Sermon for Pentecost 16: "All or Nothing" (James 2:1-10, 14-18)

AUDIO

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

“My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory” (James 2:1).

 

If partiality is your “pet sin” – a sin you rationalize in keeping – today’s Epistle may not be what you wanted to hear. If you’re not sure if partiality is your pet sin, this has been a recurring sin for God’s people from time immemorial. 

 

A few weeks ago, we heard about this sin. Seven hundred years before the incarnation of Christ, “The Lord said: ‘Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, while their hearts are far from Me’” (Isaiah 29:13). This sin of partiality remained a problem during Christ’s first coming. For He also said, “Well did Isaiah prophecy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me; in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men” (Mark 7:6-8).

 

So, what exactly is this sin of partiality? Partiality is favoritism. Typically, it’s never a smart idea to play favorites. Because whenever we play favorites, we are creating competition. You see, playing favorites based on outward appearances is the way of the fallen world. Now, the character and will of God starkly excludes partiality. God is one who condemns such action among people. This lack of partiality of Jesus was known by the Pharisees, even when they were plotting against Him. For they said to Jesus: “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances” (Matthew 22:16).

 

Even if the Pharisees were plotting against Jesus, their summation was true. For Christ never said, “It’s true that you are a sinner, but you are a little sinner compared to that other guy who is a murderer. That murderer is a really bad sinner. I don’t care about small sins.” You see, before God, all sins are damnable. So, if you are guilty of one part, you are guilty of it all. But at the same time, all are also justified freely by God’s grace.

 

The problem is that we are not like God. However, we are to grow up into Him by being made holy through His Word and Sacraments. So, how do we see this sin of partiality in our lives? Well, do you ever feel “split”? Do you ever find yourself trying to rationalize your personal views when they come in conflict with Biblical teachings? Do your Christian convictions only apply to a small part of your life? Sadly, for many Christians, Biblical convictions are rapidly shrinking.

 

What I am about to say may offend you, and if it does, repent and ask Jesus for forgiveness for your sin of partiality. And as it always goes, God’s Law afflicts the comfortable while also God’s forgiveness comforts the afflicted.

 

So, some examples of this sin of partiality are the following:

§  “I know Jesus taught forgiveness, but what if …”

§  “I know abortion is murder, but what about when…”

§  “I know marriage is a union of one man and one woman, but what about…”

§  “I know my Christian convictions should inform my vote, but what if…”

 

Partiality is when a Christian strips the Bible of the things they don’t like, and all that remains is a butchered book of what once was the Bible. Partiality is the Gospel, according to you. Partiality inevitably leads to a religion you’ve invented yourself. 

 

Jesus gave everything of Himself to us, so why do we struggle in remaining loyal to Him? Like God’s people of Isaiah’s time and in the time of Jesus’ ministry, too many Christians only honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him! Our modern world tears us apart as we are taught to separate our lives into independent sectors: education is education, politics is politics, science is science, and on, and on, and on. Our secular society – this fallen world – claims so much as “political,” but most often, it’s not, it’s spiritual. Remember, we are caught in a cosmic battle that we cannot see between good and evil, between God and Satan.

 

We are coerced into becoming partial Christians. And Jesus does not want only a part of us. Jesus doesn’t want split personalities. He doesn’t want us to be a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He wants all of us! In Luke 14, Jesus speaks of this saying, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. … So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26-27, 33).

 

As poor, miserable sinners, we have become partial people. For good or bad, we care how people look, dress, and speak. We even tend to divide people by age and skin pigmentation. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, James teaches us that any partiality has no place in God’s kingdom. Included in this sin of partiality are racism, quotas, and DEI: “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.” 

 

The fallen world convinces us that quotas and DEI are good, but they actually promote the division of people, and as Christians, we should have no part of this. Again, the Holy Spirit inspires James to say, “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory” (James 2:1).

 

To this sin of partiality, James reminds us of the Second Table of God’s Law: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (James 2:8). And if we remember and live by the Ten Commandments, we are doing well. But if we revert into following the world, by showing partiality to our sinful nature, we are committing sin and are convicted by the Law as transgressors (James 2:9).

 

However, this sin of partiality doesn’t just stop here. You see, what is really going on with this sin, like all sins, is a faith issue. James writes, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?” (James 2:14). That is a good question. This brings us right back to partiality. Here, we have faith put at odds with works.

 

As I said last week, Satan and his demons certainly believe in Jesus. So, simply saying that you believe in Jesus will not save you. Simply having the knowledge of Jesus does not save. This is what James is speaking about. He is discussing a false understanding of faith. A “faith” that is just mere knowledge – or just a claim – that “faith” has no effect on the person who has it. Faith is no passing matter. I hope this is not your faith! You see, faith itself cannot be seen. Faith is only known by its presence through proper confession and natural works. 

