Luther on Ecclesiastes 7:16-18

     During my preparations and studies for Sunday’s sermon and service, I searched Luther’s Works for what Luther observed from the appointed Gospel reading of Matthew 25:14-30. In so doing I found this wonderful commentary:

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Ecclesiastes 7:16-18 (KJV)

¹⁶ Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy^g thyself? ¹⁷ Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time? ¹⁸ It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all.

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16. Be not righteous overmuch, and do not make yourself overwise; why should you destroy yourself?

17. Be not wicked overmuch, neither be a fool; why should you die before your time?

     That is, forget about the highest law; measure yourself by your own foot and sing, “Know thyself.”²⁸ Then you will find in your own breast a lengthy catalog of vices, and you will say: “Look, I myself am still unrighteous, and yet I am tolerated by God and am not banished by people. Then why am I so carried away with fury that I harshly require of others what I do not achieve myself?” This is what it means to be “righteous overmuch.” The things of this world cannot bear it. Therefore observe the laws by teaching and preaching, and give thanks to God when your household or your audience acknowledge that the laws and teachings are holy and just, even though they do not observe everything as it is prescribed. In this way you will be truly holy and wise. You will be “overwise” and “righteous overmuch” if in your administration either of public or of private affairs you have good laws but insist on them and want them to be observed in such a way that there is not one iota of transgression. For this is what it means that “the highest law brings the deepest injustice.” A prudent public official or head of a household ought to make a distinction between the goodness of the law and the obedience of his subordinates. It is better to bear with and to endure a moderate amount of rebellion than to let the entire state perish. This is what usually happens to the rigid enforcers of laws. Therefore laws should be enforced and insisted upon as far as the situation allows, but no further. This is also what physicians do. They do not diagnose and cure diseases only on the basis of books or of what is prescribed but are often obliged to make adjustments in keeping with the state of the body. Thus also the minds of men are influenced in the most diverse possible ways, so that it is often necessary to modify the laws themselves. This calls for extremely wise men, of whom there are few in the world. Therefore all those chosen as heads of households or as public officials should be men like David, Abraham, Solomon, and Joshua, if they were available, men who could administer the laws properly. For this is how important it is to administer the state well.

Be not wicked overmuch.

     This is the second part of the conclusion. See to it that just as you are not righteous overmuch, you are not wicked overmuch either. That is, do not despise and neglect all the duties of government committed to your charge, and do not permit everything to fall apart. It is good to overlook some things, but not to neglect all things. If wisdom does not succeed, that is no reason to go crazy with anger and revenge. Finally, do not give in to idleness, so that you do not want to care about anything. Do not behave like that wicked servant who buried his talent and did not want to trade with it at all (Matt. 25:24–30). Well then, be just and let others be just with you; demand uprightness; persevere, regardless of the outcome. Why? “Why should you destroy yourself, or die before your time?” There is reason to fear that He may come suddenly and call you to judgment, as He took away the soul of the rich man at night when the rich man was not thinking about it (Luke 12:20). If this life were heavenly and angelic, nothing would happen unjustly; but our sinful nature cannot do anything but sin and be foolish. Anyone who does not know this has not yet learned about the world. We should think that here we are as though we were in a shipwreck or a fire, where one must labor to snatch at least some brand from the fire when one cannot control or extinguish the whole fire. Therefore if you are in a household, be content to snatch even one person from the public fire of wicked people. If you are a teacher of children, labor to educate at least one of them and to bring him up properly. If you are a preacher of the Gospel, do not preach as though you could gain all men for Christ, for not all heed the Gospel (cf. Rom. 10:16); but if you convert three or four souls and lead them to Christ, like the tips of burning brands (cf. Amos 4:11), give thanks. For one should not quit simply because so few are changed for the better to hear the preaching of the Gospel. But do what Christ did: He rescued the elect and left the rest behind. This is what the apostles did also. It will not be better for you. You are foolish if you either presume that you alone can accomplish everything or despair of everything when it does not go your way.

18. It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand; for he who fears God shall come forth from them all.

     Christ makes a similar statement in Matt. 23:23 when He says: “These you ought to have done without neglecting the others.” Thus here, too, he demands both: justice and yet not the highest justice, so that you are neither too remiss nor too exacting. Sometimes you must overlook the laws and judge as though you were wicked, and sometimes you must take hold of the laws and become just once more. But remember, as has also been said earlier, that he is here speaking not of personal righteousness but of communal or political justice, not of righteousness before God but of justice in governing others and before the world. For in personal righteousness there cannot be too much righteousness.

