+ Martin Luther, Doctor and Reformer +
18 February AD 1546 Martin Luther, born on 10 November 1483, in Eisleben, Germany, initially began studies leading toward a degree in law. However, after a close encounter with death, he switched to the study of theology, entered an Augustinian monast…
+ Philipp Melanchthon +
16 February AD 1497 – 19 April AD 1560
Philipp Melanchthon, a brilliant student of the classics and a humanist scholar, was appointed to teach along with Martin Luther at the University of Wittenberg in 1518. At Luther’s urging, Melanchthon began teaching theology and Scripture in addition to his courses in classical studies.
In April of 1530, Emperor Charles V called an official meeting between the representative of Lutheranism and Roman Catholicism, hoping to effect a meeting of minds between two opposing groups. Since Luther was at that time under papal excommunication and an imperial ban, Melanchthon was assigned the duty of being the chief Lutheran representative at this meeting. Thus, he made the primary verbal and written defenses of the. . . Read All
Sunday Invocavit (First Sunday in Lent)
Watchword for this first week in Lent: For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. (1.John 3:8b) Psalm of this week: „He that dwelleth in the secret place of the … Continue reading →. . . Read All
2. Martin Luther and the Reformation, Part 10: The Diet of Worms – Dr. Ken Schurb, 2/3/16
Dr. Ken Schurb of Zion
Lutheran-Moberly, MO
Sinners, Sins, Christ, and Grace
Part of what it means to be in the community of faith is to be bearers of the sins, vices, sufferings and shames of God’s people. Pastorally, how do we restore a wayward sinner without condoning their sins? Some suggest an absolutely honest approach, that is, being vociferous about their failures all at once or disclosing more than that which they could bear, with the result that sheer despair or bitterness are the outcome. Such an approach is frequently brutal, resulting in self-righteous condemnation of the wrongdoer. Others tend toward an approach of absolute mercy, that is, for fear of offending the wrongdoer they withhold from them much of the truth regarding their faults or lie about them, as a . . . Read All
Christ and The Church Suffer and Die with Us
When we feel pain, when we suffer, when we die, let us turn to this, firmly believing and certain that it is not we alone, but Christ and the church who are in pain and are suffering and dying with us. Christ does not want us to be alone on the road of death, from which all men shrink. Indeed, we set out upon the road of suffering and death accompanied by the entire church. Actually, the church bears it more bravely than we do. Thus we can truthfully apply to ourselves the words Elisha spoke to his fearful servants, “Fear not, for those who are with us are more numerous than those with them. And Elisha prayed and said, . . . Read All
Let A Man Examine Himself
But if you say: What, then, shall I do if I cannot feel such distress or experience hunger and thirst for the Sacrament? Answer: For those who are so minded that they do not realize their condition I know no better counsel than that they put their hand into their bosom to ascertain whether they also have flesh and blood. And if you find that to be the case, then go, for your good, to St. Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians, and hear what sort of a fruit your flesh is: Now the works of the flesh (he says in Galatians 5:19-21) are manifest, which are these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, . . . Read All
One Hundred Years of Turpitude
As the quincentennial of Martin Luther’s Reformation draws closer, opponents are also preparing to defame the man, the denominations that carry his name, and Christianity in general.
Expect a lazy media narrative that makes Martin Luther responsible for single-handedly destroying the German character. They will imprint an unbroken line from 1517 to 1914, thence to Adolf Hitler, and concluding in the concentration camps. Lutherans today will be regarded with suspicion or simply branded ignorant anti-Semites.
Affection for the Anglo-American poet W.H. Auden makes it inevitable that his hostility to Luther will be leveraged to make the point. To whit, after the 9/11 attacks, the media and elites enthused about Auden’s poem “September 1, 1939” as a work of prescience and . . . Read All
The Word Became Flesh
“Thus the most precious treasure and strongest consolation we Christians have is this: that the Word, the true and natural Son of God, became man, with flesh and blood like that of any other human; that He became incarnate for our sakes in order that we might enter into great glory, that our flesh and blood, skin and hair, hands and feet, stomach and back might reside in heaven as God does, and in order that we might boldly defy the devil and whatever else assails us. We are convinced that all our members belong in heaven as heirs of heaven’s realm.” (Martin Luther, Sermons on the Gospel of St. John, Luther’s Works 22:110.)
