On Monday, I spent the day in Bloomington with 80 pastors from the Augustana District discussing “The Heart of the Matter.” Luther said, “You can burn all my books but not The Bondage of the Will or my Small Catechism.” Every Sunday, we confess: “We are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves.” That isn’t just a pleasant forfeit. It isn’t asking for a little assistance. It is a true, honest, and frightful articulation of our present situation. We must be saved, and we cannot do it.
For your information, this is an assumption I bring to every service, every sermon, every visit, and every Bible study. You make choices on a regular basis–what to have for breakfast, what to wear, how to spend your money, etc.–still, sin is a constant threat and continues to dog you at every turn. As one of the presenters commented, “It’s Dr. Phil’s famous line: ‘And how’s that going for you?'” As Jean mentioned in last week’s eNews, there is real freedom in owning our sinful state and the constant pressure it asserts on our lives. Then, and only then, we do learn the real grace, mercy, and freedom which Christ came to bring! Your need to be saved has been met in Christ Jesus our Lord!
May you live in that freedom,
Pastor Culynn