Aloneness and The Comfort of the Gospel

 II Cor. 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in [a]any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are [b]ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.

Even before the fall, the first thing that God ever pronounced "not good" was the aloneness of man. Yesterday Mark and I had the pleasure of the company of two sweet couples, who shared burdens with us, as we shared our common struggles with them. Thanks be to God that we are not alone in this world filled with temptations, hardships, afflictions, and turmoil.

Being alone in suffering is too much to bear. But being in the presence of God's people who listen without judging harshly and can be present in our weaknesses is a little glimpse of what it is to be in the presence of the Lord who faithfully abides with us in the darkest places.

Not only did our Beautiful Savior live on this earth to face every temptation and pass the test for us. Not only did He suffer the penalty for our sins. Not only did He impute to us His own righteousness. Not only does He intercede for us on the basis of His own empathy for our pain. But He abides with us always. And then He gives us people in the fellowship of the saints to come along and comfort us in our afflictions. What a good God is ours. 

Sound-bite Theology

This snip from Twitter is case in point why sound-bite theology isn't the best way to teach.

*What does Law mean, and how does it apply in the situation he's thinking about?
*How is the Gospel costly? Who does it cost?
*What does churchy mean?
*What does preachy mean?
*What is Jesus judging ?
*What does religious mean?

Not all of God's Law applies to all people, in all situations, in all places throughout history. The believer is not under the Law for justification. Jesus fulfilled all of the Law's requirements for us and for our salvation. Now, out of gratitude for what He has done, we seek to live in accordance with His Law, but not for our standing with God.

The Gospel costs us ****nothing. The Gospel is the life, death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ for us. It is the Good News that all His righteousness is ours' and all our sin became His. There is no debt in the Gospel.

Churchy? I don't know what this means, but I would encourage every believer to be in a church that understands its true and primary function: to pronounce clearly, Law and Gospel week after week. Beyond that, embrace sound ecclesiology as demonstrated throughout the history of the church. For more on that, read the Reformers. We have a rich history and a rich tradition.

Preachy? A pastor who doesn't recognize his own sin, who blurs Law and Gospel, who looks down his nose using his own version of the law, or God's law unlawfully, who doesn't know the riches of God in Christ and never pronounces that, should GO HOME.

Jesus the Judge? Indeed, He is coming again to judge the living and the dead. Preach that. But remember, His mission statement was "to save His people from their sins". He is currently in the business of finding, wooing, and alluring His sheep. He is not coming at us with a rod. His most fierce pronouncements of judgment during his 33-year ministry on earth were toward the preachy and the judgey who had motes in their own eyes while straining at the speck in the others' and who put stumbling blocks in the way of others who desperately needed a Savior.

Religious? Refer back to my point on ecclesiology. It is immensely important to be a part of a sound church; one that faithfully preaches God's two words: Law and Gospel, that provides the sacraments rightly, that disciplines wisely and kindly. But a church whose religion overlooks and confuses these things should be avoided.

Bottom line: I would advise those I care for to avoid sound-bite theology. Get to a good church and learn of the riches of God in Christ for you.

Gospel blessings.

For more on these topics, use the Gospel Gal search engine. There is much to be found on soteriology (salvation), the Reformation, the Creeds, and the church.