# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1882_S17 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) The Lutheran Pioneer, A MISSIONARY MONTHLY. PUBLISHED BY THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN SynopicaL ConFERENCE OF Norriy AMERICA. R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor. Entered at the Post Office at St. Louis, Mo., as second-class matter. Vol. IV. St. Louis, Mo., May, 1882. No. 5. A Finished Work. ‘*God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law,’’ says St. Paul (Gal. 4, 4. 5.). From this we learn that our redemption was the work which Christ came to do. And He did not do part of the work and left the other part for us todo. No! He finished the work of our redemption. The same Apostle says, ‘‘Christ hath redeemed us’’ (Gal. 3, 13.). And the whole Bible sets forth the work of our redemption as a finished work in which sinners are simply to trust with the calmness of ‘a sure confidence. Jesus Himself cried out upon the cross: ‘‘It is finished!’’ God the Father, by raising Christ from the dead on the third day, made known to all sinners that the work of their redemption is finished; and in Christ’s ascending to heaven leading our captivity cap- tive, we see the crowning proof that the work which He came to do is finished. The Apostles therefore, on the day of Pentecost, were filled with the Holy Ghost that they may, be preach- ers and witnesses of the finished work of re- demption to a sinful world. For the Gospel which they preached is not a doctrine which tells sinners what they must do in order to re- deem themselves and to earn salvation. No! The Gospel is the glad tidings of the finished work of our redemption. It tells sinners that they are redeemed by the precious blood of Christ from all sin, from death, and from the power of Satan. We know that in many a pulpit and in many a book of our days the anxious sinner is told to look to his own works, to his own holiness, to,his prayers for salvation. But that is not the Gospel. Oh no! The Gospel does not tell us what we must do in order to save ourselves, but it tells us what Christ has done for us and that by His suffer- ings and death we were redeemed more than eighteen hundred years ago. These glad tid- ings the Gospel brings to sinners and works in their hearts that true faith with which they simply rest on the finished work of Christ in the full assurance of eternal salvation. If you therefore, my dear reader, ask, “‘What must I do in order to earn salvation?’’ let that sweet hymn answer: “Nothing either great or small, Nothing, sinner, no! Jesus did it, did it all Long, long ago. “When He from His lofty throne Stoop’d to do and die, Everything was fully done— Hearken to His cry— ««¢T'7 Is FINISHED’: yes, indeed— Finished every jot. Sinner, this is all you need; Tell me, is it not? “Weary, working, plodding one, Wherefore toil you so? Cease your doing; all was done Long, long ago. “‘Till to Jesus’ work you cling By a simple faith, ‘Doing’ is a deadly thing— ‘Doing’ ends in death. “Cast your deadly ‘doing’ down— Down at Jesus’ feet; Stand rn Hix, in Him alone, Gloriously ‘CoMPLETE’.”” ——s- +o oo Church Festivals. In the month of May we this year celebrate two Church Festivals. The one is Ascension Day, which we celebrate in commemoration of Christ’s ascension to glory. The other is the Day of Pentecost, which we celebrate in com- memoration of the outpouring of the Holy Ghost on the Apostles. It surely cannot be wrong to:celebrate such festivals, as Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost. It must only be done without superstition and without the vain fancy that we thereby merit something in God’s sight. With such vain fancy those festivals are celebrated in the Ro- mish church. ‘The pope’s people set aside the Gospel and think that by celebrating those festivals they do God a great service and thereby merit His favor. Of such people the apostle Paul says, ‘Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain,” Gal. 4, 10.11. And again he says, ‘Christ is become of no effect unto you, who- soever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace,’’ Gal. 5,4. And to such people God says, ‘‘I hate, I despise your feast- days,” Amos 5,21. But the Lutheran Church does not celebrate those festivals with the vain fancy of thereby meriting God’s favor. No! We, in the exercise of our Christian liberty, celebrate those festivals for three reasons: First, That the sacred history may he learned in regular order. Second, That the great blessings which come to us through the events of which we are re- minded on those festival days may be particu- larly considered. Thus every Church festival comes to us as a welcome witness, proclaiming some wonderful work of God which he has done for our salvation. Third, That we may give due thanks to God especially for these benefits, and apply them to His glory and to our salvation. We say with the Psalmist: ‘‘I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings,’’ Psalm 77, 11. 12. We celebrate our Church festivals that we may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all the wondrous works of God (Psalm 26, 7.). ooo A pasror tells of a blind beggar sitting by the sidewalk on a dark night with a bright lantern by his side. Whereat a passerby was so puzzled that he-had to turn back with— ‘What in the world do you keep a lantern burning for? You can’t see!’’ ‘‘So’t, folks won’t stumble over me,’’ was the reply. We should keep our lights brightly burning for others’ sakes, as well as for the good of being ‘tin the light”’ ourselves. S —_—> —- oo oe TuEsE are the words of Annie of Austria to Cardinal Richelieu: ‘‘My Lord Cardinal, there is one fact which you seem to have entirely forgotten—God is a sure paymaster. He may not pay at the end of the week, month, or year, but I charge you, remember that He pays in the end.’’ —_» oor oe Many sweeten an error with truth, to make mei swallow it more readily.