October 29, 2017 Sola Scriptura - Scripture Alone

This morning we conclude our brief series of messages about the Reformation.  I hope you’re not breathing a sigh of relief!

In a few moments, when I read the Scripture text, I am going to use a different Bible than the one I normally use.  The Bible I am using this morning – this one – is The One Year Bible, arranged in 365 daily readings so that one can read through the Bible in a year, without going through it in order, from Genesis to Revelation.  But that’s not the reason why I’m using it this morning.  I’m also not using it because of this nice cover or cool picture on the cover.  It’s not one that has any particular sentimental value to me because it was not a gift to me.  Until the other day, I had not actually picked up this particular Bible in quite a while.

So, why am I using this particular Bible this morning?  I am using it to honor a person who gave his life to help ensure that we could read the Bible.  Did you know there are people who gave their lives to translate the Bible into English so that we could read it?  This Bible is published by Tyndale House publishers, a publishing company named after William Tyndale, a scholar who was burned at the stake in a small town in Belgium in 1536.  His crime?  Translating the Bible into English.  If you have ever uttered the phrases under the sun, signs of the times, let there be light, my brother’s keeper, fall flat on his face, the land of the living, pour out one’s heart, the apple of his eye, go the extra mile, or the parting of the ways you are using phrases that Tyndale brought into the English language.  

The translating of the Bible into English, first begun in earnest by John Wycliffe in the 14^th century and followed by Tyndale, helped to solidify the Reformation, because it allowed, for the first time, for anyone who could read to be able to have a Bible, in English, and to read it.  The first book to be massed produced with moveable type – a momentous development in history – was the Gutenberg Bible.  It was not mere happenstance that the Bible was the first book mass-produced. 

While the availability of the Bible is so taken for granted today that we almost ignore it, there was a time when you could lose your life for the act of translating it and putting it into the hands of the average person.  Hard to believe, isn’t it?  But even today there are countries where it is illegal to own or distribute Bibles (in countries such as North Korea, Somalia, Libya, and Morocco.  In North Korea, the restrictions are so dire that not only is an individual who possesses a Bible in danger of arrest, imprisonment, torture, and death – so are up to three generations of their family!)

So, if you have a Bible with you today or a Bible app on your phone, computer, or tablet, a debt of gratitude is owed to those who risked, or gave, their lives, that we could read and study the Bible. The Bible revolutionized the world, and continues to revolutionize the world, and it is the topic of our message this morning, as we come to one of the Five Solas of the Reformation.  The Five Solas were the foundational theological principles of the Reformation, of which Sola Scriptura was one.  Sola Scriptura means Scripture Alone.  Sola Scriptura was a rallying cry of the Reformation as a proclamation that it was the Bible alone that would serve as the source of theology, practice, and doctrine for the church.  Authority would not be vested in tradition, councils, creeds, denominations, other documents, church leaders or any individuals; Scripture alone would be the source of authority. 

So, with all that said, let’s read some of the Bible!  Here are two texts that are famously about the Scriptures –

2 Timothy 3:14-17

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,

15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Hebrews 4:12

12 For the word of God is alive and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

There is so much to say about the Bible, and it was very difficult to narrow it down to what is going to be a very brief summary of the Bible in the context of the topic of Scripture Alone.  I will talk about the Bible under the heading of three categories – Authority, Interpretation, and Application.

1.  Authority.

If you receive – and read – the study guide sent out by email every week (it serves as an introduction to the Sunday morning message) then you have already read about the ways in which authority is viewed in the three branches of Christianity – Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox.  There are some significant differences that are important to understand, especially if we want to understand one another across those divisions.  I don’t have time to get into the differences this morning so I hope you will read the study guide if you haven’t, or you can ask me later.  Suffice it to say this – every church, whatever its denomination or tradition – has some basis of authority.  For Protestants, we say our sole authority is the Bible.  That is, there is no other authority that informs are beliefs and practices, which is mostly true (I say it is mostly true because, within Protestantism, there are some examples of authority outside of local congregations.  Not every church is completely autonomous.  Within the United Methodist Church, for example, the denomination had a great deal of authority about the placement and movement of ministers, while other Protestant churches have complete autonomy when it comes to the selection and calling of ministers).

Here’s how authority works in our church, as an example.  First of all, I’m not in charge.  In fact, there is nowhere in life where I am in charge, trust me.  The congregation is the final authority.  There is no outside group that tells us what we can or cannot do or what we are to believe.  Our denomination has no authority over us.  There is nothing that our denomination’s office in Indianapolis can tell us to do, or not to do.  Our General Assembly can pass all the resolutions they want when they gather, but our church is free to ignore them if we choose.

