Podcasts about luther's works

We've discussed the Crucifixion and the Resurrection, Anselm and Aulen, and salvation itself all over the place... but until now, never "the Atonement." Could that be because the word itself tends to dictate the outcome? In this episode we talk about the origins of the English word "atone," exchange some thoughts on the Epistle to the Hebrews, and then dive deep into an essay by theologian Robert Bertram commenting on Luther commenting on Galatians. Joyful exchanges abound! Notes: 1. Bertram, "How Our Sins Were Christ's" 2. Sarah's article "The Law of God," now also published in Common Places in Christian Theology 3. Luther's 1531/35 Galatians commentary in Luther's Works vols 26 and 27 Holy moly! Six years of top-quality theological podcasting! Why not show your support by becoming a Patron?

How does a love of languages serve future church workers? Rev. Joshua Hayes, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Palmer, KS, editor of Johann Gerhard's Theological Commonplaces (available from CPH), and a contributing translator to the American Edition of Luther's Works, joins Andy and Sarah for our Set Apart to Serve Series to talk about his story of considering and becoming a pastor, the challenges and joys in his journey, his love of languages, what a day in the life of a pastor looks like, and how he and his congregation encourages and forms youth and adults in the Christian faith and to consider a church work vocation. Learn more about the Set Apart to Serve Initiative at lcms.org/setaparttoserve. Christ's church will continue until He returns, and that church will continue to need church workers. Set Apart to Serve (SAS) is an initiative of the LCMS to recruit church workers. Together, we pray for workers for the Kingdom of God and encourage children to consider church work vocations. Here are three easy ways you can participate in SAS: 1. Pray with your children for God to provide church workers. 2. Talk to your children about becoming church workers. 3. Thank God for the people who work in your congregation. To learn more about Set Apart to Serve, visit lcms.org/set-apart-to-serve.

#0121 How Anti-Semitism Crept Into The Church -Further Every Day With all of the riots in the West, and even supposed Evangelical Christians championing the demise of Israel, the question rises: How did anti-semitism creep into the Church and the Western Psyche? First off, what is Anti-Semitism: “Hatred of and hostility toward the Jews, at times including the belief that they pose a threat to society and should be eliminated. The term was coined in 1879 by the German anti-Jewish writer Wilhelm Marr to refer specifically to “scientific” rather than “religious” opposition to Jews, but it is generally applied to all manifestations of hatred of the Jewish people. Over its long history, it has taken different forms in different cultural contexts. This has led to debate about what precisely constitutes antisemitism and whether it is unique or merely the specific expression of the kind of inter-group hostility that is found in most societies. The Jewish experience of antisemitism over the centuries, especially under the Nazis, plays a significant role in contemporary Jewish self-understanding and communal life....” -Oxfordhttps://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780199730049.001.0001/acref-9780199730049-e-0207 We are seeing pro-Hamas protests across the US and Europe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fmahzTQppw How did we get here? Well let's set up a rough timeline: Timeline of Events: Early Christian Period (A.D. 160-180): Marcion launches a theological crusade against perceived Jewish Influence (The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 1, p. 493). Later, many of these same anti-Judaic sentiments found their way into the thinking (and writings) of the Early Church fathers. Irenaeus (c. 180), for instance, wrote, “The Jews have rejected the Son of God and cast Him out of the vineyard when they slew Him. Therefore, God has justly rejected them and has given to the Gentiles outside the vineyard the fruits of its cultivation” (The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Ed. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, [1885-1887], Volume 1, p. 493). 7th Century (A.D. 680-687): Jewish converts to Christianity must renounce their Jewish heritage before baptism (Professions of Faith Extracted from Jews on Baptism, compiled by Professor Paul Halsall of Fordham University). Development of Theological Views: Chiliasm (premillennialism) prominent in Early Church despite later shift to amillennialism (History of the Christian Church, Vol. 2, p. 614). Augustine's symbolic interpretation of Israel's prophecies contributes to amillennialism (City of God, Books 15 to 19). Martin Luther and Anti-Semitism: Luther, a supersessionist, advocates burning synagogues, expelling Jews, influencing Nazi policies (On the Jews and Their Lies, Luther's Works, pp. 268-271). Luther's ideas inspired Nazi leaders Goering, Himmler, and Hitler to commit the atrocities Luther prescribed against Jewish people (The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, p. 236). https://youtu.be/RW-bx3-aO5E?feature=shared https://youtu.be/B-7OiA-G3hA?feature=shared So what does the Bible say about the Jewish People and their Covenant with God? Paul asserts God has not permanently rejected Israel (Romans 11:1-2, 11-12, 15). Foresees a future restoration of Israel, a time of "fullness" and recognition of Yeshua as Messiah (Romans 11:26). David is promised an eternal heir in 2 Samuel 7:12-13 And of course the Abrahamic Covenant: https://www.gotquestions.org/Abrahamic-covenant.html Closing Question to each chair: So how should we as Christians look upon the Jewish People? Final Question: What Old Testament Era Figure has inspired you the most in life?

James, Andrew, and their friend and fellow Episcopal priest Kyle Tomlin (from previous episodes: Remembering Jim Nestingen and We Need to be Rescued) each discuss the 1953 film Martin Luther and the 2003 film Luther, and which one they each liked better of the two. Andrew then gives an overview of every movie made on Martin Luther from 1911 to 2017 (!) Shownotes: *Birth of a Nation is indeed over 3 hours long (3 hours and 15 minutes to be exact). *Luther's remarks on suicide that Andrew and Kyle refer to is from Table Talks entry 222 (April 7, 1532) found in vol. 54 of the American edition of Luther's Works . Read an excerpt of it here. *Click here for a PDF of the biographical article in German about Walther Nithack-Stahn (the Berlin pastor who opposed World War I, and who wrote the screenplay of which the 1923 silent film Martin Luther was based upon) *The book about Luther on film that Andrew recently came across is Martin Luther in Motion Pictures: History of a Metamorphosis by Esther P Wipfler *The description of the 1911 film Doktor Martinus Luther that Andrew read was from a blog entry from the Bible Films Blog *Here is a biographical article on Eugen Klöpfer, who played Luther in the 1928 movie, and gives more details on his involvement with Goebbels and the regime.

Disagree, agree, or have a question: Contact us through the contact page on our website; http://www.biblebulldog.com The Book of Concord. The Book of Concord (1580) or Concordia (often referred to as the Lutheran Confessions) is the historic doctrinal standard of the Lutheran Church, consisting of ten credal documents recognized as authoritative in Lutheranism since the 16th century. Martin Luther's quirky quotes. “May God punish you, I say, you shameless, barefaced liar, devil's mouthpiece, who dares to spit out, before God, before all the angels, before the dear sun, before all the world, your devil's filth.” From Against the Roman Papacy, an Institution of the Devil, pg. 349 of Luther's Works, Vol. 41 “For you are an excellent person, as skillful, clever, and versed in Holy Scripture as a cow in a walnut tree or a sow on a harp.” From Against Hanswurst, pg. 219 of Luther's Works, Vol. 41 “You are like a magician who conjures gulden into the mouths of silly people, but when they open their mouths they have horse dirt in them.” From Against the Roman Papacy, an Institution of the Devil, pg. 264 of Luther's Works, Vol. 41 The Book of Concord is a collection of 10 writings: The Apostle's Creed The Nicene Creed The Athanasian Creed. The Augsburg Confession: The Augsburg Confession is a key document of the Lutheran tradition that outlines the basic beliefs of the Lutheran Church. It was written in 1530. e Augsburg Confession consists of 28 articles that cover a range of topics. Some of the key points of the Augsburg Confession are: Justification by faith: The Augsburg Confession emphasizes that salvation is a free gift of God that is received through faith alone. The authority of scripture: The Augsburg Confession affirms the authority of scripture as the final authority in matters of faith and practice. The sacraments: The Augsburg Confession affirms the importance of two sacraments, Baptism and the Lord's Supper, and rejects the Catholic teaching of transubstantiation. The priesthood of all believers: The Augsburg Confession emphasizes that all believers have direct access to God through Christ, and that there is no need for a mediator between God and humanity. The Apology of the Augsburg Confession: The Apology of the Augsburg Confession is a document written by Philipp Melanchthon, a German reformer, in 1531. It was written as a response to the Roman Catholic Church's rejection of the Augsburg Confession. The Smalcald Articles: The Smalcald Articles are a Lutheran confession of faith that was written by Martin Luther in 1537. The Smalcald Articles were written in response to the Council of Trent. They are a statement of faith that outlines the key beliefs of the Lutheran Church. The Smalcald Articles affirm the Lutheran belief in salvation by grace through faith alone and reject the Catholic belief in salvation through good works The Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope: The Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope is a document written by Philip Melanchthon, a German reformer, in 1537. The Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope was written to clarify the Lutheran position on the role of the Pope in the Church. It affirms the Lutheran belief in the authority of the Bible as the sole source of Christian doctrine. The Formula of Concord: The Formula of Concord is a Lutheran confession of faith that was written in 1577. It was a response to divisions within the Lutheran Church and aimed to unify Lutheran beliefs and practices. Final thought from Martin Luther: “I'm fed up with the world, and it is fed up with me. I'm quite content with that. The world thinks that if it is only rid of me everything will be fine, and it will accomplish this. After all, it's as I've often said: I'm like a ripe stool and the world is like a gigantic anus, and so we're about to let go of each other.” (Martin Luther, Table Talk, 5537). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/biblebulldog/message

You can call me any day or night. Call me! In this episode, we read Martin Luther's verbosely titled treatise, “That a Christian Assembly or Congregation has the Right and Power to Judge all Teaching and to Call, Appoint, and Dismiss Teachers, Established and Proven by Scripture." We discuss ordination, church authority, the doctrine of the pastoral call, and much more. SHOW NOTES:  "That a Christian Assembly or Congregation has the Right and Power to Judge all Teaching and to Call, Appoint, and Dismiss Teachers, Established and Proven by Scripture." Luther's Works, American Edition, Volume 39, Page 305. https://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2016/4/21/that-a-christian-assembly-or-congregation-has-the-right-and-power-to-judge-all-teaching-and-to-call-appoint-and-dismiss-teachers-established-and-proven-by-scripture Pope Francis, Tony Blair, & Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla Join Clinton Foundation Event Promoting Globalism https://thenationalpulse.com/2023/09/14/pope-francis-tony-blair-pfizer-ceo-albert-bourla-join-clinton-foundation-event-promoting-globalism/   SUPPORT: 1517 Podcast Network Survey https://form.typeform.com/to/PFVYubFp  Support the Podcast Network Fundraiser http://www.1517.org/donate-podcasts 1517 Podcasts http://www.1517.org/podcasts The 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/1517-podcast-network/id6442751370 1517 on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChDdMiZJv8oYMJQQx2vHSzg   What's New from 1517: Faith and Reason Exchange https://www.1517.org/podcasts/faith-and-reason-exchange  2023 HWSS Conference Livestream Signup http://1517.org/livestream Join the 1517 Academy https://academy.1517.org/  Faith in the Face of Tyranny https://shop.1517.org/products/faith-in-the-face-of-tyranny-an-examination-of-the-bethel-confession-proposed-by-dietrich-bonhoeffer-and-hermann-sasse-in-august-1933    More from the hosts: Donovan Riley https://www.1517.org/contributors/donavon-riley  Christopher Gillespie https://www.1517.org/contributors/christopher-gillespie   MORE LINKS: Tin Foil Haloes https://t.me/bannedpastors Warrior Priest Gym & Podcast https://thewarriorpriestpodcast.wordpress.com   St John's Lutheran Church (Webster, MN) - FB Live Bible Study Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/356667039608511  Gillespie's Sermons and Catechesis: http://youtube.com/stjohnrandomlake  Gillespie Coffee https://gillespie.coffee   Gillespie Media https://gillespie.media     CONTACT and FOLLOW: Email mailto:BannedBooks@1517.org  Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BannedBooksPod/  Twitter https://twitter.com/bannedbooks1517   SUBSCRIBE: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsvLQ5rlaInxLO9luAauF4A  Rumble https://rumble.com/c/c-1223313  Odysee https://odysee.com/@bannedbooks:5 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/banned-books/id1370993639  Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2ahA20sZMpBxg9vgiRVQba  Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=214298  Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1370993639/banned-books  Google Podcasts https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9iYW5uZWRib29rcy5saWJzeW4uY29tL3Jzcw TuneIn Radio https://tunein.com/podcasts/Religion--Spirituality-Podcasts/Banned-Books-p1216972/  iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-banned-books-29825974/ 

