How does the Reformation of 500 years ago help me today? A look at one of the most important statements of faith from the Reformation era will guide us. We will hear from President Mike Newman, of the Texas District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, as he helps us apply the Augsburg Confession to your life in Christ, (specifically Articles 4 and 5). About a dozen years after Martin Luther nailed his "95 Theses" against corruption to the Castle Church door (October 31, 1517, in Wittenberg, Germany), a powerful presentation was made to Emperor Charles V.

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And welcome to another addition of engaging truth. I'm your host, pastor John Kane, joining us on the air today. We have the Reverend Michael Newman, president of the Texas district of the Lutheran church, Missouri Senate, representing about 400 congregations. Welcome to the program, Mike,

It is a joy to be with you again, John.

So this month is, uh, a month where we celebrate the reformation. Uh, the events that happened about 500 years ago, uh, with the rediscovery of the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ and, uh, the setting aside of much of the politics and the corruption that had crept into the organized church. So, uh, you're gonna tell us a little bit, I think today about, uh, some of the things that you value most about the, um, the reformation. Uh, what, what is it that you would say that, uh, resonates the most with you on this, this big topic?

Well, of course it's a huge event with implications that ripple throughout so many segments of culture and faith and life, but I'll tell you lately. One thing I have really been focusing on, uh, are two articles of the Augsburg confession. So, you know, that was the confession presented, uh, June 25th, uh, uh, LA after, you know, obviously after the reformation, but our, the Augsburg confession articles four and five are the ones that really I'm resonating with most these days when it comes to a reformation theme. So article four talks about justification by faith. Article five talks about the means of grace.

Stop there. I, I, you know, you, you mentioned this word justification, Mike, are you justified?

it's just as if I'd never sinned because of Christ. There you go. Yes. That's the way that is the way. Let me just put article five out there. And of course, then we could just take a part each one, but article five, you know, one thing's important to know the Augsburg confession was written in a Creedle fashion. So unfolding father, son, and holy spirit. And the reason the confessors did that is just try to that they weren't starting something new. They weren't trying to develop a new confession that was based on just their thoughts. They were going back to the ancient Christian creeds, the apostles creed primarily. And so the way the Augsburg confession unfolds is with, you know, our sin and a God, the father, our sin, a Jesus Christ, then article four, justification by faith. Then the holy spirit is article five and then it moves on to talk about, uh, the gifts of God and the church.

But article five is this. So the holy Spirit's worked through the means of grace. It says so that we may obtain this faith, the ministry of teaching the gospel and administering the sacraments was instituted through the word in sacraments. It's through instruments. The holy spirit is given. He works faith when and where it pleases God. And those who hear the good news that God justifies those who believe that they're received into grace for Christ's sake. This happens again, not through our, our own merits, but for Christ's sake. So articles four and five, they have been just echoing in my mind lately because they're so important.

So the confession for our listeners, you can find it many, many places online. I mean it's 500 years old. You can get a translation it's not copyrighted anymore, and you can get it for free and, and follow along. If you'd like, um, this was presented to the chief politician of the day, the holy Roman emperor. And it, as you indicated, it showed that they were not, uh, they were rather traditional. And the, uh, the, the restoration of biblical thinking was what this was all about. So, uh, what do the articles say that's so important for us today?

Well, and this is why they've been really going through in mind, you know, uh, the first thesis of Martin Lou through in the 95 thesis with that was that as, uh, Christians, we need to live lives of daily repentance. And just as the scriptures and the message of the gospel were in danger back in the time of the Protestant reformation, that danger, those obstacles crop up all the time, even within the church, because we're sinners. Our default is to put obstacles in the way of this proclamation of grace alone. And so it's so important that we just go back and we emphasize these articles. So article four, this justification in by faith article gets all kinds of obstacles thrown at it. And let me just, let me mention three of them. We can talk about 'em a little bit, one of the obstacles is that because of our sinful nature, we tend to try to limit the atonement of Jesus Christ.

