Emmanuel Lutheran Church

2 Peter 1:1–11 (NKJV)

¹ Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: ² Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, ³ as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, ⁴ by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. ⁵ But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, ⁶ to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, ⁷ to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. ⁸ For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. ¹⁰ Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; ¹¹ for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

God elected believers from eternity for everlasting life. In time God calls people through the gospel. He justifies those who, by the working of the Holy Spirit, believe the gospel, and makes them partake of the divine nature by adopting them as sons of God. We are saved by God’s grace alone through faith alone. God will not revoke the promise of the gospel, nor the covenant He enters into with us in Holy Baptism. But it is possible to disqualify ourselves from God’s grace by willfully sinning, which drives the Holy Spirit and His gift of faith from our hearts.

It is with this in mind that St. Peter writes, “Be even more diligent to make your call and election sure.” How do we do this? By adhering to God’s Word, being diligent in our prayers, abiding in God’s goodness, and faithfully using the gifts He gives in Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. His means for calling and justifying us—His Word and Sacraments—are the same means by which He strengthens and increases the good work of faith He began in us. The elect will faithfully use these means and endure in the faith to the end of their lives.

The elect will also fight the sinful impulses of their flesh and grow in godliness, lest they become ensnared by faith-killing sin. Peter writes that God’s divine power “has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.” We have all we need for life and godliness! By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can add to our faith knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. We make our calling and election sure by believing the gospel and growing in virtue as the Holy Spirit bears His fruit in us. Then we will be “neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Let us pray: Lord God, increase our faith in Your promises that we, living as your children, may make our calling and election sure. Amen.

1 Timothy 5:1–25 (NKJV)

¹ Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, ² older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, with all purity. ³ Honor widows who are really widows. ⁴ But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home and to repay their parents; for this is good and acceptable before God. ⁵ Now she who is really a widow, and left alone, trusts in God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day. ⁶ But she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives. ⁷ And these things command, that they may be blameless. ⁸ But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. ⁹ Do not let a widow under sixty years old be taken into the number, and not unless she has been the wife of one man, ¹⁰ well reported for good works: if she has brought up children, if she has lodged strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, if she has diligently followed every good work. ¹¹ But refuse the younger widows; for when they have begun to grow wanton against Christ, they desire to marry, ¹² having condemnation because they have cast off their first faith. ¹³ And besides they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not. ¹⁴ Therefore I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully. ¹⁵ For some have already turned aside after Satan. ¹⁶ If any believing man or woman has widows, let them relieve them, and do not let the church be burdened, that it may relieve those who are really widows. ¹⁷ Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. ¹⁸ For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.” ¹⁹ Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses. ²⁰ Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear. ²¹ I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality. ²² Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s sins; keep yourself pure. ²³ No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities. ²⁴ Some men’s sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later. ²⁵ Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden.

As God, through St. Paul, instructs Timothy in how to conduct his God-given ministry in a God-pleasing way, He is giving instructions to all pastors. Everything mentioned back then still applies to Christians and the Church today: to provide for oneself when possible; to support the members of your own family who are truly in need; to offer support to needy Church members, along with support to those who, by God’s grace working in the New Man, have devoted themselves to serving the saints.

As the other meditations this week have highlighted how having a faithful pastor is something for which to be thankful, so in this reading from Timothy God points out specifically that the saints of a congregation are to honor and financially support the spiritual fathers who are faithfully overseeing them. Such support is nothing less than supporting Christ’s very ministry among them. And God is the One seeing to it.

As we confess in the Book of Concord (on this very text from Timothy): “Christians are under obligation in the sight of God to esteem them their pastors…and provide for them. For that, God wishes to give you additional blessings and will not let you come to want” (LC., par. 161, Jacobs, pg. 413). Oh, how God earnestly desires Christ’s fully merited forgiveness of sins to be faithfully delivered through His means of Word and Sacrament! Thanks be to God for all the pastors who faithfully do this!

Let us pray: Almighty and Everlasting God, give us an increase of faith, hope, and charity; and that we may obtain what You have promised, make us to love what You have commanded; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

1 Timothy 4:1–16 (NKJV)

¹ Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, ² speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, ³ forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. ⁴ For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; ⁵ for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. ⁶ If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. ⁷ But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. ⁸ For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. ⁹ This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. ¹⁰ For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. ¹¹ These things command and teach. ¹² Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. ¹³ Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. ¹⁴ Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. ¹⁵ Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. ¹⁶ Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

The Holy Spirit speaks yet again, through St. Paul, of the importance of protecting sound doctrine. God is making it clear what His hearers should expect of the “good ministers of Jesus Christ,” that they should be defending against the doctrines of demons. That not only means staying with and teaching the orthodox doctrine of God’s Holy Scripture; it also means not allowing false doctrine to be taught.

This means that a congregation cannot simply say that it doesn’t teach or agree with the heterodox teachings and practices of other congregations with whom they knowingly remain in fellowship. To remain in that heterodox fellowship thus allows the heterodox teachings and practices to continue to be taught, and it inevitably results in a support of the heterodoxy.

Pastors are called to be the spiritual overseers (or fathers) of the saints entrusted to their care. Their conduct matters, as they are to be examples to the flock in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. The public reading of Scripture matters, for God’s Holy Scripture must always take prominence, as proper preaching, teaching, and practice depend on it. The exhortation of others, especially the flock entrusted to their care, matters, for if there is no accountability to God’s Word, then it all comes across as though it didn’t matter. And, lastly, doctrine matters, for where the doctrine is errant, then, ultimately, Christ and His fully atoning merits are maligned. Support of such faithful pastors should clearly follow. And the thanks always go to God!

Let us pray: Almighty and Everlasting God, give us an increase of faith, hope, and charity; and that we may obtain what You have promised, make us to love what You have commanded; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

1 Timothy 3:1–16 (NKJV)

¹ This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. ² A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; ³ not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; ⁴ one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence ⁵ (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); ⁶ not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. ⁷ Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. ⁸ Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, ⁹ holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. ¹⁰ But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. ¹¹ Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. ¹² Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. ¹³ For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly; ¹⁵ but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. ¹⁶ And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

Verse 16 proclaims that Jesus was “justified in the Spirit.” Some hold that if Jesus was justified, then all of sinful humanity was justified in Christ, apart from faith.

To connect the entire sinful world to Christ apart from faith, however, is to force a man-made philosophical thought upon Holy Scripture, and worst of all it’s unfaithful to Holy Scripture. It’s to make God say something He does not say. God’s Word does not rely on philosophy. Rather, the Holy Spirit reveals spiritual understanding through God’s Word of truth where and when He pleases, and the gift of God-created faith simply believes God’s Word.

Many qualifications for the Office are made clear in this text, one of them being, “holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.” Yet, even when they know it to be false, some pastors continue to defend the teachings of their founding fathers for the sake of a denominational triumphalism (a “glorious kingdom”) on earth. This is not “holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.”

By God’s grace, the men fulfilling the Office, who are sharing fellowship within the Confessional Lutheran Ministerium, have held the mystery of the faith, rightly proclaiming justification not apart from faith but as coming through faith alone in the fully atoning merits of Christ Jesus. By God’s grace they do this not only for the sake of having “a pure conscience” themselves, but for the conscience of the flocks entrusted to them as well. Thanks be to God, indeed!

Let us pray: Almighty and Everlasting God, give us an increase of faith, hope, and charity; and that we may obtain what You have promised, make us to love what You have commanded; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.