Pregnancy and Marriage

Q: I’m 26 years old and have been with my boyfriend for 3 years. We’re in love and often talk about marriage. Yet we’ve been sidetracked. My mother died 2 years ago and my father was in an accident a year ago, is now disabled, and I’ve been caring for him. I am now 9 weeks pregnant and we know the time is here to get married. My boyfriend’s parents feel we should wed before the baby is born; they are ashamed and will not speak to either one of us if we don’t. I would like to wait until after. I want to have a wedding where I can wear a gown and have everyone I know there. Is there anything wrong with waiting until after the baby is born, especially since this child was conceived out of our love for each other.

A: There are several things to consider in making a final decision. First of all, God wants men and women to have sex and children within the bounds of marriage. He desires that each child conceived be raised by married (Christian) parents. Second, if you have come together and “acted” like husband and wife, with the intention of always being together, you have already “married” each other. Ceremonies, whether religious or civil, are only ratifications of what the two have already promised to each other.

As for specifically religious ceremonies, in many countries, they take place after the couple is already married. Even under “normal” circumstances, the man and woman may go to judge, magistrate, or the like with their witnesses to be legally married. After the civil marriage ceremony, they go God’s house to receive the blessings of the Lord and His Church. For while a sermon and prayers don’t make the wedding, they are important parts of the Christian marriage.

There’s also the matter of care for the child. If you are married before the baby is born, then there is extra legal protection for all three of you, as well as insurance benefits and the like. This is not an unimportant consideration. Nor is the “legitimacy” of the baby a matter of little importance; it may make a difference both in how people talk about you and how life is later for your child.

I understand your desire for the big wedding with all the trimmings. If you want to wait, that decision is one that the two of you must live with. Neither the bride nor her attire are supposed to “star” in a church wedding — this should be a religious service with Jesus Christ as its center. You should ask yourself, “Is wearing a certain gown more important than being totally honest with God and the world?” You either are married or you aren’t; delaying is a false compromise.

If you want the big ceremony, I suggest following what I noted above: Get married in a small civil ceremony, set up housekeeping as husband and wife, not secretly, but openly and honestly. Ask for the prayers of your church and then, when you and all possible guests have time (and you can fit into the gown of your dreams), schedule the big ceremony with all the special music, the prayers, the sermon, and the rest. Just because you began by putting the “cart” of sex and procreation before the “horse” of marriage doesn’t mean that you must continue in this manner. Instead, put God’s first things (including marriage) first, and you will enjoy and prosper even more in the things that follow (such as bearing children and raising a family).

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Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of the book What Do Lutherans Believe.

Technorati Tags: marriage | pregnant | family | ceremony | church wedding | living together | husband and wife

Seven Years, One Thousand Years

Q: I keep hearing about a seven year period where people will have to believe in God and Jesus and when the seven years are up God will come and take those people that accepted Him to heaven. I don’t see in the Bible where it says anything about 7 years on Earth. If this isn’t in the Bible, then why do people believe so much in this seven year period? I’ve also heard about a 1000 year period.

A: Revelation and Daniel are especially full of figurative expressions to which many people attach literal meaning. In the examples you note, seven years of tribulation and one thousand years of glorious reign both stem from a literalistic interpretation of visionary language.

In John’s time, especially among those steeped in the Old Testament Scriptures, a thousand years often stood for a long but definite time. It makes much more sense of the entire book if we understand this as being the period from Christ’s ascension until the end of time. Thus, we’ve been living in the “millennium” ever since 30-something AD. The thousand years is, in other words, the life-span of the New Testament Church. Some of it is now history, some yet to happen.

Similarly, seven is often used as a number of completion, especially of God’s complete interaction with His Creation. This most likely stems from the seven days of Creation. It also appears to be a combination of symbolic Hebrew numbers: Three represented God (even before He fully revealed Himself as Triune); four was variously the number of man, the world, or the full physical creation. Also, periods of time in prophetic or apocalyptic writing might not be the same as in historical Scriptures. As example, consider Daniel 9, where it is said, “Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. (v. 24)” Here, the weeks are actually weeks of years — the approximately 490 years between Daniel and the coming of the Christ.

If we get too carried up in literalism while reading visionary literature, we do Scripture as much injustice as we would interpreting literal, historic writing as figurative. And when people do impose literalism in Daniel Revelation, they aren’t normally consistent. They usually pick and choose, going back and forth between literal and figurative interpretations. A prime example: Most of those who struggle to define and promote a literal millennium or a literal seven years of tribulation don’t also insist upon a literal 144,000 in chapters 7 or 14 of Revelation. Nor do they demand that an actual harlot or a real, live dragon appear as part of the fulfillment of these prophecies. Yet for some reason, they cannot shake free of literal numbers of years.

Previous writings touching on the topic of 1000 years and other aspects of Biblical numbering include Millennialism, The Number Forty, Jesus in the Wilderness, and a post on Virtue.

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version™, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles.

Send email to Ask the Pastor.

Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of the book What Do Lutherans Believe.

Technorati Tags: one thousand years | seven years | 7 | 1000 | Revelation | millennialism | chiliasm

Three Important Things in Scripture

Q: From Genesis through Revelation, what are the three most important things?

A: I could come at this question from any number of angles. Setting an arbitrary number means that I must arbitrarily combine some thoughts in order to give you three items.

1.   God made everything. This means that all Creation — including all mankind — is accountable to His will and His judgment. He remains active preserving and sustaining all He made. Various sub-doctrines in this category include Creation and Providence.

2.   Man sinned and messed up himself and the entire Creation. Not only did Adam’s fall ruin things for him and Eve: We inherit his sinful nature and are born outside a trust relationship with God, do not desire His presence, refuse to be accountable to Him, and despise or fear His judgment. This, of course, puts us at serious, even deadly odds with the first item listed. Included here are Scripture’s teachings on Man, Sin, Judgment, and the like.

