David Bahn – Reflections

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, ² but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. ³ In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. ⁴ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

⁸ Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. ⁹ But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? ¹⁰ You observe days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹ I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

During a very long call process at Hope Lutheran Church the Call Committee members began to get discouraged. They had been at work for more than 2 years and at that time they were wondering if their work was all in vain. They had issued two calls which had been declined. Another wrinkle in the process had cropped up. The list of candidates they had most recently received provided no good possibilities as they explored the list. They wondered if their work had been in vain.

Parents who see their children grow up in a Christian home, having been taught God’s word, and done all they could to raise them in the Christian faith – only to see them abandon the faith. They go to college and someone entices them away from the faith. Or through any number of circumstances a child grows up and completely disconnects from family, faith, and God. A faithful employee sees a colleague who cheats, lies, and steals gets the promotion. A faithful husband discovers his wife is having an affair. The list goes on and on. People wonder whether their faithfulness, godliness, integrity, and effort to do good is all in vain.

A child grows up and by the age of 14 learns that being good doesn’t pay off. At least that’s the way they see it. There is no quid pro quo; goodness in blessings out does not happen. The books seem never to be balanced. Evil seems always to get away with it. That is part of the key to all this. We don’t fight the battle of faithfulness without enemies within and without. Our sinful flesh, the world itself, and the devil conspire to bring evil upon even the faithful. Just ask Job.

Paul worries that his work among the Galatians might have been in vain. But he knows better. He writes to the Corinthians, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). He knows better, but he warns the Galatian Christians not to let the message of Jesus be shared with them in vain. He is appealing to their better nature, and calling them back to faith in Jesus and away from anything that would trust in themselves for life and salvation.

We may not need that kind of reminder, except that any time we believe we can guarantee a good outcome by our efforts we are in danger of setting aside the true message of Jesus. His grace and truth are the foundation upon which we can build a life strong in hope and joyful in freedom. Our hope is in Jesus. Our freedom is in him, and in taking ourselves off the hook of engineering a good outcome by means of our own efforts. That freedom is made possible by his death. That hope is secured in the resurrection of Jesus.

Our labor in the Lord is never in vain. Paul will say that to the Galatians later in this letter: “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9). That’s a good reminder for all of us.

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, ² but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. ³ In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. ⁴ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

⁸ Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. ⁹ But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? ¹⁰ You observe days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹ I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

I was in my first semester of my first year of seminary. Sitting with 20 other “Sem one’s” in Dr. Heino Kadai’s Church History class when he asked a question. “Do you know why we Lutherans don’t baptize by immersion?” No one ventured a guess. “It’s not because we believe you cannot be baptized by immersion.” Still no one offered an answer. Finally I offered what I thought was a reasonable explanation and answer, “Well, the idea of drowning little babies isn’t very appealing.” The class burst into laughter.

He stifled a laugh and said, “No, actually that’s not the reason. We don’t baptize by immersion because the bana-baptists insisted that the only valid means of baptism is by immersion.” Luther felt compelled, under those circumstances to refuse to practice baptism by immersion – even though he would otherwise have preferred this mode of baptism. He noted that immersion was practiced historically. He saw it as symbolically rich, particularly in representing dying and rising with Christ (Romans 6:3-4). But he emphasised that the mode was not the important thing. The key, for him, was the faithfulness to Christ’s institution of baptism and the proclamation of God’s promise through water and the Word.

Paul was dealing with people who were saying certain ceremonies (circumcision being one of the main ones) were essential to full expression of the Christian faith. This is why he expressed his displeasure about their celebration of certain days and months and seasons and years. To require these observances as essential to the true faith was antithetical to the truth of the Gospel.

The Lutheran Confessions express it this way, “It is not necessary for the true unity of the Christian church that uniform ceremonies, instituted by human beings, be observed everywhere.” To impose only a certain type of worship, specific instrumentation (or prohibition of such), architecture or style of music on a church or group as essential to the true faith is antithetical to the freedom we have in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We all have our preferences. And as long as we keep them in that category no problem. We acknowledge all modes of baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We recognize that not all people everywhere will find just one type of hymnody edifying or beneficial. But take Christ away, and his message of grace and truth, and we can end up clinging to our preferences to our shame and eternal harm. Better we cling to Jesus and his word.