As the minister, I am charge with leading the church, but I do not have any authority to set policy, practice, or anything else.  I can make recommendations, but I am not in charge of doctrine, practice, or belief.  Our elders serve as the spiritual overseers of our church, but they are not in charge.  They can make some decisions, certainly, but they can’t tell the congregation what to do or what to believe.  We have a board, who can also make some decisions, because sometimes it is too unwieldy for every decision to be brought before the congregation.  Ultimately, however, the congregation is the final arbiter of any major decisions made by our congregation.

I know this can seem a bit like irrelevant theological minutiae, but it really matters when churches are trying to make decisions, especially decisions related to belief and doctrine.  In a hierarchical church, such as the Catholic Church or the Orthodox Church, there is an official church theology and doctrine about everything.  You can agree or disagree, but that’s just the way it is.  If the church hierarchy says here is our position on this issue, that’s the church position.  We don’t have anything similar, and what happens then, if we are debating a policy, say, about women in ministry (although that is a settled question for us now, it wasn’t at one time).  Where do you turn for a voice of authority?  We turn to the Bible.  As Thomas Campbell, one of the leaders of the movement that brought about Disciples churches famously said, where the Scriptures speak, we speak; and where the Scriptures are silent, we are silent.  Hmm.  That’s a great quote, but it doesn’t really settle things, does it?  It’s a bit like Thomas Jefferson penning the 1^st Amendment and then sitting back and saying confidently, there; that ought to settle it!  Every matter related to church and state and free speech is forever settled!  Except it isn’t.

So that brings us to the second point –

2. Interpretation

If we have no central authority to establish a statement of faith, if we have no creed that we follow, if we have no list of official doctrines, and we turn to the Bible to answer our questions, provide us guidance, inform our beliefs and our daily living, we have to interpret what it says.  Some parts of the Bible are very clear – love God with all your heart, soul, and mind and love our neighbors as ourselves (Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it:  “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. Matthew 22:37-40; Mark 12:30-31).  That seems pretty obvious, doesn’t it?  But not everything is so obvious, and not everything that seems obvious is as obvious as we might think. 

The Bible requires interpretation.  No one takes it completely literally.  No one takes every word of the Bible literally.  No one.  No matter how much they argue that they do, they just don’t.  In Leviticus, for example, we are told do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.  Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material (19:19).  Or, do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard…or put tattoo marks on your selves (19:27-28).  I’m fairly certain that the suit I’m wearing today is made of a blend of material and I do cut the hair at the side of my head.  While I don’t have a beard, I do trim my sideburns and my moustache.  Am I in violation of the Bible?  I am if I take those passages literally.  I think we would all agree, however, that some passages – such as these examples from Leviticus – were meant for a particular time and particular context that no longer apply.  But what happens when we come to other passages, such as those that speak to the role of women in church or in ministry?  There are plenty of churches who would say that what the Bible says about limiting the role of women is still very much applicable.  Here is the larger point – we all practice Biblical interpretation, and we all understand that not all passages are to be taken literally, but who decides which ones are no longer applicable and which ones still apply?  While that question is more difficult one to answer, here’s one thing I do know for sure – when it comes to interpretation, we won’t always agree with one another, and because we will disagree we must allow one another the freedom to interpret how we feel led by the Holy Spirit.

I’m telling you what I think and what I believe.  I know a lot of ministers will say I’m not up here offering my opinion; I’m telling you what the Bible says.  Well…they are saying what they believe it says.  I am telling you what I think and what I believe.  You are not required to think what I think, believe what I believe, or agree with me.  Your opinion is as valid as that of any of the deacons, the elders, or mine.  I would rather you think and pray and struggle with your theology than just blindly agree with mine and agree without ever asking a question or expressing any disagreement, although it would be a lot easier at times if you just agreed with me.  Not everyone wants that.  A lot of people are much more comfortable with a church and a minister that will tell them exactly what to think and what to believe about every single topic, no matter how large or small, no matter how relevant or arcane.

