What Does This Mean?

Church Words: Omnipotent

Encore Post:

[Fifteenth in a series of posts on church words]

When we say that God is almighty, it seems simple enough. We can even explain it to a three-year-old: God can do whatever he wants. Yet the more we think about it, that God is omnipotent, παντοκράτορ — all-powerful, the more we have trouble taking it all in. We get a sense of this when a child asks the snarky question, “Can God make a rock that he can’t lift?” or when an opponent of the faith asks the classic question, “What did God do before he made the world?” The questions normally get the answer they deserve: an equally silly response like: “he made hell, so he has a place to send people who ask such questions!”

Such questions point out that there is a limit to how much we can understand about our maker. They show what happens when we try to pit one quality (attribute) of God against another. So … For God, who is eternal, time does not exist. There is no before or after creation for him. He makes all the rules, so he doesn’t have to follow them. That’s what makes a miracle possible.

When it comes to what God cannot do, we are inclined to answer “Nothing.” After all, Jesus said, What is impossible with man is possible with God” (Lk 18:27). Yet the Book of Hebrews tells us, “it is impossible for God to lie” (Heb 6:18), and St. Paul states that God “cannot deny himself” (2 Timothy 2:13), in short, God cannot act contrary to his nature. So, God does not want to do any of these things.

People respect power and ability. They admire the powerful, dream of what they could do with more power, and are willing to fight for it, sometimes doing things they hate along the way. Money speaks because it brings with it power. They will sacrifice almost anything to gain power. It really is not power itself that is so attractive. Power lets you do whatever you want. The problem with power is that sinful people cannot be trusted with it. “Power tends to corrupt,” said Lord Acton, “And absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

The only one who truly is all-powerful — all-mighty — omnipotent is God. God can do whatever he wants. When God spoke, the world was created. (Genesis 1) By his word, he keeps the universe running (Hebrews 1:3). Even when things seem impossible to us, for God, all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26) What this means for us is that he can and does keep his promises to us. The real question, then, is not what can God do, but what does he want to do for us?

Where people come to doubt God’s power or his existence, it is almost always because he does not do what they think he should do. “If there is a good god,” they say, “then he would…” — eliminate disease, suffering, and death — right now! He would shower them with blessings, making you rich and comfortable. When he does not do these things, and on their timetable, people will complain. What they should do is ask: “What is God’s will?” “What does he want to do?”

What God wants to do is to save us and to live with us forever. He loved us before he made the world, chose us to be adopted as his children, to make us holy and blameless in his presence. This he accomplished through the sacrifice of His Son on the cross, by which he redeemed us, earned for us the forgiveness of sins, and sealed us for eternity by His Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 1:3-14)

So, what God wants to do is seek and save the lost. With his power, he can do this and has already done so for us. What he also wants to do is to work his power through us. He sends us with his word to proclaim, his sacraments to share, and gifts to care for our neighbors. So, we are part of his plan to carry out his will. It is through us he chooses to exercise his almighty power, for the praise of his grace, the salvation of the lost, and the restoration of his creation to perfection. For with God, nothing is impossible.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Church Words: Omnipresent

[Fourteenth in a series of posts on church words] Encore Post: In most non-Christian religions, God is seen as very far away. He is the High God, who made the world and left it to others to cope as best they can. Even in popular American culture, we think of God as tucked away up in Heaven. Our songs tell us “God is watching us… from a distance,” “And the three men I admire most The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost They caught the last train for the coast…” Ever since Adam and Eve fell into sin, people have imagined they could hide from God. (Genesis 3:8)

All these concepts are mistaken. God is omnipresent — he is everywhere. God is not far away, he is very near. He fills the heavens and the earth. (Jeremiah 23:23-24) No one can hide from him. (Ps 139:6–12) No one can escape his judgement or is beyond his care.

Yet he is not a part of his creation, as the Hindus, Buddhists and others believe. For them, we are god, we just do not know it yet. God is a separate, distinct being. God is not a man (Numbers 23:19), either as these Eastern religions teach or as one of many physical being that grew into Gods, as the Mormons believe. He is busy endlessly maintaining his creation, supporting it with his power, directing the course of events, working through his word and his church to seek and to save the lost, and making new creatures — including each and every new human life.

But that is not the end of the ways God is present. In the Son of God, God became one of us. Jesus is in every way human, except without sin. He is Emmanuel — God with us. He lived a perfect life for us, suffered and died for us, rose and ascended to Heaven for us. And yet he has, in a mysterious way, not gone away at all. He is “by our side upon the plain (the field of battle) with his good gifts and spirit.” When we gather for worship, even two or three of us, he is there among us.

