All the LCMS-WELS-ELCA Colleges Need This New Luther Statue. If Only They Still Taught the Chief Article

 I buried the Concordia, St. Louis Luther statue in the sand,
thanks to Photoshop and Planet of the Apes. Herman Otten did this to Luther. So did LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic). Missouri and WELS once taught and published Justification by Faith catechisms.

September 3, 2018, Christian News

"The Luther statue is still a landmark at this LCMS college, which no longer insists all professors at the college teach what Luther taught about the inerrancy of the Bible, creation, and the historicity of Genesis."...GJ...And the Chief Article, Justification by Faith. Why omit the Chief Article, Pastor Otten, when it is labeled by Melanchthon, Luther, and the Book of Concord as The Chief Article, Justification by Faith?

Holy Father Pope Herman I does not teach the Chief Article and always side-steps that issue.
Take the quiz - if you fail - you can be at the level of Harrison, Schroeder, McCain, Cascione, Bivens, and Otten. If you pass,
you can live in Ford limo down by the river, in Arkansas.

Jack and Robert Preus sandbagged WAM II for teaching Justification by Faith, holding up rascals like Edward Preuss and CFW Walther as norms in Lutheran doctrine. That only shows how degenerate LCMS teaching became after the odious and fallacious Brief Statement of 1932.

For Those Who Love Sassy the Cyber-Pet

 Long ago, Sassy was rescued and treated for her damaged leg. She did not want help walking anywhere. This is a photo from her foster family in Arizona.

 I took Sassy to the park in Phoenix every morning.
In Arkansas, she was perfect at catching her orange ball and bringing it back. The people at the dog park clapped for her catches, so the other dogs were jealous and wanted her magic orange ball.

Sassy gets fan-mail from blog readers. She is called the Cyber-pet by some and readers want to hear more about her. She is half German Shepherd and half Australian Cattle Dog. ACDs are also called Heelers and Queensland Heelers.


Her German Shepherd side is intensely loyal and protective, intelligent and independent in her thinking. The ACD side is also known for intelligence, independent thinking, but especially for talking and singing. When I make up a song and sing it to her, Sassy howls and barks with me, especially when her name is in the lyrics.

People adore her and make a fuss over how gentle and sweet she is. She expects that. They also laugh when she bosses me around. She barks at me for talking to neighbors on walks.
"Are you in a hurry today?"
"Bark!"
"You have an appointment?"
"Bark! Bark!"
"You have to go now?"
"Bark! Bark! Bark!"

Children observe, "You have a bossy dog."

Yesterday Sassy stepped out for her early evening walk, went on full alert, and began barking loudly. We saw the oldest Ess girl sitting on the porch. One reason to bark was - she was Sassy's first good friend on the block. Then Ess 2 took over and doted on Sassy. Now Ess 3 makes a point of petting Sassy while the baby Ess 4 giggles and laughs. Their names all start with S, so we call them the four Esses.

The barking was so loud because Ess 1 was holding a kitty. Sassy loves them and is very gentle, but she thinks barking loudly at a cat will endure her to the kitty. Sassy homed in on the cat and eventually touched noses with her. We laughed about how Sassy used to chase her black cat onto the roof of the house. But later, the same cat latched onto Sassy's thigh for getting near her kittens. Sassy was unharmed, except for her dignity. That took place during a yard sale when we were all milling around and Sassy got between the kittens to be given away and the mother cat.

Sassy listens closely to the voices of those who meet her. We found one new neighbor who was late for work but anxious to pet her. Sassy felt that love sat for her moment of adoration. "What a sweet face. I'm so glad I met you, Sassy."

Ranger Bob leaves water out for all critters, and Sassy stops by for a drink every morning. She pauses and listens for noises inside the house. She is happy to call Bob outside to fuss over her. They are the best of pals and the primary reason we commissioned a J. C. Penney portrait of her.

Ranger Bob often talks to her like a rough, tough sargeant, but he can do no wrong in her eyes. She can hear the real Bob, who buys food for stray cats - even for the one that annoyed him by generously marking his bedroom window. Bob said, "He let me pet him while he was eating."

Three-legged in this case. Tragic?
No, we got Sassy from that horse hurting her leg and the family abandoning her.

Pople Francis Should Resign. Exact Parallels with WELS and LCMS Cover-Ups

Pope Francis was known to be dirty when he was elected in 2013. Stories circulated about how destructive he was in South America, but there is another story about the disappeared people during the reign of the military junta in Argentina.

