Whither the Liberal Arts?

Joseph Epstein has a thought-provoking article in The Weekly Standard about the liberal arts education in America. You can read the entire article here. See also Two Handed Warriors. 

Here's an excerpt: “Traditional liberal arts is the study of Western literature, philosophy and history, with science, mathematics and languages playing a substantial, though less central role; sometimes the social sciences: psychology, sociology and political science are included. For the ancient Greeks, the liberal arts were the subjects thought necessary for a free man to study. If he is to remain free, then he must acquire knowledge of the best thought of the past which will cultivate in him the intellectual depth and critical spirit required to live in an informed and reasonable way in the present" (Joseph Epstein 23 „Who Killed the Liberal Arts? And why we should care” The Weekly Standard 17. September 2012). 

I graduated from a liberal arts university in 1991, and I have to concur with Epstein's thesis: the liberal arts are dying in the American university. O to be sure, when I was at university you could still study and earn a classical, traditional liberal arts degree (mine was in Classical Greek and Theology), but there were many classes offered that were fundamentally not in the vein of classical liberal arts. I took some of them (partly because that was all that remained for me to take in my super-major B.A. in Theology). One class was on Liberation theology, another class had a very feminist approach to it and still another on Native American religions. There were some others that have faded from my collegiate memory. 

I learned a lot from these classes. I disagreed with much that was taught. Nevertheless, a degree in Gender Studies or Native American religions is not a liberal arts education or degree. I believe that a well-rounded university should offer such classes and degrees, but let us not pretend that they are a liberal arts education nor on par with such. 

Epstein further argues that a good liberal arts education should focus on the texts. Your textbooks should not be about the text being studied but the actual text itself. Overall, I found this lacking in my liberal arts education. In fact, looking back, the classes I enjoyed the most were those few classes that actually only used the text as our only textbook. My senior year I took a Classical Greek course on the play Medea. Our only textbook was the text of Medea, in Classical Greek. Our class consisted of our prof and four students. We read and discussed the play. It was a great class that I still think fondly on 20 years later. My little book of Medea (complete with my hand-written notes in the margins) still adorns a prominent place on my living room bookshelf. 

This focus on the text is a bulwark we have inherited from Medieval humanism, the Renaissance and the Reformation. Medieval university education revolved around the liberal arts education that consisted of seven areas of study: the trivium and the quadrivium. The three sciences were the hallmark of university education, with theology as the queen of the sciences. Trivium means "three ways; place where three roads meet". It is the lower group of the liberal arts. The trivium used Latin and focused on dialectics (philosophy, logic, metaphysics and ethics) and Aristotle. Quadrivium means "crossroads; place where the four roads meet". It is the higher group of the liberal arts. At the university, one’s Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree was issued after completing the trivium (this could be done in about two years or less). One then could obtain a Master of Arts degree (M.A.) by studying the quadrivium. The master’s degree was the terminus in the liberal arts education. The pinnacle of university education was the doctorate in one of the three sciences. 

A classical humanistic education is almost as defunct as the liberal arts. The trivium focused on these three studies: rhetoric (speaking and writing effectively), dialectics (philosophy, logic, metaphysics and ethics) and grammar. The quadrivium focused on these four studies: geometry, arithmetic, music and astronomy. The doctorate focused one one of these three sciences: theology, law or medicine. In the 14^th century, European universities (starting in Italy) began stressing humanism over the traditional scholasticism that reigned supreme from 1100-1500. Scholasticism placed a strong emphasis on dialectical reasoning to extend knowledge by inference, and to resolve contradictions. Humanism took a completely different approach, one that focused on ideals from Classical Greek philosophy and education, and as such it originally centered on Greek and Latin classics but soon influenced concepts of freedom, religion, history, science, etc. Humanism was (and is) concerned with the source text and the original languages, and this helped further ideals like the Textus Receptus (the received text). 

I am a supporter of classical humanistic and liberal arts education. To be sure, it is not a course of study for everyone, nor should it. For those, however, who desire and pursue a liberal arts degree at college and university, I strongly advocate the traditional topics of study emphasized by the Medieval universities. In terms of education, a liberal arts degree forms a well-rounded person. In my own education, I was unable to take much in the areas of music or astronomy. I was, however, able to focus more on languages (German, Koine and Classical Greek, French and Hebrew). I picked up some Latin after my B.A. as I delved into a Masters degree. I am by no means fluent in these languages, although German and Greek are my strengths. For those seeking a liberal arts degree, I would encourage at least two semesters of a Romance language, particularly French, Spanish or Italian. You can pick up others at your own leisure. 

You see, the strength of a liberal arts degree is not mastery in any one field of study. Rather, the focus is on learning how to study, think, critique and formulate reasoned arguments. One’s education should never end, for our life should be one of constant study. A liberal arts education gives you the confidence to tackle subjects and topics. To really grasp the text you need to read and re-read the originals over and over again. 

Twenty years after my liberal arts B.A. I find myself learning new things in topics I could not focus on in my university years. I read more science and political science. I have delved into music (both playing music and writing it). I start and stop in keeping up my language proficiency. The best thing is: it is not a chore. I don't do it for a grade or another degree. I do so out of joy and with no stress as I advance the foundation I obtained with a liberal arts degree. In the twelfth century, Bernard of Chartres said: “We are like dwarfs on the shoulders of giants, so that we can see more than they, and things at a greater distance, not by virtue of any sharpness of sight on our part, or any physical distinction, but because we are carried high and raised up by their giant size”. This is why we should care about education, in general, and the traditional liberal arts degree, in particular.

What comes after Postmodernism?

That is a question I have pondered for about twenty years. The seeds for Postmodern thought were laid in the late nineteenth century and cultivated by Nietzche an those who followed his philosophical thought. As a cultural phenomena, however, Postmodernism did not enter the mainstream until the 1950s via the arts and in the 1960s through music. I remember a Devo song entitled "Post Post Modern Man" that was released in 1990. Devo was a pioneer in New Wave music in the 1970s. They were perhaps the first band to utilize the synthesizer in their music. Devo was ahead of the curve once again when it came to asking what comes after Postmodern thought. 

Some of Postmodernism more well-known tenets were "spiritual, not religious" and no established truth that holds for everyone. To a degree, these concepts are still around in Western culture, and probably will always be in some form or fashion. Even in Postmodernism's heyday, Modernism still managed to exert influence as a philosophy. Postmodernism, however, seems to have expended its energy and is now coasting slowly to irrelevance. First, the "spiritual, not religious" idea is not some new concept dreamed up by Postmodernism. This idea has been around from time immemorial. What has happened is that the pendulum has begun to swing back in the other direction. People have realized that being spiritual at the expense of being religious really offers an empty sack that is not satisfying in their lives. People are orderly creatures who desire structure and discipline. Generic spiritualism fails to ultimately deliver this order. In a like manner, the idea that truth is relative has been shown to be less than satisfying. An orderly civilization just cannot exist or function without an established set of rules, laws and truths that apply to everyone and are upheld by everyone. 

So if Postmodernism is spent, what shall replace it as the reigning philosophy? This question has been debated for several years now. Some argue for Scientific (Critical) Realism, Pseudo-modernism or Metamodernism. In many ways, Scientific Realism is just a rebranded Modernism with absolute truth challenging Postmodernism relative truth. Pseudo-modernism derives from the instant access the Internet offers as regards to knowledge, information and communication. Alan Kirby argues that this ultimately leads to a triteness and a shallowness that is exemplified in Reality TV. Metamodernism is a term coined by Timotheus Vermeulen and Robin van der Akker that argues for a third way beyond the competing Modern and Postmodern philosophies. There is a fourth possibility, what I call, for lack of a better term, Post-postmodernism. There is a real reaction to the blandness of Postmodernism and the triteness of Reality TV that upholds such concepts as specificity, values and authenticity. 

It is too early to tell which of these competing philosophies will become the dominant viewpoint among people. Perhaps it will be a strange mixture of the four, which would in some ways be so Postmodern in its synergy. Personally, I hope the Post-postmodern philosophy wins the day as it offers the best strain of thought that reacts to the limitations of Postmodernism. A healthy dose of Scientific Realism would be nice in the Post-postmodern mix, too. We shall have to wait and see what the philosophical future holds. 

Until then, enjoy a little Devo: Post Post Modern Man

Learning from Löhe. John 16,5-15

The following is the opening paragraph to Löhe's sermon on Cantate Sunday (The 4. Sunday after Easter):

1. This Gospel also moves us beyond the night when the Lord was betrayed, and we hear in it that the Lord as He announced His departure to the disciples, and interprets its blessed fruits. These words sounded in the ears of the disciples as an announcement of His sufferings and His death. What they did not understand and took from it only the conscience awareness of an impending separation, it could also be in that nothing but the un-loving message to recognize the separation that they had avoided at all happy. Therefore, they are the words of Jesus, sad and remain so, He may now just talking about the beginning of His departure, by His suffering, He may or blessed by the target and tell the end of it. They're like mourning people who were sitting not the eternal happiness of their dead, but only the separation and the loss of their own eye. Just as the disciples did not even ask: "Where are you going?" But their heart was full of sorrow, since they could not get over the one thought. "You go away from us, You forsake Your people" Of course, one can sympathize with their sadness, for it represents what they feel, the light before God: we cannot behave in such a selfishness manner and should rid ourselves of such sadness that Jesus' announcement evokes.

