The Gloria Patri
“Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.” Some Lutheran churches have begun…
How Should We Then Live?
“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not…
The Two Natures of Christ
This series offers an overview of the chief teachings of the Christian church. DNA testing has become popular as curiosity about ancestry leads people to investigate family roots. Is my family lineage limited to one…
“Awakening” and “Conversion”—A False Dichotomy
One of the hallmarks of the Lutheran Church is its proper understanding and application of the Bible’s two main teachings—Law and Gospel. Dr. C.F.W. Walther’s seminal work, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel is…
We’re the “For” Church
What do others say about your church? Do you hear, “Oh, you’re the church that’s against abortion. Your church is against same-sex marriage. You’re against praying with other Christians”? Sometimes the perception is that we…
The Messiah: Old Testament Prophecy and New Testament Fulfillment
This series offers an overview of the chief teachings of the Christian church. Sometimes a curious unbeliever will ask a Christian acquaintance, “What’s the Bible all about?” One can imagine different answers that could be…
The Introit
In the Old Testament we read of how Esther needed to approach the king to inform him of a genocidal plot against her people. As queen living in the palace, she could go to the…
Sufferings and Glories Revealed
“Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them…
Wrestling with God
“Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.” (Genesis 32:24) Late that night, Jacob stood alone by the Jabbok River; troubled, frightened, sleepless. Somewhere in the darkness…
We Receive the Benefits of the Sacraments by Faith Alone
Thesis XXI – In the seventeenth place, the Word of God is not rightly divided when men are taught that the Sacraments produce salutary effects ex opere operato, that is, by the mere outward performance…