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Juhani Uljas | 2000 The Treasure Hidden In a Field -- Nations and Citizenship There are many kingdoms in the world. Their people are citizens of those homelands. They have rights and obligations. If someone moves permanently to live in another land, he can apply for its citizenship. If he receives it, he usually forfeits the citizenship of his former homeland. Some countries', for example the USA's, citizenship is especially sought after. Also the citizenship of ancient Rome was sought after: all did not have it. Paul had it, and he referred to it in a situation where he especially needed the legal security it provided, “civis romanus sum,” or “I am a citizen of Rome.” Usually a person can only be a citizen of one kingdom, enjoy its rights, and be bound by its obligations. There are few exceptions to this rule. One of these is that in addition to our homeland, we can be citizens of God's kingdom. Pilate once asked Jesus, “Art thou King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world.” The boundaries of God's kingdom have not been drawn on any map, nor can its boundaries be found on the land. However, boundaries do exist. They run through hearts. For that reason, one can be a citizen of two nations: his homeland and God's kingdom. God's kingdom is hidden, it is seen only through eyes of faith. Even Jesus said to Nicodemus, ”Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). God's kingdom is as real as the world's kingdoms. It shall last eternally. The nations of the world on the other hand, rise and fall. Their power or size do not guarantee their permanence. The state of Rome, whose citizenship many sought, was a powerful ruler of the world, but it has been vanquished. During our time, the same has even happened to superpowers. Only the hidden, eternal kingdom of Christ remains. The Rights of Citizenship At the change of the millennium, we received a new constitution in Finland. It was distributed to every home. Citizens' rights and responsibilities are defined in the law. We have freedom of religion and freedom of assembly. We have the right to freely choose where to live. This seems self-evident to us, but history tells us that citizens of many nations have lacked this right and many still do. We have the right to participate in political life, by voting, for example. We have compulsory education and military service. We pay taxes so that organized society can act to our benefit. The rights come with obligations, and the obligations with rights. The right to vote is also an obligation; compulsory education is more of a right. The constitution also defines the structure of Finnish society and the hierarchy of the officers of societal duties. First is the President, then the Chairman of the Legislature, the Prime Minister, and so on. However, all citizens are equal before the law. As Christians, we participate in civic affairs. We hold positions of responsibility in the nation and community when they are entrusted to us. We vote in elections and perform duties and functions necessary for society. Scripture teaches us to care for all of the duties given to us as a Christian. “Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men” (Col. 3:23). God's kingdom has its own order. A person receives the rights of its citizenship already at birth. It differs from a temporal state in that its citizenship cannot be acquired by application or by joining, but the question is always of birth. A person, who has lost childhood faith and citizenship of heaven receives it through new birth. “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). Rank in God's kingdom differs from that of a temporal state. In chapter 18 of the Gospel of Matthew, which we can also call the constitution of God's kingdom, it is related that the disciples were troubled by the question of rank. For that reason, they asked Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven?” Then Jesus took a child, set him in the midst of the disciples, and said, “Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and be as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:2-4). God's kingdom is a kingdom of children and the childlike. The greatest is the least and the least is the greatest, “Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant” (Matt. 20:27). That is something for us to strive toward, when we also would want to be great and in charge. God's kingdom is a kingdom of grace and forgiveness. People live there only by grace and forgiveness. If our forgiving attitude ceases, we drift outside the kingdom. Our greatest right as a citizen is forgiveness of sins. Citizens of God's kingdom also have obligations. The most important, perhaps the only one, is love, because we have become partakers of God's great love. “For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another” (1 John 3:11). “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love. In this is manifested God's love toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another” (1 John 4:7-11). Love is a caring love. The children of God care for each other, so that no one would drift out of the grace kingdom. In chapter 18 of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus gives us instruction in this care. They are instructions on caring love, not on ruling or a means for authority. Paul wrote to the Romans, “Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us, to the glory of God” (Rom. 15:7). How We Dwell in Two Kingdoms at the Same Time Citizenship in two nations creates problems that we cannot resolve by isolating ourselves from the world. It is not God's will, for He has intended that we be connected with other people. Our temporal life is a God-given gift. Our temporal homeland is dear to us. God wishes that we would serve our neighbors as citizens of this land. Although we dwell in two kingdoms, we must keep them separate. Our [Finnish] national church is not God's kingdom, even if we would have the majority in the Church Council, nor can we care for matters there with majority rule, as they may be cared for in the home Zion. And even if we had the majority on a town council, we would be unable to care for matters according to our wishes, but we would have to take into consideration what the other residents think. If we acted otherwise, the boundary between the two kingdoms, which were intended to be separate, would disappear. Luther warns about this, “For that reason, these two kingdoms must be kept strictly separate from each other and both must be kept in power, one to make people righteous, the other to create outward peace and prevent evil deeds. Neither one is sufficient in this world without the other” (On Earthly Government). On the other hand, we cannot conduct ourselves in such a way as to behave in our temporal activities as if we were not believing and then, among believers, in their manner. Paul counseled the Corinthians, “Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him” (2 Cor. 5:9). In all of our duties, we want to act as God's children. God sends us into the midst of other people to serve them. He wants us to be a light and salt. This does not mean that we should always preach. God's intention is that we would take with us some of that love with which He has loved us, when He has forgiven us all of our sins.

Juhani Uljas | 2000 The Treasure Hidden In a Field -- Sometimes, one hears people admiring confession in the Catholic Church and then asking why confession is not used in the Lutheran Church. This probably stems from the fact that little is said about confession and apparently, it is used even less. Confession, however, does belongs to and is part of the doctrine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Among Conservative Laestadians, confession is practiced, and it is spoken of in sermons. The believer's endeavor is a battle against the enemy of the soul, the world and one's own flesh. In this warfare, we suffer losses and are wounded. Sin attaches and wounds the conscience. To help us, God has given confession wherein we can free our conscience from exhausting burdens and to salve our wounds. “Let us set aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us” (Heb. 12:1). Confession is for remaining in faith, not for entering faith, as the original Lutheran formula for confession teaches. What Is Confession? At the end of the Large Catechism there is, “A Brief Exhortation to Confession.” In it, Luther discusses confession broadly. He condemns the Catholic Church's confession practices. Therein confession was a work forced onto a person under threat of falling into a mortal sin. By this confession one merited forgiveness. The primary emphasis was to give as detailed an account of one's sins as possible. For his part, Luther emphasized the voluntary nature of confession. Force or fear does not drive us to confession. We confess of our own will, because we feel confession to be a gift given to us by God. It comforts and encourages our consciences. According to Luther's understanding, absolution already is confession, although it may not include any special confession of sins. He emphasizes, especially, that the preaching of forgiveness and hearing it are the most important part of confession. Regarding confession the Smalcald Articles teach: “Since absolution or the power of the keys, which was instituted by Christ in the Gospel, is a consolation and help against sin and a bad conscience, confession and absolution should by no means be allowed to fall into disuse in the church, especially for the sake of timid consciences and for the sake of the untrained young people who need to be examined and instructed in Christian doctrine.” The Augsburg Confession states, “About confession, our congregations teach that private absolution is to be preserved in the congregations, although the enumeration of all sins is not essential in confession. It is even impossible according to the Psalmist: 'Who can discern his errors?'” (Ps. 19:12) [Literal translation from the Smalcald Articles in Finnish]. According to the Small Catechism, confession consists of two parts, “One is, that we confess our sins. The other is that we receive absolution or forgiveness from the confessor as from God himself, by no means doubting but firmly believing that our sins are thereby forgiven before God in heaven.” In addition, the Small Catechism teaches that before God, we should acknowledge that we are guilty of all manner of sins, even those of which we are not aware. We do this, for example, in the Lord's Prayer. Before the confessor, however, we should confess only those sins of which we have knowledge and feel in our heart. According to Luther, general confession takes place when the congregation confesses its sins together. This takes place at a worship service and in communion. A confession of love is what takes place when we ask forgiveness of our neighbor for our offenses, whether word or deed. The third form of confession is public confession. In it, we confess our transgressions publicly and ask for forgiveness from the congregation. The fourth form is private confession, in which we confess our sins to a confessor-father privately and receive absolution. When we speak of confession, we generally mean private confession. Scripture and Confession Confession has firm foundations in Scripture. In Psalm 32, David describes his experiences when he had fallen into sin, “Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin” (Ps. 32:2-5). When he confessed his sins, he felt that he was before God and not before men. David also experienced the blessing of confession: the Lord no longer reproached him of sin, but there was joy and peace in his heart. James teaches, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed” (James 5:16). John writes, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8,9). While discussing confession, Christian Doctrine (CD 71) points to the place in the Gospel of John, where the resurrected Savior appears to His own and gives them the office of the Holy Spirit to proclaim the forgiveness of sins (John 20:22-23). The most important part of confession, absolution, links confession to the office of the Holy Spirit. True confession can take place only in the living congregation of God. The most important characteristic of a confessor-father is that he is a believer. Private Confession and Public Confession Sometimes one hears the