Dr. Benjamin Haupt joined Jill Devine and Ryan Pfendler for a two-part discussion about the challenging times we are encountering in our society. Dr. Haupt made reference to Luke 10:25-37, The Parable of the Good Samaritan, in this week's episode.Dr. Haupt is associate provost and associate professor of Practical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. As associate provost, Dr. Haupt assists the Seminary provost in achieving key strategic priorities in support of the mission of the Seminary. He oversees the Seminary's recruitment and admissions teams and serves as a liaison to faculty and staff involved in accomplishing the Seminary's enrollment goals related to its residential, distance and multiethnic Ministerial Formation programs and Advanced Studies programs. Dr. Haupt has been a faculty member since 2013. His areas of interest and expertise include the history of the text of the New Testament, early Christianity prior to Constantine, the intersection of church and society, 19th century Lutheran missiology, the theology and practice of preaching, and pastoral/congregational leadership.He earned a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from the University of Birmingham, U.K. (2019), and both a Master of Sacred Theology (S.T.M.) and a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (2011, 2005). He received a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon (2000). During his M.Div. program, he studied for a year at Lutherische Theologische Hochschule in Oberursel, Germany. After graduation he was installed as an associate pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Boca Raton, Fla., and served there until 2008. From 2008-13 he was the sole pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Gainesville, Ga.Dr. Haupt has been speaking, teaching and writing since 2008 and has been involved with a variety of seminars ranging from lay-focused sessions for people in Haiti to breakout sessions at conferences throughout the United States. His writing includes a translation of a sermon for Luther's Works, vol. 58, essays on the early history of the New Testament text in the writings of church fathers, his Ph.D. dissertation titled “Tertullian's Text of the New Testament Outside the Gospels,” a volume of translated and edited essays by Hans Joachim Iwand on Church and Society, and a volume of translated essays on early LCMS mission. Dr. Haupt is married to Celina, who works at Captain Elementary School. They have two sons. He and his family are avid travelers, comics readers, Lego-maniacs and video gamers. He leads the Concordia Wine Society.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hauptbenTwitter: @benhauptEmail: hauptb@csl.eduNormal Goes A Long Way Website: https://www.normalgoesalongway.com/Normal Goes A Long Way Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/normalgoesalongway/Normal Goes A Long Way Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Normal-Goes-A-Long-Way-110089491250735Normal Goes A Long Way is brought to you by Messiah St. Charles: https://messiahstcharles.org/Two Kids and A Career: https://www.jilldevine.com/podcast

Dr. Benjamin Haupt joined Jill Devine and Ryan Pfendler for a two-part discussion about the challenging times we are encountering in our society. Dr. Haupt is associate provost and associate professor of Practical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. As associate provost, Dr. Haupt assists the Seminary provost in achieving key strategic priorities in support of the mission of the Seminary. He oversees the Seminary's recruitment and admissions teams and serves as a liaison to faculty and staff involved in accomplishing the Seminary's enrollment goals related to its residential, distance and multiethnic Ministerial Formation programs and Advanced Studies programs. Dr. Haupt has been a faculty member since 2013. His areas of interest and expertise include the history of the text of the New Testament, early Christianity prior to Constantine, the intersection of church and society, 19th century Lutheran missiology, the theology and practice of preaching, and pastoral/congregational leadership.He earned a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from the University of Birmingham, U.K. (2019), and both a Master of Sacred Theology (S.T.M.) and a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (2011, 2005). He received a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon (2000). During his M.Div. program, he studied for a year at Lutherische Theologische Hochschule in Oberursel, Germany. After graduation he was installed as an associate pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Boca Raton, Fla., and served there until 2008. From 2008-13 he was the sole pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Gainesville, Ga.Dr. Haupt has been speaking, teaching and writing since 2008 and has been involved with a variety of seminars ranging from lay-focused sessions for people in Haiti to breakout sessions at conferences throughout the United States. His writing includes a translation of a sermon for Luther's Works, vol. 58, essays on the early history of the New Testament text in the writings of church fathers, his Ph.D. dissertation titled “Tertullian's Text of the New Testament Outside the Gospels,” a volume of translated and edited essays by Hans Joachim Iwand on Church and Society, and a volume of translated essays on early LCMS mission.Dr. Haupt is married to Celina, who works at Captain Elementary School. They have two sons. He and his family are avid travelers, comics readers, Lego-maniacs and video gamers. He leads the Concordia Wine Society.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hauptbenTwitter: @benhauptEmail: hauptb@csl.eduNormal Goes A Long Way Website: https://www.normalgoesalongway.com/Normal Goes A Long Way Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/normalgoesalongway/Normal Goes A Long Way Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Normal-Goes-A-Long-Way-110089491250735Normal Goes A Long Way is brought to you by Messiah St. Charles: https://messiahstcharles.org/Two Kids and A Career: https://www.jilldevine.com/podcast

Matthew week 8   Matthew 3:1-12 ESV   In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,   “The voice of one crying in the wilderness:   ‘Prepare the way of the Lord;   make his paths straight.'”   4 Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.   7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,' for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.   11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”                         Martin Luther: “I would have those who are to be baptized to be entirely immersed, as the word imports and the mystery signifies.” Luther's Works,   1551 edition, Vol. 2, p.76 Lutherans       John Calvin: “. . . it is evident that the term baptize means to immerse, and that this was the form used by the primitive church.” Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book IV, Chapter XV, Paragraph 19 Presbyterians       John Wesley: “I believe (myself) it is a duty to observe, so far as I can . . . to baptize by immersion.” Moore, Life of Wesley, Vol. 1, p. 425 Methodists                 1 Thessalonians 1:9 NIV   9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,       Luke 3:10-14 NASB   10 And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what are we to do?” 11 And he would answer and say to them, “The one who has two tunics is to share with the one who has none; and the one who has food is to do likewise.” 12 Now even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what are we to do?” 13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” 14 And soldiers also were questioning him, saying, “What are we to do, we as well?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone, nor harass anyone, and be content with your wages.”       Acts 26:20 NASB   20 but continually proclaimed to those in Damascus first, and in Jerusalem, and then all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they are to repent and turn to God, performing deeds consistent with repentance.       James 2:14-17, 22 NIV   14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.       22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.       Titus 2:11-12 NIV   11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,       2 Corinthians 7:8-12 NIV   8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— 9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.       John 15:4-6 NIV   4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.   5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.                                          

It's the Cross, Stupid. In this episode, we discuss how God makes a theologian of the cross, how the theology of glory infiltrates churches and their doctrine, and how the cross of Christ reveals the truth about human history. SHOW NOTES:  Letters to Lutheran Pastors: Volume 1 https://amzn.to/45HmRXf  President Dwight D. Eisenhower's Farewell Address (1961) https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/president-dwight-d-eisenhowers-farewell-address  St. Louis Edition of Luther's Works http://www.ctsfw.net/media/pdfs/DauStLouisEditionLuthersWorks.pdf Heidelberg Disputations https://shop.1517.org/products/theology-of-the-cross Hymn: Upon the Cross Extended https://hymnary.org/hymn/ELH1996/304 De Servo Arbitrio translation review https://scholar.csl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1555&context=ctm On Being a Theologian of the Cross: Reflections on Luther's Heidelberg Disputation, 1518 https://amzn.to/45NaVmH    SUPPORT: Support the work of 1517 http://www.1517.org/donate-podcasts 1517 Podcast Network https://www.1517.org/podcasts/   The 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/1517-podcast-network/id6442751370 1517 on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChDdMiZJv8oYMJQQx2vHSzg More from the hosts: Donovan Riley https://www.1517.org/contributors/donavon-riley  Christopher Gillespie https://www.1517.org/contributors/christopher-gillespie   MORE LINKS: Warrior Priest Gym & Podcast https://thewarriorpriestpodcast.wordpress.com   St John's Lutheran Church (Webster, MN) - FB Live Bible Study Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/356667039608511  Gillespie's Sermons and Catechesis: http://youtube.com/stjohnrandomlake  Gillespie Coffee https://gillespie.coffee   Gillespie Media https://gillespie.media   Tin Foil Haloes https://t.me/bannedpastors   CONTACT and FOLLOW: Email mailto:BannedBooks@1517.org  Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BannedBooksPod/  Twitter https://twitter.com/bannedbooks1517   SUBSCRIBE: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsvLQ5rlaInxLO9luAauF4A  Rumble https://rumble.com/c/c-1223313  Odysee https://odysee.com/@bannedbooks:5 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/banned-books/id1370993639  Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2ahA20sZMpBxg9vgiRVQba  Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=214298  Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1370993639/banned-books  Google Podcasts https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9iYW5uZWRib29rcy5saWJzeW4uY29tL3Jzcw TuneIn Radio https://tunein.com/podcasts/Religion--Spirituality-Podcasts/Banned-Books-p1216972/  iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-banned-books-29825974/ 

Mike Yagley and Evan Gaertner discuss Dr. Martin Luther's verse by verse commentary in his Church Postil. A postil is a commentary that is published to help preachers. Episodes 68-71 cover the material that Luther writes about Matthew 21:1-11. This commentary is located in Luther's Works, Volume 75. Luther believed that common pastors and people […]

It's Addressed To You. Open It! In this episode, we discuss Martin Luther's sermon on Luke 2 for Christmas afternoon. What's the consequence of the “to you” and “for you” of Luke's Gospel message for Christians? — SHOW NOTES: Sermon for Christmas afternoon, Luke 2:1-20; Luther's Works, Volume 51: Sermons 1 by Martin Luther https://amzn.to/3FCIYTK  SUPPORT 1517 Podcast Network https://www.1517.org/podcasts/ Support the work of 1517 http://1517.org/give Warrior Priest Gym & Podcast https://thewarriorpriestpodcast.wordpress.com St John's Lutheran Church (Webster, MN) - FB Live Bible Study Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/356667039608511 Gillespie's Sermons and Catechesis: https://stjohnrandomlake.org/church/media/ Gillespie Coffee https://gillespie.coffee Gillespie Media https://gillespie.media Tin Foil Haloes https://t.me/bannedpastors CONTACT and FOLLOW BannedBooks@1517.org Facebook Twitter SUBSCRIBE YouTube Rumble Odysee Apple Podcasts Spotify Stitcher Overcast Google Play TuneIn Radio iHeartRadio

