Author: Higher Things

Rev. Todd Wilken

The pastor is retired now, but at the time, he served one of the most influential congregations in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. I heard him say it with my own ears. I didn’t believe it then, and I still don’t. He was being interviewed on the radio. The interviewer asked him a question.

Q: Does God have some other way of salvation, other than Jesus?
A: God can do anything. So, he can save people anyway he wants. But Jesus is the only way we know of.

This idea is very popular now among Christians living in a world full of all kinds of beliefs and religions. It seems to make sense. There are so many different religions—maybe there is more than one way to be saved. Maybe there are a lot of ways.

Those who think this way will ask, “Who are we to say that God couldn’t have some other way of salvation, in addition to Jesus?” They say, “For us Christians, Jesus is the way of salvation; there could be other ways for other religions.” They caution, “We shouldn’t put limits on God. Maybe he has decided to save different people in different ways.”

These statements sound open-minded and tolerant. But these statements are horribly wrong. They all begin with the premise: God can do anything. That is wrong.

Christians do believe that God is omnipotent (Latin for “all-powerful”). But that does not mean that God can do anything. According to the Bible, there are several things God cannot do.

• He cannot deny himself (2 Timothy 2:13).
• He cannot be tempted to evil, nor can he tempt man to sin (James 1:13).
• He cannot endure open iniquity (Isaiah 1:13).
• He cannot lie or break a promise (Psalm 89:33-35).
• He cannot fail (Deuteronomy 31:6).

Think about it. If God could deny Himself, how would we know He was telling the truth? If God could be tempted to evil, or tempt man to sin, how would we know He is good? If God could endure sin, how could we be saved? If God could lie or fail to keep a promise, how could we ever trust Him? If God could fail, could we have any hope?

In other words, if God could do any of these things, He would be more like the devil than the God we find in the Bible. He would be a terrible, awful, fearsome God.

A God who can do anything just might do anything. He might decide to destroy you for no reason. He might give you cancer just for fun. He might send you to hell, just because He can.

This is the kind of God lurking behind those seemingly tolerant and open-minded statements: A God who can—and might—do anything. This is not the God revealed in the Bible.

Thank God that He cannot do just anything. And, thank God that He cannot save people in any way He wants.

Before His crucifixion, Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me.” And, that’s true. God could have spared Jesus. But that would mean condemning us. That would mean breaking all of His promises, going back on his word, and failing to save sinners.

This is what God cannot do. He has promised to save sinners, therefore He cannot spare Jesus. Jesus must die. There is no other way, even for the omnipotent God.

This means that Jesus isn’t just one possible way that God could have saved us. Jesus is the only way. This means that we can be certain that Jesus’ death on the Cross for us really does save us. God has kept all His promises, He has kept His word, He has not failed. Your sins really are paid for, in the only way they could have been paid for. Death has been conquered for you, in the only way death could have been conquered. Eternal life has been earned for you, in the only way eternal life could have been earned.

Now, think about this: There is comfort for sinners like us in what God cannot do.

• He cannot deny himself. He has saved the world through Jesus.
• He cannot be tempted to evil, nor can he tempt man to sin. His sinless Son Jesus was your substitute on the Cross.
• He cannot endure open iniquity. He punished all of our iniquity by putting Jesus to death on the Cross.
• He cannot lie or break a promise. He has kept all His promises in Jesus.
• He cannot fail. He has not failed. He has accomplished the salvation of the world through the crucified and risen Jesus.

And, now we can take real comfort knowing that God is all-powerful. We need not fear His power, but can trust that for God who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all (Romans 8:32), nothing is impossible. There is no sinner He cannot save, no sin He cannot forgive. Nothing is able to separate you from Him (Romans 8:35-39), not even death.

Does God have some other way of saving sinners, other than Jesus? 
No. There is no other way than the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Rev. Todd Wilken is host of the radio show, Issues, Etc. He is also the assistant pastor of Trinity Lutheran-Millstadt, Illinois and believes that he can hug every cat.

Stan Lemon

I have a confession to make. I am addicted to Higher Things. This year’s conference at Purdue marks my twelfth Higher Things Conference. It’s insane to think its been that many, but in large part due to my work with the organization I’ve been privileged to attend a fair many of its conferences.

Over the last couple of years I’ve only been able to go to one conference, as opposed to all of them as in years past. It has easily become the high point of my year and I look forward to breaking away from my day job to get immersed in Lutheran Theology and Worship with a bunch of crazy teenagers for a whole week. There is nothing quite like it. Sure, there are other youth gatherings of various sort and they may be bigger, longer or louder but in the end there is nothing out there that truly represents historic Lutheranism like Higher Things does. For me that’s what has always been so special about this organization I love: Higher Things.

