Even if One Was Sent Who Rose From the Dead

Luke 16:19-31 The Rich Man and Lazarus

19 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'

25 "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'

27 "He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'

29 "Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'

30 " 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'

31 "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "

This parable confronts us with a challenge: will we listen to the Good News brought by someone who rose from the dead? Will we listen to the Good News revealed by God through Jesus? Or will we listen to mere human voices and end up worshiping the creature rather than the creator?

Natural Theology

There are two primary ways of thinking about God: natural theology and revealed theology. Natural theology claims that since God created the world, we can know something of God by using the human mind to observe and reason about created things. There are only two basic problems with this effort: (1) the human mind is sinful and (2) Nature is fallen into death and decay. Although it is possible to learn about God from nature, natural theology has always has led to idolatry and sin. Paul lays this out step-by-step in his description of the pagan world in Romans Chapter 1.

Natural theology: 20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

Idolatry: 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal human beings and birds and animals and reptiles.

Sin: 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. … 28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.

Note what we often ignore—Paul is saying that sexual immorality and other sin is a consequence of idolatry—turning away from the True God to worship created things. There seems to be an inherent weakness of the human heart: when people look for God in created things they inevitably confuse those created things with God and begin to worship and serve them.

Natural theology often boils down to what seems natural is what is good. In today's parable, the rich man probably assumed that he was rich because he was righteous and Lazarus was poor because he was a sinner. This is a pervasive idea in human life, often referred to as the “Law of Karma.”

Revealed Theology

Revealed theology comes from God through prophets and apostles, not from application of human reason to nature. The Word of God has full authority over those who receive the revelation. The Word is created by God and delivered through his chosen human agents. The Word must be understood, interpreted, and applied by human beings. The Word demands complete commitment. For each person there can be only one revelation.

For the Jews, this revelation was what we call the Old Testament. The rich man was living under the Old Testament revelation that the rich are to care for the poor.

Deuteronomy 15:10 Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. 11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward those of your people who are poor and needy in your land.

The rich man ignored that revelation from Moses and the prophets and reaped the consequences. This revelation was sufficient. This revelation was all that he and his brothers needed to live in obedience to God. That was why it was pointless to send Lazarus back from the dead.

For us Christians, our revelation is Jesus. “Jesus Christ, as he is attested for us in Holy Scripture, is the one Word of God which we have to hear and which we have to trust and obey in life and in death.” (Theological Declaration of Barmen) This revelation tells us that Lazarus is our brother and that to love God and follow the commands of Christ, we must lift up our neighbor when he is in need. If we fail to do this, the failure is even greater than that of the rich man, for he only had the revelation of the law, while we have Jesus and the Spirit he gave us. We are convinced of this revelation because “someone rose from the dead.”

The Sin of Mixing Natural and Revealed Theology

Because of our sinful pride and vanity, human beings are always tempted to add our own “two cents” to the Word of God. We attempt to combine the results of applying human reason to created things (natural theology) with the Word (revealed theology). This goes beyond using reason to interpret and apply the Word. Instead, it uses reason to add new ideas, concepts, and beliefs to the Word. In the 18th and 19th centuries, new and fashionable ideas from science, philosophy, and literature were added to Christianity. This has continued to this day, now under the fashionable labels of “modernism,” “progressive Christianity,” “process theology,” and “postmodernism.”

This sin of Protestant modernism created a crisis in Nazi Germany, where the “German Christians” regarded the doctrines of National Socialism as expressing God's will through nature and claimed that Adolf Hitler was God's gift to the German Nation. In response, the German Evangelical Church met at Barmen on May 29, 1934 and adopted the “Theological Declaration of Barmen.” This declaration is widely accepted as one of the most important historic confessions of the Protestant church.

The Church is compelled to confess its faith in response to a threat to its integrity and purity. A confession is a statement in which the Church strives to apply faithfully the Word of God to a current crisis. Each point of the Declaration is a convincing interpretation of the Word of God as recorded in the New Testament.

This declaration not only rejected the attempt of the Third Reich to make the church serve the State, but it rejected all other attempts to subvert the authority of Christ over the church by importing foreign beliefs, including those of natural theology, into the Body of Christ.

We reject the false doctrine, as though the church could and would have to acknowledge as a source of its proclamation, apart from and besides this one Word of God, still other events and powers, figures and truths, as God’s revelation.

We reject the false doctrine, as though there were areas of our life in which we would not belong to Jesus Christ, but to other lords—areas in which we would not need justification and sanctification through him.

We reject the false doctrine, as though the church were permitted to abandon the form of its message and order to its own pleasure or to changes in prevailing ideological and political convictions.