The Book of Common Prayer, 1662

My copy of the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, 1662 arrived via UPS today. It is a lot smaller than I thought, about half the size of my Episcopalian Book of Common Prayer, 1979. When opening the package, I was thinking: "Will I need a magnifying glass to read this?" It was with much joy and surprise that the little red book has very readable print! It is listed as a 9 point Lexicon No. 1A (Enschede FF) font script that I had never heard of before, but it is comparable to a 12 font Garamond or Times New Roman script. All this for $15 dollars from Cokesbury of all places. I commend Cokesbury for the expedited shipping as I placed this order online this past Monday (four days ago).

Not that I needed this edition of The Book of Common Prayer. I already have the 1549 and 1662 editions via free .pdf files. There is something, however, to actually holding a book in your hands. An iPad comes close to this, but an iPad is still not the same as reading a real text book with all its attending texture for the fingers and the scent of the paper. My copy of the American Lutheran Church's A Service Book and Hymnal has a very unique paper smell that brings back childhood memories to this day, and I have had this hymnal for about ten years.

I actually like the copy of TBoCP I received today. It about a square inch smaller than my SELK and Bavarian Lutheran hymnals (both of which fit comfortably in one's hands) and this copy of TBoCP also fits well in my hands. For some reason, American hymnals are larger and more cumbersome to hold. The European textbook style lends itself to a more nature fit in the hands.

So, I am an avid collector of hymnals (mostly Lutheran), and the Book of Common Prayer ranks up there with the King James Bible as a masterpiece of English literature. The Anglicans produce very regal liturgies and hymns, and the 1662 Book of Common Prayer is a welcome addition to my library.

Some thoughts ...

Now that I have completed and posted the sermons in my Henric Schartau project, here are some cuurent thoughts on different subjects: 1. SyFy continues its downward spiral in stupidity. On Monday "Eureka" returns for its final season. The show is officially cancelled, probably due to the fact that SyFy refuses to give the series' cast deserved salary increases. SyFy promised us BSG: Blood and Chrome. The pilot is done, but the series is cancelled. At some future date SyFy will eventually show the pilot. The series is scheduled to continue as webisodes. Yeah, thanks SyFy for that. I doubt I will tune in for those. I guess we'll keep getting professional wrestling, horrible B movies on the weekends and cheap, idiotic "reality" shows. We deserve better than this drivel, SyFy. 2. Currently, my Mass Effect experience is complete. I completed ME3 two weeks ago. I am not thrilled with the ending, but am happy with my synergy choice that was consistent with my Paragon John Shepard. I await some quality DLCs, and am enjoying ME3's multiplayer adventures. I am still mad that I could not have Miranda Lawson as part of my crew and squad. So I used the classic crewmates Garrus, Tali and Liara on many missions. That brought some great continuity with my ME 1-3 adventures. Bioware, the dialogue with the crew was simply awesome, especially Garrus. Thank you! The Kinect playability is very good, too. 3. I finished my short Medieval fantasy novel a few months ago. It needs more polishing, but the core is complete. I have some other ideas running around for that novel and some of its characters.

Matthew 1,21. New Year's Day. Henric Schartau

Matthew 1,21

New Year’s Day 

Henric Schartau (1757-1825) 

(49) II. 

New Year’s Day Sermon. 

Introduction. 

You shall call His Name Jesus; for it is He who shall save His people from their sins. 

1. This is the commandment which Joseph of Nazareth received from an angel concerning the name of the Son which should be born of the virgin Mary. The words are recorded by Matthew (1,21). 

2. The name Jesus means a Savior. Mary’s Son should be a Savior, and therefore He should receive this Name. He should save, not only provide postponement of the punishment for sins, nor alleviate the anguish for sins, but He should save His people. 

3. It was to His people that this salvation should be granted. When we learn that Jesus should be a sSavior from sins, we are also enabled to understand what sort of a people it was that He should save, namely, a people of sinners. But where is there a people without sins? It was, then, the whole human race which constituted this people. For this reason Jesus is not called the son of fAbraham, Isaac or Jacob, but the Son of Man. He came to save the human race in general. 

4. The Savior should grant salvation from the very greatest want and distress, for He should save His (50) people from their sins, from the transgressions of God’s law, from God’s wrath and from the perdition of the soul. He should grant a perfect salvation, so that the punishment for sins should be remitted, the sinful desires be overcome and the very seat of corruption be eventually uprooted, for He should be a Savior from sins. 

5. Mark this, O sinner, that this benefaction consists in salvation from sins. Jesus is not a Savior unto sin. He has not in His redemption given us license to sin. Nor is He a Savior in sin, remitting the punishment, but leaving a person in the bonds of sin. No, He is a Savior from sins, to the end that the sins will be abandoned when forgiven, and that the conquering power of Jesus’ resurrection will overcome the sinful desires, when the comforting power of His suffering and atonement will overcome the pangs of conscience, for Jesus is a Savior from sins. 

6. I propose to develop this matter still further and to point out the comfort which is obtainable in the Savior’s Name, but let us first pray that even on this occasion He may be unto us a Savior, so that the Word of God which will be spoken may work unto salvation, so that the bondservants of sin may desire Him unto deliverance and flee to Him for refuge, and that by Him they may be granted eternal salvation. To this end let us unite in the Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father, etc.” 