And that was of course, articulated in Calvinism actually, you know, with a limited atonement, but the way we do it is a little more subtle, especially in this day and age, you know, sometimes we start thinking that some sins are too big or they're too difficult or too confusing or too scary. And we may say, well, you know, know, I don't know how can our savior handle that one. That's kind of a frightening one. Um, uh, maybe that one's too tough and those folks are on the outside and therefore, uh, gosh, they're gonna have to get their act together, do something first. So, you know, we, we limit what the cross has done and what it can do and the way it, it, it, it nails every sin to the cross and the power of Jesus resurrection. That's a huge danger. Uh, the scriptures declare so clearly John, that there is no sin too big though were sins are like Scarlet, you know, a stain. We could never get out here in Isaiah chapter one they shall be as white as snow. So that's one of the dangers limiting the atonement of Christ it's power, power, the cross.

So what is it about Jesus? Why does his, uh, cross make such a difference?

Well, that's, that's the great news. We have that he fulfilled the law perfectly sent by God. The word became flesh. When he went to the cross, all of our sins were placed upon him. And while we would've been hopeless, deserving that death on the cross, Jesus was raised from the dead once and for all conquering all sin and all death. So that in Christ, we're a new creation, you know, he's overcome at all. And that's, I think it's important for us to know. Sometimes we talk so much about what we're afraid of or things that confound us. And we forget that as people living with the benefits of Christ, resurrection, um, there's no obstacle too big for him. You know, we have the confidence in the atonement of Jesus Christ and that he can break all and he can transform every heart. Uh, so that's huge for us when it comes to, especially some of the public debates we're in or, or things we're worried about.

I think there's another temptation we have or an obstacle we put in the way of article four and that's legalism letting legalism prevail. So I, I, I alluded to it a little earlier where we, we see someone in, in a certain way of life or caught in a sin or whatever it may be. And our inclination is to say, well, you gotta, you gotta get your act together first. You, you better leave this, fix your life, get holy, get pure. And then you can, you know, hear the word and you can be saved. And, uh, you better just get to it right now. Uh, because, you know, we may say those are some people who are outside and we can't really let those outsiders in cuz they're gonna mess up this whole thing called the church. That's one of the big issues we face legalism. Yeah.

Yeah. As opposed to the gospel, the, the, the gift aspect of, of what we've been given.

Yeah. Yeah. Think about, you know, Jesus and the Samaritan woman, right? The woman at the, well, married five times living with another guy, Jesus sat down with her said, can I have a drink of water? And he didn't say, you know, your life is, is too far gone for me. So you might as well give it up, uh, forget it. You're out, I'm in, uh, gimme a drink of water. And he didn't say that, uh, instead in a beautiful wise way, he convicted her for sin, but brought the good news of the gospel to her. You know, the Bible says very clearly while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, right. Jesus was the friend of sinners. And this is, this is important for us today too, because you know, you and I could be tempted to say, I'm not gonna be a friend of any sinners because I don't wanna one be seen with them. Two have rumors start that I'm unorthodox or that I'm permissive towards sin. Uh, and we definitely can't let sinners into the church cuz otherwise people are gonna think we're really, you know, Lucy goosey here. And uh, boy, I, I mean that that's a trap we can all fall into isn't

It sure is. Sure is. So you, you used a couple of terms. One is atonement. The other is, uh, Orthodox. Can you give us a quick definition of those?