To use the example of women in ministry again, this is where interpretation and authority become very important.  If we were subject to denominational authority, they could tell us whether or not we can ordain woman.  I can tell you most assuredly I would not like anyone outside of our church telling us what we can or cannot do.  But it’s also one of the reasons why matters of theology, belief, and practice can sometimes be sticky.  There are any number of issues in our own time that are creating a great deal of contention in churches, because people disagree about how to interpret various passages of the Bible, and in our church context there isn’t any person or group of persons who will establish an official list of beliefs.  Now, having said that, we are sometimes called upon as a church to make a decision about what we will or will not practice, such as when this church some years ago discussed, debated, and then voted to ordain women, but no one was required to agree, disagree, believe, or disbelieve in the practice.

This is why church life can sometimes be very complicated.

3.  Application.

When I was a member of another denomination, early in my time in that denomination I attended their annual meeting, which was very large and very contentious, as they were in the midst of a great battle over the Bible and what they believed it to say.  I remember standing in the back of a very large convention hall in Dallas, Texas as we prepared to vote on an issue, and people had managed to get extra ballots and were passing them out to people, enabling them to vote with multiple ballots, when each person was supposed to cast only a single vote.  They did not seem to notice the irony of “defending” the Bible while going against its principles of honesty and integrity at the same time.

Here is the reality – we can’t simply talk about the Bible, we are called to apply the Bible; that is, we are called to live its message.  We can’t just talk about faith, hope, and love; we must live faith, hope, and love.  We can’t just talk about loving God with our heart, mind, and soul; we must actually love God with our heart, mind, and soul.  We can’t just talk about loving our neighbor; we must actually love our neighbor.

The writer of Hebrews tells us that the Bible is alive and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow.  The Bible is an incredibly powerful book, because it is more than a book.  The Bible does indeed contain the Word of God and the power of that Word changes lives.  One of the most powerful examples of which I am familiar was in hearing a young man speak some years ago.  He was from a small village in Asia, and one day a few people came to his village to distribute Bibles.  The elders of the village did not want the Bibles to be distributed so they seized all the copies in order to burn them.  The Bibles were thrown onto a bonfire, but as paper will do when it is thick, the pages did not immediately burn all the way through.  One page of the gospel of John blew away in the breeze and the young man happened upon it.  Reading that one page of Scripture, he was converted and immediately set about evangelizing other members of his village.  Again, the village elders were not pleased and threatened him and even beat him.  Undeterred, the young man continued, helping to bring a number of the members of his village to Christ before needing to flee because of threats against his life.  Over time, the young man was responsible for brining large numbers of people to Christ, all because one page of John’s gospel blew out of a bonfire and ended up in his hands.  That is a testimony to the power of the Bible!  The Bible is indeed alive and active.  It is also a great gift that we are able to read it in our own language, as some people gave their lives in order for us to have that ability.

Sola Scriptura – Scripture Alone.  That is the great rallying cry of the Reformation, and may it be ours as well.

October 22, 2017 The Reformation: Sola Fide - Faith Alone

Last week we began a 3-message series about the Reformation, and in recent days I have been doing a little bit of polling, asking some of my fellow clergy how many of them were doing sermons about the Reformation, since this month it its 500^th anniversary.  I have been surprised to get mostly disinterested responses, so maybe it’s not as interesting a topic to most people as it is to me.  So, if you don’t find it interesting, there’s only one more week!

Today’s message is Sola Fide:  Faith Alone.  The Reformation was based, theologically, upon what are called the Five Solas.  Sola is a Latin word that means only, alone, or single.  The Five Solas are theological statements that provided the foundation for all that Martin Luther – and those who came after him – taught.  The Five Solas, and a very brief definition, are –

1. Solus Christus – Christ alone.  Solus Christus affirms that there are no other mediators between God and humanity other than Christ.  One of the most significant expressions of this belief, for our church, is the manner in which we practice communion.  For Disciples churches – and to some extent other Protestants as well – it is not necessary to have an ordained individual officiate at the table.  Generally speaking, it is most often an ordained minister who officiates at communion in a Disciples church, but not always.  A few weeks ago, when I was on vacation on a Sunday, I attended a Disciples church where communion was officiated by a layperson.  The significance of Solus Christus is that we do not depend upon a minister, priest, or other church official to act in any mediatory role; only Christ does this.

2. Sola Scripture – Scripture alone.  One of the most commonly misunderstood aspects of Catholic theology is related to this point.  Protestants will often ask, why do Catholics believe that?  It’s not in the Bible.  Well, it might be in the Bible (the Catholic Church recognizes several more books as belonging in the Bible than do Protestants).  Catholic theology also recognizes, however, the teaching of the church across the ages as being equally authoritative to the Bible.  For Catholics, then, it is not necessary that a practice or doctrine be found in Scripture, as church tradition and teaching carries equal authoritative weight.