And yet, Christ is even more present in a way so personal we cannot begin to understand it. In the Lord’s Supper, he is really present, in the flesh and blood sacrificed for us. This body he gives with bread for us to eat and this blood he gives with wine for us to drink. In this way, he is with us so that we cannot miss him. So, God’s omnipresence is a very good thing for us. It means we are never alone, from the day we are conceived to the day we enter his eternal presence and finally see his face.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Church Words: Time and Eternity

[Thirteenth in a series of posts on church words] Encore Post: Everything in our lives is measured by time. We schedule events, record births and deaths to the second. We measure how long something takes and celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. When we’re young, it seems like we will live forever. With age, we come to realize life is very short. It is so much a part of our lives that we do not realize it will come to an end someday. “Time, like an ever-rolling stream, bears all its sons away; they fly forgotten, as a dream dies at the op’ning day. ” (Isaac Watts, “Our God, our Help in Ages Past.”) God is, however, eternal.

Eternity (עוֹלָם — olam — forever, everlasting in Hebrew; τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων — tous aionas ton aionon — the ages of ages, forever in Greek) means timeless. The Bible uses the term in two ways. The word can mean to last a very long time. The Passover and circumcision are described in the Old Testament as eternal, lasting throughout the Old Testament age, being replaced by the Lord’s Supper and Baptism. Jesus promised to be with us forever, to the end of time itself.

Most of the time, however, the word means “timeless, without end.” Since we are creatures in time, we cannot comprehend that God has no beginning or end. To help us understand, the Bible uses descriptions to get at the idea. God is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, A to Z. For God, a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. “Before Abraham was,” Jesus said, “I Am.”

For sinners, God’s eternity is bad news. You cannot out wait God. He lives forever and his law never changes. There’s no running out the clock. There is no statute of limitations before his throne. All will render an account to him. Yet it is not only the law that is eternal — God’s love and mercy are eternal, too. Before he made the world, God loved us. To redeem us, he sent his Son at just the right time. On the cross, Jesus paid the price of our sin in full. Now his verdict over us for our crimes is an eternal “not guilty” for the sake of the merits of God’s beloved Son.

For Christians, then, God’s eternity is very good news. He promised to be with us forever — to the end of time itself. So, we are never alone. The day will quickly come when he will call us from our graves, purge all sin from our lives, and transform our time-bound bodies into eternal ones. Then we will see the face of the timeless one and live happily ever after.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Church Words: Holy

[Twelfth in a series of posts on church words]

Encore Post:

“Holy” is one of the most common church words. It is a part of the very fabric of the English language, used often even by non-Christians. We give very little thought to the word — most often we think of it as another way of saying “Godly.” We use it to connect something to God — or as a swear word or phrase to emphasize something. So, if we think about it, the phrases “Holy God” or “Holy Trinity” seem like we’re repeating ourselves — kind of like saying “Godly God.”

The Hebrew word for holy is קָדֹושׁ (kadosh — Separate, devoted, pure). When we say God is holy, we mean he is completely separate from all things, high above all things. Theologians use it to describe all of God’s qualities (attributes). Everything about God is absolutely pure and not mixed with anything else. When it comes to talking about God’s will and actions, the word “holy” means that God is absolutely good and without sin. Nothing impure can exist in his presence. That is why a sinful person cannot see God’s glory and live. That is why, in the temple, only the purified High Priest could enter the Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies) once a year, and only to bring the blood of the sacrifice that brought the people of Israel the forgiveness of sins.

Because God is holy, anything set apart for his use is called holy. The temple, the sacrifices, his people. In the New Testament, the Word of God and the Sacraments are called holy: they connect God and his people. They are Means of Grace, how God, in his grace and mercy, creates faith in our hearts, forgives our sins, claims us as his own children, and gives us life and salvation for the sake of the atoning sacrifice of God’s Son on the cross. In Baptism, Jesus makes us holy. (Ephesians 1:4, 5:27) Now we are his saints (“Holy Ones”). We are a holy nation called to proclaim his good news to the whole world.

