacraments became a topic of discussion. According to the position of Luther and his friends, the sacraments were to be acts founded on the commandment of God. The Apology to the Augsburg Confession states the matter as follows: “The genuine sacraments, therefore, are Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and absolution (which is the sacrament of penitence)” (XIII:4). Absolution was removed from among the sacraments, because the promise of God was not connected to visible elements but to the Holy Spirit. The resurrected Christ said to His disciples, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost, whosoever sins ye remit…” (John 20:22,23). The sacraments have not been instituted by men or the church, but God has instituted them. We understand in accordance with the Augsburg Confession, that the value or influence of the sacraments is not dependent upon the officiant's' turn of mind or faith. In them, God has joined His Word to visible elements and not to their officiant's having the Holy Spirit (VIII:1). The Correct Use of the Sacraments Luther wrote the 1520 treatise, On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church. In it, he directed his criticism against the sacrament doctrine of the Catholic Church. With the treatise's title, he wanted to indicate that the church had fallen into “Babylonian captivity” because of its errant sacrament doctrine. When speaking of the significance or effect of the sacrament, Luther affirms that there is not a great difference between the sacraments of the Old and New Testaments. In both, first comes God's promise, then faith, which clings to the promise. After that follows the sign which supports and strengthens the faith. For that reason, Luther states that the sacraments are not “fulfilled by doing them, but by believing in them.” According to him, it cannot be true that “the power to justify dwells in them or that they would be signs effecting grace.” They are influential and “give grace surely and effectively when undoubting faith exists.” According to Luther, the sacraments do not benefit unbelievers, even though they should put up no resistance to them. The lack of faith is the most detrimental and persistent obstruction to grace. “Christ says, 'He, who believes, and is baptized, shall be saved, but he, who does not believe, shall be condemned to perdition.' In this manner, He shows that faith is so essential with the sacraments, that it can save even without the sacrament. For that reason, He did not want to add, 'Who does not believe and is not baptized'” (On The Babylonian Captivity of the Church). According to the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, it is most important to understand in what manner the sacraments are to be used. The idea is impossible “that we are justified by an outward worship service without the correct condition of heart, namely, faith. Paul rejects this and teaches that Abraham was not justified by circumcision, but rather that circumcision was a sign given as an expression of faith. We teach in the same way, that in the correct use of the sacraments there must also be faith in the promises associated with them. Faith receives what has been promised and specifically offered in the sacraments. This way of thinking is clear and completely sure.” (Apology of the Augsburg Confession XIII: 18-20 translated from the Finnish version). However, there predominates that same understanding of the sacrament against which Luther fought in his treatise, “On The Babylonian Captivity of the Church.” Therefore, it is necessary for us to hold onto Luther's understanding, which is based on God's Word. According to it, the sacraments were not instituted for receiving faith but for strengthening faith. The correct use of the sacraments requires faith. According to Jesus, living faith will move mountains and overcome the world. In spite of that, the believer does not feel personally strong. One's faith seems weak and doubts surround. Still, no one needs to think that the sacrament would not belong to him because of the weakness of his faith or because of doubts. It is precisely to the weak believer that it belongs. God wants to strengthen our faith through the sacrament and to show that His sure promises are in effect.

Juhani Uljas | 2000 The Treasure Hidden In a Field -- God gave His Law to the people of Israel, in which He revealed His will to man (Exod. 20). Breaking the Law brought a curse and observing it brought a blessing. Neither was the will of God foreign to earlier people, for God had pressed it into man's innermost already in Creation (Rom. 2:14-16). But when man fell into sin, his will yielded to evil and he was no longer a doer of God's will. On the contrary, he wanted to silence the voice of God that he heard inside himself. Moses hewed the Law into two stone tablets so that the will of God would not be forgotten. Scripture uses the word, “Law,” in many senses. In addition to the Ten Commandment Law, the Law refers to the Books of Moses (the Torah) in the Old Testament. They also contain the ordinances of the Law, which are social in nature, as well as those that refer to the Old Testament's divine worship service. Sometimes in the Old Testament, the word, Law, also means the written Word of God. The New Testament and the Law In the New Testament, the Gospels relate that Jesus respected and followed the Law. He said that He has not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17). On the other hand, Jesus often found himself on a collision course with the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law regarding those guides to the Law's interpretation which were called the traditional commandments. The acts and epistles of the Apostles tell how the early congregation related to the Law. The Christian faith was born in the bosom of Judaism, but very soon it received supporters from among the Gentiles. The need arose to clarify the relationship of believers to the Law. At the meeting of the apostles (Acts 15), it was decided that the Gentile believers did not need to have themselves circumcised, neither did they otherwise need to fulfill the ordinances of the Law that the Jews followed. Paul's epistles clearly teach that Christians are not under the Law because Christ has fulfilled the Law. Paul shows that the function of the Law is not to help man to salvation, but to show him to be a sinner. The Law leads man to Christ to be pardoned. The Reformation and the Law Righteousness by faith and the related question of the function and use of the Law were pivotal questions at the time of the Reformation. It opened to Luther what Paul meant, when he wrote to the Romans, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith” (Rom.1:16,17). After this discovery, Luther wanted to cleanse from the teaching of the church all the works of man that had adhered to it. The core content of the Reformation crystallized into, “Alone by faith, alone by grace, and alone for the sake of Christ.” The Formula of Concord is the last of the confessional books. It was composed after the death of Luther. It differs from the other confessional books in the fact that it resolves doctrinal differences that had arisen among the Lutherans. This document also deals with the question of the function of the Law. According to it, the Law has three separate functions or uses: First, with the aid of God's Law, “unruly and undisciplined persons are kept within the realm of outward order and decency.” Second, the Law of God teaches all people to recognize their sins. Third, the Law also guides those people who have turned to God and have received the grace of new birth. They also must live “within the Law of God.” Now, we will proceed to examine these three functions more extensively. The First Function of the Law In the beginning, we noted that the Law of the Old Testament also contained the temporal law of the nation of Israel. Its basis was the Ten Commandment Law. It had been given not only to reveal God's will, but also to protect man. According to Scripture, the believing person understands that society and the government have been established by God. The Word of God instructs us, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God.…Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For, for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour” (Rom. 13:1-7). Luther's teachings of the two regiments or governments are connected with the first function of the Law. According to Luther, God has established two types of government among men. The spiritual government is founded on God's Word. With its help, people are intended to become righteous or justified, so that by this righteousness they would attain eternal life. He cares for this righteousness with His Word, which He has entrusted to the care of preachers. The earthly government is established upon the sword. In this manner, even those, who do not want to become righteous by the Word and justified for eternal life, are forced to be righteous before the world. God maintains this social righteousness with the assistance of the sword. Although He does not reward it with eternal life, He wants it to remain in force to preserve peace among the people. God rewards temporal righteousness with temporal benefits. The two governing authorities must not be confused or connected to each other. The first function of the Law guides a person to societal righteousness. In its sphere, Christians also are “under the Law.” We do not respect the Law out of fear of punishment, but, above all, for the sake of a good conscience. Societal righteousness must be carefully separated from righteousness by faith. Also, the most law-abiding and exemplary person is sinful and godless, unless he believes the merit of Christ as his own. The Second Function of the Law The Law promises that whoever fulfills it will be saved. The Fall into sin, however, so corrupted man that he could not fulfill the Law. Because of sin, it is impossible for us to reach eternal life by way of the Law. But sin did not invalidate the will of God; the Law continues to be in force. Its duty remained to show every person to be a sinner. Luther said, that the Law is like a “hound” that chases the sinful person to Christ. Paul describes the second use of the Law in this way, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:20). Scripture also teaches that God's Word is like a two-edged sword (Heb. 4:12). The Law's edge awakens the consciousness of sin in an unbelieving listener. The other, the Word's edge, the gospel, proclaims to the person awakened by the Law that Christ has fulfilled the Law on his behalf. For that reason, the sinful person can believe his sins forgiven because of Christ's merit. The Third Function of the Law It is mentioned in the Formula for Concord that there had been contention regarding the third function of the Law. The comment refers to the so-called Antinomians, against whom Luther had to struggle. They approved only the first function of the Law. According to their teachings, the grace of God was taken as a cover for the permissiveness of sin and the freedom of the flesh. The third function of the Law means that, in the believer's life, the Law should reveal sin and teach good deeds. Paul rejected this concept. He wrote to the Galatians, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster” (Gal. 3:24,25). According to the formal principle of the Reformation, the Holy Word of God rises in this manner above the confessional books. The Law and how it functions also has been discussed in Laestadianism's circles. This has taken place especially during times of schism. The disagreements have concerned the third use of the Law. This was a central subject of contention in the discussions at the end of the 1800s and beginning of the 1900s, when the New Awakened and Firstborn separated from the original Laestadianism. Conservativism retained the original understanding of Laestadianism: the Law does not belong to a Christian. Also, during the schism of the 1930s, the third function of the Law was one of the reasons for disagreement, though more covertly. Grace as a Teacher Rejection of the third function of the Law has not led the children of God to permissiveness of sin. We have received another teacher in place of the Law, for God has given us His Spirit to be our home tutor (Rom. 6:14-18; Gal. 2:19-21; Gal. 5:13). The grace of God has come to guide us, instead of the Law, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world (Tit. 2:11,12). The wholesome grace of God that brings salvation does not teach one to commit sin but gives strength to fight against it. Grace does not teach differently than the Ten Commandment Law. However, the judgment and curse of the Law have been removed because Christ has fulfilled the Law. The apostles wrote to the people of their time many words of instruction, teaching, and rebuke. We, too, need the instructions of love contained in the gospel. They are not the Law. They are not given to us so that, by following them, we would become acceptable or righteousness before God. The instructions are necessary so that we would be able to preserve the righteousness of Christ, which we have received through faith without our own achievements and merits. The instructions strengthen and support the teaching of wholesome grace, which we hear as the voice of the conscience. Believers want to journey as children of the light. The wholesome grace of God leads us to the light. Paul uses beautiful descriptive language, when he emphasizes the value of the gospel, “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6). In the gospel's shining light, not even the best endeavorer will accrue merits. Our security is the forgiveness of sins because of Christ's merit.

Juhani Uljas | 2000 The Treasure Hidden In a Field -- When I was a young man, I had an interest in spiritual subjects. I considered myself to be a believer, but I wasn't sure about it. I had the understanding about Laestadian Christians that, in discussion, they would very quickly turn the topic to matters of faith and would encourage one to repent. And this they did to me, also. I thought then that they certainly are difficult people. However, those discussions forced me to consider what repentance is. Although they tried to explain the matter to me, I did not comprehend it. I rebuffed the offers, but God did not leave me at peace. When His time was come, I received the grace of repentance. Only then did I begin to understand that repentance was not my work, but that of God. It was His gift, which I accepted when it was offered to me. He also brought about a receptive mind. In my case, it required time and removal of my own ideas and strength. That event turned the direction of my life. It signified a deeper change than I then comprehended. Almost five decades have passed since then, during which the world has changed. Apparently, people have an even more obscure understanding than before of what repentance means. Many people think that repentance takes place when a person corrects his life so that it is more in accordance with God's Word, avoiding sin and doing good. Such a self-made repentance is the building of self-righteousness. It is not acceptable before God. Even many persons, who are correctly believing, mix repentance with the setting aside of sin and correction of matters, which takes place in confession. Repentance and confession are separate matters. Scripture and Confessional Books Teach About Repentance In the new [Finnish] Church Bible, the word “repentance” has been changed to conversion in some instances, but the content of the matter has not changed. God shows man that the direction of his way and life is wrong, and thus requires a change of direction. In repentance or conversion, there is not a question of checking the direction but of changing it. Neither is there a question of mere “surface remodeling,” nor even of a fundamental change for the better, but of construction on an entirely new foundation. Scripture also contains other expressions that mean the same as repentance. Of them, rebirth probably has the most significance. It describes in detail what is at issue in repentance. The Pharisee Nicodemus did not comprehend the necessity of new birth, even though Jesus taught him (John 3:1-21). Do we comprehend? When He started His public activity, Jesus proclaimed, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). In this condensed program announcement are found the crucial matters relative to repentance: God's kingdom, penitence, and believing the gospel. It also shows that the preaching of repentance has a central place in the work of God's kingdom. Christ's forerunner, John the Baptist, preached in the same manner (Matt. 3:2). Just before He ascended into heaven, Christ still reminded His disciples, “Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:46,47). The speech of Paul at the Areopagus in Athens culminated in the admonition to repent, “But now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30). The Scriptures give us many examples, how people have repented when approached by God. The Old Testament describes the repentances of the high priest Joshua (Zech. 3) and King David (2 Sam. 12:1-13). The New Testament again depicts how the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32); the thief