A high-ranking official has accused Pope Francis of covering up the scandals, chiefly Cardinal McCarrick in this case.

Calls for his resignation have increased. Whatever appears in the press, the truth is far, far worse.

American Spectator - the pope and all other officials supporting the corruption should resign.

Roman Catholics have recognized that the leaders elected Francis because they all participate in the same corruption and protect it as well.

The Curia and others imagine this will go away, but indications suggest just the opposite. Unlike the situation in Lutherdom, powerful leaders have spoken up to say that they know the reporting is factual and verified by many witnesses.

The WELS and LCMS leaders have deluded themselves into thinking that their cover-ups and lies are effective. They have intimidated many into silence and shown that the corrupt are the ones who get promoted. However, their management expertise does not bring people to church or students to their schools.

The Michigan District of WELS leaders proved time and again that they favored adulterous pastors, alcoholic pastors, and false doctrine. In fact, those three characteristics often came in the same package - except for the lavender contingent. There are many stories about that kind of abuse in WELS, but the facts have a half-life of 10 minutes. Soon after, "What? Who? Never happened. I don't know. I'm not in that district. Who told you?"

In light of the Hybels meltdown, imagine listening to the bragging of WELS leaders about how pure they are, how Lutheran they are, how orthodox, how strict, how heaven is not good enough for the Wisconsin sect.

Then ask, "Why were they so bankrupt that they funneled millions into sending clergy and others to Fuller, Willow Creek, Andy Stanley, and other anti-Lutheran cesspools? Why did this precious sect - that dropped from heaven and kept dropping - bless and promote DMins from the worst schools?"

Ski, Glende, and about 8 others worshiped with Andy Stanley, who is now widely acknowledged to be another blatant apostate. He is velcro to their lint. Ski blogged about it and the blog remained public for the longest time.

I used to read books about sales. One was especially interesting. It said, "If you hire someone to train salespeople and that person was not successful, then the trainees will be no better. They will capture that person's inability, no matter what materials are used to teach."

The parallel in the churches should be apparent. Dimwits like Valleskey, Bivens, Werning (all buddies in Church Growth) went to anti-Lutheran at Fuller and loved it. No matter what they claimed for themselves, the essence of their hatred for Luther's doctrine came through in all their work. And what is worse - so did their cancerous hypocrisy.

I remember Kovaciny repeating the bromides of WELS Church Growth -
"Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater!" I said, "Don't wash the baby in sewage."

Mirthless Mark Schroeder's buddy said, "Larry Olson is harmless. Everyone knows he is a false teacher."

Meanwhile, people write to me about the abuse they have suffered from WELS leaders, not to mention the rampant lying and denials in the face of the facts.

Every time I read the sarcastic responses of the Roman cover-up artists, I remember the same approach used by WELS and the CLC (sic). Even as they all shrink to nothing, the same script is followed. Tim Glende used the same tactics practiced in Columbus to prop up Floyd Luther Stolzenburg to save face in Appleton. The rich adulterers can be counted upon to say, "Yay. Amen. You are our hero!"

 Church Growth in the Michigan District, WELS, was a cancer transplant facilitated by Dr. Floyd Luther Stolzenburg (he let people call him that, haha). WELS was hotter than Georgia asphalt to get this rolling, and now St. Paul's is a shell.

The National News Will Unravel on Tuesday, September 28th, 2018

 Q posts are often hard to interpret, but they are clearer now.
They come from US military intelligence.

Sarah A. Carter began the avalanche of news about the Russian collusion fantasy. Our government paid a British agent - Stefan Halper - $1 million to help in fabricating the Trump Russian collusion fairytale.

Bruce Ohr is going to testify, and it is now widely known that he and his wife Nellie used their federal jobs to meddle with the election and help set up the collusion story.

As I noted before, the Special Counsel business reminded me of judo, where the strength and power of the opponent is used to toss him across the ring - as I was in judo class. Mueller's work has eliminated the top felons from the FBI and Department of Justice. Meanwhile, AG Sessions has accumulated 45,000 sealed indictments and Gitmo has been prepared for many unhappy campers.

Television news is mostly bogus, and that includes Fox News. The only solution is to read widely, to keep an open mind, and to pray for our country.

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4.

 Lynn Forester de Rothschild bio, 
Senator John McCain Institute.

