Joel 2:12-19; 2 Peter 1:2-11; St Matthew 6:(1-6), 16-21
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
The Holy Scriptures undeniably describe faith as the only thing necessary for salvation. They also unanimously teach that good works cannot justify a person before God or contribute in the least toward the attainment of salvation. The Old Testament says that Abram believed the Lord and He counted it to him as righteousness (Gen 15:6). The prophet Habakuk testifies that the righteous shall live by his faith (Hab 2:4) and Jeremiah asks, O Lord, do not Your eyes look for truth? (Jer 5:3).
The doctrine stands in even stronger light in the books of the New Testament. They remind us that faith, not works, is the way to salvation and blessedness. Whoever someone came to Jesus seeking help from Him, we hear that Christ looked only for faith. All things are possible for the one who believes (Mk 9:23) Jesus told the father who needed help for his little boy and failed to find it in the disciples. To another father who had lost all hope for help with the report that his daughter was already dead, Jesus said, Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well (Lk 8:50). When still another suffering father directed his petition to Jesus, after seeking help from the disciples in vain, Jesus replied, Let it be done for you as you have believed (Mt 8:13).
We, of course, have adopted that confidence in the pronouncement of the forgiveness of sins, whether individually or corporately: “Do you believe that the forgiveness I speak is not my forgiveness but God’s? Yes. Let it be done for you as you believe.”
This was Jesus’ usual answer to those who sought His help. The Epistles, of course, speak in this same way: And to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness (Rm 4:5). For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law (Rm 3:28). For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Eph 2:8-9). There is still more. In St John’s Gospel we are told that the Jews once asked Jesus, What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent” (Jn 6:28-29).
With the totality of Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, stacked in favor of justification by grace through faith alone apart from works of the Law, our readings tonight - Ash Wednesday of all days! - may sound a bit odd; especially from St Peter. He writes, Brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall (2 Pt 1:10). He is not teaching that good works merit the forgiveness of sins or righteousness as Roman Catholicism falsely asserts. Nor is the Apostle proclaiming that good works keep you in righteousness as American Evangelicalism pretends.
St Peter speaks clearly and logically. Works follow the forgiveness of sins as fruit grown on healthy trees. They should be done so that your calling may be sure. That is, do good works in order that you may persevere in your calling, in order that you do not lose the gifts of your calling. They were given to you before and not because of the works that follow. And these gifts, forgiveness of sins, life, salvation, the smile and favor of God, are kept through faith. But faith does not remain in those who lose the Holy Spirit and reject repentance. “Faith exists in repentance” the Lutheran fathers would say (Ap XX 90).
So I don’t think we are like the Pharisees, in danger of suggesting or believing that we are saved by good works. Rather, I think our temptation is the sort of the opposite. We have often denied the goodness of works because of awareness. We have refused to discipline our bodies or minds and pasted on a false veneer of petty, pretending that we are waiting for the good works to rise up out of us spontaneously. In this we are worse than the Pharisees.
And this is the reason for the ashes today. They are not put on so that our righteousness may be seen and praised by others. They serve as a reminder that repentance is, in part, a physical thing. That’s why the prophet Joel says, Return, that is, repent, to the Lord with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. Repentance is sorrow over sin, returning in heart and mind, soul and body, to the Lord your God who made you, redeemed you, and sanctifies you. To repent and believe the Gospel belong together. Faith exists in repentance. And the Gospel is the proclamation that there is full and free salvation and the forgiveness of sins for everyone who believes in Jesus Christ and His shed blood.
This is why Joel says things like, Consecrate a fast; call as solemn assembly; gather the people; consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children. Repentance is physical. Get your heart to where your treasure is. That is, go to where the Word is read and preached; Jesus Christ and Him crucified for you, for the forgiveness of your sins. He is the One who became your Sin and in perfect repentance and faithful obedience, laid down His life for you, receiving in His Body the due penalty for your sins.
Remember, O man, that thou art dust and unto dust shalt thou return. And Jesus, the GodMan, was laid into the dust of our grave for us. Believe this. Receive this. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has saved you from sin and death and a righteousness demands by good works.
But the Gospel of Jesus Christ has also saved you for a righteousness not your own, but one received in faith and exercised in good works of love. The Holy Spirit who creates and sustains faith in the hearts of the elect is not idle. He moves you, God’s children, to obey God’s commands. To fast. To pray. To give alms. Practice your righteousness. Not so that you may be seen and praised by men, but so that you can make your calling and election sure. “Practice all Christian virtues, in all godliness, modesty, temperance, patience, and brotherly love” (FC SD XI 73).
For you, beloved, have been granted, by His divine power, all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called you to His own glory and excellence, by which He has bestowed upon you His precious and very great promises, so that through them, that is, through faith, you may became partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world for the practice and exercise of Christian love.
Therefore, dear ones, enter into this Lententide and your increased attention to Christian piety, not in uncertainty, as Joel asks, Who knows whether He will not turn and relent. But in the certainty of sins forgiven. You know what lies not only at the end of these forty days, but even what lies at the end of your lives and for all eternity. In Christ Jesus, crucified and risen, you know the future. And you have the reality of that eternal existence given to you in the here and now. Behold, the grain offering and drink offering of the very Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in the bread and wine, given to you as a pledge and seal and guarantee of the forgiveness of your sins and the promise of the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Lift up your hearts, dear Christians, here is your treasure.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
The Holy Scriptures undeniably describe faith as the only thing necessary for salvation. They also unanimously teach that good works cannot justify a person before God or contribute in the least toward the attainment of salvation. The Old Testament says that Abram believed the Lord and He counted it to him as righteousness (Gen 15:6). The prophet Habakuk testifies that the righteous shall live by his faith (Hab 2:4) and Jeremiah asks, O Lord, do not Your eyes look for truth? (Jer 5:3).