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, ² but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. ³ In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. ⁴ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

⁸ Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. ⁹ But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? ¹⁰ You observe days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹ I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

It will soon be New Years Day as I write this. Many parties will have been attended, celebrations marked, and resolutions made. Some will have toasted the New Year with Champagne. Others will have sealed it with a kiss. Some will have gone to bed early. Some will try to sleep in this morning as you read this.

Then there is the matter of the various sports seasons. The year end football frenzy is upon us: college football bowl games and NFL League Championships will capture household TV screens – which grow bigger and brighter and with growing resolution (8K Ultra High Definition is now 7680 x 4320 pixels. This equates to approximately 33 million pixels, providing four times the detail of 4K UHD TVs and sixteen times that of Full HD (1080p) TVs!!!) Do I need a new TV so I can see the hairs on the chinny chin chins of the defensive linemen? I’m thinking not. But football season is in full swing now. Basketball is front and center for many. March Madness is just around the corner.

The United Nations has named 2025 the International Year of Cooperatives. While also suggesting 2025 as being the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation. Or how about the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology? Another UN designation.

Days and seasons and years: we all have our ways of marking them. And while there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with football season, or Ultra High Definition TV, or even cooperatives or glaciers, there is a better way to consider days, seasons, and years.

Let’s start by reclaiming the phrase, “the year of our Lord.” This is the meaning of AD when we append those initials to the date: 2025 AD. Let’s not only reclaim the phrase, let’s seek to remember that our time is in God’s hands (Psalm 31:15). This (and every year) is the year of our Lord.

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom,” Moses reminds us in Psalm 90. Our days are numbered. We may not know their number. But we must remember that there is an ending of them for each of us. While many people seem more afraid of living as the end grows near, and the pain increases, and the troubles pile up, we must learn to live each day unto God. “This is the day the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it!” By the way, that’s from Psalm 118, which is used on Easter Sunday, coming right after, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord‘s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:22-23). Jesus was the stone rejected by the builders who rose from the dead and secured our eternal salvation.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

² a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
³ a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
⁴ a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

-Ecclesiastes 3:1-4

We do not know what tomorrow will bring. But we do know that God is in every moment and place, situation, and event we experience. Jesus urges us to watch and wait for his appearing, recognizing his grace and goodness in every moment, and rejoicing in his goodness and mercy all the days, seasons, and years of our lives.

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, ² but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. ³ In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. ⁴ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

⁸ Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. ⁹ But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? ¹⁰ You observe days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹ I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

Iris | Houston, TX | April 2024

It may not really be fair. After all mom does most of the work. Carrying the child for nine months in her womb. Struggling through labor (my wife says they call it that for a reason!). Caring for the newborn baby, nursing him or her, then maybe handing the child off to Dad for the diaper change. Then after all that often the first words of a child is dada, “daddy!” Or in Hebrew or Aramaic, it might be “Abba.”

Joachim Jeremias, the (in)famous German theologian and scholar popularized the idea that Abba means “Daddy,” in 1966. But many scholars now argue that this oversimplifies the term. While Abba does express the intimacy of a child with their father, it’s not identical to “Daddy” as we might use it in modern English. It carries the weight of both a childlike trust and an adult acknowledgment of authority. For Christians, calling God Abba is a profound reminder of our adoption as His children and the close, loving relationship we have with Him through Christ.

The idea that we can call the King of the Universe, “Abba” is a radical idea. This is the Creator of all that exists, the King of kings and Lord of lords. So we call him “Abba?” Daddy? Papa? Father? We do. And this is a reflection of the revolutionary closeness of the relationship between God and His children, as made possible through Jesus. But it is also an acknowledgement of our adoption through Christ.