argument that public confession is more effective than private confession. However, the matter is not so, because the main emphasis in confession is not in the confession of sins but in the absolution of sins. The gospel of the forgiveness of sins is just as powerful and effective in private confession as in public confession. With the wrong emphasis, we make confession into an accomplishment, by which a person attempts to earn merit before God. The shame connected with public confession adds to the merit seeking. The gift changes into a requirement. The effect of confession does not depend at all on whether it is done privately to a confessor-father or publicly before a congregation. The effect of the confession is in the word of absolution, which is proclaimed by an individual person or by an assembled congregation together. In both instances, the question is of the same word of the Holy Spirit, that enlivens and gives strength. Jesus has said of this, “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:19). Among Conservative Laestadians, it has been understood regarding public confession that matters are corrected as to the extent that offense has been caused. In private confession, matters may come out that we correct more broadly. The gospel preached by the confessor-father conveys the power of forgiveness to correct the matters. This takes place when, for example, one has caused an offense against another person or the government. Confession Consists of Two Parts Luther teaches, “As I have often said, that confession consists of two parts. The first is my work and act, when I lament my sin and desire comfort and restoration for my soul. The second is a work which God does, when he absolves me of my sins through a word placed in the mouth of a man. This is the surpassingly grand and noble thing which makes confession so wonderful and comforting” (Large Catechism, A Brief Exhortation to Confession). The danger exists that the emphasis will shift to our confession and to a precise enumeration of our sins. Then the absolution, God's response, goes almost unnoticed. Confession becomes our own accomplishment by which we become better Christians. Without noticing, we fall under the Law. When we do not feel joy and freedom after confession, we think that our confession was not sufficiently detailed and that it should be expanded. Thus, we get into a confession spiral, with the result that the freedom and joy of a Christian disappear from our lives. Our gaze is no longer directed toward Christ, the initiator and finisher of our faith, but inward into our own selves, from which we seek the foundations of faith. However, they are not found there. Again, if the word of absolution proclaimed with the authority of the Holy Spirit by the confessor-father remains the most central and most important part of our confession, we experience freedom from the sins that have oppressed our conscience. Confession is then the gift of God and the grace privilege that He has intended it to be. The section in the Augsburg Confession explaining confession concludes: “Nevertheless, confession is retained among us on account of the great benefit of absolution and because it is otherwise useful to consciences” (XXV). The mention of sins is part of confession because we want to be freed of the sins which burden our consciences. We know that we are before the face of God and we do not want to deceive or embellish matters. In spite of everything, our confession is always imperfect. However, the absolution is perfect: all of our sins are forgiven and our consciences are freed from their burdens. What Keeps Us From Confessing? Although I know that confession has been given to assist me, it is not easy for me to make a confession. The reason can be found in my supposed honor. It feels that no one else could have fallen into sins of this nature. If I speak of them, the confessor-father will not understand me and will not consider me as a believer after that. And what if I do not speak to anyone about my fall, but attempt to believe the matter, that especially weighs upon my conscience, forgiven from the general preaching of the gospel? From my own experience, I can say that one does not receive peace and freedom by this means. No matter how much I have tried to believe, that known matter has always reminded me of its existence. It has been like a stone in my shoe, making travel difficult. Then, when I have spoken of the matters pressing upon my conscience to a confessor-father, I have been surprised. First of all, the confessor-father has understood, and nothing implied that he did not consider me a believer. When, in God's behalf, he has proclaimed all sins forgiven in the name and blood of Jesus, I have experienced liberation. The faults, which gave me pain, no longer rose accusingly to mind. The stone has been taken away, and the travel feels easy. I have only regretted that I have carried burdens on my conscience in vain. I have been a confessor-father, also. The believers, who have related about their matters and whom I have been able to comfort with the words of release, have become close and dear. I have not considered them poor in their endeavor. I have learned to know them as Christians, for whom the matter of faith is important and who endeavor to retain faith in a good conscience. I also know, that as a confessor-father, I have an unconditional responsibility to remain silent. Therefore, confession is a God-given gift to us, that helps us in our endeavor of faith. We go to make confession just as much a believer as when we return. The word of absolution, that belongs to confession has simply freed our consciences from heavy burdens. The performance of confession does not cleanse our consciences, but belief in the word of absolution. God does not cleanse our hearts by confession, but by faith (Acts 15:9). Luther concludes the above-mentioned exhortation to confession thusly, “Therefore, when I urge you to go to confession, I am simply urging you to be a Christian.”

Juhani Uljas | 2000 The Treasure Hidden In a Field -- Christian Doctrine Teaches Us About Endeavoring “In the life of a Christian is God's peace and joy, but also weakness of faith, temptations, and oppression. God guides His own along the narrow way of the cross. With sufferings, He wishes to try their faith, keep them humble, and draw them into ever closer fellowship with Him. God also often sees His children worthy to confess their faith by their suffering. When a Christian remains in God's hands, his life is supported by an ever deepening confidence that God leads everything for his best benefit. Humble thanks fills his heart because God has been patient to care for him, who is worthless, as His child. The hope of the coming glory also becomes more and more vivid to him. Watching and praying he awaits the final fulfillment of salvation” (CD 84). The Endeavor Is God's Work Scripture often depicts a believing person's life and endeavor as a journey and being on the road. The traveler wants to reach his destination. To achieve this, it is necessary to travel on the right road without turning back and tiring on the way. Isaiah encouraged the Old Testament believers who were journeying amid the trials of forced captivity, “And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein” (Isa. 35:8). When Paul stood before Governor Felix, accused of starting a rebellion, he confessed his faith, “But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and the prophets” (Acts 24:14). In His farewell speech, Jesus said that He was going soon to the Father, but that the disciples need not be concerned, for they also knew the way there. Still, the disciples were not sure where it was that Jesus was going and, therefore, did not know the way, either. For that reason, Thomas demanded an additional explanation and Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). This is the core of one's endeavor. The endeavor is not of our doing or achievement, on which basis we would attain eternal life. If it were so, our salvation would depend upon us and would no longer be a gift of God. Fortunately, it is not so. By grace, we have become partakers of God's love and Christ's righteousness. We have received this through faith, which God has effected. Faith is being in the righteousness of Christ and living in forgiveness every moment. We endeavor to preserve this treasure. There are powers around us that would want to wrest it from us. For that reason, the admonition of the resurrected Christ is meant for us, “Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” (Rev. 3:11). Paul instructs, “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him” (Col. 2:6). Therefore, we are not endeavoring by our own strength, but by the influence of God's Spirit. When Paul encouraged the Philippians to a steadfast endeavor in faith, he also revealed with whose strength the children of God endeavor, “Wherefore, my beloved…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling: for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12,13). Christ's Spirit dwells in our hearts through faith and works the will and the doing in us. The Endeavorer Is a Contestant Endeavoring is an archaic word. It is generally used only in discussion about matters concerning faith. In modern speech we speak about competing. Therefore, believers are competitors. The competition is lifelong. One who drops out of the race will never win, whatever the reasons for his dropping out may be. Already during Bible times, in Greece they had arranged Olympic Games, whose program included races of various lengths, throwing the discus, wrestling, and boxing. When Paul advised people to endeavor in faith, he compared a believer to an athlete competing in the Olympics (1 Cor. 9:24-27). Paul certainly did not encourage the young men to participate in the Olympics, for they were part of the heathen religious practice which the Christian's had rejected. He only took an example from an event which was as familiar to the Greeks as the modern Olympics are to us. He invited the young men to enter a more noble contest that lasted an entire lifetime. The runner practices self-discipline so that he would win the prize, and the boxer fights with a definite purpose, and not by flailing the air. The crucial matters of endeavoring in faith are emphasized in Paul's teaching. In the Olympics, the best contestant won and received the prize, which was a crown of laurel. In the endeavor of faith, every one who reaches the end will win and receive a crown. It will not wither or perish, as in the Olympics, but be everlasting. The contestant practices self-discipline because he wants to win. He has a clear goal, which guides his entire life. The Endeavor Is a Battle When Paul also compared the endeavoring person to a boxer, he exposed the other side of endeavoring. There, where the runner concentrates on his running and strives purposefully for the victor's prize, the boxer must struggle with and overcome his adversary. The endeavor of faith is a battle also. Who are the opponents of a Christian in his endeavor toward victory? The familiar phrase from the Catechism answers this question, “We have warfare against a threefold enemy, the devil, the world, and our own flesh.” The warfare becomes difficult because our own corrupt nature is in league with the opponents of God. We cannot flee from the battle nor withdraw into a fort against our enemies, for the front line of the battle goes right through our own heart. There we fight the hottest and most painful battles. We need weapons for battle. Paul described the weaponry of the Christian in his Epistle to the Ephesians (6:10-17). He first reminded them by what strength we are fighting, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Then he admonished them to put on armor, so that the attacks of the enemy of the soul would bounce off of them, “Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” War veterans have described how, during continuing battles, they cared for their equipment because they needed it. On the other hand, during a stationary war, when often the concern was just to be on watch, the equipment tended to be forgotten. Who wanted to carry a dangling gas mask or helmet when there appeared to be no need for them? This can happen in spiritual warfare, also. However, there is no room to lull oneself into false security. We need all of our equipment because the enemy uses