An honest request

[MoreCoffee]

?

Got it!

So I know a man dead in his sins who wants to be adopted by Christ...

He wants to be righteously justified by God...

What should I tell him to do?

Arsenios

My friend, the answer is very obvious is it not?, tell him to repent and believe the gospel because the kingdom of God is already at hand. Tell him to start the work of repentance, tell him to start the work of believing the gospel - which implies learning the gospel and applying it in life - and remind him that God's kingdom is here right now. There is no reason to delay, no excuse to procrastinate because God is here at this very moment waiting for your response.

Yet I wonder if that message can be preached to the kind of "spiritually dead" person that MennoSota thinks exists? One who is utterly bereft of spiritual life one who cannot by any effort of will, mind, and body obey the command to repent and believe the gospel. Such a person is, in effect, spiritually no different from a rock. One may as well preach the gospel to the rocks as expect a response, eh? But I am making a riddle here, because even the rock themselves would shout their acclimation of agreement if the voice of God commanded them to do so and God can raise up children for himself even from the stones lying on the ground. Our Lord said this, and he spoke truth without adulteration. It was no hyperbole. And it makes me wonder if our interlocutors know these things and believe them or if they knew them once and have forgotten them. Perhaps theology clouds the matter and the message is obscured by the fog of words?

 

[Lamb]

?

Got it!

So I know a man dead in his sins who wants to be adopted by Christ...

He wants to be righteously justified by God...

What should I tell him to do?

Arsenios

You give him the Savior; always the one who saves. No one comes to the Father except through Jesus.

 

[MoreCoffee]

You give him the Savior; always the one who saves. No one comes to the Father except through Jesus.

Good description. Now what do you tell him?

 

[psalms 91]

That all have sinned and came short of the glory of God and that God provided a way to Him because God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son and throw in Romans 10:9-10 as well

 

[MoreCoffee]

That all have sinned and came short of the glory of God and that God provided a way to Him because God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son and throw in Romans 10:9-10 as well

That's an interesting approach. But why not try what Jesus did. “The time has come; the kingdom of God is at hand. Change your ways and believe the Good News.” (Mark 1:15)

 

[Josiah]

?

Got it!

So I know a man dead in his sins who wants to be adopted by Christ...

He wants to be righteously justified by God...

What should I tell him to do?

Arsenios

Welcome him to the family of God, he is a child of God (BTW, since h wants to be adopted/justified - he therefore cannot be dead and has the Holy Spirit, faith and life. Now teach him, support him, embrace him. If he has not been baptized, encourage that. I'd encourage a formal repentance, as well (although again, since he wants to be adopted and justified, he is repentant).

 

[Lamb]

Good description. Now what do you tell him?

It depends really...but I could say one of many bible verses and that could include:

Romans 1:17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Now what does faith point to and cling to?

Ephesians 1:7-9 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,

 

[Josiah]

That's an interesting approach. But why not try what Jesus did. “The time has come; the kingdom of God is at hand. Change your ways and believe the Good News.” (Mark 1:15)

I like Jesus' approach.

Of course, changing our ways does not justify anyone (although I note the common Catholic approach of deleting Jesus entirely from the issue and making self the savior of self). God is the Lord and Giver of Life, Jesus is the Savior. We are GIVEN ('free gift' the Bible calls it all, "inheritance' the Bible insists) life and faith - which apprehends the work of Christ (which ALONE saves). The person will then change his ways. Jesus preaches these words not as a substitute for himself, not as a way to convey that He is irrelevant, but to convey that God looks for two things: faith and life.

Jesus points to Good News. Lutherans believe that Good News is centered in God being the GIVER of life (not offerer of life) and Jesus being the Savior (not PART Savior, not Possibility-Maker, not one divine Helper).


- Josiah

 

[Lamb]

Of course, changing our ways does not justify anyone

The Romans verse I quoted above in my post affirms that...the righteous will live by faith. It does not say that our living a sinless life will make us righteous....because none of us can do that. Being covered in Christ in faith we are righteous.

 

[Lamb]

Closing this for now for Staff Review.

EDIT: It has been requested that the thread be closed and normally we do not close threads but in this case we have made an exception...we are not obligated to give the user's reason.