This is Paul’s point here. Because we have been redeemed by Christ, we are now God’s sons and heirs according to his promise. We have the gift of the Holy Spirit. So he says: “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

There were times in my life when I did not act like my father’s son. I didn’t honor my earthly father as I should have. I must confess to having sullied my dad’s name, our family name. But my dad did not disown me. He continued to love me, to welcome me as his son. I am thankful for that!

As I reflect on my relationship with our sons, I have a better understanding of this gift and honor. I’m sure there are things one of them could do that would cause me to want to disown him. But I cannot imagine what it would be. They are my sons. I love them. I want them to call to me when they are in need, and to thank me for the ways in which I have blessed them through the years.

Theirs will be a worldly inheritance. As good as that may prove to be, it is nothing compared to the eternal inheritance that is ours through God’s grace in Jesus Christ. So we call God Abba as a sign of intimate love and great respect.

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, ² but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. ³ In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. ⁴ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

⁸ Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. ⁹ But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? ¹⁰ You observe days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹ I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

I don’t really know how to draw a modern-day parallel to the standing of a minor compared to a slave in Paul’s day. There are some limitations imposed on a minor. Everything from contracts, to voting, to alcohol and tobacco, driving, marriage, and legal accountability is limited for minors. These limitations are in place to ensure safety, development, and preparation for adulthood, though they may sometimes feel restrictive to the individuals they are designed to protect.

Our limitations before Christ are even more severe than a minor’s. How can we possibly stand before the King of the Universe and hope to gain access to his riches in our sinful, fallen, and broken condition? This goes beyond the matter of individual sins. These misdeeds, sins, failures, and wrongs testify to a deeper brokenness. We are not sinners because we sin. We sin because we are sinners.

But we must not try to use that as an excuse for sinning. Knowing that we are sinners reminds us of our need for Christ, but it does not diminish our responsibility to strive toward godly living. We do not use our sinful nature as a justification for sinful behavior, because that would abuse God’s grace. As Paul says in Titus 2:11-12, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.”

Christ has come to redeem us from the curse and power of the law, not to enslave us to a life of giving into sinful desires and profligacy. We have been redeemed. And as Paul says in Romans 6, “We’ve died to sin, how shall we live in it any longer?”

There are times when I am reminded of past sins – things for which I am deeply ashamed and for which, if there is no grace and hope, I would be forever lost and condemned. But at the right time, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law to redeem us who would forever perish if it were not for his grace and forgiveness.

Growing up into Christ is not only a matter of becoming more spiritually mature. It is also a matter of becoming more deeply thankful for his redemption, forgiveness, grace, and love.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, ¹² training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, ¹³ waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

When Virginia, a beloved member of St. John, passed away recently, I was asked to do the funeral. I was honored to be asked, and made certain that Seth, the Lead Minister at St. John was agreeable to my participation – which he was. When I learned that her confirmation verse was this passage from Titus, I knew I would use it for her funeral message: The Grace of God Has Appeared. God’s grace appeared to Virginia. His grace appeared through her to us. God’s grace has appeared to all people in the birth of the Babe of Bethlehem.

God’s grace has appeared to bring salvation to all people. What a gift! What a blessing! And what implications there are to this salvation.

I regularly make the point that our good deeds, our resisting temptation, our faith, and our love for God does not cause God to save us. God’s salvation, his saving grace inspires our good deeds, resisting temptation, our faith and our love for God and for one another.

Because we have been saved, we know the foolishness of Satan’s temptations. Because we have been saved, we are moved to do good deeds. Because we have been saved, we love God and our neighbor. And as surely as night follows day, these things follow those who have been saved.

We may never do it all perfectly. But we must try our best to do what we can. We may never do it with the purest motives, but we must do it nevertheless.

The grace of God is not just a concept. God’s grace is a reality that has been revealed in the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord. He has redeemed us.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. …And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. – John 1:1, 14

When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

This passage is the clearest reference to the birth of Jesus outside of the accounts in Matthew and Luke. In the fullness of time. When the time was just right. When the Roman roads allowed safe travel. When the world was at peace (Pax Romana). When there was one language which allowed the Gospel to be communicated more universally.

