LAW & GOSPEL UPDATED AND MOVED!

Dear readers and friends,

We have udpated this blog. To read new posts, you must go to http://www.lawgospel.com/blog

You will need to change your links and/or RSS feeds to http://www.lawgospel.com/ if you see torelion.blogspot.com in any of your links.

Updates and new material are continuing to take place, so feel free to provide your feedback. At the new site, you can still get all the blogs from the last few years.

Tell your friends to access the blog at www.lawgospel.com/blog

Thank you!

Tom Baker

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Sermon B: 3 S Lent: 1 Cor 1:22

For the third Sunday in Lent, the three readings for Church Year B are Exodus 20:1-7; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 and John 2:13-25. The text chosen on which to preach is 1 Corinthians 1:22, "For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom."

The most important part of the sermon is to make sure that Law and the Gospel reach the target audience. For a radio program the target audience is usually those who would best appreciate what is being said. For a cooking program, the target audience are cooks; for a landscapping program, the target audience are gardeners and so forth. But what is the primary target audience for a religious program of either sermon or Bible class?

Most preachers would suggest that the target audience are the specific individuals in the congregation or the listening audience. However, such a view would mean that the message needs to be used that best reaches that audience. According to verse 22 of 1 Corinthians, Jews are best reached if you can persuade by a sign, a miracle, or some evidence. And Grentiles are best reached if you persuade them by reason or logic. However, it is clear from this verse that such a means of persuasion cannot work with Christianity. For it is impossible to persuade an unbeliever by a sign or reason since what Christians believe offers no evidence and is totally unreasonable!

As the Bible reveals, even were someone to rise from the dead, no one would be persuaded. And even if the wisest of philosophers used reason and logic to the best of his ability, no unbeliever would be persuaded. Why? Because the message of Christianity is foolishness to those who are perishing (verse 18). Then, who is the primary target audience of the preacher. Our answer will surprise you.

The primary target audience is not human--the primary target audience is the Holy Spirit! What does that mean? Glad you asked. As host of Law and Gospel on radio station AM 850 KFUO for over a dozen years, the question is asked as to how many people I have converted. The answer is always the same--none! Conversion is not our job--it is the work of the Holy Spirit. If converting people made a preacher successful, then Jesus was the worst preacher of all time unable to persuade even His own hometown. Yet the Father still considered Him as One in Whom He was well pleased. How so?

Because the success of the witness is not in the results but in the proper use of the means of grace. Jesus was successful always regardless of the response on the part of listeners but because He clearly and accurately spoke the Word of God. Today our message needs to be stated in such a way that the Holy Spirit can make use of the Word of God in creating a new heart and renewing a right spirit. God does not work through false doctrine.

It is not that the listener is never a target audience. It is just that the listeners are secondary targets. First get the Word straight and then use that part of the Word of God which best touches the lives and problems of the listener. That is, to a listener at a funeral, use the Gospel promises dealing with the sure hope of those who trust in Jesus Christ. To a listener at a wedding, use the Gospel promises that deal with Jesus Christ as the third person in every marriage and the promises He brings to such a covenant.

While the temporal realm may properly use evidence and reason to persuade, in the realm of Christianity the only sure means of salvation is the pure Word of God and the proper use of the Sacraments. In fact, those are not only the proper tools for the Holy Spirit to convert, they also are where the Church in its mission truly exists.

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The Cure For Racism: Two Trees

This truly is "a one-of-a-kind book. At times the authors seem to go where angels fear to tread. Enlisting the Bible, the lessons of history, and sound science, Dr. Peter Kurowski and James L. Ramer take on racism." So reads the back cover of "The Cure For Racism: Two Trees". What are the two trees?

The first tree is the family tree of Adam and Eve. The second tree is the Cross of Christ! The first tree is important as it clearly proves that all human beings came from the same parents--Adam and Eve. We are all related. No room for racism here. But because of our fall into sin, the second tree of the cross of Christ was necessary to cure racism.

Not only is the book an energetic examination of the pervasive problem of racism in many of its evil forms, but more importantly it outlines in a clear and practical way the only real and lasting cure for this pernicious problem. Through the Biblical images of two powerful trees, the authors take a law-sharpened axe to racism and a grace-giving water hose to love. This "must read" book shows wherever the message of the "Two Trees" is embraced, racism retreats.