He who fears God shall come forth from them all.

     That is, the fear of the Lord will easily judge both. If I fear the Lord, my heart says: “I have often lived this way, and I still live shamefully. Therefore I will have compassion on those delinquents. If I can restrain them by moderating my discipline, I will do so. If not, I will let them continue until they collide with the law of the sword. If they escape all of this, they still will not escape the judgment of God.” Thus he who fears God proceeds correctly in these matters; when he sees that he cannot prevail, he calls upon the Lord. Therefore do your duty, warn, exhort, and never stop. He who does not hear you will bring on his own punishment, even though not through your punishing him; for there is One who will punish. This is what happened recently to our peasants. When they did not accept our rebuke, they were thoroughly punished by others.^{29 30}

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     ^gdestroy...: Heb. be desolate?

     ²⁸ This injunction, quoted here in Greek, was attributed to Thales of Miletus.

     ²⁹ Once again, as on p. 90 above, a reference to the Peasants’ War of 1525

     ³⁰ Luther, M. (1999, c1972). Vol. 15: Luther's works, vol. 15 : Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Last Words of David, 2 Samuel 23:1-7 (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Luther's Works (15:122). Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House.

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Is this a Powerful Sermon?

      This morning I noticed the following at Against Death and For Life!:

This is an incredibly powerful sermon delivered by Pastor Matthew C. Harrison, president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, on the subject of our society’s attitude toward life deemed not worthy of being lived. Powerful, powerful stuff here folks. You owe it to yourself to gather your family and watch this together.

      So I viewed it and listened carefully, twice. Then I reviewed several portions a few additional times.

      Is this truly a powerful sermon? Does Pr. Harrison hold to the preaching that his professed quia subscription to the Lutheran Confessions define as a truly powerful sermon? Is this a sermon that rightly distinguishes between the Law and the Gospel and applies each to the hearers so as to move them to be cut to their own hearts and turned to true faith in the Gospel?

      Having viewed it and listened carefully I do not find this to be what this sermon does. I do not hear Pr. Harrison holding me and the other hearers accountable for our own sinfulness. Rather, it sounds to me like a highschool pep rally to inspire school spirit and to pit one school and team against another. “Rah! Rah! Rah! Go Team!! Yes! Our team is the best, to H with the rest! Yea.............Team!”

      In this sermon I only found one very weak attempt at applying God’s Law to the hearers. At 10:20 on the time line Pr. Harrison says:

     Then Jesus began inviting the dregs of society to be His friends, like Levi, the tax collector, Luke 5:27. And He still invites the dregs like YOU, even you in the back. (Audience chuckles.)
     I asked them before this sermon if I could mention a few of their sins up here publically, but nobody was forthcoming. (Audience chuckles.)

      This is the only attempt at application of the Law to the actual hearers. And this was making very light of their own sinful condition, actually making a joke of it. Not one person hearing this would be cut to the heart concerning one’s need for God’s forgiveness and healing. I certainly did not hear myself being confronted with my sinfulness.

      What I did hear was a condemnation of OTHERS! Over and over the Nazis were condemned. There also was a connection made to those who have promoted and performed the more than 53 million abortions in America.

      But no condemning statement was made concerning the hearers and their refusal to love their neighbors. No call to acknowledge any of our own sins and rebellion against God’s holiness was preached at all. Rather, the LC-MS and its membership were praised for their good works and urged to take pride in doing more good works. The presumed good works of fighting abortion from a “loving” and “joyful” disposition were praised and urged. “Go Team!”

      Just as the Law was not applied to the hearers, neither was the Gospel applied. No one hearing this sermon would respond with a broken and contrite heart saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” Even a Nazi would laugh at this sermon, without any sense of wanting to turn to God to hear His gracious absolution. Even if a Nazi heard that the millions of murders were wrong, that Nazi would think that at least the six million plus murders are not as bad as the 53 million abortions of the Americans. Both the Nazis and the LC-MS membership hear an excuse to say: “At least we are not as bad as certain others. Besides, Pr. Harrison says that Jesus invites the dregs to be His friends.”

      Indeed. Where did Pr. Harrison say anything about members of the LC-MS being in need of repentance? Was it somewhere in this sermon mentioned so subtly that even with several viewings that I did not perceive it?

