Many of us have had...
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Many of us have had the tragic experience of working hard at a project or a relationship only to be told by the other party, sorry, it isn't good enough. Rather than acknowledging the breakdown of the effort, or discerning our own perceptions of the issue, we only redouble our efforts to find what will satisfy. Often the next solution proves no better than the first.
What sacrifices will please God? Hebrews is clear about the fact that there are limits to sacrifice. God wishes something else. We might, however, make the mistake of offering things to God as though God were the unhappy second party. Maybe there are "things we can do" to make up for our failings. Perhaps one more check in the offering plate, several more hours of volunteer work at church, or attending more worship services. Perhaps these will please God.
Martin Luther's thinking on the singularity of Jesus' sacrifice echoes the same point as that of Hebrews. "... I shall gladly perform good works and be pious. But when it comes to the crucial point, I will not base my hopes on these works or rely on them. I shall leave them down here on earth and place my hope in the One who is my Advocate before the Father, and who gave Himself for me."
Martin Luther, Luther's Works, Volume 23, Sermons on the Gospel of St. John; Chapters 6-8, (Saint Louis; Concordia Publishing House, 1959), p. 179.
- Hedahl
What sacrifices will please God? Hebrews is clear about the fact that there are limits to sacrifice. God wishes something else. We might, however, make the mistake of offering things to God as though God were the unhappy second party. Maybe there are "things we can do" to make up for our failings. Perhaps one more check in the offering plate, several more hours of volunteer work at church, or attending more worship services. Perhaps these will please God.
Martin Luther's thinking on the singularity of Jesus' sacrifice echoes the same point as that of Hebrews. "... I shall gladly perform good works and be pious. But when it comes to the crucial point, I will not base my hopes on these works or rely on them. I shall leave them down here on earth and place my hope in the One who is my Advocate before the Father, and who gave Himself for me."
Martin Luther, Luther's Works, Volume 23, Sermons on the Gospel of St. John; Chapters 6-8, (Saint Louis; Concordia Publishing House, 1959), p. 179.
- Hedahl