Widely endorsed, Dr. John Warwick Montgomery adds his thoughts with, "A strong Gospel-oriented argument showing that Holy Scripture opposes racism from cover to cover. Just the remedy for those who think that the Bible is mere compendium of fallible human opinion."

"The Cure for Racism: Two Trees" is only available at www.lawgospel.com for a price of $17.00 plus shipping and handling. However, if you order and insert the coupon number 777 when paying through PayPal, there will be no postage, shipping or handling costs. The total price will be $17.00. Since it includes 8 Bible studies at the end of the book, pastors may want to buy in bulk. Please contact lawgospel@lawgospel.com with inquiries about bulk ordering. Additional information on the book can also be found at www.lawgospel.com by clicking on the book.

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Sermon B: 2 S Lent: Rom 5:8

This being the 2nd Sunday in Lent, the readings are Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16; Romans 5:1-11 and Mark 8:27-38. The text chosen to preach on is Romans 5:8, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

While this text may be helpful to most Christians, for those uninitiated in Bible-speak, it appears that Christ's death is somehow for us because while we were still sinners, God demonstrates His love toward us. Some have taken that to mean that God so loved us that He wanted us to follow the example of Jesus Who died and suffered for others so that we can be saved by our suffering.

The question to ask is what does it mean that "Christ died for us"? The text itself actually provides four answers. The first is Law; the last three are Gospel. The first answer as to the necessity of Christ's death is verse 6 that Christ died for the "ungodly." That just doesn't mean that we are bad sinners; it also means that there was nothing we could do to get saved. Ungodly as we were and are, there was and is nothing we could do to invite, choose, decide, work, speak or think properly to climb up to heaven.

Christ HAD to die for us because there was no way that we could do anything to take care of our problem with God. But precisely what was that problem? Most people would say that sin is what separated us from God. No, verse 9 says that what really brought us under His Judgment was His wrath. Christ's death somehow saved us from God's wrath. How so?

The wrath is the result of the curse of the Law that in the day we sin, death is the result. God's wrath is the spiritual death that Eve and Adam realized when they fled from the Almighty in the Garden. Jesus' death substituted for our death in that He took upon Himself all the wrath of God that could have been leveled at us. The evidence that Jesus experienced that wrath is heard from His lips, "...why have You forsaken Me?"

Saved from His wrath means we are forgiven. But that needs to be understood with all the radical input that can be provided. Throughout the Bible, (eg. Psalm 32), being forgiven means that God is no longer holding the world accountable for sin. It was that accountability that really separated us from God. Now, according to 2 Corinthians 5, God is reconciled to you, as verse 11 reveals. No longer is the problem God--as in all other religions of Law. The problem is you and me who prefer not to be reconciled to God!

Which leads to another piece of the Gospel promises as found in verse 1 that we have "peace with God" through our Lord Jesus Christ as a result of His dying for us. This is not a peace promised between nations or quarreling family members. This is the peace between you and God. Recall the first words spoken by the angels to the shepherds and the first word of Jesus on the night of His resurrection--"Peace be to you."

Since every Christian is a teacher-in-training, we need not just to learn about the Bible but also to teach the reason God reveals for the death of His only-begotten Son. That death was not for an example for us to follow. No, it took care of every reason for separation from the holy Trinity as Jesus became sin in order that you might be the righteousness of God in Him. That's a Lenten theme worth sharing!

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Sermon B: 1 S Lent: James 1:12

Leaving the season of Epiphany we now enter into the season of Lent with the first Sunday in Lent and these three readings: Genesis 22:1-18; James 1:12-18 and Mark 1:9-15. The text for the sermon is James 1:12, "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been proved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."

Every theological passage of the Bible can be interpreted in one of two ways--the right way and the wrong way. Theologically speaking, the passage can be interpreted from the point of view of Living Under The Law as a Theologian of Self-Glory or Living Under the Gospel as a Theologian of the Cross. James 1:12 is a classic example of how the English translation moves one to interpret the verse as a Theologian of Self-Glory.

The sermon could begin by asking the listeners to list what James 1:12 says is necessary for you to do to receive the crown of life. The answer of course is "nothing" but the text is so translated that most Christians will answer along the following lines: "We are to accomplish three things to receive the crown of life. They are 1) endure temptation; 2) be approved by God; 3) Love Him."