      On that, what about the many blatant denials of the pure Gospel and Sacraments that the pastors and congregations of the LC-MS have committed for many decades, and with increasing boldness in recent years? The Lutheran Confessions speak of these compromises as the very worst of sins, even calling them soul-murder. Do we Lutherans, regardless of whichever synodical team or congregation we belong, do we not need to hear the call to acknowledge the First Three Commandments and our many sins against them? Do we not need to hear that we daily worship at the feet of the idol of the media and movie industry and the Internet? Do we not need to hear how we have taken the Lord’s name in vain and misused it in connection with false worship practices? Do we not need to hear how nonchalantly we treat daily prayer and devotion? Do we not need to hear how we give “half-cast” prayers toward God? Do we not need to hear, especially those who are of the LC-MS, how unionism has been openly practiced without even a hint of contrition over this violation of the Third Commandment?

      How can Pr. Harrison or any other pastor imagine that anyone from outside their “fellowship” will take their preaching seriously? Why would any nonbeliever be moved to listen to this kind of pep rally drivel? This is not even honest evaluation of their own membership. Why would someone like myself, someone who counts himself as a very desperate and poor, miserable sinner turn to such a works-righteous preacher and church body? I need to hear God’s Law and Gospel carefully and accurately preached to me so that I know that my need for the remission of my sins has been genuinely addressed. I need to know that the merits of Christ crucified are imparted to me through the ordained means of grace. I need to know that my miserable attempts at righteousness are not the basis of my judgment. I need to know that the perfect righteousness of Jesus has been poured out to me so that by His righteousness I am judged.

      Then and only then do I recognize myself as one among those who rejoices to count myself among those “who like Jesus are people of joy over life.” Pr. Harrison proclaims this as a catch phrase, but it is inestimably more. When a person hears this as what God works for us, then the person truly is made to be a person of joy over life. Then a person does not need to be urged to stand up for others, for that is the regenerated motive of the person’s heart. This is what the Holy Spirit produces. It is not something that a person must generate within oneself. The preaching of the necessity of good works in the life of Christians takes true form when preached as St. James says:

     What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? (James 2:14-20)

      St. Paul proclaims the same, saying:

     So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. 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. (Romans 1:15-17)

      A living faith causes a person to live from that faith. A living faith is not idle. It is like turning the key in a car and hearing no sound of the engine being turned. A person observing this says that the battery is dead. It has no life in it. Thus it produces no action.

      On the other hand no one imagines that a battery is made to be a good battery by turning over the engine. No. Rather, a person observes the innate goodness of the battery when it produces the work of turning over of the engine. Because the battery has life in it, the engine is turned over. The life has already been given to the battery by another source of life or energy. Then, because the battery has been made to be a good battery that is full of life, it then produces that which flows from the life that has been generated within it. Because of the life generated in it, the battery is declared to be a good battery that produces the good work that a live battery produces. If the battery dies and produces no work, it is then declared to be a bad battery and is cast into the pit.

      People in whom the true faith is alive do the works that this living faith produces. This living faith is generated in the person through the pure means of grace, that is, the pure Gospel and Sacraments. Oh that the preachers would preach and administer the pure and unadulterated Word and Sacraments rather than preaching that people should be good Lutherans or good Christians or good Whatevers. For as St. Paul masterfully proclaims, it is the Gospel that is the power of God into salvation. It is the Gospel that is the power that generates the true faith that changes people’s hearts and minds so that they live by faith and live the life of joy that produces the good works of that joy.

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Morality?

I wonder sometimes how it is possible that people say such things as they do. People who otherwise seem to be intelligent people say some absolutely inane statements.

One that particularly baffles me is that morality cannot be legislated.

Huh? Do people even listen to what they say?

From Dictionary.com’s morality, the first definition given is:

• conformity to the rules of right conduct; moral or virtuous conduct.

When these rules are codified as laws so as to be applied to a population it is called legislation.

Such legislation has as its intention the protection of people from being abused in various ways, including protection from having one’s life stolen from oneself, protection from being raped in one’s person or property, protection from being assaulted bodily and verbally, and the like.

Legislation that makes murder illegal and prosecutable is legislation of morality. Morality is the very reason for legislation.

Sadly, in some cases, amorality or immorality has become the basis of some legislation.

Worse yet is that some legitimate legislation has been overturned through immoral and illicit judicial procedure. Where proper morality has been legislated, sometimes the judicial system has nullified it.

Thus we have a society in which the protections that have been properly legislated for all are reduced and in some cases completely nullified so that certain groups of people are treated as non-persons who are then subjected to horrible abuses.

Such has been the case throughout history.

This nullification of morality being properly legislated and enacted and enforced begins with certain “lesser” groups, but eventually is extended to count more and more groups as “lesser” until only a few have any real protection, which has actually morphed into usurpation of protection of the masses.