 

So, if a person declares that he has “faith,” but his “works” do not belong to such a faith, that person has no such true faith. So, if a person says, “I am a devout Christian,” and even attends weekly church services, but lives as heathen the rest of the week, is that faith able to save him? Well, what does Jesus say? He says: “You will recognize them by their fruits. … A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16, 18-20).

So, the absence of good works that flow from faith in Christ show that this “faith” is not genuine. This person has a false faith. He has the same faith as that of a demon, who certainly believes in Jesus, but will not cling to Jesus and follow Him.

 

So, without the inescapable evidence – the good works that inevitably emerge and accompany a genuine faith that grasps the Gospel of Christ alone for forgiveness, life, and salvation – then what good is that kind of “faith”? Faith with no evidence is a false, and dead faith. So, never let anyone offer you the comforting lie that such a false and dead faith counts for anything. In fact, in the end, such a dead, good-works-absent “faith” will be of no benefit to you.

 

You see, such a dead “faith” is simply not compatible with our new identity in Christ, which was bestowed on you at the Baptismal font, where, by divine grace, you became a child of God, and a brother or sister of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, a dead, inactive faith disavows the unity of Christ’s living body. Such a false and dead faith cannot stand up to the judgment of God, because once the Law is broken at one point, it is broken in all points.

 

So, how do we, as poor, miserable sinners, protect ourselves from the sin of partiality? How do we become a whole Christian? 

 

Well, we can only become whole through Christ who nourishes us with His Word. As He nourishes us with His holy Word and His blessed Sacraments, we become more like Him as He changes our hearts and our minds. For He is the Vine, and we are the branches and “whoever abides in [Christ] and [He] in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from [Christ we] can do nothing” (John 15:5).

 

It is only through Christ’s nourishment that our faith produces fruits of good works. Through Christ’s Means of Grace, your faith becomes living and active as we actually show our faith through our hearts, mouths, and hands and all in concert. As we grow in faith, we better follow Christ as our pattern of God’s grace and love and mercy to others. Just as Christ showed no partiality, we become like Him in showing no partiality. We look at every human being, even unbelievers, as fellow people who have been purchased by Jesus through His blood shed on the cross. Being forgiven, and with God’s help, we live our lives whole as we cling to Jesus and serve our neighbor in repentance and true faith. So, let us show no partiality as we hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  + SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Pentecost 14: "The Profound Mystery" (Ephesians 5:22-33)

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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the Church, His body, and is Himself its Savior. Now as the Church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her. … This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the Church” (Ephesians 5:22-25, 32).

 

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God to consider His Word. Today, God speaks to us about the profound mystery known as marriage.

 

Now, there are perhaps no set of verses in God’s inerrant Word on the topic of marriage as informative, illuminating and revealing as today’s Epistle text. Likewise, there is perhaps no other set of verses on the topic of marriage as dismissed and as countercultural to our times as today’s Epistle text. Just think about last week’s Gospel text where many said to Jesus: “‘This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?’ But Jesus, knowing in Himself that His disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, ‘Do you take offense at this?’” (John 6:60-61) – “Do my words offend you?”

 

So, here we find ourselves to what many call a hard saying. A hard saying that we may not want to hear, but what we all need to hear, married and single, alike. So, with open ears and open hearts, let us all hear clearly and hold firmly to what the Holy Spirit inspired St. Paul to teach us about this profound mystery known as marriage.

 

The first thing that we must consider is: what is marriage? Well, how should we answer that question? Maybe we should consider the source of marriage. And who is this source? The triune God: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Marriage was created by Him. It was not created by man. 

 

From the very beginning, God looked at all that He had created, “and God saw that it was good.”But there was one thing that was not good, at least not yet. The problem was the man was alone. So, the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him” (Genesis 2:18). So, the Lord God created woman and brought her to the man. 

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24; Ephesians 5:31). 

 

God instituted marriage in the Garden of Eden before the Fall into sin (Genesis 2:18-25) as a means to preserve and prosper human life in His good creation. Here, in the Garden of Eden, marriage was created and instituted by God. God created marriage. He loves marriage. He is exceedingly pleased when one man and one woman pledge their love and faithfulness to each other.

 

So, God gave marriage for the mutual companionship, help, and support of the husband and wife, so that the husband and wife may find delight in one another, and for the procreation of children who are to be brought up in the fear and instruction of the Lord so that they may offer Him their praise.

 

Since God is the author and designer of marriage, it cannot be redefined by mankind. So, if anyone would attempt to redefine, amend, abbreviate, or adulterate marriage as God has given it has their focus on man’s wants and desires rather than on God’s will for marriage.

 

So, God is the author and designer of marriage. And despite what earthly princes and our sinful nature may decide, God says what marriage is and what marriage is not. 

§  Marriage is a lifelong union between one man and one woman. 