Notable Luther scholar and theologian Dr. Mark Mattes joins DPTM hosts Stephen Burnett and Rev. James Rickenbaker in this episode to discuss the importance of God's forgiveness and righteousness given to us by His efficacious Word. Dr. Mattes is Professor of Philosophy and Theology at Grand View College in Des Moines, Iowa, and has served congregations as a pastor in Illinois and Wisconsin. He has authored many books and journal articles on Martin Luther and Lutheranism. Some of the titles of these works include Martin Luther's Theology of Beauty: A Reappraisal and Law & Gospel in Action: Foundations, Ethics, and Church. In this episode, we discuss Luther, Law & Gospel, the contemporary Luther scholarship of Gerhard Forde and Oswald Bayer, as well as spending time to get to know Dr. Mattes and what led to his interests. Shownotes: Mark's article “Preaching to C and E Christians” from 1517 can be read here: https://www.1517.org/articles/preaching-to-c-e-christians The works referred to in this episode are: C.F.W Walther's The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel -public domain available at https://lutherantheology.com/uploads/works/walther/LG/ Martin Luther's commentary/exposition on the Magnificat -found in Luther's Works, Volume 21 https://www.cph.org/p-627-Luthers-Works-Volume-21-Sermon-on-the-Mount-and-the-Magnificat.aspx Martin Luther's Treatise on Good Works -the Annotated Study Edition of this is available at https://www.amazon.com/Treatise-Good-Works-1520-Annotated/dp/1506413536?scrlybrkr=c3bf1423 Gerhard Forde's On Being a Theologian of the Cross -https://www.amazon.com/Being-Theologian-Cross-Reflections-Disputation/dp/080284345X Roland Bainton's biography of Luther, Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther -https://www.christianbook.com/here-stand-life-of-martin-luther/roland-bainton/9780452011465/pd/011469 --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

#worldwidebibleclass Join Bible students from around the world as we open the sacred text and consider the Lord's wisdom and comfort for us pilgrims of the last days. Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller is teaching. We are currently studying the life of Jacob according to Martin Luther. Texts studied in this class: Genesis 28:1-2 Let us know what your highlights were in the comments, and we'll include them here. Join us live or sign up for email updates on the Worldwide Bible class here: http:///www.wolfmueller.co/bible Learn more about St. Paul Lutheran Church here: https://www.stpaulaustin.org ******** The software I'm using is Logos. Here's an affiliate link for 10% off: https://partners.faithlife.com/click.track?CID=431490&AFID=512620 Use promo code "GENESIS" with CPH for 20% off volumes 4, 5, and 6. - Luther's Works 4: Genesis 21-25 ( https://www.cph.org/p-17998-luthers-works-vol-4-genesis-chapters-21-25-ebook-edition.aspx ) - Luther's Works 5: Genesis 26-30 ( https://www.cph.org/p-611-luthers-works-volume-5-lectures-on-genesis-chapters-26-30.aspx ) - Luther's Works 6: Genesis 31-37 ( https://www.cph.org/p-612-luthers-works-volume-6-lectures-on-genesis-chapters-31-37.aspx ) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sunday-drive-home/message

Is alcoholism a disease? As we go to Scripture for our answer, we'll consult the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book, grab a couple of volumes of Luther's Works, pull in the thoughts of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and discover the tactic of Screwtape's demonic colleague, Guzzle. Host Rev. Tyrel Bramwell, St. Mark Lutheran Church in Ferndale, California, and author of the book Come in, We are Closed, talks about curious topics to excite the imagination, equip the mind, and comfort the soul with God's ordering of the world in the Law and Gospel. Send him your questions at stmarksferndale.com. You can find his videos at youtube.com/c/tyrelbramwell.

#worldwidebibleclass Join Bible students from around the world as we open the sacred text and consider the Lord's wisdom and comfort for us pilgrims of the last days. Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller is teaching. We are currently studying the life of Jacob according to Martin Luther. Texts studied in this class: Genesis s27:46 Let us know what your highlights were in the comments, and we'll include them here. Join us live or sign up for email updates on the Worldwide Bible class here: http:///www.wolfmueller.co/bible Learn more about St. Paul Lutheran Church here: https://www.stpaulaustin.org ******** The software I'm using is Logos. Here's an affiliate link for 10% off: https://partners.faithlife.com/click.track?CID=431490&AFID=512620 Use promo code "GENESIS" with CPH for 20% off volumes 4, 5, and 6. - Luther's Works 4: Genesis 21-25 ( https://www.cph.org/p-17998-luthers-works-vol-4-genesis-chapters-21-25-ebook-edition.aspx ) - Luther's Works 5: Genesis 26-30 ( https://www.cph.org/p-611-luthers-works-volume-5-lectures-on-genesis-chapters-26-30.aspx ) - Luther's Works 6: Genesis 31-37 ( https://www.cph.org/p-612-luthers-works-volume-6-lectures-on-genesis-chapters-31-37.aspx ) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sunday-drive-home/message

#worldwidebibleclass Join Bible students from around the world as we open the sacred text and consider the Lord's wisdom and comfort for us pilgrims of the last days. Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller is teaching. We are currently studying the life of Jacob according to Martin Luther. Texts studied in this class: Genesis 27:48 Let us know what your highlights were in the comments, and we'll include them here. Join us live or sign up for email updates on the Worldwide Bible class here: http:///www.wolfmueller.co/bible Learn more about St. Paul Lutheran Church here: https://www.stpaulaustin.org ******** The software I'm using is Logos. Here's an affiliate link for 10% off: https://partners.faithlife.com/click.track?CID=431490&AFID=512620 Use promo code "GENESIS" with CPH for 20% off volumes 4, 5, and 6. - Luther's Works 4: Genesis 21-25 ( https://www.cph.org/p-17998-luthers-works-vol-4-genesis-chapters-21-25-ebook-edition.aspx ) - Luther's Works 5: Genesis 26-30 ( https://www.cph.org/p-611-luthers-works-volume-5-lectures-on-genesis-chapters-26-30.aspx ) - Luther's Works 6: Genesis 31-37 ( https://www.cph.org/p-612-luthers-works-volume-6-lectures-on-genesis-chapters-31-37.aspx ) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sunday-drive-home/message

#worldwidebibleclass Join Bible students from around the world as we open the sacred text and consider the Lord's wisdom and comfort for us pilgrims of the last days. Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller is teaching. We are currently studying the life of Jacob according to Martin Luther. Texts studied in this class: Genesis 27:42-45. Let us know what your highlights were in the comments, and we'll include them here. Join us live or sign up for email updates on the Worldwide Bible class here: http:///www.wolfmueller.co/bible Learn more about St. Paul Lutheran Church here: https://www.stpaulaustin.org ******** The software I'm using is Logos. Here's an affiliate link for 10% off: https://partners.faithlife.com/click.track?CID=431490&AFID=512620 Use promo code "GENESIS" with CPH for 20% off volumes 4, 5, and 6. - Luther's Works 4: Genesis 21-25 ( https://www.cph.org/p-17998-luthers-works-vol-4-genesis-chapters-21-25-ebook-edition.aspx ) - Luther's Works 5: Genesis 26-30 ( https://www.cph.org/p-611-luthers-works-volume-5-lectures-on-genesis-chapters-26-30.aspx ) - Luther's Works 6: Genesis 31-37 ( https://www.cph.org/p-612-luthers-works-volume-6-lectures-on-genesis-chapters-31-37.aspx ) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sunday-drive-home/message

#worldwidebibleclass Join Bible students from around the world as we open the sacred text and consider the Lord's wisdom and comfort for us pilgrims of the last days. Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller is teaching. We are currently studying the life of Jacob according to Martin Luther. Texts studied in this class: Genesis 27:38-42. Let us know what your highlights were in the comments, and we'll include them here. Join us live or sign up for email updates on the Worldwide Bible class here: http:///www.wolfmueller.co/bible Learn more about St. Paul Lutheran Church here: https://www.stpaulaustin.org ******** The software I'm using is Logos. Here's an affiliate link for 10% off: https://partners.faithlife.com/click.track?CID=431490&AFID=512620 Use promo code "GENESIS" with CPH for 20% off volumes 4, 5, and 6. - Luther's Works 4: Genesis 21-25 ( https://www.cph.org/p-17998-luthers-works-vol-4-genesis-chapters-21-25-ebook-edition.aspx ) - Luther's Works 5: Genesis 26-30 ( https://www.cph.org/p-611-luthers-works-volume-5-lectures-on-genesis-chapters-26-30.aspx ) - Luther's Works 6: Genesis 31-37 ( https://www.cph.org/p-612-luthers-works-volume-6-lectures-on-genesis-chapters-31-37.aspx ) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sunday-drive-home/message

#worldwidebibleclass Join Bible students from around the world as we open the sacred text and consider the Lord's wisdom and comfort for us pilgrims of the last days. Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller is teaching. We are currently studying the life of Jacob according to Martin Luther. Texts studied in this class: Genesis 27:36-38.  Let us know what your highlights were in the comments, and we'll include them here. Join us live or sign up for email updates on the Worldwide Bible class here: http:///www.wolfmueller.co/bible Learn more about St. Paul Lutheran Church here: https://www.stpaulaustin.org ******** The software I'm using is Logos. Here's an affiliate link for 10% off: https://partners.faithlife.com/click.track?CID=431490&AFID=512620 Use promo code "GENESIS" with CPH for 20% off volumes 4, 5, and 6. - Luther's Works 4: Genesis 21-25 ( https://www.cph.org/p-17998-luthers-works-vol-4-genesis-chapters-21-25-ebook-edition.aspx ) - Luther's Works 5: Genesis 26-30 ( https://www.cph.org/p-611-luthers-works-volume-5-lectures-on-genesis-chapters-26-30.aspx ) - Luther's Works 6: Genesis 31-37 ( https://www.cph.org/p-612-luthers-works-volume-6-lectures-on-genesis-chapters-31-37.aspx ) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sunday-drive-home/message

Yikes. You know the end is nigh when a couple of Lutheran theologians produce an episode on James longer than the one they did on Romans. In this episode, we first sort out what Luther did and didn't say about James, "epistle of straw," clearing up a lot of misapprehensions and faulty inferences, but either way we strongly suggest that the rest of the history of interpretation of James need not be controlled by a few remarks of the reformer early in his career. From there, we discuss at length why there is so little plainly said about Jesus in this five-chapter letter—though there is a lot about God the Father, and there's no Father without a Son! We also argue that Paul and James really were addressing different errors in their respective discussions of faith and works, so pitting them against each other is neither exegetically nor spiritually illuminating. All right, let's just admit it: we both like this book. You should, too. Notes: 1. If you insist on making Luther's comments continue to determine the course of James interpretation, you can find them in Luther's Works vol. 35. 2. The other podcasts I mentioned are Fresh Text and The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill. 3. Other relevant episodes from us are: How to Hack the Law, Justification by Faith, Faith to the Aid of Reason, The Certainty of Faith, Justification by Faith Revisited, and Faith. Just Faith. 4. L. T. Johnson, The Letter of James 5. If you enjoy Woe-itudes, check this out Do you rejoice every other Tuesday to see a new Queen of the Sciences episode appear? Then consider supporting us on Patreon. You can start at just $2 a month; more gets you cool stuff. Or just pay us a visit at sarahhinlickywilson.com and paulhinlicky.com!

Martin Luther? The Book of Revelation? How could this episode NOT be good? Tune in to explore not only Luther's relationship to a book that has long fascinated people, but the development of the apocalyptic tenor to Luther's thought and the shift of attitude that he had toward this book. Shownotes: *The works from Luther referred to in the episode can be found in volumes 2, 9, 13, 35, 44, 54 of Luther's Works. *The commentary on Revelation by Richard Bauckham I referred to is The Theology of the Book of Revelation (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993) *The works from Scott H. Hendrix referred to are his article “Luther Against the Backdrop of the History of Biblical Interpretation”, from the journal Interpretation volume 37 (1983)and his book Luther and the Papacy: Stages in a Reformation Conflict. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1981. *The quote from Oswald Bayer on Luther's increasing apocalyptic outlooks is from page 332 of Martin Luther's Theology: A Contemporary Interpretation. Translated by Thomas H. Trapp. Grand Rapids, MI/Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2008. *The quote from Heinrich Bornkhamm on Luther's New Testament prefaces comes from page 83 of his book Luther in Mid-Career. Translated by E. Theodore Bachmann. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1983. *The description of "Historicism" offered by Timothy P. Weber comes from page 366 of the The Oxford Handbook of Eschatology. (Oxford University Press, 2008). *The Revelation commentary we referred to by Robert Mounce is The Book of Revelation (The New International Commentary on the New Testament), Revised Edition. Grand Rapids, MI/Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998. *The quote from E. Randolph Daniel on Joachim of Fiore is from page 78 of the book The Apocalypse in the Middle Ages.(Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1992) *The quote from Philip D.W. Krey is from the bookThe Last Things: Biblical and Theological Perspectives on Eschatology. Grand Rapids, MI/Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2002. *The quote on the nuance in Luther's use allegory from Erik Herrmann comes from his dissertation “'Why the Law?' Salvation History and the Law in Martin Luther's Interpretation of Galatians 1513-1522”, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis *Some of the general information on Luther's attitude toward the Ottoman-Turkish empire comes from Adam Francisco's book Martin Luther and Islam: A Study in Sixteenth-Century Polemics and Apologetics (Brill, 2007). Episode art taken from: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eugene_Siberdt_-_Martin_Luther_Translating_the_Bible,_Wartburg_Castle,_1521.jpg --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Text: The Penitential Psalms: Psalm 51, Luther's Works, Volume 14 - https://amzn.to/2OdKQFW—Copyright Higher Things®, Higher Things - Dare to be Lutheran. Support the work of Higher Things.

Text:The Penitential Psalms: Psalm 32, Luther's Works, Volume 14 - https://amzn.to/2OdKQFWShow Notes:- The Bee-Attitudes - https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ei=Bi6WXIqpMKWCjwTqkoTIDw&q=the+bee-atitudes&oq=the+bee-atitudes&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0i13i30l6.17857.18087..18304...0.0..0.68.130.2......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71j0i7i10i30j0i10.a5ROF0NvAa0- “What Jesus Do You Want?” Sermons for You – Lent 2 2019- Grace Upon Grace, John Kleinig - https://amzn.to/2U2sqO6- How to Become a Buddhist - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEyns906E9I—Questions? Comments? Show Ideas? Send them to us at http://higherthings.org/contact.Copyright Higher Things®, Higher Things - Dare to be Lutheran. Support the work of Higher Things.∫

Pastor Dan Smail and Wendy Farone are joined by Director of Music, Laura Henri, to discuss the importance of communion with Christ and each other through music in worship. We found out some secret talents of our Bethlehem pastors, too! Lots of links in the show notes to explore!Living Lutheran Transcribing Our Musical Heritage https://www.livinglutheran.org/2021/05/transcribing-our-musical-heritage/our musical heritage - Living LutheranPalestrina: Missa pro defunctis [Requiem]: II Kyrie  https://youtu.be/m9pIrwWg7PMMartin Luther said, “Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise” (Luther's Works, Vol. 53). Johanne Sebastian Bach, “The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul.”

On Genuflecting By Larry Beane,   The ceremony of genuflecting at the altar is a particular ceremony that some people deride as “Too Catholic.” Genuflecting is what is commonly called “taking a knee.” It is a kind of kneeling in which one drops to only one knee, probably in the interest of time to be able to get back up quickly - especially for pastors who become long in the tooth often at a rate exceeding that of the laity. When it comes to kneeling, sometimes the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. For many of us d'un certain âge, bowing from the waist down is a more practical way of carrying out this ceremony. But you young guys should be able to genuflect and rise again with no trouble, or else you need to hit the glucosamine and chondroiten, if not the gym. When I was the campus pastor of a high school, one of my duties was to lead the football team in the Lord's Prayer in the end zone, after the coach called out the rubric: “Take a knee, guys!”. Kneeling is a posture of prayer, of humility, and of worship of God. It is a ceremony that is appropriate at certain times in our liturgy. According to our shared confession in the Book of Concord, the purpose of ceremonies is that people may be “taught what they need to know about Christ” (AC 24:3). And if Roman Catholics and Anglicans genuflect before the altar, but Baptists, Methodists, the Reformed, and Non-Denominational Christians do not, what is the ceremony (or lack of ceremony) teaching? Indeed, it would be incongruent for a Baptist minister to pronounce the Words of Institution and then genuflect after the words pertaining to each element. This is because Baptists believe that Christ is not present, that the elements are only symbolic. Roman Catholics and (at least some) Anglicans believe that Jesus is miraculously and physically present in the Sacrament. So which ceremony (genuflecting or not genuflecting) makes more sense for the Lutheran consecration? What does genuflecting during the consecration teach about Christ? Kneeling is an act of worship. Angels forbade kneeling before them because they are not worthy of worship (Rev 19:10, 22:8-9). We are to worship God alone (Matt 9:10). The wise men “fell down and worshipped” the baby Jesus (Matt 2:11) - with the word for worship (προσκυνὲω) being more than just an intellectual acknowledgement of his divinity. The word means to worship with the body, by kneeling or prostrating oneself, in the presence of God. A Baptist minister who confesses that the elements are only symbolic would - in his own mind and confession - be guilty of idolatry were he to genuflect before that which is merely a creature and not the Creator. Lutherans - along with Roman Catholics and (some) Anglicans (and the Orthodox Christians), confess the Real Presence, that Jesus is physically (not merely symbolically or spiritually) present. So our piety concerning the Lord's Supper is traditionally quite different than that of a Baptist or Presbyterian or Non-Denominational pastor or layman. For instance, most Lutherans kneel to receive the Sacrament, and our church architecture typically encourages this by virtue of a communion rail with kneelers. Again, this would not make sense in a Baptist context. (I'm not picking on Baptists here, it's just that they are the largest confession of Christians in our context in North America who confess the symbolic nature of their communion elements). So, is it also incongruent for Lutherans to genuflect during the consecration? Interestingly, during the Reformation, the Reformed accused the Lutherans of “bread worship” because of our confession of the Physical Presence. They considered such things as bowing or genuflecting during the consecration to be idolatry. Calvinistic rulers ordered the Lutherans to stop doing it. Obviously, we Lutherans disagree with them on this. And in fact, many editions of the Book of Concord include quotes from the early church fathers - largely to respond to the accusations of the Reformed - in a section called the Catalog of Testimonies. One such quote comes from St. Augustine, and it involves acts of worship toward Christ in the Sacrament: Of the Words of the Lord, Discourse 58 (t. 10, p. 217): “If Christ is not God by nature, but a creature, He is neither to be worshiped nor adored as God. But to these things they will reply and say: Why, then, is it that you adore with His divinity His flesh, which you do not deny to be a creature, and are no less devoted to it than to Deity?” The same, on Ps. 99:5 (t. 8, p. 1103): “‘Worship His footstool.' His footstool is the earth, and Christ took upon Him earth of earth, because flesh is of earth; and He received flesh of the flesh of Mary. And because He walked here in this very flesh, he also gave this very flesh to be eaten by us for salvation. But no one eats that flesh unless He has first worshiped it. Therefore the way has been found how such footstool of the Lord may be worshiped, so that we not only do not sin by worshiping, but sin by not worshiping.” The celebrant, deacon, and acolyte customarily have genuflected together in my parish's celebration. I had a devout parishioner who moved away who would also genuflect in the pew. This is not just a ceremony that only the pastor may participate in. We Lutherans also confess the freedom in the Gospel regarding ceremonies. For example, it is customary to make the sign of the cross at certain points in our personal prayer life (as we are instructed in the Small Catechism), and in our liturgical worship. Again, this ceremony teaches us about Christ - it is a confession of His divinity as the Son in the confession of the Holy Trinity, and it links His crucifixion to Holy Baptism by means of the Trinitarian invocation. Tracing the large sign of the cross from our heads, hearts, and shoulders began as a confession against the Arians, who did not confess the Lord's divinity. This way of making the sign of the cross was a modification of the earlier practice of crossing oneself on the forehead as a reminder of Holy Baptism. But no member of the parish should pressure anyone to either make the sign of the cross or not. That is a matter of personal piety. The pastor is also a member of the congregation with Christian freedom. He may choose to cross Himself at certain points in the service, or he may choose not to. No other member of the parish has the right to pressure, bully, or force him to do so, or to stop doing so, any more than anyone has the right to compel a layman to either do so or not. Genuflecting is a similar act of personal piety (as are things like bowing for the Gloria Patri, nodding the head at the name of Jesus, or folding one's hands to pray). So a parishioner has no more right to demand that a pastor cease to genuflect at the altar than he has to demand that the pastor cross himself at the beginning of the sermon. Luther was actually appalled to learn that some parishioners did not genuflect in the pew during the chanting of the Nicene Creed (there is an ancient custom to genuflect at the words “and was made man”). He said: And when the congregation came to the words, “from the Virgin Mary and was made man,” every one genuflected and removed his hat. It would still be proper and appropriate to kneel at the words “and was made man,” to sing them with long notes as formerly, to listen with happy hearts to the message the Divine Majesty abased Himself and became like us poor bags of worms, and to thank God for the ineffable mercy and compassion reflected in the incarnation of the Deity. But who can ever do justice to that theme?...The following tale is told about a course and brutal lout. While the words, “And was made man” were being sung in church, he remained standing, neither genuflecting nor removing his hat. He showed no reverence, but just stood there like a clod. All the others dropped to their knees when the Nicene Creed was prayed and chanted devoutly. Then the devil stepped up to him and hit him so hard it made his head spin. He cursed him gruesomely and said: “May hell consume you, you boorish ass! If God had become an angel like me and the congregation sang: ‘God was made an angel,' I would bend not only my knees but my whole body to the ground! Yes, I would crawl ten ells down into the ground. And you vile human creature, you stand there like a stick or a stone. You hear that God did not become an angel but a man like you, and you just stand there like a stick of wood!” Whether this story is true or not, it is nevertheless in accordance with the faith (Rom. 12:6). With this illustrative story the holy fathers wished to admonish the youth to revere the indescribably great miracle of the incarnation; they wanted us to open our eyes wide and ponder these words as well. ~ Luther's Works, Vol. 22, pp.102-103, 105-106 Everything that we do during worship is a ceremony - even refraining from certain ceremonies. As the late Atheist philosopher Neal Peart put it in a lyrical poem entitled Free Will (some of our readers may even know this entire work from memory): “If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.” And before you tap out that hate-letter to Father Eckardt and contact my District President for a heresy trial, I'm not endorsing everything in the song. I'm only using it as an analogy that refraining from a given ceremony is also a ceremony. So we should be deliberate of what confession we are making by either partaking of a ceremonial act, or opting not to. But again, we do so in the realm of Christian liberty. And yes, we should teach, while being mindful that conducting ceremonies - like genuflecting at the altar - is part of that pastoral pedagogy that we are called to do. We should humbly be willing to be taught - especially by the man who has been sent by the Holy Spirit to teach us. And teaching is done in the liturgy as well as in the classroom. What we do in the presence of the altar, font, and pulpit is a powerful confession and explication of what we say that we believe. And if anyone believes genuflecting to be wrong, sinful, or incongruent with our confession, he should be prepared to quote the Bible and the Confessions to make a case for why our ceremonies should resemble those who confess the Real Absence in the Lord's Supper, as well as for making a case that earlier centuries of Lutheran practice has also been wrong.

