Primer on the Justification Situation

Most readers of this blog are probably aware of the New Perspective on Paul (NPP) and the debate over the old Lutheran doctrine of Justification versus the NPP verson. Proponents of each side have drawn their lines in the metaphorical sand by publishing books ad nauseum. Two of the more popular presenters have been Baptist pastor John Piper and Anglican bishop N.T. Wright. Piper came out swinging first with his book, The Future of Justification: A Response to N.T. Wright, which recieved accolades from both sides for honestly engaging the good bishop to accurately represent his views. Wright has recently responded with his book, Justification: God's Plan and Paul's Vision, which I have yet to read since it was just recently released stateside.

Christianity Today has recently published a helpful primer on the two positions to help those who are tired of sloshing through the mire of the debate. You can open the PDF, here.

While I have benefitted from studying both Piper and Wright, especially Wright's books on Jesus and the Resurrection, I do not think Piper is the best representative of the old Lutheran position on justification. For that I would turn to an actual Lutheran exegete, Stephen Westerholm's Perspectives Old and New: The "Lutheran" Paul and his Critics, which is par excellence on Paul's understanding of the law.

Presentation of the Augsburg Confession

On this day in 1530, the Augsburg Confession was read aloud to Emperor Charles V, German Princes, and other nobles of the free cities at the diet of Augsburg. Composed by Philip Melancthon in consultation with Martin Luther, it represented the first confessional document of the Reformation that describes what the early reformers believed, taught and confessed.

Today it still stands as the foundational document representing the best in Lutheranism. I thank God for the gift of these men and women who struggled to hold fast to the Biblical doctrine of justification by faith alone in Christ alone - for they stood alone by faith, especially those princes who sided with Luther. They were men and women of Biblical conviction, which is something the church is sorely in need of today, especially that claim allegiance to the tradition of Augustana.

Sorry for the intermittent posting of late. I've been travelling up to Christ College every night in Irvine, CA for classes (Sys Theology I and Reformation History); I get home around 11am and then get up for work at 6am, so while it has been exhausting, I have been writing/studying some pretty cool subjects and enjoying my professors and classmates.

Stay tuned as I have a couple lengthier papers of substance that I'll be posting in the coming weeks, and God willing, two of them will be published later this year or early next.

I'd encourage you all to pick-up a Book of Concord and read the Augsburg Confession - yes - even you Calvinists! Calvin himself agreed with it and the first draft of his Institutes (1536) reflects its tenor. For an online read, check-out: Book of Concord.

Pentecost Sermon - One Foundation? Acts 2:1-21

Here's a link to the PDF of the sermon I delivered on Pentecost Sunday. We still do not have a recording device, which is unfortunate, because after looking at the written manuscript I am seeing how much more free I am in the pulpit to ad-lib and take diversions. Additionally, the paper just doesn't convey the power and emotion of the human voice. Oh well. Enjoy. Maybe you can get something out of it.

One Foundation? Acts 2:1-21

Thoughts on Mystery

Last night I led our mid-week Evening Prayer service, filling in for my pastor who was proctoring a final at USD. This is my favorite service in the Lutheran Service Book, musically speaking. The music is joyful and the words, which are largely taken from the Psalms, are pregnant with meaning as the sun is setting. Typically, the service ends with Communion when the pastor is there, but when I lead it is only a prayer service.

There is, however, a section in the litugy that allows for a homily or catechetical reflection, so I took opportunity to ad-lib a devotional on the nature of mystery. We are about to celelbrate/remember Christ's ascension this Sunday. We follow the church calendar and so these key events in the life of Christ and the church are brought to our attention year after year. For some, these events become boring and routine. But for me personally, the significant events of Scripture never seem to lose their luster.

Here's the deal. In any other story, knowing the end before you start a book, movie, or program would ruin it. The mystery would be lost. The tension would give way because you know how it's all going to end. My mother and oldest daughter watch all the reality shows like American Idol and Dancing with the Stars. These shows are not my thing, but I will often fast-forward the recordings on the DVR to the end just to see who won or was kicked off. I realize this takes all the supposed fun out of the show, but I don't really care about these shows so it does't matter much. But heilgeschichte (salvation history) is never boring nor less mysterious despite knowing how it all is going to pan out. We know as the creed states that Jesus is coming back to "judge the living and the dead." So where's the mystery, you ask?

On the cross, Jesus took upon himself our judgment. We gave him what is ours - sin and death - and he gave us what is rightfully his - righteousness and life. I know this. I trust my very soul in faith to this "marvelous exchange," as Luther called it. But it is nonetheless an incredible mystery. Why would God do such a thing? This peace passes my understanding and keeps me continually refreshed, renewed, and interested in this on-going story. I guess we could simply call this hope.

But think about the ascension and the kind of emotional roller coaster it must have been for the disciples. He's dead! He's alive! He's giving some incredible Bible studies, come listen! What? You're going away? Already? Imagine the admixture of loss, sadness, joy, confusion, and...hope.