surprise attacks. “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” The other equipment is for defense; only the sword, God's Word, is fitting also for attack. We do not fight with the arm of the flesh, but with God's Word. Jesus, himself, gave an example of this. When the enemy of the soul tempted Him, He overcame the temptations with God's Word. From Under the Cross to Under the Crown The endeavor is following Christ. He teaches, “And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me” (Matt. 10:38). The endeavor unavoidably includes bearing the cross of Christ. What does this symbolic teaching of Jesus mean? Crucifixion was a cruel form of condemnation to death that was in wide use in Jesus' time. The condemned person had to carry the crosspiece and the sign on which the bases of his judgment were written. Jesus had to personally experience this. His followers travel the way that their Master has laid out. Carrying the cross signifies first to confess that we cannot reach our destination, eternal life, at all by our own endeavor, but that the cross of Christ is our only hope. He has atoned for our sins with His blood and thus opened the road all the way to the destination. The sermon of reconciliation, the gospel of the forgiveness of sins, brings the power of the victory of Christ's Resurrection to our weakness on the way of the cross. To Paul, the prior doer of the deeds of the Law and great apostle to the Gentiles, the cross of Christ was his only reason for pride, “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Gal. 6:14). Second, carrying the cross means that, like Paul, we have crucified our flesh with its lusts and desires. The follower of Christ cannot follow the desires and wishes of his flesh when they battle against God's Word and the conscience. This causes many battles, as has been stated previously. Third, carrying the cross signifies the opening of a boundary between Christ's followers and the world. At the time of Jesus and the early congregation, the believers had to separate from Judaism. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews instructed his brothers and sisters, “Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come” (Heb. 13:13,14). They did not separate themselves of their own initiative, but when God's time had come, they were shut out of the synagogue community. In his time, Luther experienced the same along with his brothers in faith. We have experienced a great blessing from God that we have been able to believe and to do the work of God's kingdom in fellowship with our nation's [Finland's] church. In spite of all this, we feel that the cross of Christ separates us to “outside the camp.” Trials become familiar to us on this way. God strengthens our faith with them and teaches us patience. If we did not have patience, we would become discouraged encountering our first adversity and our endeavor would remain unfinished. Patience is especially necessary when we stumble and notice that we haven't become good and exemplary endeavorers. We continue to be weak, and corruption affects and lives in us. Patience is required when it becomes clear that our endeavor is not the reason and basis for our salvation. We must return again and again to the place where our journey of endeavor began. To the place where the Lord Jesus is the only reason for our salvation and that we, although unsuccessful, have the right to believe our sins forgiven in His name and blood. Even Paul, in his endeavor of faith, had come to know his weaknesses. We can join with him to say, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities-for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Cor. 12:10). Confessing Faith At the same time, when Jesus taught His disciples to follow Him under the cross, He spoke of confessing faith, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 10:32,33). Confessing faith is firmly associated with following Christ and one's endeavor in faith. No one can be a believer secretly. The New Testament relates of such people, who tried to believe in Jesus secretly (John 12:42,43, 19:38). They did not want to be labeled or to carry the cross of Christ. The New Testament, in any case, does not relate that they would have reached the destination as victors. In practice, confession of Christ takes place through speech as well as life. It is not forced or contract work. When we confess ourselves to be followers of Christ, we do not gain merits nor do we become better Christians, but it frees us from the slavery of the world and supports us in our endeavor of faith. God's children feel themselves to be timid and weak confessors. Precisely for this reason, they often have doubts of their own faith. Correct confession is not the expression of one's own strength, but as Peter states, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Pet. 3:15). I have heard of a believing man, who worked in a factory. He was troubled by the fact that he had so poorly confessed his faith to his coworkers. He lamented of his weakness often to the other believers. However, once one of his coworkers went to speak to their supervisor and asked that he would be moved to another job. He could no longer stand to be in the same job with that man, for unknowingly he constantly preached with his life. The confession of Christ through one's life is not outward righteousness which approaches self-piety, but it is simply living as one believes. Set Aside All Sin and Burden What would it feel like to run a marathon with a heavy backpack? Most likely the runner would drop out. Especially if stones were added to the backpack now and then. On the racetrack of faith, this can happen to a runner. The conscience collects sin, matters over which the conscience rebukes and reminds. The journey becomes burdensome and slow, and fatigue weighs heavily. Those Hebrews, too, were tired in their faith, to whom it was once written, “Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Heb. 12:1). The putting away of sin is confession. Through it, we can remove the backpack. In the following chapter, we will discuss confession more broadly, so in this context, I only refer to this grace privilege. The endeavor of faith can be slowed also by a burden that of itself is not sin. The trials and sorrows of life are such. There is reason to discuss them with another believer so they would not become an obstruction to faith, but that the endeavoring one would receive strength to take them from the hand of the Heavenly Father. Jesus teaches in His Sermon on the Mount that we need not worry about the morrow because our Heavenly Father takes care of us (Matt. 6:25-32). Peter exhorts, “Cast all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Pet. 5:7). We Do Not Endeavor Alone In the previous section, we examined the endeavor from the viewpoint of an individual Christian. However, we are not isolated endeavoring persons, but we belong to a battling and endeavoring congregation. We would not last long alone, but God has united us in the fellowship of His congregation to partake of all the instructions of grace. They are part of the equipment which we need in our endeavor. The competitor and the fighter need nourishment so that they will have strength, for “an army marches on its stomach.” Fellowship of the congregation means that “we do not despise the sermon and God's Word, but we keep it holy, and willingly hear and learn it,” as the Small Catechism teaches us. The services of God's children are important to us. At services we receive the food which we need while we endeavor. In the fellowship of God's children, we can also hear the gospel of the forgiveness of sins, which frees our consciences of useless ballast. Among the children of God we have also those closest brothers and sisters whom God has given us as escorts. We can speak to them when it feels that, “I do not have strength any longer,” or “I do not understand what I should do in this difficult and problematic situation.” I Shall Be With You The Old Testament tells us about the journey of the children of Israel from bondage in Egypt to the Promised Land. At the same time, it symbolically depicts the journey of God's people to that land which God has prepared for His children. When the people traveled in the desert, a pillar of cloud moved ahead of them by day and a pillar of fire by night. Thus, God assured His people that He travels with them. Matthew tells us that the last words of the Resurrected Christ, before He ascended into heaven, were, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:20). For an endeavoring person who is weak in himself, it is comforting to know that the Good Shepherd, who gave His life for His sheep, still journeys with and leads His own. With His blood, He has opened the way to the destination.

Juhani Uljas | 2000 The Treasure Hidden In a Field -- Prayer is a part of all religions. With its aid, people strive to make connection with their gods. Scripture informs us that during the time of Elijah the priests of Baal cried for assistance from their god on Mount Carmel. People, who have visited Islamic countries or Israel, have heard for themselves how the Muslims hold specified hours of prayer and have seen the Jews praying at the Western Wall. Prayer also belongs to the Christian faith, and Scripture encourages people to pray. Jesus gave an example for this and also taught His disciples to pray. According to Christian Doctrine, “Prayer is the heart's humble and sincere conversation with God” (CD 78). Luther wanted to free prayer from all the formal rituals that had been attached to it in the Catholic Church. He taught that the essence and nature of prayer is to raise the mind and heart to God. From this it follows that everything else that does not elevate the heart, is not prayer. “For that reason, singing, speaking, or blowing a horn are prayer just as little as scarecrows in the garden are people” (Explanation of the Lord's Prayer). The effect of prayer does not depend on its outward form nor on our feelings or fervency. It is the simple uplifting of the heart to God. Prayer cannot be our achievement, by which we would gain merit before God. Prayer is conversation between God and man. Man does not speak alone; God answers also. When we converse with other people, we may notice that sometimes they may not hear or may pretend not to hear what we say. Our message does not reach its destination. When we converse with God, sometimes it may seem the same. The lack of an answer, nevertheless, is not caused by God's poor hearing or our quiet or unclear speech. God truly hears and understands, and difficulties of language are not an obstacle. He is interested in us and our matters. He also answers, although it may be in a different way than we expected. Sometimes, we only later understand God's answer to our prayer. In prayer, we can speak to God of our needs and our hopes. Scripture guides us also to intercede or to pray in behalf of others. We may enclose within our prayers our close ones, our friends, our people, and our homeland. Paul described in his epistles how he prayed in behalf of the congregations in the various communities. He also asked that the children of God would pray for wisdom and courage for him to proclaim the gospel (Eph. 6:18-20). We, too, can pray to the Heavenly Father that He would bless the work of His kingdom. Prayer also inseparably includes thanksgiving. When we, in silence and with open minds are before God's face, we understand with thankfulness how much we have received from Him. Prayer and Justification From time to time, believers are criticized that they do not give prayer its due respect. The criticism is partially correct, for often we pray too little. This gift that God has given to His children remains in little use. We feel ourselves to be poor at praying. The basis for the criticism, however, is usually this that prayer is not a path to justification for us, as it is for many others. Many people believe that they can confess their sins privately to God through prayer and that God, himself, will forgive their sins. One hears this understanding often, when we exhort someone to repent. “I do not need an intercessor. I will resolve matters privately with God.” But God does not justify sinners privately, rather He sends the owners of the office of remission to preach the gospel of forgiveness to the penitent sinner. I remember how once at the conclusion of some services, I asked a service guest if he had need to believe and receive the forgiveness of his sins. He answered, “I say the Lord's prayer every night and confess my sins to God in it. I do not need to repent in the manner that you mean.” I answered him, “I notice that you believe that God hears your prayers. Every night, you have petitioned, “Thy kingdom come.” God has heard your prayer and now His kingdom of grace has come to you. God wants to answer your other prayer and forgive your sin of unbelief along with all of your other sins.” On the other hand, it is sometimes thought that in no wise does God hear the prayer of an unbelieving person. Someone may even support this with Scripture. For example, Isaiah says, “And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood” (Isa. 1:15). However, the matter is not so clear-cut. There are many places in the Bible, that indicate that God has heard the prayer of an unbeliever and has answered it. The decisive factor appears to be what, and with what mind, they pray. I will take three familiar examples from Scripture. They also support what has been said previously about prayer and justification. The eunuch, a servant of the Queen of Ethiopia (Acts 8:26-40), had made a long and difficult journey to pray in the temple in Jerusalem. He thought that it was an acceptable place to pray. There, he hoped to find help and an answer to the distress in his heart, but he did not find help. On his way back, he studied the Scriptures. Again in vain, for he did not understand what he read. However, God had heard his prayers. He sent Philip to the place to explain the writings of Isaiah and to preach the gospel. The eunuch heard Philip's sermon and believed it. Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:1-8), on his way to Damascus, met the resurrected Christ. Heavenly light blinded him. He, who thought that he knew the will of God and that he was righteous having fulfilled the Law, found that he was blind and without understanding. In his distress, he prayed. God heard the prayer even of a persecutor of the congregation and sent Ananias to help. Saul received his sight and living faith in his heart. He became Apostle Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. The Centurion Cornelius (Acts 10) prayed to God. God heard his prayers and answered him first through an angel. This angel did not preach the forgiveness of sins, but told him to send men to get Peter from the city of Joppa. Cornelius followed the angel's instructions. When Peter came and preached the gospel, Cornelius, along with his family, believed and they received the Holy Spirit. We can conclude from these three examples that God hears the prayers of even the unbeliever, when they are in earnest. Jesus' Teachings About Prayer In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught His disciples how to pray (Matt. 6:5-13). He warned them against vain wordiness and praying for their own merit. At least one matter was clarified to the disciples as they listened to His speech: they do not know how to pray by their own means. Many a sincere person has probably experienced this while praying. To His own, Jesus gave the Lord's Prayer, the “Our Father” prayer. Luther has explained the Lord's Prayer in the Small and Large Catechisms, in his sermons as well as his book, “Explanation of the Lord's Prayer.” In the latter he says that the Lord's Prayer is, without a doubt, the highest, noblest, and best, since it originated from our Lord. Had our righteous and faithful Master known a better prayer, He would have taught it to us also. This must not be understood to mean that all other prayers in which these same words do not appear are wrong. Many saints prayed before the birth of Christ and had not heard these words. Instead, all such prayers are questionable that do not have this prayer's content or meaning. The beginning of the Lord's Prayer can easily slip by without our paying attention to it. For a contemporary of Jesus, it was strange and perhaps offensive to refer to the holy and righteous God as Father. Luther leads us to think of the beginning of the prayer, “The best beginning and preface is that we know clearly how to name, respect, and relate to Him, to Whom we are praying, and how we should behave toward Him, so that He would be merciful and willing to hear us. There is no name among all the names, that would make us more acceptable before God than 'Father.' It is a friendly, pleasant, deep and heartfelt address. It would not be equally loving and comforting to say 'Lord,' 'God,' or 'Judge.' For that reason, the name 'Father' is naturally innate in a person and naturally pleasing. Therefore, it also pleases God the best and moves Him most to hear us. At the same time, we confess ourselves to be children of God by that name. In this manner, we move God the most, inwardly, for there is not a more pleasant sound to the Father than a child's voice.…For the person, who begins to pray, 'Our Father, who art in heaven' and does it from the bottom of his heart, confesses that he has a Father and that this Father is in Heaven.” Almost half a century ago, I sat in church one winter evening. The congregation evening's topic was prayer, on which three clergymen spoke. In two speeches, prayer became a means of justification. The words, “Our Father who art in heaven,” were the text for the second speech. The third speaker rose to the pulpit and read a text that was even shorter than the preceding one, “Our Father, Amen.” Beginning with these words, he led the listeners to see what had had to happen so that we are able to pray, “Our Father.” How great was the love of the Father, that He gave His only Son for the remission of sin. In place of prayer, another way to justification opened. Prayer was revealed as a great gift, the secure and trusting discussion of a child with a Father who loves him. Thy Will be Done Our prayers are often about distress, oppression, difficulties, and the obvious hopes and desires that arise from them. There is nothing wrong in this, for a child has permission to speak freely to his Father. However, in the Lord's Prayer Jesus sets the needs in priority and brings a new dimension to prayer. He instructs us to ask, “Thy will be done.” This is not always easy. Jesus did not only teach in this manner, but also set an example in Gethsemane. The most important and critical events of His life were before Him. The cross, suffering, and death awaited him. More frightening, before Him rose the fact that the Father would cast upon Him the sins of the entire world and, for a moment, would turn His back upon Him. In this situation, one more difficult than we can possibly imagine, Jesus prayed, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matt. 26:39). Jesus' example leads us to the correct humility and childlike trust. The Father knows what is best for us, even when it is difficult for us to be therein content. “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: casting all your cares upon him: for he careth for you” (1 Pet. 5:6,7).

Juhani Uljas | 2000 The Treasure Hidden In a Field -- The Passover Meal and the Lord's Supper The Scriptures describe how the Israelites prepared to depart from Egypt. They had a long journey before them to the land that God had promised to their fathers. Not one of them had seen the land, but in their hearts they wanted to get there. Just prior to departure, the people gathered in families to eat the Passover meal as God had commanded them (Exod. 12). The meal included a yearling ram roasted over fire, unleavened bread and bitter herbs. If something was left over, it had to be burned. The outer doorposts of the houses were to be marked with the blood of the Passover lamb. This was important, because God punished the Egyptians the same night and killed all of their firstborn. The punishment did not touch those on whose dwellings the doorposts were marked with blood. This Passover meal was not eaten just the one time when they departed from Egypt, but God commanded that it was to be eaten at the same time every year. This was to be done on the journey to the Promised Land as well as after they had arrived there. “And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and thy sons forever. And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep, this service. And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses” (Exod. 12:24-27). This is the meal that Jesus and His disciples gathered to eat in Jerusalem on that Passover when He was captured and crucified. During the meal, Jesus deepened and clarified the meaning and substance of the Passover meal. He, himself, is the Paschal Lamb. The wine that they drank during the meal is His blood, which soon was to be shed for the remission of sins. The unleavened bread, which He broke to give each one his own portion, is His Body. He is the Bread of Life, which is owned by faith (John 6:51). The Passover meal changed into the Lord's Holy Supper. The Word of the Lord was joined to visible elements, bread and wine, and made them and the partaking of them a Sacrament. The institution of the Lord's Supper is described in a consistent manner four times in the New Testament (Matt. 26:19-21, 25-29; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:15-20; and 1 Cor. 11:23-25). The differences in the details emphasize the significance of the different parts of the Supper. John does not describe the institution of the Lord's Supper, but describes, instead, that the Lord Jesus washed the disciples feet in connection with the meal (John 13:1-17). Luther writes, “The Lord's Supper was not invented or devised by any man in his thoughts, rather it was instituted by Christ without man's counsel or deliberation” (Large Catechism V:4,5). "As Often" The Lord's Supper is intended to be received often. “For as often as ye eat of this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come” (1 Cor. 11:26). From the start, the Lord's Supper firmly belonged to the life of the New Testament congregation. “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). In the beginning, they gathered daily at a meal, then on the first day of the week, and later less often. We do not have to set guidelines on how often the Lord's Supper should be received, but God's Word instructs us to go to the Lord's Supper when we feel the most need. The words, “as often,” emphasize the great significance of the Lord's Supper. Luther teaches, “Christ means to say: 'I institute a Passover or Supper for you, which you shall enjoy not just on this one evening of the year, but frequently, whenever and wherever you will, according to everyone's opportunity and need, being bound to no special place or time.'