In Times of Doubt, Trust in Jesus and His Promises

 Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

These are the words of the Apostle Paul to Timothy. This time has come and “the time” began to happen soon after Christ’s bodily ascension into heaven.

We like to focus upon today’s problems, but these problems are nothing new. For “there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

False teachings, also known as heresy, have been around ever since sin entered the world through Satan taking the form of a serpent as he caused Adam and Eve to doubt God’s very words. The idea of “Did God really say?” (Genesis 3) has crept into Christ’s Church and has continued to infect Christ’s Church to this day.

We are in fact, no different than the Hebrews of the Old Testament who “did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.” They forgot the Lord, their God, and instead served false gods – like Baal. Today’s false gods are the love of money, the celebrity, the politician, or even safety and comfort. The list goes on and on and on. Each false god can never give anyone what they promise. Only the one, true God always gives what He promises.

At the time of the Lutheran Reformation, Martin Luther hoped for a church that would be avoid of non-Scriptural traditions and instead be rooted upon the inerrant Word of God. In fact, this was the whole point of the Lutheran Reformation! We have the “Solas” of the Reformation to remember this point: Scripture Alone, Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Christ Alone. This is to remind us that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, by which Ephesians 2:8-9 says so beautifully. We know that fact through God’s Word: Scripture Alone, or Sola Scriptura.

But, since sin was still in the world during the time of the Lutheran Reformation, other reformers did not have the same high view of Scripture as Luther.

This brings us to today. As Luther hoped to unite the Christian Church in doctrine and practice in using God’s inerrant Word, sin would like to see otherwise. Today, we see a Christian Church that is fractured among doctrine and practice.

In C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters, he focuses on this fracture in Letter 16. In this letter, Satan’s minion Screwtape encourages his junior tempter nephew Wormwood to send his patient to church hop in the hope that the patient would become a “taster or connoisseur of churches” and choose a church that would scratch his itching ears. So, Screwtape identified two churches in the area that were full of false doctrine that would be perfect to damage the patient’s faith in Christ.

You see, Screwtape encouraged Wormwood to send his patient to a church that was not preaching the Word in season and out of season. He was not encouraging the patient to attend a church that was reproving, rebuking, and exhorting, with patience and teaching (2 Timothy 4:2). Screwtape is, in fact, against Law and Gospel preaching, as well as Confession and Absolution!

Pastor Welch and I are not perfect, but our goal day-in and day-out is to preach the whole counsel of God’s Word at First Ev. Lutheran Church. As pastors, we are under-shepherds of Christ. We are not under-shepherds of the sinful world.

As Christians, we are always to be listening to the truth. But remember what Pontius Pilate famously said, “What is truth?” (John 18:38)

Today, the culture says that truth is relative, but we know that as Christians, this is not to be believed. In fact, the truth can be found in one Man. The Truth is of course Jesus Christ, for He says, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

So, whenever you doubt, trust in Jesus. Whenever you feel Satan’s arrows piercing you, trust in Jesus. We are all experiencing Satan’s spiritual warfare upon all of us these days, but trust in Jesus.

Jesus is here for you and me! He is never hiding as He is always seen in His Word and Sacraments to grant us forgiveness, life and salvation as He proclaims that He “is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). So, if you are feeling weak, know that Christ is always present in the Lord’s Supper to strengthen your faith as He gives us His forgiveness that He won for us upon the cross!

Happy All Saints Day and a Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

In Christ,
Pastor Adelsen