Sermon Audio

There are only two religions in the world. Many of you are probably surprised to hear me say that, given the fact that there is this -ism and that -ism and many other -isms out there, but the fact remains that there are only two religions in the world. They are polar opposites in many ways, yet at times they are indistinguishable to the point that those who claim to be of the one are really of the other. One is right, and one is wrong. Today’s Old Testament and Gospel lessons show us examples of adherents to these two religions. Today’s Epistle tells of the consequences of both religions.

One religion is that of the Law; the other is the religion of the Gospel. According to St. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, we hear that the religion of the Law is the religion of the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh. He tells us in no uncertain terms that the religion of the Law is the way of death. For, walking “according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience...in the lusts of [the] flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind,...by nature children of wrath,” adherents to the religion of the Law are dead in the trespasses and sins. (cf. Ephesians 2:1-3) Elsewhere, the apostle wrote, “...the law brings about wrath....” (Romans 4:15a) However, the religion of the Gospel declares that we are saved by grace through faith—and this faith is the gift of God, it is from the Gospel, not borne of works, not of the Law, lest anyone should boast. (cf. Ephesians 2:8-10)

For our example, we can look to the first two sons of man, Cain and Abel. Cain was a worker of the ground, cultivating fruits and vegetables from the land, among the thorns and thistles of the curse of his father. His younger brother Abel was a shepherd, keeping and herding sheep. The brothers brought an offering of their vocations to God; “Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering.” Now, it is often said that since Abel brought the firstborn as an offering which was respected by YHWH, that Cain’s offering was not firstfruits, because YHWH didn’t respect it. While that may be true, I would like to suggest that the underlying reason for YHWH’s respect, or lack thereof, is because Cain brought an offering because it was required of him and nothing more, while Abel’s offering was one of thanks for, among other things, the gift of having sheep to herd.

Cain’s offering was one in keeping with the Law; he gave it because that was the way to salvation, in his thinking. Abel’s offering was one in keeping with the Gospel; God had given him what he had—including salvation—and Abel responded in kind, giving back to God the best of what he had received. “Sin lies at your door,” YHWH told Cain; and Cain slew his brother. The religion of the Law is the way of death, and Cain was cursed from the earth—even his vocation was taken from him—tilling the ground will no longer yield its fruit for him.

Now, let this not be the lesson for you, that if you give the best of what you are given, then you will earn God’s favor. To take that away from today’s Old Testament lesson would be to blur the lines between the religion of the Law and the religion of the Gospel, to make the two religions indistinguishable so that, while claiming to be of the religion of the Gospel, one is really of the religion of the Law. The truth of the matter is that you already have the favor of God for the sake of Jesus Christ.

The Law demands full and perfect obedience to its every ordinance. “Do this,” it says, “and do not do that.” Every jot and tittle must be adhered to, and then salvation is earned. But, as St. Paul has told us, this is the way of death. Why? Because you can never keep every jot and tittle, and you won’t get by simply by “doing your best.” The Law is black and white: “Do this and do not do that—keep on the straight and narrow; any little slip up is a transgression.” Show me a man who claims to have kept the Law perfectly, and I will show you a liar; as Martin Luther once penned, “The Law says, ‘Do this,’ and it is never done” (emphasis mine).

Yet, there is One who did keep the Law perfectly, and He is certainly no liar, for God does not lie. He is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God-in-the-flesh, sent to be the propitiation for the sins of the world, for your sins, dear hearers. Jesus kept it perfectly because it is His Law, and He knows it better than any of us do, but more-so because He was to be the perfect Lamb of God, spotless, without blemish; the perfect offering in your place for the sins of the world—for your sins. And so, on a very good Friday, on a hill outside of Jerusalem, Jesus offered His life for yours, nailed to a cross and shedding His blood for your remission. Risen from the dead, Jesus Christ is now the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep, even yours, dear hearers. For, as the apostle also wrote, “For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-22)

By Jesus’ dying and rising again to life, you have favor with God, apart from any works or merits in and of yourself. Again, it was Martin Luther who penned, “The Gospel says, ‘Believe in this,’ and everything is already done.” Everything is already done, even your faith, your believing in this. What is this? That Jesus Christ is your salvation, who died on the tree of the cross for your sins, washing you in His most precious blood shed at Calvary in the waters of Holy Baptism, redeeming you from the bondage to sin and death and the religion of the Law. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) This is the religion of the Gospel—trusting, receiving, and believing that you are saved by grace; everything is already done for you, even the trusting, receiving, and believing.

We also have today the example of the Pharisee and the Publican from Jesus’ parable. You see, the religion of the Law convinces you that you are good enough, and has you boast in your works. It wants you to trust in yourself, that you are righteous enough. If there is an overarching fault of the Pharisees, this is it. So, Jesus tells the parable:

Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.” And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

You might well imagine the Pharisees who heard Jesus tell the parable at first nodding to it in agreement. For, as He began, He gave no indication why He was telling it. St. Luke fills us in based on what Jesus says to end the parable. As Jesus begins, He introduces a Pharisee who boasts in his works—what he is not like and what he does. It would almost seem as if Jesus is praising the Pharisees for their righteousness, and their smiles would get wider and wider as one by one the merits are mentioned: not like other men, fasts twice a week, gives tithes of everything he possesses.

Then, Jesus turns to the publican. This traitor and enemy of the state collected money for the Roman overlords, taking a profit of the collections for himself. His sin is always before him as he looks at his ledger. This publican knows it, too: looking low and beating his breast in contrition, he says, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” This man, Jesus tells us, this tax collector, this sinner, this man among those “other men,” went home justified, and not the Pharisee.

The Pharisees are of the religion of the Law. They check off their accomplishments, one by one, boasting in how well they keep the statutes and ordinances. Yet, they don’t go home justified. The religion of the Law is the way of death; apart from the justification that Jesus won and gives is death and hell, and those who follow the religion of the Law receive their payment in full. Now, these Pharisees were pretty good at keeping the Law’s demands, but not perfect. Whitewashed tombs, Jesus once called them, appearing “beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.” (cf. Matthew 23:27)

On the other hand, the publican in today’s Gospel is of the religion of the Gospel. He goes to the temple, fully aware of what the Law calls him, and declares as much in his prayer: a sinner. He knows that he is perfectly unable to keep the Law’s demands, and pleads for that which the religion of the Gospel says is his by way of the merits of Jesus Christ. He trusts in a righteousness which is not his, but which is given to him by grace through faith in Jesus, the Son of God, who died, making full payment of the Law’s demands, that he might have remission, the forgiveness of sins. He pleads for mercy, making confession of his sin, and goes home justified by grace through faith.

Now, let this not be the lesson for you, that you must make confession of your sins in order to earn justification. To take that away from Jesus’ parable would be to blur the lines between the religion of the Law and the religion of the Gospel, to make the two religions indistinguishable so that, while claiming to be of the religion of the Gospel, one is really of the religion of the Law. The truth of the matter is that you are already justified for the sake of Jesus Christ.

Again, the religion of the Law seeks to deceive you into believing that you are capable earning God’s righteousness. This is, perhaps, the most clever of deceptions: that the most humble work you can muster is to confess your sins. Hey, boasting of your righteousness is great, but you will really win God’s respect if you tell him your faults, instead. Such a confession is not made in contrite humility, but in exaltation, bowed head and beaten breast or not. This the greatest lie of the religion of the Law: it confuses you into thinking it is the religion of the Gospel.

To confess your sins as your work is to become Cain. He brought an offering of his fields because it was required of him. Confessing one’s sins because it is required loses sight of the great blessing that confession and absolution brings, which is the comfort in knowing that Jesus Christ bore the full wrath of God in your place for your sins, and that you are not left empty, but forgiven. The confession made by way of the religion of the Gospel is made in grateful acknowledgement in the forgiveness of sins already won by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The absolution spoken to you, then, not only forgives you of your sins in the stead and by the command of Jesus Christ, but also tells you again that the forgiveness you receive is already yours and has always been yours. As was said and bears repeating, “everything is already done,” even your confession and especially your forgiveness, all of which is yours by grace, not a work of your own.

This is what the religion of the Gospel declares to you: that Jesus Christ is your Savior and Redeemer; His merits are yours; He who knew no sin became sin for you that you would become the righteousness of God in Him. (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:21, et al) All of this is yours by way of grace through faith, all of it through no merit of your own—of it you cannot boast; rather, let your boasting be in the cross of Christ Jesus your Lord, through which you go to your house justified, because through it by Jesus Christ, you have redemption, the forgiveness of all of your sins.