Wiki:
Her third husband is Sir Evelyn de Rothschild (born August 29, 1931), whom she was introduced to by Henry Kissinger at the 1998 Bilderberg Group conference in Scotland.^[22] They married on November 30, 2000, in London, England,^[1] after de Rothschild divorced his wife in 2000.^[23] She is his third wife.^[1] On the announcement of the marriage, the Rothschild couple were invited to spend their honeymoon at the White House by the Clintons.^[24] 

Wikileaks

Lynn Forester de Rothschild, who married billionaire financier Sir Evelyn de Rothschild in 2000, plays prominently throughout Clinton’s political career — including her tenure at the State Department.

In fact, it could easily be argued Clinton’s Big Bank loyalty more accurately lies specifically with the Rothschild family.

Wikileaks’ previous release of Hillary Clinton’s emails disclosed an April 2010 exchange in which  Rothschild tells Clinton under the subject heading “Miss you” that she “would love to catch up” and “I remain your loyal adoring pal.” Clinton responds in kind, “let’s make that happen,” and signs off, “Much love, H.”

Then in September 2010, Clinton messaged Rothschild, “I was trying to reach you to tell you and Teddy that I asked Tony Blair to go to Israel as part of our full court press on keeping the Middle East negotiations going.” She also asks, “Let me know what penance I owe you.”

Rothschild thanks Clinton for “personally reaching out to us,” and notes, “You are the best, and we remain your biggest fans. Sweet dreams and Godspeed with everything you are doing.”

In January 2012, Clinton emailed aides, reminding them about an upcoming “conference in England about climate change … sponsored by Jacob Rothschild at his historic estate, Waddesdon.”

And the Rothschild influence obviously continues — on May 12 this year, Clinton showed her true colors by attending a $100,000-per-plate fundraising dinner hosted by none other than Lynn Forester de Rothschild.

Progress in the Gospel of John

 Tischendorf was a thief and a liar, just the person to begin the modern era of textual criticism for apostates.

I reached chapter 8 and looked into evidence about the Woman Caught in Adultery, removed from modern translations, with italics, brackets, or with a drop into the footnotes or endnotes.

https://purelypresbyterian.com/2016/12/01/defense-of-the-pericope-adulterae/

This rings true, and I trust Augustine more than the apostate publishing houses of Lutherdom -

According to Augustine (c. 400), it was this moralistic objection to the pericope de adultera which was responsible for its omission in some of the New Testament manuscripts known to him. “Certain persons of little faith,” he wrote, “or rather enemies of the true faith, fearing, I suppose, lest their wives should be given impunity in sinning, removed from their manuscripts the Lord’s act of forgiveness toward the adulteress, as if He who had said ‘sin no more’ had granted permission to sin.” (33) Also, in the 10th century a Greek named Nikon accused the Armenians of “casting out the account which teaches us how the adulteress was taken to Jesus . . . saying that it was harmful for most persons to listen to such things.”

S. S. Patrum J. B. Cotelerius, Antwerp, 1698, vol. i, p.235. Cited by https://purelypresbyterian.com/2016/12/01/defense-of-the-pericope-adulterae/; from Dr. Edward F. Hills, The King James Version Defended, pp. 150-159.

Quotation on Apostasy - From Luther's Sermons

Take the Justification Quiz - you may qualify for a teaching position in any of these synods - LCMS-ELCA-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic).

Therefore we also should let this sermon of Christ be an admonition and warning to us. For we also, through the preaching of the gospel, hear this voice of John the Baptist, which directs unto this Savior, Christ, and says: This is the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world. To Him you should cling in faith and confession, and thank God that He has given you this knowledge, and this sermon and direction of John the Baptist shall endure to eternity. But now it depends upon this too, whether we are people who receive the testimony. For if, like the greater part of the Jews, and as, alas! is always the case in the world, we let it pass by, we will share the same fate with them and others. Factions and sects will come afterwards, through which the pure doctrine and God's Word will be darkened among us, and go out altogether. Then will they begin to seek Christ, and will be unable to find Him, just as was formerly done in the darkness of the papacy. For no one can give any other doctrine unto salvation than this, as Peter says, Acts 4: There is no other name nor doctrine, whereby we can be saved. If we neglect this, it is all over with us, as it is now with the Jews and Turks. There will be no lack of teachers; we will have enough of these, as the Jews and Turks also have, who will preach much and want to show the way to heaven, and every one will show diligence in seeking, as the Jews now also seek their Messiah; but, alas! it is a seeking always in vain, and never any finding. For He made all depend only on this His messenger who pointed Him out with his voice and finger, that we might know where to find Him; else it would end in nothing, and our seeking would ever be in vain.

