Yesterday all morning long I kept being asked the same question, “Dad are you going to help me make the bad guy Legos”? At first I said, “Yeah, whatever, daddy needs a cup of coffee first.” After coffee again I was asked, “Daddy when are you going to help me with my bad guy Legos?” Well, then I had to help with the dishes to unclog the kitchen so that breakfast could be made. Then there were more dishes, and a sermon to write. The child asked me again for the 972nd time, “Can you help me with my bad guy Legos”? What are bad guy Legos anyway? I looked at the box. The day before we had opened bag one and put together a police care and police officer. Now bag 2 had the getaway care, a safe with some money, and a bad guy who carried a crowbar for his weapon, or tool? The bad guy really looked bad too, he had a mean scowl on his face, his clothes looked kind of aggressive. 

BadGuyLego courtesy flickr legopicler

The problem with bad guys, isn’t just that they exist, but how many there are. It’s a sad fact that almost anyone, under certain circumstances, might buckle and do really bad things. It is the human condition. And it is this condition for which God sent a savior in Jesus Christ whose birth and salvation we celebrate. How exactly does Jesus save us? There are many theories of atonement; and blessedly none are deemed to be the only correct way. In other words there are many different theories of atonement. One such theory is the Moral Influence theory. 

Moral Influence Theory suggests that Jesus shows how to live justly, and influences us to do so. The emphasis on the crucifixion in this theory is that Jesus non-violently resists the evil in the world. He shows how we should resist it too. What Would Jesus Do? That is a question at the heart of Moral Influence Theory. A saved person who does and Jesus would do. 

The epistle reading from Galatians conveys a Moral Influence theory of salvation. Paul says that at first we are like children being raised by a guardian. The guardian teaches us right from wrong according to the law. Jesus when he was born on Christmas and grew up as a child and into an adult showed us the way to live under the law. But long term we grow up to have the law written on our hearts. We naturally align with God’s intention for creation. We don’t worry so much about the laws or rules, but we follow God with joy!

The grace of God changes people’s hearts and makes them better people. But some people aren’t told the good news about God. They are more at risk of going down a path that leads to bad behavior. Furthermore, what does it mean if less and less people practice religion? What does it mean if Lutheran have a hard time growing? What does it mean for our future, and what does it mean for the future of civilization? 

There are three things that evangelicals do:

Experience salvation

Simeon the prophet is an example of what it means to be an evangelical. He was at the temple, like he was almost every day. A stirring in his heart and a whisper in his mind told him to approach a family that was presenting their child to God in a religious ritual. When he saw the child his heart filled with joy and he was overcome by emotion. He was so moved by this religious and spiritual experience that he took the child and blessed. He had a personal encounter. The evangelical experience of Christian faith is one that is marked by having a personal experience of accepting, seeing, or experiencing Jesus in a real way. John Wesley called it a warming of the heart. For many traditional Lutherans this experience happens during Holy Communion where you actually receive Christ.

Personal Testimony

The