Self-Righteousness or Christ-Righteousness?

Self- Righteousness or Christ-Righteousness

Colossians 2.8-10

 

Watch lest someone takes you captive through philosophy or empty deceit according to the traditions of men, according to the elements of the world and not according to Christ. Because in Him dwells the fullness of the divine nature* bodily. And you have been filled/fulfilled in Him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

 

*“the state of being god, divine character/nature, deity, divinity” (BDAG) 

 

To the Holy Ones, the Faithful Ones, the Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

 

Introduction

     Today's readings show us that God is very personal. God came to Abraham and ate with him, and then the two of them had a very personal discussion about the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham wanted to save Sodom for the sake of his nephew Lot, who lived there. Jesus taught us to pray to "Our Father, who art in heaven..." That whole prayer is basically a prayer about salvation from the evils of this world addressed in the most personal way to "Our Father." In the letter to the Colossians, Paul shows how personal God is in that Jesus is the very presence of God in this world. This God is so personal that He not only came to eat with us, teach us, and live with us - He came to die for us, to make us His holy people, and to save us from all evil. 

 

     People outside of Christ see God differently. To them He is farther away, impersonal, and transcendent. Some are very casual about this, even flippent as they refer to God as "The Big Guy Upstairs," or "The Sky Daddy." Others are more respectful referring to God as "The Great Spirit," or "King of the Universe." But in either case the God they believe in is not intimate. Nor is he a god who comes to suffer and die for us and to take away our sins. His purpose is to guide us by his commandments so that He will reward us in the end for our good life. Each person has a different idea of what the good life is. Some think it is hard to live a good life worthy of divine reward. Others think it isn't so hard as long as you try to be a decent person. In either case it is a matter of self-righteousness. You do what is right to one degree or another and God rewards. That is the relationship that most people have with God.

 

Self-Righteousness at Colosse

 

     Colosse was one of the first Christian churches not planted by an apostle but by a pastor. A pastor by the name of Epaphras brought them the message of salvation in Christ, Christ-Righteousness, and they believed. But as Jesus had warned, there are always false teachers who are very opposed to Him and His Christ-righteousness. These "influencers" were tempting these new Christians to return to the religion of self-righteousness. Now this is something that always amazes me. Those who practice self-righteous religion are very open to different approaches to God. They don't care to much which way you think of God or what you believe in as long as you follow the rule that everyone tries to live a good life and gets rewarded accordingly. But they are never open minded to the religion of Christ-righteousness. The reason for this is that Christ-righteousness is so different. It is unique. There is only one way to heaven as Jesus said, "No one comes to the Father but through Me" (John 14.6). 

 

     So in Colosse and in other cities where Christian churches had been planted there were people trying their best to bring the Christians back to the self-righteous religion. They used different arguments and often violence to do so. Paul mentions four things influencers of self-righteousness were using: philosophy, empty deceit, the traditions of men, and the elements of the earth. Philosophers ask great questions like "Where did we come from?" and "Why are we hear?" It is good to ask these questions and to search for answers. But philosophers often make the mistake of refusing to believe the answers given to these questions in the Bible. Empty deceit probably refers to some forms of idolatry where people are told to believe in imaginary gods. The traditions of men probably refers to the Jewish practice of adding rules that go beyond the Bible commandments. The elements of the earth is a little difficult to translate. It probably refers to elemental spirits like wind, fire, rain, etc. or even angels. 

 

     Paul warns against these things with one very important principle: They are not "according to Christ." That is really what I want to press home to you in the rest of this sermon. What does it mean when something is "according to Christ"? This is a very, very important teaching that will absolutely save your life and protect you from all sorts of temptations and pitfalls. 

 

According to Christ

 

     Like the Colossians we also have many influencers who are not happy with the Christ-righteousness religion. They will work very hard to bury it and stamp it out. Some years ago I attended a large religious festival in Germany called the Kirkenfest. I got into a discussion with a German pastor, and when he found out I was from the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod he asked: "Are those the narrow-minded or open-minded Lutherans?" I smiled and said, "They are the Christians that follow the Bible." There are two clear signs of the religion of self-righteousness. The first is that if you do good, you get a reward, and second is, it doesn't matter what god you follow. One of the most common metaphors of this teaching is that salvation is like a mountain. There are many different paths to the top of the mountain, but they all lead to the same place. Those who don't believe this are often ridiculed and mocked with the accusation, "So you think you are the only ones who will be saved. How dare you say that good, decent people of all other religions aren't going to be saved." Here is how the apostle Paul answers this by pointing out that salvation must be "according to Christ."

