November 2012: Faith and Hope! Are They the Same?

Faith and Hope. Many times we speak of them separately--"saving faith", "hope of the resurrection", etc. But sometimes we speak of them almost interchangeably--"I put my faith in God." "I put my hope in God". Martin Luther asked the same question in his commentary to Galatians, chapter 5.

The question occurs to us. What difference is there between faith and hope? We find it difficult to see any difference. Faith and hope are so closely linked that they cannot be separated. Still there is a difference between them.

• First, hope and faith differ in regard to their sources. Faith originates in the understanding, while hope rises in the will.
• Second, hope and faith differ in regard to their functions. Faith says that what is to be done. Faith teaches, describes, directs. Hope exhorts the mind to be strong and courageous.
• Third, they differ in regard to their objectives. Faith concentrates on the truth. Hope looks to the goodness of God.
• Fourth, they differ in sequence. Faith is the beginning of life before tribulation (Hebrews 11). Hope comes later and is born of tribulation (Romans 5).
• Fifth, they differ in regard to their effects. Faith is a judge. It judges errors. Hope is a soldier. It fights against tribulations, the Cross, despondency, despair, and waits for better things to come in the midst of evil.

Without hope faith cannot endure. On the other hand, hope without faith is blind rashness and arrogance because it lacks knowledge. Before anything else a Christian must have the insight of faith, so that the intellect may know its directions in the day of trouble and the heart may hope for better things. By faith we begin, by hope we continue.

In hope, may you remain in the one true faith to life everlasting.

January 2012: The Definition of True Faith in Christ

Happy New Year!

This month I ask a very important question. What does it mean "to believe in God"? Or as Christians, what does it mean "to believe in Christ"? The answer to this question is the very foundation of our faith. The Bible is very clear that salvation is by faith.

Surprisingly, people who say they believe in God are often the very ones who glorify Him the least. The reason is that people can mean different things when they say "I believe in God." To some, "I believe in God" means they believe He exists. Such an "I believe in God" confession is a statement of knowledge rather than an expression of faith. In the same way, we can believe that the devil or hell exists too, but that is not faith.

Put ten random people in a room, and ask them to explain what it means "to believe in God" and you will probably have ten distinct explanations. This sad state of affairs has left people without confidence regarding salvation. Many have satisfied themselves with "You believe what you want to believe, and I'll believe what I want to believe" and have accepted ambiguity as just part of the mystery of faith. Something as important as faith should not be left in ambiguity! It is not okay to "agree to disagree." Faith is too important.

So what is faith? What does it mean "to believe in God"? Faith does include cognitive knowledge. It does believe that "God exists." It also confesses that we are sinful and helpless in our sin, and that we need a savior. It believes that God sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins. It believes the promise that salvation is offered to all who believe.

But faith is more than just cognitive knowledge. By faith we trust in God and dare to be in a relationship with Hom. It is one thing to be able to say "I believe everything that the Bible says about God." But it is something entirely different to live as if it were true. It is an entirely different thing to live with God as the center of one's life and to live with an eternal point of view. A person who believes he is an eternal being lives this short mortal life differently than a person who believes that "this world is all there is."

A person who believes that God cares about our daily affairs, and believes Jesus' promise "that He would be with us always," celebrating with us in good times and comforting us in bad, lives life differently than a person who does not believe. A person believes that an omnipotent God loves them and has plans of good, trusts that all things will work out in the end. These are just a few of the aspects of faith.

Faith is not something which we work in ourselves, neither is it sustained by our own works. It is a gift from God brought to us by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. Through the Word in Baptism, we received the faith which brings salvation. Through the Word preached and in the Lord's Supper, our faith is strengthened. God gave us the Church, the Fellowship of Saints, to encourage and strengthen one another with The Word.

May this coming New Year bring a renewal of the Word in all our lives. God bless you all in this coming New Year 2012.

What is Being Lutheran All About?

While the name "Lutheran" doesn't appear until the time of the Reformation (1530 AD), we trace our roots past the Reformation, back to the first century church of the Apostles, back to the time when God made His covenant with Abraham, back to Adam and Eve themselves.

The Reformation was a time of the rediscovery of "Salvation through God's grace." Martin Luther was a monk and professor at Wittenberg University in Germany. The teachers and pastors at this time taught that your salvation depended on the works you did on Earth. After reading the Bible, Luther discovered "salvation through faith alone." While this brought him great joy, this discovery went against the prevailing teaching.

At the Diet of Worms, the high council of the Empire, Martin Luther stood before the emporor himself. He was commanded by the emperor to recant his writings, or face excommunication and death. Cowed by the power of the emperor, Luther asks for time to think about recanting. He is given one day.

That evening Luther endures a terrible internal struggle trying to decide how to answer the emperor's demands. The next day, the internal battle is over. Before the emperor's council a resolute Luther bravely stands before the emperor. When he is asked to recant or face excommunication and death at the stake, Luther stands and says "Unless the error of my writings can be shown in Scripture... Here I stand, I can do no other!"

Though his decision meant certain death, he stood by his work. He believed that to recant his work was to recant the Bible from which his writings were based. That was the big thing about the Reformation. The re-discovery of the Bible! Everyone knew about the danger of sin and the threat of Hell. But the Reformation stood for the re-discovery about how the death of Christ on the cross paid for all of our sins--the re-discovery of how we were freed from the burden of trying to earn our salvation--the re-discovery of the offer of "salvation through faith alone".

Today there are about 63 million Lutherans worldwide. In the United States, we belong to The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, founded by a group of German immigrants who settled in Perry County, Missouri in 1847. Over the next two centuries the little congregation would grow into an international denomination ministering to the needs of people from all nations. The international headquarters of the synod is located in St. Louis.

Every year, around November 1, we remember the Reformation, the birth of the Lutheran church, and the re-discovery of "salvation by faith alone".