Salvation Decision?

hello. i confessed with my mouth that jesus is lord and was baptised about nine months ago but Im worried about not being saved and that I may eventually lose my salvation. Any help?


Greetings Kitty,

This is a very common issue that many Christians have dealt with in all times and places. It is especially problematic in modern America with many churches wrongly teaching that salvation is a matter of personal decisions, obedience, and symbolic actions.

This will always lead the Christian to gaze into his or her heart wondering, "Did I really mean it when I asked Jesus into my heart?" "Have I really turned my life around and become morally better?" "Did I follow all the right rules and jump through the right hoops to be saved?"

It is in these situations in which I always direct the person outside of themselves and onto Christ. You were not saved nine months ago. You were saved two-thousand years ago when Jesus took your sins and nailed them to his own flesh on the cross. Your baptism was not a personal action of obedience or symbolic gesture, it is a washing of rebirth and renewal in which Jesus came to you and washed your sins away. The Christian confesses not "I was baptized" but "I am baptized!" Your faith in Christ crucified and risen did not come from your own choice or reasoning ability, it was worked in you by God Himself the Holy Spirit working through Word and Sacrament.

You, like all humans, are sinful and weak. You can't saved yourself nor are you yourself able to remain in God's salvation. But fear not! Your salvation rests entirely on who Jesus is and what He has done. When you have doubts and your conscience is troubled, look to Christ! Read his precious Gospel promises. Receive his Holy Sacraments. Hear his Holy Absolution. Through these things the Holy Spirit with strengthen and renew your trust in these promises. You are Jesus' little lamb. He holds you in the palm of his hand. In Christ, you are the apple of His eye. Nothing in this entire world, not even Satan himself, can wrest you out of the loving arms of your Bridegroom who has promised to be with you always, even to the end of the age.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Harris


Thanks for your previous answer. How fast do new believers have to grow before christ will accept them?


Kitty,

Apologies on the delay. I'm not sure I understand the question. It is as if you asked "How fast does a baby have to grow before the mother will accept them?" Does a mother wait until her child learns to crawl, talk or read before loving her child? Is this love based upon the "progress and performance" of the baby or the mother's unconditional love?

Do you see why I am confused?

Your salvation has absolutely nothing to do with "speed" or "growth" and everything to do with Christ. From the moment of your conversion you have been declared to be 100% acceptable, holy, pure and blameless in God's sight. Because Jesus put his righteous onto you, you are a saint. Just as a baby does nothing to earn the mother's love, so you do nothing to earn Christ's acceptance.

Hope this helps,
Pastor Harris

Pastor Issues

My parents are very devout LCMS.  Their church is has a older aged congregation and they really like it.  They called a pastor about 5 years ago, and ever since he has been there the congregation has slowly been leaving.  There are a lot of issues that the congregation has with him and the majority would like to not have him there anymore.  When talking about this with them, they told me it was not possible to fire him or anything like that.  He has to be called by God to go somewhere else.  Is this true, or is there a way that the congregation can appeal to have him leave?


Hello,

This is a very sensitive issue but also a quite common struggle within congregations of every stripe. I would, first of all, urge all people involved to avoid any kind of party spirit but to strive humbly serve and lookout for both the spiritual welfare of each other and of the pastor and his family. The reality is that all human organizations, including churches, are composed entirely of sinners. This means each individual can look into his or her own heart and find something which they have done wrong. They can then approach others with a humble attitude seeking forgiveness and reconciliation.

The Lutheran teaching about the Divine Call does indeed offer some protection to the those in the Office of the Holy Ministry. We understand that pastors are placed into their office by God working through the church. They are, thus, not "employees" and can not be hired or fired. In most situations like this the pastor is a well-intentioned man teaching basically correct doctrine but may have a personality clash, odd personal mannerisms, or other common human annoyances that can be blown way out of proportion. He can not ethically be removed from office for these types of things.

Also I notice that in many declining churches, people tend to blame the pastor for lack of numbers (like not reaching a factory production quota). It is worth reminding the congregation that the pastor is there primarily to preach and teach. Each individual member brings this Word into the world as they serve other in love in their daily vocation. The folks in the pew bring in new members, not the pastor. Often if a church is declining it would be wise for each congregant to look into a mirror before pointing a finger at the pastor.

There are, however, times when a pastor is doing something blatantly sinful and offensive in daily life or in false-teaching. If this is the case, the congregation is not just "stuck" with the guy. The procedure in the LCMS is generally to speak with the "Circuit Visitor" about problems in the church who can then in turn involve the "District President" if needed. These men are not "bosses", as the LCMS has a non-hierarchical structure, and can not "hire and fire" either but advise. Nonetheless, your CV and DP can be very useful aids to your parents and to the congregation, whether or not the pastor has committed a grave moral offense. Requesting a visit and meeting from one of these men is a very good first step for a troubled congregational family to begin to mend their fences.