§  Marriage is not simply a functional agreement between parties – who may or may not love each other. Men and women do not have the authority to refashion marriage into any other shape or form.

 

As much as the triune God loves marriage, there is one, however, who does not love marriage. He does not rejoice in marriage. He is not pleased when a man and a woman declare their love and faithfulness to each other before God and the world. With his hatred toward marriage, he would tempt Eve to usurp Adam by going against God’s command. Then, her husband, Adam goes along with the temptation. They soon realize their shame and attempt to cover it up. Our first parents, Adam and Eve, get the blame, and rightfully so, but it was Satan who tempted them and ultimately turned them against each other.

 

You see, Satan hates marriage. And he will do anything he can to undermine marriage as an institution. He uses earthly princes and our sinful nature to undermine marriage through redefining it and disregarding it. But where God has spoken on an issue, we must remember that “we must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

For many today, our text is a “hard saying.” As much as we, who live in the 21^st century, may not like submission, submission was also countercultural back in Paul’s day. Instead of independence, the ideal is dependence. Servants and masters, children and parents, wives and husbands are in one way or another totally dependent on each other – and to be dependent is better than to be independent, even as it is better to be saved than to be responsible for saving yourself – and certainly fail! 

 

Submission isn’t demeaning. Submission is about God’s order. An employee may be smarter and more honorable than his boss, and yet he is ordered under him, remaining his employee. The same goes with wives and husbands. But the greater burden is on the one who is ordered higher by God. The boss is to provide financial gain to his employee. The husband is to love and care for his wife, even at the expense of his own life. You see, being subordinate isn’t about a ranking of qualities or accomplishments. It is rather about the nature of authority. It is a hierarchy, an ordering of offices, an ordering of our vocation. Jesus follows the will of God the Father, but that doesn’t make Him lower than God the Father, for He and the Father are equal and fully God.

 

Earthly marriage is similar. God instituted marriage this way so that it would be most harmonious and function with the greatest blessing. In His wisdom, He has delegated headship, or the leadership role, to the husband. Submission on the wife’s part is simply acknowledging that God-given role relationship. 

 

But as much as our text is about earthly marriage, it really isn’t. Recall again: “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.  … Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her. … This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the Church” (Ephesians 5:22-25, 32). Our text is chiefly about Christ and His Bride, the Church. Recall that I said our text is for both married and single people alike. But we can only understand today’s Epistle if we understand how wives and husbands ought to live toward each other.

 

Just as a wife is to respect her husband, the husband is to sacrifice himself for his wife. This is great marital advice, but Paul says that he is referring to Christ and the Church. You see, God created earthly marriage as a way to better understand Him. Just as the wife submits to her husband, the Church – you and me – is to submit to Him. 

Unfortunately, we live after the Fall. So, there is much strife between wives and husbands, and even between the Church and Christ. To Eve, God said: “Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you” (Genesis 3:16b). To Adam, God said: “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife … (and not Me) … cursed is the ground because of you” (Genesis 3:17). 

So, marriages will be rocky from time to time, but God calls all married couples to remain together “for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part.” This can only be accomplished through love and sacrifice and through forgiveness and reconciliation by following Christ’s example.

 

Likewise, there is strife between the Church and Christ. We heard about this strife in our Old Testament and Gospel lessons. The Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, while their hearts are far from Me, and their fear of Me is a commandment taught by men” (Isaiah 29:13). So, just as Satan works to divide wives and husbands, he attempts to do the same with the Church and Christ. Satan leads our sinful hearts into believing that manmade rules, laws, and opinions seem more important than God’s Word. Satan desires the Church to only pay lip service to her Groom. But when you fall short in faithfulness to Christ, the Bridegroom, repent and ask Him for forgiveness.

 

As much as we continually fail in living up to our God-given marital vocations and in our role as being subordinate to Christ, Jesus says what we would never expect: “Behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder” (Isaiah 29:14). Despite our sin and unfaithfulness, Jesus continues to nourish and cherish us (Ephesians 5:29). 

 

He gave up His life to save us poor, miserable sinners, His Bride. He purchased the Church for Himself at the price of His lifeblood. He cleansed the Church by the washing with water through the Word. Through the Means of Grace, Word and Sacrament, He cleanses His bride, the Church, of her many transgressions, forgives her sin, quiets her conscience, gives her peace with God, and assures her of security in His protecting hand. But what He has already done is only a small foretaste of that day when He will present His Church as His Bride on the Last Day. On that day, His Bride will be free from stain or wrinkle. She will have no blemish but will be holy and blameless.

 

This is a profound mystery. The marriage between a husband and a wife is profound as the two become one flesh, but the real mystery is the one-way love of Christ. He redeemed weak and worthless sinners and gathered them together into a Church to be His holy Bride. He is her head; she is His body. So closely are the two – Christ and the Church – joined into one. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +