Both those before and after the life and death of Jesus are saved not by their merits, but by faith in Jesus' mercy and grace. As the Confessions teach that "Faith does not justify or save because it is a good work in itself, but only because it accepts the promised mercy" (Apology IV.56...
When our Lord, Jesus The Christ, entered into Jerusalem, He was received with shouts of loud Hosannas and waving palm branches. However, Jesus knew that these same praising Jerusalem dwellers would a few days later shout out, “Crucify Him!” Jesus knew that they would reject Him and...
In the Large Catechism, Luther says, "But if you forgive, you have this comfort and assurance, that you are forgiven in heaven. This is not because of your forgiving. For God forgives freely and without condition, out of pure grace, because He has so promised, as the Gospel teaches. But God says...
Jesus says, "13 And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I...