Concerning the Mass – part 69
Scripture Text: Matthew 21:21–22
There are many fine collections of prayers available. If a person reads those prayers but does not believe in God, are they effective prayers?
“Likewise”
Scripture Text: 1 Timothy 2:1–6
The Small Catechism also, even though teaching from the Apostles' Creed that does not deal explicitly with the dual nature, teaches us that the ascended Christ is “true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary.”
The Small Catechism – part 203
Scripture Text: John 9:7
The blind man in John 9 went to a pool called “Sent,” and was blessed with sight. We have been dispatched to a fount called Christ, and have been given new life, lived forever before God in the righteousness and purity of Christ Jesus.
The Small Catechism – part 202
Scripture Text: Romans 12:1–2
Every day we must slay the old nature in us. By offering our doubts, temptations, and sins to God, we crucify the flesh. This is not a physical act like sacrificing an animal.
The Small Catechism – part 201
Scripture Text: Genesis 26:18
Jesus confirms that we are all sinners (John 8:7). Who of us does not sin daily? Day after day, our sins can pile up in our memories. If we are not careful to seek the Father’s forgiveness and remember the promises of Baptism daily, the devil may slowly stop up the well.
The Small Catechism – part 200
Scripture Text: John 7:38–39
In Christian Baptism, water does more than touch the outside of us, as though washing the skin. Because God’s Word is bound with the water, it cleanses and renews the whole person.
The Small Catechism – part 199
Scripture Text: Hebrews 12:11
God’s discipline is a difficult thing, but the Father does not discipline us so severely that we die. His Son, however, was disciplined to the point of death for the sins the world.
The Small Catechism – part 198
Scripture Text: Hebrews 12:1–2
Remember Jesus. Keep him in mind as the one who ran before you and is now waiting for you to cross the finish line. Now, if you believe and are baptized, you are in the race, but finishing the race requires the endurance of faith.
The Small Catechism – part 197
Scripture Text: Genesis 22:12
Obedient to God’s command, Abraham took his son up the mountain to sacrifice him to the Lord. But God spared the child’s life, and his parents untold grief.
The Small Catechism – part 196
Scripture Text: Genesis 21:17–19
Our lives are in the Lord’s hands. He has prepared a better place for us, a heavenly city, an excelling country. It was so for Abraham who with Sarah was made to wait in faith on God’s promise.
The Small Catechism – part 195
Scripture Text: Hebrews 11:5–6
There is one thing that pleases God: faith in him—faith in his existence and faith in his grace. Abel brought an offering to the Lord, having faith in God instead of a confidence in his offering, and so, his offering was acceptable or pleasing.
The Small Catechism – part 194
Scripture Text: Hebrews 10:17–18
Baptism is something God does to and for us. It is not our offering to God, as though God is a theatergoer soothed by our performance. It is not something we do in order to appease God.
The Small Catechism – part 193
Scripture Text: Genesis 17:11
The promise of God is for all people. Circumcision was a signal that there is something greater than the shedding of human blood. We are meant to look to something far greater.
The Small Catechism – part 192
Scripture Text: Hebrews 9:15
All our sins are drowned in Christian baptism, for the “old man” was buried with Christ in his death (Rom 6:3). At first blush, this hardly seems fair.
The Small Catechism – part 190
Scripture Text: John 4:50
“Thy will be done.” We may pray this, meaning, “Please, Lord, do my will. Make my will your own.” Instead, our weekly, if not daily, prayer must also be a confession to ourselves that it is God’s will that must be done.
The Small Catechism – part 189
Scripture Text: Hebrews 7:1–3
God has made believers a kingdom of priests (Isa 61:6; Exod 19:6; 1 Pet 2:9; Rev 1:6). Priests are the ones who receive the tithe from subordinates, as Melchizedek did from Abraham.
The Small Catechism – part 188
Scripture Text: Hebrews 6:13
Who has commanded us to pray in the manner of the Lord’s Prayer than God himself? And whose name, whose reputation, is higher than God’s. No one’s name is greater, so we may pray with confidence.
“Resurrection of the Body”
Scripture Text: 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18
Christ has redeemed everything we might consider corrupt, so the flesh, though it undergo decay or be consumed by fire, will be raised by the power of God.
Concerning the Church
Scripture Text: Romans 13:1-7
It is important for us to distinguish between the two kingdoms—the kingdom of God and worldly kingdoms. Both Church and State are under God’s authority but they serve different ends.
Concerning the Church
Scripture Text: Matthew 28:18-20
Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions urge us to be not only wary of false teachers and ministers, but to have nothing to do with them.
The Small Catechism – part 187
Scripture Text: Hebrews 3:12
Is there anything more evil than the human heart? “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
The Small Catechism – part 186
Scripture Text: Hebrews 3:11
The ancient Hebrews were being led out of Egypt, through the wilderness, and into a land of rest—a place where they would no longer be in bondage.
The Small Catechism – part 185
Scripture Text: Genesis 4:7
Sin is lurking in our doorways every day. Therefore, we must be certain it does not to rule over us. The idea here is not that Cain, and we too, somehow work hard enough to stop sinning.
The Small Catechism – part 184
Scripture Text: Hebrews 5:9–10
Jesus, sinless and therefore perfect in our minds, was nevertheless perfected through his suffering on the cross. Because of this perfecting, God designated his Son as our great High Priest.
The Small Catechism – part 183
Scripture Text: John 1:16
Life, and with it rescue from all evil, comes through the Living Word. Everlasting life comes only through him who is the life and light of humanity, when each person receives him by believing in him.
Click Here For Archives