Now, as then, there is a temptation to add human political, economic, and social theories to the Word of God. We may be tempted to interpret the parable of the rich man and Lazarus as an example of inequality due to a failed economic and social system. This leads to the temptation of campaigning to eliminate inequality by economic and social reforms through the power of the State rather than through Christians acting in the Name of Christ in his ministry and mission. Because the power of the State allows it to impose its will on all citizens, this becomes a tempting short cut. This leads to the false belief that State action can bring about the Kingdom of God. There are many dangers to relying on the State to carry out the will of God. Because of this, the Barmen statement committed the Evangelical Churches to complete separation of Church and State.

Scripture tells us that, in the as yet unredeemed world in which the church also exists, the State has by divine appointment the task of providing for justice and peace. [It fulfills this task] by means of the threat and exercise of force, according to the measure of human judgment and human ability.

We reject the false doctrine, as though the State, over and beyond its special commission, should and could become the single and totalitarian order of human life, thus fulfilling the church’s vocation as well.

We reject the false doctrine, as though the church, over and beyond its special commission, should and could appropriate the characteristics, the tasks, and the dignity of the State, thus itself becoming an organ of the State.

The Church Belongs To Christ and Only To Christ

No matter what the conditions in the world, or what developments have occurred in human knowledge or in prevailing belief, the Church must always belong to Christ. The Barmen Declaration states this quite eloquently.

The Christian Church is the congregation of the brethren in which Jesus Christ acts presently as the Lord in Word and Sacrament through the Holy Spirit. As the church of pardoned sinners, it has to testify in the midst of a sinful world, with its faith as with its obedience, with its message as with its order, that it is solely his property, and that it lives and wants to live solely from his comfort and from his direction in the expectation of his appearance.

We reject the false doctrine, as though the church were permitted to abandon the form of its message and order to its own pleasure or to changes in prevailing ideological and political convictions.

The church’s commission, upon which its freedom is founded, consists in delivering the message of the free grace of God to all people in Christ’s stead, and therefore in the ministry of his own Word and work through sermon and Sacrament.

We reject the false doctrine, as though the church in human arrogance could place the Word and work of the Lord in the service of any arbitrarily chosen desires, purposes, and plans.

Do Not Add or Take Away a Single Word

This Word of God, this Jesus, is all we need and all we have. If we think that because we can do anything apart from Christ, that our institutions and traditions have any value apart from Christ, or that the Church can bring about the Kingdom of God through guiding the State apart from Christ, we are to be pitied much more than poor Lazarus lying on the doorstep is.

Revelation 3:17 You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.

The Church must use human reason and knowledge to understand, interpret, and apply God’s revelation, not replace that revelation with human-made idols. If we think that because we are full of science, technology, and spiritual wisdom we can add or take away a letter from the Living Word of God, we are to be pitied more than the rich man tormented in the fires of Hades is.

Revelation 22:18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If any one of you adds anything to them, God will add to you the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if any one of you takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from you your share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.

Luke 16:17It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.

God has sent one who “rose from the dead” to give us the Good News. Are we willing to listen?

Amen.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Dan

Bible quotations are from Today's New International Version (TNIV) © Copyright 2001, 2005 by Biblica

The Theological Declaration of Barmen can be found in the Book of Confessions of the Presbyterian Church, USA at http://oga.pcusa.org/publications/boc.pdf

1 Corinthians 3:10-15

10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person's work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames. 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 (Today's New International Version)

I had the privilege of going on a pastors' retreat the last 2 and ½ days. Thank you EUCC! The retreat was in a quiet and comfortable resort at the Lake of the Ozarks. I had the indoor pool to myself each morning before breakfast. I had forgotten how good a swim is for your knees and legs. The food was good if somewhat heavy and my roommate did not snore. Just about perfect. If only this hay fever season was not such a bad one!

The retreat program was presented by a well-known and respected academic theologian and teacher. He has published many books. His Bible knowledge was excellent and his presentation skills quite good. He is apparently considered a leader in the school of “process theology.” He has led churches and trained many new pastors. He was a self-declared progressive and an enthusiast of “postmodernism.” I spent some time with him across the restaurant table and he seemed to be a kind and openhearted person.

I enjoyed his talks and participated in the question and answer sessions. I found that he spoke my language, the language of the Bible, but I had an uneasy feeling that many words had different meanings for him than for me. A good example is the statement from Ephesians 5:23, “Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.” Our speaker referred to this as one of the metaphors used to described the church. I have never seen this as a metaphor. The risen Jesus Christ has a physical body, that “sits at the right hand of the Father.” Jesus Christ also has a spiritual body, the Church, of which he is Head, Lord, and Savior. Seeing this as a metaphor and seeing it as a Truth have greatly different implications for how we live in the Church.