…Thus you see that we are not granted liberty to despise the sacrament. When a person, with nothing to hinder him, lets a long period of time elapse without ever desiring the sacrament, I call that despising it” (Large Catechism V:47-49). The Lord's Supper Is a Meal of Remembrance In their descriptions of the institution of the Lord's Supper, both Luke and Paul mention that Jesus said, “Do it in remembrance of me.” As they ate the Passover meal of the Old Testament, the children of Israel remembered their liberation from Egypt and how God had led them to their destination, the Promised Land. The Passover meal reminded the people about the patient love and faithfulness of God. At the Lord's Supper, we, for the strengthening of our faith, remember Christ, our Paschal Lamb, Who gave His life and shed His blood for our sins and the sins of the entire world. As believers at the Lord's Supper, we can eat the body of Christ and drink His blood and thus enjoy the fruit of His work of atonement. Although we do not fully understand the mystery of the Lord's Supper, we still go to the Lord's Supper, since He has encouraged us to do so. At the communion table, we feel the presence of Christ and the strength of His grace. The Lord's Supper strengthens our faith and fixes our gaze on that land which the Lord Jesus has promised and prepared for His own. Who Is an Acceptable Communion Guest? This question was asked in my hometown at a discussion evening for young people where the sacraments were the topic. The same question arose as a burning issue once when we celebrated the Lord's Supper in the small village of Kolyvan, near the bend of the Volga River. At the communion table, we experience, especially clearly, the presence of God, His sanctity, and His love. God's Word exhorts us to try ourselves that we would not be unacceptable communion guests, who partake of the Sacrament of the Altar for their own condemnation. The Small Catechism answers the question in this manner, “He is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words: 'Given and shed for you, for the remission of sins.' But he who does not believe these words, or who doubts, is unworthy and unfit, for the words, 'for you,' require truly believing hearts.” Luther states in a short form in the Large Catechism, “But he who does not believe receives nothing” (V:35). That we would make ourselves acceptable, for example, by fine-tuning a special piety, is in no wise the question. The crux of the matter is this, that as pardoned sinners, we can meet our Lord and Savior. Luther says to the communion guests, “[Weak] people with such misgivings must learn that it is the highest wisdom to realize that this sacrament does not depend upon our worthiness” (Large Catechism V:61). As we prepare for the Lord's Supper, we often feel that we are unworthy communion guests. We can be under heavy doubts, and may ponder, “Are we believing in the right manner?” Sometimes there may be some special sin on one's mind, that he has not had the strength to set aside: “Can I go to the Lord's Supper if I have done such a thing?” Before the sanctity of God, our sinfulness comes powerfully evident. The gift of communion is also in the fact that it speaks strongly and admonishes a person to correct his matters. Confession is a grace-privilege, in which we can put away the matters that trouble the conscience. On the other hand, the Lord's Supper does not demand perfection from us. We are sinners in thought, word, and deed. By faith, we can entrust ourselves into God's grace and forgiveness. Jesus has fulfilled all on our behalf. The holy meal gives us strength to rectify our matters. The invitation, “Come, for all is prepared,” is intended for every believer. Most often, congregants who have attended confirmation school partake in the Lord's Supper. According to present practice [in the Ev. Lutheran Church of Finland], children may also come to communion with their parents. As parents, we have the duty in raising our children to prepare them for communion. This means that we speak to the children about its significance. An opportunity for this opens if we take our children with us to communion services. I have noticed, as a father and grandfather, how the children follow the communion service with interest. Already in church, and later at home, they ask about it. We need to answer the questions, explaining that the Lord's Supper is the body and blood of Jesus, which have been given and shed for us. It strengthens our faith. We can bring even small children to the communion table to be blessed. Jesus set the children as an example for a believer, “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14). In this way, children learn to revere communion already when they are small. A Meal of Unity As we kneel at the communion table, we experience communion with Christ and His family members, the other children of God. We do not endeavor alone as believers, but there are dear brothers and sisters around us who escort us. We also experience joy and thankfulness at communion. “The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread” (1 Cor. 10:16,17). During the time of Jesus, table fellowship signified a deeper communion than in our time. “He eats and drinks with sinners,” was a great cause of offense for the Pharisees. At communion, we experience the unity of love towards the other children of God. As we prepare ourselves for communion, matters come to our minds by which we have tried the love of our family and friends. For that reason, we see that communion guests often have matters to discuss with one another and that they ask for forgiveness and forgive each other. The fellowship that we experience at the communion table is not limited to the congregation that is present, not even to just the congregation that is now endeavoring and battling. It extends to that entire rejoicing congregation, which shall once gather at the great communion in heaven. In the manner of the Old Testament, the Lord's Supper is the meal of those preparing for the journey, those on the journey, and those who have made it to the Promised Land.

Juhani Uljas | 2000 The Treasure Hidden In a Field -- Baptism Is the Sign of Covenant God has given promises to people and with them has made covenants, which He has strengthened with visible signs. God does not need signs to remember His covenant, but we weak people with poor memories need them. God made the first covenant with Noah and his sons. “And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth” (Gen. 9:11-13). God made a second covenant with Abraham. God called him and gave him a promise. Abraham accepted the call, believed the promise and was justified by faith. God instituted circumcision as the sign of the covenant. God strengthened this covenant by giving the Law to His people on Mount Sinai. God made His third covenant in His Son, Jesus Christ. The Scriptures call it the New Covenant. Jesus instituted baptism as its sign. Just prior to His ascension into heaven, He said to His disciples, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19,20). This covenant is the fulfillment of God's plan of salvation. Baptism and Faith According to the Gospel of Mark, Jesus said to His disciples, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15-16). The order of God's work is clearly evident: first the gospel, then faith, and after that baptism. The same order appears in the familiar descriptions of repentances in the Acts of the Apostles. The Ethiopian Queen's eunuch listened to the gospel that Philip preached to him as he explained Isaiah's writings. The eunuch believed and wanted to be baptized. Philip said, “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.” The eunuch confessed his faith, and Philip baptized him (Acts 8:26-40). Peter preached the gospel in the home of Cornelius and the listeners believed it; God gave them His Spirit, and they were baptized (Acts 10). According to these portions of Scripture, faith is first and it is followed by baptism. In his treatise, “On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church,” Luther discusses the unity of faith and baptism. He explains that baptism without faith is ineffective: “In like manner, neither does baptism justify or benefit anyone, but it is accomplished by faith in the word of the promise, to which baptism is joined. For faith justifies and fulfills that which baptism signifies.” Are Children Not Worthy? In Scriptural instruction, baptism was not tied to any known age, but it speaks only of baptism. In the early congregation, persons of all ages were baptized in families. This is an example for us. Infant baptism has divided the opinions of people. Already, at the time of the Reformation, there were people that opposed infant baptism, and such continue to exist. They do not approve of the baptism of infants, as the Scriptures do not contain clear instructions on this and they have the opinion that a child does not know how to believe. Luther fought powerfully against this understanding. In the Large Catechism, he wrote, “Here we come to a question (by which the devil confuses the world through his sects), the question of infant baptism. Do children also believe, and is it right to baptize them?” He responds to this question, “That the baptism of infants is pleasing to Christ is sufficiently proved from his own work” (Large Catechism, IV:47,49). When the disciples disputed about who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, Jesus took a child and presented him as the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, as a “model Christian.” He exhorted them to care for children in His name and warned them about offending them because they believe in Him (Matt. 18:1-6). In another context, Jesus said, “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14). According to the teaching of Jesus, no one is more worthy to receive baptism than a little child. Infant baptism is also supported by the circumcision of the Old Testament, which was performed when the child was eight days old. In the Epistle to the Colossians, Paul considers baptism to be the spiritual counterpart of circumcision, “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus, the Lord, so walk ye in him…in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead” (Col. 2:6,11,12). There is reason to examine the faith of a child from the perspective of Christ's redemption work. Christ was born as a person like we are. By sinless conception and birth, He sanctified our births. We are born into a redeemed and reconciled mankind, into the fellowship of the redemption work of Christ. For that reason, a small child believes and is justified by faith. The opponents of infant baptism have the understanding that faith is a work of man by which he shows himself to be acceptable to be a child of God and to be baptized. But that faith, of which Scripture speaks, is a gift of God. Those who disparage infant baptism do not have righteousness of faith but righteousness of works. Baptism and Good Conscience In baptism, God joins a child into the fellowship of His congregation to be cared for. The endeavor as a child of God begins there. When a child grows older, the battle against sin begins. Baptism obligates us to it. Paul writes to the Romans, “So many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the newness of life” (Rom. 6:3,4). According to the teachings of the Small Catechism, baptism signifies that the old Adam in us should be pressed down by daily sorrow and repentance. It must be mortified, with all its sins and evil lusts. In its place, the new man should daily come forth and rise, who shall live before God in righteousness and purity forever (Small Catechism IV:3). Many have been preserved in childhood faith and in the covenant of baptism, but many have lost their faith and good conscience, when endeavoring has been forgotten. The conscience has hardened and has ceased to rebuke. Faith has been replaced by unbelief. God has not forgotten them, but still seeks and calls them into His fellowship. When the lost one receives the grace of repentance and new birth, he returns to the covenant of baptism. He does not need to be baptized again, for the covenant is still in effect on God's part. Baptism and Instruction The commandment to baptize contains the duty to teach: “Teach them to keep all that I have commanded you.” As parents, we have a primary obligation to teach our children and to rear them in the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ. Our own example is an important part of our work of childrearing. Children learn to value faith, God's kingdom, and the holy values associated with them, if these matters are truly important to us. The important things are seen in the life at home. The question is not of overwhelmingly difficult matters, but for example, evening prayers, asking forgiveness, and forgiving. Times for discussion and singing are also good. How blessed it is, if the children are raised so that all go to hear God's Word, whenever the opportunity exists. Instruction in a Christian home is a two-way education. So often the child teaches us to believe. Once, my wife and I were discussing in a rather stern manner. The discussion was broken by our three-year-old firstborn saying, “Why are you arguing? Ask each other for forgiveness already.” In connection with baptism, two or more godparents are named for the child. Their duty is to support the parents in the work of rearing the child. The godparent has received a great gift, a godchild, whose life he can follow as an adult friend. He can be happy and sorrowful with the child, listen to the child and show him love. The godchild also has received an important person to whom he can turn when he wishes. The godparent also has received a duty. When the child was baptized, the godparents and the parents were encouraged to rear him in the Christian faith. It signifies in the first place that, as the child grows, he comes to know what gift he has received in baptism. The gift of baptism is the covenant of a good conscience, as Apostle Peter writes about it (1 Pet. 3:21,22). The most important matter in our lives is to keep faith and a good conscience.