In this episode the Theology on Tap crew discusses that moment that the Gospel of Jesus became real to Martin Luther, so pour yourself a cold beer, warm cup of milk, hot tea or a bottle of water and enjoy this conversation. Righteous, Righteousness, just, justice, justified are all usually the same word Leviticus 19:15 ““You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. Luke 10:29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Romans 1:17 For in [the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Habakkuk 2:4, “Behold, [the Babylonian King's] soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith. Luther's Works 34 pages 325-338 Preface to the Complete Edition of Latin Writings written in 1545, describing the events and circumstances of his early days as professor. I was once a monk and a most enthusiastic papist… drunk and submerged in the pope's dogmas … I [defended them] in seriousness, as one who in dread of the last day, nevertheless, from the depth of my heart, I wanted to be saved. Though I lived as a monk without reproach, I felt that I was a sinner before God with an extremely disturbed conscience. I could not believe that [God] was placated by my satisfaction. I did not love, yes, I hated the righteous God who punishes sinners, and I secretly, if not blasphemously, certainly murmuring greatly, I was angry with God, and said, "As if, indeed, it is not enough, that miserable sinners, eternally lost through original sin, are crushed by every kind of calamity by the law of the decalogue, without having God add pain to pain by the gospel and also by the gospel threatening us with his righteousness and wrath!" Thus I raged with fierce and troubled conscience. Nevertheless, I beat persistently upon Paul … most ardently desiring to know what St. Paul wanted. At last, by the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I gave heed to the context of the words, in Romans 1:17 namely, "In [the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed, as it is written, 'He who through faith is righteous shall live.'" There I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives by a gift of God, namely by faith. And this is the meaning: the righteousness of God is revealed by the gospel, namely, the passive righteousness with which merciful God justifies us by faith, as it is written, "He who through faith is righteous shall live." Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through its gates…. That place in Paul Rom 1:17 was truly the gate to paradise. With that, Luther came to love the word “righteousness of God” with as much zeal as he had previously hated it. And he saw comforting analogies to the “Righteousness of God” in phrases like Power of God, wisdom of God, strength of God, salvation of God. So, some say that the Reformation didn't actually begin with the posting of the 95 theses but with this discovery. Continue the Conversation on Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheologyOnTapPodcast/ Twitter- @theology_ontap If you want to join a live recording of Theology On Tap via zoom, send an email to theologyontap1517@gmail.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theologyontap/message

Miroslav Volf investigates the darker side of hope, explaining what it means to “hope against hope” (Romans 4:18) and “hope in what we do not see” (Romans 8:25). He concludes with hope's connection to patient endurance. This is the second of a two-part series on hope.For comments, questions, suggested topics, or just to say hello, email faith@yale.edu.Visit faith.yale.edu for more information.Show Notes“Genuine hope remains alive when there is no good reason to expect something positive in the future."“We hope in what we do not see.” (Romans 8:25)Martin Luther on “hope not seen""For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:24-27)Hope transfers a person “into the unknown, the hidden, and the dark shadow, so that he does not even know what he hopes for.” Martin Luther, Luther's Works, 25:364"Hope is open to the difference between how we imagined fulfillment and how it arrived, openness even to recognize in the actual fulfillment what we in fact have wanted all along.""We are most in need of hope in threatening situations which we cannot control; but it is in those same situations that it is most difficult for us not to lose hope. That is where patience and endurance come in.""Hope needs endurance and endurance needs hope. Or: Genuine endurance is marked by hope; and genuine hope is marked by endurance."Jürgen Moltmann, from “On Patience”: “In my youth, I learned to know ‘the God of hope' and loved the beginnings of a new life with new ideas. But in my old age I am learning to know ‘the God of patience' and stay in my place in life. … Without endurance, hope turns superficial and evaporates when it meets first resistances. In hope we start something new, but only endurance helps us persevere. Only tenacious endurance makes hope sustainable.  We learn endurance only with the help of hope. On the other hand, when hope gets lost, endurance turns into passivity.  Hope turns endurance into active passivity. In hope we affirm the pain that comes with endurance, and learn to tolerate it.” (Jürgen Moltmann, Über Geduld, Barmherzikeit und Solidarität (Gütersloh: Gütersloher Verlagshaus, 2018)Hope is for no-exit situations.

Pastor Baker discusses theological distinctions between Law & Gospel with guest Pastor Wes Reimnitz. Today's rumination topic is Volume 45 of Luther's Works on temporal authority and the Two Kingdoms.