When this reaches such a level the masses who previously consented to the nullifying of these protections for other “lesser” persons and groups of persons cry out in dismay that they themselves now stand with these “lesser” ones.

I am truly baffled by how often people who cry out for legislation against the inhumane treatment of animals will argue that legislation against the inhumane treatment of babies is only a “moral issue” that should not be legislated.

In the meantime, truly dreadful legislation such as the Patriot Act and now the NDAA is permitted and even welcomed. People imagine that these direct violations of the Constitution will somehow be limited to “those” people and that by some miracle that they will be exempted from these violations.

Eventually people discover that the cliche, “What goes around comes around,” actually has its basis in fact.

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Save Christian Pastor Nadarkhani from an Iranian Death Sentence

Here is an update on Pastor Nadarkhani Yousef from the ACLJ: Save Christian Pastor Nadarkhani from an Iranian Death Sentence. The ACLJ is calling for signers of a petition to the US Congress to support the Congressional Resolution introduced by Rep. Joe Pitts demanding the immediate release of Pastor Youcef.

I do not know how effective such a resolution will be, especially concerning the USA’s hypocrisy in such matters and in it’s dealings with Iran, but at least it is a way for me to make at least some statement to the Iranian government on behalf of Nadarkhani and all who suffer similar injustice. What other contact can I have? At least this is something.

Frankly, if Nadarkhani is a true believer in Christ, then going to be with the Lord will be a blessing. Yet life in this world is God’s gift, too. Moreover, remaining in this world and giving witness to God’s grace in Christ is a precious privilege. Furthermore, this injustice should be prevented. It is nothing less than murder if he is executed. Why should his family be robbed of his life with them? Why should such hatred be promoted and perpetrated?

Such is not uncommon in this world. Sadly, inexcusably, such has often been done by those pretending to be of Christ, too. How can it be that even today many so-called Christians are calling for such wickedness to be done upon the people of Iran?

Where will it end? It will end with the Lord’s return in glory. Until then, the true children of peace will endure such abuses, looking beyond this vale of sorrow and trouble to the everlasting abode that the Lord has prepared for them. Until then we continue to cry out, not with hateful anger, but with righteous anger that has peace and love as its motive. Yes, righteous anger is proper as it moves one to cry out against evil, not with murderous hatred, but with a desire for loving confrontation that leads to forgiveness and reconciliation both regarding fellow men and God.

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The Suckiest Generation?

From time to time I visit the Cyberbrethren blog. He often has interesting information. Also, his perspective is a reasonable representation of those who today call themselves conservative or confessional Lutherans. Checking his blog as well as others reminds me of the direction that these Lutherans are heading. Lots of information is available on his blog.

In September one of his posts was “Willpower” and the Suckiest Generation. In his post he links to this post by the same title: ‘Willpower’ and the Suckiest Generation. The really striking part of this is the label pinned upon the baby boom generation.

I learned from this article that I am counted by the official demographers, whomever they may be, as part of this baby boom generation, or as this article labels it, the Suckiest Generation.

The opening paragraph of the article says:

     I often joke with my wife that I wish my generation — the Baby Boomers — could die without taking me with them. I’d sure as hell like to be around to see them go. They ruined the culture of this country, threw away the untold riches bequeathed to them, betrayed and undermined centuries of wisdom, spread the use of drugs, legitimized divorce and abortion, and even managed to screw up the civil rights movement that might otherwise have been their signal achievement. On the other hand, they did give us pre-faded jeans, so I guess that’s something.

In the past, and perhaps even upon my first reading of the article, I have been inclined to agree with this assessment. I have never understood the ways of “my” generation. I’ve never counted it as my generation. But as I have grown in knowledge of the globalist agenda, as well as simply learning more about the history that my government controlled education hid from me, and learning more about some of the history of past generations of my family as well as other families, I have had a bit of an attitude adjustment.

Is this really the “suckiest generation”? From where did this generation arise? Did this generation create itself? Did this generation simply choose to be who they are?

Are they not the children and product of the previous generations? Did this generation allow the international bankers to seize control of our money supply and enslave us to the debt that we now face? Did this generation establish the universities and train the liberal professors who promoted much of the destructive misunderstandings of this generation? Which generation paid for those professors to be trained? Which generation sent their children to be deceived by these goons? Which generation allowed the First World War? Which generation allowed the Second World War? Which generation allowed theology to be replaced by psuedo-psychology, that is, psychology which does not even admit the existence of the psuche or psyche, that is, the soul?

