St. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote to the church in Rome writing, "For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law." (Romans 3:28). To understand how we are justified, or declared righteous before our Heavenly Father, is necessary for everything. If we...
In his treatise, Against the Heavenly Prophets, Luther asserted that it is essential to know that God comes to us both outwardly and inwardly. Outwardly God comes to us in the proclaimed Gospel and the blessed sacrament. Inwardly He comes to us through the Holy Spirit and faith. Both are given...
"A joyful heart is good medicine," so says Proverbs 17:22. What does it mean to have a joyful heart? Well, the rest of verse 22 says, "but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." A joyful heart is the opposite of a crushed spirit. A crushed spirit is a despairing soul, one who has no...
Starting this Today, every Thursday is going to be a little devotional reading and writing from the Book of Concord. This is just to mix things up a little bit and get everyone into reading through the Confessions of the Lutheran Church. Today we are looking at the article of Justification. The...
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his...
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...