 

     First, the self-righteous don't take sins as seriously as they should. Jesus took all sins very seriously. He said, "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5.19). Self-righteousness says that good and decent people go to heaven. But what is "good and decent"? What if that standard is based on human ideas and not on God's word? All I have to do is lower the standard so that I can achieve it. In this way many sins get passed over. The goal isn't just to be a good and decent person. God's goal is holiness, perfection. "You shall be perfect as Your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5.38), Jesus taught.  The sins that many think are small such as lies, lust, laziness, gossip, sexual lifestyles and hatred are very dangerous and damning according to God's word.

 

     Second, only Christ-righteousness has the cure for sin. Jesus came in the flesh, God Himself to save us with His sacrifice. More on that in a moment. The self-righteous have three ways in which they think their sins are forgiven. One way is compensation. My good works compensate for my bad works. Yet if you scrub a white shirt to make it gleam, and still it has a stubborn and ugly stain right in the middle, the whiteness all around makes no difference. Another way is to compare myself to others and say, "I'm as good as the next guy." But God doesn't compare us to one another; He compares us to Himself. The worst of all is the very popular but very evil, twisted teaching that since God is love (a true statement from the Bible), He will overlook my sins like a grandfather overlooks the faults of his grandchildren. This is the worst because it uses Scripture in a way that actually makes God the evil one. In this view God goes back on his own commands, and now it is He who is not taking sins seriously. 

 

     Christ-righteousnessis different. It is not according to us, but, as Paul said,  "according to Christ." This is where we begin to see how beautiful the Gospel really is. This is beautiful, as Paul explains, "Because in Him dwells the fullness of the divine nature bodily." Every wise person knows that God exists. But our sinful nature makes it difficult for us to see God. This doesn't mean that God is far away. In fact God overcomes this wall of sin by coming into this world Himself. Jesus is God in the flesh. In the first chapter of Colossians Paul explained: "For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross" (1.20 ESV). John told us, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (1.14). And Jesus Himself said, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14.9). So the God we know is that is perfect, the God we know that can save us, is in fact the God we see in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. 

 

     But it get's better. Paul said, "And you have been filled/fulfilled in Him, who is the head of all rule and authority." Why is God personal? Why does He come to us as He came to Abraham and ate a meal with Him? He comes to save us by taking away our sins. God visited Abraham in the flesh to confirm His promises to Him that He would have a son and that eventually all the families of the world would be blessed through His family. He was speaking of the Messiah, Jesus. God came to Abraham to save him and his nephew, Lot, from the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah. These self-righteous cities, like many cities today, thought they could rewrite the laws of God and live in any lifestyle they chose. They even wanted to force their lifestyle upon God Himself. Read on into chapter nineteen of Genesis and see their depravity which included homosexuality and other sins. The LORD rescued Lot and his daughters, but the rest perished in His wrath. Many years later, not that far from the remains of Sodom and Gomorrah, God's wrath was again poured out on the sins of this world, on your sins and mine. But instead of destroying us as it should, it saved us because it was poured out upon Jesus - not just any man, not just any prophet, but God's own Son. As Paul went on to say to the Colossians and to us, in Christ's death on the cross He took away our sins and nailed them to the cross (2.14), and there they have all perished. We are now righteous "according to Christ."

 

Conclusion

 

     Remember how I started this sermon? "To the holy ones, the faithful ones, the brothers and sisters in Christ." This is how Paul began his letter to the Colossians. He did not address them as "the decent ones, the mostly good ones." That's because the goal of God's salvation and Christ-righteousness is the complete forgiveness of sins and the complete happiness without sin in heaven. All of that is reality in the person and personal salvation of God in Jesus Christ in whom dwells the fullness of the divine nature. Amen. 

 

Pastor Michael P. Walther, Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Greenville, Illinois

Seventh Sunday After Pentecost, July 27, 205

 

8 Βλέπετε μή τις ὑμᾶς ἔσται ὁ συλαγωγῶν διὰ τῆς φιλοσοφίας καὶ κενῆς ἀπάτης κατὰ τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, κατὰ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου καὶ οὐ κατὰ Χριστόν· 9 ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ κατοικεῖ πᾶν τὸπλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος σωματικῶς, 10 καὶ ἐστὲ ἐν αὐτῷ πεπληρωμένοι, ὅς ἐστιν ἡ κεφαλὴ πάσης ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐξουσίας.