“…we believe the Scriptures and confess . . . Read All
Encore: Martin Luther’s Christmas Sermons – Dr. Ben Mayes, 12/23/15
Dr. Ben Mayes of
Concordia Publishing House
Gerhard’s “On Christ-Theological Commonplaces”
Works by Johann Gerhard
Encore: Athanasius & Luther on the Incarnation – Dr. Carl Beckwith & Pr. John Pless, 12/23/15
Dr. Carl Beckwith of Beeson Divinity School
Pr. John Pless of Concordia Theological Seminary-Fort Wayne, IN
Encore: Katie Luther, Wife of 16th Century Reformer Martin Luther – Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux, 12/18/15
Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux of Bethany Lutheran College
“The Mother of the Reformation: The Amazing Life and Story of Katharine Luther” by Mark DeGarmeaux
Grappling: Luther’s Introduction to Proverbs
In this edition we take a look at Martin Luther’s introduction to Proverbs. VISIT OUR SPONSOR: www.adcrucem.com Around the Word Devotions (http://www.whatdoesthismean.org/devotions.html) Rightly Divided Daily Meditation Blog (https://rightlydividedbible.wordpress.com/) Hope Lutheran Church (www.hope-aurora.org) Table Talk Radio (www.tabletalkradio.org) Questions about the Lutheran Ninja Clan and WEtv’s goals? Watch this video: https://youtu.be/wzVJ0CPh9JI or contact Peter Slayton at peter[at]worldvieweverlasting.com. […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
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The Freedom of the Christian
“To make the way smoother for the unlearned—for only them do I serve—I shall set down the following two propositions concerning the freedom and the bondage of the spirit:
A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.
These two theses seem to contradict one each other. If, however, they should be found to fit together they would serve our purpose beautifully. Both are Paul’s statement, who says in I Cor. 9 [:19], ‘For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all,’ and in Rom. 13 [:8], . . . Read All
The Freedom of the Christian
“To make the way smoother for the unlearned—for only them do I serve—I shall set down the following two propositions concerning the freedom and the bondage of the spirit:
A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.
These two theses seem to contradict one each other. If, however, they should be found to fit together they would serve our purpose beautifully. Both are Paul’s statement, who says in I Cor. 9 [:19], ‘For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all,’ and in Rom. 13 [:8], . . . Read All
Encore: Johann von Staupitz, Luther’s Father Confessor – Dr. Franz Posset, 11/6/15
Dr. Franz Posset of Luther Digest
The Real Luther: A Friar at Erfurt and Wittenberg
Luther and Religious freedom
The Wall Street Journal has published an excellent account by Joe Loconte on Luther, the Reformation, and its precursors. He ends up crediting Luther, who insisted that faith is not something that can be coerced, for the Western concept of religious freedom. He then wonders if Islam can ever have such a reform. Read it [Read More…]
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Indulge Me Again: A Reformation Special Re-Release (Romans 3:19-28)
A new version of last year’s Reformation special without copyrighted BBC content that caused the last one to be blocked EVERYWHERE!! And a few corrections on dates… Strap in for a lightning survey of the people and issues involved in the Reformation. Why? Because this week is Reformation week! And WEtv has all your favorite […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
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God always begins with NOTHING
“It is God’s nature to make something out of nothing; hence one who is not yet nothing, out of him God cannot make anything. . . .Therefore God accepts only the forsaken, cures only the sick, gives sight only to the blind, restores life only to the dead, sanctifies only the sinners, gives wisdom only [Read More…]
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Issues, Etc. 2015-08-17 18:02:08
Dr. Ben Mayes of
Concordia Publishing House
On the Law: Theological Commonplaces
The Pope’s preacher says Luther was right
British religion reporter Christopher Howse tells about a sermon from Pope Benedict XVI ‘s preacher, Fr. Raniero Cantalamesa, that basically concedes that Luther was right on justification. Well, sort of. This was in the context of the Joint Declaration on Justification between the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation. We confessional Lutherans deny [Read More…]
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Martin Luther on The Roasted Christ
Just as a hen or anything else is not kept on the spit and roasted in order to remain there permanently, but upon being roasted is removed from the spit and placed on the table for people to eat and be nourished, have their hunger satisfied and become stronger, so Christ, having suffered with terrible pain on the cross, was afterwards removed from the spit of the cross, laid in the tomb, risen from the dead, and so on, in order that the whole world might have this food. For Christ was the world’s genuine Bread of Life, for Jews and Gentiles alike.
So now this heavenly food, so carefully prepared and subjected to the intense fire of the cross, . . . Read All
Get your “Little Luther”
As we blogged about earlier, Playmobil’s biggest selling toy figure of all time is their new rendition of Martin Luther. Now it is going on sale in the United States. See how to get one after the jump. Concordia Publishing House is selling them! Order a “Little Luther” here: Playmobil Martin Luther. He’s faithful. He’s [Read More…]
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Luther on True Perfection
I’m a simul justus et peccator guy to the end. I know I’ll never be perfect. I cling to Christ and His righteousness. I am weak on sanctification. I do not, however, deny that I quit striving after perfection in the way Saint Paul describes in Philippians chapter three: “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Franz Pieper says it best in Volume Three of “Christian Dogmatics”: “But the truth of the imperfection of sanctification in this life is not an excuse for laziness in sanctification and good works. Instead, God’s will and the corresponding Christian attitude . . . Read All
Luther on sex
The younger generation, as has been said, always thinks that it has invented sex. And those who “don’t know much about history” seem to think that sex and sexual issues are contemporary phenomena. So the editors at Salon are giddy to learn what Martin Luther wrote about sex. Reading from a new book about Luther [Read More…]
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