If you go to the LCMS website you can search for the church. It will tell you what "circuit" and "district" the church is in. You can then click on the circuit and it will tell you who the Circuit Visitor is and provide contact information. Your parents can do this individually or urge the church leaders to do so on their behalf. My prayers are with you and your loved ones.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Harris

Perfect God, Imperfect People

How could a perfect God create such imperfect people?


Alex,

This is a very common philosophical question asked throughout the ages. I will try to shed some light from the Lutheran Christian perspective.

The Greek word translated "perfect" (teleios) has a sense of "complete" and "finished". The Hebrew equivalent (Tamam) shares this meaning as well as having a sense of "fullness" "innocence" "wholeness" and "health". Thus "perfect" could be thought off as fully and completely conformed to God's design. The "perfect" person is not "half-baked" or "flawed" but is rather God's finished "magnum opus", the cherry on top of his creation, the apple of his eye.

Now, after the Greek, Latin, Hebrew and Theologish, I will speak plain English.

Man was created perfect.

After God made all the rocks, trees, birds, reptiles and so forth he said things were "good". After he made man, things were "very good". Creation was "perfect". Adam and Eve were created perfect. When sin entered the world, this perfection was lost. (This was the work of man and Satan.) The creation was no longer perfect. 

Mankind was no longer perfect.

All human beings are now born with the sinful imperfect nature inherited from Adam. Jesus Christ, fully God, was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the flesh of the Virgin Mary, becoming fully man. He became the "second Adam" the first person of the second creation, the new heavens and the new earth.

Jesus was perfect.

He lived the perfect life of obedience. He died the perfect death of sacrificial love. As he died on the cross he said "It is finished!". (In Greek this is Τετέλεσται, from teleios, which means "perfect".) In Baptism, God covers you with the perfection of Jesus. Those who believe in Christ have their sin, flaws, and imperfection washed away. Because we were united to the death of Jesus, we will also be united to his resurrection. 

God looks at his church as perfect.

"Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,  and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." Ephesians 5:25-28 

When we finally get to die and leave behind these imperfect, half-baked, sickly old bodies of ours, Christians will be given new perfect bodies in the new creation, the heavens and the new earth. 

We will be perfect.

"For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“ Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“ O death, where is your victory?
 O death, where is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:53-57 

Communion in the Augustana

Hi , I am a Roman Catholic reading the defense of the Augsburg Confession and don't understand why on Article X their is no disagreement about Communion being the Body and Blood , Soul and Divinity of Christ when now they only believe in concomitancy of the real presence through,in,and with the Communion meal/species.Why such an aberrancy of doctrine?

P.S. no offense.


Kyle,

I am not familiar enough with post-Tridentine Roman Catholic dogma and terminology to properly address your concerns. I do not use the terms "soul and divinity of Christ", "concomitancy", nor "species" in my teaching and practice. The reformers confessed what they firmly believed to be the identical doctrine and practice of the early church and orthodox fathers.

It is easy to get confused and bogged down by all sorts of philosophical and scholastic debates about exactly HOW it all works.  Some of both Lutherans and Romans veered off into such silliness from time to time. What is the core teaching we hold in common? Simply put, "This IS my body/blood". Hoc Est Corpus Meum. Is means is. Christ speaks, faith believes.

As long as you take this simple teaching as simple fact, there is no difference between Wittenberg and Rome in this matter. Both the unaltered Augsburg Confession of 1530 and the Roman authors of the Confutatio also agree.

"The tenth article gives no offense in its words, because they confess that in the Eucharist, after the consecration lawfully made, the Body and Blood of Christ are substantially and truly present..." (Confutatio Pontificia)

Pastor Harris

P.S. You may enjoy this link
http://mortuummundo.blogspot.com/2007/04/what-part-of-hoc-est-corpus-meum-dont.html

Finding a Church Home

Dear Pastor Harris,

I was formerly an Episcopalian. Last year I joined my local LCMS church because of the liberal trends in my former denomination and also because after reading the Augsburg Confession and reflecting on the matter further I came to disbelieve in the Doctrine of Apostolic Succession. Not that it matters to many of the liberals in the Episcopal Church anyway.  To get to the point though, I have just moved to a small town.  There are no LCMS churches nearby.  Its about an hour to the nearest one. We do have an ELCA church and a small Episcopal Church. I've visited both and both are traditional parishes which do not support the direction their denominations are taking.  So, my dilemma is this: I work two jobs which keeps me busy 7 days a week. I'm able to attend church Sunday morning but I have to be at work early afternoon on Sunday so it doesnt leave me time to drive to the closest LCMS in another city. I value Truth and clarity in essential dogma. That is what brought me to the LCMS. So now I don't know whether I should attend the next closest thing (ELCA or conservative Episcopal Parish) or what to do? Is it a sin to do so if I am only in fully doctrinal agreement with the LCMS? Any advice?