3. Sola Fide – Faith alone.  Sola Fide is the affirmation that we are saved by faith, not by works.  While good works can serve as evidence of salvation, they are not a necessary prerequisite to being granted salvation.  It is this point that we will talk about today.

4. Sola Gratia – Grace alone.  In some ways, Sola Fide and Sola Gratia seem very similar, as being saved by grace alone sounds like the same affirmation as being saved by faith alone.  Faith, however, is the means by which we act and grace is the means by which God acts.

5. Soli Deo Gloria – Glory to God alone.  In this teaching Luther was taking aim at the practice of the veneration of the saints and other characters in Catholic theology.  To Luther, it was God alone who should be given glory.

Our Scripture text for today comes from three passages in the book of Romans.  Reading through the book of Romans is what brought Martin Luther to his awareness of the fact that it is faith alone that grants us salvation.

Romans 1:17 –

17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Romans 3:22-24 –

22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Romans 4:1-8 –

1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter?

2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God.

3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation.

5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.

6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

7 “Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

8 Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”

1.  Salvation does not have to be earned.

I think, deep down, it is very difficult for us to free our minds of the idea that we do not have to earn our salvation.  Even though we talk a great deal about salvation as a free gift, as much as we talk about grace, and as much as we talk about the love and mercy of God, I think most people still, down deep, believe we are still somewhat responsible for having to earn our salvation.  We are, after all, are a do-it-yourself society.  We pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps.  We are not dependent upon anyone but ourselves.  We don’t believe there is such a thing as a free lunch.

But, theologically speaking, there are a couple of problems with our sense of independence and do-it-ourselves.  Number one, sometimes we not very good at doing it ourselves.  I don’t have a lot of talents, especially when it comes to working with my hands.  I can’t fix many things.  I can’t build many things.  I think some of you remember my stories about taking three years to build a deck.  A deck that is nothing but a rectangle, with nothing fancy added.  There are some things I cannot do, and one them, theologically speaking, is to save myself.  And, secondly, we are not very good at asking for help.  I am not.  I prefer to do things myself and I really do not like to ask for help.  That attitude seeps into our theology as well, as we find it hard asking for help – or thinking we need help – and this reinforces our idea that we can earn our salvation.

If you are still uncertain about how much we believe we can earn our salvation, think about what I call funeral home theology.  Funeral home theology is a very works-based theology; that is, it demonstrates how deeply engrained it is within us that we must earn our salvation.  Funeral home theology goes like this – you are in a funeral home for visitation.  A friend comes in and says, I’m very sorry about your grandmother, and you respond, I’m very sad that grandma is gone, but I take great comfort in knowing where she is.  And the reason we know where she is?  Because, as we might say, she was such a…good person.  Now, we should certainly affirm grandma’s goodness; it’s grandma, after all!  But is salvation granted to her, or anyone, because of their goodness?  No.  And thank goodness it’s not.  Salvation does not have to be earned.

Listen to some of the ways Paul expresses this in our text for this morning –

3:24 all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

4:2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God.

3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation.

5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.

Note that in verse 4 Paul says that to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation.  What this means is that, if we are trying to earn our salvation, we can never get ahead.  Any good we do is only what we should have done in the first place.  If you remember what I said last week about the idea of indulgences and the surplus of righteousness of the saints, you will know that it is an idea that is based upon the idea that there is a standard of righteousness that we can achieve, but there is not.  Paul is very plain in telling us that we can never be good enough to earn our salvation.

Sola fide – Martin Luther wrote those words in the margin of his Bible as a young Augustinian monk.  Write it in the margin of your Bible.  If you like tattoos, that would make a great tattoo.  Get it tattooed on your arm and it would be a great conversation starter about faith.  Luther made great efforts to find God’s grace; he was haunted by the sense that he had to do something in order to earn salvation so he was constantly doing penance and all the other things people told him were necessary in order for him to find salvation. Eventually he came to the point of despair, understanding he could never be good enough, but then he had a moment of great awakening when he understood that –

2.  Salvation is a free gift.

Unfortunately, some people believe that love must be earned.  Sadly, that is how some people operate.  Some people want us to work to earn their love, but that is a very human way of operating and is not a way in which God operates.