Do Good to All - Galatians 6.9-10

Do Good to All

Galatians 6.9-10

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

 

Introduction

 

     Freedom is God's gift to us. Freedom is the forgiveness of sins in Christ. As we believe and do good, that freedom is preserved and given to others. John F. Kennedy was the youngest American elected to the office of president. On January 20, 1961 he gave his inaugural speech* to set out his goals. He boldly stated that the rights of man come from the hand of God not from the state. He said we would pay any price to assure the survival of liberty. He called our country to confront the problems of tyranny, poverty, disease and war.  He famously said: "My fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country." He concluded by appealing to God's blessing and help, "knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own." What is God's blessing? What is God's help? And what is God's work that must truly be our own? The Bible beautifully answers all those questions, and shows us how the Christian life is exactly the life that every country on earth needs. 

 

Faith and Freedom

 

     God created all human beings to live and to thrive. He wanted Adam and Eve and all their decendents to “be fruitful and multiply.” He also wanted them to fear, love and trust in Him. In this way they would always have His blessings and do well in life. But sin breaks the bond between God and men. As soon as this bond is broken, men begin to try to dominate other men and to control them. Just as they refuse to love God, so they refuse to love their neighbor as themselves. This is the beginning of tyranny, and it takes at least two forms. First, there is material tyranny. Egypt enslaved Israel and forced them to labor until Moses led them to freedom. The Midianites plundered Israel until they were stopped by Gideon. Material tyranny robs people of their livelihood or life itself. The second, which often goes along with the first, is spiritual tyranny. This is a forced system of belief and worship. Daniel was forced to worship an idol and was thrown into a den of lions for refusing. Peter and John were put in prison for preaching in the name of Jesus. Spiritual tyranny robs a person or people of their conscience and faith. Why do these kinds of evil happen in this world? 

 

     Let me answer with a parable: A farmer once bought a herd of cows. They were not very healthy and had not been cared for in the past. He gave them food, water and good bedding until they regained their health and strength. But as they regained their strength a couple of the cows began bullying the other cows. They tried to get more of the food that the farmer gave to all of them. They deliberately butted and kicked the other cows in order to subject them to their own will. The farmer didn’t appreciate this because he wanted all the cows to thrive, not just a few who decided they would dominate all the others. Therefore the farmer had to ship these bullies off to the butcher.  

 

    Tyranny arises when men deny God's rule over them. They write their own rules for their own benefit. God told Israel that their kings must read the Bible all the days of their lives so that they would fear the LORD and "not lift up their hearts above their brothers" (Deuteronomy 17.19-20). This command applies to all of us at every level. Jesus taught us not to "lord it over" each other but to be servants to one another (Mark 10.42-44). A pastor, an employer, a father, a mother, a brother, a sister, a friend -- must all treat others as God wants them to be treated. 

 

     Paul wrote the letter to the Galatians to teach them that freedom is founded upon a loving relationship with God which is brought about through His mercy and the forgiveness of sins. Whenever we turn from this gospel, we deny our sin, become dominated by it, and inevitably begin to tyrannize each other. False teachers had come to the Galatians telling them that a good relationship with God must be achieved by obeying the Law. Humility, repentance, and forgiveness were being replaced by self-righteousness and pride. In chapter five Paul said, "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit to a yoke of salvery” (5.1). The "yoke of slavery" is the denial of the gospel of forgiveness. As soon as this happens sin comes back to dominate our lives. As soon as we stop praying, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us," we are no longer delivered from evil but instead ruled by it. If you really want freedom, focus on forgiveness. 

 

Freedom for All

 

     Just as we do not want to suffer the tyranny of sin in our hearts, so also we do not want to suffer the tyranny of others around us and especially of our leaders. What God does for us in our own hearts doesn't stop there. It is meant to spread and to benefit others. Our freedom in Christ is the freedom that God wants for all. President Kennedy said that one of the goals of his presidency was to fight against tyranny. He said he would do it with God's blessing, God's help, and "knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own." What is God's work that we do to push back against tyranny? Paul also addresses this very thing in Galatians.

 

     It is found toward the end of his letter. Having explained that sin is the beginning of all slavery, and that Christ has ransomed us from this slavery in His own life, death and resurrrection, now he also mentions the importance of simply doing good: “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Galatians 6.9-10).