Today's Bible reading is Genesis 18, Nehemiah 7, Matthew 17 and Acts 17. Once again, we are faced with several thick and significant scriptural passages: Genesis 18 features three 'men' visiting Abraham and Sarah, one of whom is God Himself. It also features an incredible intercessory conversation between God and Abraham about the fate of Sodom. In Matthew 17, we see The Transfiguration of Jesus and His meeting with Moses and Elijah high atop a mountain. And in Nehemiah, well - we have an incredibly long list of Hebrew names, and I'm sure I'll butcher several of them, but especially Nephishesim and Pochereth-hazzebaim. Our featured chapter today is going to be Acts 17, because it is strongly focused on the resurrection, and I think the resurrection is the central event of our faith, and there's literally nothing I enjoy more than talking about the resurrection and rational reasons to believe that the resurrection of Jesus was a literal, historical event. If that interests you too, then you might check out my book, Easter Fact or Fiction: 20 Reasons to Believe that Jesus Factually Rose from the Dead. (CLICK HERE) And yes, this podcast is absolutely my secret method for becoming the next Bill Gates 99 cents at a time by luring you into buying my books on Amazon! Great passage, Acts 17 - so many wonderful episodes here. I would be remiss not to mention the Bereans, who eagerly received God's Word through Paul AND searched the Word of God to confirm the teachings of Paul. For this response, Paul commends them as 'of more noble character" than the Thessalonians. Many online ministries, often called 'discernment ministries,' have sought to emulate these Noble Bereans by evaluating the teaching of many Bible teachers, and judging whether or not that teaching lines up with the Bible. That's great, to a degree. As a pastor, I want the people in our church to search the Scriptures, know the Scriptures, follow the Scriptures, and measure my teaching against the Scriptures. Discernment is wonderful and biblical. But - the Bereans EAGERLY heard the Word. They did not have the posture of professional critics. They weren't hanging on Paul's words to judge them and then go and post on their blog all the errors they perceived. They eagerly listened and then confirmed the truth of Paul's preaching with the Word. Not as professional critics, but as eager listeners who valued the Word of God. The Body of Christ does not need people who's sole purpose is to attack and tear down other ministries. People who spend all their time criticizing may not realize it, but they will slowly become monsters worse than those they criticize. When you set yourself up as the judge and arbiter of all that is biblically orthodox, you are assuming a position for yourself that is not really available in Christianity. So - yes! Call people passionately to biblical truth, but take care that you do not yourself violate God's commands on HOW to do so, and take care that you do not become a professional or hobbyist criticizer. Rather, be an encourager and an exhorter. The world is already overpopulated with critics. We need faithful biblical truth holders who walk in uncompromising doctrinal truth AND uncompromising humility and gentle love. /Soap box In Acts 17, we see Paul bring up the resurrection of Jesus 3 times in three different circumstances: To the people of Thessalonica, the to the men of Athens, and during his message at the Aeropagus. In all three instances, we see how crucial and central the message of the resurrection is: 2 As usual, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and rise from the dead: “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah. Acts 17:2-3 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who worshiped God, as well as in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. 18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also debated with him. Some said, “What is this ignorant show-off trying to say?” Others replied, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign deities”—because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Acts 17:17-18 29 Since we are God's offspring then, we shouldn't think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination. 30 “Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has set a day when he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man he has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” Acts 17:29-31 Very little of what Paul proclaims is mentioned, but in every case, he keeps pointing back to this one central and massive truth: Jesus Christ died and was raised from the dead. This is the very center of the Christian faith - the central truth and the primary claim that everything else radiates out from. In 1 Corinthians 15 (THE resurrection chapter) we see that the entirety of Christianity falls down without the resurrection: Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith. 15 Moreover, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified wrongly about God that he raised up Christ—whom he did not raise up, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Those, then, who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. 19 If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone. 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 Did you catch that? If Christians are just following Jesus because He offers comfort, or because He is a good moral teacher, or something like that, then they are to be pitied more than anyone. There are many churches and denominations in the world that have drifted so far from the Bible that they have essentially humanized Jesus. Despite the fact that the message from the earliest days of the first century Christian church has been Christ crucified and raised from the dead, some church going people think that the miracles in the Bible are myths, legends, and exaggerations. They teach that the real miracle of the Feeding of the Five Thousand was that Jesus taught people to share. They teach that Jesus didn't walk on water, but that he walked on a shallow, slightly underwater shoal. They teach that Jesus didn't truly rise from the dead, but that He somehow lives on in the hearts and memories of His followers, with His natural body dying and decaying. Hogwash, all of that! Paul says that this type of attitude - a resurrectionless Christianity - is the most pitiful thing in the entire world, and I couldn't agree more! Over and over again in Acts, we have seen the earliest apostles and teachers proclaim this one primary truth: Jesus rose from the dead. Christian - let that be the center of your proclamation of the good news as well. In this is hope, in this is truth, in this is the good news to a lost and dying world! This Jesus of Nazareth was a man attested to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through him, just as you yourselves know. 23 Though he was delivered up according to God's determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail him to a cross and kill him. 24 God raised him up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by death. Acts 17:22-24 Top Twenty Quotes on the Resurrection of Jesus (From Spiritual Giants like Spurgeon, Lewis and more!) In no particular order... The New Testament writers speak as if Christ's achievement in rising from the dead was the first event of its kind in the whole history of the universe. He is the ‘first fruits', the ‘pioneer of life'. He has forced open a door that has been locked since the death of the first man. He has met, fought, and beaten the King of Death. Everything is different because He has done so. This is the beginning of the New Creation: a new chapter in cosmic history has opened. C. S. Lewis, A Year with C. S. Lewis: Daily Readings from His Classic Works, ed. Patricia S. Klein, 1st ed. (New York: HarperOne, 2003), 172. He died, but he vanquished death; in himself he put an end to what we feared; he took it upon himself and he vanquished it, as a mighty hunter he captured and slew the lion. Where is death? Seek it in Christ, for it exists no longer; but it did exist and now it is dead. O life, O death of death! Be of good heart; it will die in us, also. What has taken place in our head will take place in his members; death will die in us also. But when? At the end of the world, at the resurrection of the dead in which we believe and concerning which we do not doubt. Augustine - 300s-400s AD: Thomas C. Oden and Christopher A. Hall, eds., Mark, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2005), 244–245. The whole system of Christianity rests upon the fact that “Christ is risen from the dead;” for, “If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain: ye are yet in your sins.” The divinity of Christ finds its surest proof in his resurrection, since he was “Declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” It would not be unreasonable to doubt his Deity if he had not risen. Moreover, Christ's sovereignty depends upon his resurrection, “For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.” Again, our justification, that choice blessing of the covenant, is linked with Christ's triumphant victory over death and the grave; for “He was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” Nay, more, our very regeneration is connected with his resurrection, for we are “Begotten again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” And most certainly our ultimate resurrection rests here, for, “If the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” If Christ be not risen, then shall we not rise; but if he be risen then they who are asleep in Christ have not perished, but in their flesh shall surely behold their God. Thus, the silver thread of resurrection runs through all the believer's blessings, from his regeneration onwards to his eternal glory, and binds them together. C. H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening: Daily Readings (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1896). And if death was formerly strong, and on that account an object of terror, but now after the sojourn of the Saviour, and the death and resurrection of His body, it is evident that it is by the very Christ who ascended the cross that death has been brought to naught and vanquished. Athanasius of Alexandria, Athanasius: On the Incarnation of the Word of God, trans. T. Herbert Bindley, Second Edition Revised. (London: The Religious Tract Society, 1903), 95. I want you to notice that this evidence was all the better, because they themselves evidently remained the same men as they had been. “They were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit”; and thus they did exactly what they had done long before when he came to them walking on the waters. In the interval between his death and his appearing, no change has come over them. Nothing has happened to them to elevate them as yet out of their littleness of mind. The Holy Spirit was not yet given, and therefore all that they had heard at the Last Supper, and seen in Gethsemane, and at the cross had not yet exercised its full influence upon them: they were still childish and unbelieving. The same men, then, are looking at the same person, and they are in their ordinary condition; this argues strongly for the correctness of their identification of their well-beloved Lord. They are not carried away by enthusiasm, nor wafted aloft by fanaticism; they are not even as yet upborne by the Holy Spirit into an unusual state of mind, but they are as slow of heart and as fearful as ever they were. If they are convinced that Jesus has risen from the dead, depend upon it, it must be so. If they go forth to tell the tidings of his resurrection, and to yield up their lives for it, you may be sure that their witness is true, for they are not the sort of men to be deceived C. H. Spurgeon, “The First Appearance of the Risen Lord to the Eleven,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 33 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1887), 220. Now Paul is laying a foundation here that, if we're not careful, can seem pretty elementary to us. Okay, Jesus rose from the dead, and we can almost read these verses with a ho-hum sense of monotony, thinking, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, I know that.” But think about that. Because there's nothing ho-hum about that. We're talking about a man who died, who died a violent death, the most violent death conceivable in that day. And then, after three days dead, He came to life and appeared to people. Can you imagine going to somebody's funeral, going to their burial, seeing their dead body placed in the ground. And then a week later that person physically walking up to you and saying, “Hello.” That's crazy! It's crazy good; it's the greatest news in all the world: Death has been defeated! May this never be ho-hum for us. May we never forget that the reason we gather together every Sunday is not to hear this pastor or that pastor preach. The reason we gather together every Sunday is because for the last 2000 years, Christians have come together on the first day of the week to remember that Jesus has risen from the dead, and He is alive! David Platt, “The Church at Brook Hills—Part 2,” in David Platt Sermon Archive (Birmingham, AL: David Platt, 2014), 4522–4523. He has changed sunset into sunrise, and through the cross brought death to life; and having wrenched man from destruction, He has raised him to the skies, transplanting mortality into immortality, and translating earth to heaven. Clement of Alexandria 100s-200s AD: Elliot Ritzema, 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Early Church, Pastorum Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2013). Wherefore he is also said to be “firstborn from the dead,” not because he died before us, since we died first, but because he suffered death for us and abolished it, and therefore, as man, was the first to rise, raising his own body for our sakes. Therefore, since he has risen, we too shall rise from the dead from him and through him. Athanasius 200s-300s AD: William C. Weinrich, ed., Revelation, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2005), 5. Actually he conquered death by his resurrection. This was the day of grace's triumph: this day he showed to heaven, to hell, and to earth, that death was conquerable; yea, that this personal death was actually overcome. The blessed souls beheld it to their joy, beholding in the resurrection of their Head, a virtual resurrection of their own bodies. The devils saw it, and therefore saw that they had no hopes of holding the bodies of the saints in the power of the grave. The damned souls were acquainted with it, and therefore knew that their sinful bodies must be restored to bear their part in suffering. The believing saints on earth perceive it, and therefore see that their bonds are broken, and that to the righteous there is hope in death; and that our head being actually risen, assureth us that we shall also rise. “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him:” (1 Thess. 