on the cross (Luke 23:39-43); the Ethiopian Queen's eunuch (Acts 8:26-39); the Pharisee, Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:1-18); and the Roman centurion Cornelius (Acts 10) received the grace of repentance. Each of the people mentioned was different. Their spiritual backgrounds and the outward framework of their repentances differed. But on each occasion, penitence and the receiving of the forgiveness of sins were clearly in evidence. Also present was God's congregation, to whom the resurrected Christ left the office to preach the forgiveness of sins in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Apology of the Augsburg Confession states that the doctrine regarding repentance should be the brightest and clearest of all in the church. The doctrine of repentance and the doctrine of justification belong closely together, for the doctrine of penitence [repentance] ought to be as clear and plain as possible in the church (XXI:41 and XII:59) The Augsburg Confession, for its part, stipulates that repentance actually contains two parts. One is penitence, or the fear caused by consciousness of sin, which presses upon the conscience. The second is faith, which is born of the gospel, the remission of sins. Faith trusts in the fact that one's sins are forgiven for the sake of Christ. This gives consolation for the conscience and frees it from fear. After this will follow good deeds, which are the fruits of repentance (XII:3-6). Repentance, from beginning to end, is the work of God, which includes penitence caused by consciousness of sin, believing the gospel, and a new life. God calls man to Him, awakens the conscience, and engenders sorrow over sin. “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death” (2 Cor. 7:10). The Call of God A person loses his childhood faith because of sin and disobedience. Many do not even know when such a loss took place. Faith, even the faith of a child, needs care. If God's Word is not allowed to care for a conscience, the faith-connection to God is severed. A person raised in a believing home and there rooted into God's kingdom may remember how sins that one couldn't put away piled up on the conscience. Little by little the conscience hardened and stopped admonishing him. The flame of faith was extinguished. God's Spirit departed because of disobedience, and it was replaced by the spirit of the world. The extinguishing of faith is not always a slow event. It is rapid, for example, when a believer falls into public sins and does not want to repent and give them up. In this way, he denies his faith by his manner of life. However, God does not forget a person who has turned his back to Him, but calls the person, who has lost his faith, back into fellowship with Him. The person hears the call of God in his conscience. God calls the person who has lost faith in many ways: through difficulties in life, suffering, and the example of others, but especially by His Word. The drift of the prodigal son's life into a dead end brought him to a stop. The father's home, which he had once wanted to leave, came to mind in a different light. Many have experienced a near one's death as a reminder from God. Unavoidably, the thought has come, “Someday, perhaps soon, it will be my turn to leave. What will be my condition or portion at that time?” A serious illness can stop a busy person. The things that filled life earlier now fall into the background, and the person's relationship to God begins to occupy the mind. The repentance of a friend or a relative touches a person even if he tries to relate to it with indifference or even scorn. God calls a person especially through the preaching of His Word. The gatherings of the believers are occasions in which the Holy Spirit teaches the way of salvation. Often the matters that were learned in childhood and the instructions of Scripture also remind and rebuke the sinner. When a person's interest in matters of faith has been kindled, his heart opens to God's Word, and he no longer wants to close it. But borrowing words from the handbook, Christian Doctrine: “Man can, however, reject God's calling. At that time, he presents many defenses in order to avoid standing in the light of God's face. In this way, he sinks still deeper into indifference and hardens his heart. This can lead to spiritual death” (CD 69). God's Word warns us not to harden our hearts if we hear His voice today (Heb. 3:15). Awakening God's call awakens the conscience of man. Christian Doctrine describes the awakening in this way: “When God stops a sinner before Him, he is compelled to see his true state. He sees that he has broken God's commandments. He begins to grasp that he not only has individual sins, but that the direction of his entire life is wrong. But in addition to distress over sin, in him awakens a drawing to the Savior and a hope that in spite of all the Savior will not reject him. This distress over sin and longing for grace before God is called awakening” (CD 70). The prodigal son awakened in a foreign land to see his sinfulness. He remembered how all was well in the Father's home and decided to return. Sometimes, repentance is viewed as having taken place at that point. If this interpretation were correct, then the redemption work of Christ would have been in vain. Repentance would be a person's own decision. The grace of God, which seeks and saves, would be unnecessary. “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (Eph. 5:14). Awakening is not yet repentance, even though repentance includes the awakening of the conscience. Consciousness of Sin An awakened person becomes aware of having committed sin against God. He remembers deeds and speech that his conscience condemns as wrong. They press upon his conscience. However, sin is not only known deeds and words, but it is much more. Those individual matters are only the tip of the iceberg. “Sin is the falling away of the heart from God” (CD 23). Having completed creation, God examined His resultant work; He saw all, including man, to be good. However, in the Fall, the nature of man was corrupted so that his desire turned to evil and he became an enemy of God (Col. 1:21). This poor heritage from the first people is common to all mankind. It is called inherited sin. From this internal corruption proceed evil thoughts, speech, and deeds, which are called actual sin (CD 21, CD 22). These deeds are fruits of original sin and unbelief. A scribe once came to Jesus and asked, “What is the greatest commandment of all in the Law?” Jesus answered, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength, and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Mark 12:28). A sin-fallen, unbelieving person, cannot love God, because he is God's enemy. Therefore, even his best deeds do not take him closer to God. God does not presume that an awakened person would comprehend the entire depth of his corruption of sin. It is sufficient for God that man recognizes that he has transgressed against Him and that by his own deeds man cannot be reconciled with God but needs pardon. Penitence The awakened person begins to seek God's kingdom so that he can hear the gospel. The prodigal son thought, “I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no longer worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants” (Luke 15:18,19). Repentance is a change of heart. In it, a person regrets his sins and wants to turn away from them. The question is of the consciousness of sin and not the listing of sins. “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight” (Ps. 51:4). “Contrition is the genuine terror of a conscience that feels God's wrath against sin and is sorry that it has sinned. This contrition takes place when God's Word denounces sin” (Apology of the Augsburg Confession XII:29). Believing the Gospel According to Luther, true contrition is the work of the Holy Spirit. (The first debate with the Antinomians). It leads to believing the gospel. In his book, “The Last Testament of the Bloody King, Our Lord Jesus Christ-An Explanation of the Sacrament of the Holy Supper,” Luther counsels the contrite person, “It is the correct path that you come there, where My Word is, and hear it, and receive it in faith; then you will be freed from sin in My Word of grace.” He warns about contrition without faith, “If you had all of the contrition in the world, but no faith, then it would be the contrition of Judas, which angers rather than appeases God. Nothing will turn the affection of God toward us except that we give Him the honor that He is the God of truth and grace. It is done only by the person who believes His Word.” Christian Doctrine makes this teaching by Luther briefer, “Penitence