 Quotation courtesy of Alec Satin's Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry

***
GJ - "There will be no lack of teachers." What do the false teachers do? They only want to improve, clarify, and help, so they set up their own conferences and academies to supplant sound doctrine. They are not against sound doctrine - oh no! - they can repeat all the formulas they covertly reject. They only want to gradually replace some of that stuffy and outmoded stuff with their brilliance.

In WELS, Mark Jeske, John Lawrenz, Steve Witte, and others copied what Kent Hunter and Waldo Werning did in the LCMS. There were so many clever thieves spoiling the Egyptians at Fuller and Willow Creek, scarcely any treasure remains.

To celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, the LCMS brought out two Objective Justification farces - their Dogmatanic and their Babylonian Talmud Catechism. WELS went easy on their new Catechism, putting the odious terms OJ/SJ only in the index.

However, their Holey of Holeys, the WELS Essay File, has 60 hilariously ponderous treatments of Objective Justification - not one about the Chief Article.

Oh wait! Mistake, mistake! Two essays call Objective Justification the Chief Article - Mark Zarling's diamond debacle and Frosty Bivens plagiarized version of the same. But that does not count. Being dead wrong and felony stupid do not add credibilty to false claims, even if the authors have MDiv degrees from Mordor in Mequon.

 John Maxwell's bromides are served up by Lawrence Otto Olson, DMin, Fuller Seminary - the Waldo Werning Professor of Church Growth at Martin Luther College, WELS (irony noted). They have so much in common. No, John has a personality. But John too has purchased a Drive-Buy DMin from Fuller Seminary. Olson has helped to lead WELS into the abyss, so he deserves some plaques, medals, and hororary doctorates from people who market those coveted items.

Scooping Christian News Cardinal Burke Demands Roman Catholic Purge

 Even more is revealed about Pope Francis and others covering up abuse in this long letter.

BREAKING: Cardinal Burke responds to former US nuncio’s explosive letter about Pope Francis

https://www.lifesitenews.com//news/cardinal-burke-responds-to-former-us-nuncios-explosive-letter-about-pope-fr#When:18:11:00Z

“The corruption and filth which have entered into the life of the Church must be purified at their roots,” said Vatican Cardinal Raymond Burke in response to a LifeSite request for comment on the release of Archbishop Carlo Viganò’s testimony. The 11-page letter issued by the former papal representative in the United States released to LifeSiteNews and a few other outlets is filled with revelations of scandals within the hierarchy.

“The declarations made by a prelate of the authority of Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò must be totally taken to heart by those responsible in the Church,” said Burke. “Each declaration must be subject to investigation, according to the Church’s time-tried procedural law.”

Read the full text of Archbishop Viganò's explosive letter here.

In addition to the main charges that Pope Francis knew of Cardinal Theodore McCarrick’s abuse and nevertheless lifted sanctions that Pope Benedict had secretly imposed on McCarrick, some of the other explosive declarations include:

• Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Secretary of State under Pope Benedict XVI, “notoriously favored promoting homosexuals into positions of responsibility.”
• Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the current Secretary of State and thought to be the top contender to replace Francis, “was also complicit in covering up the misdeeds of McCarrick.”
• Cardinal Parolin ordered the reservation of the Diocese of San Diego for the notoriously left-wing Bishop Robert McElroy
• Pope Francis warned Viganò as nuncio that he did not want bishops in the United States like Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput: “They must not be right-wing like the Archbishop of Philadelphia,” he quotes the Pope as telling him.

“After the truth of each declaration has been established, then the appropriate sanctions must be applied both for the healing of the horrible wounds inflicted upon the Church and her members, and for the reparation of the grave scandal caused,” says Cardinal Burke.

Cardinal Burke called on “all good Catholics” to “insist upon knowing the truth” and added that they “must pray and sacrifice for the Church at this tumultous time.”

A purification, he said, “Such purification can only take place with the full and uncompromised respect for the truth.”

 More about Cardinal McCarrick can be found here.