Now God calls on us, as his holy people, to be holy as our Heavenly Father is holy and perfect. (Leviticus 19:2, Matthew 5:48) As sinners, we will not be completely holy in our lifetime, but in faith, trusting in Christ, we can begin to do good works. Because of the cross, God sees only these works and remembers our sins no more. When we die and enter Christ’s eternal presence, we will then be purged of our sins once and for all, and live as holy people in fellowship with our Holy God forever.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Church Words: Orthodox

[Tenth in a series of posts on church words]

Encore Post:

Orthodox is a term that is a bit like catholic in the minds of casual Christians. We hear these terms as they are applied to identifiable sects. That identification can lead us to assume that the word itself must refer to the sect.

Catholic simply means universal or whole. So, in the Sunday morning prayers, when we pray for “the whole Christian Church on earth,” we could just as well say the “Catholic Church” on earth. Our friends in the Roman Catholic sect are the most significant association with that term, applying to a specific denomination within Christianity. There are also other non-Roman Catholic denominations that identify themselves as Catholic. Rome neither holds nor exercises exclusive rights to that term, though the pope may want us to think that.

Orthodox rings similarly in our ears. For those who’ve heard of the Eastern Orthodox Church, we assume those terms are synonymous with the Eastern Christian sect. That’s not exactly so.

The Eastern and Western Christians split in 1054 AD. The patriarchs of Rome and Constantinople had a falling-out, which led to the split. The patriarchs of the Eastern churches sided with the patriarch of Constantinople. The Roman patriarch found himself alone, heading a large portion of Christianity. The churches we call Orthodox are from the Eastern side and those patriarchs. That time deserves its own treatment in another article or articles.

Ὀρθόδοξος (Orthodox) simply means straight teaching, opinion, or belief. For those of an etymological inclination, ὀρθῶς (orthōs) means straight, unbent, or unwavering. And, δόξα (doksa) means teaching, opinion, or belief. It is the foil of heterodoxy, which is mingled or combined teaching.

There’s more here than simply lexical understandings. Orthodoxy in Christianity is normed by the scriptures and our teaching drawn from them. The Bible is the norm that norms our teaching. Our teaching is the norm, which is normed by the Word of God, the Bible.

There are also orthodox teachers of non-Christian religions. Orthodox adherents of Judaism, who may or may not be Orthodox Jews, will want to destroy the Dome of the Rock, rebuild the Jewish Temple, and resume the O.T. sacrificial system. Orthodox Muslims are politely called “extremists.” It is orthodoxy in Islam to desire and seek the death of the infidel, all non-Muslims. Orthodoxy in the Latter-Day Saints requires plural marriage and the rejection of all unbelievers (Christians outside the LDS). Former Mormons receive the worst fate among orthodox LDS. They are the only ones who can go to “outer darkness.”

There is also an orthodoxy in all sects of Christianity. Orthodox Lutherans, Anglicans, Baptists, and Methodists seek to maintain adherence to the teachings as we have received them. In a seeming incongruity, orthodox teachers of heterodox churches teach contrary to Christian orthodoxy and the Word of God from which it springs.

For we Lutherans, that means that we hold to our doctrines and remain in the Word of God, always ready to be corrected by the scriptures in our understanding and teachings. The five solas of the reformation (grace alone, faith alone, scripture alone, Christ alone, to the glory of God alone) constantly direct us back to the Word of God and conform our straight teaching to it.

By our Orthodoxy, we preach Christ, and Him crucified.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Jason M. Kaspar
Sole Pastor
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool
La Grange, TX

Church Words: Christian

[Nineth in a series of posts on church words]Encore Post: The oldest and most universal name for the Church is “Christian.” In fact, followers of Jesus were first called “Christian” by Gentiles in the city of Antioch — as recorded by St. Luke in the Book of Acts! (Acts 11:26) It was not a complement. The followers of crazy new religions were called by their founder’s name — with the -ian ending! In fact, most of them probably thought the disciples of Jesus were followers of a man named “Chrestus” — a popular name for a slave. Christians seemed to have called themselves “slaves of Jesus Christ” (that’s what the phrase translated “servants of Jesus Christ” really means!), brothers, holy ones (saints) or disciples. Eventually, the nickname stuck when it was used by Romans to charge Christians with believing in Jesus Christ. Since it was good enough for the martyrs, it was good enough for everyone!

Today we use it in a variety of ways. We use it for a follower of Christ, the religion they belong to, a behavior in keeping with the word of God, political parties and many other ways. As fine a word as it is, sometimes it can be quite useless. For example, Mormons, who believe that God was a man and that we, too, can earn god or goddess-hood, Jehovah’s Witnesses, who do not believe Jesus is God or died on the cross, and many others call themselves Christian. In fact, Social Scientists count them along with us. People who have never darkened the door of a church will count themselves as Christians, because they believe they are “good people.”

