First Sunday of End Time - Reformation (Romans 6:23)

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ  (Ro 1:7).  Amen.

It is Reformation 501.  Does that sound like an upper-level history course as a college elective?  It would go beyond the “101 level”—an introduction to the Reformation.  That class might explain definite dates like October 31, 1517—the day when Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the Castle Church door.  Or explore key characters like Philip Melanchthon—his role in writing the Augsburg Confession.  Perhaps Reformation 501 might digger deeper into the purpose of indulgences or dive into the politics of the Holy Roman Empire.

Whether any of that is exciting or appealing to you, that is not what I mean by Reformation 501.  It is not on a curriculum, but on the calendar.  Last year was the 500th Anniversary of that important event when Luther swung a hammer.  I don’t mean to insult you, but one year later and it is 501.  (If you got nervous when I started with history, I threw in a bit of math to make you make you more uneasy.)  The celebration of the Reformation continues and so does the significance.  Eternal life is the gift of God.

But we have to go back to the past for a bit.   (Hang with me.)  Martin Luther was an Augustinian monk.  The year was 1518.  That order in Germany was slated to have its triennial meeting in the city of Heidelberg on April 26th of that year.  It was traditional for these gatherings to have a disputation over which one of the priests would preside.  This individual would prepare the set of theses for debate.  Luther got the nod.  He composed 28 points to acquaint his brothers with his “new” teaching.

But we put “new” in quotation marks because it was not a novel approach to Scripture.  It always has been and always will be true.  It is not what we do.  It is what God has done.  He gives.  And we get.  Eternal life is the gift of God.

The apostle Paul tells us that and teaches us that in one verse.  We might call it Law and Gospel 101.  And those two ideas are found in the two parts of the Bible—Old Testament and New Testament.

1) The Law.  Maybe you have heard of this and found it helpful.  SOS—“shows our sin.”  Think of the 10 Commandments.  “Do this”—Honor your father and mother  (4th).  “Don’t do that”—“you shall have no other gods”  (1st).  When we fail, not if we fail, that is sin.  It is going against God in disobedience and defiance.  The common picture is to miss the bullseye like in archery.  And we don’t come close, but we fall short as if we are shooting in the opposite direction.  And so Paul comments:  “For the wages of sin is death”  (Ro 6:23).  A Roman soldier would collect money or meat, corn or salt for his service rendered to the Caesar.  he earned it.  He expected it.  After all, he had it coming for guarding the empire.

While payday is thrilling, this is not.  “For the wages of sin is death”  (Ro 6:23).  We open up our paycheck or look at our pay stub and it says “death.”  That is what sin shells out.  We deserve it.  That hurts because we were born in it.  And that is hard because we live in it.

But that didn’t stop Paul from trying to please God.  In his younger days, he put his confidence in himself like holding a cell phone up to take a selfie—“it’s all about me:  “In regard to the law, a Pharisee  [the thought was, “Hey, God, look at me and what I am accomplishing.”]; as for zeal, persecuting the church  [Certainly it was a misguided fervor to stamp out Christianity.]; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless  [At least in the eyes of his associates]”  (Php 3:5,6).  Where did that get Paul?  Nowhere.  He was still not right with God.  He did not keep the law constantly  (Ga 3:10).  And for all his efforts:  “For the wages of sin is death”  (Ro 6:23).  That is the result.

That didn’t prevent Luther from attempting to appease God.   That was originally why he entered the monastery.  He wanted to be in good with God because he saw Jesus only as an angry judge, waiting, perhaps even wanting, to punish him.  He even once remarked:  “If a monk ever got to heaven through monkery, then I too should have made it.”   What did that get Luther?  Nothing.  He did not keep the law continually.  Remember that Heidelberg Disputation?  Thesis 26 states:  “The law says, ‘Do this,’ and it is never done.”   For all his energy:  “For the wages of sin is death”  (Ro 6:23).  That is the remuneration.

But it makes sense to our way of thinking, doesn’t it?  If I punch in at work, it will pay off at the end of the week with money in the bank.  If I try hard, God will be happy.  What does that get us?  Nil.  We do not keep the law completely.  For all our exertion:  “For the wages of sin is death”  (Ro 6:23).  That is the reminder.  Sin brings death—physical  [separation of body and soul] and eternal  [separation from God in hell]  (Ro 5:12).

But there is more, much more.  We don’t want to check out now.  That is only half of the verse.  It comes down to a word of transition:  “But”  (Ro 6:23).  “For the wages of sin is death, but …”  (Ro 6:23).  In a sense, Paul would have us consider another side like turning a coin over.  “Now contemplate this.”  Gospel.  Good news.  Eternal life is the gift of God.

2)  The Gospel.  We can reuse the SOS—“shows our Savior.”  So Paul comforts.  “But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”  (Ro 6:23).  Life is the opposite of death.  Sin brings death.  The Savior brings life  (Jn 3:16).  This living, never-ending relationship with God is from God.  It is not merited.  It is provided—graciously and generously.  It is for free.  It is for nothing.  Like a person looking for a handout, we have our hands out.  And God puts the gift of eternal life in them.  Luther summarized that in the last words that he wrote before he died.  He scribbled on a slip of paper  (of course, in German):  “We are beggars, that is true.”   But as such, we have eternal life  (Jn 5:24).

And it is ours only in connection with or in the sphere of “Christ Jesus our Lord”  (Ro 6:23).
 “Christ”  (Ro 6:23).  He is the One God promised to reveal the Father to us as Prophet, to remove our sin from us as Priest, and to rule over us as King.  When Luther was exhausted from trying to win God’s favor—confessing his sins over and over and beating his body again and again, it was his father-confessor, Dr. John Staupitz, who encouraged him to look to Christ:  “Throw yourself into the Redeemer’s arms.  Trust in him.”   We do the same—turning to him as he gives us eternal life.
 “Jesus”  (Ro 6:23).  He is Savior  (Mt 1:21).  He rescued us by picking up the wages of our sin and paying for them with his death on the cross.  He did it all to give us eternal life.
 “our Lord”  (Ro 6:23).  He sits at God’s right hand.  There he is the Caretaker and Controller of all for his believers to whom he gives eternal life  (Eph 1:22).

So Paul could announce that righteousness is from God to all who believe  (Ro 3:22).  What God demands—holiness—God delivers “in Christ Jesus our Lord”  (Ro 6:23).  Heaven was his.  “But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”  (Ro 6:23).

Luther could appreciate that “the righteous will live by faith”  (Ro 1:17).  Faith grabs ahold of this gift from God.  The gates of heaven were open to him.  Recall the Heidelberg Disputation:  “Grace says, ‘believe in this,” and everything is already done.’”  Eternal life is undeserved kindness.  “But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”  (Ro 6:23).

We are aware that we are delivered from death by grace alone by faith alone  (Eph 2:8,9).  Scripture alone proclaims Christ alone.  We have nothing to boast about or brag about except the cross of Christ  (Ga 6:14).  “But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”  (Ro 6:23).  Eternal life is the gift of God.  Cherish it.  Treasure it.  Happy Reformation 501.  It is not about history.  It is about heaven.

We read from Romans 6:23:
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you  (Ro 16:20).  Amen.


November 3, 2018