 

     First, God wants us to believe this faith and hold onto to it a thousand people call us evil for doing so. At the beginning of the letter Paul said, "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed" (1.8). Jesus warned us not to follow false prophets, "who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves" (Matthew 7.15). Those who teach any other kind of "liberty" are setting us up for tyranny, and we must resist. 

 

     Second, if people are to find freedom through the forgiveness of sins, it is important that they hear the message of repentance and forgiveness in Christ. Not long ago Phil Robertson, the patriarch of the "Duck Dynasty" family died. Several years ago I read the story of his conversion to Christ. Phil described the point of his conversion by simply saying "When I came to repentance..." Matthew and Mark both summarize Jesus' preaching with one sentence: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4.17). One of the best ways to share the gospel with people is simply to describe what the gospel has done for you. "I have been brought to repentance. I have believed in the forgiveness of Jesus.  I am free from the bondage of sin." That is the simple message that the world needs to hear because that is the message that will put them on the course of true freedom. 

 

     Those who tyrannize others will do all that they can to turn us from our faith in Christ. They will do all they can to suppress the teaching of the gospel. But the one thing they have the most trouble suppressing are the good works of faith. This is why Paul concluded his teaching to the Galatians about freedom with the importance of good works. This is what President Kennedy meant by God's work being our work. Peter urged us “Have your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good works and glorify God on the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2.12).  Good works do not cause us to be saved. It was the good work of Christ that did that. Nevertheless our good works done by faith have a way of opening the eyes of the lost to see Christ in us and to hear the word of Christ that they would otherwise reject. We may work for an unbelieving person. But when we do a good job, it gets noticed. It can’t be denied. Your neighbor may not like your faith, but when you help them and make their life a little easier they will see that your beliefs have a good outcome. When someone says something ugly and unkind to you but you do not retaliate with the same thing, they notice.  It is true that some, those who are very hardened against God, may only be angered by good works done in faith. But there are many who God still wants to call. He calls them through us as they see us holding steadfast in our faith – even suffering for it, telling them what that faith is, and showing them the good that comes from that faith. 

 

Conclusion

     On this fourth of July weekend you might do some nice patriotic things like say the Pledge of Allegiance, read the Constitution and Bill of Rights, listen to patriotic music, watch fireworks, or even pay your property taxes. But one of the best things you can do for the sake of freedom is to believe in the true God, the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit – to the God of forgiveness and salvation. Sharing Christ's repentance and forgiveness with others, begining with your own household, spreads the true freedom of faith. Finally, doing good to all, whether friend or foe, points sinners to God that they might glorify Him. May God bless America and every country with many Christians who do this work of God. Amen. 

*John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Speech, January 20, 1961

 

Vice President Johnson, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chief Justice, President Eisenhower, Vice President Nixon, President Truman, Reverend Clergy, fellow citizens:

We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom--symbolizing an end as well as a beginning--signifying renewal as well as change. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forbears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago.

The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe--the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.

We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans--born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage--and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.

This much we pledge--and more.

To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided there is little we can do--for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.

To those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom--and to remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.

To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required--not because the communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.

To our sister republics south of our border, we offer a special pledge--to convert our good words into good deeds--in a new alliance for progress--to assist free men and free governments in casting off the chains of poverty. But this peaceful revolution of hope cannot become the prey of hostile powers. Let all our neighbors know that we shall join with them to oppose aggression or subversion anywhere in the Americas. And let every other power know that this Hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house.

To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support--to prevent it from becoming merely a forum for invective--to strengthen its shield of the new and the weak--and to enlarge the area in which its writ may run.

Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request: that both sides begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction.

We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed.

But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations take comfort from our present course--both sides overburdened by the cost of modern weapons, both rightly alarmed by the steady spread of the deadly atom, yet both racing to alter that uncertain balance of terror that stays the hand of mankind's final war.

So let us begin anew--remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.

Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.

Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms--and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations.

Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths and encourage the arts and commerce.

Let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth the command of Isaiah--to "undo the heavy burdens . . . (and) let the oppressed go free."

And if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavor, not a new balance of power, but a new world of law, where the strong are just and the weak secure and the peace preserved.

All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.

In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe.

Now the trumpet summons us again--not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need--not as a call to battle, though embattled we are-- but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation"--a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself.

Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?

In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility--I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it--and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.

My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.

Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own.