without faith is despair” (CD 71). The most important part of repentance, therefore, is believing the gospel. True repentance is not possible without God's kingdom and its preaching of remission coming within hearing distance. The important duty of the congregation of God is to proclaim the gospel of the forgiveness of sins to the penitent person. According to the Augsburg Confession, “True repentance is nothing but contrition and fear because of sin and, at the same time, faith in the gospel and absolution.” The questions is of faith in this, that sin has been forgiven and grace has been received through Christ. Again, this faith consoles and satisfies the heart. It is followed also by improvement of one's life and leaving sin, for these must be the fruit of repentance. As John the Baptist says in the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance” (Matt. 3:8). New Life When a penitent person believes the gospel, new birth occurs: he becomes a child of God. Life in faith and the fellowship of God's kingdom begins at this point. God's grace brings about the improvement of life. It teaches him to reject godless ways and to live a godly life before God and men. Christ's Spirit awakens in the heart of one who has been helped to believe the desire for a new life and also gives him the strength for this. When sin attaches and makes the journey slow, he wants to put sin away and believe it forgiven (Heb. 12:1-2). A believer does not become perfect; he commits sin every day in thought, word, and deed. We are both sinful and righteous at the same time. However, the direction of life changes. The first sign of this is love. The relationship to God changes to one between a child and a loving Father. The children of God, brothers and sisters, become dear. The heart begins to be ruled by the wholesome grace of God, obedience of faith, and the correct fear of God. It is the fear of a child, in which one cries out to the Heavenly Father, “Abba, dear Father.” Thus begins the endeavor of a Christian.

Juhani Uljas | 2000 The Treasure Hidden In a Field -- As a young man, I attended a spiritual gathering. The speaker at the occasion was a traveling pastor, who also sold religious literature. I purchased some volumes of Luther's Selected Works. I got them cheap as they were the last of an old printing. I do not remember whether I purchased them to actually read them, or merely to support a good cause. However, I glanced through them at home and became interested in the book, entitled “Regarding the Keys.” On various occasions, I had discussed with my Conservative Laestadian friends about matters concerning faith. They often spoke about the keys and the authority of the keys. Of what opinion might Luther be regarding the matter in question? I thought that Luther surely would deal with the matter on the basis of the Catholic church's practices. I had read church history in school and had been interested in it even. But it certainly was possible that I would find in Luther's views some enlightenment on the question that had started to occupy my mind. I read and underlined the portions that, in my mind, were most essential and worth remembering. One portion stopped me. Luther wrote that the keys are an office or power given to Christendom by God to forgive people their sins. He based his understanding on the place in the New Testament (Matt. 9:6), in which it is described how Jesus forgave the sins of the paralyzed man and only after that healed him and how the crowds of people praised God, Who had given such authority to man. Luther further said, that God does not forgive sins in any other way. So Luther was of the same opinion as my Laestadian friends on this, that God has left the office to His congregation to forgive sins and that an unbelieving person cannot receive peace for his conscience unless he hears and believes the preaching of the forgiveness of sins. I did not immediately go to tell my friends that they were correct and that I was in error. I did not admit that my argument, that God can forgive sins in many ways, was a Pharisaic fantasy although Luther so labeled it. It was not easy to give up my own opinions and humble myself to be a beggar of grace. My structures began to crumble and my foundations give way. I had to ponder over and over again how God gives faith and peace of conscience to a person who is seeking and yearning for Him. God Has Instituted the Office of Preaching Probably, I am not the only person who has found it difficult to accept the fact that God has given to people the duty of preaching remission. This was the way it was in the time of Jesus. When He preached the forgiveness of sins to the man with the palsy, the scribes became angry and thought, “He is blaspheming God” (Mark 2:5-7; Matt. 9:2,3; Luke 5:20,21). I did not comprehend the matter either until I received the grace of repentance. Only after that, have I understood that the office of the preaching of reconciliation is a deeply scriptural matter that belongs to God's salvation plan. Paul writes to the Corinthians, “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:19). God was in Christ, He suffered, died and atoned for the sins of men in this manner. When the spear of the Roman soldier pierced the side of Christ, the holy atoning blood that flowed from it extinguished God's anger and fulfilled the demands of His righteousness. Christ's blood did not flow to dry on the rock of Golgatha and merely be a historic fact within our reach. God preserved its sermon of atonement, so that the purity and forgiveness that it provides would be therein offered to the penitent sinner. Having arisen, Christ appeared in the midst of His disciples behind closed doors. He brought the greetings of the peace made upon the cross. He showed His pierced hands and side as signs of victory. He breathed on His disciples and said, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosoever sins ye retain, they are retained” (John 20:19-23). In this manner, the disciples received the office and the authority to preach the forgiveness of sins. The resurrected Lord bound himself to the sermon of His disciples. This office was not received only by those disciples of Jesus to whom He gave it himself; it has been received by all who have themselves believed the sermon of the forgiveness of sins. Man is truly unfit for this duty, but God has made His child fit for it. “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament” (2 Cor. 3:5,6). The Office of Preaching Is the Function of the Holy Spirit The office of preaching is not bound to anything visible, such as the sacraments. An examination or demonstration of skill is not required of this office holder, as is demanded of one in the official outward office of the priesthood. The duty, nevertheless, has its own qualifications. This is clarified by the cited portion of the Gospel of John, in which Christ gave His disciples the authority to forgive sins. The office of preaching atonement is the office of the Holy Spirit. Paul reveals the same matter in this manner, “We have this ministry, as we have received mercy” (2 Cor. 4:1). The Holy Spirit dwells in the heart of the pardoned sinner and authorizes him as a holder of the office of the Spirit without taking into consideration education or gender. The Office of Preaching Builds One Congregation of Christ In the Acts of the Apostles, it tells how the disciples set out to fulfill their missionary duty. Jesus had given it to them on Easter evening and renewed it before He ascended into heaven. When the promise of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit had been fulfilled, the apostles preached the gospel of the resurrected Christ to the people gathered. God blessed their sermon and a large group believed. Luke concludes his description of the first Pentecost services, "And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved" (Acts 2:47). The office of preaching gathers the gospel's believers into the fellowship of the congregation. The Holy Spirit builds Christ's church through it. When man receives the grace of new birth, the Holy Spirit does not leave him an orphan and separate, but joins him to the body of Christ as a living member. No one can take the office of preaching out of the congregation. The words and the outward form of the proclamation can be borrowed but its power cannot. Luther reveals the unity of the office of preaching and the congregation that is ruled by the Holy Spirit in this way, "There is no Word of God without the congregation, nor is there a congregation without the Word of God." By saying this, he does not mean the written, but, specifically, the preached Word of God.

