Our World, His Law

Genesis 1:27-28, “So God created human beings in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” So our God made this world for us and placed us as stewards over all the creatures that live upon this world. As stewards we have a great responsibility to care for this world, not misuse, squander or waste the resources of this world. We are to utilize the gifts of this world to give glory to our Lord, in the service of God and for all humanity. In particular, these verses of Scripture are very important to those that promote the environmental agenda, such as the Care for Creation task force of the ELCA Greater Milwaukee Synod. God’s wisdom is obvious throughout all Scripture.

Why then do we fight our Lord and decide that our enlightened ideas supersede His authority and wisdom? Is it appropriate for us to pick and choose which parts of Scripture are valid for us and which we should disregard, based upon our modern sensibilities? By adopting the doctrine of bound conscience the ELCA has decided that, as a church body, they have the authority to decide what part of Scripture is valid for today. This doctrine allows those that have the audacity to believe that the Bible is God’s Word, true and infallible, for today and forever, to use their bound conscience to object to the sin of homosexuality. The ELCA actually believes that by allowing those that adhere to Scripture the right to object to this false doctrine, the ELCA will, by being so welcoming, tolerant, and inclusive, hold the moral high ground.

The definition of morality is as follows; conformity to the rules of right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong. The ELCA is deliberately obscuring those boundaries between right and wrong. By consenting to conduct that is specifically prohibited by Scripture, the ELCA sanctions those that choose to place themselves in authority of Scripture. In essence, they allow their members to be their own god and to make their own rules of conduct. 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, 17 so that all God’s people may be equipped for every good work.” All of Scripture is the subject of this verse in Paul’s letter to Timothy, not only those parts of Scripture that are agreeable to us. If, in society, we decide to disregard the laws that we disagree with, we will fall into anarchy and lose control of our society. If a church body decides that God’s law is no longer pertinent and advocates its membership to ignore those laws that are troubling to them, we fall from grace.

God’s grace is without measure. By His grace we are forgiven of all our sins, granted our salvation and a place in His house. Should we continue to act as petulant children and show disdain for our Lord by willfully disobeying His laws, we run the risk of losing that grace that is so freely given. The leaders of the ELCA need to turn back to God, respect and promote His Word, and begin leading their members on a path that leads to salvation. The ELCA must abandon this secular course of action and place Christ back as the center of our faith or it will surely endure a fall from grace that will ultimately lead to death.