Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
That’s the Apostle Paul’s conclusion to the doctrine of salvation. He concludes, giving glory to God. He concludes in worship. How fitting. Then he applies the conclusion from the vista of salvation. n view of justification, he then admonishes us. First, Paul speaks from the vista of grace; and grounded in grace. Then he invites us to live in the benediction of Him - for whom, through whom, and to whom all exists. Justification is the centerpiece; that we know the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God. That’s our vista point as Christians. We know Christ’s grace; therefore we believe when God created the world, He gave us the Orders of Creation as a blessed gift. We recognize as good what the Almighty made for our good. We recognize how good, because we know Christ’s grace. Apart from justification, sinners doubt the Orders of Creation are good. Your paper evidences the rejection of God’s word on sexuality, family, spirituality, etc… It was just mandated in California
Keep in mind something else the Apostle said immediately preceding out text. He proclaimed the doctrine of election. Those who know not grace chafe at that doctrine, of God choosing some. Those who know, because they are justified, agree with the Apostle: he showed that election confirms the Lord’s goodness. He showed that election confirms salvation is by grace alone. He showed how by grace alone, sinners born blind are given eyes to see the glorious wisdom of Christ crucified. By grace given sinners, we learn the mind of Christ. Otherwise, who has known the mind of the Lord? Who but the Lord knew idolater Abraham was elected as the father of nations, the ancestor of the coming Messiah? Who but the Lord foresaw that Joseph, sold into slavery and imprisoned, was elected to deliver his family, for the sake of the promise? Who but the Lord chose mumbling Moses the murderer, the runaway, 40 years a wanderer, to lead Israel Israel
O you, elect of God, how blessed to believe in Jesus the justifier. You who worship because the Triune God first served you, are you to live sanctified lives? After his glorious benediction the Apostle asks, how shall we live, we who by the grace of God were created and redeemed? How shall we live sanctified lives? We live by faith, not by sight; and Christ teaches us the wisdom of God the Father. In the wisdom of God, He allows our sanctified life to be a struggle, a struggle that turns us to daily repentance and returns us to our justifier. Justification is the chief article of faith, and Christ the chief. In Christ’s forgiveness we sinners who are also saints stand firm. By forgiveness, He opened our eyes, resulting in a glorious benediction. Worshiping with Paul, we then receive the admonition to live as a holy priesthood. I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Christ declared you righteous. In the response of thanksgiving you present yourselves - in this way: by the mercies of God, by his compassion, by His pity, by His calling you in Holy Baptism, by His Word of absolution, by His presence in Holy Communion, by His grace - by His mercy present your bodies as a living sacrifice… a living sacrifice. This is language of Old Testament temple worship. Yet it is a present calling, and a forever calling, that those whom God chose, justified and made uncommon, live set apart for Him, a holy people. It is also a call to mutual participation in holy things, to a shared life in Holy Communion, to fellowship and intimacy in Christ. It is also an enablement, our holiness before God not found in ourselves, but in our justifier.
As Aaron’s sons yielded themselves as priests before the altar, we yield ourselves to God. We yield idolatry, selfishness, foolishness, forgetfulness, and anxiety for bread. We confess our pretended self-importance, pretended merit and pretentious pride, asking for mercy, grace, and peace; for Christ’s life, hope, and abiding presence. Then as those declared righteous by grace through faith, we participate in Holy Things, in our Lord’s testament, in His true body and blood. As our Lord once presented His body as the saving sacrifice, now the invisible church of faith gathers around the visible Word, and receives His living body and blood. Our Lord’s visible signs of grace promise us, in our dying bodies, we shall be raised bodily to life eternal. So in our bodies we are made a holy priesthood in this world, to present ourselves. As priests seen before the world, we present ourselves by gathering around Word and Sacrament. Our witness is visible, so too our life-together and mercy for neighbors. We are living sacrifices through Him who justifies the ungodly. As living sacrifices, the Apostle says do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Faith presents our bodies to a two fold task, to this summary of sanctification: we were called out of the world’s values; and we are sent into the world as transformed witnesses. As for the first, do not be conformed to this age. Do not be conformed to the form of the devil’s rebellion. Do not be conformed to the world that conforms to idolatry, to human philosophy, to a lifestyle that despises the riches, wisdom and knowledge of God. Do not submit to former bondage, to the devil’s enslaving temptations. You were freed from these in Holy Baptism. There Christian, you were placed in heaven while yet on earth. There you became the priesthood, set apart to be the Lord’s. If the law’s admonition strikes you, and your disobedience rises up to argue with the holy word of God, then repent. If you see the world apart from Christ, repent. And seek the second: be transformed by the renovation of your mind. Paul does not say renovate yourself, rather, be renewed, made new by the Lord’s mind. But who has known the mind of the Lord? Do you want to know what is eternal, good, true, and holy? It is revealed in Scripture, the means of your metamorphosis. He gives you His mind through the Holy Scriptures. God’s word transforms. The gospel of Christ crucified both works faith and conforms you to His image. What a glorious visitation, be conformed to the image of Christ, be restored to His righteousness!
Further, the Apostle says that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. This testing is not: you put on a laboratory coat and put God’s word to the test. Rather, as God’s gift He tests us. In order to be conformed to Christ’s image we are given crosses. By this testing, we are measured by God’s word, that we may know what pleases God the Father through the Son. This is the third use of the law. But the second use of the law is near at hand. For example, in testing we may discover we look at the world as our creation. We may discover we doubt our Saviour or measure ourselves by the conduct of others. Testing is an application of the law; and if at first we are proud about how white our teeth, how neat our lawn, how righteous our appearance... soon the law points out blackberry seeds between our teeth, weeds in the lawn, and our unrighteous hearts. But the voice of the Savior says, you are saved not by leaving the world’s values, or by being transformed, but by my declared righteousness for you, my sacrifice on your behalf.
When God-given faith receives this grace, then we are freed from ungodliness and freed for holiness. … for by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. We are Christ’s, won by His blood. He made us a holy priesthood, a spiritual fellowship, His body. We are incorporated into that body only by Christ’s sacrifice. We don’t measure our value by our differing gifts or assigned vocations. In justification, there is no male, female, Jew, Greek, old, young, strong, weak, no “better Christians.” In Christ all are equally received, each with his gifts: be it the gift of being male, female, Jew, Greek, old, young, strong or weak as placed in God’s created orders. Thus, because of justification, we are content with God given vocations. Saved by grace, valued by grace, we humbly serve our neighbors with joy. This wisdom is from Christ’s humiliation for sinners, received by the measure of faith given by God, through which our Lord works all things to good for those of little or great faith.
For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. The justified are freed to serve. Caring for one another, the church thrives in life together, full of mercy, witnessing to the world. By faith in Christ, by the mercies of God which called you in Holy Baptism and sustain you by the Word and at His Altar, worship breaks forth, and service too. Given heavenly gifts, the church is a living sacrifice, a sacrifice of praise. Because justification the centerpiece, we see the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God – and live holy lives. We see the wisdom of the Son of God, made man to die polluted, to declare His enemies clean. We see the goodness of the LORD who justified every prostitute, murderer, thief, liar, and idolater. We understand God the Creator as Father, receiving His unmerited favor and perceiving the goodness of all He has made. We who believe by the mercies of God know. So that with the Apostle Paul we proclaim, for from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever!
The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds on Christ Jesus our Lord. (Amen)
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