God’s love is free; totally free, and does not have to be earned.  There are plenty of people who believe there is no such thing as a free lunch, but there is free salvation.  Actually, in one church where I served, we decided to offer a free lunch on the sidewalk in front of the church.  Being located on the town square, we thought it would be a great place to offer a free lunch, so on a Friday we set up a grill and cooked hamburgers and hot dogs, had chips, dessert, drinks and other items and gave them away.  For free.  It was amazing how suspicious people were.  What’s the catch, some would ask.  There is no catch, we would tell them.  Still, some people would walk back and forth, observing, but hesitant to receive a meal.  One man actually started arguing with me.  He tried to pay some money and we wouldn’t take it he got mad!  And left his plate of free food on the table!

I think one of the classic Biblical stories about salvation as a free gift is the story of the thief on the cross, in Luke 23:39-43 –

39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?

41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Jesus offered the thief a free gift.  He did not say, well, you’ve waited kind of late in life to make this decision.  We really need more time so that we can get you into six different classes and we would prefer if you had some experience serving on a bunch of church committees.  No, Jesus offered the free gift of salvation to the thief in the final moments of his life.

Another great passage is the parable of the workers in the vineyard, in Matthew 20:1-16 –

1“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.

4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’

5 So they went. “He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing.

6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. “He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius.

10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius.

11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner.

12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius?

14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you.

15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

The workers who had been in the vineyard all day assumed they would be given more than those who were hired at the very end of the day, but all the workers received the same amount of pay, regardless of how much time they had worked.  The free gift of God’s salvation means that everyone is offered the same, free gift.  It matters not how much I have worked in church over the years, the person who comes to salvation at the very end of life receives the same, free gift.  That is demonstrative of God’s love and generosity!

Luther, after experiencing his epiphany of the free gift of salvation, wrote of Romans 1:17 that at last, as I meditated day and night on the relation of the words ‘the righteousness of God is revealed in it, as it is written, the righteous person shall live by faith,’ I began to understand that ‘righteousness of God’ as that by which the righteous person lives by the gift of God…the merciful God justifies us by faith, as it is written, ‘the righteous person lives by faith.’ This immediately made me feel as though I had been born again, and as though I had entered through open gates into paradise itself.

In Romans 6:23, Paul writes that the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Salvation is a free gift!

3.  God is the grantor of salvation and he alone is our judge.

There is no shortage of people who are happy to tell us what we must do in order to be granted God’s grace.  There is no shortage of people who are happy to heap upon us all manner of rules, regulations, and requirements that we must fulfill.  Don’t let people do that to you, because God doesn’t do that to you.  God is our judge, not other people.  And yet we often find ourselves trying to please other people and trying to live up to their expectations and requirements of us.  Thank goodness that God is not as hard to please as other people can be!

In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says –

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

One of the reasons Jesus said that is not only for us to release our worries and cares, but also to release the expectations, rules, regulations, and legalism that people want to impose upon us.  His followers were tired of so much of that being heaped upon them, and when he talks about his burden being light, he is talking about the absence of those rules, regulations, and legalism in what he asks of us. 

In Matthew chapter 23, Jesus lets loose a scathing judgment of those who add all the requirements that they believe others must follow –

1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:

2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 

3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.

4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

Jesus often heaped scorn upon the religious leaders because of the abundance of regulations they place upon people.  Over the course of time, literally hundreds of regulations and laws had been enacted in order to fulfill the commandment to honor the Sabbath day and to keep it holy.  Hundreds.  Literally.  Who could keep up with that many laws, and that’s just one commandment!

Who is your judge?  Is it me?  No!  Is it another person?  No!  God is your judge and my judge.  Who do you need to satisfy?  Me?  No!  Someone else?  No!  We do not have to please someone else, we do not have to live up to the theological expectations of others, and we do not have to accept the theological baggage that someone else would desire to place upon us.

How many of you like a bargain?  We all like bargains, don’t we?  As the year is speeding towards its conclusion we will soon be looking for holiday bargains.  In the coming days, many of us will make the short trip down I64 to the outlet mall and shop for bargains, getting excited when we see signs advertising 25% off.  But even a very good bargain comes with a price, doesn’t it, because we still have to hand over our hard-earned money.  Not everything, however, comes with a price.  Salvation is free.  Now, I’m not saying that following Jesus is always easy, but I am absolutely saying that salvation is God’s free gift.  We do not have to earn it, we do not have to work for it, and we do not have to deserve it.  It is God’s free gift, and that’s good news!