The Theologian of Self-Glory is motivated by the Old Adam to think this way because the Old Adam does not want to give any credit to God for our salvation. And the verse appears to reveal what 3 things a person must accomplish in order to receive the crown of life. That is why most Christians reading the Bible in this self-glory way worry about whether they are righteous enough to go to heaven. This thinking is a result of not being taught clearly how God thinks which is the primary goal of worship services, Bible studies, seminars and the like.

Here is where the Old Adam misleads us with this translation. The first mistake is that we interpret the verse to mean that if we endure we will be blessed. However, God's view is that enduring temptation is the blessing itself. For you to endure temptation is definitely the work of the Holy Spirit within you. The blessing is not a result of you doing the endurance but rather the Holy Spirit bringing forth a fruit of the Spirit of endurance.

The second problem is the notion that we need to be proved or approved by God on the basis of our accomplishing His will. No, being approved by God occurs because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ which we trust for salvation because of the gift of faith from the Holy Spirit. The "proving" of us by God does not take place in light of our endurance but in light of our baptism.

The third error is to assume that the crown of life is promised to those who make the decision to love God as though the unbeliever could make such a decision. No, as Jesus says, "You did not choose me; I chose you." The reason we love Him is again because of the gift of the new heart and will (Psalm 51) which God graciously gives to those who do not deserve it.

To put it simply, the credit for receiving the crown of life is not ours to take but is due to the work of God alone as He blesses us with enduring temptation, approves us on the basis of the work of Jesus and creates love in us for indeed, "We love Him because He first loved us!"

James 1:12 is therefore a wonderful verse to demonstrate the tendency of our Old Adam to control our theological thinking as God gets short shrift for our salvation and we desire to take some, if not all the credit. Law and Gospel is the key to applying each theological verse in the Bible in light of God's way of thinking as theologians of the cross read the Scriptures.

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L&G Responds to "23 Minutes in Hell"

Law and Gospel Responds to “23 Minutes In Hell” by Bill Wiese
By Tom Baker (www.lawgospel.com)

The purpose of this series is to use the Biblical distinctions between Law and Gospel to analyze theologically the claims of various articles and books. This piece will first summarize our general response to the book “23 Minutes in Hell” by Bill Wiese and then provide specifics from a Law and Gospel perspective.

Generally speaking, the content of the book mirrors a view of hell based on the Theologian of Self-Glory rather than the Theologian of the Cross. Biblical verses are taken out of context and the proper distinctions between Law and Gospel are thoroughly confused. I would not give this book to an unbeliever because just the opposite might occur from what the author intended. Rather than a person deciding to believe in Jesus Christ after reading “23 Minutes in Hell” the unbeliever would be persuaded even more so to remain in his unbelief. The bottom line is that the view of hell and its purpose portrayed in “23 Minutes” is not that of the Bible.

Specifically speaking the following theological problems are found in the book with the appropriate page number noted.

Though the author insists that this was not a dream and that he actually was in hell (p. xv), there were no serious injuries sustained when he returned home if he truly had had the “razor-like claws” “plunged into his chest and ripped them outward.” (6) In fact, he states that “my flesh hung from my body like ribbons as I fell again to the cell floor.” Yet when he “awoke” in his house a few minutes later, there were no such wounds. His experience was therefore superior to that of Jesus who truly experienced a crucifixion as was evident from the wounds which the disciples saw.

The theme that he forgot about God is not one substantiated in the Bible in regard to those who suffer the pangs of hell. (9) It is true that God in His grace is absent from Hell; it is not true that those in Hell have no knowledge of God.

The most dangerous part of this book is the revelation of that which theologians speak of the hidden God. The Bible reveals only a tiny fraction of 1% of Who God is and what He does. However, in “23 Minutes” there are specific details never found in the Bible about hell that appear to be written by the devil himself (22, 25, 26, 30) for the purpose of seeing that unbelievers never want anything to do with the god of “23 Minutes.”



The idea that God needed someone to “experience” hell for real for the purpose of bringing back a message of warning (xvi) so that “whoever reads this story will be able to take the proper measures to steer clear of this place at all costs” (xviii) ridicules the power of the Word and a primary distinction between Law and Gospel. The author ridicules the power of God’s holy Word by concluding that his personal experience told to others is something that God needed to have because the Word of God is not powerful enough to convince people of the truth. That is a denial of 2 Timothy 3:16 by writing this book with the assumption that the Scripture is not sufficient. Remember the verse, “if even an angel…let him be accursed.”

