10/12/2025
Text: Romans 5:8-10
SN: 0094
by Pastor Nathan Klusmeyer
What do you want your legacy to be? People are going to answer the question differently depending on what their priorities are in life. Some people may want to be remembered for their wealth or the contributions they made to society. Some may want to be remembered for their accomplishments, and others may want to be remembered for the love and generosity they showed to others. As we spend the next few weeks celebrating the 175th anniversary of our Synod, we take some time to consider what our legacy is and what it will be like in the future. What does it mean to be a Wisconsin Synod Lutheran? As we consider that question, we may think of the many old and beautiful churches built by our ancestors, maybe we think of the rich history and deep roots that we have in Wisconsin, especially southeastern Wisconsin. Or we may think of the strong schools that continue to be the backbone of our Synod today.
All these things are well and good, but I don’t think they really capture what it means to be a WELS Lutheran. When I think of the lasting and enduring legacy of our church body, I don’t think of anything that we have accomplished; instead, I think of what God has done for us and through us. One of the things that makes us so unique among all the other Christian churches is our steadfast and dogged determination to stay firmly rooted in the Word of God. This is what defines us, and this is what gives meaning to our lives. I think that it is very fitting that the first of our Sunday themes is Christ for us. Without the selfless sacrifice of our Savior, we would be truly lost. Everything that we are, everything that we have, and everything that defines us as both individuals and a Synod flows entirely from what Christ has done for us.
The Apostle Paul beautifully describes this truth for us in our reading from Romans this morning with the simple but amazingly profound statement, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” There is so much joy packed in those few Words. Our Old Testament lesson reminded us of the terrible reality of sin. Adam and Eve listened to the lie of Satan and disobeyed the very Word of God. By eating from the tree God had commanded them not to eat from, they condemned the entire world into the darkness of sin and death. Adam could no longer approach God in freedom and confidence but instead was ashamed and hid from the presence of a just and holy God.
God could have right then and there, in his righteous wrath, condemned all humanity to the eternal fires of hell. But instead, God sought out Adam and Eve. He led them to confess and repent of their sins. God then, in an amazing act of love and mercy, sought to repair the broken relationship with his fallen creatures by promising to send a Savior who would rescue them and all their descendants from the power of sin, death, and hell. As descendants of Adam, we are still under the curse of sin. Paul pulls no punches when he tells us in these few verses that we are weak and helpless, ungodly, sinners, and enemies of God. We are completely and utterly unworthy to receive anything from God except his wrath and anger. We deserve to be punished for our sins, and because we are weak and helpless and completely mired and tainted by sin.
This harsh and unrelenting preaching of the law sets us as Lutherans apart from so many others and is part of our lasting legacy. We cling to the bitter truth of Scripture that by nature we can do nothing to save ourselves. No amount of work or striving on our part can pay the debt that our sins deserve. The law of God holds nothing back and shows us the harsh and unrelenting truth that all we ever deserve is to be condemned for the sins that we commit every day of our lives.
I recently saw a YouTube video where someone was making fun of the differences in preaching emphasis that exist in different Christian churches. When he made fun of Lutherans, he said, “In this sermon I’m going to tell you about the Law and the Gospel.” While this man meant it as a joke, I saw it as something we should be proud of. Is this not the beating heart of Scripture? Is this not exactly what Paul is talking about here: While we were still sinners Christ died for us!
Who would you be willing to die for? Paul reminds us that it is incredibly rare for one person to offer their life for another. Sure, we hear stories about people who sacrifice themselves to save others. A mother or father who dies to save their child, a soldier who sacrifices himself to save his brothers, and very rarely, a complete stranger offering their life for another. But part of the reason we tell stories like that is because they are rare and heart-moving. Most people are not willing to die for someone else, and no one would likely willingly die to save their enemy.
But this is precisely what Christ did for us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. God saw the fallen and wretched state of his creation and sent his one and only Son to suffer and die for our sins. We did nothing and could do nothing to receive this amazing blessing of our Lord. He gives it to us as an amazing gift of his immeasurable grace and mercy.
Paul uses two different word pictures here to describe this amazing love of our God. First, he wants us to picture ourselves on trial before the throne of God, the holy and righteous Judge. We stand accused of being ungodly sinners who are the very enemies of God. But Christ himself steps in on our behalf. He offers himself as a willing substitute to be sacrificed in our place. Because of his sacrifice, we have now been declared innocent of all our sins.
The second picture that Paul uses is that of reconciliation. When we think of that word, we usually think of two estranged parties who want to be brought back together. This usually means that both sides must do something or compromise something to get what they want. But when it comes to our spiritual condition, we can bring nothing to the negotiating table. Instead, it’s God, the one whom we have done evil to, who comes to us and lovingly restores the relationship that we destroyed, and all of this is because of Christ for us.
This is the legacy we have as Lutherans. This is what we want to be known and remembered for. We want to be known as the church that preaches the truth that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. For 175 years, through good times and bad, we have continued to hold to the unshakeable truths of Scripture. We cling to the sure and certain promise that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Everything we do revolves around the truth of Christ for us. While we celebrate and remember all that our church and synod have done over the last 175 years, we always keep Christ as the focus. We remember that everything we do is in service to the proclamation of his Gospel. Let us rejoice in that beautiful message of the undeserved love of our Savior that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us! Amen.
But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son to be born of a woman, so that he would be born under the law, in order to redeem those under the law, so that we would be adopted as sons.