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February 11, 2015 By Faith

Stump the Pastor

Q: Both from confirmation students and adults, we get many, many questions about death and heaven—too many to answer here, yet all similar in content. These thoughts are based on a devotion that I recently shared with Faith’s Ministry Team and Church Council members.

A: Because God created the world and made it good, He is deeply invested in us, our flesh and the world around us. Greek philosophy taught that God (or the gods) is interested only in our souls, and that the highest spiritual goal is to leave our decaying bodies behind and escape to the spirit world. That conviction has permeated our Western culture. The Bible, however, declares that God is as interested in saving our bodies as our souls. That is why, in the Apostles’ Creed, we confess our faith in “the resurrection of the body.” Death is “the last enemy to be destroyed” (I Corinthians 15:26), precisely because it drains the life out of our bodies. It is important for Christians to acknowledge its power and horror, and not to try to disguise or deny it. But, just because “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), God, in His immeasurable grace, sent Christ Jesus to the cross to forgive our sin and destroy the power of death. Therefore, just as God raised Jesus— body and soul—on Easter, so he will raise up all his people—body and soul. In the resurrected Christ, we see our future. He was the “first fruits” of the resurrection (I Corinthians 15:20). Christian faith does not proclaim the immortality of the soul, but the resurrection of the body. But then, what happens in the meantime? What happens between death—when we can see the lifeless body of the one who has died—and the day of resurrection? The truth is that no one knows, because no one has come back to tell us. There are many hints in the Bible and intriguing testimonies from people who have had near-death experiences, but there is no single Biblical or doctrinal understanding of what the dead experience. What is clear is that those who die in Christ rest in God’s eternal care and that they will eventually be raised from the dead as Jesus was. Whether they experience resurrection instantaneously (since God is not bound by time) or wait with longing for the day of resurrection (Revelation 6:9-11), is not possible for us to know on this side of the grave. That may explain the mysterious ambiguity of Jesus’ powerful promise in John 11:25-26. “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” So which is it? Do they die and live again or do they never die? I think the answer is Yes! The reality of the resurrection is hidden in the mystery of God, yet it is as sure and certain as Christ’s own resurrection from the dead. So, our hope for eternal life is anchored in Jesus and his word, not in knowing or trying to know what is unknowable on this side of the grave.

By: Pastor Scott Grorud

If God loves us, why does He let bad things happen to us?

February 17, 2014 By Faith

Whole libraries of books have been written to answer that profound question. This is nowhere near a complete or adequate answer, but just a few key thoughts in response:

When God created the world, it was “very good” (Genesis 1:31), but the whole creation, not just people, was broken by sin. Not everything that happens necessarily reflects God’s will.
Sin brings consequences. Some bad things that happen result from sinful actions, ultimately including death (Romans 6:23).
When sin disrupted the good order of creation, it produced a kind of disorder or chaos (e.g., Genesis 4). So, some bad things happen with no clear cause or reason. To experience that unpredictability and the anxiety it causes drives home the fact that we do not finally control our own lives, but receive them entirely as a gift from God. As Job poignantly asked his wife, “Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?” (Job 2:10)
Creation is so infected by sin that if God wiped out all evil, it would mean destroying everything in it, including us! God promised after the Flood never to do that again (Genesis 9:11). God “lets bad things happen” because his ultimate goal is to redeem all creation from sin, not to destroy it because of sin (Romans 8:19-21). Paradoxically, God’s mercy, not any lack of care, drives Him to tolerate some “bad things” until the plan of salvation is finished.
God let the ultimate bad thing happen to Jesus by sending him to the cross to suffer a death he did not deserve, in order to forgive us and rescue us from condemnation. God allowed evil to triumph on the cross, but only in order to destroy evil forever in the resurrection.
This merciful nature of God is revealed only in the good news of Jesus, in “the preached God.” Otherwise, God could well seem cruel or capricious. Jesus proves instead that He is “gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Exodus 34:6).
When bad things do happen, it does not mean God has abandoned us. Just the opposite, He promises that, in all situations, “My grace is sufficient for you.” (II Corinthians 12:9-10)

Pastor Scott Grorud responds to a theological question each month in our newsletter series “Stump the Pastor.” Have a question that you think will stump the pastor? Email it to Pastor Scott.

"Bible" by Chris Zielecki is licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0. — “Bible” by Chris Zielecki is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

At Faith, why do the creeds say “holy Christian Church” instead of “holy catholic Church”?

January 27, 2014 By Faith

The original Greek language of the Apostles’ and Nicene creeds describes the Church as “catholic” (small c), which means “universal.” It declares that there is only one Christian Church on earth. As early as the 1400’s, however, “Christian Church” was commonly used and understood to mean the same as “catholic.”

After the Reformation, the Church of Rome more intentionally used “Catholic” (capital C) to distinguish itself as the true Church over against Protestants. Over time, that usage began to function as a denominational title. It then made even more sense for Lutherans to use “Christian,” since we are part of the catholic Church, but clearly not the Catholic Church.

Only in 1978, when the Lutheran Book of Worship (green hymnal) was published, did we switch back to using “catholic Church” in the creeds. The reasons for the change were not all clear, but it became crystal clear through the next 35 years of trying to clarify (small-c) catholic from (capital-c) Catholic that it was endlessly confusing. Despite its original meaning, people assume that “catholic” (capitalized or not) refers to the Roman Catholic Church and are often baffled when Lutherans confess their faith in “the holy catholic Church.”

So, to clarify our confession—to ourselves and especially to guests—we have reclaimed the word Lutherans consistently used in all but the last generation, confessing our faith in “the holy Christian Church.” The meaning is the same, but we hope this communicates it more clearly.

Pastor Scott Grorud responds to a theological question each month in our newsletter series “Stump the Pastor.” Have a question that you think will stump the pastor? Email it to Pastor Scott.

Were some books of the Bible removed?

September 17, 2013 By Faith

No books have been removed from the Bible, but it took a long process to decide what books to include. When the Old Testament was translated from Hebrew into Greek in 70 B.C., the canon (official list of books) had not been fully decided. When the canon was closed by Jewish rabbis in A.D. 90, they did not include some books that had earlier been translated into Greek. Today, those books are called the Apocrypha. Bibles used by Roman Catholics and others include some Apocryphal books, because their translations go back to the Greek. When Martin Luther translated the Bible into German, he went back to the original Hebrew and ever since, Bibles used by Protestant Christians have usually not included any Apocryphal books.

For over 100 years, Christian church leaders worked to discern which writings should be included in the New Testament. Some, like St. Paul’s letters, were obvious. With others, like Jude or II Peter, the process took longer. Some great Christian writings, like the Letter of Clement, were not included in the New Testament, but are still well worth reading.

With both testaments, it is vital to understand that these books are not considered God’s inspired Word because they were included in the Bible. Rather, they were included in the Bible because Jewish and Christian leaders recognized that they were inspired by God. We trust that God guided the entire process, from the writing to the reading to the evaluation to the preservation of these books, in order to inspire us and all people who read the Bible.

Pastor Scott Grorud responds to a theological question each month in our newsletter series “Stump the Pastor.” Have a question that you think will stump the pastor? Email it to Pastor Scott.

Did You See?

Stump the Pastor

Q: Both from confirmation students and adults, we get many, many questions about death and heaven—too many to answer here, yet all similar in content. These thoughts are based on a devotion that I recently shared with Faith’s Ministry Team and Church Council members.

If God loves us, why does He let bad things happen to us?

At Faith, why do the creeds say “holy Christian Church” instead of “holy catholic Church”?

Were some books of the Bible removed?

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