Juhani Uljas | 2000 The Treasure Hidden In a Field -- What Is a Sacrament? The word, “sacrament,” is not found in the English or the Finnish Bible, yet the sacraments are deeply founded in Scripture. In the Latin Bible, the word sacramentum corresponds (ex. Eph. 5:31) to the word mysterion, mystery in the Greek Bible. The mystery of faith, which we cannot fully understand, is connected to sacrament. For that reason, we regard it with the timidity and humility of a child, for we remember that God has ordained it. Christian Doctrine tells about the means of grace, the Word, and the sacraments. In God's Word there are two blades: the Law and the gospel (Heb. 4:12). The duty of the Law is to awaken man to see his condition. The gospel, on the other hand, awakens faith and gives the gift of the forgiveness of sins to the penitent person (1 Pet. 1:23-25). God has given the sacraments to those who have been helped unto faith to support them in their endeavor. According to our Christian Doctrine, the sacraments are holy acts of the congregation, that Jesus Christ himself has instituted. Christ himself is present in them and distributes His grace to us through visible elements (CD 56). In the sacrament God's Word is joined to the visible, even to the elements touchable to the hand, so that we are assured again and again how real is God's grace toward us. The Sacraments Are Signs Given by God The Augsburg Confession teaches that the sacraments are not instituted among people only to be signs of public profession among men. They are, above all, signs and testimonies of God's will toward us. The purpose of the sacraments is to awaken and strengthen the faith of the partakers. For that reason, the partakers must believe and trust in the promises that are offered and shown through the medium of the sacraments (Augsburg Confession XIII). In both the Old and New Testaments the Sacrament is associated with the covenant made by God and His people and the promise given in that connection. God has instituted the sacrament as a sign to remind of His promise. Faith takes hold of the promise of God; the sacrament supports and strengthens faith. There Are Two Sacraments In the Roman Catholic Church there are seven sacraments. During the transitional period of the Reformation, the number of sacraments became a topic of discussion. According to the position of Luther and his friends, the sacraments were to be acts founded on the commandment of God. The Apology to the Augsburg Confession states the matter as follows: “The genuine sacraments, therefore, are Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and absolution (which is the sacrament of penitence)” (XIII:4). Absolution was removed from among the sacraments, because the promise of God was not connected to visible elements but to the Holy Spirit. The resurrected Christ said to His disciples, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost, whosoever sins ye remit…” (John 20:22,23). The sacraments have not been instituted by men or the church, but God has instituted them. We understand in accordance with the Augsburg Confession, that the value or influence of the sacraments is not dependent upon the officiant's' turn of mind or faith. In them, God has joined His Word to visible elements and not to their officiant's having the Holy Spirit (VIII:1). The Correct Use of the Sacraments Luther wrote the 1520 treatise, On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church. In it, he directed his criticism against the sacrament doctrine of the Catholic Church. With the treatise's title, he wanted to indicate that the church had fallen into “Babylonian captivity” because of its errant sacrament doctrine. When speaking of the significance or effect of the sacrament, Luther affirms that there is not a great difference between the sacraments of the Old and New Testaments. In both, first comes God's promise, then faith, which clings to the promise. After that follows the sign which supports and strengthens the faith. For that reason, Luther states that the sacraments are not “fulfilled by doing them, but by believing in them.” According to him, it cannot be true that “the power to justify dwells in them or that they would be signs effecting grace.” They are influential and “give grace surely and effectively when undoubting faith exists.” According to Luther, the sacraments do not benefit unbelievers, even though they should put up no resistance to them. The lack of faith is the most detrimental and persistent obstruction to grace. “Christ says, 'He, who believes, and is baptized, shall be saved, but he, who does not believe, shall be condemned to perdition.' In this manner, He shows that faith is so essential with the sacraments, that it can save even without the sacrament. For that reason, He did not want to add, 'Who does not believe and is not baptized'” (On The Babylonian Captivity of the Church). According to the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, it is most important to understand in what manner the sacraments are to be used. The idea is impossible “that we are justified by an outward worship service without the correct condition of heart, namely, faith. Paul rejects this and teaches that Abraham was not justified by circumcision, but rather that circumcision was a sign given as an expression of faith. We teach in the same way, that in the correct use of the sacraments there must also be faith in the promises associated with them. Faith receives what has been promised and specifically offered in the sacraments. This way of thinking is clear and completely sure.” (Apology of the Augsburg Confession XIII: 18-20 translated from the Finnish version). However, there predominates that same understanding of the sacrament against which Luther fought in his treatise, “On The Babylonian Captivity of the Church.” Therefore, it is necessary for us to hold onto Luther's understanding, which is based on God's Word. According to it, the sacraments were not instituted for receiving faith but for strengthening faith. The correct use of the sacraments requires faith. According to Jesus, living faith will move mountains and overcome the world. In spite of that, the believer does not feel personally strong. One's faith seems weak and doubts surround. Still, no one needs to think that the sacrament would not belong to him because of the weakness of his faith or because of doubts. It is precisely to the weak believer that it belongs. God wants to strengthen our faith through the sacrament and to show that His sure promises are in effect.

Juhani Uljas | 2000 The Treasure Hidden In a Field -- God gave His Law to the people of Israel, in which He revealed His will to man (Exod. 20). Breaking the Law brought a curse and observing it brought a blessing. Neither was the will of God foreign to earlier people, for God had pressed it into man's innermost already in Creation (Rom. 2:14-16). But when man fell into sin, his will yielded to evil and he was no longer a doer of God's will. On the contrary, he wanted to silence the voice of God that he heard inside himself. Moses hewed the Law into two stone tablets so that the will of God would not be forgotten. Scripture uses the word, “Law,” in many senses. In addition to the Ten Commandment Law, the Law refers to the Books of Moses (the Torah) in the Old Testament. They also contain the ordinances of the Law, which are social in nature, as well as those that refer to the Old Testament's divine worship service. Sometimes in the Old Testament, the word, Law, also means the written Word of God. The New Testament and the Law In the New Testament, the Gospels relate that Jesus respected and followed the Law. He said that He has not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17). On the other hand, Jesus often found himself on a collision course with the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law regarding those guides to the Law's interpretation which were called the traditional commandments. The acts and epistles of the Apostles tell how the early congregation related to the Law. The Christian faith was born in the bosom of Judaism, but very soon it received supporters from among the Gentiles. The need arose to clarify the relationship of believers to the Law. At the meeting of the apostles (Acts 15), it was decided that the Gentile believers did not need to have themselves circumcised, neither did they otherwise need to fulfill the ordinances of the Law that the Jews followed. Paul's epistles clearly teach that Christians are not under the Law because Christ has fulfilled the Law. Paul shows that the function of the Law is not to help man to salvation, but to show him to be a sinner. The Law leads man to Christ to be pardoned. The Reformation and the Law Righteousness by faith and the related question of the function and use of the Law were pivotal questions at the time of the Reformation. It opened to Luther what Paul meant, when he wrote to the Romans, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith” (Rom.1:16,17). After this discovery, Luther wanted to cleanse from the teaching of the church all the works of man that had adhered to it. The core content of the Reformation crystallized into, “Alone by faith, alone by grace, and alone for the sake of Christ.” The Formula of Concord is the last of the confessional books. It was composed after the death of Luther. It differs from the other confessional books in the fact that it resolves doctrinal differences that had arisen among the Lutherans. This document also deals with the question of the function of the Law. According to it, the Law has three separate functions or uses: First, with the aid of God's Law, “unruly and undisciplined persons are kept within the realm of outward order and decency.” Second, the Law of God teaches all people to recognize their sins. Third, the Law also guides those people who have turned to God and have received the grace of new birth. They also must live “within the Law of God.” Now, we will proceed to examine these three functions more extensively. The First Function of the Law In the beginning, we noted that the Law of the Old Testament also contained the temporal law of the nation of Israel. Its basis was the Ten Commandment Law. It had been given not only to reveal God's will, but also to protect man. According to Scripture, the believing person understands that society and the government have been established by God. The Word of God instructs us, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God.…Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For, for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour” (Rom. 13:1-7). Luther's teachings of the two regiments or governments are connected with the first function of the Law. According to Luther, God has established two types of government among men. The spiritual government is founded on God's Word. With its help, people are intended to become righteous or justified, so that by this righteousness they would attain eternal life. He cares for this righteousness with His Word, which He has entrusted to the care of preachers. The earthly government is established upon the sword. In this manner, even those, who do not want to become righteous by the Word and justified for eternal life, are forced to be righteous before the world. God maintains this social righteousness with the assistance of the sword. Although He does not reward it with eternal life, He wants it to remain in force to preserve peace among the people. God rewards temporal righteousness with temporal benefits. The two governing authorities must not be confused or connected to each other. The first function of the Law guides a person to societal righteousness. In its sphere, Christians also are “under the Law.” We do not respect the Law out of fear of punishment, but, above all, for the sake of a good conscience. Societal righteousness must be carefully separated from righteousness by faith. Also, the most law-abiding and exemplary person is sinful and godless, unless he believes the merit of Christ as his own. The Second Function of the Law The Law promises that whoever fulfills it will be saved. The Fall into sin, however, so corrupted man that he could not fulfill the Law. Because of sin, it is impossible for us to reach eternal life by way of the Law. But sin did not invalidate the will of God; the Law continues to be in force. Its duty remained to show every person to be a sinner. Luther said, that the Law is like a “hound” that chases the sinful person to Christ. Paul describes the second use of the Law in this way, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:20). Scripture also teaches that God's Word is like a two-edged sword (Heb. 4:12). The Law's edge awakens the consciousness of sin in an unbelieving listener. The other, the Word's edge, the gospel, proclaims to the person awakened by the Law that Christ has fulfilled the Law on his behalf. For that reason, the sinful person can believe his sins forgiven because of Christ's merit. The Third Function of the Law It is mentioned in the Formula for Concord that there had been contention regarding the third function of the Law. The comment refers to the so-called Antinomians, against whom Luther had to struggle. They approved only the first function of the Law. According to their teachings, the grace of God was taken as a cover for the permissiveness of sin and the freedom of the flesh. The third function of the Law means that, in the believer's life, the Law should reveal sin and teach good deeds. Paul rejected this concept. He wrote to the Galatians, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster” (Gal. 3:24,25). According to the formal principle of the Reformation, the Holy Word of God rises in this manner above the confessional books. The Law and how it functions also has been discussed in Laestadianism's circles. This has taken place especially during times of schism. The disagreements have concerned the third use of the Law. This was a central subject of contention in the discussions at the end of the 1800s and beginning of the 1900s, when the New Awakened and Firstborn separated from the original Laestadianism. Conservativism retained the original understanding of Laestadianism: the Law does not belong to a Christian. Also, during the schism of the 1930s, the third function of the Law was one of the reasons for disagreement, though more covertly. Grace as a Teacher Rejection of the third function of the Law has not led the children of God to permissiveness of sin. We have received another teacher in place of the Law, for God has given us His Spirit to be our home tutor (Rom. 6:14-18; Gal. 2:19-21; Gal. 5:13). The grace of God has come to guide us, instead of the Law, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world (Tit. 2:11,12). The wholesome grace of God that brings salvation does not teach one to commit sin but gives strength to fight against it. Grace does not teach differently than the Ten Commandment Law. However, the judgment and curse of the Law have been removed because Christ has fulfilled the Law. The apostles wrote to the people of their time many words of instruction, teaching, and rebuke. We, too, need the instructions of love contained in the gospel. They are not the Law. They are not given to us so that, by following them, we would become acceptable or righteousness before God. The instructions are necessary so that we would be able to preserve the righteousness of Christ, which we have received through faith without our own achievements and merits. The instructions strengthen and support the teaching of wholesome grace, which we hear as the voice of the conscience. Believers want to journey as children of the light. The wholesome grace of God leads us to the light. Paul uses beautiful descriptive language, when he emphasizes the value of the gospel, “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6). In the gospel's shining light, not even the best endeavorer will accrue merits. Our security is the forgiveness of sins because of Christ's merit.