4:14:) and as “Christ being raised from the dead, dieth no more, death hath no more dominion over him;” (Rom. 6:9;) so shall we rise and die no more. This was the beginning of the church's triumph. “This is the day that the Lord hath made, (even the day which the church on earth must celebrate with joy and praise, till the day of our resurrection;) we will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24.) The resurrection of our Lord hath, 1st, assured us of the consummation of his satisfaction; 2d, of the truth of all his word, and so of his promises of our resurrection; 3d, that death is actually conquered, and a resurrection possible; 4th, that believers shall certainly rise when their head and Saviour is risen to prepare them an everlasting kingdom, and to assure them that thus he will raise them at the last. A bare promise would not have been so strong a help to faith, as to the actual rising of Christ, as a pledge of the performance. “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept:” (1 Cor. 15:20:) “for because he liveth, we shall live also.” (John 14:19.) Richard Baxter and William Orme, The Practical Works of the Rev. Richard Baxter, vol. 17 (London: James Duncan, 1830), 538–539. We are more than conquerors over death through Christ. God gives us the victory over death. But more than victory. Death is defeated by Jesus. He is bound in the chains of resurrection power so that he cannot destroy us. But more than that. More than that! Death is handed over, bound and defeated, as a servant to the church. We are more than conquerors because death is not just defeated and kept from destroying us; it is enslaved and made the servant of God's people... So death is your servant. The enemy is defeated, bound, enslaved, and delivered into the service of the saints.So it was not naïve romanticizing when Zeke Rudolf called death sweet names. It was not immature glamorizing or embellishing of death when Andrew Rivet said that he had learned more truth about God during ten days in the valley of death than in fifty years of study. Defeated death had become their servant. The terrible enemy had become the tutor of heaven. So it is with the enemies of God. Even in their destruction they are made to serve the saints. John Piper, Sermons from John Piper (1990–1999) (Minneapolis, MN: Desiring God, 2007). Everywhere deceit recoils upon itself and against its will supports the truth. Observe: It was necessary to believe that he died, and that he rose again, and that he was buried and that all these things were brought to pass by his enemies. Note, at any rate, these words bearing witness to every one of these facts. “We remember that that deceiver said, when he was yet alive” (he was therefore now dead), “ ‘After three days I rise again.' Command therefore that the sepulcher be sealed” (he was therefore buried), “lest his disciples come and steal him away.” Since the sepulcher was sealed, there could be no funny business. So then the proof of his resurrection has become incontrovertible by what they themselves have put forward. For because the tomb was sealed, there was no deceitfulness at work. But if there was no sleight of hand and the sepulcher was found empty, it is clear that he has risen, plainly and incontrovertibly. Do you see how even against their will his enemies contend for the proof of the truth? John Chrysostom 300-400s AD Manlio Simonetti, ed., Matthew 14-28, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 301. It would not have sufficed for the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees to have crucified the Lord our Savior if they had not also guarded the tomb, called in the military, sealed the entrance and, as far as they were able, resisted the resurrection. Their concern for these details serves only to advance our faith; the greater their precautionary care, the more fully is revealed the power of the resurrection. Thus he was buried in a new tomb cut from rock. If the tomb had been constructed from a mound of stones, it could have been said that his body was excavated from underneath the stones and secretly removed. That he had to be buried in a sepulcher is also shown by the prophecy which says, “He will dwell in a deep cave cut from the strongest rock,” and again, two verses further: “You will see the king in his glory. Jerome 300s-400s AD: Manlio Simonetti, ed., Matthew 14-28, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 302. So the angel became an evangelist and herald of the resurrection to the women. “Do not seek,” he says, “the one who” always “lives,” who in his own nature is life, “among the dead. He is not here,” that is, dead and in the tomb, “but he has been raised.” He has become a way of ascent to immortality not only for himself but also for us. For this reason he made himself nothing and put on our likeness, that “by the grace of God,” just as the blessed Paul says, “he might taste death on behalf of all.”23 And so he has become the death of death Cyril of Alexandria, 300s-400s AD: Manlio Simonetti, ed., Matthew 14-28, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 307. “Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.” The angel here is preparing the women to take the good news to the other disciples. They are to tell of the evidence that made them believe—the empty tomb. Furthermore, “he is going before you to Galilee.” He says this to relieve them from anxieties and the fear of danger, that their faith not be hindered John Chrysostom 300-400s AD Manlio Simonetti, ed., Matthew 14-28, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 308. “CAN these dry bones live?” is still the unbeliever's sneer. The doctrine of the resurrection is a lamp kindled by the hand which once was pierced. It is indeed in some respects the key-stone of the Christian arch. It is linked in our holy faith with the person of Jesus Christ, and is one of the brightest gems in his crown. What if I call it the signet on his finger, the seal by which he hath proven to a demonstration, that he hath the king's authority, and hath come forth from God? C. H. Spurgeon, Flashes of Thought (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1874), 360. It is by the power of the resurrection of Christ that Thomas, who was so deep and obdurate in unbelief, was so suddenly changed, became an entirely different man, who publicly and freely confesses that he not only believes that Christ is risen, but is also enlightened by the power of Christ's resurrection so that he firmly believes and confesses that he, his Lord, is the true God and man; so he will also arise from the dead on the judgment day and live forever with him in indescribable glory and blessedness. Martin Luther and John Sander, Devotional Readings from Luther's Works for Every Day of the Year (Rock Island, IL: Augustana Book Concern, 1915), 261. It's one thing to “believe that” Jesus rose from the dead and is who He said He was, but it's another to “believe in” Him as Savior. Every one of us, at some point in our investigation of the claims of Christianity, has to move from “belief that” to “belief in.” I can remember when this happened for me. As a rebellious, self-reliant detective, I initially denied my need for a Savior, even though I accepted what the Gospels told me about that Savior. In order to take a step from “belief that” to “belief in,” I needed to move from an examination of Jesus to an examination of me. As I read the Gospels for a second and third time and explored all of the New Testament Scripture, I began to focus more on what it said about me than what it said about Jesus. I didn't like what I saw. Over and over again, I recognized the truth about my own character, behavior, and need for forgiveness; I began to understand my need for repentance. The facts about Jesus confirmed that He was the Savior; the facts about me confirmed my need to trust in Him for forgiveness. I was now ready to move from “belief that” to “belief in.” Alive by J. Warner Wallace, 2014 Then we come to the strangest story of all, the story of the Resurrection. It is very necessary to get the story clear. I heard a man say, ‘The importance of the Resurrection is that it gives evidence of survival, evidence that the human personality survives death.' On that view what happened to Christ would be what had always happened to all men, the difference being that in Christ's case we were privileged to see it happening. This is certainly not what the earliest Christian writers thought. Something perfectly new in the history of the Universe had happened. Christ had defeated death. The door which had always been locked had for the very first time been forced open. This is something quite distinct from mere ghost-survival. I don't mean that they disbelieved in ghost-survival. On the contrary, they believed in it so firmly that, on more than one occasion, Christ had had to assure them that He was not a ghost. The point is that while believing in survival they yet regarded the Resurrection as something totally different and new. The Resurrection narratives are not a picture of survival after death; they record how a totally new mode of being has arisen in the Universe. Something new had appeared in the Universe: as new as the first coming of organic life. This Man, after death, does not get divided into ‘ghost' and ‘corpse'. A new mode of being has arisen. That is the story. What are we going to make of it? C. S. Lewis, God in the Dock, ed. Walter Hooper (HarperOne, 1994), 169–170. Great, then, was the mercy of God the Father. He sent the creative Word, who, when he came to save us, put himself in our position, and in the same situation in which we lost life. He loosed the prison bonds, and his light appeared and dispelled the darkness in the prison, and he sanctified our birth and abolished death, loosing those same bonds by which we were held. He showed forth the resurrection, becoming himself the firstborn from the dead, and raised in himself prostrate man, being lifted up to the heights of heaven, at the right hand of the glory of the Father. Irenaeus 100s-200s AD: William C. Weinrich, ed., Revelation, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2005), 4–5. Humanity must embrace death freely, submit to it with total humility, drink it to the dregs, and so convert it into that mystical death which is the secret of life. But only a Man who did not need to have been a Man at all unless He had chosen, only one who served in our sad regiment as a volunteer, yet also only one who was perfectly a Man, could perform this perfect dying; and thus (which way you put it is unimportant) either defeat death or redeem it. He tasted death on behalf of all others. He is the representative ‘Die-er' of the universe: and for that very reason the Resurrection and the Life. Or conversely, because He truly lives, He truly dies, for that is the very pattern of reality. Because the higher can descend into the lower He who from all eternity has been incessantly plunging Himself in the blessed death of self-surrender to the Father can also most fully descend into the horrible and (for us) involuntary death of the body. Because Vicariousness is the very idiom of the reality He has created, His death can become ours. The whole Miracle, far from denying what we already know of reality, writes the comment which makes that crabbed text plain: or rather, proves itself to be the text on which Nature was only the commentary. In science we have been reading only the notes to a poem; in Christianity we find the poem itself. C. S. Lewis, A Year with C. S. Lewis: Daily Readings from His Classic Works, ed. Patricia S. Klein, 1st ed. (New York: HarperOne, 2003), 139.