A lot of adults are busily trying to sell teenagers the next fad whether it be trendy with this generation or reminiscent on the baby boomer era. Some youth like that. I contend though that most don’t and most are looking for something deeper and more substantive in their religious life. Higher Things presents constants that are concrete, not fads or gimmicks of an exciting week that will quickly be lost once youth return home.

Here is the bottom line when it comes to Higher Things. The Gospel you hear on Tuesday at the opening Divine Service and at Friday for the closing Divine Service and all the services in between is the same Gospel you’ll hear Sunday at your home congregation’s Divine Service. The liturgy isn’t new and the hymns are mostly old. But anything you hear in worship at a Higher Things conference you can find in a pew near you tucked inside of your church’s hymnal on Sunday. The only thing different is you’re praying and singing with 1300+ youth in a music hall on a college campus.

There is something else that sets Higher Things apart. Look at our staff. They’re not old crusty church politicians running the show. Our conferences are powered by college volunteers and a support staff that is increasingly representative of past conference attendees. At Purdue our registrar, assistant registrar, college volunteer coordinator, housing staff and our technology staff were former college volunteers and past attendees. And as for our adults, many of them started with the organization only after having been serial adult chaperones for their home youth groups. Our leadership is home grown right in our conferences. They see what happens, they believe its valuable to our youth, and they jump on board for a crazy ride.

I strongly believe we’ve done our youth a disservice by treating them as children. They’re young adults and they’re not looking for dumbed down theology that lacks substance. They want to learn about Jesus Christ and Him crucified. They not only want, but they need to hear the Gospel. They want to be treated like adults, and in this regard, Higher Things promises to do that and delivers. Our theology is that of the Lutheran Confessions and there is no sugar coating on it. Nothing but raw unadulterated Gospel. And the best part is that the youth love it!

We live in a world that is hostile to Christianity. Youth are taught to not believe in anything. They are taught to live with doubt and to fend for their own sins rather than lay them at the foot of the Cross for He who bears the sins of the world. Higher Things is intentionally counter cultural to this, it teaches the solid promises of faith in Water, Word, Body and Blood. It teaches forgiveness from a loving Lord who sent His only Son to die for a fallen world. It teaches certainty and trust in Christ. Then it worships faithfully in Lutheran fashion according to the practices passed down by the church. All the while teaching and worshipping, Higher Things makes sure to have fun, proving that being faithful doesn’t have to be boring. This is why I am addicted to Higher Things.

Stan Lemon is the Technology Executive for Higher Things.

Jonathan Kohlmeier

It’s not supposed to work like this! High School aged youth don’t get excited about prayer offices and services that were written or compiled 2000 years ago. They get bored with in-depth bible studies that just go through scripture. They need edgy video and skits that can concretely be applied to their lives and that old boring stuff just doesn’t do it.

Yet here they are! 1400 youth belting out great Lutheran hymns. They’re in the classrooms asking tough questions about the text of scripture and Lutheran doctrine. They’re asking their pastors about baptism and private Confession and Absolution! It’s completely insane to the world who thinks teens just need and want to be entertained. Yet here we are, in Purdue, witnessing all of it and more!

I guess this shouldn’t really be a surprise to us. These Lutheran Youth are at the top of their game academically. During the school year they are learning calculus that even if we did learn it has been mostly forgotten now. They are encouraged to think critically by teachers in class and through homework and exams. They’re smart. Intelligent. Thirsting for knowledge. It shows just by talking with them!

The experience of a Higher Things Conference is something all in and of itself. The singing, the learning, the fellowship all leads to great emotion. But it doesn’t stop there. This experience is reproducible. That’s because it’s not about the experience or the emotion but about the unchanging Gospel and the gifts which deliver it. The same gifts given at a conference are given week in and week out in our congregations. Sunday morning our pastors start with the words, “In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” reminding us of our baptism. We confess our sins and we are absolved. We hear the word of God read and preached and Jesus comes to us through it. Christ comes to us in body and blood in the sacrament. That victory over sin, death, and the devil that was won for us at Calvary is delivered to us in, with, and under the bread and the wine.

There are probably more people here at From Above – Purdue then you have in your own congregations. Instead of hearing 1 or 2 pastors preach you’ll hear 7 different pastors preach Jesus for you. The singing will be a little louder. You’ll see that there are more Lutheran youth than just you and your youth group. It’s definitely an experience you’ll remember for a little while.

