Don't Get it Twisted- Weekly Words with Brandon Moore

October 28th is a BIG DAY in the ETS world.

 

We’ve got Mike Matheny (former Cardinals catcher and Cardinals/Royals manager) coming to ETS for the men.

 

We’ve got Meredith Floyd (incredible women’s ministry speaker and wife to Nick Floyd, our Senior Pastor at Cross Church) coming to ETS for the women.

 

More details will come, but you won’t want to miss this one!

 

 

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Let’s talk about Martin Luther for a second. The German Reformer is best known for hammering the 95 Thesis on the doors of the Catholic Church in 1517. That moment was the fuel it took for a burning ember of reformation to become a full out blazing fire. What to Luther likely seemed as a list of deep concerns, ended up sparking the Protestant Reformation. Our denomination, Southern Baptist, is here in large part to that moment. 

 

How did he become the great reformer? 

 

Well, after being nearly struck by lightning in 1505, he committed his life to being a monk. He enrolled in a monastery not far from his home and began seeking God. His primary search was for peacebefore God and joy with Him. Luther knew he was a sinner and was earnest in his desire to change that. 

 

His primary method of looking for peace and joy came by way of confession. 

 

Luther would often spend up to 6 hours per day confessing his sins to the priest. Just about the time he would finish his confessional, he would realize that many times we humans are sinning without even realizing it. This thought would drive him insane–how are we supposed to confess sins we don’t realize we’re doing?

 

For 10 years Luther spent his every effort in that monastery trying to earn God’s righteousness.

 

It wasn’t until he was lecturing through the Psalms when everything changed. Psalm 71 says, “Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape…” 

 

This fundamentally shifted how Luther thought about righteousness. He believed God was righteous, but viewed God’s righteousness as the primary means by which God would one day judge him as a sinner. Never before had Martin Luther viewed God’s righteousness as the means by which a sinner could be delivered from their sin.

 

This set Luther on a mission to study “righteousness” in the Bible. Doubtless, he came across our passage from this week.

 

1Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,2to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.3For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.4But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,5he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,6whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,7so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
–Titus 3:1-7

 

Eventually Luther’s conscious was cleared–not because of his own righteousness or ability to finally confess all of his sins–but because “when the goodness and loving kindness of God our savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior…”

 

This passage actually speaks to two different kinds of righteousness. We’ll go to another teaching of Luther’s to understand it. 

 

Luther taught about Coram Deo and Coram Mundo.

 

Coram Deo is “righteousness before God” and is something we receive.

 

Coram Mundo is “righteousness before the world” and is something we do.

 

 

The distinction between passive righteousness and active righteousness can be summed up by this statement: 

 

“God does not need our good works, but our neighbor does.”
–Martin Luther, again.

 

In general, the evangelical community has received the grace of God with open arms. We have heard passages like Ephesians 2:8-9 so often it’s embedded into our bones. 

 

8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,9not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
–Ephesians 2:8-9

 

We know there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation. That comes from God alone. Titus 3:1-7 plants us firmly on a tension point. We must be people who receive God’s righteousness (not because of our own works of righteousness) and in turn display good works to the world. 

 

This is why Paul says, “Remind them…” Even the early church needed to be reminded–this is not about you. 

 

God is accomplishing a work in this world and that work often comes on the heels of the people of God serving the world. 

 

What would it look like today for every single one of us, that has received God’s grace and righteousness, to be “ready for every good work.” 

 

Do you have eyes to see those good works right in front of you? 

 

Here’s my encouragement:

 

Spend time with Jesus and get two things clear:

 

1. There’s nothing you can do to earn God’s righteousness.

2. Now you’re expected to go live righteously before the world. (Not as a means to earn anything from God, but to give something to His creation.)

 

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you receive God’s righteousness and ask the same Spirit to give you eyes to see where your good works are needed.

 

I promise He has something for you. 

 

Brandon Moore