Juhani Uljas | 2000 The Treasure Hidden In a Field -- When I was a young man, I had an interest in spiritual subjects. I considered myself to be a believer, but I wasn't sure about it. I had the understanding about Laestadian Christians that, in discussion, they would very quickly turn the topic to matters of faith and would encourage one to repent. And this they did to me, also. I thought then that they certainly are difficult people. However, those discussions forced me to consider what repentance is. Although they tried to explain the matter to me, I did not comprehend it. I rebuffed the offers, but God did not leave me at peace. When His time was come, I received the grace of repentance. Only then did I begin to understand that repentance was not my work, but that of God. It was His gift, which I accepted when it was offered to me. He also brought about a receptive mind. In my case, it required time and removal of my own ideas and strength. That event turned the direction of my life. It signified a deeper change than I then comprehended. Almost five decades have passed since then, during which the world has changed. Apparently, people have an even more obscure understanding than before of what repentance means. Many people think that repentance takes place when a person corrects his life so that it is more in accordance with God's Word, avoiding sin and doing good. Such a self-made repentance is the building of self-righteousness. It is not acceptable before God. Even many persons, who are correctly believing, mix repentance with the setting aside of sin and correction of matters, which takes place in confession. Repentance and confession are separate matters. Scripture and Confessional Books Teach About Repentance In the new [Finnish] Church Bible, the word “repentance” has been changed to conversion in some instances, but the content of the matter has not changed. God shows man that the direction of his way and life is wrong, and thus requires a change of direction. In repentance or conversion, there is not a question of checking the direction but of changing it. Neither is there a question of mere “surface remodeling,” nor even of a fundamental change for the better, but of construction on an entirely new foundation. Scripture also contains other expressions that mean the same as repentance. Of them, rebirth probably has the most significance. It describes in detail what is at issue in repentance. The Pharisee Nicodemus did not comprehend the necessity of new birth, even though Jesus taught him (John 3:1-21). Do we comprehend? When He started His public activity, Jesus proclaimed, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). In this condensed program announcement are found the crucial matters relative to repentance: God's kingdom, penitence, and believing the gospel. It also shows that the preaching of repentance has a central place in the work of God's kingdom. Christ's forerunner, John the Baptist, preached in the same manner (Matt. 3:2). Just before He ascended into heaven, Christ still reminded His disciples, “Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:46,47). The speech of Paul at the Areopagus in Athens culminated in the admonition to repent, “But now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30). The Scriptures give us many examples, how people have repented when approached by God. The Old Testament describes the repentances of the high priest Joshua (Zech. 3) and King David (2 Sam. 12:1-13). The New Testament again depicts how the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32); the thief on the cross (Luke 23:39-43); the Ethiopian Queen's eunuch (Acts 8:26-39); the Pharisee, Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:1-18); and the Roman centurion Cornelius (Acts 10) received the grace of repentance. Each of the people mentioned was different. Their spiritual backgrounds and the outward framework of their repentances differed. But on each occasion, penitence and the receiving of the forgiveness of sins were clearly in evidence. Also present was God's congregation, to whom the resurrected Christ left the office to preach the forgiveness of sins in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Apology of the Augsburg Confession states that the doctrine regarding repentance should be the brightest and clearest of all in the church. The doctrine of repentance and the doctrine of justification belong closely together, for the doctrine of penitence [repentance] ought to be as clear and plain as possible in the church (XXI:41 and XII:59) The Augsburg Confession, for its part, stipulates that repentance actually contains two parts. One is penitence, or the fear caused by consciousness of sin, which presses upon the conscience. The second is faith, which is born of the gospel, the remission of sins. Faith trusts in the fact that one's sins are forgiven for the sake of Christ. This gives consolation for the conscience and frees it from fear. After this will follow good deeds, which are the fruits of repentance (XII:3-6). Repentance, from beginning to end, is the work of God, which includes penitence caused by consciousness of sin, believing the gospel, and a new life. God calls man to Him, awakens the conscience, and engenders sorrow over sin. “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death” (2 Cor. 7:10). The Call of God A person loses his childhood faith because of sin and disobedience. Many do not even know when such a loss took place. Faith, even the faith of a child, needs care. If God's Word is not allowed to care for a conscience, the faith-connection to God is severed. A person raised in a believing home and there rooted into God's kingdom may remember how sins that one couldn't put away piled up on the conscience. Little by little the conscience hardened and stopped admonishing him. The flame of faith was extinguished. God's Spirit departed because of disobedience, and it was replaced by the spirit of the world. The extinguishing of faith is not always a slow event. It is rapid, for example, when a believer falls into public sins and does not want to repent and give them up. In this way, he denies his faith by his manner of life. However, God does not forget a person who has turned his back to Him, but calls the person, who has lost his faith, back into fellowship with Him. The person hears the call of God in his conscience. God calls the person who has lost faith in many ways: through difficulties in life, suffering, and the example of others, but especially by His Word. The drift of the prodigal son's life into a dead end brought him to a stop. The father's home, which he had once wanted to leave, came to mind in a different light. Many have experienced a near one's death as a reminder from God. Unavoidably, the thought has come, “Someday, perhaps soon, it will be my turn to leave. What will be my condition or portion at that time?” A serious illness can stop a busy person. The things that filled life earlier now fall into the background, and the person's relationship to God begins to occupy the mind. The repentance of a friend or a relative touches a person even if he tries to relate to it with indifference or even scorn. God calls a person especially through the preaching of His Word. The gatherings of the believers are occasions in which the Holy Spirit teaches the way of salvation. Often the matters that were learned in childhood and the instructions of Scripture also remind and rebuke the sinner. When a person's interest in matters of faith has been kindled, his heart opens to God's Word, and he no longer wants to close it. But borrowing words from the handbook, Christian Doctrine: “Man can, however, reject God's calling. At that time, he presents many defenses in order to avoid standing in the light of God's face. In this way, he sinks still deeper into indifference and hardens his heart. This can lead to spiritual death” (CD 69). God's Word warns us not to harden our hearts if we hear His voice today (Heb. 3:15). Awakening God's call awakens the conscience of man. Christian Doctrine describes the awakening in this way: “When God stops a sinner before Him, he is compelled to see his true state. He sees that he has broken God's commandments. He begins to grasp that he not only has individual sins, but that the direction of his entire life is wrong. But in addition to distress over sin, in him awakens a drawing to the Savior and a hope that in spite of all the Savior will not reject him. This distress over sin and longing for grace before God is called awakening” (CD 70). The prodigal son awakened in a foreign land to see his sinfulness. He remembered how all was well in the Father's home and decided to return. Sometimes, repentance is viewed as having taken place at that point. If this interpretation were correct, then the redemption work of Christ would have been in vain. Repentance would be a person's own decision. The grace of God, which seeks and saves, would be unnecessary. “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (Eph. 5:14). Awakening is not yet repentance, even though repentance includes the awakening of the conscience. Consciousness of Sin An awakened person becomes aware of having committed sin against God. He remembers deeds and speech that his conscience condemns as wrong. They press upon his conscience. However, sin is not only known deeds and words, but it is much more. Those individual matters are only the tip of the iceberg. “Sin is the falling away of the heart from God” (CD 23). Having completed creation, God examined His resultant work; He saw all, including man, to be good. However, in the Fall, the nature of man was corrupted so that his desire turned to evil and he became an enemy of God (Col. 1:21). This poor heritage from the first people is common to all mankind. It is called inherited sin. From this internal corruption proceed evil thoughts, speech, and deeds, which are called actual sin (CD 21, CD 22). These deeds are fruits of original sin and unbelief. A scribe once came to Jesus and asked, “What is the greatest commandment of all in the Law?” Jesus answered, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength, and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Mark 12:28). A sin-fallen, unbelieving person, cannot love God, because he is God's enemy. Therefore, even his best deeds do not take him closer to God. God does not presume that an awakened person would comprehend the entire depth of his corruption