Yet we confess that we believe in the “one, holy, Christian and Apostolic Church.” For all the false claims and misleading uses of the word, we are proud to “belong to Christ.” After all, he loved us, set aside his glory, suffered and died for us, paying the price of our sins, rose again to break the seal of the grave for us and, in baptism, made us his own. So we fight for the term and gladly wear his name — the name the martyrs confessed and died to proclaim. Lord, may we follow in their train!

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Church Words: Apostolic

[Eighth in a series of posts on church words] Encore Post: “I believe in one Holy, Christian and Apostolic Church,” we confess when we recite the Nicene Creed in worship. Most Christians understand what we mean when we say, “one Holy, Christian..,” but what do we mean by Apostolic?

As you might suspect, the word comes from the word Apostle (Greek: ἀπόστολος, someone sent out, an ambassador). Jesus appointed twelve apostles. After the Ascension, the eleven surviving apostles appointed Matthias to take the place of Judas. Jesus appeared personally to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus to appoint him also as an apostle. We call the Church “Apostolic” because it is built upon the teaching of the disciples, which we have today in the books of the New Testament. So, to say the Church is Apostolic is to say that it is built upon the Bible — the foundation of the prophets and apostles, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone. (Ephesians 2:19-20)

The Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Anglican (Episcopal) traditions see it differently. For them, the phrase means that the Church is shepherded by the spiritual descendants of the apostles. This is called apostolic succession. When a pastor or bishop is ordained, the pastors present place their hands on the candidate and bless him. This ancient tradition confirms to all present that God has set aside the man to serve as a pastor. There is an unbroken line of pastors laying hands upon new pastors stretching back to the Apostles themselves.

Since the Scriptures do not teach this concept, Lutherans do not attach any sacramental value to ordination and this laying on of hands. We continue the practice, although we do not require the presence of a bishop to make the ordination valid. We find it to be a meaningful symbol of support from one generation of pastors to the next and a witness to the fact of the pastor’s call.

So, when we confess that the Church is Apostolic, we commit ourselves to the Holy Scripture. We pledge to believe, teach and confess what it proclaims to us. In doing so, we remain in fellowship with the whole church of all times and places..

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Church Words: Congregation

[Seventh in a series of posts on church words]

Encore Post:

From the very beginning of the church, Christians gathered together to read scripture, sing the praises of God, hear their pastors preach, and celebrate the Lord’s Supper. This should not surprise us — Jews had been doing that for centuries, beginning sometime during the Babylonian Exile. Those gatherings became known in Greek as συναγωγή — Synagogues — meaning “to lead, gather together; assemble.” The New Testament calls these groups ἐκκλησία — churches — literally “called up” (to assemble). The Greeks used the word for civil assemblies and the calling up of militias. The word “Congregation” is the Latin translation of these words and means “to gather together.”

The church continued to worship after the pattern of the synagogue, with two exceptions — they met for worship on the Lord’s Day (Sunday), not the Sabbath (Saturday), because it was the day on which Christ rose from the dead. They also added readings from the Gospels and letters from the Apostles and other respected leaders. These are the books that would be very quickly (for the most part) recognized as Holy Scripture, along with the Old Testament.

For the first generation of Missouri Synod leaders, the distinction between the local congregation and the universal church was crucial. They used the German word Gemeinde only for a local church and the word Kirche for the universal church. They deliberately did not call their church body a church. They called it a Synode — a Synod.

Why were they so picky? Because most of the action in God’s kingdom is not done in Church Bodies, which get most of the press, but in the local congregation. They represent the universal Church, the invisible Church. On behalf of the Church, congregations baptize, teach the Word of God, celebrate the Lord’s Supper, use the Office of the Keys to forgive and retain sins, and extend God’s call to men to exercise the Office of the Holy Ministry and other church workers to support it. The work of synods is done as local congregations band together to do things no one can do alone.

Congregations are much more than social clubs or private charities. They are God’s kingdom on earth, proclaiming the gospel and giving his gifts to all. In them, the lost get to meet Jesus, and through the word preached by them, people are saved. So come! God is waiting to meet you — and we are too!