What benefit do we recieve from Christ's ascension? The expanded edition of Luther's small catechism speaks of the benefits as it relates to Christ's Triplex Mundi (three-fold office):

1. As a Prophet, Christ sends the Holy Spirit and empowers/equips pastors and teachers to bring His life giving Word.

2. As our High Priest, Christ intercedes at the right hand of the Father for us (1 John 2:1)

3. As our Heavenly King, he sits enthroned on high making his enemies his footstool. In other words, we share in his victory over the powers of sin, the devil, and death. O death, where is thy sting?

May the richness and flavor of this beatiful story never lose its savor. Amen

My First Baptism...

I had the extreme privilege of baptizing Ava Grace Soto into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit yesterday. This was my first baptism and it was an honor bestowed on me by both the parents and my pastor, since vicars do not normally preside over baptisms. The older I get the more resolved I am in the way Lutherans treat the sacraments. The objective nature of knowing God's word/promise attached to the waters of baptism brings great comfort of knowing I am not saved by my doing or particular feelings for any given day.

A lot of my friends (and readers) are not Lutheran, and often confused by what seems like a Roman Catholic view of the sacraments. One of my favorite NT theologians, A. Andrew Das, delivered an excellent paper a while back on Baptism in the NT that I think would help my non-Lutheran friends grasp where we are coming from on this doctrine. It is a bit long as it attempts to sweep through the entire NT on the subject but completely worthwhile, in my opinion (especially his sections on Acts). Here is the link.

For those who contribute nothing but their own self-interest...

Church is a place full of sinners. That statement should be a no-brainer to anyone with a modicum understanding of the Christian faith. "There is no one righteous - no not one," says St. Paul. But the church is also full of saints - those set apart by the work of Jesus Christ through faith on account of Jesus' atoning death and victorious resurrection. Thus, Lutherans believe in Simil Justus et Peccator - simultaneously justified and sinful.

I mention this because I am slowly realizing just how much wasted time of pastoral ministry is spent dealing with long-time Christians who are completely self-absorbed. The church for this type of person is all about - yep you guessed it - them. While I lament this fact, it is simply a matter of understanding my first point; the church is full of sinners.

I was on a business blog earlier today where the writer was dealing with Seneca's philosophy and I came across this quote: "Too often, we spend time focusing on the trivial with people who contribute nothing but their own self-interest." Fantastic sentence! And right to the point.

So I have resolved to call people on the carpet when they attempt to waste my time by contributing nothing but their self-interest by asking, "And what does this have to do with the mission of Jesus?"

Preaching to the homeless...

Ring. ring. [my cell - 9:30pm on Saturday night - location: Irish Pub]

Me - Hello.

Pastor - Hi Vicar. The pastor that was supposed to preach tomorrow afternoon at Rev. Lee's homeless mission can't make it. I have family in town, so...

Me - [said reluctantly] Sure. I'll do it.

Pastor - Great! Now make sure you are very "real" with them. And they're hungry and cannot eat until you're done with the sermon, so don't go too long - like no more than 10 minutes. Where are you? It sounds like a party or a bar?

We support a missionary pastor, Rev. Lee, who works with a homeless mission in downtown San Diego. Rev. Lee is a Korean Lutheran pastor that must be somewhere around 80 years old. He's faithful and hard working, and this ministry is hard. The area of the mission is a place where you typically will take the extra time to drive around rather than through to get to your destination, if you know what I mean. It is filled with tents and sleeping bags, smells of piss and feces, and needles are strewn about in the gutters. When I parked my car, there was about 150 people lined up around the building for their free meal. They have to sit through a worship service before they can eat, so you have a captive audience.

And the audience is every preachers worst nightmare. They've heard it all before. Some are on drugs; some are deranged; old and handicapped; young, strung out businessmen; hookers and pimps; and dealers, of courses. Some have been eating this free meal for years and seen preachers come and go like the seasons.

It was fitting that before I preached, we sang "Onward, Christian Soldiers" because I felt like I was marching on to war as I took the pulpit. I kept it real and I only spoke for 12 minutes using the John 2 account of Jesus cleansing the temple, emphasizing the fact that in this story Jesus defies our expectations of what our Savior looks and acts like, showing how often we domesticate him for our own personal desires. I ended as the passage does with the death and resurrection of Jesus calling them to believe in Jesus' word as his disciples did in the story.

There was a hearty amen afterwards, but I'm pretty sure that was to display how happy they were that they could get on with the meal, and not so much for my sermonizing. An elderly black man came up to me as I was leaving and said, "Nice talk, young man." Nice talk? Well, it is better than some things I've heard in church, so I'll take it. I have a new-found respect for those that minister to the homeless. To be frank, I didn't want to go. To be more frank, I don't really want to go back. It is scary and it smells. But I do believe that this is the type of place that Jesus would preach, and these are the type of people Jesus would sit and eat with, so I'll keep going as long as they'll have me. Why? Because these are the people that Jesus died for, too.