Beyond that: when it was planned from eternity, and put into motion before the world began. When it became clear that the Law could not save. The people were yearning for a Messiah. The promises and prophecies were pointing to this time, place, and birth.

So the time has come to recall the story:

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ² This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ And all went to be registered, each to his own town. ⁴ And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. ⁶ And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

⁸ And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰ And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

¹⁵ When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. ¹⁷ And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. ¹⁸ And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰ And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. – Luke 2:1-20

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, ² which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.”

“Behold, I bring you good news of great joy for all the people, for unto you is born…a Savior who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). This Good News of Jesus shapes the whole of the New Testament. Paul leads with this in his magnum opus, the letter to the Romans. This letter contains theological insights and implications of the incarnation, life, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus.

In these opening verses of Romans Paul speaks of Jesus as both man and God. Jesus’ earthly life was in every way a testimony of his human nature. He never sinned, but he did sleep, weep, eat, teach, suffer and die. That is the stuff of human existence. It seems to me that we can easily swing from an over-emphasis on Jesus’ humanity to an over-emphasis of Jesus’ divinity. Truth is we need both.

The Bible is clear about this: We do not have a high priest who cannot empathise with our weaknesses, but one who was tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). God knows our frame. He knows that we are dust (Psalm 103:14). Jesus tasted the fullness of the human condition. And while he was without sin in his nature, he constantly rubbed up against sin in the people around him. Whether by the disbelief and mockery of his enemies, or the weight of human brokenness in people’s illnesses, or the failures even of his closest companions: Jesus knew the realities of sin.

But thousands of good men and women have come and gone who have lived exemplary lives, and made incredible sacrifices. Think Mother Teresa. Martin Luther. Paul himself. But none had power over death. None could raise the dead. None came back to life on the third day. None sit at the right hand of God. The best people who ever live have great limitations to their ability to help us in our hour of greatest need. But Jesus is God and has all power to help us in our greatest need.

Jesus is God. He lives to comfort, heal, bless, and save. He does that because he loves us. He is the Good News of God.

[God] raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ ²³ Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised.

This week, I will look at five passages in the New Testament outside of the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth, which refer to Jesus’ birth. As it happens, I have been looking at Galatians over the past few weeks, and Galatians 4 was in the plan for this week. Galatians 4:4 is one of the most clear references outside of the Gospels of the birth of the Savior. That passage will be our focus on Christmas Day.

Today’s passage is a reference to the Messiah as David’s Son. Throughout the Old Testament promise after promise detail the plan of God to save his people. That which was planned from the foundation of the world and humanly-speaking reached its climax in the reign of David. He was the king – following Saul – who inspired God’s people. He was at the acme of Israel’s kingdom. Everyone looked for a return to the glory days of David’s kingdom.

When the angel Gabriel announced Jesus’ coming birth to Mary, he said, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:32-33).

When Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem for the census ordered by Caesar Augustus, they went “to Bethlehem the town of David, because [Joseph] belonged to the house and line of David” (Luke 2:4-7).

Jesus is also David’s Lord, as Jesus – later in his ministry – proved: “While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, ‘What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?’ ‘The son of David,’ they replied. He said to them, ‘How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him “Lord”? For he says, “The Lord said to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.’” If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?’ No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions” (Matthew 22:41-46).

David was a man after God’s heart. But great as he was, David had great failures. It would be his progeny, Jesus of Nazareth, who would fulfill all that God promised, and all that David should have been.

Today we recognize Jesus not only as David’s Son, but also as his Lord. He is our Lord, too, the very Son of God. In fact if Jesus isn’t God he should be dismissed out of hand. But he is God in the flesh – a mystery of profound grace and truth. We worship the man Jesus who is God. We worship the Son of God, Jesus who took on human flesh for us. He is both David’s Son and David’s Lord, and our Savior from sin, death, and hell.