May 29, 2005 – Memorial Day Sunday
Romans 1:16-17, 3:22-28
“Justified by Faith”
1. Commentary on Abraham Lincoln’s death and Memorial Day.
Reading excerpt from Walt Whitman’s “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d”
Lincoln’s funeral rrain from Washington to Springfield, Illinois traveled over 1600 miles in 14 days. As many as 300 to 500,000 people came out to see his body in Philadelphia and New York. People waiting up all hours of the night as the train passed through small towns as it traveled across America.
The Methodist Bishop Matthew Simpson was a friend and spiritual advisor to President Lincoln gave the eulogy in Springfield. One commentator on Bishop Simpson wrote that “his powers as an orator were displayed during the civil war in a manner that commanded the admiration and gratitude of the people. President Lincoln regarded him as the greatest orator he ever heard.
Here is an excerpt from Bishop’s Simpson’s remarks at the funeral of Abraham Lincoln:
More people have gazed on the face of the departed than ever looked upon the face of any other departed man. More have looked upon the procession for 1600 miles or more - by night and by day - by sunlight, dawn, twilight and by torchlight than ever before watched the progress of a procession.
We ask why this wonderful morning - this great procession? The great cause of the mourning is to be found in the man himself. Mr. Lincoln was no ordinary man ...
In his domestic life he was exceedingly kind and affectionate....During his presidential term he lost his second son Willie. To an officer of the army he said not long since: "Do you ever find yourself talking to the dead?" and added "Since Willie's death, I catch myself every day involuntarily talking with him as if he were with me." On his widow, who is unable to be here, I need only invoke the blessing of the Almighty God that she may be comforted and sustained. For his son who witnessed the exercises of this hour, all that I can desire is that the mantle of his father may fall upon him.
He made all men feel a sense of himself - a recognition of individuality - a self-relying power. They saw in him a man who they believed would do what is right, regardless of all consequences. It was this moral feeling that gave him the greatest hold on the people, and made his utterances almost oracular.
Let us pause a moment in memory of those persons great and small who have died and whose lives we honor on this Memorial Day weekend….
2. The scripture reading …for today is from Romans.
Have you ever been in a situation where you had to “justify” yourself or your actions?
One time when I was in grade school I was with a bunch of boys who got into some kind of trouble …on the playground or before school … it was the first time I had ever been in that situation and I was pretty scared … so I started making all kinds of excuses … and explaining how things went so that I would not get the blame … except it didn’t really work … because the teacher wasn’t buying it … it was a learning experience for me … because nobody likes to be in those kind of situations …
Of course, when it is between one boy and another it is a different story … and you can really get into a good argument … which usually ends by somebody saying those famous words PROOVE IT! … you know how that goes.
Well, even as adults, sometimes … maybe lot of times we have PROOVE IT … when something goes wrong at work … especially if we have made a mistake …
Or, worse yet, we could end up in a court of law … where lawyers might be calling us to be a witness or to defend our actions …
And, on a more personal level … it happens all the time … like when your spouse decides to buy something at the store … and has to justify spending the money … as in “well I really needed a new fishing rod …” or “it was on sale.”
3. So, I think we can begin to understand what it means to “justify something” in terms of explaining and hopefully convincing someone about why we did something.
This understanding is important, because the topic for this morning is all about justification … justification of ourselves before God. In other words, how do we justify our actions not to our spouse, or our boss, or our teacher, or a friend, but to God – our Creator.
This is really the main subject of Paul’s letter to the church in Rome which is perhaps one of the most theological and influential writings about the Christian faith that we have.
Martin Luther, for instance, in his commentary entitled Preface to the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans, starts out by saying:
This epistle is in truth the most important document in the New Testament, the gospel in its purest expression. Not only is it well worth a Christian’s while to know it word for word by heart, but also to meditate on it day by day. It is the soul’s daily bread, and can never be read too often, or studied too much.
4. Luther could not have made it more clear and it was Luther’s interpretation of Paul that which became the touchstone for the Reformation: the essential idea that we are justified by faith and not by “good works.”
This idea of justification was the primary basis for Luther’s challenge to the Medieval Catholic Church and particularly to the idea of the selling of indulgences.
And these are the words from Romans 3:22-24 which we read:
22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
In other words, it is not within our own ability to reconcile things or justify ourselves to God … but rather, it is God who forgives and justifies us … and we know this because of God’s revelation in Jesus Christ.
5. Now, if you are a Lutheran, even today, and you remember nothing else, it is this: We are saved by Faith. And it was not only Martin Luther but also was John Wesley who found his own “justification” through faith on the famous night when on Aldersgate Street someone was actually reading from Luther’s very same commentary on Romans and Wesley felt unexplainably felt his heart strangely warmed … and suddenly believed that he did trust in Christ … and that he had received the assurance that Christ had taken away his sins, and saved him from the law of sin and death. How does this work?
First of all, we must understand this can be a bit tricky … and some of this has to do with the translation from the Greek in which Paul wrote.
For instance, in the passage which I read this morning the 17th verse of Chapter One reads as follows: “He who through faith is righteous shall live.”
But, let me read the same passage from the Eugene Peterson translation: "The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives."
Is that confusing? I would have to agree. And a lot of it has to do with what we mean by what we mean when we say we have faith?
Does having faith mean that we believe something to be true? For instance, we might say that we believe that God exists. Or that we believe something about God … such as that God forgives sins. These are, in a way, statements of certain conditions which we understand to exist or which are true. To which we would answer yes or no.
Does God exist – yes or no? Are my sins forgiven – yes or no?
But, the problem is that it is mostly what we call “head stuff.” Sounds good on paper … but as we used to say, “do we really really believe it?” Would we bet our life on it? Are we fully convinced? – stuff like that. In short, it doesn’t go quite far enough…
6. For if we are looking for a deeper understanding of faith … then tt all has to do with something we might call “trust.” And you may have noticed in the Eugene Peterson version he uses trust instead of faith. Maybe it seems a bit simple … but the difference is rather profound. Let’s listen again to the two versions:
“He who through faith is righteous shall live.”
"The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives."
What does it mean to trust God? Is it the same as believing? Not quite if we mean something more than a yes/no statement.
It’s kind of like when opinion polls ask people whether they believe in God …and most people say yes … a yes or no answer. But, what would the answer be if we were asked do you trust God?
Or if someone asked you if you believed a certain person existed … you might say yes … or if you were asked if a certain person lived in Bemidji and things like that …but would it be the same as if you were asked “Do you trust this person?” Or, “can this person be trusted?”
7. Think about some of the people you know, your friends, your close friends, or people at work, relatives, neighbors, acquaintances … what if you were asked if you “trusted them?” What would your answer be?
Well, it “depends,” you might answer and for a few of them you might say …
You trusted a lot or totally
Others somewhat but not in everything
Others not as much
Some not at all …
Think about it … who do you trust? And what is it about them that allows you to trust them? Their character? How long you have known them … what is it?
So, first of all we might say that faith involves … both belief and trust.
To put it differently … think about that rather risky business of politics … aren’t political campaigns all about belief and trust.
Don’t candidates try to present themselves in ways that will encourage you to believe in them … and trust in them? And how much trust do we have in politics these days? How much do we believe?
8. Well, this was Luther’s big problem. And in the beginning Luther really did not trust God. He believed in Him, alright, but he also believed that God was extremely judgmental and that no matter what he did he would never feel as if God forgave him for his sins … or that God loved him.
That would be a pretty troubling situation to be in … wouldn’t it? Especially if God had the inclination to condemn a person to eternal damnation … just for being born!! Wouldn’t it?
Now, if we are not too trusting of God … and we want to justify ourselves … then there is only one thing we can do … isn’t there?
And what is that?
Well, it means we better not make any mistakes. Right?
Don’t commit any sins … and you will be justified. Pretty simple.
After all, didn’t God send Moses down from the mountain with the Ten Commandments … and its all spelled out.
Thou shalt not this, thou shalt not that … thou shalt love the Lord your God … all that stuff … Pretty clear?
So, what’s the problem? What more do you want?
9. Well, there are at least two problems:
One, we don’t always obey the laws.
And, two, sometimes it is not clear what the right answer is because life is complicated. People don’t always agree. Take abortion, or the death penalty, or going to war, or capitol punishment, or gay rights … or the environment … or any number of things … that politicians, churches, and most of us can agree on … and are often confused about … to say nothing of the recent furor over the so called “right to die” issue in the Terri Shiavo case.
No, trying to always live up to letter of the law … can be very frustrating … and anxiety producing …
For as much as we would like … and a lot of people try … sometimes there are no black and white answers …
Besides, as we all know, people who are so totally convinced about the rightness and wrongness of certain issues … quite often become very self righteous and judgmental and spend a lot of time thinking themselves better than other people and trying to blame everything on this or that group or person. In short, they aren’t very much fun to be around, are they? Who likes to be around somebody who is always right? Somebody who things they and only they are saved … or justified before God. Seems as though that Jesus spend a lot of time disagreeing with these types of people – didn’t he?