The list of things that were allowed and were perpetrated by the previous generations is endless. But as one examines the things that were done and tolerated in the previous several generations, how can anyone be surprised that a generation of confusion and disarray would be generated? Considering all of the compromises that were accepted, especially in the religious sphere and then also in the so-called realm of science, to what would this new generation anchor?

The movie industry immediately began working to reshape the thinking of its audiences. Promiscuity, licentiousness, and divorce were being presented as things that should not be counted as negative and to be shunned. Racial discrimination continued to prevail for many, while morality lost its place. The US government dragged the nation into unjustified conflicts around the world one after another. It was the previous generations who “killed God,” and allowed the insane religion of evolution to be established over the people to steal away their one true source of hope and identity. Family stability was being undermined more and more. Materialism and hedonism became more and more the way of life.

These things did not originate with the baby boom generation. But they did most assuredly influence them, shaping their thinking and beliefs, ultimately robbing them of the things that provide confidence and security.

Was it the baby boom generation that allowed the Social Security Act to replace family responsibility for the elderly? Was it the BBG who allowed the churches to be infiltrated by imposters who preached tolerance as the new love and turned the seminaries and churches into cesspools for the effluence of historical criticism?

Look at the way of the grandparents in the churches today? Are they holding fast to the Truth or are they just smiling and trying not to make waves? Do they even believe in making waves anymore? Who empowered the AARP to such levels of influence and power? Who continually cries that they should receive hundreds of times more in Social Security benefits than they ever contributed?

These things were not brought about by the baby boom generation. The baby boom generation reacted to these things. Many of the BBG reactions were exactly what they are accused of being, but they did not act alone, nor were they even the initial instigators.

Does this excuse the BBG of its inestimable number of flaws and mistakes and even evil choices? Of course not. But if the BBG is the only generation on whom the blame falls, then the truth will never be addressed.

Is it not amazing that those, and often of the preceding generation, who are the quickest to quote the Lord Jesus as saying, “Judge not, lest ye be judged,” almost always divorce this from its context? Moreover, is it not amazing how this admonition is used as an excuse for judging those who rightly discriminate against genuine injustice and wrongdoing?

Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. (Matthew 7:1-5)

Does “my” generation, the baby boom generation, need to hear the honest judgment concerning its errors? Is this not a silly question? However, does not the preceding generation and the one before that and the succeeding generation need also to seek the doctor to have the beams removed from their eyes before judging the baby boomers?

As I consider my own judgment of “my” generation, I feel considerable shame. What should be done about this? Well, on my part, I look to the Lord, who has forgiven me from eternity and has taken on my frail human form in order to redeem me and take my sins for me in order that I may receive the forgiveness that He pronounced already to the first two sinners of the very first generation and throughout history to every successive generation down to the present day. I will most surely point out what I observe as wrong, but not so much with the intent of blaming someone, but with the hope of showing the way to the path where all blaming is lifted from us and God’s own righteousness and holiness and reconciliation are declared to be ours. If even a few people will hear it, what a change they will experience in their own hearts and lives! What joy we shall share together, as we continually are called together by the Holy Spirit to receive the peace that only God can give and gives freely without measure or limit.

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Are You a Big Enough Sinner?

Are you a big enough sinner to be saved?

Little sinners with little sins do not need to be saved. They just need a little help to get them started in the right direction. Little sinners, those whose sins are not so monstrously wicked so as to require the judgment of condemnation, do not look to a genuine savior. Little sinners look to a cooperative agent to give them assistance in overcoming their sins.

Only BIG sinners look to a true Savior to rescue them from everything. Only those who have terrible sins, sins which cannot be excused or explained away, only those with monstrous sins despair of their own attempts at redemption so as to rely entirely upon a Savior from themselves. Only a sinner who believes that everlasting suffering in hell is the only wage that one’s actions have earned truly looks to a Redeemer.

How big are your sins? How big of a sinner are you? Do you really believe that you need to be saved, or do you just need to make a few improvements in your lifestyle and behavior? Do you count all of your righteousnesses, that is, all of your attempts at goodness and holiness and love and kindness and gentleness and faithfulness, to be filthy bloody rags that reek of death and decay, as Isaiah says:

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. (Isaiah 64:6)

Or do you believe that your works have value because you try hard, or at least harder than most, or at least harder than some, or at least harder than someone? Do you really even believe that your sins are truly sins that need to be redeemed and forgiven? Are your sins really bad enough to need that?

Are you a BIG enough sinner to be saved?


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