WELS Martin Luther College Will Transform Your Son

I Leave All Things To God's Direction - From Comfort for Christians

 Salomo Franck

Salomo Franck (Librettist)

Born: March 6 (or March 3), 1659 ? - Weimar, Thuringia, Germany Died: June 14 (or July 11), 1725 - Weimar, Thuringia, Germany

The poet and author of cantata texts, Salomo Franck, came from a family with old traditions linking its members to the ducal court at Weimar. He studied at the University of Jena. After his studies he occupied a government post as consistorial secretary, librarian, and head of the numismatic collection - a post held by members of his family for generations. Franck was a typical court poet of the German High Baroque. His main output consisted of sacred strophic texts and congratulatory poems, which were of a sufficiently high standard to earn him membership of the illustrious Fruchtbringende Gesellschaft. His sacred texts were at first confined to the types of church concerto typical of the 17th century, combining strophic verses with biblical passages (e.g. in his Evangelische Seelen-Lust, 1694). It is notable that in his mid-50’s Franck was ready to adopt new poetical principles for his cantata texts, integrating da capo arias and recitatives into his poetry. With these texts a fruitful collaboration between J.S. Bach and Franck was established in 1714. As far as is known, all Bach's cantatas written for the Weimar church use texts by Franck except two (by Erdmann Neumeister and Georg Christian Lehms). Even during his Leipzig years Bach continued to work with Franck's texts, partly by enlarging existing cantatas (e.g. BWV 70 and BWV 80) and partly by composing new ones (BWV 72 and BWV 168).

LyricsPermalink

I Leave All Things to God’s Direction

By: Salomo Franck

I leave all things to God’s direction,

For he loves me in wealth or woe;

His will is good, and his affection,

His tender love is true, I know.

My strength, my fortress rock is he:

What pleases God, that pleases me.

My God has all things in his keeping,

He is my ever faithful friend;

He gives me laughter after weeping,

And all his ways in blessing end.

His love endures eternally:

What pleases God, that pleases me.

The will of God shall be my pleasure

While here I live life’s interim;

My will is wrong beyond all measure,

It does not will what pleases him.

The Christian’s motto then must be:

What pleases God, that pleases me.

God knows what must be done to save me,

His love for me will never cease;

And all my sins my Lord forgave me

With purest gold of loving grace.

His will supreme must ever be:

What pleases God, that pleases me.

My God desires each soul’s salvation,

My soul he too desires to save;

Therefore with Christian resignation

All earthly troubles I will brave.

His will be done eternally:

What pleases God, that pleases me. Hymn #529  The Lutheran Hymnal Text: Rom. 8: 28 Author: Salomo Franck, 1685 Translated by: August Crull, 1923, alt. Titled: "Ich halte Gott in allem stille" Composer: Georg Neumark, 1640 Tune: "Wer nur den lieben Gott"

The Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, 2018. Galatians 3:15-22

The Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, 2018

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Daylight Time

The Hymn # 281              The Savior Calls                

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual       

The Gospel              

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed             p. 22

The Sermon Hymn #245          God Loved the World

 The Promise

The Communion Hymn # 308   Invited, Lord, by Boundless Grace                    

The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #658              Onward Christian Soldiers     

        

KJV Galatians 3:15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. 16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. 18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. 19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. 21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. 22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

KJV Luke 10:23 And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: 24 For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. 25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. 29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? 30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

Click here for Luther’s Sermons on the Good Samaritan

Thirteenth Sunday After Trinity

Lord God, heavenly Father, we most heartily thank Thee that Thou hast granted us to live in this accepted time, when we may hear Thy holy gospel, know Thy fatherly will, and behold Thy Son, Jesus Christ! We pray Thee, most merciful Father: Let the light of Thy holy word remain with us, and so govern our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may never forsake Thy word, but remain steadfast in it, and finally obtain eternal salvation; through Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

Background for Sermon

The short quiz posted here lets people find out what they know about the Chief Article of Christianity. The Lutheran clergy who speak and write so glowingly about Ojective and Subjective Justification are using the same terminology and definitions - even the same defense - as the Seventh Day Adventists (my kin from long ago, Battle Creek, until that branch of the family became Evangelicals). Can the same terminology and explanations as the Adventists use be orthodox Lutheran? That is most unlikely. 

The epistle lesson has the complicated language we are used to reading in parts of Paul's letters, but ends with this verse - "Gal. 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe."