On another occasion, referring to the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, he stated that he did not know what happened on those occasions, but that something must have happened. Rather than believing in the resurrection and ascension of Jesus as real events, progressives see them as a subjective experiences of the disciples which are significant only because of their impact on the development of the Church.

The speaker mostly operated in the “No-Jesus” zone. Christ was mentioned fairly frequently, but the name “Jesus” came up occasionally. The speaker was also frequently filling out his talks with non-Biblical materials from history, science, non-Christian religions and popular culture. I would cautiously say that he was using this material as independent sources of ideas and beliefs rather than as illustrations of Biblical concepts. As a postmodernist, he was accepting of beliefs that I would label as spiritually dangerous. Books like “The Secret” were subject to only mild criticism. Various “New Age” meditative and healing practices were held up for praise. There was no distinction between Christian and non-Christian practices and traditions. The speaker also lead us in our final communion worship. His prayers were very fluid and eloquent, but many of the expected elements of the communion prayer were absent. Throughout his presentation the word “sin” was rarely used and the passion of Christ was underplayed. He did not make any of the expected references to Jesus, “born of Mary, our sister in faith, Christ lived among us to reveal the mystery of your Word, to suffer and die on the cross for us, to be raised from death on the third day, and then to live in glory.”

I would have to say that our leader represented “progressive” Christianity at its best. He effectively conveyed the open and inclusive aspects of the progressive approach. His is certainly a dynamic faith, constantly open to new ideas, beliefs, and practices. Because he uses the Bible and generally follows the broad outlines of Christian belief and worship, his approach is superficially similar to confessional Christianity. However, he consistently selects and interprets scripture and tradition in ways that are consistent with the progressive agenda. In my opinion it is his progressive agenda, not his faith in Jesus that drives his work in the Church.

I believe his is building up the Church, but he is the builder Paul referred to who is using “wood, hay or straw” rather than “gold, silver, or costly stones.” I say this because he is using worldly materials rather than the Word of the living God. He spoke a great deal of religion and spirituality. We tend to assume that religious and spiritual words are Godly words. We tend to believe that talk about God must come from God. Yet there a kind of religion and spirituality that leans to heavily on the wisdom of created things rather than the Wisdom of God. Even though God created the world, the world is not God. We can learn something about God from the world, but we cannot learn what is necessary for salvation. That can only be learned from the revelation of God through his Son, Jesus the Christ of the Living God. The famous “Theological Declaration of Barmen” puts this very well.

“Jesus Christ, as he is attested for us in Holy Scripture, is the one Word of God which we have to hear and which we have to trust and obey in life and in death. We reject the false doctrine, as though the church could and would have to acknowledge as a source of its proclamation, apart from and besides this one Word of God, still other events and powers, figures and truths, as God’s revelation.”

1 Corinthians 3:12-15

Ecclesiology: theological doctrine relating to the church

Polity: the form of government of a religious denomination

The Missouri Mid-South Conference of the United Church of Christ recently posted an item on its website that reads (in part):

In 2009, the Rev. Clyde Steckel, Emeritus Professor of Theology at United Theological Seminary, wrote New Ecclesiology and Polity: The United Church of Christ. In it he proposes "that UCC ecclesiology (the doctrine of the church) and its polity (how the church is organized and operates) urgently need to be reexamined and reshaped if the church is to minister faithfully in a postmodern world.” Conference Minister Jeffrey Whitman invites you to join him in a series of conversations about the book's proposals.

I have not read this recent book, but I have read several other articles by Rev. Clyde on this subject. In my view, his discussion reflects a general misunderstanding about the nature of the Church. There is no problem with tinkering with polity, if you like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. However, the idea of a denominational ecclesiology is seriously misconceived.

First, Christian ecclesiology is clearly defined by the Bible, especially by Acts and the Epistles. The foundation of this sound ecclesiology is that the Church is the Body of Christ and that Christ is the head of the church. God created his Church and the incarnate God, Jesus of Nazareth rules the Church. Everything that is good in the Church comes from God. The Holy Spirit of God empowers the Church to do ministry and mission. The Word of God sets the standard that those of us trying to live in the Church strive to meet. It is not for us to form committees, draft resolutions, and vote on what the Church should be. The purposes of God for his Church are clear. God will judge us by how well we fulfill his purposes. As always, Paul puts it best.

12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person's work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames. 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 (Today's New International Version)

Second, although a confessing denomination should include summaries of Biblical ecclesiology in confessions and catechisms, there is no reason any Christian denomination should adopt a unique or novel ecclesiology in an attempt to distinguish itself from other denominations. Theologians are welcome to interpret and explain Biblical ecclesiology but there is no reason for denominations to choose a particular theological expression of this issue. Ecclesiology should unite, not divide.

