Why am I a Lutheran, and a stick in the mud kind at that? There is real freedom in admitting to God just who I really am, deep down. I’m a sinner. I’ve failed to do what pleases God, but especially I’ve failed to be what pleases God. That’s not only about dos and don’ts. It’s about being willing to receive the love of God, and then to share His mercy, grace, and peace with others. In short, I am not a whole person. I admit, I can’t change anything about me deep down, about what really matters. I can put on nice clothes and be nice to puppies and friends after a cup of coffee takes the edge off. But I’m inclined to lie about who I really am. So as a Lutheran, I’m glad God’s law smacks me in the face so that I see things for what they really are. God really is God, and I’m not.
But that’s less than ½ the reason I’m a Lutheran. The real reason I feel so good about confessing who I really am is that God is righteous, holy and good. He’s so good that the Son of God became man in order to bear the weight of my sin, its penalty, cost, destructiveness, blindness, and selfishness. He took that inside of Him and carried it to death, to His death on a cross. He died for me, for you, for the entire world. Although God knows what is in us, He so loves us as to pay the price of our treason, pardon our running away from life, and restore us to fellowship we Him. He comes to us so that we begin to experience the freedom of faith and the fruit of love. Through the forgiveness of our sins He brings us into His life, restoring us to what really matters. We are not only sinners, we are also saints. In a few words, that is why I am a Lutheran. The summary of it all is Christ crucified for sinners.
But that’s less than ½ the reason I’m a Lutheran. The real reason I feel so good about confessing who I really am is that God is righteous, holy and good. He’s so good that the Son of God became man in order to bear the weight of my sin, its penalty, cost, destructiveness, blindness, and selfishness. He took that inside of Him and carried it to death, to His death on a cross. He died for me, for you, for the entire world. Although God knows what is in us, He so loves us as to pay the price of our treason, pardon our running away from life, and restore us to fellowship we Him. He comes to us so that we begin to experience the freedom of faith and the fruit of love. Through the forgiveness of our sins He brings us into His life, restoring us to what really matters. We are not only sinners, we are also saints. In a few words, that is why I am a Lutheran. The summary of it all is Christ crucified for sinners.
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