The Faith of Jesus is a term used in Romans, Galatians, and Philippians but seldom translated precisely today. All the modern translations use the phrase "faith in Jesus," which emphasize our faith. Because of the Two Natures in Christ, we should not be shy about discussing His faith. Jesus was completely human and completely divine, but His human nature did not limit His divine nature. He suffered just as we would have suffered under the same circumstances. A careful reading of John's Gospel shows that this human nature is emphasized to show us how much He suffered, even before the Passion. One example is His deliberate delay in reaching Lazarus and shaking in emotion in response to everyone's grief. When He looked upon Lazarus' cave-tomb, He knew He was facing the same fate. Moreover, His deliberate delay allowed the raising of Lazarus, which also sparked the arrest, torture, and crucifixion of Christ. 

All the actions and words of Jesus reflect His faith in the gracious will of His Father.

The faith of Jesus does not exclude our faith in Him, but reminds us of His human nature, giving us an example of absolute trust in God the Father. That is a contradiction to those who rely on their own human reason. As one Adventist said to me, "Jesus prayed to God and yet you claim that Jesus is God. How can God pray to God. I can't understand that." I replied, "Neither can my dog, but it is still true."

The Father-Son relationship is a mystery revealed to us, and we believe what is revealed through the power of the Holy Spirit in the Word. In The Case for Christianity, by Lee Strobel (also the name of C. S. Lewis' book), he marshals all the reasons for believing Jesus rose from the dead. Unfortunately, the movie ("The Case for Christ") relies on arguments proving the resurrection true rather than the Word converting unbelief into belief. One prop is the Shroud of Turin, which was called a forgery from day one, and naturally not Scriptural but appealing to our need for something to touch and see. 

The trouble with human reason proving God's Word to be true is that it is never enough and leads to more of the same. It is like drinking salt-water to cure thirst. That is why the rationalistic Christians lead the way to Unitarianism and atheism. That is the contrast between Calvinism (rationalistic) and Luther's Biblical theology (Word centered). That is also why Luther is so unpopular today among apostate Lutheran leaders.

The Promise

KJV Galatians 3:15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.

Luther:

1. This is a keen, severe epistle, one that is unintelligible to the ordinary man. Because the doctrine it contains has not hitherto been employed and enforced, it has not been understood. It is also too long and rich to be treated briefly. But it is fully explained in the complete commentary on this epistle to the Galatians, where those who will may read it. The substance of it is, that here, as in the whole epistle, Paul would earnestly constrain the Christian to distinguish between the righteousness of faith and the righteousness of works or of the Law. 

The setting of Galatians is Paul's quick reaction to false teachers trying to improve on Christianity, which Luther wrote is always more dangerous than a direct attack. The improvers undermine the Faith while saying they only want to make things clearer and better.

An argument, though false, is easily made. Jesus and His disciples were all Jews, so the real Christians are those who observe the Jewish customs. One thing leads to another and soon what is optional (such as the Passover Seder meal) becomes mandatory and the Law saves. 

That is why the example of Abraham is so important in the New Testament. He is easy to overlook because his name comes up so often: Luke, Romans 4, Galatians, James, Hebrews - for example. However, Abraham is pivotal for the entire Bible, more so in many respects than Moses. 

Abraham was declared forgiven, justified, through His faith in God's Promise to establish an everlasting and growing kingdom from his line. That could be called a triple miracle. Abraham and Sarah were both far beyond the age of child-bearing - so there are two miracles promised.  The third is that no kingdom lasts, no kingdom grows forever - instead, they all shrink and often become forgotten and buried in dust of time. How many people can discuss:

• The Byzantine Empire, 1100 years and Christ?
• Ebla, whose cities are mentioned in the Old Testament?

The remains of the Byzantine Empire - Turkey. Ebla was found by accident; its tablets are numerous, proving its size and importance. One editor was shocked I knew about Ebla.

As we know, Abraham was promised that the Messiah would come from this line established by his and Sarah's son. That means he believed in Jesus, so he was justified by faith, Genesis 15; Romans 4. 

That is crucial for this argument to the Galatians because Abraham was justified without the Law, without circumcision. Now the improvers, the Church Growthers, want to add the Law as a requirement.

I heard some local ministers discuss pipe organs. The college president said, "We get offered pipe organs all the time. They are completely obsolete, last century." I wondered, "Who decided this?" The improvers did. 

no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.