of sin. It is sufficient for God that man recognizes that he has transgressed against Him and that by his own deeds man cannot be reconciled with God but needs pardon. Penitence The awakened person begins to seek God's kingdom so that he can hear the gospel. The prodigal son thought, “I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no longer worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants” (Luke 15:18,19). Repentance is a change of heart. In it, a person regrets his sins and wants to turn away from them. The question is of the consciousness of sin and not the listing of sins. “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight” (Ps. 51:4). “Contrition is the genuine terror of a conscience that feels God's wrath against sin and is sorry that it has sinned. This contrition takes place when God's Word denounces sin” (Apology of the Augsburg Confession XII:29). Believing the Gospel According to Luther, true contrition is the work of the Holy Spirit. (The first debate with the Antinomians). It leads to believing the gospel. In his book, “The Last Testament of the Bloody King, Our Lord Jesus Christ-An Explanation of the Sacrament of the Holy Supper,” Luther counsels the contrite person, “It is the correct path that you come there, where My Word is, and hear it, and receive it in faith; then you will be freed from sin in My Word of grace.” He warns about contrition without faith, “If you had all of the contrition in the world, but no faith, then it would be the contrition of Judas, which angers rather than appeases God. Nothing will turn the affection of God toward us except that we give Him the honor that He is the God of truth and grace. It is done only by the person who believes His Word.” Christian Doctrine makes this teaching by Luther briefer, “Penitence without faith is despair” (CD 71). The most important part of repentance, therefore, is believing the gospel. True repentance is not possible without God's kingdom and its preaching of remission coming within hearing distance. The important duty of the congregation of God is to proclaim the gospel of the forgiveness of sins to the penitent person. According to the Augsburg Confession, “True repentance is nothing but contrition and fear because of sin and, at the same time, faith in the gospel and absolution.” The questions is of faith in this, that sin has been forgiven and grace has been received through Christ. Again, this faith consoles and satisfies the heart. It is followed also by improvement of one's life and leaving sin, for these must be the fruit of repentance. As John the Baptist says in the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance” (Matt. 3:8). New Life When a penitent person believes the gospel, new birth occurs: he becomes a child of God. Life in faith and the fellowship of God's kingdom begins at this point. God's grace brings about the improvement of life. It teaches him to reject godless ways and to live a godly life before God and men. Christ's Spirit awakens in the heart of one who has been helped to believe the desire for a new life and also gives him the strength for this. When sin attaches and makes the journey slow, he wants to put sin away and believe it forgiven (Heb. 12:1-2). A believer does not become perfect; he commits sin every day in thought, word, and deed. We are both sinful and righteous at the same time. However, the direction of life changes. The first sign of this is love. The relationship to God changes to one between a child and a loving Father. The children of God, brothers and sisters, become dear. The heart begins to be ruled by the wholesome grace of God, obedience of faith, and the correct fear of God. It is the fear of a child, in which one cries out to the Heavenly Father, “Abba, dear Father.” Thus begins the endeavor of a Christian.

Juhani Uljas | 2000 The Treasure Hidden In a Field -- As a young man, I attended a spiritual gathering. The speaker at the occasion was a traveling pastor, who also sold religious literature. I purchased some volumes of Luther's Selected Works. I got them cheap as they were the last of an old printing. I do not remember whether I purchased them to actually read them, or merely to support a good cause. However, I glanced through them at home and became interested in the book, entitled “Regarding the Keys.” On various occasions, I had discussed with my Conservative Laestadian friends about matters concerning faith. They often spoke about the keys and the authority of the keys. Of what opinion might Luther be regarding the matter in question? I thought that Luther surely would deal with the matter on the basis of the Catholic church's practices. I had read church history in school and had been interested in it even. But it certainly was possible that I would find in Luther's views some enlightenment on the question that had started to occupy my mind. I read and underlined the portions that, in my mind, were most essential and worth remembering. One portion stopped me. Luther wrote that the keys are an office or power given to Christendom by God to forgive people their sins. He based his understanding on the place in the New Testament (Matt. 9:6), in which it is described how Jesus forgave the sins of the paralyzed man and only after that healed him and how the crowds of people praised God, Who had given such authority to man. Luther further said, that God does not forgive sins in any other way. So Luther was of the same opinion as my Laestadian friends on this, that God has left the office to His congregation to forgive sins and that an unbelieving person cannot receive peace for his conscience unless he hears and believes the preaching of the forgiveness of sins. I did not immediately go to tell my friends that they were correct and that I was in error. I did not admit that my argument, that God can forgive sins in many ways, was a Pharisaic fantasy although Luther so labeled it. It was not easy to give up my own opinions and humble myself to be a beggar of grace. My structures began to crumble and my foundations give way. I had to ponder over and over again how God gives faith and peace of conscience to a person who is seeking and yearning for Him. God Has Instituted the Office of Preaching Probably, I am not the only person who has found it difficult to accept the fact that God has given to people the duty of preaching remission. This was the way it was in the time of Jesus. When He preached the forgiveness of sins to the man with the palsy, the scribes became angry and thought, “He is blaspheming God” (Mark 2:5-7; Matt. 9:2,3; Luke 5:20,21). I did not comprehend the matter either until I received the grace of repentance. Only after that, have I understood that the office of the preaching of reconciliation is a deeply scriptural matter that belongs to God's salvation plan. Paul writes to the Corinthians, “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:19). God was in Christ, He suffered, died and atoned for the sins of men in this manner. When the spear of the Roman soldier pierced the side of Christ, the holy atoning blood that flowed from it extinguished God's anger and fulfilled the demands of His righteousness. Christ's blood did not flow to dry on the rock of Golgatha and merely be a historic fact within our reach. God preserved its sermon of atonement, so that the purity and forgiveness that it provides would be therein offered to the penitent sinner. Having arisen, Christ appeared in the midst of His disciples behind closed doors. He brought the greetings of the peace made upon the cross. He showed His pierced hands and side as signs of victory. He breathed on His disciples and said, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosoever sins ye retain, they are retained” (John 20:19-23). In this manner, the disciples received the office and the authority to preach the forgiveness of sins. The resurrected Lord bound himself to the sermon of His disciples. This office was not received only by those disciples of Jesus to whom He gave it himself; it has been received by all who have themselves believed the sermon of the forgiveness of sins. Man is truly unfit for this duty, but God has made His child fit for it. “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament” (2 Cor. 3:5,6). The Office of Preaching Is the Function of the Holy Spirit The office of preaching is not bound to anything visible, such as the sacraments. An examination or demonstration of skill is not required of this office holder, as is demanded of one in the official outward office of the priesthood. The duty, nevertheless, has its own qualifications. This is clarified by the cited portion of the Gospel of John, in which Christ gave His disciples the authority to forgive sins. The office of preaching atonement is the office of the Holy Spirit. Paul reveals the same matter in this manner, “We have this ministry, as we have received mercy” (2 Cor. 4:1). The Holy Spirit dwells in the heart of the pardoned sinner and authorizes him as a holder of the office of the Spirit without taking into consideration education or gender. The Office of Preaching Builds One Congregation of Christ In the Acts of the Apostles, it tells how the disciples set out to fulfill their missionary duty. Jesus had given it to them on Easter evening and renewed it before He ascended into heaven. When the promise of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit had been fulfilled, the apostles preached the gospel of the resurrected Christ to the people gathered. God blessed their sermon and a large group believed. Luke concludes his description of the first Pentecost services, "And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved" (Acts 2:47). The office of preaching gathers the gospel's believers into the fellowship of the congregation. The Holy Spirit builds Christ's church through it. When man receives the grace of new birth, the Holy Spirit does not leave him an orphan and separate, but joins him to the body of Christ as a living member. No one can take the office of preaching out of the congregation. The words and the outward form of the proclamation can be borrowed but its power cannot. Luther reveals the unity of the office of preaching and the congregation that is ruled by the Holy Spirit in this way, "There is no Word of God without the congregation, nor is there a congregation without the Word of God." By saying this, he does not mean the written, but, specifically, the preached Word of God.