3.   In order to address #2 and restore us to the perfection of #1, God sent His Son Jesus Christ, who came, suffered on the cross, died, and rose to forgive our sins and reconcile us with the Father, and who will return in judgment, where He will bodily raise us up and bring believers in Him to eternal bliss. Within this point we cite the chief article of the Christian Faith, the doctrine of Justification by Grace through Faith in Christ. This ties intimately with Christology. Also included would be the work of the Holy Spirit in calling us to believe and preserving us in the Faith. Pneumatology (teachings about the Holy Ghost), Sanctification (making us holy in God’s eyes and leading us to live holy lives), the Gospel, Sacramental Theology (including Baptism, Absolution, and the Lord’s Supper), Ecclesiology (the Church), Eschatology (the Last Things), and other many other teachings come under this third broad category.

Send email to Ask the Pastor.

Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of the book What Do Lutherans Believe.

Technorati Tags: Creation | Justification | Sanctification | Sacraments | Gospel | redemption

Like Newborn Carnivals

Lutheran Carnival-22

Quasimodogeniti, the Second Sunday of Easter’s “week of weeks” brings the twenty-second installment of the Lutheran Carnival to light. Pastor David Petersen provides a quick summary of “Hunchback Sunday” at CyberStones (and don’t forget to read the comment cum literary critique).

The antiphon of today’s introit comes from 1 Peter 2:2-3. “Like newborn babes,” saith the King James Version, upon which many of us were nourished in our youth — that certainly provides a carnival theme with promise. Yet what if some readers aren’t thrilled with babies? Or, if they’ve been drinking the “pure spiritual milk,” perhaps they’re ready for some meat (see Hebrews 5:12-14) — or not (see 1 Corinthians 3:1-3).

Well, I then thought, since this is Carnival-22, how about a Joseph Heller theme, reminiscent of his classic novel Catch-22? I gave it some thought, but decided to pass. Certainly Heller understood paradox and irony, two major literary types used in Holy Scripture. However, Catch-22 never comes to a resolution. Certainly our ongoing celebration of Easter provides ample reminder that Christ provided complete resolution of our alienation from God in His suffering, death, and glorious resurrection.

Finally, I decided to fall back on the Lutheran Carnival’s regular feature, the introduction to relatively unknown Lutherans. Therefore, I’d like to take a moment to tell you about a child born upon the Ides of March in the Year of Our Lord 1992.

I’d recently begun my final quarter at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. The Fair Stephanie and I prepared for sleep on Saturday night, the eve of her due date. No sooner did she find her least uncomfortable position in bed than she thought she’d had a late-pregnancy “accident” but moving revealed much more liquid than a gravid woman’s bladder could ever hold — the water had broken and we were on the road to the birth of our second child.

We woke up child the first, our daughter Courtney, and told her that Mom and Dad were going to the hospital, then told my mother-in-law the same. No suitcases, prescriptions, or other necessities were left behind as we headed to St. Luke’s Hospital in west Saint Louis County. Many hours of labor later, at 3:22 p.m., a baby girl drew her first breath and started turning from a deep plum to a healthy pink.

On the eighth day, the following Sunday, her Grandpa Snyder took her in his (from my perspective, all-too-trembling) hands and baptized her in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. We named her Laura Marie after Steph’s Grandma Meyer and a bunch of middle-named Maries on both sides of the family. “Laura” also puns nicely with “Stephanie” — my wife’s name comes from the Greek for “Crowned One” and the victor crowns of ancient day were often woven from bay laurel branches.

Laura showed an early affinity for theological commentary, choosing to fill her diaper during a long and vacuous speech by one of the LCMS district presidents during our placement ceremony at seminary.

Now — with apologies to Garrison Keillor — all children, most especially our own, are “above average.” Laura showed early promise in athletics and academics but music seems to be her greatest gift from God. She badgered one poor lady in Jasper, Texas until she consented to give her piano lessons. Since that time, she’s learned flute, trumpet, French horn, percussion, handbells, and a smattering of other instruments. She studies voice and has acquitted herself well piano and vocal competitions, sung solos and played piano for church, and joined our choir. Organ and guitar are but a couple of instruments she hopes to master in days ahead.

We’ll not embarrass her with all the pet nicknames we’ve hung upon her, but one stands out. With all her athleticism and natural grace, Laura still regularly managed to push beyond her ability to control her body or paid no attention to impending hazards. Is it any wonder, then, that with a broken arm, a broken finger, stitches above her eye, and a foot badly burned on a barbecue grill (we couldn’t believe that one, either), we often called her “Crash”?

She’s seen quite a bit during her fourteen years. We had house guests from Finland, Belgium, and Australia through the Lions Clubs Youth Exchange Program. She lived in Jasper, Texas during the dragging murder of James Byrd (that’s her with a young friend on my lap at a community memorial in the photo above). She’s vacationed throughout much of the United States and makes friends wherever she goes, moving with ease among deaconaters and Trinis.

Through the years, she’s grown up “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)” Next Sunday, she’ll make public profession of the Faith and be received to the Lord’s altar through the rite of Confirmation. In the fall, she plans to enter Saint Paul Lutheran High School in Concordia, Missouri. God willing, she’ll continue to grow academically and spiritually while keeping sound mind and strong faith in a healthy, active body.

Now that you know a bit more about Laura Marie Snyder, I invite you to read on in the Lutheran Carnival and gain an appreciation for some of the wonderful writings available in the confessional Lutheran blogosphere.

Our first entry comes courtesy of the Rev. Paul McCain’s Cyberbrethren. The featured post, You Are Not Free to Use This Liberty — Thoughts on Liturgical Uniformity is part of a collection of Liturgy and Worship Trends. It covers the benefits of solid, liturgical worship practices for the entire community of believers.

Jason “TheologyGeek” Evans provides a comparison and contrasting of Lutherans and Fundamentalists in Theology Frameworks.

The message of Holy Week is timeless, challenging all who play the “New vs. Old” game to repent. Pastor Joe Fremer, The Grateful Christian, shares The Timeless Message with us.

In the middle of Weekend Fisher’s series on systematic theology, this is the cornerstone piece, the beginning of the writings on God’s grace. Be startled with her as she writes of The Encounter with Christ.

Pastor Tom Chryst’s Preachrblog provides thoughts On Church Signs and what their messages should be.

Nerd Heaven takes us from the sublime — History and Theology — to the saturated (fat) — Doughnuts and Burgers Together. Learn why we must know our past and then find a way to replace all those empty calories avoided during the Lenten fast. Back to the sublime again, Sam also has an excellent Lutheran evaluation of Church Growth.

Dan at Necessary Roughness shares his evaluation of his new toy tool, a digital voice recorder, in Sound Check. He also presents Maundy Thursday at Good Shepherd, with notes and musings on Pastor Childs’ sermon.

Is it all about Michael Graves? No, It’s an Ice Cream Scoop. In a humorous post, David Yow tells a story about his new utensil, comparing advertising hype to the quality of the product. An amusingly odd, yet thoughtful, post on a subject you may never again consider.

From Dust, From Dust — yes, you read that correctly. Not only do we return to dust but the Poor Miserable Sinner reminds us that because Jesus the New Adam rose from the dust of the earth, so shall we.

At Wretched of the Earth, Ryan ruminates on the Easter reality that God is hungry to gobble up some death in Resurrection Day: Death Loses.

The Confessing Evangelical asks us to consider, “Do anti-religious types have a false understanding of the Poky Little Medieval Universe?”

In preparation for filling in for his Pastor the usual Confessions Study, Sean plans to talk about Lutheran worship, beginning with Christ and moving towards finding a proper name to call The Christian Gathering. He also offers comments on an under-used but absolutely fantastic Easter hymn, Christ Jesus Lay in Death’s Strong Bands.

Besides sniffing out new confessional Lutheran blog sites (so that’s what that snout is good for!), Aardvark Alley also gave us two more hagiographies, Johannes Bugenhagen and Saint Anselm of Canterbury.

There was only one new review at the Luther Library during the past (busy) fortnight, but it’s a dandy. Dr. Veith introduces us to Lars Walker: Lutheran Novelist.

Jeremy Abel of Living Among Mysteries didn’t want to toot his own horn, although I recommend The Words of the Wise Are Like Goads. He, instead, thought we should be reading Lights Off in America, by Uwe Siemon-Netto at the Concordia Seminary Institute of Lay Vocation blog. In a lecture at Concordia College in New York, Dr. Siemon-Netto warns us about the danger of continued dependence on oil. The United States, he says, has willingly placed itself in a position where “its very lifeblood is in the hands of its foes.”

He’s back! After an all-too-long hiatus, David gets us Horn + Swoggled again with Lutheran Businessman to Market “Spaceraments” — the story of a Lutheran astronaut inspires a new business venture to set outer space ablaze with the Spirit.

Bass Ackwardness and Confirming What? The Random Thoughts of a Confessional Lutheran examine, ask, and answer the placement of relationship (between himself and Elle) “cart and horse” issues and go on to say why Dan thinks Confirmation is worthless.

Kelly’s Blog provides the meditation Good Friday, Linger at the Cross, noting that this is one of the best ways to truly appreciate Easter. She also shares her first picture in the Hebrews 11 series, The “Finished” Picture of Abel. In this Easter season, note especially the wounded, standard-bearing lamb on the altar, assuring Abel of the hope of the resurrection.

Hoc est verum provides a layman’s reaction to the United Church of Christ’s new “inclusive” advertising campaign in The UCC’s New Ad Spot. While Der Bettler submitted this one himself, others also suggested Always Winter, Never Christmas, a thoughtful evaluation of a major theme of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and his exposure of the lie that Jesus Never Condemned Anyone.

The First British Lutheran Blog Ever remains one of the better Lutheran blogs, British or otherwise, as Chris Williams shows when he writes Grace Isn’t Fair, a reminder of the enormous, unmerited favor we find in the Father’s eyes for the sake of His Son.

Pastor Paul Beisel remains One Lutheran ... Ablog™ and gives the insightful, sometimes disturbing evaluation My Trip to St. Louis Seminary.

I beat the Aardvark to this one! I just found Living Like a Lutheran, a Lutheran mom and homeschooler. Her “Rambo”lings seriously upbraid those who despise liturgical worship and exhorts pastors to be strong in resisting the siren calls of expediency and comparison to churches growing in number while shrinking from sound doctrine.

Finally, I guess that I should pick a couple of my own posts to wrap things up. Since Christ is the center of our theology, I offer an answer to the question Jesus Lower than God? and to close on a Paschal theme, I recommend Holy Week: The Passover of Our God.

Christ’s Obedience

Q: If man learns obedience through sin and correction, how did Christ learn obedience if he didn’t sin?

A: I imagine that you’re basing your question on Hebrews 5:8 &mdash “Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.” Let’s examine this idea in light of what we know about our Savior from the Scriptures.

We know that Jesus was sinless (and, thus, had a sinless nature) because of the testimony of the Gospels as well as much of Hebrews and many places in the Pauline Epistles. Christ was the completely “unblemished” sacrificial Lamb (Exodus 12:5, Deuteronomy 15:21, 1 Peter 1:19, et al.). As the Bible says, God “made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)” In other words, although Jesus was completely sin-free, he carried both the guilt that was ours and the punishment that we deserved.

Jesus “learned” obedience by being obedient, not by sinning and being corrected. As the eternal Son of God, He was, is, and always will be obedient to the will of His Father.

Likewise, the Christian doesn’t learn true obedience by sinning. That would be like trying to learn one sport by practicing another. Imagine learning golf by hitting baseballs in a batting cage or soccer in a swimming pool! Thus, we don’t learn perfection by practicing imperfection.

My sainted father had a stock retort whenever he heard someone say, “Practice makes perfect.” He always responded, “Proper practice makes perfect.” Christians practice obedience properly by responding in faith to God’s love, trusting in His guidance, and not standing in the way of Christ working within us through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version™, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles.

Send email to Ask the Pastor.

Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of the book What Do Lutherans Believe.

Technorati Tags: Christ | obedience | obedient | practice | sports | sin

Deadline Looming for Carnival Entries

Get ’em in, people. While I may be able to squeeze in a few more after the official 7 p.m. cutoff, I need time to assemble and edit Sunday’s Lutheran Carnival. Since I’m also preaching, teaching, coaching track, finishing some devotions for publication, and trying to remain sane, happily married, and heading my household in Godly manner, I hope that you’ll help by choosing your own posts or nominating those of others according to the house rules and the general submission guidelines and submitting them as quickly as possible.

Thank you, and here’s the edress: lutherancarnival AT gmail DOT com

Sabbaths and Sundays

Q: Why do we Christians treat Sunday as the Sabbath if Saturday is the seventh day?

A: We do so because we are not mandated to keep any specific day. Indeed, Saint Paul told the Colossians, “Let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. (2:16)”

However, most of the Church at a very early part of its history chose Sunday as its focal day because that’s when Jesus rose from the dead. Every Sunday was, therefore, considered a celebration of His resurrection.

Still, we shouldn’t dismiss the idea of “Sabbath rest.” God designed us well and built in the need for refreshment of body and spirit. Living as fallen creatures in a fallen world, rest is even more essential. Yet a proper Sabbath need not be idleness: For those who work with their minds, physical exertion can be very restful. For those whose jobs are done by routine, mental challenges are refreshing.

Evidently, many of the Jews at Jesus’ time thought otherwise. They narrowed the commandment, defined work as doing almost anything meaningful under any circumstances, and burdened others with their rigorous legalism. In response, Jesus reminded them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. (Mark 2:27)” God gives us and blesses us with rest — in the New Testament, we’re not forced to cease activity; rather, we’re allowed to relax and recharge.

Finally, we await the fulness of the Sabbath rest written of in Hebrews 4, where the writer contrasted the limited earthly rest we have to the ultimate Sabbath of an eternity with Christ. This rest already begins on earth, as we remain believers in Christ. Our deepest rest and greatest source of empowerment flow from Jesus — thus His Church, His Gospel, and His sacraments are central to our Sabbath rest.

As Christ tells us, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)” How do you come to Him? Where does He give You rest? Where more completely than in His house on His Day! How more fully than in hearing His gracious, forgiving Word and in eating and drinking His body and blood!

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version™, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles.

Send email to Ask the Pastor.

Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of the book What Do Lutherans Believe.

Technorati Tags: Sunday | Sabbath | rest | sacraments | worship | Law and Gospel

Mystics and Mediums

Q: I am a Christian — meaning I believe in God the Father and Jesus the Son of God. Recently, a Christian brother advised that he was going to see a mystic to see why certain strange events were happening to him. What does the Bible say about this?

A: Unless divination, prediction, and the like were practiced as part of the prophetic office, God condemned them. He specifically forbade Israel any such activity in the both in the Law and in the prophets — one clear statement: “There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a wizard or a necromancer, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you. (Deuteronomy 18:10-12)”

Note that God calls such things “abominations.” New Testament condemnation isn’t as widespread, but what is there reinforces what the Old Testament records. For instance, Luke wrote that Paul drove “a spirit of divination” out of a slave girl in Philippi. Even though this spirit told the truth about the apostle and his companions, Paul was evidently vexed because the testimony was from a demonic source. See Acts 16:16-40 for the account. This is similar to instances when Jesus forced unclean spirits to be silent about who He was.

Since earlier Scriptures link diviners and fortune tellers with sorcery, we should pay attention also to the warnings in Revelation 21 as to who would be barred from the New Jerusalem: “As for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.... Nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (vv. 8, 27)”

The following chapter of Revelation also compares the righteous with those practicing wickedness such as you mention: “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. (22:14-15)”

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version™, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles.

Send email to Ask the Pastor.

Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of the book What Do Lutherans Believe.

Technorati Tags: mystic | divination | sorcery | fortune telling

Protestant Christianity

Q: What exactly is Protestantism? What are the speculations and traditions of this religion?

A: Protestantism isn’t a religion but a generic title for much of Christendom that broke with the Roman Catholic Church during or after the time of the Reformation. It originally encompassed the Lutherans but later came to mean especially followers of Zwingli, Calvin and Knox, Arminius and Wesley, and many of the Anabaptist and Radical reformers. It remains difficult to define, since many conflicting theologies get lumped together under the Protestant banner.

Initially, only the Evangelicals (the original Lutherans) were the “Protestants.” This came because of an official protest they lodged with the emperor concerning forced imposition of Catholicism following the Second Diet of Speyer in 1529.

Later, after the Lutheran “Protestants” gained certain concessions, others also claimed the name so they could enjoy certain legal benefits it offered — particularly, those who “protested” Speyer were allowed free worship in areas in which the rulers allowed the followers of Luther to preach and teach. Because so many who held opposing theologies to Luther and his followers assumed the Protestant mantle, much of Lutheranism now rejects the title. We desire not to be lumped together with others who believe and teach differently.

Some Protestants are “high church,” with elaborate ceremonies similar to those of Catholicism. Others have “low church” services with little or no liturgy. Most have pastors who don’t wear special clergy clothing, but some Protestant bodies have vested clergy. Many ordain and encourage woman pastors; many don’t. Some believe in strict double-predestination, where God has decided from all eternity who goes to heaven or hell while others believe that it’s totally man’s free will making the choice; still others fall somewhere in-between.

In short, it’s impossible to fully define Protestantism without writing a fair sized book. If you want a very brief summary, I’d say that Protestant churches are Western Christian bodies with roots in Roman Catholicism who reject the rule of Rome and the primacy of the pope.

Please see Lutheran or Protestant? — a previous article along these lines. Read also the linked article by Pastor Kinnaman, Lutherans Are not Protestants.

Send email to Ask the Pastor.

Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of the book What Do Lutherans Believe.

Technorati Tags: Protestant | Diet of Speyer | Reformation

It Makes Sense

Confessional Lutheran Blogger Interdependence

Aardvark Alley keeps noting newly found blogs and adding them to his blogroll and that of the Luther Library. I, in turn, add them here. If I counted correctly, the list is pushing 150 entries.

With his latest additions, he also leaves a few pertinent comments: “Remember that, as I noted in Building a Lutheran Presence; Part 2, our blogrolls help each other find new readers and improve search engine rankings. If you’d like the full list of sidebar links, the Lutheran blogs and other resources, or the confessional blogroll only, please email me and ask.”

Attention Confessional Bloggers

I need more submissions for the next Lutheran Carnival. Please check the house rules for this edition and the general submission guidelines.

Easter Is Jesus; Jesus Is Easter

Sure, it’s obvious to the believer. Still, this graphic from a reader makes a nice visual reminder.


A blessed Paschal Feast to all my regular readers and to any guests who drop in for a visit.

Technorati Tags: Easter | resurrection | art | image

Jesus Lower than God?

Q: An elder in my church said that Jesus is a little lower than God. Where is Jesus in relationship to God?

A: Sometimes the Bible uses “God” and “Father” almost interchangeably. At other times, Scripture makes it clear that Jesus is God, as are the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is “lower” than the Father only in that He is eternally begotten of the Father and will always serve and obey Him. However, He is also the Father’s equal as touches His being God and possessing all divine attributes, including omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, and the like. Jesus says of Himself in John 10:30, “I and the Father are One.”

Regarding His incarnation and birth, the Bible (e.g., Psalm 8 and Hebrews 2) testifies to the Messiah, Jesus, being made lower than the heavenly beings or angels “for a little while. (Hebrews 2:7)” This is sometimes called Christ’s “state of humiliation” by the Christian Church. In this state, even though He remained fully God, He did not fully use all His divine powers. “Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. (Hebrews 2:8-9)”

Corresponding to His humiliation, we have a term for the Son’s condition before His incarnation and after His resurrection. This the Church calls Christ’s “state of exaltation.”

Here in the quiet between Good Friday and the celebration of Christ’s resurrection in the coming services, we straddle the border between Christ’s humiliation and His exaltation. His Sabbath rest came after He fulfilled the fullness of the Law and suffered on our behalf. At some point during His time in the tomb, the Father granted Him life once again. Most likely, this is when He — the now exalted Son of God — descended into Hell to proclaim His victory over sin, death, and Satan.

I invite you to read some of what I wrote previously concerning Jesus being God and about His descent into Hell in these following posts:

   § Jesus Christ: True God
   § Questions about God and Jesus
   § The Humanity and Deity of Christ
   § He Descended into Hell

You can find more by browsing this blog if you use the search box at the top of this blog with the terms Jesus and God.

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version™, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles.

Send email to Ask the Pastor.

Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of the book What Do Lutherans Believe.

Technorati Tags: state of humiliation | state of exaltation | Holy Saturday | Vigil of Easter

Post Mortem: More Heavenly Questions

Q: When do you believe we go to heaven? Sometimes the Bible indicates that when we take our last breath on earth we will take our first breath in heaven. Yet it also seems that when we die, we will be dead until we are risen for judgement day. What is your theory or what do you suggest from your readings?

A: The Bible doesn’t speak clearly and completely on what happens between death and the end of the world. We do know that we are entrusted to the Lord’s care and keeping until the resurrection of all flesh, but Scripture doesn’t clearly state our degree of consciousness or comprehension. The martyrs crying out from the altar in Revelation 6:9-11 and the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 imply that perhaps those in heaven are quite aware of things happening both in heaven and on earth.

However, other Scriptures speak of death as more of a time of “sleep” or complete rest in God until the resurrection. For example, Psalm 13:3 says, “Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.”

At times, Christ speaks of death as sleep (John 11:11; also Matthew 9:24, Luke 8:52, and Mark 5:39). This may be because He knows that people will awaken from it. Two who are thus awakened are His friend Lazarus and the daughter of Jairus, the two referred to in the previous passages. Scripture also promises that all who “sleep” in the grave will be awakened on the Last Day.

This being Good Friday, we also have the words of our Lord to the penitent criminal fresh in our minds: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise. (Luke 23:43)”

It could be that the perspective of “sleep” is particularly accurate from our earthly perspective, while a more active and involved period between death and resurrection represents the view from eternity. This might mean that our bodies “sleep” while our spirits remain in active communion with our Lord.

Ultimately, it matters not how much we know of our surroundings nor how we interact with God and with others. The promise of the resurrection and of eternal life belongs to all believers. So whether we are in some type of sleep or fully aware, we will be with God until we are given new and glorious bodies to wear forever in the kingdom of God.