Juhani Uljas | 2000 Treasure Hidden in a Field -- Man Seeks God People have sought God at all times and in all cultures. Massive temples built long ago in different parts of the world relate of mankind's seeking and yearning for God. When one looks at these constructions, the thoughts of the Preacher of the Old Testament [in Ecclesiastes] have come to my mind. He states that God made everything beautiful in His time and also placed eternity in the hearts of the people. The Preacher adds that no man is able to find out the works of God, neither their beginning nor their end (Eccl. 3:11). Atheists claim that there is no God. Apparently, they base their belief on the premise that no one has seen God and, therefore, His existence cannot be proven. Atheists are seekers. Even they seek God. They have merely strayed because they have sought Him in the wrong way and in the wrong place. Our time is full of distress. Fears encircle man, who feels insecure in the midst of continuing change. The insecurity is increased by the news of world events conveyed to us by modern media. Materialism appears to be the ideal that rules the world. If some system, that has been built upon it, falls, another one steps into its place. Its name and apparel change, but the materialistic world of values is retained, although history shows undeniably, that material prosperity alone cannot give man security or success. Distress drives him to seek the meaning of his life, to seek God. Where, then, is God? Has He died, as some theologians proclaimed in their slogan in the 1960s? Many seekers have strayed. The seeker rushes hither and yon and doesn't even know what he is really seeking. The person who is estranged from God makes for himself a god of his own liking. It differs as much from the living God as the ancient gods of stone, clay, wood, or gold. Is man's quest condemned to be a failure? It is, if the question were only of man's quest. Jesus says, “No man can come unto me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him” (John 6:44). The Word of God tells us clearly that God seeks man. He wants man to find Him and to receive peace for his soul. For that reason, the Word of God is true, “Seek and ye shall find!” God Seeks Man In the Fall into sin, man lost his connection with God. He had gone astray, although he probably didn't notice it right away. God, however, noticed it and went out to seek His children who had strayed. This shows the deepest essence of God, love. He could have turned His back forever on the disobedient ones and left them under the power of death. They, themselves, had chosen their portion. But God did not act in this fashion, but went to seek them. He walked in Paradise, which He had given to man, and called them. When they heard God drawing closer, they were afraid and hid themselves. It is difficult for a fallen person to meet God, even though he may yearn for Him. For that reason, man cannot be a seeker of God on his own initiative, but God must take the initiative. Man may still hear God's seeking voice in his conscience. Through the conscience, God awakens a desire in man to go to seek Him. God also has given us His Word, the Holy Scriptures, as a guide when we seek Him. In the Gospel of Luke, chapter 15, there are three parables which describe God, who loves and seeks sinful man. The first one is the description of the shepherd, who leaves his flock for a moment and goes out to seek one sheep that strayed and was lost. Having found the sheep, the shepherd put it upon his shoulder and brought it back into the flock. The lost sheep had known how to leave the flock of its own strength, but could not return when it was wounded and tired. The shepherd did everything and carried the lost sheep back into the flock. The second parable tells about a woman who had lost a coin, looked for it, and found it. We will return to this, but first we will examine the third and surely most familiar parable, the prodigal son. The young man had departed from his father's home. Apparently, he wanted to forget his father and home, and they did not return to his mind too much as long as he had enough money and friends. He forgot his father's home because he had such a good time in the world. But then came the trials and difficulties, hunger and distress. His friends rejected him and the world showed its true, hard face. Then he remembered the father and the father's home. The prodigal son wanted to return home. It was not easy after everything that had taken place, but his distress drove him and the desire grew more urgent. Life's difficulties can make a person think of the direction of his life and are expressions of God's love by which He brings about the desire to seek Him. Our Christian Doctrine states, “The Holy Spirit awakens the sorrowless sinner with the destinies of life, suffering, and the examples of others, but especially with the Word of God” (Christian Doctrine 67). The Congregation of God Seeks Man God uses His congregation to assist Him in seeking man. The parable of the woman, who lost and found her coin tells of this (Luke 15:8-10). God's congregation is depicted in this parable by a woman, as it is in many other Bible portions. The coin that fell upon the floor or the ground is a person who has become separated from God and His congregation. Even here, God is a working, active participant; man, himself is helpless and passive. This is depicted in the parable that Matthew preserved for us-Jesus describing a net, that was thrown into the sea and that gathered all kinds of fish (Matt. 13:47). Jesus sent His disciples to do this work. He made them fishers of men. The seeking work of God's kingdom continues in the world to the end of time. Only then will the net be drawn to shore. The Time of Visitation Christian Doctrine teaches: “There are periods in man's life during which God especially draws man to Him. Such a period is called a time of visitation. Most often, God calls us already in our youth” (CD 68). In Ecclesiastes, are the words, “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them” (Eccl. 12:1). The time of youth is a time of visitation. The young person's mind is open, without conditions, and has ideals. He creates his own image of the world and chooses the direction for his life. God seeks him, and he seeks God. Fortunate is he who has found the way to God in his youth and has become His child. Oh, how much sorrow and suffering he is spared! I remember how I, myself, experienced a time of visitation in my youth. Matters concerning faith started to be of interest. I already believed that God exists, but now my relationship to God became the subject of contemplation. What does God require of me? What will be my portion when life ends? I thought of these things when I went to confirmation school. I do not remember that confirmation school in itself had much significance for me. It was more significant to me that I received a leather-bound New Testament from my aunt as a confirmation gift. I read it and underlined the portions which, in my mind, were important and parts of which I thought I understood something. I did not feel that I had anyone from whom I could seek advice, and so my interest weakened, although it wasn't extinguished completely. Later, God took hold of my life again. In my discussions with people, I have heard many of them describe how God has spoken to them in the years of their youth. The narrators have included those, who are believing, as well as those whose time of visitation has passed without their finding what they sought. God can speak to man even later, all the way into old age. A person's temporal life is called the time of grace, as he can find a merciful God and His grace kingdom during that time. One's entire life, however, is not a time of visitation. For that reason, it is worthwhile to heed God's invitation. We have no guarantee that we will hear His inviting voice later. The Word of God admonishes, “I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee. Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). The time of visitation is not a matter that affects only one person, but an entire nation or community. Scriptures recount how the elect people of God had a time of visitation during the Old Covenant and even at the beginning of the New Covenant. The living congregation of God was in their midst. The prophets admonished them to take heed of the time of visitation. Isaiah preached, “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near” (Isa. 55:6). At the beginning of the New Covenant, Jesus, himself, preached, “The kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). He sent His disciples to preach the same sermon. However, not everyone accepted the call of God's kingdom, rather their time of visitation passed them by. Jesus lamented the fate of those cities, around which He had mainly preached for the major part of His public activity (Luke 10:12-15). He wept for Jerusalem, because its residents did not know their time of visitation (Luke 19:41-44). History indicates that God has given different nations a time of visitation at different times. It has ended for many of them, as it happened to Israel. Our own nation [Finland] also has received a time of visitation, which has been longer than for many other nations. We do not know how long it will last. It could end when the people close their ears to God's call. The Joy of the Finder Jesus' parables about seeking God's kingdom also tell of finding it and of the joy that brings. When the seeker finds, he experiences joy. The shepherd rejoiced when he found his sheep and invited all of his friends to rejoice with him. Jesus explains how heaven rejoices over every sinner who repents. The woman who found the lost coin was overjoyed and invited her friends to rejoice with her. According to Jesus, God's angels rejoice over every sinner who repents. Festivities began at the prodigal son's home when he returned. He had imagined for himself a servant's position but found that he was the central person at the feast. Surely the prodigal son felt joy, when his sins were forgiven and he was once more the father's dear son. Jesus tells about the joy of the finder in His parable about the man, who found a treasure hidden in a field. Because of his joy, the man exchanged everything that he already owned for that field where he found the treasure (Matt. 13:44).

Juhani Uljas | 2000 Treasure Hidden in a Field -- General and Specific Revelation God is a hidden God. The Almighty God, the Creator of heaven and earth, does not fit into our comprehension, but remains hidden. However, He has revealed himself to us, so that we would come to know Him. Our Christian Doctrine teaches us how God reveals himself. First, it describes God's general revelation: “God meets us in nature, in the fates of our lives and the phases of nations. He speaks to us in our conscience.” Then Christian Doctrine speaks of specific revelation, “God especially reveals himself to us in the Holy Scripture and our Savior Jesus Christ” (CD 4). God has given us His Word to help us know Him. If we do not allow the Scriptures to guide us, we will not find answers to our most basic and important questions. Above all, we will not come to know our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. In Him, God reveals himself to us, His righteousness as well as His love. Discussion on the Authority of the Bible Is the Bible the Word of God? Does one have to believe it literally? Does the Bible now have the authority that it had in past times? These are some of the questions that we have heard in recent times. They tell us that the Bible and its authority are being discussed. This discussion is not only a phenomenon of the current decade. It has continued throughout the entire period of Christendom, actually, since the serpent asked in Paradise, “Did God truly say…?” An objective of the biblical discussion of the last decades has been to break down the authority of the Scriptures as the Word of God by depending on so-called critical Bible research. In their studies, young people become familiar with a world view, that differs from the Bible's teachings. In this way, they come to ponder the trustworthiness of the Bible. The critique of the Scriptures has attained more favorable response than before, since the modern person is averse to any authority. He would want to determine for himself what God is like, and decide, himself, what is right and what is wrong. It has been shown previously that a person does not go far with his own ability. We need God's Word, the Scriptures. The Bible's Origin The Bible contains all that God has seen necessary to reveal to people. It describes God to us, His will and what we sinful people are like. God, himself, has not written the Bible, rather people have written it as a God-given task. God, however, has been present at the origin of the Bible through the Holy Spirit: “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Pet. 1:21,22). The Bible came into being over a long period of time. At first, its content was in oral form. The Bible was written and collected into a book over a period of more than a millennium. The Old Testament was written almost entirely in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek. The original texts have not been preserved till our time. If some text got worn in use, it was carefully copied and the old text was destroyed. Most of the books of the Old Testament had been in use for centuries already before the canon or holy book was compiled of them. The same applies to the New Testament, whose canon was finally established as recently as 390 AD. There were two bases for selection. First of all, the writing needed to be of apostolic origin, and secondly, it had to have been used in the teachings and divine worship of the congregation from the beginning. The history of the origin of the Bible has raised a question, “How unchanging has the revelation of God remained when it has been continually copied?” We could only achieve an answer to the question if we could find manuscripts that are noticeably older than those known at the present time. The interest in Scripture's original texts arose only as a consequence of the Reformation in the 1500s. The best possible source text was needed to make reliable translations. The original texts were collected and compared to each other. However, the destroyers of the texts had done a thorough job. The oldest manuscripts of the Old Testament were from 900-1000 AD. Only at the end of the 1800s, were parchment scrolls found in Cairo; the oldest of them were from 600 AD. In 1947, shepherds found manuscripts in a cave in Qumran, near the Dead Sea, which included portions of almost all of the Old Testament books. The most important of them was the entire Book of Isaiah. These texts were almost a thousand years older than the oldest books known thus far. Comparison of the texts has shown that the copiers have done conscientious work. The differences have been minor and they have not affected the factual content. Also an abundance of Greek manuscripts of the New Testament have been found. There are two texts dating back to about 200 AD, which contain almost the entire New Testament. The oldest portion of New Testament text is from 120 AD. It contains portions of the 18th chapter of the Gospel of John. For centuries, scholars have worked to trace a biblical text as close as possible to the original. They have worked toward their goal also through linguistic methods. A jigsaw puzzle of thousands