Sure. So atonement is that through the death of G is we've been made one put back into relationship with God, a loving relationship with him. Some people say, if you break the word apart, it's at one mint, God made us one with him again through Jesus Orthodox is just, you know, straight, uh, straight doctrine, a pure doctrine doctrine that is based on the scriptures and, and, uh, confesses what it says, not departing in a crooked way from what the Bible might say. So those are a couple traps, you know, one more trap. Let me just sneak one more trap in here under article four. Okay John. All right. one more trap is listening to the olds, fear and hopelessness. That's one obstacle. You know,

That's a big one

Right now. It's huge. Isn't it? I mean you and I can say, uh, and really the world says this, right? Hey, all is lost. Everything's hopeless. The church is washed up. Uh there's no one left sounds like Elijah, right under the, you know, saying man, there's nobody but me. And we can fall into that trap too. I, I think, uh, if you listen to the news cycle, 24 hour news cycle, you could come away thinking, wow, this is, this is, you know, God's cause is done. And that's one thing we, we can dilute the power of justification by grace, through faith, by saying it can can't hold sway anymore. Cuz our world is too tough. You know, that's, that's a huge obstacle we can throw out there.

So as opposed to being managed by fear and confusion, um, from the voices of the world that we hear, um, how, how does God intersect our world, lift us out of this brokenness and get our eyes back on his wholesomeness.

Yeah. That's, that's what I love. I think about article four, this justification by faith, that it is by the death of Jesus Christ. He made satisfaction for our sins. God counts this faith for righteousness, heed a favor, not by our works. So, uh, again, look at what Jesus did. You know, we're driven right back to the word of God, aren't we, that's why article five is so important. We're driven right back to the means of grace. Uh, word of God, our baptisms, uh, the Lord supper that it's God doing the work and the one who conquered death, the one for whom nothing is impossible, overcomes everything we might consider hopeless or too hard or too difficult. It's so important for the church. Not to believe, you know, the press out there, the narrative out there that, um, everything is just bad and hopeless, but we bring the hope in life.

You know, we're really here to set the new narrative. Aren't we to, to raise the narrative and say, Hey, if you've hit the walls, all the obstacles, the world throws at you, um, we've got something better for you. And it is the narrative of God's grace, that he overcomes all things in Christ and that we live in him. It's no longer we who live with Christ, who lives in us. And so man, we just can't lose hope as a church or as pastors or as lay people. And we need to be able to say, Hey, we we're bringing exactly what the world needs. And this is an opportunity because when everything's falling down around us, well, guess what? God's opened the door for people's hearts to be receptive, to hear the good news.

So we've heard that there's about 50 ships off the coast of California waiting to be unloaded. And when you say means of grace, I think of God's distribution system, uh, no shortages with God. Um, we just, uh, need to know where he has told us to find him where he promises to be. Uh, so what would you encourage people with, uh, when it comes to, uh, meeting God where he says he is

Well, and this, this really brings us right into article five and why it's so important for us today as well. Cuz these are the means of grace, the distribution system. And let's just, let's just start with the word of God. So, you know, one thing we have such great confidence in is that God meets us in his word. It is a life giving word, living in active, sharper than any double edged sword we hear in Hebrews chapter four, just digs down into our joints and marrow hearts and souls. And you know, one of the myths we may think is, well, the word is weak. People are moving away from the Bible. They don't want to hear God God's word, but I'll tell you equipped with this sword of the spirit. We, we not only receive this peace and strength and blessing for our own hearts and souls and our own witness, but we receive a tool and instrument that we can bring to people who are hopeless or, or, and snared in sin and bring the word of God that Jesus is our hope that in Christ we're a new creation, you know, bring the actual word of God and it digs deeply into people's hearts and changes their hearts.

You know, that's the fallacy about saying you have to get your act together first, you know, legalism, the truth is like, Jesus, you bring the word to a person's life and it starts to set their heart, right? And it starts that transformation. So you know that I, I, that distribution system of the word is so important for us, us and for our message. And I think the other obstacle or risk we might say about article five is, well, the word is at risk. You know, won't it fall apart if we bring it into unholy surroundings or won't it be corrupted by heretics or unbelievers or enemies. And of course we need to guard the word of truth, but the first thing God wants us to do with it is to steward it faithfully because you know, as the scripture say, the grass Withers and the flower fades, the ships are gonna sink and the products they're delivering are gonna wear out, but the word of God stands forever. So, you know, great confidence, the word