( 51) Proposition. 

Our Comfort in the Name of the Savior. 

1. The comfort obtainable in the Name of Jesus, the Savior.

2. How this comfort can be obtained. 

First Part. 

7. We are here to speak of the comfort that can be obtained in the Name of Jesus, the Savior. 

8. The comfort lies principally in the reference of the evangelist to the fact that this Name had been given to our Savior by the angel, who announced to Mary that she should give birth to a Son, for then was also announced that Jesus should possess such attributes as would enable Him to be a Savior from sins, according to the interpretation of His Name given to Joseph and set forth in our introduction. When Gabriel the angel announced to Mary that she should give birth to a Son, whom she should call Jesus, he also said: “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give unto Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His reign there will be no end.” A man like this could be all that we have heard in the introduction, a Savior from sins. 

9. Jesus is a Savior from the want and distress of sin, and we have the comforting assurance that He has come to save sinners.

10. Jesus is a Savior from the debts of sin. Our debts can now be forgiven, for Jesus has taken them upon (52) Himself and has paid them all. By His circumcision Jesus subjected Himself to the entire Law, not only the Decalogue, but to all the enactments in the Pentateuch. The pain Jesus then suffered was a beginning of all the suffering which He should endure as a punishment for sins. A sinner can therefore be delivered from his sins, however many they may be, for Jesus has paid for them all, being “the propitiation for our sins and for the whole world.” A sinner can be delivered from his sins,however great they may be, yes, if they were red as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, for “the blood of Jesus, shed for you, cleanses from all sin.” Yes, in Gethsemane the burden of sin weighed Jesus down with His face to the ground, and on the cross it wrung from His heart a bitter cry; but the burden of the sins of the world, though grievously heavy, was borne by the Lamb of God, and cast away, when He arose in glory from His tomb. 

11. Jesus is a Savior from the threats and condemnation of the law and from the anguish thereby caused in the conscience. The Word of God threatens with anguish every soul that works evil. This anguish must be felt in the soul, either in eternity by those who will be condemned, or in this life at the time of spiritual awakening. It was from this anguish for sins that Jesus wrought redemption, when He delivered us from the curse of the law. When Jesus permitted Himself to be circumcised, He subjected Himself to the law, as the Apostle Paul expresses it: “God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law.” The threats of the law were fulfilled, when Jesus suffered the punishment for sins, and thereby He redeemed us (53) from the curse of the law. When a person is made free from the curse, by virtue of the redemption in Christ, he is also delivered from the anguish caused by the curse of the law. Jesus has fulfilled all the requirements of the law. If we have our share in the Savior who has fulfilled the law, we need not fear, though condemnation is pronounced upon all who have not fulfilled the law. 

12. Jesus is a Savior from the power of sin. He proved victorious in His temptations, and so we need not be subject to sin. We, too, can continually be victorious, until the power of sin shall be entirely overcome in death. In His circumcision Jesus began to assume the obligations pertaining to His mediatorial office, and in His baptism He assumed them entirely. Thereupon followed His temptations. As the Second Adam Jesus advanced to be tempted by the devil, and He was victorious, where the first Adam fell. Jesus stood in our stead and was victorious on our behalf. He purchased for us power unto victory over all temptations to sin. No man need be a bondservant of sin. The Son of God can make you free indeed.He “gave Himself for us, so that He might redeem us from all iniquity.” No one need permit himself to be overcome by the devil, for Jesus has “brought him to nought,” and God can “deliver us from the power of darkness.” No one need be subdued by the world, for Jesus has “overcome the world,” and He can “deliver us out of this present evil world.” The most deeply rooted sins must yield to the power of His grace. The most violent temptations can be resisted by a redeemed soul. The most cunning deices to lead a believer astray are frustrated (54) by Jesus, who protects His own, turns their simplicity into wisdom and their earnestness into an unconquerable power unto victory. 

13. Jesus is a Savior even from earthly want and distress, for these are results of sin. 

14. Physical distress follows upon sin. As soon as Adam had fallen into sin, such distress was announced. The ground was cursed. It became less fertile, necessitating hard labor and anxiety: “In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.” The Lord has not been please to remove all earthly difficulties. He has left hardship as a chastisement unto repentance for those who are not converted and as a trial for the believers. 

15. Nevertheless, in as much as Jesus has wrought salvation from the punishment for sins and, hence, also from all real injury, He saves His own from much earthly distress, and many a time, in the midst of their suffering, He saves them from the worst part of all physical distress, namely, sickening worry, and enables them to heed the apostolic injunction: “Do not be anxious about anything,.” He strengthens their arms of faith so that they are enabled to “cast their anxiety upon Him.” During all their tribulations, Jesus grants unto each and every one of His believers the same experience as Jacob had and of which he bore testimony, saying: “The angel which has redeemed me from all evil.” 