The doctrine stands in even stronger light in the books of the New Testament. They remind us that faith, not works, is the way to salvation and blessedness. Whoever someone came to Jesus seeking help from Him, we hear that Christ looked only for faith. All things are possible for the one who believes (Mk 9:23) Jesus told the father who needed help for his little boy and failed to find it in the disciples. To another father who had lost all hope for help with the report that his daughter was already dead, Jesus said, Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well (Lk 8:50). When still another suffering father directed his petition to Jesus, after seeking help from the disciples in vain, Jesus replied, Let it be done for you as you have believed (Mt 8:13).
We, of course, have adopted that confidence in the pronouncement of the forgiveness of sins, whether individually or corporately: “Do you believe that the forgiveness I speak is not my forgiveness but God’s? Yes. Let it be done for you as you believe.”
This was Jesus’ usual answer to those who sought His help. The Epistles, of course, speak in this same way: And to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness (Rm 4:5). For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law (Rm 3:28). For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Eph 2:8-9). There is still more. In St John’s Gospel we are told that the Jews once asked Jesus, What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent” (Jn 6:28-29).
With the totality of Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, stacked in favor of justification by grace through faith alone apart from works of the Law, our readings tonight - Ash Wednesday of all days! - may sound a bit odd; especially from St Peter. He writes, Brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall (2 Pt 1:10). He is not teaching that good works merit the forgiveness of sins or righteousness as Roman Catholicism falsely asserts. Nor is the Apostle proclaiming that good works keep you in righteousness as American Evangelicalism pretends.
St Peter speaks clearly and logically. Works follow the forgiveness of sins as fruit grown on healthy trees. They should be done so that your calling may be sure. That is, do good works in order that you may persevere in your calling, in order that you do not lose the gifts of your calling. They were given to you before and not because of the works that follow. And these gifts, forgiveness of sins, life, salvation, the smile and favor of God, are kept through faith. But faith does not remain in those who lose the Holy Spirit and reject repentance. “Faith exists in repentance” the Lutheran fathers would say (Ap XX 90).
So I don’t think we are like the Pharisees, in danger of suggesting or believing that we are saved by good works. Rather, I think our temptation is the sort of the opposite. We have often denied the goodness of works because of awareness. We have refused to discipline our bodies or minds and pasted on a false veneer of petty, pretending that we are waiting for the good works to rise up out of us spontaneously. In this we are worse than the Pharisees.
And this is the reason for the ashes today. They are not put on so that our righteousness may be seen and praised by others. They serve as a reminder that repentance is, in part, a physical thing. That’s why the prophet Joel says, Return, that is, repent, to the Lord with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. Repentance is sorrow over sin, returning in heart and mind, soul and body, to the Lord your God who made you, redeemed you, and sanctifies you. To repent and believe the Gospel belong together. Faith exists in repentance. And the Gospel is the proclamation that there is full and free salvation and the forgiveness of sins for everyone who believes in Jesus Christ and His shed blood.
This is why Joel says things like, Consecrate a fast; call as solemn assembly; gather the people; consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children. Repentance is physical. Get your heart to where your treasure is. That is, go to where the Word is read and preached; Jesus Christ and Him crucified for you, for the forgiveness of your sins. He is the One who became your Sin and in perfect repentance and faithful obedience, laid down His life for you, receiving in His Body the due penalty for your sins.
Remember, O man, that thou art dust and unto dust shalt thou return. And Jesus, the GodMan, was laid into the dust of our grave for us. Believe this. Receive this. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has saved you from sin and death and a righteousness demands by good works.
But the Gospel of Jesus Christ has also saved you for a righteousness not your own, but one received in faith and exercised in good works of love. The Holy Spirit who creates and sustains faith in the hearts of the elect is not idle. He moves you, God’s children, to obey God’s commands. To fast. To pray. To give alms. Practice your righteousness. Not so that you may be seen and praised by men, but so that you can make your calling and election sure. “Practice all Christian virtues, in all godliness, modesty, temperance, patience, and brotherly love” (FC SD XI 73).
For you, beloved, have been granted, by His divine power, all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called you to His own glory and excellence, by which He has bestowed upon you His precious and very great promises, so that through them, that is, through faith, you may became partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world for the practice and exercise of Christian love.
Therefore, dear ones, enter into this Lententide and your increased attention to Christian piety, not in uncertainty, as Joel asks, Who knows whether He will not turn and relent. But in the certainty of sins forgiven. You know what lies not only at the end of these forty days, but even what lies at the end of your lives and for all eternity. In Christ Jesus, crucified and risen, you know the future. And you have the reality of that eternal existence given to you in the here and now. Behold, the grain offering and drink offering of the very Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in the bread and wine, given to you as a pledge and seal and guarantee of the forgiveness of your sins and the promise of the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Lift up your hearts, dear Christians, here is your treasure.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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