Moreover, from a L&G point of view, the Law makes clear first of all that God demands perfect obedience which no one can do as we all fall short of the glory of God. Second, the Bible makes clear that no unbeliever has the ability to take any measures—let alone the proper ones—to “steer clear” of hell. (xviii) Instead, salvation is a gift which requires neither change of behavior nor obedience as a prerequisite. In fact, until one has been totally saved, it is impossible even to do one proper work.

The book therefore is a refutation of one of the primary rediscoveries of the Reformation that no unbeliever has any free choice in matters spiritual. What is needed is not information about hell to motivate one to become saved but rather a heart transplant and a new spirit (Psalm 51). As with most evangelical theology today, the book is the reverse coin of Roman Catholic thought that even unbelievers are responsible for making the right choices before they are saved. The author appears imprisoned in this pre-Reformation thinking by insisting that God had him experience hell so that unbelievers “could instead choose life with Him.” Does no one remember the clear passage, “You did not choose Me; I chose you.” (John 15:16) In other words, the author’s opinion on page 35 that he had to share with others his experience so that they would know “what they need to do to avoid that terrible place” is nothing else than the lies of the devil himself.

Though the author claims that the Bible verses on hell confirmed “everything I had experienced,” there are numerous items that find no Biblical data such as the description of the two enormous beasts (page 2) as well as other details too numerous to mention through page 38.

The bottom line is that the author is basing his knowledge about hell on some “experience” Our message needs to be based on the Bible and it alone because experience will always confuse us and draw us away from the Word of God. Why is that? Because our experience is based on commonsense such as when you are bad, God punishes you and when you are good, He rewards you. So do the good thing, accept Jesus as your Savior and go to heaven instead of hell. Such teaching is from the pit of hell as it denies salvation by grace through faith on account of Jesus Christ and not because of the threat of hell.

The greatest confusion of Law and Gospel is that apparently unknown to the author is the Biblical fact that the Law can never lead to salvation. It can only inform us that there is nothing we can do to be saved. However, in “23 Minutes” the fear of the Law in pointing out the reality of hell supposedly motivates someone to do the impossible; that is, decide to become a Christian. Once more we find ourselves back in pre-Reformation days with no knowledge that an unbeliever has no power at all to make such a choice.

Because the author bases his book on his experience, and not on trusting the Word of God, such experience will never be sure. Thus, it is no surprise at all that the author himself begins to doubt his experience and demand from God another experience to provide him with more evidence of his time in hell (56). The devil is only too happy to serve up as much experience as he loves to draw you away from the sure truth of God’s Word.

The very fact that the author has an entire chapter on “Confirmations” exposes the weakness of his own faith in the veracity of what he “experienced.” For the believer, no evidence is needed for true faith; for the unbeliever, no amount of evidence is ever sufficient. For what keeps the unbeliever from making a decision for Christ is not simply ignorance of hell but original sin and a will that is totally incapable of making such a decision. Page 78 and 79 demonstrate the pre-Reformation, pro-Roman Catholic theology of this theologian who apparently is totally ignorant of the discoveries of the Reformers that contradict much of what is on those pages.

There are many other theological errors such as the unbiblical view on page 112 of how all children will be saved and thus the implicit denial of the importance of infant baptism. In fact, there is hardly any mention of the sacraments as the proper means of grace to create and confirm faith which again militates against Reformation and biblical theology.

In regard to whether I believe that the author made all this up or had a dream, I have no problem in agreeing with the Scripture that in the last days the devil himself will be given miraculous signs and wonders so that even the elect might fall from the faith as they forsake the Word of God and cling instead to their experiences. I will give the author the benefit of agreeing that he had this experience through a dream instigated by Satan and permitted by God. The purpose? So that theologians of Law and Gospel might point out the unbiblical details and theology behind such a book as “23 Minutes” for the sake of the believer’s growth in the one true faith that is only found in the written Word of God and in the incarnate Word of God; namely, Jesus Christ.

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Sermon A: Transfiguration: 2 Cor 3:13

For the end of the Epiphany season, Transfiguration Sunday offers the following readings: 2 Kings 2:1-12 or Exodus 34:29-35; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:6 and Mark 9:2-9. The sermon text is 2 Corinthians 3:13, "unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away."