16. Eventually, He saves them in a blessed death from all manner of evil. Then their tears are wiped away, never to flow any more. “neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pay, any more.” “The Lord will deliver me from every evil work, and He will save me unto His heavenly reign.” 

(55) Second Part. 

17. We are here to show how this comfort in the Name of Jesus, the Savior, can be obtained. 

18. Circumcision was a ceremony to be performed, not only in the case of Jesus, but in the case of every one who should belong to the people of God. Every one who should have a part in the Messianic redemption should be circumcised, as Jesus the Messiah was circumcised. Concerning this circumcision Paul teaches that it does not consist in any external ceremony, but “circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit.” This is accompanied with a painful change, quite as keen as that caused by the “circumcision, which is outward in the flesh.” So long as this change exists in the soul, it is as real a mark that the person thus transformed belongs to the spiritual Israel or the people of God, as the outward circumcision in the flesh was a mark of fellowship with the children of Israel or God’s people of old. 

19. A person obtains comfort in the Name of Jesus, if he submits to the pain of the spiritual circumcision, which belongs to repentance. The infant boys in ancient Israel were adopted into the old covenant of grace without any expressed consent on their part, just as the children of the New Testament are adopted into the same covenant of grace, without any assent on their part being required. But if a person of more mature age desired to be adopted into the commonwealth of Israel, he had to submit to the pain caused by circumcision, just as Abraham himself had to, before he could become the ancestor of the woman’s Seed, which had been promised, destined to bruise the serpent’s head, (56) and in which all the nations of the earth should be blessed. A similar condition appertains to each and every one who would become a partaker of the blessing which Jesus the Savior has purchased. One must submit to the spiritual circumcision which takes place in conversion, when the Word of God like a “two-edged sword pierces even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow.” Indeed, a man cannot himself work repentance for sins and thus bring about his conversion. He must not, however, evade nor disdainfully oppose and thrust away the sword of the law, when the Holy Spirit would thereby sever the bands of sin which hold him a captive to the evil one. Nor dare he endeavor, with amusements and human comforts, to heal the wounds, which result when the Holy Spirit tries to crush his stony heart with the hammer of the law. When a person does not cease using the Word, though he perceives how it disturbs and worries his mind, the Holy Spirit leads everything to the end so that the  sorrow for sin shall, without causing any injury, is sufficient for God’s purpose. 

20. The Holy Spirt enables a person thus prepared by the word to receive comfort in the Name of Jesus and to accept Him as a personal Savior,. This acceptance is made by faith, for John the Evangelist teaches that “Jesus gave the right to become children of God to them who believe on His Name.” It is the character and nature of true faith to accept Jesus as a Savior from sins which are painfully perceived. This faith begins rather as a longing, poured out in prayer≤ than as a certainty expressing itself in praise. Nevertheless, the certainty is there, and by virtue thereof a person ( 57) looks for comfort noy yet received, and expects it confidently, with humble submission to God’s pleasure, saying with the Prophet Micah: “I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against Him, until He plead my cause.” Even as the sinner did not, during his spiritual awakening, dare to flee from the chastising arm of the Almighty; so neither does he now venture to thrust back the hand of God which offers comfort in the Name of the Savior, promising forgiveness in His atonement and eternal life in His redemption. 

21. With such a faith follows a continuing change in a person’s spiritual condition, which becomes a constant evidence that he belongs to the people of God and that he has a part in the salvation which Jesus has purchased, and hence he also finds abiding comfort in the Name of the Savior. 

22. In the first place, this change brings the comforting assurance that one is saved, saved from all sins, saved from the wrath of God, saved from the curse of hell, saved from the power of Satan and that one shall be saved in the midst of all temptations, saved from want and distress, saved in death unto eternal life. 

23. In the second place, this change in conscience also brings a change in one’s mind and heart, so that one becomes like a child, without the opposition of any misinterpretations, evasions or contradictions, laying bare one’s inner life to the eyes of the omniscient God, to receive the impressions of the reminders and corrections of the Holy Spirit, to the end that He might thereby “guide me with HIs counsel and afterward receive me to glory.” 

(58) Application. 

24. Jesus is such a Savior,m and He grants such comfort, as has here been set forth. No doubt, you are anxious to receive the comfort, and I do not begrudge you the good fortune, for it is indeed not easy to be a sinner without a Savior. It will not suffice, however, to entertain this comfort in your thoughts, if God has not put it into your heart, for then, perchance, you might lack it in times of adversity and, worst of all, in the time of death, when you need it the most. If you wish to avoid such a calamity, get better acquainted with Jesus, for He will teach you to know yourself as lost and to know Him as a Savior. Call on Him, and He will answer you; seek refuge in Him, and He will receive you. 