Then you’ll get home. The excitement will wear off and the emotions will die down. But those same things that you heard and learned here will continue on in your own congregations. Your own pastor will continue preach Jesus Christ and Him Crucified for you. He will continue deliver Jesus to you week in and week out. You’ll be joined with the whole church as you sing, pray, and receive the gifts of The Lord.

That’s a gift from above and it’s pretty great!

by Rev. Mark Buetow

The purpose of a vaccine is to inoculate you against a disease. By putting some of the disease into your body (usually an “inert” version of the illness) your body reacts and builds antibodies against that disease. Then later on, when you are exposed to that particular germ, your body is ready with its defenses to fight off the disease. Baptism is just such an inoculation against death. When you are baptized—born “from above”—you are given the death and resurrection of Jesus as your own. That means the death He died for your sins you have died: at the font! And the life He lives, you now live, having risen to that new life through the waters of Baptism. And since you have His death and resurrection in Baptism, that means that when you die, death cannot keep you down; you will be raised up and live forever. You’re inoculated against death!

Science and medicine continue to overcome illness and disease. Many sicknesses that would have surely caused death just decades ago are treatable or perhaps even curable. But the one thing we have found no physical pill for or vaccine against is death. You can cure a disease and treat some symptoms, but in the end, death will have its way. We might be able to use biology and chemistry to extend our lives, but we can’t keep death away forever. Plus, any kind of tragedy could strike at any time, ending someone’s life. We don’t like to talk about that. Everyone hopes they’ll live a nice long life and die peacefully of old age in their sleep. But we know better. We’ve seen family and friends fall asleep in death. We’ve seen it happen to young and old. We’ve watched loved ones waste away with something that cannot be cured. We’ve known someone whose life was cut short by tragedy or accident. No, there is nothing in this world that can defeat death.

So the Enemy of death comes “from above” into this world: the Son of God in the flesh—Jesus, whose name means “Yahweh saves.” Saves us from what? Saves us from our sins, the wages of which is death. Sin brings death, so Jesus takes on both. He takes on sin by suffering and dying for the sins of the world on the cross. He takes on death by taking a last breath and being laid in a tomb before coming out the third day and triumphing over death. When Jesus comes out of that tomb on Easter, something is different. Death no longer has the last word. It is the final enemy to be defeated, and on the Last Day when our bodies rise from the dead, then death will be done away with once and for all (1 Corinthians 15)—all because Jesus came out of that tomb after He paid for the sins of the world with His holy, precious blood and His innocent suffering and death.

Now, how do the death and resurrection of Jesus benefit you? How do you receive the blessings of what Jesus has done for you by His death and resurrection? That’s where Baptism comes in. The Large Catechism gives us this great picture of what Baptism does: Imagine there was a doctor somewhere who understood the art of saving people from death, or even though they died, could restore them quickly to life so that they would afterward live forever. Oh, how the world would pour in money like snow and rain. No one could find access to him because of the throng of the rich! But here in Baptism there is freely brought to everyone’s door such a treasure and medicine that it utterly destroys death and preserves all people alive. (Large Catechism IV.43)

The way that Baptism does this is described by St. Paul in Romans 6: Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4, NKJV). Baptism is the water to which the Lord attaches His Word of promise: Christ died; you die. Christ rose; you will rise. The power of Holy Baptism is that it joins us to Christ’s own death and resurrection. You have died at the holy font to inoculate you against your physical death some day. You have been raised to new life at the font so that you will rise from the dead on the Last Day and live forever.

This means that for those who are baptized into Christ, death is no big deal. That’s right! No big deal. It might be sudden or lingering. It might be painful or peaceful. It will cause tears and grief. But know this: Even though you die, you will rise. The promise of Holy Baptism is that not only does your Old Adam die daily but the New man arises to live in righteousness, innocence and blessedness. This means that when you are confronted by death, you can mock it, scoff at it, shrug it off as no big deal. That’s because just as much as Baptism prepares you for death, it also promises eternal life. Yes, you’ll die. Then you’ll rise and live forever, because Jesus did. What He did is made yours by water, Word and Spirit from above.

So we live in a world surrounded by death, but we are vaccinated against it. We die and rise from above, in Christ, through the water and His Word. Therefore, we boldly confess, while sneering at death, that we believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.

Rev. Mark Buetow is pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church in DuQuoin, Illinois and serves as the deputy and media services executive for Higher Things. He can be reached at buetowmt@gmail.com.