Reformation notes 2006

Note

1. For further details, see Hermann Sasse, “Luther’s Legacy to Christianity,” in The Lonely Way, vol. 2 (St. Louis: Concordia, 2002), 171–77; James M. Kittelson, Luther the Reformer (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1986).

Sermon Theme: “I will forgive their wickedness,” says the Lord.

Other Lessons: Psalm 46; Romans 3:19–28; John 8:31–36

Goal: To inspire thanks to God for the Reformation, to expose the hearers’ sin by means of the old covenant (Law), and to preach their forgiveness by means of the new covenant (the Gospel of Christ).

Liturgical Setting

Reformation Day celebrates the grace of God in Christ Jesus and the great events of the sixteenth century by which the Gospel of Christ was once again restored to the Church. The sermon should consider significantly both the biblical text and the historical events of the Lutheran Reformation. In 1483: Martin Luther is born. In 1517: Luther nails Ninety-five Theses for debate on indulgences to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. In 1520: Exsurge Domine. Luther is excommunicated by the pope. In 1521: Diet of Worms: “Here I stand, I can do no other.” Edict of Worms. Luther is an outlaw and is “kidnapped” to the Wartburg Castle (Eisenach). Luther translates the New Testament into German. In 1524–26: Peasants’ War. Luther counsels princes to put down the rebellion by force. In 1529: Marburg Colloquy between Luther and Zwingli, chiefly concerning the Holy Supper. Luther denies Zwingli the hand of fellowship. “You have a different spirit,” Luther says. In June 25, 1530: The Augsburg Confession, written by Philip Melanchthon, is presented to the Holy Roman Emperor. In 1545–63: Roman Catholic Council of Trent. In 1546: Luther dies. Wars, Roman Catholic domination of Germany, and internal dissension follow. In 1577: Formula of Concord unites German Lutheranism in purity of doctrine. In June 25, 1580: Book of Concord is published.1

Textual Notes

Vv 31–32: tyrIB], “covenant.” The covenant of God is essentially an institution of God, rather than merely a treaty. In the wide sense, God’s covenants include every relationship instituted by God between him and humans (Ps 89:4), every ordinance and boundary set by God for creation (Jer 33:20; Hos 2:18; Zech 11:10), as well as political rules for the theocracy of Israel (Ex 31:16). In the narrow sense, God’s covenants are a way in which God and man relate and deal with each other. Scripture speaks of numerous “covenants” between God and man, but all of these can be summarized as repetitions of two covenants—the old covenant and the new covenant—the Law and the Gospel (see “Doctrinal and Homiletical Applications” below).

The new covenant is “not like” the old covenant. There is a categorical distinction between the two covenants, between the Law and the Gospel.

Pronominal suffix 3fs—“I will write it.”

To say that God’s Law will be written in man’s mind and on his heart is to say that man will become a new kind of creature. No longer will God’s will (expressed in the Law) be something external, condemning man because of his disobedience, but the will of God will be part of who man is. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Cor 5:17). This renewal is, of course, incomplete in this life (Romans 7).

 “to practice forbearance, pardon, forgive”—“I will forgive.”

“sin,” with 3mp pronominal suffix—“and their sin.”

 “to remember”—“I will remember.”

In v 33 God says, “This is the covenant I will make,” and then he lists three effects of the new covenant (vv 33–34).

1. Having the Law written in the mind and heart (renewal of man, the new life in Christ).

2. Having God as our God and being his people.

3. Knowing him.

But how does this state of affairs come about? How does man become a new creature? How does he acquire God as his God? How does he “know” God? The answer is in v 34. “For [yKi, ‘because’] I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” It is important that we make this distinction between cause and effect. Unless we pay attention to the grammar, we might start to think that only if we become a new creation (having the Law written on our hearts) can we have God as our God, know him, and have our sins forgiven. To do this would make the new covenant the same as the old covenant, which had said “the man who obeys them will live” (Lev 18:5).

Doctrinal and Homiletical Applications

The two halves of the Bible are called testaments (i.e., covenants), not because that’s all they contain, but because each half has the promulgation of either the old covenant or the new covenant. There is Gospel in the first half of the Bible (as in Ex 34:6–8), and there is Law in the second half (as in Jn 13:34). The people of Old Testament Israel were saved in no other way than are people in the New Testament Church, namely, through faith in the Messiah, the Son of God. Nevertheless, the institution (promulgation) of the Law was through Moses at Mount Sinai, and the institution (promulgation) of the Gospel was by Christ in Jerusalem.

There are at least six differences between the old and new covenants:

1. The time of promulgation (Jer 31:33; Is 2:2; Micah 4:1; 1 Cor 10:11; 1 Jn 2:18).

2. The place of promulgation (Ex 19:18; Is 2:3; Micah 4:2).

3. The effects of the covenant (2 Cor 3:6–11).

4. The mediator of the covenant (Heb 8:6 [9:15; 12:24]).

5. The promises, or blessings, of the covenant (Lk 10:28; Heb 7:18; 8:7; Rom 8:3).

6. Written on stone/hearts (Jer 31:33; 2 Cor 3:3).

Other passages dealing with the distinction of the old covenant (Law) from the new covenant (Gospel) are Jn 1:17; 2 Cor 3:2–11; Heb 7:18–22; 8:6–7, 13; 9:15; 10:9; 12:24; Rom 8:3; 10:5–10; Gal 3:10; 4:24. See also Martin Chemnitz, Loci Theologici, trans. by J. A. O. Preus (St. Louis: Concordia, 1989), 2:659–65.

Moral application: Faithfulness to God on the analogy of marital faithfulness or unfaithfulness (v 32), the Law on tablets and in the heart and mind (v 33), the need for teaching our neighbor and being taught by our neighbor as long as we are still sinners (v 34).

Gospel hooks: “For I will forgive” (v 34), “I will be their God” (v 33), “They will all know me,” that is, God and his mercy toward us in Christ (v 34), “new [that is, a renewing, life-giving] covenant” (v 31).