Paul is arguing from a human standpoint. The will in an estate cannot be changed, either by ripping it up or by adding to its provisions. In one case, Zsa Zsa Gabor urged her daughter to contest the will of Conrad Hilton. The will included a provision that those who contested the details would be disinherited. The daughter lost in court and therefore lost all her inheritance. 

So God's Promise, received through faith, cannot be canceled, and no conditions can be added to it.

16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

The Messianic Promise made to Abraham concerns Jesus alone, or to Christian believers alone. No one can say - Christians and Jews, or as they like to say now - All the People of the Book (Christians, Jews, and Muslims). Having some history in common is not the same as the Messianic Promise, which is ignored or handled in many different ways. 

This effort to go back to some form of Judaism is a warning to everyone not to engage in those alleged improvements.

This Pauline truth is consistent with the First Gospel in Genesis 3:15 - that the Messiah would bruise the head of Satan, that Satan would bruise His heel. Strangely, this has been corrupted in several ways. One is that it is not a direct prophesy of the Christ. Another is that the heel is the heel of Mary. They jump from this to the small cloud that the prophet saw - that was in the shape of a heel (according to Roman Catholics). That meant that Mary would conquer various territories. Here is one hymn, the original words, "Faith of our fathers, Mary's prayers, shall bring our country back to Thee." 

17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.

The Law kept the Jewish people together and prepared them for the coming of the Messiah. Not only that, their Scriptures, translated into Greek around 300-200 BC, taught the Gentiles the Messianic Promises as well. 

Greek was the universal language of its day and far more unifying than any local language or Hebrew. Due to Alexander and the Hellenistic Empire, learning Greek was basic to being a world citizen, merchant, accountant, or soldier. People longed for the Savior and read about Him in the Scriptures, the Old Testament, as we call it. The Law that came after Abraham does not cancel the Promise, change or improve it.

19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.

As we learned in studying Romans 1-5, the Law clarified the meaning of sin. For those who did not have the Law revealed, the Gentiles, they decided in their own hearts, which meant they were never entirely clear. 

Lenski, Galatians, p. 169

This clears up what Paul says to the Galatians regarding the whole Mosaic law, its ceremonial as well as its moral content. The Judaizers laid great stress on the ceremonial phase of the law and demanded that the Galatian Christians keep this in order to be saved. Not only a part of the Mosaic law is abrogated in Christ, but all law with all its condemnation is ended for the believer in Christ; Rom. 8:1: There is no more verdict of condemnation from any law, for those who are in Christ Jesus by faith. 

Moses received the Law on behalf of the entire nation, which had a big party while he was on Mt. Sinai.

21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. 22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

Although this passage is difficult when reading it the first time, the ending of this section is completely clear - keeping in mind Genesis 3:15, Genesis 15:6, and the Gospel. Who is the agent in bringing forgiveness to the world? It is not man or his faith, but Jesus and His faith.

Jesus, upon raising Lazarus from his tomb, knew the Jewish and Roman leaders would move in to stop Him, silence Him, and make His Name evil to everyone. Trusting the plan, He called Lazarus out of death faced His own, which completed the Promise given to Adam and Eve, and later Abraham.

By dying and rising from the dead, Jesus revealed the grace and mercy of the Holy Trinity. Mankind could never make the world better, but the fruits of the Christian faith could do that, even in the face of persecution and indifference.

Some people recoil against Luther's adage that "Faith makes a man good," but what do they offer? They denounce faith as dangerous. They boast of their works and praise each other for sharing the same disgust with faith.

Paul's message seems infinitely better. Faith makes a man good because that means receiving God's forgiveness in Christ, which is the beginning of healing, peace, and a different life. The pure message is that this crediting of forgiveness is received not earned. 

It is appealing to say, "You have to be sorry enough to earn forgiveness." Or, to say, "You have to suffer long enough. Once you have suffered a long time, you will feel the forgiveness." Or, "You have to make it up (somehow)." All of these mean putting a few coins on the table to deserve forgivness, but the reverse is true. Because God grants complete forgiveness through faith, the Gospel moves us to do what is good, not as payment, but as the fruit of faith.

If I doubt the rose garden's capacity to supply flowers for Sunday, I only have to do one thing, cleanse the plants. Following John 15, cleansing (confession and absolution) makes us even more fruitful.

I hate to admit this, but I can find dead wood and finished (going to seed) roses any given day. I do not plan and cannot plan what will happen next as I cleanse the plants. I do know that many more roses, many better roses will grow from the fruiting branches I have pruned.