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“Everything written through the Prophets for the Son of Man [to do] will be finished.”

᛭ INI ᛭

We’re almost down the Holy Mountain now. Almost to the valley, the wilderness of Lent. We’ve set aside the our Alleluias. We’ve taken up the core tenants of Grace Alone and Scripture alone. Now we take up the last chief teaching before the Great Lenten fast: faith alone.

Now, we often summarize the doctrine of “Faith Alone” by saying we are “justified through faith alone” or “saved by faith alone.” Now, there’s something missing in that summary, or really Someone’s missing. Christ is missing.

People very often talk like this, or maybe even we do, too! We separate faith from its object and let faith stand on its own. Someone has a tragedy, and they’re asked: “How’d you make it through?” The answer: “I have my faith.”

This works if faith is a feeling or a positive outlook or mindset. (Or even nothing at all—even staunch atheists tolerate faith talk.) But to simply say “I have my faith” isn’t enough. You see, faith is nothing other trust or confidence. And so it’s an incomplete sentence to say, “I have my faith.” It’s saying the same things as, “I have my trust.” But if you say, “I have my trust,” then someone will ask, “Trust in what?” Yet, no one ever asks that follow up to “I have my faith.”

“Confidence and faith of the heart alone make both God and an idol. If your faith and trust is right, then your god is also true. On the other hand, if your trust is false and wrong, then you do not have the true God. For these two belong together, faith and God. Now, I say that whatever you set your heart on and put your trust in is truly your god.” (LC I) And so,

THERE’S NOTHING ELSE YOU NEED TO TRUST IN: CHRIST HAS FINISHED EVERYTHING FOR HIM TO DO.

(I. Christ really has finished everything.)

The First Commandment stands firm: “You shall have no other gods.” The LORD said this after bringing His people from Egypt to Mt. Sinai. He actually says it after preaching His salvation: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods.” (Ex 20) In effect He’s saying, “What other gods do you even really need?”

So it is now: THERE’S NOTHING ELSE YOU NEED TO TRUST IN: CHRIST HAS FINISHED EVERYTHING FOR HIM TO DO. Listen again to what Christ promises today: “We are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets [for] the Son of Man [to do] will be finished. He’ll be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. They’ll scourge Him and kill Him. The third day He’ll rise again.” And, well, He did all that! Every bit!

There wasn’t anything left on His to do list. So it was St. John the Evangelist records: “Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, ‘I thirst!’ Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.” (Jn 19)

He carried all our sins in His own body on the tree. For “us men and our salvation” He came and checked every Old Testament to-do off His list. In fact, He crossed off every to-do that we don’t. We are to love one another. But the Priests of God always leave someone begging by the wayside. There are those we, too, we have hurt, there are those we have failed to help, our thoughts and desires are soiled with sin. We’re blind to them! “Who can discern his errors?” (Ps 19)

How greatly we are in need of Christ to come to us! To save us not just like He did back then (“suffering, sighing, bleeding, dying”), but to save us now through His Word and Promise, to open our eyes and ears, our hearts and mouths, to His mercy and grace. That our consciences might be washed clean with pure water; our hearts with His blood; even our eyes and ears and mind with His Word. And He does!—faith merely receives what He gives. As He said to Bartimaeus: “Your faith has saved you.”

THERE’S NOTHING ELSE YOU NEED TO TRUST IN: CHRIST HAS FINISHED EVERYTHING FOR HIM TO DO.

(Transition.)

“…People cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works. People are freely justified for Christ’s sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor and that their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake. By His death, Christ made satisfaction for our sins. God counts this faith for righteousness in His sight.” (AC IV)

“[For us to get] this faith, the ministry of teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments was instituted. Through the Word and Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Spirit’s given. He works faith, when and where it pleases God, in those who hear the good news that God justifies those who believe that they are received into grace for Christ’s sake. This happens not through our own merits, but for Christ’s sake.” (AC V)

Now, “after man has been justified through faith, then a true living faith works by love. Good works always follow justifying faith and are surely found with it, if it is true and living faith. Faith is never alone, but always has love and hope with it.” (EP III)

(II. There’s nothing else to trust but not nothing else to do.)

It’s true: THERE’S NOTHING ELSE YOU NEED TO TRUST IN: CHRIST HAS FINISHED EVERYTHING FOR HIM TO DO. Now while there’s nothing else to trust, there’s not nothing else to do. So it was with Bartimaeus. “Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight; your faith has [saved you].’ And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God.” And Mark tells us, “He followed Him in the Way.” (Mk 10)

Yes, he followed Christ on the way into Jerusalem, but symbolically we see that this is to follow Christ also on the path of righteousness, that leads not only to Calvary’s cross, but also to our own. (Lk 9) Where we give our own bodies as living sacrifices in service to our neighbor. (Rom 12) For “justifying faith is bound to bring forth good fruit. It is necessary to do good works commanded by God, because of God’s will. We should not rely on those works to merit justification before God. The forgiveness of sins and justification is received through faith. The voice of Christ testifies, ‘So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty”’ (Lk 17). [Afer all,] ‘God [ordains] that he who believes in Christ is saved, freely receiving forgiveness of sins, without works, through faith alone.’” (AC VI)

As we sang a couple weeks back, “Faith clings to Jesus’ cross alone
And rests in Him unceasing; And by its fruits true faith is known, With love and hope increasing. For faith alone can justify; Works serve our neighbor and supply The proof that faith is living.” (LSB-555:9) As our Epistle makes clear…

(Conclusion.)

THERE’S NOTHING ELSE YOU NEED TO TRUST IN: CHRIST HAS FINISHED EVERYTHING FOR HIM TO DO.

Crucified, died, buried, raised—all for you! Baptized, absolved, preached to, taught, given Christ’s body and blood—all for you! All finished for you! As the Spirit said “through the prophets.”

And yes, we are saved “by faith alone”—“faith in Christ alone.” How do you make it through? Well, how’d Bartimaeus make it through blindness? Christ. You have Christ. Or rather, Christ has you! Yet, “faith is never alone,” you follow Christ “in the Way.”

For this you always need a double portion of mercy, constant mercy from Christ. “Have mercy” is the most repeated phrase in the Liturgy… Yet, doing the Commandments doesn’t make you a Christian…

“The Creed, therefore, divide[s] and separate[s] us Christians from all other people on earth. Even if we were to concede that all people outside Christianity, whether heathen, Turks, Jews, or false Christians and hypocrites, believe in and worship only one true God, they still do not know what His mind toward them is and cannot expect any love or blessing from Him. Therefore, they abide in eternal wrath and damnation. For they do not have the Lord Christ, and, besides, are not illumined and favored by any gifts of the Holy Spirit. (LC II) They have not faith in Christ, and

THERE’S NOTHING ELSE YOU NEED TO TRUST IN: CHRIST HAS FINISHED EVERYTHING FOR HIM TO DO.

INI+