Third, there is no Biblical basis for denominations. The Church consists of (1) the universal invisible Church and (2) the congregations that are the visible manifestation of that Church in a particular place and time. The statement from the website reflects the common and dangerous error that denominations are the Church. Denominations are merely human-created organizations of religious people. Denominations should exist to serve the local congregations and thereby serve the universal Church. Unfortunately, many local congregations across the board are finding that their denominations are more of a liability than an asset. The services congregations need (in worship, ministry, and mission) are often better provided by nondenominational or parachurch organizations or through local congregations banding together across denominations.

Fourth, denominations are an unfortunate symptom of divisions in the visible Body of Christ. The reformation should have reformed the visible Church. Instead, it split the visible Church and this process of splitting has accelerated to this day. Of course, this split is an illusion because Jesus Christ’s rulership of the Church remains unimpaired. We labor under the illusion that we are dividing the Church and this illusion enslaves us to mere human ends. Historically, denominations have reflected very human (and sometimes very violent) disputes that related to national, ethnic, and class divisions that had nothing to do with the Body of Christ. We should look forward to the coming post-denominational era with a sigh of relief. AMEN!

Philippians 2:9-11

From the viewpoint of this Christian pastor, it seems our culture (including our churches) is divided into a series of zones as far as “God talk” is concerned.

1. The “God Free” Zone: This is zone where God is never directly or indirectly mentioned. This is the zone in which secular culture thinks it lives. Most popular entertainments fall within this zone. I recently viewed the film “Date Night” thanks to Red Box. The movie was funny, if vulgar and it was a pleasant change to see a movie about a believable married couple. What was unbelievable was that God was never mentioned, much less prayed to, in a story line where the main characters were frequently in mortal jeopardy. This zone is supposed to be the most inclusive, but for those who believe God created and sustains everything, it is not a comfortable place to be. This zone keeps the atheists happy, but insults the beliefs and values of all theists.
2. The “Christ Free” Zone: This is the zone where God is mentioned and even prayed to, but where Christ is carefully avoided. This is the inter-faith zone. By default, this God is monotheistic and Unitarian. Again, the intention is to be inclusive because if God talk is kept vague nobody will be offended. An undefined God is inoffensive not just because he does not offend anyone’s doctrine, but also because he can only demand platitudes (“be nice to everyone”) that do not make serious demands on us. This God is the God of pantheists, Gnostics, and new agers, not the God of the Christian Church. Strangely enough, popular films such as “Book of Eli” and “Constantine” which appear to have something to do with the Church and Christianity generally operate in this zone. I was amazed that the “Book of Eli” could pretend to be about the Bible without ever mentioning Christ. The ending of the story puts the cherry on top of the Christ free sundae by returning the Bible to its proper place…on the bookshelf with the other “classics of Western Literature.” Give me a break!
3. The “Jesus Free” Zone: Much of the “progressive Christianity” operates in this zone. Some progressives deny the divinity of Jesus, but want to remain nominal Trinitarians. For them Jesus was just a “good teacher.” They believe that Jesus, as a moral example, reflected the goodness of God in the world. This Christ was present in Jesus, but is also present in all human beings. Jesus is avoided because he limits this universal Christ to a single gender and historical/cultural context. Avoiding the name of Jesus allows them to avoid the messy details of the incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of the only person who was both Son of God and God. In this zone, the incarnation is just a symbol or metaphor, as is the trinity and the resurrection. When those who live in this zone talk about “Christ” they are not talking about Jesus of Nazareth. If you are in a church or other setting where you hear “Christ , Christ, Christ,” but you never hear the name of Jesus, run as fast as you can.

Philippians 2:9-11 (Today's New International Version)

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

and gave him the name that is above every name,

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Job 22:21

Earlier today, a friend showed me a bookmark sized statement of faith from a local church. The statement was a list of Bible verses all intended to support the belief in the “prosperity gospel.” My friend thought it ironic that the list started with Job 22:21. This verse reads, “Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you.” (Today's New International Version)


In the Book of Job, this is a statement by one of Job’s “friends,” Eliphaz the Temanite. Job’s friends try to explain Job’s loss of God’s favor by some sin that Job has committed. Job is unconvinced and uncomforted by the arguments of his friends. In the end, both Job and his friends are silenced by the mighty voice of God, speaking out of the storm.

In the epilogue, God delivers his judgment on the “wisdom” of Job’s friends.

Job 42:7 After the LORD had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. 8 So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has." 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job's prayer. (Today's New International Version)

It seems ironic that any Christian would view the “folly” of Eliphaz as a foundation of their faith. I prefer the Gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it." (Today's New International Version)

AMEN.