25. If you have learned to know how wretched, corrupted, lost and condemned you are, then there is help for you in Jesus, for He is a Savior for precisely such as you. He has been pleased to bear such a Name as has reference to sins, from which He should save His people, in order that you might know and understand that sinners and their Savior belong together. He has already saved you from blindness and carelessness. It is for your Savior’s sake that the Holy Spirit has opened the eyes of your understanding and quickened your slumbering conscience from the stupor of false security. Your Savior has begun the good work in your heart and will continue it, if you abide in His Word and use it with diligence and care. 

26. If you have already enjoyed His blessing, so that you are free from your anxiety for sin and from the fear of hell, then you truly belong to the people of (59) God, the spiritual Israel, the congregation of saints. Then there shall also appear in you arks of the spiritual circumcision. If Jesus has become your Savior form the debts of sin, He has also become the Savior from their power. If He has delivered you from your anxiety, you must also let HIm deliver you from your former habits in sin, unto the glory of God. As He has begun to rule in your conscience over the fear of death, so He will also prove prevailing in your life over everything contradictory to the Word of God and enable you to escape from it. The devil may indeed lead you into error and thereby make you like a stranger before God, but unexpected token of mercy will soon restore the former confidence. By the experience of God’s mighty help, your hear will take courage at the approach of every distress incident of this present life. Like David, meeting Goliath, you are going to be able to say: “Your servant smote both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like as one of them. The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of the Philistine.” The Lord has delivered you from the lion and the bear, from the devil and from sin. The cares of life cannot be greater than one of the spiritual foes whom you have already conquered. Through Jesus you will be able to conquer everything, for He has conquered it all. 

Prayer. 

27. Lord Jesus, You were pleased to become the Savior of Your congregation when, by suffering and death, You did establish it upon Yourself as a Rock of Salvation. Be a Savior unto us still, so that the gates of hell may not prevail against Your Church, whether by force or deceit. grant us Your grace, lest in peaceful days we may leisurely slumber, or in days of persecution yield to the enemy. Guard us against every deceitful enlightenment, and against false zeal. Be a Savior to our King also, and save him from manifest and secret dangers. Be a Savior to our country and help us from the ravages of war and from the domination of foreign nations. Be a Savior to our city; protect us from misfortunes and save us from all distress, for Your Name is Jesus. Be our Jesus also and grant us Your grace. 

28. Amen, Lord Jesus, Amen. 

John 1,14. Christmas Day. Henric Schartau

John 1,14

Christmas Day  

Henric Schartau (1757-1825) 

I. 

In the Name of Jesus Christ 

Christmas Sermon, 1787.

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.  John 1,14. 

Introduction.

Behold, the man is become as one of Us. 

1. (38) Thus God spoke to the first man, after he had fallen into sin, but also had received a promise of reparation through the woman’s seed, who should bruise the serpent’s head. In the previous verse we read that God had made for Adam and his wife coats of skin, which doubtless had been taken from a sacrificed animal, the first type of the great sacrifice of atonement. They now stood before God, externally clothed in the bloody garb of the sacrificial lamb and internally clothed in the bloody righteousness of the Savior, who should come in the fullness of time and shed His blood and give His life in death. God now points at them and says: “Behold, the man is become as one of Us” (Genesis 3,22). 

2. God did not speak scornfully, for it is below His dignity to scoff at an unfortunate creature. Neither did He speak reproachfully, for He had already chosen (39) a Helper, who should provide such a remedy that there would be no room for reproach. When God reconciled the world unto Himself, He did not reckon unto them their trespasses, No, God spoke lovingly, then as always. Man had aspired to be like God, in a measure and manner that could not be, and he thus cast himself into sin and wretchedness, but God took pity upon him and provided other ways and means, whereby man should be able to regain such likeness unto God as can be attained by man. Human nature should be united with one of the Godhead. A son of man should become a Son of God. The human nature of the Savior should be exalted to the majesty and perfection of God. As John the Baptizer pointed at the Savior and said: “Behold, the Lamb of God,” so God pointed at Adam, who was a prototype of Christ, the second Adam, pointed out “the mystery of godliness,” so that God should be “manifested in the flesh,” and said: “Behold, the man is become as one of us.” 

3. Just as human nature in Christ became a partaker of the majesty of the Godhead, so God likewise in Christ appropriated human nature and its characteristics; and so we, human beings, may apply these words to our selves and say concerning Christ, the second Adam: “Behold, God has become as one of us,” and this is to be our theme today. 

God Like One of Us.

4. We are then to show, first, that God has become like one of us and, secondly, to point out the salvation that lies therein. 

First Part. 