Today's Bible reading is Genesis 18, Nehemiah 7, Matthew 17 and Acts 17. Once again, we are faced with several thick and significant scriptural passages: Genesis 18 features three 'men' visiting Abraham and Sarah, one of whom is God Himself. It also features an incredible intercessory conversation between God and Abraham about the fate of Sodom. In Matthew 17, we see The Transfiguration of Jesus and His meeting with Moses and Elijah high atop a mountain. And in Nehemiah, well - we have an incredibly long list of Hebrew names, and I'm sure I'll butcher several of them, but especially Nephishesim and Pochereth-hazzebaim. Our featured chapter today is going to be Acts 17, because it is strongly focused on the resurrection, and I think the resurrection is the central event of our faith, and there's literally nothing I enjoy more than talking about the resurrection and rational reasons to believe that the resurrection of Jesus was a literal, historical event. If that interests you too, then you might check out my book, Easter Fact or Fiction: 20 Reasons to Believe that Jesus Factually Rose from the Dead. (CLICK HERE) And yes, this podcast is absolutely my secret method for becoming the next Bill Gates 99 cents at a time by luring you into buying my books on Amazon! Great passage, Acts 17 - so many wonderful episodes here. I would be remiss not to mention the Bereans, who eagerly received God's Word through Paul AND searched the Word of God to confirm the teachings of Paul. For this response, Paul commends them as 'of more noble character" than the Thessalonians. Many online ministries, often called 'discernment ministries,' have sought to emulate these Noble Bereans by evaluating the teaching of many Bible teachers, and judging whether or not that teaching lines up with the Bible. That's great, to a degree. As a pastor, I want the people in our church to search the Scriptures, know the Scriptures, follow the Scriptures, and measure my teaching against the Scriptures. Discernment is wonderful and biblical. But - the Bereans EAGERLY heard the Word. They did not have the posture of professional critics. They weren't hanging on Paul's words to judge them and then go and post on their blog all the errors they perceived. They eagerly listened and then confirmed the truth of Paul's preaching with the Word. Not as professional critics, but as eager listeners who valued the Word of God. The Body of Christ does not need people who's sole purpose is to attack and tear down other ministries. People who spend all their time criticizing may not realize it, but they will slowly become monsters worse than those they criticize. When you set yourself up as the judge and arbiter of all that is biblically orthodox, you are assuming a position for yourself that is not really available in Christianity. So - yes! Call people passionately to biblical truth, but take care that you do not yourself violate God's commands on HOW to do so, and take care that you do not become a professional or hobbyist criticizer. Rather, be an encourager and an exhorter. The world is already overpopulated with critics. We need faithful biblical truth holders who walk in uncompromising doctrinal truth AND uncompromising humility and gentle love. /Soap box In Acts 17, we see Paul bring up the resurrection of Jesus 3 times in three different circumstances: To the people of Thessalonica, the to the men of Athens, and during his message at the Aeropagus. In all three instances, we see how crucial and central the message of the resurrection is: 2 As usual, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and rise from the dead: “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah. Acts 17:2-3 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who worshiped God, as well as in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. 18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also debated with him. Some said, “What is this ignorant show-off trying to say?” Others replied, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign deities”—because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Acts 17:17-18 29 Since we are God's offspring then, we shouldn't think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination. 30 “Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has set a day when he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man he has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” Acts 17:29-31 Very little of what Paul proclaims is mentioned, but in every case, he keeps pointing back to this one central and massive truth: Jesus Christ died and was raised from the dead. This is the very center of the Christian faith - the central truth and the primary claim that everything else radiates out from. In 1 Corinthians 15 (THE resurrection chapter) we see that the entirety of Christianity falls down without the resurrection: Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith. 15 Moreover, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified wrongly about God that he raised up Christ—whom he did not raise up, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Those, then, who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. 19 If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone. 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 Did you catch that? If Christians are just following Jesus because He offers comfort, or because He is a good moral teacher, or something like that, then they are to be pitied more than anyone. There are many churches and denominations in the world that have drifted so far from the Bible that they have essentially humanized Jesus. Despite the fact that the message from the earliest days of the first century Christian church has been Christ crucified and raised from the dead, some church going people think that the miracles in the Bible are myths, legends, and exaggerations. They teach that the real miracle of the Feeding of the Five Thousand was that Jesus taught people to share. They teach that Jesus didn't walk on water, but that he walked on a shallow, slightly underwater shoal. They teach that Jesus didn't truly rise from the dead, but that He somehow lives on in the hearts and memories of His followers, with His natural body dying and decaying. Hogwash, all of that! Paul says that this type of attitude - a resurrectionless Christianity - is the most pitiful thing in the entire world, and I couldn't agree more! Over and over again in Acts, we have seen the earliest apostles and teachers proclaim this one primary truth: Jesus rose from the dead. Christian - let that be the center of your proclamation of the good news as well. In this is hope, in this is truth, in this is the good news to a lost and dying world! This Jesus of Nazareth was a man attested to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through him, just as you yourselves know. 23 Though he was delivered up according to God's determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail him to a cross and kill him. 24 God raised him up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by death. Acts 17:22-24 Top Twenty Quotes on the Resurrection of Jesus (From Spiritual Giants like Spurgeon, Lewis and more!) In no particular order... The New Testament writers speak as if Christ's achievement in rising from the dead was the first event of its kind in the whole history of the universe. He is the ‘first fruits', the ‘pioneer of life'. He has forced open a door that has been locked since the death of the first man. He has met, fought, and beaten the King of Death. Everything is different because He has done so. This is the beginning of the New Creation: a new chapter in cosmic history has opened. C. S. Lewis, A Year with C. S. Lewis: Daily Readings from His Classic Works, ed. Patricia S. Klein, 1st ed. (New York: HarperOne, 2003), 172. He died, but he vanquished death; in himself he put an end to what we feared; he took it upon himself and he vanquished it, as a mighty hunter he captured and slew the lion. Where is death? Seek it in Christ, for it exists no longer; but it did exist and now it is dead. O life, O death of death! Be of good heart; it will die in us, also. What has taken place in our head will take place in his members; death will die in us also. But when? At the end of the world, at the resurrection of the dead in which we believe and concerning which we do not doubt. Augustine - 300s-400s AD: Thomas C. Oden and Christopher A. Hall, eds., Mark, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2005), 244–245. The whole system of Christianity rests upon the fact that “Christ is risen from the dead;” for, “If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain: ye are yet in your sins.” The divinity of Christ finds its surest proof in his resurrection, since he was “Declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” It would not be unreasonable to doubt his Deity if he had not risen. Moreover, Christ's sovereignty depends upon his resurrection, “For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.” Again, our justification, that choice blessing of the covenant, is linked with Christ's triumphant victory over death and the grave; for “He was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” Nay, more, our very regeneration is connected with his resurrection, for we are “Begotten again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” And most certainly our ultimate resurrection rests here, for, “If the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” If Christ be not risen, then shall we not rise; but if he be risen then they who are asleep in Christ have not perished, but in their flesh shall surely behold their God. Thus, the silver thread of resurrection runs through all the believer's blessings, from his regeneration onwards to his eternal glory, and binds them together. C. H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening: Daily Readings (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1896). And if death was formerly strong, and on that account an object of terror, but now after the sojourn of the Saviour, and the death and resurrection of His body, it is evident that it is by the very Christ who ascended the cross that death has been brought to naught and vanquished. Athanasius of Alexandria, Athanasius: On the Incarnation of the Word of God, trans. T. Herbert Bindley, Second Edition Revised. (London: The Religious Tract Society, 1903), 95. I want you to notice that this evidence was all the better, because they themselves evidently remained the same men as they had been. “They were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit”; and thus they did exactly what they had done long before when he came to them walking on the waters. In the interval between his death and his appearing, no change has come over them. Nothing has happened to them to elevate them as yet out of their littleness of mind. The Holy Spirit was not yet given, and therefore all that they had heard at the Last Supper, and seen in Gethsemane, and at the cross had not yet exercised its full influence upon them: they were still childish and unbelieving. The same men, then, are looking at the same person, and they are in their ordinary condition; this argues strongly for the correctness of their identification of their well-beloved Lord. They are not carried away by enthusiasm, nor wafted aloft by fanaticism; they are not even as yet upborne by the Holy Spirit into an unusual state of mind, but they are as slow of heart and as fearful as ever they were. If they are convinced that Jesus has risen from the dead, depend upon it, it must be so. If they go forth to tell the tidings of his resurrection, and to yield up their lives for it, you may be sure that their witness is true, for they are not the sort of men to be deceived C. H. Spurgeon, “The First Appearance of the Risen Lord to the Eleven,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 33 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1887), 220. Now Paul is laying a foundation here that, if we're not careful, can seem pretty elementary to us. Okay, Jesus rose from the dead, and we can almost read these verses with a ho-hum sense of monotony, thinking, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, I know that.” But think about that. Because there's nothing ho-hum about that. We're talking about a man who died, who died a violent death, the most violent death conceivable in that day. And then, after three days dead, He came to life and appeared to people. Can you imagine going to somebody's funeral, going to their burial, seeing their dead body placed in the ground. And then a week later that person physically walking up to you and saying, “Hello.” That's crazy! It's crazy good; it's the greatest news in all the world: Death has been defeated! May this never be ho-hum for us. May we never forget that the reason we gather together every Sunday is not to hear this pastor or that pastor preach. The reason we gather together every Sunday is because for the last 2000 years, Christians have come together on the first day of the week to remember that Jesus has risen from the dead, and He is alive! David Platt, “The Church at Brook Hills—Part 2,” in David Platt Sermon Archive (Birmingham, AL: David Platt, 2014), 4522–4523. He has changed sunset into sunrise, and through the cross brought death to life; and having wrenched man from destruction, He has raised him to the skies, transplanting mortality into immortality, and translating earth to heaven. Clement of Alexandria 100s-200s AD: Elliot Ritzema, 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Early Church, Pastorum Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2013). Wherefore he is also said to be “firstborn from the dead,” not because he died before us, since we died first, but because he suffered death for us and abolished it, and therefore, as man, was the first to rise, raising his own body for our sakes. Therefore, since he has risen, we too shall rise from the dead from him and through him. Athanasius 200s-300s AD: William C. Weinrich, ed., Revelation, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2005), 5. Actually he conquered death by his resurrection. This was the day of grace's triumph: this day he showed to heaven, to hell, and to earth, that death was conquerable; yea, that this personal death was actually overcome. The blessed souls beheld it to their joy, beholding in the resurrection of their Head, a virtual resurrection of their own bodies. The devils saw it, and therefore saw that they had no hopes of holding the bodies of the saints in the power of the grave. The damned souls were acquainted with it, and therefore knew that their sinful bodies must be restored to bear their part in suffering. The believing saints on earth perceive it, and therefore see that their bonds are broken, and that to the righteous there is hope in death; and that our head being actually risen, assureth us that we shall also rise. “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him:” (1 Thess. 4:14:) and as “Christ being raised from the dead, dieth no more, death hath no more dominion over him;” (Rom. 6:9;) so shall we rise and die no more. This was the beginning of the church's triumph. “This is the day that the Lord hath made, (even the day which the church on earth must celebrate with joy and praise, till the day of our resurrection;) we will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24.) The resurrection of our Lord hath, 1st, assured us of the consummation of his satisfaction; 2d, of the truth of all his word, and so of his promises of our resurrection; 3d, that death is actually conquered, and a resurrection possible; 4th, that believers shall certainly rise when their head and Saviour is risen to prepare them an everlasting kingdom, and to assure them that thus he will raise them at the last. A bare promise would not have been so strong a help to faith, as to the actual rising of Christ, as a pledge of the performance. “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept:” (1 Cor. 15:20:) “for because he liveth, we shall live also.” (John 14:19.) Richard Baxter and William Orme, The Practical Works of the Rev. Richard Baxter, vol. 17 (London: James Duncan, 1830), 538–539. We are more than conquerors over death through Christ. God gives us the victory over death. But more than victory. Death is defeated by Jesus. He is bound in the chains of resurrection power so that he cannot destroy us. But more than that. More than that! Death is handed over, bound and defeated, as a servant to the church. We are more than conquerors because death is not just defeated and kept from destroying us; it is enslaved and made the servant of God's people... So death is your servant. The enemy is defeated, bound, enslaved, and delivered into the service of the saints.So it was not naïve romanticizing when Zeke Rudolf called death sweet names. It was not immature glamorizing or embellishing of death when Andrew Rivet said that he had learned more truth about God during ten days in the valley of death than in fifty years of study. Defeated death had become their servant. The terrible enemy had become the tutor of heaven. So it is with the enemies of God. Even in their destruction they are made to serve the saints. John Piper, Sermons from John Piper (1990–1999) (Minneapolis, MN: Desiring God, 2007). Everywhere deceit recoils upon itself and against its will supports the truth. Observe: It was necessary to believe that he died, and that he rose again, and that he was buried and that all these things were brought to pass by his enemies. Note, at any rate, these words bearing witness to every one of these facts. “We remember that that deceiver said, when he was yet alive” (he was therefore now dead), “ ‘After three days I rise again.' Command therefore that the sepulcher be sealed” (he was therefore buried), “lest his disciples come and steal him away.” Since the sepulcher was sealed, there could be no funny business. So then the proof of his resurrection has become incontrovertible by what they themselves have put forward. For because the tomb was sealed, there was no deceitfulness at work. But if there was no sleight of hand and the sepulcher was found empty, it is clear that he has risen, plainly and incontrovertibly. Do you see how even against their will his enemies contend for the proof of the truth? John Chrysostom 300-400s AD Manlio Simonetti, ed., Matthew 14-28, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 301. It would not have sufficed for the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees to have crucified the Lord our Savior if they had not also guarded the tomb, called in the military, sealed the entrance and, as far as they were able, resisted the resurrection. Their concern for these details serves only to advance our faith; the greater their precautionary care, the more fully is revealed the power of the resurrection. Thus he was buried in a new tomb cut from rock. If the tomb had been constructed from a mound of stones, it could have been said that his body was excavated from underneath the stones and secretly removed. That he had to be buried in a sepulcher is also shown by the prophecy which says, “He will dwell in a deep cave cut from the strongest rock,” and again, two verses further: “You will see the king in his glory. Jerome 300s-400s AD: Manlio Simonetti, ed., Matthew 14-28, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 302. So the angel became an evangelist and herald of the resurrection to the women. “Do not seek,” he says, “the one who” always “lives,” who in his own nature is life, “among the dead. He is not here,” that is, dead and in the tomb, “but he has been raised.” He has become a way of ascent to immortality not only for himself but also for us. For this reason he made himself nothing and put on our likeness, that “by the grace of God,” just as the blessed Paul says, “he might taste death on behalf of all.”23 And so he has become the death of death Cyril of Alexandria, 300s-400s AD: Manlio Simonetti, ed., Matthew 14-28, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 307. “Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.” The angel here is preparing the women to take the good news to the other disciples. They are to tell of the evidence that made them believe—the empty tomb. Furthermore, “he is going before you to Galilee.” He says this to relieve them from anxieties and the fear of danger, that their faith not be hindered John Chrysostom 300-400s AD Manlio Simonetti, ed., Matthew 14-28, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 308. “CAN these dry bones live?” is still the unbeliever's sneer. The doctrine of the resurrection is a lamp kindled by the hand which once was pierced. It is indeed in some respects the key-stone of the Christian arch. It is linked in our holy faith with the person of Jesus Christ, and is one of the brightest gems in his crown. What if I call it the signet on his finger, the seal by which he hath proven to a demonstration, that he hath the king's authority, and hath come forth from God? C. H. Spurgeon, Flashes of Thought (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1874), 360. It is by the power of the resurrection of Christ that Thomas, who was so deep and obdurate in unbelief, was so suddenly changed, became an entirely different man, who publicly and freely confesses that he not only believes that Christ is risen, but is also enlightened by the power of Christ's resurrection so that he firmly believes and confesses that he, his Lord, is the true God and man; so he will also arise from the dead on the judgment day and live forever with him in indescribable glory and blessedness. Martin Luther and John Sander, Devotional Readings from Luther's Works for Every Day of the Year (Rock Island, IL: Augustana Book Concern, 1915), 261. It's one thing to “believe that” Jesus rose from the dead and is who He said He was, but it's another to “believe in” Him as Savior. Every one of us, at some point in our investigation of the claims of Christianity, has to move from “belief that” to “belief in.” I can remember when this happened for me. As a rebellious, self-reliant detective, I initially denied my need for a Savior, even though I accepted what the Gospels told me about that Savior. In order to take a step from “belief that” to “belief in,” I needed to move from an examination of Jesus to an examination of me. As I read the Gospels for a second and third time and explored all of the New Testament Scripture, I began to focus more on what it said about me than what it said about Jesus. I didn't like what I saw. Over and over again, I recognized the truth about my own character, behavior, and need for forgiveness; I began to understand my need for repentance. The facts about Jesus confirmed that He was the Savior; the facts about me confirmed my need to trust in Him for forgiveness. I was now ready to move from “belief that” to “belief in.” Alive by J. Warner Wallace, 2014 Then we come to the strangest story of all, the story of the Resurrection. It is very necessary to get the story clear. I heard a man say, ‘The importance of the Resurrection is that it gives evidence of survival, evidence that the human personality survives death.' On that view what happened to Christ would be what had always happened to all men, the difference being that in Christ's case we were privileged to see it happening. This is certainly not what the earliest Christian writers thought. Something perfectly new in the history of the Universe had happened. Christ had defeated death. The door which had always been locked had for the very first time been forced open. This is something quite distinct from mere ghost-survival. I don't mean that they disbelieved in ghost-survival. On the contrary, they believed in it so firmly that, on more than one occasion, Christ had had to assure them that He was not a ghost. The point is that while believing in survival they yet regarded the Resurrection as something totally different and new. The Resurrection narratives are not a picture of survival after death; they record how a totally new mode of being has arisen in the Universe. Something new had appeared in the Universe: as new as the first coming of organic life. This Man, after death, does not get divided into ‘ghost' and ‘corpse'. A new mode of being has arisen. That is the story. What are we going to make of it? C. S. Lewis, God in the Dock, ed. Walter Hooper (HarperOne, 1994), 169–170. Great, then, was the mercy of God the Father. He sent the creative Word, who, when he came to save us, put himself in our position, and in the same situation in which we lost life. He loosed the prison bonds, and his light appeared and dispelled the darkness in the prison, and he sanctified our birth and abolished death, loosing those same bonds by which we were held. He showed forth the resurrection, becoming himself the firstborn from the dead, and raised in himself prostrate man, being lifted up to the heights of heaven, at the right hand of the glory of the Father. Irenaeus 100s-200s AD: William C. Weinrich, ed., Revelation, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2005), 4–5. Humanity must embrace death freely, submit to it with total humility, drink it to the dregs, and so convert it into that mystical death which is the secret of life. But only a Man who did not need to have been a Man at all unless He had chosen, only one who served in our sad regiment as a volunteer, yet also only one who was perfectly a Man, could perform this perfect dying; and thus (which way you put it is unimportant) either defeat death or redeem it. He tasted death on behalf of all others. He is the representative ‘Die-er' of the universe: and for that very reason the Resurrection and the Life. Or conversely, because He truly lives, He truly dies, for that is the very pattern of reality. Because the higher can descend into the lower He who from all eternity has been incessantly plunging Himself in the blessed death of self-surrender to the Father can also most fully descend into the horrible and (for us) involuntary death of the body. Because Vicariousness is the very idiom of the reality He has created, His death can become ours. The whole Miracle, far from denying what we already know of reality, writes the comment which makes that crabbed text plain: or rather, proves itself to be the text on which Nature was only the commentary. In science we have been reading only the notes to a poem; in Christianity we find the poem itself. C. S. Lewis, A Year with C. S. Lewis: Daily Readings from His Classic Works, ed. Patricia S. Klein, 1st ed. (New York: HarperOne, 2003), 139.