Dusty,

I am sad to say that this is a common dilemma today, especially in the wake of recent ELCA decisions. First of all, let not your conscience be burdened as to simply "attending" a church. The Catechism teaches that we are to hold God's Word as "sacred and gladly hear it and learn it." If your only options are between not going to church at all and regularly visiting a "heterodox" congregation for the purpose of praying the liturgy and hearing the word proclaimed, I would suggest the latter.

However, the situation does get more sticky when it comes to actually "joining" a church and participating in the Sacrament of the Altar. To do so is to publicly declare that you are in "full doctrinal agreement" with the "public confession" of that congregation. In other words, you are saying, loud and clear, that you agree with the beliefs they have signed to, in black and white, in their official confession of faith.

Perhaps a simple solution would be to join the LCMS church and try to attend there when you can to receive the Sacrament, while generally "attending" Divine Service at one of the other churches without "joining" or taking communion. I understand that this arrangement may be difficult or impractical. It may also cause some to see you as "divisive" or "unloving". I would encourage you to use this as an opportunity to share and publicly confess Christ and him crucified as you have come to know him in the Scriptures.

There are no easy answers. Some chose to stay as members of their own heterodox church body as an individual or congregation under a "statu confessionis". This may be something beneficial to read into for your own personal edification but I see it as a gray area and a less than ideal situation. Some congregations within the LCMS, for example, have confessed statu confessionis against certain false teachers and leaders in their own ranks but not against others. This opens a big can of worms!

I suppose the only concrete advice I can give you is to try to receive God's gifts of Word and Sacrament as often and richly as possible while also making a bold and clear confession of your faith and hope, according to your conscience. I'll leave you with a bit of Luther:

“…my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise, God help me. Amen.”

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Harris

Clergy

What are the type of clergy that the Lutheran church has? For example does it have popes, deacons, nuns, monks, priests, etc. Sorry if this was a bother I have a project to do and I cant find this answer anywhere on the Internet. I will be glad if you can return the answer as soon as possible! Thanks!
                            Warm Regards, Carroll Sanchez. : )


Carol,

Lutherans confess that God has technically only established one office in the church, the Office of Holy Ministry. This is most commonly known in the modern United States as a pastor. The bible word for this is Poy-ay-may (shepherd). Other bible words such as Pres-bute-er-os (elder/old man) and e-pis-sco-pos (bishop/overseer/supervisor) also refer to this same office or position. This is the only thing we would call "clergy".

Within this one office, we may chose to have a variety of "polities" or organizations, but any differences we establish are not "ranks" or a hierarchy but simply human-made distinctions for the sake of good order. For example, some Lutheran churches have "bishops" to help oversee groups of pastors or congregations, but they are known as "first among equals" and are in the same "office" as other pastors.

There is also a bible word di-a-ko-nos (deacon) which is not part of the ordained clergy. This is a human-made position and valuable tradition began in the time of Paul. They are lay men and women, usally called Deacons and Deaconesses, who assist the pastor is day to day tasks of the congregation; what the bible calls "waiting tables".  Deacons are sort of like modern  "lay-leaders" (most commonly called "elders") who assist with communion, help organize church finances, visit the sick and so forth. Deaconesses often serves as counselors, social workers, and teachers.

I hope this helps in your project,
Pastor Harris

High Church Lutheran

The LCMS parish I'm a member of is a large, modern and trendy congregation with a very contemporary culture. Over the past year, I've found my views trending towards the high church side and really desire such things such as Holy Communion every week, etc.

Part of me wants to consider moving to a more high church parish but on the other hand I've been a member at my church for over 10 years and feel that I am just being nitpicky.

I don't know if you have run across other people like me and could provide some guidance.

Thank you for your time.

Regards,

Jesse


Jesse,

This is a common theme across many denominations in our times. It is my personal belief that the so-called "contemporary" style of worship is not truly contemporary or modern. It is 1960s and 70s. The LCMS in particular seems to have a habit of adopting American Protestant style about a generation after the more "hip" and "with it" Baptists and Methodists. I do not know your age but I am guessing that the strongest underlying supporters of your congregation's "style" are middle-aged and grew up in the "hippy" times.

This creates a great vacuum and desire among many people to return to the solid and timeless liturgy of the church, treasured by countless billions of Christians over the last two thousand years. If you decide to transfer membership for a more liturgical church, consider it an opportunity to share your love of the pure confession of Christ and him crucified. Many of the people involved in the "contemporary" movement are pious Christians who firmly believe trendy styles are the "only way to reach out to kids." Sadly, many of these practices teach, or at least imply, non-Lutheran or even anti-Lutheran theology.

It should not be an issue of "style preferences" but a theological one. Let them know that you share the same public confession as your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ but want to receive and confess these things in a way that most clearly and faithfully reflects your faith. Make it clear that you are not trying to be judgmental, "holier than thou", or  "nitpicky" but simply desire to receive your Lord's gifts of forgiveness of sins, life and salvation in Word and Sacrament as often as you can.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Harris