“God’s Word Is Not Bound”
Text: 2 Timothy 2:1-13 (esp.8-9)
10-30-2022
In the name of Him whose strong Word bespeaks us righteous, dear friends in Christ. Today, we recognize the reformation of the Christian Church that took place in the 16th century. And, of course, that naturally turns our attention to the man that God used to bring about these critical changes: Martin Luther. Don’t misunderstand. This Sunday isn’t a rah-rah session for us Lutherans. No. It’s a celebration of how God restored the centrality of His saving Word to His Church on earth.
Since Luther was such a prominent figure in this reformation, there are all kinds of stories that have been written about him. Some of them true and some are unverifiable. For example, you may recall that in 1521 Luther boldly made his declaration of faith at the Diet of Worms. But since his public confession was in direct opposition to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, the Emperor judged him to be an outlaw worthy of death. Wisely, the Prince who ruled over Luther’s region “kidnapped” him and hid him away for nearly a year. Unfortunately, during his absence, a theologian named Carlstadt called for violence in order to bring about more radical reforms in the church, claiming that Luther would have approved. Long story short, Luther was allowed to return to Wittenberg where he denounced that lie.
Now all that’s true. However, there’s a legend which says that when Luther confronted Carlstadt, he said something like, “I’ve come to take my pulpit back!” Whether it’s a myth or not, that quote came to mind last week as I was sitting in the pew recovering from my surgery and Steve led our service. I was thinking about coming to him today and saying, “I’ve come to take my pulpit back!” But to be fair, the sermon he read was written by me and he delivered it from the lectern so I think we’re safe. Seriously, though, the thing that had upset Luther about the Roman Catholic false teachings as well as Carstadt’s was that God’s Word had been figuratively “kidnapped” and chained like a prisoner in some obscure place. They attempted to replace it with manmade doctrines.
Luther argued that’s all backwards. You can’t capture God’s Word, lock it away, and make it say what you want it to say. No, it captures you. That’s reflected in Luther’s statement at the Diet of Worms. He knew he would face the death penalty if he didn’t deny his profession of faith. But he couldn’t, because his confession was based solely on the Bible. He explained, “I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen.” The bonds or chains that held his conscience captive were the grace and mercy of God that’s revealed in His Holy Word. Luther was content to be its prisoner because he knew God’s strong Word held his salvation safe and secure.
This wasn’t some novel idea of Martin Luther. His bold confession at Worms actually sounds a lot like St. Paul in our first reading for today. The only difference is that when Paul composed this letter, he was literally sitting on death row in prison, held captive with chains for confessing the one, true faith revealed in God’s Word. Listen again to verses 8-9: “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!” Do you see what he was saying there? He was boldly stating that even if the powers in authority restrained or killed the messenger, the strong Word of God remained free and unshackled. That proved true in Paul’s day. Christianity was outlawed. Believers were persecuted, locked up in jail, tortured, and killed. But rather than silence the Gospel, it caused it to spread even more, much to the chagrin of those who were trying to stomp it out. That’s because the truth that Luther had rediscovered was operating 1500 years prior during the time of Paul. And that truth is that you can’t take God’s Word captive, it captures you. But it doesn’t hold you in chains of miserable bondage. Quite the opposite. It frees you. It frees you from the bondage of sin, death, and the devil. It frees you from your old sinful nature. It frees you from the threat of damnation that used to hover over you like a dark cloud.
Isn’t that exactly the message that Jesus was teaching to the Jews in our Gospel reading? He told them, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” The Jews objected because they were only thinking of physical chains and bondage. What’s ironic is that at that very moment they were NOT physically free. The Romans ruled over them and occupied their land. Oh, sure. For the most part they were allowed to freely practice their religion and go about their day-to-day business. But everything they did was closely scrutinized and controlled by this foreign government. In reality, they were slaves living on a very short chain. Jesus was offering them true freedom. If they would believe in God’s strong Word, which cannot be bound, then they would experience real freedom. And it was a freedom that no one could take away from them. Sadly, many of them refused to be bound by God’s Word.
Okay, you know what’s coming next. This the part where I ask how this applies to us? Are there people today who try to chain and restrain the Word of God? Well, there are places in the world where the Scriptures have been banned. If you try to bring Bibles into these countries you can be arrested as if you were trying to smuggle in fentanyl or heroin. What about here in the United States? It’s not illegal to own or distribute the Scriptures, right? Well, not totally. But God’s Word is not always welcome in public schools, government functions, and many public conversations. As we saw during the Covid scare, we were restrained from meeting together to receive God’s Word and Sacrament; not with actual chains but with threats of arrest and fines. And even when we are free to gather, there is a subtle warning about what parts of God’s Word are free to be preached. In Canada, ministers have been arrested for daring to declare the truth of God’s Word when it condemns homosexuality as a sin. If you don’t think that could happen here in the U.S. then you’re fooling yourself. There are currently people in our government who are proposing this very thing. I can tell you that I would gladly go to jail for preaching the whole counsel of God, without exceptions. No, I don’t have a martyr complex. But like Paul and Luther I would find contentment in knowing that God’s Word is not and cannot be bound. You can lock up the messenger, but you can’t restrain the strong Word of salvation.
And yet, there is an even more subtle way that God’s Word gets chained and then replaced by people who claim to be believers. I have a nephew who stated it this way, “MY god would never condemn someone for doing the things you say are sinful. MY god is a god of love, not hateful like you are!” You know what? He’s right! The god that he has formulated in his own mind is just like that. But unfortunately for him, he has replaced the true God of the Bible with a god of his own making. You see, he didn’t want to be bound by God’s Word. Instead, whether he realized it or not, he wanted to chain God’s Word and lock it away someplace where it won’t disturb his wrongheaded thinking and the sins he embraces. Sadly, he’s not alone. And I warn you not to go down that destructive path.
Contrary to what the sinful world around us may say, God’s Word is not a ball and chain. God’s Word is not a “buzzkill” as the common phrase puts it. Yes, the Scriptures condemn our sins. But that’s a good thing. Restraining us from the evil desires that can destroy our souls and calling us to repent is part of the freeing process of God’s strong Word moving in our lives. You cannot enjoy the freedom of the Gospel of Jesus Christ until your sins have been confessed. The good news is that once you do, the chains of guilt and shame are removed and instead, you are bound to your loving God by the chains of forgiveness. God’s Word is living and active. It’s also powerful enough to save you and set you free from your sins. God’s Word of salvation cannot be bound but it will bind you to Him. Rejoice in that! May the Holy Spirit strengthen our faith so that we can be like St. Paul and Luther, boldly proclaiming the Gospel even in the face of adversity. And may we too have confidence in knowing the freedom we now have through that strong Word of God that declares us righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!