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Church Words: Lutheran

[Sixth in a series of posts on church words]

Encore Post:

“Why do you call yourself Lutheran? I prefer to call myself a Christian,” you will hear from time to time. In fact, Martin Luther agreed with them. Five hundred and four years ago, he wrote:

I ask that my name be left silent and people not call themselves Lutheran, but rather Christians. Who is Luther? The doctrine is not mine. I have been crucified for no one. St. Paul in 1 Cor. 3:4-5 would not suffer that the Christians should call themselves of Paul or of Peter, but Christian. How should I, a poor stinking bag of worms, become so that the children of Christ are named with my unholy name? It should not be dear friends. Let us extinguish all factious names and be called Christians whose doctrine we have.
Admonition Against Insurrection (1522)

In fact, the earliest Lutherans did not use the name for themselves — they preferred to be called “Evangelicals.” It was the reformer’s chief opponent, Johannes Eck, who coined the term “Lutheran” over five hundred years ago at the Leipzig Disputation. As you might expect, it was not a compliment! Eck meant to imply that Lutherans were not catholic but rather a heresy, like the ancient Gnostics or Arians. In fact, Martin Luther and his allies spent the next few decades arguing that the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith, for Christ’s sake alone, is the ancient teaching of the church from the very beginning.

So, how did Lutherans end up waving the white flag and embracing the name? Well, probably because just about every other name for them was adopted by others. The Reformed tradition also liked the words “Evangelical” and “Protestant.” So soon the two became easily confused. When the Kaiser of Prussia forced the two traditions to merge and called the resulting church “Evangelical,” Lutherans became insistent on using both: Evangelical Lutheran. There is also a sense of defiance when a group under fire adopts the term meant to deride them. It is how Americans and Yankees came to be called those names.

These days, Lutherans use the term with pride to refer to the doctrine it represents. Lutherans believe, teach, and confess those teachings spelled out in the Book of Concord, especially that of the saving Gospel of salvation by grace through faith. It is also truth in advertising. It is just a wee bit deceptive, after all, to call yourself just the “X Community Church” or a bit arrogant to call yourself “The Christian Church.” So we stand with Luther, a sinner just like he was, beggars receiving salvation as a free gift of God’s love.

For a longer and more polished explanation, see the article “Concerning the Name Lutheran” by C. F. W. Walther, first published in the first issues of his magazine Der Lutheraner (Concerning the Name Lutheran – Concordia Theological Seminary’s Media Hub)

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Church Words: Evangelical

[Fifth in a series of posts on church words] Encore Post:

The phrase “Evangelical Lutheran” may sound strange to your ears. When you think of the word “Evangelical,” you think of Baptists, revivals, altar calls, accepting Jesus as your personal Savior, the rapture, and many similar notions, measures, and cultural traditions. Like F. C. D. Wyneken, you might think: “I don’t know whether it is of God or the Devil, but it is certainly not Lutheran!” You’d be right! This kind of evangelicalism is not Lutheran at all.

You might be surprised that Lutherans actually coined the word “Evangelical.” It comes from the New Testament Greek word: εὐαγγελίον (euangelion, evangel). It means “good message, good news” — the gospel! At first, Lutherans did not call themselves “Lutheran” at all. Their enemies made that term up to suggest that Lutherans were not catholic or orthodox, but were heretics. Lutherans wanted to be known as gospel-oriented. Their faith was founded on the teaching that salvation is by faith alone through the grace of God alone, for Christ’s sake alone. For centuries, they preferred to be called Evangelical — and until the 1800s, when someone in Europe used the name Evangelical, Evangelisch, they meant Lutheran.

Like the word “Protestant,” which also used to mean “Lutheran,” other non-Catholics really liked the sound of it. Many of them also cherish the gospel of salvation by the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross. They even like the phrase: “salvation by grace or faith alone.” So, even though they believe very different things from Lutherans, they call themselves Evangelical. Since there are far more Christians in this tradition than Lutherans, they are the ones who come to mind when people say “Evangelical.”

Unlike the word “Protestant,” however, Lutherans refuse to give up this word, because it summarizes what we believe so well. So, you will notice, we put the word in our church names, include it in our Baptism and Confirmation services, and at other times. For the Good News is that it is not God’s will that sinners like us perish forever. So in the person of Jesus Christ, our Lord, he set aside all his power and authority, was born a man in the womb of Mary, bore our sins on the cross, paid their price by his suffering and death and rose again so that our sins might be forgiven, we might rise on the last day from the grave and live with him forever. All that is packed into the simple word, “Evangelical.” So we use it proudly, but add the word “Lutheran” to keep from being confused with others.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana