But Woe to You Who Are Rich

Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets” (Luke 6:20-26).

I read an interesting article in the National Catholic Reporter recently entitled “Priceless blessedness” in which the author, Sister Mary McGlone, examines Luke’s presentation of the Beatitudes. Rather than getting a clear exposition of the teaching of Jesus, however, I was subjected to the Higher Critical twisting of scripture, in the name of advancing the Social Gospel – which is really no Gospel at all. Sister McGlone’s main point was simple: To shame rich, privileged Americans into committing themselves to social and political reform, rather than to call all people to repentance and faith in Christ Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins.

When other’s suffering leads people to work for change, they begin to belong to the category of those who will be hated, excluded, insulted and denounced on account of the Son of Man. No one effectively calls for conversion or protests injustice without paying the cost. But their activity buys them a place among that mysterious group of God’s blessed ones whose hopes are shaped by the needs of their most vulnerable brothers and sisters.[1]

Sister McGlone focuses on Jesus’ statement, “Woe to those who are rich, for you have received your consolation.”[2] Sister McGlone writes that we should not “quibble and wiggle with phrases like ‘poverty of spirit,’ we need to face Luke’s presentation of the Beatitudes as it is.”[3] I agree, but this is not what she does. In fact, we should assume that all of scripture means what it says according to the plain reading of the text, always following the three rules of Biblical interpretation: 1) read the passage in context, 2) don’t ignore the context of the passages, and 3) don’t read passages out of their original context. Unfortunately, that means there must be some quibbling. Despite the fact that she even seems to recognize that “poor” in the context of Luke 6:20 isn’t referring simply to worldly poverty, writing, “…we know that there is nothing virtuous about destitution or malnutrition…”[4] this does not impact her interpretation. Sister McGlone wants to use this passage to call people to Social Justice, and focuses on the contrast Jesus seems to be making between the virtuous, noble poor, and the evil rich.

It is easy to use scripture to make it seem like being rich is sinful in and of itself. Jesus does, after all, tell us that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.[5] The Apostles marvel at what Jesus says; if it is impossible for a rich man to be saved, how could the poor have any hope? In the socially and economically unequal society of first century Rome, the Apostles couldn’t conceive that someone who was rich wasn’t blessed by God. Good things, like wealth and prosperity, happen to good people whom God loves; bad things, like poverty and illness, happen to bad people whom God hates. That is how sinful man understands the workings of God. If I work hard enough, I can please God, and He will give me the desires of my heart.

But is Jesus really telling us that it is sinful to be rich? Not hardly. As much as Sister McGlone does not want us to, we must consider not only Luke 6:24, but also other passages which inform what Jesus is teaching here, and we must read those plainly and in their context as well.

In Luke 12:13-21, Jesus is approached by a man who was having a dispute with his brother over money. They were specifically fighting over their inheritance from their father. The one brother who approaches Jesus thinks he can use Jesus to get his share out of his brother. Jesus responds by telling the man a parable:

Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”[6]

The whole point of this parable is pretty obvious. Jesus is quite clear that it isn’t a rich man’s wealth, in and of itself, that is evil and makes the rich man sinful. It is covetousness. Jesus sets up this parable, known as the Parable of the Rich Fool, saying: Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.[7] So, when Jesus warns the rich, He is warning the rich to repent of their sin and have faith in Him for the forgiveness of their sins. This was the same message He brought to the tax collectors and sinners with whom He ate at Matthew’s house. The rich man in the parable was concerned with laying up treasure for himself on earth. He was not rich toward God. He made an idol of his wealth. He did not fear, love, and trust in God above all things. Sister McGlone is right when she says we ought to cringe when we hear Jesus tell the rich that they have received their consolation.[8] For if we fear, love, and trust in our wealth and possessions rather than God through faith in Christ Jesus, we to will have received our consolation while here on earth. St. Paul teaches the same thing when he writes to Timothy:

Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.[9]

The problem with taking the text at face value, however, is that one cannot then easily use the text to advance the cause of social justice. The Social Gospel movement was a social reform movement that developed and took hold in American Christianity in the early part of the 20^th Century.[10] This movement goes hand-in-hand with a method of biblical interpretation that developed in the 19^th Century called Higher Criticism.[11] Higher Criticism in it’s most neutral incarnation, examines scriptural writings like witnesses in a court of law. Higher Critics evaluate scripture rationally; they subject God’s Word to their reason, rather than the other way around. This is contrary to the Historical-Grammatical method, which takes the text at face value. Higher Critics treat scripture as any other human writings; they are not inerrant, but subject to human failings. Higher criticism gives the individual interpreter, not Holy Scripture, ultimate authority. This is incompatible with the Sola Scriptura principle of Lutheranism. Higher Critics look at the Gospel of St. Luke and treat it as though the things Luke wrote were his own message, rather than the word of God. Higher Criticism discounts the miraculous. So, when the gospels record Jesus performing a miracle, like the feeding of the 5,000 for instance, they try to explain it rationally, rather than taking the text for what it says. Jesus didn’t miraculously feed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fishes because He is God in human flesh. Rather, Jesus’ teaching moved people to share food with their neighbors that they had been selfishly hiding away for themselves. Examined in this way, scripture can be allegorized and used teach whatever point a given theologian wants to make.

As a result, Higher Criticism turns scripture into, at best, a collection of morality tales to inspire people to act better; at worst, it turns scripture into a tool to advance heresy, obscure Christ, and scratch the itching ears of sinners who will not put up with sound teaching.

The Beatitudes are often understood as a quid pro quo. If you are poor in spirit, the kingdom of heaven is yours, so work really hard to be as poor in spirit as you can. If you do this, then you get that; or this thing will happen to you. Jesus, however, is not declaring here an ethical demand of his followers by laying out a law of behavior or attitude. The Beatitudes are not so much a mountain of law which one is to climb to be a better Christian, or to qualify for blessing and eternal life, but rather it can be seen – particularly by your “old” man – as a mountain of law under which one is to be totally crushed. The Beatitudes are also gospel. They assure Jesus’ disciples of the future blessings in store for them, blessing which, in fact, already belong to us through our faith in Jesus. The new man hears in the Beatitudes assurance of God’s goodness and future blessing; the old man hears law and judgment. When we recognize our own spiritual poverty, when the Lord leads us to hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness, when He makes us pure in heart so that we seek to worship only the true God, then we are blessed, now and forever.[12] The good works that Sister McGlone says will buy us a place among God’s blessed ones are not currency with which we purchase blessings from God. They are the fruits of our faith that we produce in the way an apple tree produces it’s fruit. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.[13] To view the Beatitudes as a prescription for our behavior so that we can gain blessing from God, and therefore be a good Christian, is to put the cart before the horse. Our good works are a product of our faith.

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[1] McGlone, Mary M. "Priceless Blessedness." The National Catholic Reporter, February 8, 2019. Accessed February 8, 2019. Kindle Edition

[2] Luke 6:24

[3] McGlone, Mary M. "Priceless Blessedness." The National Catholic Reporter, February 8, 2019. Accessed February 8, 2019. Kindle Edition

[4] ibid.

[5] Matthew 19:24

[6] Luke 12:16-21

[7] Luke 12:15

[8] McGlone, Mary M. "Priceless Blessedness." The National Catholic Reporter, February 8, 2019. Accessed February 8, 2019. Kindle Edition

[9] 1 Timothy 6:6-10

[10] Stevens, Mark A., ed. Merriam-Websters Collegiate Encyclopedia. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 2000.

[11] Mirriam Webster defines Higher Criticism as the study of biblical writings to determine their literary history and the purpose and meaning of the authors. This assumes that the man, rather than God is the author. This is in contrast to what was known in the 19^th Century as Lower Criticism, which is concerned with the recovery of original texts especially of Scripture through collation of extant manuscripts.

[12] Engelbrecht, Rev. Edward A., ed. The Lutheran Study Bible. Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2009.

[13] Ephesians 2:10

Rejoice and be Exceedingly Glad

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:11-12).

At the end of what has come to be called the Beatitudes, in what we have come to call the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us that we are blessed when we are reviled and persecuted for His name’s sake. We should be glad and rejoice when we are so treated, because we are in the company of the prophets and Apostles, who were persecuted and martyred for the name of Christ before us.

Coptic Christians beheaded by ISIS in 2015 for their faith.

Jesus spends a lot of time talking about how the world will hate Him, His Word, and those who confess it. Jesus says: If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.[1] He tells His disciples that there will come a time that whoever kills them will think that he offers God a service.[2] All of the Apostles, except for John, saw that time and were martyred for the name of Jesus. The continued persecution of Christians, and their gruesome beheading at the hands of men shouting “god is great”, testifies that we are still in that time. It shall remain so until Christ returns to judge the living and the dead.

So, how can we rejoice in the face of such a dismal prognosis? Peter tells us: Rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.[3] Our reproach is to Christ’s glory. We must understand, as those who have gone before us certainly did, that here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one that is to come.[4] Remembering this we can, as the author of the letter to the Hebrews directs, continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name, not forgetting to do good.[5]

The Beatitudes are not a quid pro quo that we must do in order to get the blessings Jesus describes. We understand, rather, that the blessings Jesus describes belong to His disciples already through faith in him, according to our new nature. We were washed, we were sanctified, we were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.[6] This is how we can rejoice in the face of suffering, persecution, and death because of the name of Jesus that we bear through our Baptism. We have as our present possession, through faith in Christ, the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life. And we have for our examples in that faith all those brothers and sisters in Christ who have endured persecution and suffering to the end, and have fallen asleep in Jesus. And, if Our Lord should tarry, we will also go to our rest in Christ to await the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting in the new heavens and the new earth.

Despised and scorned, they sojourned here;

But now, how glorious they appear!

Those martyrs stand a priestly band,

God’s throne forever near.

So oft, in troubled days gone by,

In anguish they would weep and sigh.

At home above the God of Love

For aye their tears shall dry.

They now enjoy their Sabbath rest,

The paschal banquet of the blest;

The Lamb, their Lord, at festal board

Himself is Host and Guest.[7]

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[1] John 15:19

[2] John 16:2

[3] 1 Peter 4:13

[4] Hebrews 13:14

[5] Hebrews 13:15-16

[6] 1 Corinthians 6:11

[7] The Lutheran Hymnal. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1941. Hymn #656, “Behold a Host, Arrayed in White”, stanza 2.

The Beatitudes

Sermon on the Mount - Carl Bloch

And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:2-12).

The beginning of Jesus’s Galilean ministry begins with preaching, teaching, and healing. Great multitudes followed him. Jesus, seeking to withdraw from the multitudes as he often would, went up on a mountain. His disciples went to him, and he taught them. The Sermon on the Mount, as Jesus’s words recorded in Matthew, chapters five through seven have come to be called, is the most famous sermon in all of history. It is also, arguably, the most misunderstood. We must understand to whom Jesus is speaking, and what he intends to teach, if we are to understand what he is saying. Though there are multitudes of people clamoring to get near Jesus, and some certainly heard his words, Jesus directed his teaching to his disciples. This message is for Christians. What Jesus is actually teaching becomes more apparent when this fact remains in mind.

This most famous sermon begins with the equally famous Beatitudes. Throughout the secular world, not to mention American Evangelicalism, the Beatitudes are often understood as a quid pro quo. If you are poor in spirit, the kingdom of heaven is yours, so work really hard to be as poor in spirit as you can. If you do this, then you get that; or this thing will happen to you. Jesus, however, is not declaring here an ethical demand of his followers by laying out a law of behavior or attitude. The Beatitudes are not so much a mountain of law which one is to climb to be a better Christian, or to qualify for blessing and eternal life, but rather it can be seen – particularly by your “old” man – as a mountain of law under which one is to be totally crushed.

Make no mistake, Jesus is certainly also assuring his disciples of God’s goodness, and the future blessings in store for them. In fact, the blessings Jesus describes in the Beatitudes are ours already, in Him. And, as we are sanctified by the working of the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacrament, we will grow in these blessings more and more. The crushing weight of the law, however, must first bring us to see our sin and to repent of it. This repentance and forgiveness comes as the gracious gift of God through the Gospel. The Christian is simul justus et peccator – simultaneously justified and sinner. The new man hears in the Beatitudes assurance of God’s goodness and future blessing; the old man hears law and judgment. When we recognize our own spiritual poverty, when the Lord leads us to hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness, when He makes us pure in heart so that we seek to worship only the true God, then we are blessed, now and forever.[1]

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[1] Engelbrecht, Rev. Edward A., ed. The Lutheran Study Bible. Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2009.

Judge not...

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye,” (Matthew 7:1-5).

In the wake of the same-sex marriage ruling by the Supreme Court, Facebook was deluged with memes celebrating the victory. Two of the most common memes I encountered were 1) of Stephen Colbert wanting to read what Jesus said about homosexuality in the Bible, but not being able to because he never said anything about it, and 2) some clever picture of Jesus reminding Christians to, “Judge not…” Christians may have allowed the secular society to legally redefine marriage, but we should not allow the secular, unbelieving world to misuse God’s word as a weapon against his Church. After all, when Our Lord was tempted in the wilderness, and Satan attempted to use Scripture to trap Jesus, Jesus answered right back with Scripture. So, in response to the “Judge not…” meme, here is some Scripture which I hope will put the opening of Matthew chapter seven into some context.

At first glance, this opening passage of Matthew chapter seven looks like it is telling Christians never, under any circumstances, to judge anyone else, or those same standards of judgment will be applied to them. In a way that is true. Because this passage is used to bludgeon Christians into remaining silent in the face of sin, however, one must look a little deeper into the context to find out whether or not this is what Jesus was really saying. After all, this is the same Jesus who called the Pharisees vipers and turned over the money-changer’s tables in the temple. Jesus clearly teaches his disciples to judge. The issue is that we must judge properly, using God’s Word as the standard for our judgment, rather than our own personal morality or behavior. 

Generally speaking, people are only familiar with the, “Judge not, that you be not judged,” part of this passage. What people often fail to recognize is that Jesus, in the same paragraph, called his disciples to “take the log out of your own eye,” so that they could see clearly to “take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Jesus did not forbid his followers from judging sin. He called them to judge the sin of others (the specks) in the light of their own sin (the logs), only after proper self-examination and repentance.

The “Judge not…” passage comes at the climax of what theologians have come to call the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:27). Most people, even if they aren’t church-goers, are familiar with the Sermon on the Mount. It begins with the Beatitudes:

And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you,” (Matthew 5:2-12).

Throughout the secular world, not to mention American Evangelicalism, the Beatitudes are often understood as a quid pro quo. If you are poor in spirit, the kingdom of heaven is yours, so work really hard to be as poor in spirit as you can. If you do this, then you get that, or this thing will happen to you. Jesus, however, is not declaring here an ethical demand of his followers by laying out a law of behavior or attitude. The Beatitudes are not so much a mountain of law which one is to climb to be a better Christian, but rather it can be seen – particularly by your “old” man – as a mountain of law under which one is to be totally crushed.

Make no mistake, Jesus is certainly also assuring his disciples of God’s goodness, and the future blessings in store for them. The crushing weight of the law, however, must first bring us to see our sin and to repent of it. This repentance and forgiveness comes as the gracious gift of God through the Gospel. The Christian is simul justus et peccator – simultaneously justified and sinner. My new man hears in the Beatitudes assurance of God’s goodness and future blessing; my old man hears law and judgment. When we recognize our own spiritual poverty, when the Lord leads us to hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness, when He makes us pure in heart so that we seek to worship only the true God, then we are blessed, now and forever (Engelbrecht 2009).

Jesus goes on from here and continues with this theme. He tells his disciples that he did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them[1]. In other words, man is still responsible for keeping the law. He tells them that unless their righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, they will never enter the kingdom of heaven[2]. At this point, I imagine the disciples would have been shocked. Who could be more righteous than the Pharisees? The Pharisees were the very definition of righteous. If, in order to enter the kingdom of heaven, I must be more righteous than the Pharisees, I must be utterly lost. For whom is there any hope then? I may not be perfect, but surely I’m at least a little better than people who commit all kinds of terrible sins! With that bouncing around in their heads, Jesus goes on to talk about sin.

Anger, lust, divorce, you think you know what those things are? Feeling superior to the man imprisoned for murder? You’re a murderer to, Jesus says, because, “…everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment[3];” Feeling proud that you have never committed adultery like your scum-bag neighbor down the street? Think again. Jesus says, “…everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart[4].” Jesus continues on, truly defining sin as God sees it, building to the climax of this section where he says we should, contrary to our feelings, love our enemies. “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust[5].” He concludes this section with these words: “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect[6].” If there were left any doubt as to whether or not we are sinners, or whether or not we could keep the law and earn the kingdom of heaven, Jesus’ teachings here on sin should have put that doubt to bed. He has brought all of us to the same level – we are all poor, miserable sinners, condemned under the law.

In chapter six Jesus talks about good works and religious practice. He tells his disciples not to do good works as a show to earn praise from other men, but rather that good works should flow from them naturally[7]. He teaches them how to pray[8] and, not ostentatiously to be viewed and praised by others, but in secret, as an outgrowth of their faith[9]. And finally living outwardly as they have internal faith, he teaches them to entrust their daily lives to God’s care[10]. It is only after this foundation is laid that Jesus utters the phrase, “Judge not, that you be not judged.”

Far from forbidding his disciples to judge other people’s sinful acts, Jesus is telling his disciples to judge by the proper standard and not as hypocrites. Kretzmann writes that the word used by Jesus in Matthew 7:1, which we render as “judge,” in the Greek implies personal, unkind uncharitable, unauthorized, condemnatory judgment (Kretzmann 1921). Christians must practice self-examination, and use God’s standard, rather than their own to judge the words and deeds of others.

If you do not realize your own sins and faults, you cannot offer admonition to a fellow Christian. One who assumes the task of taking the speck out of his brother’s eye must do so with sincere love, deep humility, and the prayer “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors[11]” (Engelbrecht 2009).

Jesus judged plenty but, being God, he did it in the proper context. In fact, the entire Sermon on the Mount is a judgment of sin, and the practices of the Pharisees. This is what he calls us to do as well. Jesus says so in as many words in the Gospel of St. John:

About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man's whole body well[12]? Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment,” (John 7:14-24).

What is right judgment? What is our standard for judgment? It is God’s Word. St. Paul writes to Timothy the following, regarding the power and usefulness of Holy Scripture:

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:14-17).

To whom is this standard applied? Everyone. St. Paul, writing to the Romans has this to say regarding God’s righteous judgment, and how all men, standing on their own, would fare:

Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man – you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself – that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed (Romans 2:1-5).

The secular world will always react to the judgment of its sin with hostility – just as we Christians often do when a brother rebukes us. We cannot expect the pagan world to live as though they were Christians. Moral criticism is necessary and religious teaching cannot be discarded, but it would be the height of folly to unload one’s religious beliefs and experiences, tender sentiments, and moral convictions on anyone that comes along, no matter in what condition he might be (Kretzmann 1921). We can, however, use God’s law to make men aware of their sin in all humbleness, knowing all the while that we are sinful human beings as well. We may not be guilty of some of the specific acts described by St. Paul in his build up to Romans chapter two, but we have all exchanged God’s truth for human foolishness (Engelbrecht 2009). When we see sin, whether it is the sin of another or our own, we should respond in penitent faith, confessing our sin, knowing that God is faithful and just, and that he will cleanse us from all unrighteousness through the blood of Jesus shed on the cross.

Works Cited

Engelbrecht, Rev. Edward A., ed. The Lutheran Study Bible. Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2009.

Kretzmann, Paul E. Popular Commentary of the Bible: New Testament. Vol. 1. 2 vols. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1921.

End Notes

[1] Matthew 5:17 

[2] Matthew 5:20 

[3] Matthew 5:22 

[4] Matthew 5:28 

[5] Matthew 5:45 

[6] Matthew 5:48 

[7] Matthew 6:1-4 

[8] Matthew 6:5-15 

[9] Matthew 6:16-24 

[10] Matthew 6:25-34 

[11] Matthew 6:12 

[12] Jesus is here referring to his healing of an invalid at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-17).