of pieces has been put together to form a reliable basic text, which has been published. It is not the original, but the differences are apparently quite minor. No one can read the original Bible in his native tongue, for the languages in which the Bible was originally written are no longer in use. Exclusive of experts in the original tongues, we need to depend on translations when we read the Word of God. Already in 200 BC, the Old Testament was translated into Greek (Septuagint) and in 400 AD, the entire Bible was translated into Latin (Vulgate). We also have had our own Finnish [and English] Bible for centuries already. We understand through faith that God has protected and preserved His message all the way from oral tradition through the various phases of translation efforts. He has taken care that His message has been passed on to people throughout the millennia. Understanding this reveals the Bible's value to us: it is a unique book. Due to the manner of its birth, the Bible also has a human side. The saints of God, who spoke and wrote the Word of God, were bound to the image of the world and the culture of their time. This is seen also in the writings of the Scriptures. However, the divine and the human aspects are so intertwined in the Scriptures, that there is no reason to ponder what is divine and what is human in them. The Bible is the Word of God in human words. Therein He has revealed himself, His love, and His will to us. “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8) [Finnish Bible translation also says, “ettäs kätket Jumalan sanan,” meaning “that you would heed the Word of God”]. The Bible tells about historical events at length. It also contains descriptions of nature, animals, and stars, but, above all, the Bible is a textbook for salvation. The most central question of the New Testament is: What must I do that I would be saved? Some people say that the Bible does not need to be interpreted so literally, nor do its teachings hold any longer, for it has originated within the sphere of the old Semitic and Hellenistic cultures. We cannot agree with these statements, if we consider the Bible to be God's Word. Jesus and the Scripture During the time of Jesus, the Old Testament was already in written form. The authors of the New Testament tell us that He honored the Word of God. The 12-year-old Jesus tarried in the temple discussing the Holy Scriptures with the scribes. He both listened and asked questions. The teachers marveled at His knowledge of God's Word (Luke 2:46). Jesus' response to His parents is His earliest speech preserved for us. It contains something prophetical, which, for all its brevity, reveals the house of God to us and the authority of God's Word. It is worth our while, too, to be interested in God's Word and to study it. Jesus responded with God's Word to all the temptations and enticements of the enemy of the soul (Matt. 4:1-11). The Word was so respected by Him, that He did not need to justify it or prove it to be right. Jesus told of the rich man and Lazarus. In the narrative, Father Abraham responded to the rich man, who was in torment, “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them” (Luke 16:29). Unless a person believes the teaching of God's Word, he will not believe, even if someone rose from the dead and counseled him. The Bible guides us in our temporal life to the way of salvation. Jesus was critical of the scribes and the traditions, that they had drawn up to interpret the Law of Moses. But His criticism was never directed toward the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament. Somewhat to their surprise, he admonished people to listen to the scribes, who sat on the seat of Moses. According to Jesus, they cared for the teaching office of Moses and the prophets (Matt. 23:2). After His Resurrection, Jesus appeared to two of His disciples on the road to Emmaus. He rebuked them, as they had not believed the prophets, who had prophesied precisely of Him. Then Jesus explained Moses and all of the prophets to them (Luke 24:13-35). The examples show that the Bible was the authority for Jesus, although He, himself, was the center and fulfillment of the revelation of God. “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31). The Reformation and the Bible During the Reformation in the 1500s, the authority of the Scriptures became a crucial question. Luther and his friends could not accept that in the church of that time the decisions of the church councils, the thoughts of individual teachers, and church tradition had sidelined the Bible from its original position. Their position crystallized to become the formal principle of the Reformation, which is revealed in the confessional books of the Lutheran Church, “We believe, teach, and confess that the prophetic and apostolic writings of the Old and New Testaments are the only rule and norm according to which all doctrines and teachers alike must be appraised and judged ” (Book of Concord, p. 464). Luther wrote in his preface to the German Bible, “We must always allow the prophets and the apostles to sit in the teacher's place and listen at their feet to what they say, and we will not dictate what they should hear.” When this formula was followed in the Reformation, it led to a second principle: “Alone by faith, alone by grace, and alone by the merit of Christ.” Luther explained graphically the general and specific revelation, “According to merits, one cannot be called a theologian, who strives to know the invisible characteristics of God in creatures, but he [can], who knows the visible and hidden characteristics of God in suffering and the cross” (Heidelberg Disputation 1518, Theses 19 and 20). He did not belittle the general revelation, but stated that one does not come to know God by it. He added that God does not reveal himself even in one's reading of the Scriptures; for this, one needs Christ, His cross, and suffering. “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins” (Heb.1:3). Christ Is the Lord of the Bible The Bible is a rich book. It provides answers to many problems and questions. Above all, it is the message of Christ. Our Christian Doctrine teaches, “The principle content of the Holy Scripture is the message of Jesus Christ and the salvation that He has prepared” (CD 7). The Bible calls this message the gospel of Christ. Luther writes in the preface to the Old Testament, “What is the New Testament but the public sermon and revelation of Christ, given in the Old Testament and fulfilled through Christ?” Peter writes, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts” (2 Pet.1:19). Reading the Bible According to the example of Jesus, it is worth our while, also, to be interested in the Bible and to study it. Apostle Paul writes to young Timothy, “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:14-17). Reading the Bible is important to us starting already from childhood. In this way many narratives become familiar to us. We learn from them how God helped the former saints. Many narratives and teachings come close to our own lives, and it is easy for us to identify with the people of whom they tell. We receive encouragement and strength to trust in God's help and to fight against sin. The reading of God's Word is a good thing. However, the Bible teaches that faith comes by hearing and accepting the gospel. Study and knowledge of the written Word of God is necessary for us, because it leads us to seek Christ and His grace kingdom. It also teaches a child of God to grow in the knowledge of God and the Savior, Jesus Christ. When Jesus fought against the tempter, He drove off the enemy with God's Word, and then the angels came and served Him. God's Word is a place of refuge. It is a lamp for our feet and a light for our paths.