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version™, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles.

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Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of the book What Do Lutherans Believe.

Technorati Tags: death | heaven | sleep | Lazarus

Heavenly Questions

Q: Will we know our loved ones who have gone before us when we reach heaven? How will we look in heaven? What clothing will there be? What will be our appearance? Where do we look for these facts, such as old people looking young again?

A: Almost every Christian I’ve met seems to think or hope that we’ll recognize all our loved ones in eternity. However, Scripture gives no clear answer in this regard. We know that our Lord raises the bodies of the saints to glory and that they are like Christ’s own resurrection body, yet the details remain completely unclear.

Christian author C. S. Lewis (he of Narnia fame) wrote a story called The Great Divorce. In it, he speculated about the form of our resurrection bodies. The gist of his descriptions was that those who died young looked incredibly ancient and wise while the old still had the spring and the sparkle of youth.

Lewis also speculated that those some would wear clothes as a sign of some special grace of God while others would be naked, yet fully clothed in righteousness. Aside from certain white-robed people mentioned in Revelation, we aren’t told much about our clothing in the life to come.

In eternity, we don’t even know if all our scars and the like will pass away, or if some will remain as tokens of faithfulness to Christ (and Christ’s faithfulness to us), just as he kept His wounds in His resurrection. We also have no idea what memories will remain — or if any thoughts of the old life will persist in the life to come.

All of these questions, however important they seem now, will assume a new perspective in eternity. What truly matters is that we’ll be with Jesus and His Father forever in perfect bliss. Whatever form we take, however we are clad, and whomever we might remember from earth, we know that joy is ours forever.

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Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of the book What Do Lutherans Believe.

Technorati Tags: heaven | resurrection body | eternity | C. S. Lewis | The Great Divorce

A Carnival “Call for Papers”

I’m honored to be hosting the Lutheran Carnival for the first time here at Ask the Pastor. It will, God willing, be up on Quasimodogeniti (the Second Sunday of Easter, 23 April). New submitters (and those who’ve forgotten the routine), please check the submission guidelines at the main Carnival blog. Email them to lutherancarnival AT gmail DOT com and they’ll forward them to me. Please try to remember to use the third person and all the other stuff the submission guidelines call for.

Anything recently written by confessional Lutheran bloggers is fair game, whether overtly theological, vocational, humorous, or in other categories not listed.

House rules for this time include allowing submission of others’ writings — just try to keep them to one or two apiece. Also, I would like to have as many Easter and Resurrection themed posts as possible to celebrate the Lamb’s High Feast. And since the time between Palm Sunday and Pentecost is peak Confirmation season, and posts about the rite, its history, theology, appropriateness, or your own confirmation would certainly be welcome. So if you have (or find) and older post that covers either of these topics, go ahead and submit it as long as it hasn’t appeared in a previous carnival.

Other bloggers are invited to share the word and spread the invitations. Finally, if you haven’t already visited the current carnival, please check it out.

Holy Week: The Passover of Our God

We now stand in the heart of Holy Week. Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and the Vigil, and Easter Sunday lie ahead. These next few days are intimately and intricately connected with the Old Testament feast of the Passover. Back around A.D. 750, John of Damascus penned the hymn, The Day of Resurrection. It begins, “The day of resurrection, Earth, tell it out abroad, The Passover of gladness, The Passover of God. From death to life eternal, From this world to the sky, Our Christ has brought us over With hymns of victory.”

The Passover foreshadowed the events of Holy Week, exactly as God intended. The Son came to earth to assume human flesh and to live perfectly in the stead of imperfect humanity. He carried our weaknesses in himself, resisting temptation to depart from his chosen path. He came knowing not only that he would die on our behalf, but choosing so to do. His death came during the time of Passover in Judah, as the children of Abraham praised God for his deliverance of his people from Egypt, the land of bondage.

As the Children of Israel remembered the lambs’ blood painted over their forefathers’ doors, the ultimate Passover Lamb prepared Himself for the slaughter. His blood would be painted over sinful humanity, and all who believed that the death of Jesus brought the final deliverance from their sins would become heirs of new life in His resurrection from the dead.

God established the Passover as the defining moment of His chosen people Israel. Through it, He called them out of slavery and into His family. Hundreds of years later, all of human history reached its defining moment as God used His Son to call people out of slavery to sin and into the family of Jesus Christ.

The Passover observed at the time of Jesus looked back to the Angel of Death passing over the blood-stained doors of Israel. It remembered the Children of Israel passing over the Red Sea on dry land and the destruction of Pharaoh’s army. It recalled a faithful God’s promises to an often faithless people. The New Testament Passover of Christ’s death and resurrection looks back to Jesus’ death and resurrection and forward to our own resurrection and eternal life.

Christ passed over from life to death to life forevermore. As God used Moses with his staff, so on a far greater scale the Father used Jesus and His cross. Moses stretched out the staff in his arms to rescue God’s people from death on the shores of the sea. Jesus stretched out His arms on the cross to rescue all people from eternal death in hell. He leads the believers across death to life eternal in heaven. His Passover becomes ours. His resurrection is the guarantee that we too will rise to new life.

The hymn continues: “Our hearts be pure from evil That we may see aright The Lord in rays eternal Of resurrection light And, list’ning to His accents, May hear, so calm and plain, His own ‘All hail!’ and hearing, May raise the victor strain.” The joy of knowing that Jesus is alive translates into the joy of knowing that we are alive. He cheers us on, telling us that we will make it safely to the other side.

As we grow in the Faith, Easter takes its rightful place as the defining moment in our lives. Knowing better our sinfulness, we appreciate better our salvation. We need not fear death, grave, and decay: We will rise to live with our Savior forever. All sins, great and small, are washed away and Christ dresses us as kings and priests. God treats us as His dear children rather than as the illegitimate offspring of Satan.

The ancient words of celebration become our own. John of Damascus’ hymn and others like it are our victory cheers until we join with the heavenly host in the unending celebration. “Now let the heav’ns be joyful, Let earth her song begin, Let all the world keep triumph And all that is therein. Let all things, seen and unseen, Their notes of gladness blend; For Christ the Lord hath risen — Our joy that hath no end.”

God grant you full measure of that joy as you pass with His Son through this life and into life eternal, singing with all Christ’s Church our “hymns of victory.”

Visit LutheranHymnal.com for MIDI audio for The Day of Resurrection.

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Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of the book What Do Lutherans Believe.

Technorati Tags: Passover | Holy Week | Maundy Thursday | Good Friday | Easter | crucifixion | resurrection

Hosannas and Palm Branches

“Everyone loves a parade.” This old expression indicates that whenever there’s some sort of festivities, all are happy to join in. Of course, “everyone” is an exaggeration. There’s almost always someone who’d rather not join in the fun. In fact, if the parade is organized by people we despise, we’ll go out of our way not to participate.

Palm Sunday celebrates such a parade. Jesus’ reputation kept growing throughout His public ministry; when He entered Jerusalem on the donkey, the noise and celebration might make an observer think that finally a parade had come that all could join. No marching bands, no fancy costumes — Jesus was the sole draw. He and his disciples came through the gate with a growing crowd; the sounds of praise attracted more and more people to the celebration. The Son of David, the King of the Jews, was entering God’s city. Coats and palm branches paved the way, people waved their branches to honor this Healer and Teacher of whom they had heard so much.

“Hosanna (save, we pray)” was the refrain of the songs of praise. It was used at various religious festivals. On Palm Sunday, the people sang it to this traveling Rabbi. Many of them anticipated an end to Roman oppression. They desired for the long-gone days when an anointed king ruled from his throne in Jerusalem. Jesus was their hope that the kingdom would be restored.

The leaders of the Jewish people had other ideas. Jesus upset the status quo. He preached against some of their cherished beliefs. He had the potential to lead the common people into rebellion, which would bring the Roman armies down in crushing weight. The parade into Jerusalem made it clear: He had to be stopped. Amazingly enough, that’s just what the Father had in mind! Sinful thoughts were used to carry out His divine will.

The festivities of the Palm Sunday parade are, of course, tempered by knowing its outcome. The King came Jerusalem to claim His kingdom — but not the kingdom everyone thought. As He would tell Pontius Pilate a few days later, “My kingdom is not of this world. (John 18:36)”

Just as His kingdom was different, so were His ascent to the throne and His coronation. Palm Sunday’s hymnody is rich in irony; triumph is tinged with tragedy. One hymn begins: “Ride on, ride on, in majesty! Hark! all the tribes hosanna cry. O Savior meek, pursue Thy road, With palms and scattered garments strowed.” This sounds like the beginning of a huge celebration. But the next four stanzas change course. They anticipate the Passion of the Lord — betrayal and denial, trials and tortures, suffering and death.

The King climbed to His throne on the ladder of the cross. He went alone, His followers scared to take a stand and running off. His own heavenly Father abandons him. The shouts of praise are replaced by taunts.

Does everyone still love a parade? This parade? I do. “Ride on, ride on, in majesty! In lowly pomp ride on to die. O Christ, Thy triumphs now begin O’er captive death and conquered sin.” I hate what they did to Jesus. Even more, I hate what I did to Him. But oh, do I love what He did for me.

As disciples and hangers-on deserted Him on His parade to the cross, one thing remained: Sin ... all sin ... your sin and my sin — all the sins of the world were in that procession. God lifted our collective guilt and placed it on His sinless Son. The Christ carried that sin to the cross and accepted the punishment that was our due. He died with our sins so that we might die to them. We claim this death and receive its saving benefits in Baptism; there, we also claim the new life that burst from the tomb on the Third Day.

Use this week to trace again the parade route. Go forth from the palms and hosannas; listen to His final words. Climb with Him to the upper room where He prepares his Supper on Maundy Thursday; then watch with Him as he prays and see him captured. Observe the trial and the crucifixion on Good Friday. But remember, the parade does not end in the tomb. Christ did not stay dead and buried. The route leads through the grave and on to the heavenly realms. And we who believe are free to follow Him the whole distance.

“Ride on, ride on, in majesty! In lowly pomp ride on to die. Bow Thy meek head to mortal pain, Then take, O Christ, Thy pow’r and reign.” From praise to praise, the parade runs its course. Feeble, flickering earthy honor fades in the light of eternal glory for the Savior of the world. There will be no more hosannas — we’ll have nothing from which to be saved. Instead, we will join in the eternal “Alleluia (praise the Lord)!” — blessing the Lamb who was slain who now lives forevermore.

I encourage you to focus with full intent on the loving sacrifice of your Jesus through the coming days. Attend whatever services you can during this Holy Week. Especially, make sure to hear for yourself the wonderful news of the Resurrection during the Easter services. Don’t let the parade pass you by — join in as it leads you home.

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version™, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles.

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Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of the book What Do Lutherans Believe.

Technorati Tags: Palm Sunday | Holy Week | Passion | parade | worship

Adding to or Subtracting from “the Book”

Q: Revelation says that nothing should be added and nothing taken away from “this book.” Does this mean the Bible or just the book of Revelation? I’m Christian and thought it meant the whole Bible, but a Mormon elder claims it is just that book. I think he just said that so he could use it to make his point, because we were having a long discussion about the differences between Mormonism and Christianity. He said that theologians know it just refers to Revelation; that is why the Mormons can add the Book of Mormon to their “holy books.”

