The Gift of Worship

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
7For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand. Psalm 95:6-7 ESV

And he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." Mark 2:27 ESV

Worship sets us apart from other animals. Some say that it is our thinking that sets us apart from animals; or the way we use tools. But research has shown that animals also think, and also use tools. There is something we do, that no other created thing does. No other created thing worships. Worship is not an afterthought of God, but it is a gift for us.

Worship satisfies our desire to know God. God is present when we sing, during prayer, in Scripture, and when we celebrate the sacraments. We gather together to celebrate the One we have in common. We confess our sin together, we confess our faith together, and we hear the absolution together.

Worship is where God meets us, and we respond. It is a communication with God.

In worship, God renews us. It is like finding North on the compass and reorienting ourselves to God. It is with great joy that He renews our minds in worship. We see our brothers and sisters in the pew across the aisle, worshipping, provoking us to worship alongside them. We hear pastor announcing the absolution for us. We receive Christ's blood and body. We remember our baptism and the promises attached to that baptism: remission of sins, discipleship, salvation, eternal life.

Witness takes place in worship. We show our neighbors that worship is important just by attending. As we leave our driveways to go to church, our neighbors know that we are Christians. Walking into church, the neighbors of the church know we are Christians. It is this witness that may allow us to give these neighbors the good news of Jesus' forgiveness for us sinners.

We respond to God meeting us with joy and thanksgiving. Leaving weekly worship with a song of praise on our lips!

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Romans 8:31-32 ESV

The Problem With Peter

1 Peter 3:20-22 ESV

because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

There are many promises attached with baptism.When one is baptized, it reminds us our sins are washed away, we are saved, we are in Christ, we have died with Christ, we are Christ's disciple. That list is not exhaustive. Baptism is a sacrament that Jesus instituted, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit".

When theologies explain away verses such as this to say the passage doesn't mean baptism saves, they end up not knowing where to look for their assurance. Some, such as reformed theology and their step daughters, the Arminians, will place their faith in their faith. Looking within, they are assured by their faith. On days when doubts pursue us, faith in faith does not help us. Pentecostals and charismatics, tend to substitute speaking in tongues for the sacraments. When those gifts don't flow, the doubts creep in.

Father knows we are weak, so He helps us by giving us the visible sign of baptism to remind us to whom we belong. Peter tells us that baptism saves. Don't cry, "baptismal regeneration!" as if it is a nonbiblical thing. Peter tells us very plainly it saves.

Baptism does save, as scripture declares. We, too, are brought safely through water.

Begone Unbelief

Doctrineless doctrine. What is that? A doctrine is a principle, position, or policy that is taught or advocated. It is impossible to have a doctrineless doctrine. It is an undefineable phrase. One cannot say, "We have no doctrine", because that, by definition, is a doctrine.

In matters theological, it is all about doctrinal distinctions. A doctrineless doctrine would have us denying essentials of Christian beliefs, and declaring unbelief not a sin; after all, there can be no doctrine. Yet this phantasmagorical doctrineless doctrine would be overstepping its bounds.

On the other side of the road is the idea that you must have all your theological ducks waddling behind you in a straight, orderly, logical fashion. They must all waddle together, with the same step. The cries of "consistency" and "logic", often attend with the little ducks. Logic, while we do need and use it, is a worldly wisdom that at times opposes what God says in His word.

Beware of both of these ditches.

Passive Aggressive

Faith is passive in that we receive it from Father. He gives us faith. It is His gift to us, and with that faith we become His child. It is perfect faith when it is passive, and we are being done unto by God.

Baptism of an infant is a perfect picture of this. The infant is present, babbling and looking at Mom and Dad and Pastor. Water is applied to the infant, and the infant passively receives it.

Our faith is not aggressive. Unlike Augustine, who thought we are given faith, then we add to, and improve, and exercise our way to perfect faith. Scripture makes it plain that we are put to death as a sinner, and raised as a saint. That is perfect, passive faith.

Faith is aggressive on Father's part. He pursued us with great love, and we can see his aggressive love for us in Jesus. Jesus living in our stead, dying for our sins, resurrecting first, so that we may follow.

Real Presence

Real Presence is not a magical occurrence, such as thought to be by Roman Catholics. Nor is it an empty cup and bread, as thought amongst the many variations of Reformed Christians. No, it is Jesus who promises to be with us at communion.

For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. ~ Matthew 18

Communion means to be united with one another. We commune with Jesus and the saints militant and the saints triumphant. It is a mystery that we regularly eat and drink with our Lord. We must believe the promises.

For our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12

How can it be that we are not consumed in the presence of our Holy Jesus when we are at the altar of the Lord‘s Supper? Some of us are served communion weekly, some less frequently. Yet we are not consumed.

Jesus’ body broken for us, Jesus’ blood spilled out for us. That is what we receive. Forgiveness of sins. It is due to that same body and blood that we received that we are not consumed.

Fruit Salad

A good tree produces good fruit because the trunk of the tree is working properly. Jesus is the trunk, we are the branches, Him working in and through us is the fruit. Good fruit cannot produce a good tree. No matter how hard we try, the fruit we create on our own is always rotten.

It is important as believers to get the direction right. The flow is from the top down, not from the down up. All other religions flow backwards, only in Christianity is the direction correct. God comes down through us, so that we can move out and serve our neighbor. We are passive, and free.

God is doing what He does, making all things new. First he makes us new, so that He can work in us. We become free from the law, and are in Christ. He moves us from under the law, and into Christ. We are a new creation. That new creation can live large in the world and serve our neighbor, and enhance life around us.

Isn’t that freeing?

Why I Call Roman Catholics "Brethren"

I was listening to some people discussing sanctification. Here is the gist of the conversation: Yes, we are to obey the law. The Holy Spirit empowers us with grace to be able to follow the commandments of God. When we sin, we just need to resist harder. We are to mortify our flesh.

Do you hear Roman Catholicism in those ideas?

The penance there is all the things we must do. "We must mortify our flesh. We must obey the law." How do we mortify the flesh? The answer was that we are to crucify our flesh. More things we must do, more penance.

Scripture says in Romans 6, But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.

and in 1 Corinthians 1, But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,

Our sanctification is Jesus Christ. We don't do the best we can, and then God finishes what we cannot do.

Why can I call Roman Catholics brethren? Because they err the same way the Calvinists do, going back under the law after salvation. And not only do the Calvinists make this grave error, but so do all her step-children, the Arminians.

Paul warns us about returning to the law this way in Galatians 4, Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

Dear Reader, did you hear the idea of penance in that conversation? Did it sound like Roman Catholicism to you, too? Self-flagellation was equated to sanctification. The conversation was amongst Calvinists, not Roman Catholics; but to my ears they sound the same.