Juhani Uljas | 2000 Treasure Hidden in a Field -- Man, the Image of God In the righteousness of faith, there is the question of the relationship between God and man. It is the most important issue in our lives. God is just and trustworthy. He is righteous. There is nothing wrongful in Him, nor does He change His mind, but He remains true to His promises. God is so upright that He can never accept anything wrongful. He cannot turn a blind eye to our sins, thinking as people do, “Oh, it's not such a big deal.” God created man in His own image. He made man to be an eternal being and responsible for his deeds. The man created by God was righteous, so that in that aspect, too, he was the image of God. These characteristics separate man from the rest of creation. Only man can be righteous or lack righteousness, the remainder of creation does not have this gift. When God looked at His creation, He saw that it was very good (Gen. 1:31). Thus, man also was good. But man fell into sin when he was not obedient to, but rather transgressed the will of his Creator. As a result of the Fall, man was separated from God and lost his righteousness. The trusting relationship of the child to the Father disappeared, and in its place, came fear and a need to flee from God. We all bear this poor heritage of the Fall of the first people, which is called inherited sin. Man became incapable of doing that which is right before God. The Promise of God Is Sure God is not only righteous but He is also love. He had received a promise from His Son before the creation of the world, that He would redeem man who would fall under the power of sin and death. God created earth depending upon that promise. When the Fall had taken place, the Father came seeking those who had been deceived by the serpent, His fallen children. He called out to them, because they had hidden themselves when they heard His calling voice. When He found them, He gave them the promise of Christ, Who would crush the head of the serpent. When Adam and Eve believed the promise of God, they became partakers in Christ's perfection and received righteousness of faith. When the promise given by God is under consideration, the matter is as certain as if it had already taken place (Rev. 13:8). The promise of God was fulfilled when the Word became flesh. As man, the Lord Jesus fulfilled the will of God. His life and works were acceptable before God. Love toward sin-fallen man led Him to suffering and death on the cross. He was the sacrifice chosen by God to atone for our sins. This sacrifice was sufficient. The anger of the righteous God was extinguished in the innocent blood of Jesus. Peace was made upon the cross. Death could not hold the sinless Christ in its power. As Easter morning dawned, the bars of the grave opened and the Victor rose. He had crushed the head of the serpent against the threshold of hell, as some old preachers have described the matter. “Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification” (Rom. 4:25). When Christ had risen as the Victor, He appeared in the midst of His own through locked doors. He had tidings of peace with Him. He breathed upon His disciples and said, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost, whosoever sins ye remit, they shall be remitted unto them.” In this sermon, God preserved the entire blessing of His Son's redemption work, so that a penitent person, yearning for atonement, could find and hear the forgiveness of God from it. Faith is born by hearing this sermon and accepting it. The disciples of the Lord Jesus preached the forgiveness of sins with the authority and power of the Holy Spirit. It is the great love and patience of God that this sermon still can be heard. Man can receive it when God's kingdom approaches him. Justifying Faith Faith is not a deed of man, but it is a gift of God. Therefore, faith is not a merit, on the basis of which we are declared righteous, but man owns the perfect righteousness of Christ through faith. The righteousness of faith is righteousness that has come from outside of us. It is also called “gift-righteousness.” Righteousness of faith became a central question of the Reformation. According to the confessional books, the justification of a sinner before God means that he is proclaimed free of all his sins and his merited condemnation to perdition, and that he becomes a child of God and an heir of eternal life. We do not merit this in the least, nor are we worthy of it. Justification is not based on our past, current, or future deeds. It is based on grace and on the merit of our Lord Christ, alone. His obedience, suffering, and death are counted as righteousness for us. The Holy Spirit promises and gives these gifts to us in the holy gospel. By faith we take hold of the promise, receive it, and comprehend that it applies to us. Faith is the gift of God by which we come to know Christ, our Redeemer, through the word of the gospel and to trust in Him. We know by faith that we have the forgiveness of sins, by grace alone, only because of His obedience. We also know that God considers us righteous and that we will receive eternal salvation (Formula of Concord, Righteousness by Faith before God). Righteousness of Works The opposite of righteousness of faith is righteousness of works, that can also be called righteousness of the Law, or man's self-righteousness. During Jesus' time, the Pharisees thought that they were justified by upholding the Law and the traditional statutes of their fathers with conscientious exactness. They erred because they did not recognize the depth of the fault caused by the Fall. In the light of God's Word, their righteousness diminished to hypocrisy. Jesus said to His disciples, “Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” (Luke 12:1). Self-righteousness appears during our time in a more covert form. It does not deny Christ, but it does not want to be justified from the godless place (Rom. 4:5). The self-righteous person considers salvation the mutual work of God and man. Man must first do something to merit grace, and when the person has done his best, God fills in what is lacking from the person's righteousness with the merit of His Son. However, God will not join man in joint justifying work, but wants to present the merit of His Son as a gift to completely godless man. Grace we even receive of grace. John says, “And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace” (John 1:16). In a song of Zion, we sing, “But may it not be ever touched by merits of my own; and may the Lord help us to live e'er by His grace alone” (SHZ 32:6). The danger of self-righteousness also lurks near the believer, for on our part, we are Pharisees through and through. The warning of Jesus, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees,” applies to disciples. Righteousness of Life What significance do a Christian's endeavor and the fruits of faith have? The Formula of Concord answers that those who intend to remain in their sins and continue committing them do not have true saving faith. Sincere contrition always precedes faith. True faith always belongs to and is connected to true repentance. Love, on the other hand, is a fruit that follows true faith. The lack of it is a sure indication that the person does not live as one who is justified. He is either still in the power of death or he has lost the righteousness of faith that he once received, as John says (1 John 3). But Paul says, “A man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Rom. 3:28). In this manner, he indicates that the justification which happens by faith does not include contrition any more than the deeds following justification. Good deeds are not a prerequisite of justification, but are a result of it. A person must be righteous in order to be able to do good deeds. The leading thought, when speaking about justification by faith to a believer is the core principle of the Reformation: “Alone by faith, alone by grace, and alone for the sake of the merit of Jesus Christ.”