“Shining for Jesus: Proclaiming Freedom”
January 14, 2024
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
What is a Christian? Really? I bet if you asked not only everyone in this sanctuary, but if you asked everyone in every single church here in Farmersville, you’d probably get at least hundreds of different responses. For some, being a Christian means living a certain lifestyle. For others it means going to church on Sunday. For still others, it may even mean voting a certain way, or fighting for a certain cause. But here’s the actual honest dictionary definition of a Christian: “A person who has received Christian baptism or is a believer in Christianity.” That’s actually a very broad definition – literally, thank God. For far too long we have tried to narrow down the definition of being a Christian, to the point of trying to cast people out of Christianity for arbitrary reasons. Instead, it’s time for us to focus on just that definition – a Christian is someone who has received Christian Baptism, and everything it means.
What Baptism most of all means is freedom. It is freedom from slavery to sin, fear of eternal death, and the power of the devil, yes. But it is also freedom from any kind of worry about whether we are committed enough, faithful enough, or holy enough for God.
We might tend to think that Baptism is a sign of our commitment to God, when it is actually the other way around: Baptism is a solid, concrete, and powerful sign of God’s commitment to us. It is not something we do, but something God does to us. It is also not something that is made effective by our own faith or feelings, but by the power of God working through it to accomplish great things in our hearts, minds, and lives. The method of Baptism, whether sprinkling, pouring, or dunking, does not in any way change the validity of the Baptism, nor does the age at which one is baptized: both infant and adult Baptisms are perfectly acceptable. Baptism is also not only a symbol, but it is God using ordinary water for something extraordinary: to unite us to the death and resurrection of Jesus, drowning our old self, and forming a “new us” every day. God’s commitment to us does not depend on our emotions or our feelings. The fervency of our prayers and devotions do not influence God’s commitment to us, because He still remains committed and close to us; in other words, the strength, or lack of strength, of our prayers have no effect on God’s faithfulness to us. He remains faithful no matter what, and, even though we may express our faith in God in different ways, He remains faithful in the same way towards each of us. Which even means that our worship, devotion, or prayer style does not cause God’s power to be more or less effective: He is still the same, and He still does the same, for us no matter how we worship or pray. Even if we feel far away from God at times, He is still committed to us. Baptism is also a visible sign of the promise that Jesus has done everything necessary for us to be saved: we contribute nothing to our salvation, nor do we guarantee our promise of eternal life by anything we do. It also means that we are free from any kind of anxiety over whether we have to feel a certain way, pray or worship a certain way, or express our faith and devotion to God in a certain to show how Christian we are. Whether or not we have said a certain prayer, or had a certain kind of mental or emotional experience, is of no consequence to our being able to call ourselves Christians. The fact we are baptized means we are Christian – and that is enough. Which, in turn, means that our personal performance has nothing to do with our salvation.
Of course, every other part of our life is governed by performance. When we work at our jobs, we have to keep in mind that we are evaluated every so often. In class, we’re expected to do the work so we can get points and good grades. We’re even expected to behave a certain way when we’re driving out on the roads. We have to do everything according to a certain standard to show we’re performing the way we’re supposed to. And we think that’s the same for being a Christian: we look at the Commandments, and what we think are rules we have to follow. But here’s the truth: our religion is not one that is performance-based. Anything that tries to define a true Christian by performance is false religion. We are not to measure ourselves by how closely we keep laws, rules, and regulations, especially human-made ones. Conforming to certain moral, political, social, or cultural standards or expectations is not what defines a Christian. Instead, we are free to live according to God’s direction, to how He guides us to live our lives where we are, and where we are in life. We are free to follow our conscience, as God directs. We also are to be free from any expectation of a certain kind of performance as being part of the church: being part of our church family is meant to be just that – being part of our family unconditionally. In other words, you’re simply valued as a part of our church family because you’re here, instead of based on what you can contribute. You are loved and treasured simply because of who you are, because God does that for you. As Peter says in today’s Second Reading, “God does now show favoritism, but accepts people from every nation who fear him and do what is right.” And what fearing Him and doing what is right means is simply trusting and following Him, in response to being made children of God in Baptism.
As part of God’s commitment to us in Baptism, one thing we are promised, as John the Baptist says, is that we are baptized with the Holy Spirit. Being baptized with the Holy Spirit is usually accompanied not by miraculous signs and wonders as we may think of them, but by faith for a daily walk with God. Again, this faith and daily walk is expressed in different ways by different people, yet it is still faith in the same God, Lord, and Savior. This faith and daily walk is also a response to being baptized, but it is still Baptism, and not a particular outward model, that defines being a Christian. It means being changed by the Holy Spirit more and more to become like Jesus, but, again, not to conform to a rigid outward model or standard, but to reflect the nature of Jesus.
And what a lot of this is talking about is the fact that, especially in the past few years, it seems as though legalism has been rearing its head in Christianity again. The definition of legalism is either “excessive adherence to law or formula,” or, more specifically for Christianity, “dependence on moral law rather than personal religious faith.” Legalism nowadays takes many forms: forbidding or requiring certain foods, drinks, media, and even insistence on voting for or against a certain political party or candidate. Anything that claims God has the same opinion on any issue that we do is legalism. It is also not limited to one particular side of the moral or political spectrum: to be straight up, any time standards for opinion on hot-button issues, or controversial issues of the day, are imposed on everyone, especially with any kind of threat of exclusion, then there is legalism. This has especially been the case with certain ongoing political and medical issues, and debates over what positions churches ought to take. And after twenty years in ordained ministry, I personally now want to take the opportunity, because I am able to, to give all Christians the freedom from such an approach, as has plagued Christianity for a long time. It’s time to move on from rules and statements, and follow Jesus instead. It is not the role of the sermon to say Christians should or shouldn’t do this or that, or should think this way, or respond this way to this issue. God has created us with consciences, and the most responsible way to follow God is to follow our consciences, which are guided by Him. Legalism blinds us to the truth of God’s love; imprisons us in guilt, hatred, and judgment; and causes us to sit in darkness, where we are unable to see who God really is and what He thinks of us. Today, and as Isaiah promises, Jesus Himself wants to open our eyes, free us from prison, and turn on the light, to free us from legalism and to live in joy, happiness, and freedom for Him instead.
If you have been struggling with wondering whether you are good enough for God, if you have done enough to guarantee your salvation, or whether you are following God’s rules enough, here is the truth: you can be free from struggling and worrying about all that today. Jesus has already fulfilled all the requirements for your being saved, and He has already obeyed the commandments perfectly on your behalf. Also, if you were raised in any kind of tradition, denomination, or church where you were expected to measure up to a certain standard, look a certain way, perform a certain way, or follow certain rules, know that none of what you experienced and what was expected of you was from God. If you have been made to feel guilty because you did certain things you were told, and led to believe, were “sinful” or “wrong,” then be free today from your guilt, because such condemnation is not from God. Also, if you have been made to feel guilty because you didn’t adhere to a certain doctrine, teaching, or practice “the right way,” then be free from your guilt – God looks on the heart, not on standards. Remember that because you are baptized, you are already a Christian – and nothing else matters. Let the reality of your Baptism free you from whatever shame was laid on you because of what was not of God, and let God Himself love you just as you are. In Baptism, God says, “You are my child, whom I love, with you I am well pleased.” You are baptized, so you are saved – and that is enough.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
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