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai after speaking with God, his face shone with the reflected glory of God. Exodus 34:33 reveals that after speaking with the people of Israel, Moses put a veil on his face. Why? The answer is not given so clearly as in the text for today from 2 Corinthians 3:13 so that the "children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away."

In other words, while his face shone, Moses had great authority and power as the people saw that he was speaking for God. But when that glory began to fade, Moses was concerned that the people would not be as attentive to him. In contrast to that fading glory of reflection, the Mount of Transfiguration reveals a radiant glory on Jesus that resulted in his clothes being so exceedingly white that "no launderer on earth can whiten them."

The Law and Gospel theme is that our words are authoritative only when we repeat what God has said. Jesus' words are auathoritative because He is God! That is why the Father commands, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!" Only when the Christian repeats the words from the Word of God--both Jesus and the Bible--are such words to be taken in faith.

The Gospel includes the theme that apart from faith in Jesus Christ, the veil remains over the heart of unbelievers and only is taken away "when one turns to the Lord." For even the Pharisees' reading of the Bible resulted in being blind to the Gospel as they thanked God that their personal works made them better than others who were sinners!

Also for Christians, apart from a teacher of the Word who can use the original Hebrew and Greek, a portion of the Bible remains veiled. Examine most evangelical theologians today who even know the Hebrew and Greek and you will find the denial of infant baptism, talk of a rapture and the use of decision theology. It is clear how the veil remains over the hearts of even believers.

The sermon can then demonstrate how even for those in the pews worshipping the holy Trinity that the old Adam often interprets and applies the Bible in such a way that what we think, do and say appears to make a difference in whether we go to heaven or hell. That is not only a denial of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ but also an addition to the work of the cross which in essence is a subtraction from the work of the cross.

We can thank the Lord that on the Day of Judgment, He will not decide whether we go to heaven or hell on the basis of our understanding with the head but rather on the basis of our perfect faith in the heart trusting the effective work of Jesus's death and resurrection. The task of the Christian in witnessing is to help the hearer think more like God by means of a correct understanding of the Word and a proper use of the holy sacraments.

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Sermon B: 6 Epiphany: 2 Kings 5:12

For the 6th Sunday after the Epiphany the three readings are 2 Kings 5:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:19-11:1 and Mark 1:40-45. The text chosen to preach for this coming Sunday is 2 Kings 5:12, "Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?"

The story is a familiar one for teachers-in-training of the Old Testament. Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria finds out from a captured Israeli girl that he can be healed of his leprosy by a prophet in Samaria. But when the prophet Elisha tells him to wash in the Jordan river seven times, Naaman is furious that such dirty water should be helpful to him. After being persuaded by others to do what Elisha tells him to do, his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was clean.

There are many today who reject the teaching that baptism is a holy sacrament from God by which we are indeed cleansed of our sins. Theologically speaking, the Pentecost water baptism delivers the benefits of Christ's death and resurrection so that we are no longer held accountable for the punishment of our sins; that is, we are forgiven.

How can water do such things? It is not the water but the Gospel promises of the Word of God connected to that event. Baptism is NOT the work of man to show forth one's faith; it is the work of God to assure us of our having now received the benefits of Christ's death and resurrection. Unlike marriage in which mutual promises are given between man and woman, in baptism God alone makes the promises and we as the baptized receive the fulfillment of those promises.

It reminds us of the dream Abraham had when a burning torch passed between the remains of sacrificed animals. Normally, both sides in a conflict would pass between the sacrifices indicating that if they did not keep their new covenant, that they deserved to happen to them what happened to these animals. But in God's covenant relationship with us, He alone passes between the animals. For the new covenant is not based on our work or promises but the promises of God through the work of Jesus Christ and the benefits conferred on us through the waters of baptism.

It doesn't really matter whether the water is clean or dirty. What matters is whether the Word of God is connected so that indeed the Bible is correct, "He that believes and is baptized shall be saved." In fact, it is no coincidence in regard to infant baptism that the Great Commission of Matthew 28 has baptism preceding teaching. A miracle indeed takes place when the waters of baptism transfer even an infant from the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of God on earth; that is, the holy Christian Church.

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Sermon B: 6

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