5. (40) God has become like one of us in person. Our text says: “The Word became flesh.” The self-existing Word, which was God Himself, became flesh, that is, appropriated human nature, which in the Scriptures is called flesh. The evangelist had previously and in a splendid manner described this Word. “In the beginning was the Word, etc. -- The Word became flesh.” The incomprehensible Divine Being revealed Himself even to the bodily senses, so that He could be seen like another man, Himself also being a real man. “We behold His glory.” But there was in Him, as any one mindful to see and to think might well observe, something more than the transient glory which wretched, powerless human beings may possess and bring forth. “We beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father.” The Infinite God, who has no limitations, and whose perfections are self-sufficient and without measure, has entered into union with a finite, limited being, whose life terminates in death, and whom God measures with a span. the Eternal, who was in the beginning, the Everlasting God, began to be a man when the Word became flesh. Almighty God, through whom all things are made, became united with a human being, whom He had Himself formed from that which does not appear. Without Him was not anything made that has been made.” He, in who was life, and who gives life to every living thing, began to live here as a man and closed His life dying as a man. The Word became flesh. In Him also as a man was fulfilled the word: “All flesh is grass.” (41) God became as one of us with reference to dwelling: “And dwelt among us.” He lived as we do in this world and found Himself in the wretched conditions appertaining to this life. He had previously, from the creation of man, dwelt among us as a man. The first abode of this King of Glory was a stable. Thereupon He lived in a poor carpenter’s cottage, and eventually He became like a beggar, without any fixed abode. “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven have nests; but the Son of Man has no where to lay His head.” Nevertheless He endured such a life more than thirty years. Some who enter into this world immediately take their departure and lose their day long before evening. Some attain the medium span of life. He dwelt under the vault of heaven on His journey to Egypt, where He live some time as a stranger,. He lived in Nazareth among godless people. He spent days and nights in the desert and occasionally spent HIs nights on some mountain in prayer. He journeyed on the sea and sought repose in the ship. Finally His body found rest in the grave, while His soul entered into the abode of eternal peace. In short, there are no circumstances nor conditions belonging to this present life in which the Son of God has not become like one of us, except one, that, while He was true man, He was not a sinner. He was a man: “Being made in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion as a man.” 

Second Part.

6. We are here to point out the blessedness which lies in the fact that God has become as one of us. 

7. This blessedness is contained in the words “full of (42) grace and truth.” As the glory revealed in Christ was from God, so also are grace and truth infinitely great and divine, eternal and unfailing. “We behold His glory, glory of the only begotten from the Father.” 

8. It was the glory which the Son of God had with the Father from eternity, by virtue of His eternal birth of the Father, the glory of the only begotten Son. This glory was revealed on several occasions in the life of Jesus. It was seen by men, in a real though not absolute sense: “glory as of the only begotten.” At His birth, it was seen by shepherds though they were men of low degree. “The glory of the Lord shone round about them,” when the angel of the Lord brought them “good tidings of great joy.” The glory thus revealed was full of grace, for the angel made the proclamation: “Do not be afraid, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people.” It was also portrayed in the angels’ song of praise: 

“Glory to God in the highest, 

and on earth peace

among men in whom He is well pleased.” 

This glory was also full of truth, for the truth of the Messianic promises now became confirmed through their fulfillment, from the first promise given in paradise, concerning the woman’s Seed which should bruise the serpents’s head, to the las proclaimed by Malachi: “The Lord whom you seek, shall suddenly come to His temple,” for, the angel said: “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” In the angels’ message and song of praise was verified the prophetic rhapsody of Isaiah: (43) 

“Sing, O heavens, and be joyful, O earth,

and break forth into singing, O mountains; 

for the Lord has comforted His people, 

and will have compassion upon His afflicted.” 

9. The glory of Jesus appeared on several occasions during His humiliation, especially in His miracles, but it nevertheless shone most brightly in His death, when “He was despised and rejected of men.” Then His glory shone brightly into the eyes of the centurion, who, though he was a blind heathen, saw the glory of the Only-begotten Son, and said: “Truly this was the Son of God.” Upon His resurrection Jesus acclaimed the full use of His Divine glory, but it was only His friends who could now and at His ascension see His glory. Nevertheless it was full of grace and truth whenever and to whomsoever it appeared. Grace was thereby procured, and the truth from heaven confirmed. 

10. God has become as one of us, and therefore we need not become like one of the devils. When man acquiesced in the will of the devil he became like the fallen angel. The Satanic image was impressed on the human soul. Man became likeminded with the devil and began to love evil as he does. Man was therefore destined to receive the sam e unblessed abode and the same frightful reward as the devil, since his works were like those of the devil; but: “To this end was the Son of God manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” By virtue of the fact that God became as one of us, came to the earth and dwelt among us, paid our debts, suffered for our sins and fulfilled the law, there is wrought a wonderful transformation. The Spirit of (44) God is by the Word sent into our hearts, the image of the evil one is destroyed in the new birth, we are justified and delivered from the power of the devil and from eternal condemnation, which hs been prepared for the devil and his angels. “Since then the children are sharers in flesh and blood, He also Himself in like manner partook of the same; so that through death He might bring to nought him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver all them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage,. For truly not of angels does He take hold, but He takes hold of the seed of Abraham.” 