10. So, what we learn from this whole thing is that justifying ourselves before each other … and before God … is not a black and white thing … not any open and shut case …
Yet, we do need reassurance that things are okay … in spite of this … don’t we? After all, it is hard to live with too much uncertainty … as Luther, especially, found out.
So, it really comes down to what kind of God we are dealing with … doesn’t it … in way … and for this … we need to know that we can trust Him … totally … if that is possible … (not that we always totally trust God … since we are pretty human … after all).
And this is where Jesus comes into the picture. For Jesus is God’s way of revealing his forgiveness and for pointing us in the right direction.
In short, in Jesus, God is saying that it is not just a matter of living up to the letter of the law … or being perfect … but of trusting Him …
For we are justified … made right with God … by our trust … by our spiritual relationship … not by our trying to justify ourselves.
11. Think of it this way … suppose you need to talk to someone … about very personal things … who do you go to?
Well, you go to someone you trust … someone who is not going to gossip and tell everyone about your personal concerns.
Second, you go to someone who is understanding and not overly judgmental … someone who will listen … and who supports you and cares about you … and … if … in fact, you do need some advice or to be told something you need to hear but don’t necessarily want to hear … they will do it in a compassionate way.
Well, then, isn’t that what God is all about? Isn’t that what Jesus was all about? Isn’t that what God revealed to us about Himself in the person of Jesus?
In other words, a God who we can trust.
12. And God, in turn is saying … trust Me … have faith in Me… believe in Me …
So it is not about what we do … as much as it is about putting our trust in God …
Because, how often do we always know … what is the absolutely right thing to do? And how often, when we pray, we don’t get what we want … but we get something else … something we actually need … mostly because God knows better what is best for us …than we do …
Which is why it all comes down to faith … a combination of believing the right things about God … and trusting in God as a real Person … and putting our lives in God’s hands … in prayer and in our actions … and that is the secret … to how we are
“justified by faith” – or, as Eugene Peterson puts it ..
“when we enter into right standing before God by trusting him that’s when we really begin to live."
13. Well, few men or women in American life … have demonstrated the kind of faith in God … as President Lincoln … few, in our history, can be said to have sought to act more justly … and few have shown such great compassion toward all manner of people …
In a day when most politicians speeches are written by speechwriters and scripted by media handlers … few could rise to the occasion or use the English language as Lincoln did …
I close with a reading of Lincoln’s speech which was delivered as he was about to be sworn in to his second term …
At this second appearing to take the oath of the presidential office, there is less occasion for an extended address than there was at the first. Then a statement, somewhat in detail, of a course to be pursued, seemed fitting and proper. Now, at the expiration of four years, during which public declarations have been constantly called forth on every point and phase of the great contest which still absorbs the attention, and engrosses the energies of the nation, little that is new could be presented. The progress of our arms, upon which all else chiefly depends, is as well known to the public as to myself; and it is, I trust, reasonably satisfactory and encouraging to all. With high hope for the future, no prediction in regard to it is ventured.
On the occasion corresponding to this four years ago, all thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war. All dreaded it--all sought to avert it. While the inaugeral [sic] address was being delivered from this place, devoted altogether to saving the Union without war, insurgent agents were in the city seeking to destroy it without war--seeking to dissole [sic] the Union, and divide effects, by negotiation. Both parties deprecated war; but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive; and the other would accept war rather than let it perish. And the war came.
One eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the Southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was, somehow, the cause of the war. To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union, even by war; while the government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it. Neither party expected for the war, the magnitude, or the duration, which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with, or even before, the conflict itself should cease. Each looked for an easier triumph, and a result less fundamental and astounding. Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces; but let us judge not that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered; that of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has his own purposes. "Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!" If we shall suppose that American Slavery is one of those offences which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South, this terrible war, as the woe due to those by whom the offence came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a Living God always ascribe to Him? Fondly do we hope--fervently do we pray--that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue, until all the wealth piled by the bond-man's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether"
With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan--to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.
Weeks of wet weather preceding Lincoln's second inauguration had caused Pennsylvania Avenue to become a sea of mud and standing water. Thousands of spectators stood in thick mud at the Capitol grounds to hear the President. As he stood on the East Portico to take the executive oath, the completed Capitol dome over the President's head was a physical reminder of the resolve of his Administration throughout the years of civil war. Chief Justice Salmon Chase administered the oath of office. In little more than a month, the President would be assassinated.