We'll come back to, uh, president Newman in just a moment. But first I'd like to invite our listeners to our, uh, website. First thing is to, uh, visit Elm houston.org. And they're at, uh, Elm houston.org. You'll find information about us. You'll find links to our Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages. You'll also find ways to support our program. This program that you are listening to. We have a 5 0 1 [inaudible] three tax exempt status from the IRS and all of our on the air hosts are volunteers. So your tax deductible donations go far to purchase broad broadcast airtime. We're back to president Newman. So Mike, we're talking about this, the rediscovery of the nature of our relationship with God, it's not legalistic. We can't, uh, get our lives, right, because if we could do that on our own, we wouldn't have needed Jesus to come and be our savior. So, um, as we consider this, um, this gift, which is what the Bible says, it is about a dozen times calls it a gift from God. Um, what words of encouragement do you have to, you know, to people who've been isolated, broken, hurt, um, depressed, uh, scared all of the emotions that we've had add over the last two years. What difference does this gospel message have?

Yeah, it's a great question. And we really have been facing these challenging times and people have their hearts broken because of grief. Uh, there's so much worry. There's so much fear. One verse, a Bible verse that echoes through the history of our church body and through the Christian Church is from Isaiah 55. Uh, you know, you're familiar with the section when God talks about his word and he says, my word does not return to me empty, but accomplishes that for which I said it, this active, beautiful work of the word of God, like the rain and snow that come down from heaven and bring growth. That's what God's word does. And I think this is a huge encouragement for all of us, that the word of God is not diminishing. The church is not gonna fold up and die. The gates of hell, Jesus said can't prevail against the movement of the church and the message of the church.

The message of God's people is this message of grace through Jesus Christ, death on the cross and resurrection from the grave, this message that does bring hope and transformation and eternal life to all people, uh, this message that really gets through and that will shine a bright light into all the darkness we experience. And this is not a time in his street where we need to shrink back or circle the wagons or somehow believe that everything's done. And over with, in fact, this is God's great opportunity. Jesus said, when you see all these signs in the end times and difficulties coming up, should you hang your heads? He said, no, lift up your heads because salvation, your salvation is drawing near. And, uh, I think for all of us, it's a time where God will equip us and give us opportunities and the word to share with people so that they can receive this great gift.

The other, the other thing is so important for us to know John is that every listener needs to understand that Jesus died for each one of them. Jesus died for you. For me, for every listener, he died in rose. He wrote your story of grace. He wrote my story of grace and I needed him to write it because you know, my life is a shambles broken sinful mess too. And my look at my history and I say, whoa, Jesus wrote his story of grace out of my sinful material. He he's done that for everyone. And he can do that for every listener. No ma no matter how far they think they're gone or how much they feel shame about their past or present or how enslaved they feel to an addiction or a practice us, Jesus writes stories of grace. And so if every listener can take a deep breath and not lose confidence in this great blessing of salvation while we were dead in our sins, God made us alive in Christ and the delivery system of the living word they're hearing right now over the radio or through a podcast in the means of grace and it, with that confidence.

Then with that gift, that joy, if every listener could also say, I'm not gonna hide this under a bushel, because Jesus has made me a light in this world. I'm gonna use these tools. God has given me, I'm gonna use this delivery system. And through me, I'm gonna share hope with my family, my loved ones, my neighbors, and the people around me think that that is the most important encouragement we could hear today. Well,

We've been talking with, uh, president Michael Newman, president of the Texas district of the Lutheran church, Missouri Senate. Thank you for spending your time with us today. President

Newman, John, it's always a joy. God bless you. God bless

You too. And join us again real soon for another edition of engaging truth. Goodbye.

Thank you for listening to this broadcast of engaging truth. Be sure to join us each week at this time to help support our ministry, contact evangelical life ministries, post office box 5 6 8, Cypress, Texas 77, 410. Or visit our website@elmhouston.org or us on Facebook at evangelical life ministries. Thank you.