11. God became as one of us, and therefore we may become like one of the Godhead. The Son of God appropriated human nature, and therefore we “may become partakers of the Divine nature.” The Son of God became a man, “in all things made like unto His brethren,” though He was “The effulgence of God’s glory, and the very image of His substance”; and therefore the image of God, lost in the fall, can e restored in us, when we become “conformed ot the image of His Son.” Atonement required such likeness. “It behooved Him in all things ot be made like unto His brethren, so that He might be merciful and a faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” When the Savior made this propitiation, God considered Him as one of us, like us even in matters where, in Himself, He was not like us; in order that we should by God be considered like Jesus, even in matters where we were otherwise entirely unlike Him “Him who knew no sin He made to be sin on (45) our behalf; so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 

12. A person who has attained such likeness to Christ, “who is the image of God,” will by virtue thereof attain an even greater likeness to Him in the day of His advent. Concerning this the Apostle John writes: “Beloved, now we are the children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we will  be. We know that, if He will be manifested, we will be like Him, for we will then see Him even as He is.” On that day the supreme likeness of the saints to their Savior will extend even to their bodies. “We wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will fashion anew the body of our humiliation, so that it may be conformed to the body of His glory, according to the working whereby He is able even to subject all things unto Himself.” 

Application. 

13. Can you, my dear listeners, say, as John did: “We beheld His glory?” The blind cannot see, neither can those who are sleeping. Are your thoughts blind and is your heart asleep to all this gracious glory? Do you not, even now when we commemorate the Savior’s birth, perceive the blessedness which was revealed, when God became as one of us? Do you not know of any other blessedness at Christmas than that of eating and drinking and that of earthly pleasures? You are then wasting your days of grace, you are remaining in the unblessed condition from which Jesus would save you. He became like you in order that you should not become like the devils, but you have made yourself thus by (46) breaking the covenant and dissolving the fellowship with God entered into in Holy Baptism. You have surrendered to Satan to do his will and to be of his mind. You have done this by opposing God and continuing in sin. Do you not see that you have become like the devil, for “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil sins from the beginning?” “You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father it is your will to do.” What else can you then expect than that which the devil himself anticipates with fear and trembling, “a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a fierceness of fire which shall devour the adversaries”? Nevertheless, the very salvation of which you are unmindful still awaits you, to be gained, if you but heed its call and seek thereafter while it is yet to be obtained. If you perceive a somewhat clearer glimpse of your unblessedness, oh, this is a beam beam of the glory of the Only-begotten Son, full of grace and truth. Be concerned that, by the Word of God, you may better understand the heavenly truth which has begun to enlighten your darkened mind. The power of the Word which you feel entering your heart is an earnest of God’s grace. Accept it, and pray that you may receive more. Keep that which you have received, lest it too be lost. 

14. But someone says: “I am not entirely blind, but still I cannot see the glory of grace in Jesus. I can see nothing but my sins with their ugliness and condemnation.” Bless the Lord that you have been thus enlightened, to begin with, and continue to pray as David did: (47) 

“Open my eyes, so that I may behold

Wondrous things from Your Law.” 

15. Look longingly for the glory of Jesus, which He has revealed in His Word; look for the grace and truth which came by Jesus Christ. The time will arrive, when you shall be able to confess with the congregation of true believers: “We beheld His glory, gory as of the Only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The Son of God has taken upon Himself to suffer the unblessedness and distress from which you are suffering and to become like you therein, in order that you may attain the great glory of becoming like Him. Jesus is willing and able to reveal His glory to precisely such an one as you, for the mercy which He shows and the salvation which He confers will in such as you redound to His praise. Do not forget the hidden delight which you have already experienced, because God has become as one of us. Cherish the new hope thus enkindled so that all may work together for good. 

16. When I look for those who can say: “We beheld His glory,” there doubtless is here present some one who can say: “Yes, in the glory of God’s commandments I saw my perverted life, my corrupted heart and the punishment I had merited, but the Lord also opened the eyes of my understanding to the “Light of the gospel of the glory of Christ,” and I saw, not with carnal eyes nor in illusive visions, but in the clear gospel I saw, as clearly and certainly as ever I could see with my bodily eyes, that God became a man even for me, so that Christ had by God been considered as a sinner; and so I believe that, for His sake, I am considered (48) righteousness as He, and renewed to His likeness, and I can now hope to become like Him in eternal honor and glory.” -- “Blessed are the eyes which see the things that you see!” But beware, lest the spirit of the world may obscure this glory, or the heat of passion may darken the brightness which the eye of faith has acquired by beholding the glory of the Only-begotten Son of God. Remember that there still remains in you somewhat of the image of Satan, which Jesus overthrew when He delivered you out of the power of darkness. Fight the good fight to obliterate every trait of the evil one, and make it your earnest endeavor to become more and more like Him, who for that purpose became like you.  Amen.