The Eternal Immutable Will of God

 Trinity 4| Luke 6:36-42| Pastor James Preus| Trinity Lutheran Church| June 23, 2024

The Law is the eternal immutable will of God. That means that the Law is what God has always and will always desire to be done. The Law cannot change and it cannot be abolished. The Law of God can be summarized simply as love. Love the Lord God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Love your neighbor as yourself. God desires all humanity to love perfectly and always. This will never change.

Yet, because of sin, the Law took on different uses. The first use is called the curb. It is designed to prevent sinners from committing gross sins, so that we may live in relative peace and justice on earth. St. Paul describes the curb of the Law in his first letter to St. Timothy, chapter 1, “Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine.” (vss. 8-10) The curb of the Law must be employed by governments and authorities everywhere to keep peace.

The second use of the law is the mirror. The mirror shows us our sin, convicts us of it, and condemns us for it. St. Paul writes in Romans 3, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in God’s sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” The law as a mirror drives you to repentance by accusing you of the sin you have committed. This is the chief reason you should learn and meditate on the Ten Commandments, so that you repent and ask God for forgiveness for Christ’s sake.

The third use is called the guide, because it shows the Christian how to do what he wants to do. Unlike the curb and the mirror, which only threaten and accuse sinners, the guide is used only for Christians, because Christians, having been born again from above, desire to do what is right. The guide shows that the Law and the Gospel do not conflict. The reason why the Law condemns and the Gospel saves is because the Law depends on your works and you are a sinner, while the Gospel depends on Jesus’ work, which He accomplishes perfectly. The guide then comes in to show that God still desires us to do these works after He has saved us from our sins.

St. Paul writes in Romans 8, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (vss. 1-4) The Law, which curbs and exposes sin, Paul calls the law of sin and death. It cannot make you righteous, because of your sinful flesh. It depends on your works, which are sinful. The Gospel, Paul calls the law of the Spirit of life. It did what the law of sin and death could not do by sending Christ Jesus to take on our human flesh, live perfectly under the law for us, and then be condemned for our sins in His human flesh. By doing this, Christ made atonement for our sins, that is, He paid for our sins in our place. The Law of sin and death condemns, because it depends on your works. The law of the Spirit of life, which is the Gospel saves, because it depends on Christ’s work and is received through faith alone apart from your works.

Yet, having been freed from the punishment of your sins, you are not to return to those sins from which you were rescued! That is not why Jesus came to die for you! The Law of God, that is, His eternal, immutable will that you love forever, cannot change. God did not send His Son to die for you, so that you could forsake His eternal and immutable will to love. Rather, God sent His Son to die for you, so that you would fulfill His Law of love for all eternity! “By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:3-4) God rescued you from your sins, so that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in you. This can only be done by Christians, in whom the Holy Spirit dwells, as St. Paul writes to the Philippians, “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13)

And what is this righteous requirement of the law, which ought to be fulfilled in us for God’s good pleasure? “Be merciful as your Father is merciful.” We know that Jesus means this as the third use of the law, that is, as the guide, because He says, “As your Father is merciful.” He is talking to Christians, who have received the mercy of God through faith. Yet, Christians while they are living in this life are still sinners. You have your newborn will after the image of Christ and you have your old Adam, still hanging around your neck, driving you to sin. St. Paul laments this in Romans 7, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. … For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.” (vss. 15, 18) This is why St. Paul admonishes us in Galatians 5, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”  (vss. 16-17)

Yet, our sinful flesh is so wicked and so proud, that we do not always know what to do. Sometimes, we cannot even distinguish between the Spirit and the flesh, so blind does our flesh make us! There are many, who think they are walking according to the Spirit and doing what is right by being unmerciful, judgmental, unforgiving, and cheap. So, Jesus tells us how to walk by the Spirit, so that our newborn selves may have a clear path to walk on. “Be merciful, as your Father is merciful.” To be merciful means to have compassion and sympathy for another. It means to want to do good to that person who does not deserve it. We learn what mercy is by how God has had mercy on us by sending His Son to save us from our sins. Jesus describes how we should be merciful with three actions: withhold judgment, forgive, and give.

Jesus’ command not to judge has been manipulated by the perverted world to mean that Jesus commanded us to tolerate every form of evil and call sins good and right. We must refute this lie, because many people, even from our own congregations, have been led astray by it. People, who were raised in the Lutheran Church, but who listen to the lies of the world, have given the excuse that Jesus said not to judge to support false doctrines, homosexuality, fornication, abortion, and the teaching that Jesus is not the only way to heaven. From the mouth of Christ, they claim their defense for the most wicked doctrines, and thus, fall away from the faith.

Yet, that is not what Christ means when He tells us not to judge. There is a time and place to judge. Jesus tells us to judge between right and wrong. In John 7, He says, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” Jesus tells us to judge the fruit of teachers in order to recognize false teachers. He says in Matthew 7, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits.” (vs. 15-16) St. Paul tells us to judge ourselves, lest we eat of the Sacrament unworthily. He writes in 1 Corinthians 11, “But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.” (vs. 31) So, Jesus does not give a blanket prohibition against judging. Rather, he tells us in order to be merciful, we should not pass judgment against our neighbor.

This is explained well in Luther’s explanation to the Eighth Commandment, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” He writes that we should “defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.” Instead of jumping to conclusions and condemning your neighbor, depriving him of due process, assume the best of your neighbor’s actions. Do not accuse him of sin without evidence. And if you do see that your neighbor is clearly sinning, do not slander his name and condemn him, but try to help him. St. Paul writes, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:1-2) So, we see that we are supposed to judge between right and wrong. But what should we do with that judgment? Instead of condemning, we should seek to restore our fallen brother to repentance and faith in Christ.

We forgive, because we have been forgiven in Christ. St. Paul writes in Ephesians 4, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (vs. 32) God does not forgive you, because you forgive. God forgave you in Christ before you ever thought of Him. But, when you forgive others, you confess the forgiveness God has given you in Christ. There is no other forgiveness. The only way you can forgive the one who sins against you is by confessing Christ. But to refuse to forgive is to deny Christ.

Finally, Christians give. We acknowledge that everything we have in this life is a gift from God. And so, we give, knowing that he who gives to the poor lends to God with interest. We have a rich Father, so we cannot be poor, if we trust in Him as His children. Giving to those in need shows that we do not worship our possessions, but we worship God, who provides for us.

You cannot give what you do not have. A blind person cannot lead a blind person without falling into a ditch. Before you can lead your neighbor out of sin, you must first be led out of sin. Before you can forgive, you must first be forgiven by God. Before you can show mercy, you must first receive God’s mercy through faith in Christ. When Jesus guides us with these commands, He always leads us back to the Gospel. You do not earn your forgiveness or salvation by your works of mercy. As you know, your works of mercy are incomplete and you still sin, even after coming to faith in Christ. Only Christ’s mercy can save you. Yet, when you show mercy, you begin to practice what you will do perfectly in eternity according to God’s eternal immutable will.

You do not show mercy to save yourself. Christ alone has saved you. You show mercy to help your neighbor, whom God has given you to help. And you show mercy to confess Christ, who has shown mercy to us. Just as the faith in your heart causes your tongue to confess Christ Jesus as your Savior, so the faith in your heart causes your body to do works of mercy, which confess Jesus as your Savior. When you show mercy, you display that you have a rich treasure from God, which is overflowing; you show what type of measure will be measured back to you for Christ’s sake. Amen.