A: Revelation is, in part, a commentary on all of history from a divine perspective. Thus, even if the warning against adding to or subtracting from “the book” only means Revelation, it still doesn’t give the Mormons or anyone else a green light to start adding to the Scriptures.

This being said, I must say that while I disagree with their intent, I do agree with the elder in one regard: The primary thrust of the comments appears to concern only the Revelation. This is more apparent when you read all of Chapter 22, where most translations use “this book” either six or seven times, depending upon their rendering of verse 19. The continuing emphasis on the “words of the prophecy” strongly indicates that the referenced “book” is the one John is commanded to write.

This is even more certain when you realize that the Bible had not reached its final form at the time that the Apocalypse was recorded. The one book we call the Bible was still many books that Christians would wrestle over, debating whether or not they should be included. The position of Revelation at the end of the New Testament is not only testimony to its lateness of writing, but also because of arguments over its inclusion.

Most of the ending books of the New Testament had a number of critics among those who struggled to compare various writings and determine which had apostolic authorship or agreed with other Scriptures (including the Old Testament and the more accepted post-Jesus books, such as most of the Pauline Epistles and the Gospels). From these efforts, the Bible we know was finally gathered, as the Church became convinced that certain books were truly inspired by God.

Yet even if the prohibition is only for Revelation, that means that not only the literal words are “sacred,” but also their full intent. Thus, if the Christ of the Apocalypse (who is also the Christ of the Gospels and the Epistles and the Messiah of the Old Testament) is portrayed differently from how He is revealed, then those who do so fall under the curses. Jesus had already said of the Old Testament Scriptures that they testified of Him. And if any writings contradict the Bible, then the spirit of the prophecy of “the book” is violated.

Besides this, the Bible truly is God’s Word and any other “scriptures” must agree with it in doctrinal content and historical accuracy. To validate the “truth” of their scriptures, the Mormons must prove that their books are in harmony with all of the Bible. Yet LDS writings contradict some or all of the truth of many of the books of the Bible. While the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Christianity might agree on much of the practical writing and both may accept the history at face value, much of the rest of the Bible is understood vastly differently.

The warnings in Revelation are no more or less severe than the warnings against unbelief or false prophets in earlier books of the Bible; attention should be paid to agreement in every detail of doctrine. Since Revelation is a Trinitarian exposition, any anti-Trinitarian religion, including Mormonism, cannot rightly claim it as one of its foundational scriptures.

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version™, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles.

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Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of the book What Do Lutherans Believe.

Technorati Tags: LDS | Mormon | Revelation | Apocalypse | hermeneutics

Latest Lutheran Carnival

Lutheran Carnival XXI: Palm Sunday is up at the football-themed Necessary Roughness. I’ll be hosting the next edition here at Ask the Pastor in two weeks.

I’m so excited!

Laughing at the Devil

Q: Are comical references to Satan acceptable?

A: To give a short answer, I’d say that much comedy downplaying his true nature and power isn’t helpful. Satan likes it when he is considered a myth or (im)pious fable. This makes it easier to lead people to consider God in the same light.

The classic goateed, horn-headed, pointy-tailed, tights wearing, pitchfork carrying caricature doesn’t inspire much fear in most people. Furthermore, such a lighthearted treatment ignores the apostolic warning that “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14)”

While not comic, stereotypical horror film depictions of the devil similarly disregard the main ways in which the devil leads people to sin and eternal destruction. His true, vile nature must be hidden that he might be most effective. He works better in disguise, beguiling and enticing rather than intimidating. If every vice looked more like a festering sore and less like a box of chocolates (or a steak served medium rare), would so many people be in such a rush to indulge their sinful natures?

At the same time, humor directed against him is, at times, a valuable weapon against temptation. Luther considered laughing at the devil a part of his arsenal against the Evil One. He recognized that pride is the devil’s natural state; he cannot bear being scorned. Yet any mockery mustn’t be an individual challenge to combat against one who is much stronger. Instead, it should flow from faith in Christ, where one truly knows that Christ has defeated the devil, and that the power to resist comes from without (God) and not from within (self).

I suppose that, as I see it, the bottom line is that there is no bottom line, no “one size fits all” response. In the Christian life, we act in accord with God’s Word while also paying attention to surrounding circumstances. For example, how do Christians react to the costuming and culture of Halloween? A brief post from the Cranach blog with accompanying comments and a longer post from Aardvark Alley touch in different ways on the topic and related means of reacting to the devil. However we respond, Christians will not follow the example of the Rolling Stones: There’s no way we show Sympathy for the Devil — he is utterly ruthless and totally bent on our eternal damnation.

If any theologian took seriously the devil and all his works and ways, we’d have to say it was Martin Luther. Yet Luther also realized that a dour, depressed Christian leaves himself open to satanic assaults. So he said, “Almost every night when I wake up the devil is there and wants to dispute with me. I have come to this conclusion: When the argument that the Christian is without the law and above the law doesn’t help, I instantly chase him away with a fart. (LW 54)”

However, the reformer immediately continued with a serious reminder about our need for prayer and support from each other: “The rogue wants to dispute about righteousness although he is himself a knave, for he kicked God out of heaven and crucified his Son. No man should be alone when he opposes Satan. The church and the ministry of the Word were instituted for this purpose, that hands may be joined together and one may help another. If the prayer of one doesn’t help, the prayer of another will. (LW 54)”

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version™, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles.

Luther quotes marked LW 54 are from the section “Table Talk Recorded by Veit Dietrich,” No. 469 in Luther’s Works, vol. 54: “Table Talk” (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Luther’s Works. © 1967 Philadelphia: Fortress Press.

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Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of the book What Do Lutherans Believe.

Technorati Tags: devil | Satan | humor | laugh