Why Is the
Church so Important?
In the Reader’s edition of the Book
of Concord there is a daily reading (Monday through Friday) that has been
developed to help guide you through the big book. My church this year has placed in the
bulletin those daily readings on the Book of Concord and last week, while I was
on vacation we read these beautiful nuggets from Luther's explanation on the third
article of the large catechism on the Creed:
"But how does He (the Holy
Spirit) accomplish this (to make me holy), or what are His method and means to
this end? Answer, "by the Christian Church, the forgiveness of sins, the
resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. For in the first place, the
Spirit has His own congregation in the world, which is the mother that conceives
and bears every Christian through God's Word. Through the Word He reveals and
preaches, He illumines and enkindles hearts, so that they understand accept,
cling to, and persevere in the Word." (LC II 41-43)
Notice how Luther here drives you to
realize that Christians are made and preserved not by means of your own special
ideas but through his Church There are many wacky, bizarre ideas that have
always existed. The problem is that
these ideas are so easily found today by the world with the internet, social
media, blog posts, and so on
Later, he continues, "We
further believe that in this Christian Church we have forgiveness of sin, which
is wrought through the holy Sacraments and Absolution and through all kinds of
comforting promises from the entire Gospel. (LC II 54)
Where do we go to receive the
forgiveness of sins? In the Church! When we claim we don't need to go to Church
and receive the sacrament we are claiming we don't need Christ period.
Luther teaches, "Everything,
therefore, in the Christian Church is ordered toward this goal: we shall daily
receive in the Church nothing but the forgiveness of sin through the Word and
signs, to comfort and encourage our consciences as long as we live here. So
even though we have sins, the grace of the Holy Spirit does not allow them to
harm us. For we are in the Christian Church, where there is nothing but
continuous, uninterupted forgiveness of sin. This is because God forgives us
and because we forgive, bear with, and help one another. But outside of this
Christian Church, where the Gospel is not found, there is no forgiveness, as
also there can be no holiness." (LC II, 55-56)
Notice again: no Church, no
forgiveness. The Gospel is not found in the world only the Law, and when we
divorce ourselves from the Divine Service, we divorce ourselves from
forgiveness. Does this mean we cannot forgive one another? Certainly not! But
your ability to forgive is predicated on the fact that we have not denied
ourselves of Jesus' gifts of forgiveness. Just as we pray in the Lord's Supper,
forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. We are
not forgiven because we forgive others, we forgive others precisely because we
have been forgiven already.
Luther again, “Now this article of
the Creed that must always be and remain in use. for we have already received creation. Redemption to is finished. But the Holy
Spirit carries on His work without ceasing to the Last Day. For that purpose He has appointed a
congregation upon earth by which He speaks and does everything. For He has not yet brought together all His
Christian Church or granted all forgiveness.
Therefore, we believe in Him who daily brings us into the fellowship of
this Christian Church through the Word.
Through the same Word and the forgiveness of sins He bestows, increases,
and strengthens faith. So when He has
done it all, and we abide in this and die to the world and to all evil, He may
finally make us perfectly and forever holy.
Even now we expect this in faith through the Word. (LC II 61-62)
For this reason we have the Church
who distributes the bridegroom’s means of grace to us, her children. The work of the Holy Spirit is ongoing as we
need this forgiveness daily. We are
constantly under attack by the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh that want
us to fall away from Christ. They seek
to draw us away from the Word of God which is our only hope in this valley of sorrow. They connive to figure out how best to keep
you from receiving Jesus’ gift of forgiveness.
These words are also the basis for my facebook live post, which can be viewed here: https://www.facebook.com/PrinceofPeaceLCMSBuffaloWY/videos/304012676965097/
