What Do We Seek At Church?
February 9th, 2013
If we see ourselves as sinners (damned by our thoughts, words and deeds) we will go to church to hear the Gospel Word and to be gifted the forgiveness of sins in the Sacraments. However, if we reject original sin and see ourselves as morally neutral, we will go to church to be encouraged in our pursuit of being more moral, achieving an anthropocentric goal, and actualizing our purpose. In the first scenario, the churchman goes to church hungry knowing that he will receive free warm bread. In the second scenario, the churchman goes to church denying both his need of the free bread and the gift of the warm bread, yet wanting recipes and pointers on how to make the bread himself.
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Pr. Richard – I think you have either presented church attendance as a false dichotomy or overlooked a third (better?) option. Certainly, we go to church to hear the Gospel and to be assured of our forgiveness. But, if we go to church with the confidence that we will hear the Gospel and the assurance of forgiveness, aren’t be also going to church to be equipped to be the faithful presence of Christ in our broken world?
@Johan Bergfest #1
Johan,
You bring up a very good point my friend.
The one concern that I have is that it is easy to make Jesus a means to another end, rather than the end. Let me give an example by contrasting two positions.
-Jesus is the means to every spiritual blessing; He is a means to another end (i.e., Jesus helps me attain and equips me for holiness and joy.)
-Jesus is the source of every spiritual blessing; He is the end (i.e., Jesus is my holiness and joy.)
With that said, the brief post highlights the different motives of going to church based on one’s presupposition of original sin. When one understands their depravity, they go to receive warm bread. When one rejects the second article of the Augsburg Confession, they unfortunately go to church denying their need of the free bread and the gift of the warm bread, yet wanting recipes and pointers on how to make the bread himself.
Thanks for your comment/post. God’s grace and peace to you today and as you attend the divine service tomorrow.
PAX
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. [...] If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
John 15:4, 10-11 ESV