february 12 2023
2023 Epiphany 6, February 12th
Old Testament: Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Psalm: Psalm 119:1-8
Epistle: 1st Corinthians 3:1-9
Gospel: Matthew 5:21-37 (38-48)
Sermon Text: 1st Corinthians 3:1-9
Sermon Title: “God Gives the Growth”
Grace to you and peace from God the Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
“I could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ … for while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way”? (1st Corinthians 3:1, 3) “Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth”. (1st Corinthians 3:7)
In the Small Catechism and in the Lutheran Confessions it is taught that there are three uses of God’s Law. The first use of the Law is often called a “curb”; meaning it helps to control violent outbursts of sin and keeps order in the world. The Apostle Paul wrote, “the Law is not laid down for the just, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane”. (1st Timothy 1:9a)
The second use of the Law is that it accuses us and shows us our sin; so it is often called a “mirror”. Again, the Apostle Paul wrote, “Through the Law comes knowledge of sin” and “if it had not been for the Law, I would not have known sin; for I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said; You shall not covet”. (Romans 3:20b; 7:7)
I spoke briefly at the end of the sermon last week on what we call the “Third Use of the Law”; which is called a “guide” in the Small Catechism. It speaks to us who have been converted to faith in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, working through the Word; that “we should daily exercise ourselves in the Law of the Lord (and that) … it is necessary to hold the law constantly before the believers’ eyes and continually to urge it upon them with diligence”. (Formula of Concord, Article VI, par. 4-5) So, the Law of God is to be urged upon Christians … not just upon unbelievers and the unrepentant.
To put it more simply, the Small Catechism describes it this way, “the Law teaches us Christians what we should do and not do, in order to lead a God-pleasing life; at the same time reminding us that the power to live according to the Law, comes from the Gospel”. (Small Catechism, # 77 C) We are a new creation in Christ Jesus, “the old has passed away, behold the new has come”. (2nd Corinthians 5:17b) He has given us His own righteousness as a free gift, and now; knowing that our sins have been forgiven for Jesus’ sake, because of His innocent suffering and death; we strive to keep the Law of God. We are not to “continue in sin, that grace may abound” (Romans 6:1b) as Paul condemns in Romans 6.
Rather, we remember what our baptism indicates. Luther wrote (in the Small Catechism, Baptism IV) “The old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever”. Or as Paul puts it, “we were buried with Him by baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life”. (Romans 6:4) “Our old self was crucified with Him in order … we would no longer be enslaved to sin … so you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus”. (Romans 6:6, 11)
Just to be clear, before we go on, this has nothing to do with our justification; with how we are made/declared righteous before God. For Paul also wrote, “By works of the Law, no human being will be justified” (Romans 3:20a) and “the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the Law … through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe”. (Romans 3:21-22a) “For by grace, you have been saved; through faith. And this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God; not a result of works; so that no one may boast”. (Ephesians 2:8-9) “We receive forgiveness of sins and become righteous before God by grace for Christ’s sake, through faith, when we believe that Christ suffered for us and that for His sake our sin is forgiven and righteousness and eternal life are given to us”. (Augsburg Confession, Article IV, par. 2)
Still, as we have already said, “Christians … should daily exercise themselves in the law of the Lord”. (Formula, Article VI, par. 4) As the Psalmist (also) declares “Blessed are those who … walk in the Law of the Lord”. (Psalm 119:1) “Give me understanding that I may keep Your law and observe it with my whole heart. Lead me in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it”. (Psalm 119:34-35) Jesus said; “Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it”. (Luke 11:28) The new man/creation gladly hears, learns and meditates upon the Word of God; “not considering it an optional or unimportant matter”. (Large Catechism, 3rd Commandment; par. 98) We will further discuss the importance of our hearing the Word of God in Bible Class today as we study the Third Commandment.
Jesus’ words in the Gospel text from the Sermon on the Mount certainly speak a clear word of law to us, giving new (expanded) meaning to the fifth and sixth commandments in particular; comparing anger/hatred to murder and lust to adultery. Jesus words here makes it clear that “we cannot obtain forgiveness of sin and righteousness before God by our own merits or works”. (Augsburg Confession; Article IV, par. 1)
We do not have time to get into that topic this morning, but keeping in mind Jesus’ words, we will deal with both of these commandments in some depth during Bible Class, over the next few Sundays; but just to review the basics;
Fifth Commandment; “You shall not murder”. (Exodus 20:13) What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every physical need.
Sixth Commandment; “You shall not commit adultery”. (Exodus 20:14) What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do, and husband and wife love and honor each other.
In the Epistle reading this morning, we hear St. Paul admonish and correct the members of the Corinthian churches; applying God’s Word to their situation. “I could not address you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk and not solid food, for you were not ready for it, and even now you are not ready, for you are still of the flesh”. (1st Corinthians 3:1-3a)
Calling someone an infant in faith, after they have been a believer for several years, likely caused some to be angry with Paul; but he spoke the truth about them. They thought “more highly of themselves” (Romans 12:3) than they should have. They believed themselves to be humanly wise, but they were terribly immature spiritually; in their faith life. They were still seeking to solve their problems (in the church) by way of worldly wisdom, instead of by the message of the cross of Christ, the Gospel. They treated it as foolish, even though Paul had told them “the wisdom of this age … is doomed to pass away”. (1st Corinthians 2:6b)
They showed their immaturity by fighting amongst themselves over whose authority they were going to listen to in the church. “For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, I follow Paul and another says, I follow Apollos; are you not being merely human”? (1st Corinthians 3:3b-4)
This goes back to chapter one, where Paul urged them, “that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment”. (1st Corinthians 1:10) Even though the church had been there for several years, Paul has to address them as children, due to their lack of spiritual wisdom and discernment. (in a variety of areas)
“What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth”. (1st Corinthians 3:5-6) “Faith comes by hearing the Word” (Romans 10:17a), proclaimed rightly; by the power of the Holy Spirit, “who works faith when and where He wills”. Neither Paul, nor Apollos, nor Peter, nor Luther, nor any orthodox preacher today can create faith; so we give glory to God alone. As the Confessions put it, “Our planting, sowing and watering are all in vain unless God gives the growth”. (Epitome, Article II, par. 6)
Therefore, since God alone “gave the growth” (1st Corinthians 3:6b), through the preaching of the cross; it is utterly foolish to put preachers/pastors on a pedestal; like some sort of idol; thinking that God can only work through certain ones and not others; that they have something to do with who believes and who does not because of their personality or powers of persuasion. That is merely human wisdom; but it is not Godly wisdom. “For neither he who plants, nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one”. (1st Corinthians 3:7-8a)
Paul does not give his hearers the option to make distinctions between pastors; for they are all united in their ministry of the Gospel and they are all totally dependent on the grace and mercy of God for success. And so, Paul concludes saying, “each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are (all) God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building”. (1st Corinthians 3:8b-9)
The Apostle Paul continued to speak difficult words to the Corinthian Christians throughout the rest of this letter, but he dealt with every issue in light of “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1st Corinthians 2:2b) knowing that “the Word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God”. (1st Corinthians 1:18)
We pray; Help us, gracious Lord, in our preaching and our hearing of Your Word, to reject the wisdom of this world, knowing “it pleased God through the folly of what we preach, to save those who believe”. (1st Corinthians 1:21b) Amen. The peace of God …