Apologetics - The Bible Book: The KJV Reborn for Those Who Love the Word of God

Silencing the Mouths of Rationalists and Apostates

            The "safest" way to talk about the Bible in public is to assume a rationalistic stance and to allow for that, rather than countering it. Worth remembering too are the opponents of Jesus Christ – religious leaders, leaders of His own religion. Between the rationalists and the apostates within, a lifetime of debate is ahead of us.

The Bible Dropping Down from Heaven

            A popular beginning is to say, “The Bible is not a book that dropped down from heaven. It is a human book, written down by men.” No one has ever claimed that the Bible floated down from heaven, so this is a straw man logical fallacy – erect a straw man, knock it down, declare victory. The answer is relatively simple – “Yes, it was written by men. I agree with what the Pope said, The Bible has two natures, like Christ, human in being written by men, divine in having no sin or error.”

The Bible Could Have 100 Books or Only Forty

            Columbus, Ohio once boasted a Lutheran seminary with exceptional Biblical scholars – Loy, Leupold, and Lenski. The ALC replaced Lenski with an apostate and the seminary went downhill fast and furious. I visited the seminary bookstore to see if they sold Lenski’s New Testament commentaries. No, they did not, as if that would pollute the students. The store sold books on Romans 1 being fulfilled and volumes on death and dying.

            The ALC seminary graduates in the Columbus area liked to preach that the Bible could have 100 books in it or only 40. They never explained which ones they would add – Blessed Rage for Order? The Documents of Vatican II? – or subtract. The clergy used the old arguments from rationalists to prove shocking claims that were already refuted with ease. One of the best counter arguments is to bring up Simon Greentree, the legal scholar who specialized in evidence at Harvard. He began by trying to prove all the contradictions in the resurrections of Christ, but the powerful Word of God defeated him, converted him to the Christian Faith, and made him an example of direct confrontation with the Scriptures.

 I Agree with Paul and John about the Virgin Birth

            One of the old rationalist responses to the Virgin Birth of Christ is to claim agreement with the Apostles Paul and John about this great miracle, hinting that no such language can be found in either author. This argument would be powerful if it were not so outrageously false. Of course, the skeptics always say that the facts must be in harmony with their way of thinking. Although the Virgin Birth is clearly and unequivocally taught in two Gospels and predicted in Isaiah 7 and 9, a third and fourth match in simlar language is demanded.

Paul and the Virgin Birth

            Romans 1 begins with the apostolic greeting for his most important doctrinal letter, so the wording is especially clear and universal in scope.

Romans 1:3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

This description of Christ includes His humanity and descent from King David, but also His divinity as the Son of God. His resurrection from the dead proved His sinless state since death is inevitable for us mortals. Thus the parallel claim - that Jesus is just a man in the same way the Bible is just a book – fails entirely.

            The worst theology comes from the dogmatics books, which are weak on Scriptural knowledge and inclined to soar off into various philosophies rather than sticking with the text itself. Paul’s letter to the Philippians clearly teaches the Two Natures of Christ, and the Virgin Birth is necessarily associated with Jesus being both God and Man –

Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Some ancient heretics denied the humanity of Christ. Our modern genius dogmaticians deny the divinity of Christ. Paul teaches both the humanity and the divinity, which can only mean the Virgin Birth. God’s Word addresses our need to see the same lessons from different perspectives. Those who deny the obvious are not content with four Gospels in perfect harmony but want their imaginary dissonance to be praised as beautiful, soothing, and the answer to all questions.

John and the Virgin Birth

            The rationalists want to date the Gospel of John as a philosophical book written hundreds of years later. Unfortunately for them, the earliest fragment of the New Testament is dated around 100 AD, and that is a scrap of the Gospel of John. Skeptics are uneasy about the emphasis upon faith in Jesus in the Fourth Gospel. Naturally they would like to remove the divine from the nature of Christ, so they happily declare that John’s Gospel lacks the Virgin Birth narrative.

            But how does the Gospel start? The first verse echoes the Trinity, with the Word being used three times, like the ringing of great cathedral bells – The Word, the Word, the Word.[1] Jesus is the Word of God, the Logos, as defined in that first verse.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Jesus is both man and God, and the Logos (Word) pre-existed the Incarnation. Moreover, this Word – as the Command of God – created everything. Nothing was made apart from Him. To remove the Virgin Birth from the two natures of Christ is bad enough, but this superficial and errant claim is a rejection of the Scriptures and Creation, not a help in understanding anything.

The Holy Trinity

            I heard the Trinity denied as Scriptural early, perhaps in college. The claim is popular – the word Trinity is not in the Bible (true!) and the concept did not become universal until the Council of Chalcedon (false!). I found these assertations so annoying that I included them in some books and devoted one book, The Holy Trinity, to examples from the Scriptures. For the book we used the formula of including the mention of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit within two verses of each other. The Trinity is found throughout the Bible starting with Genesis

Genesis 1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

When God the Father commanded, the Logos or Son executed the command (John 1:3) and the Spirit bears witness to this Six Day Creation.

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[1] Lenski, The Gospel of John.

Hostage to Hostas

 Patriot Hosta

My introduction to Hostas came at an evangelism conference. The LCA leader said he ran into a bunch of people going to a Hosta convention. Recently I got a coffee table book on Hostas, endorsed by Prince Charles, the elderly king-in-waiting. The variety is endless.

I did not grow them until recently, and then I noticed how interesting they were - all sizes, all colors, spreading on their own, easy to maintain, all sending up a spike of flowers for hummingbirds.

Yesterday I went out to look for the yellow and green Hostas, but they were just starting with a little white sprout. Then I saw a small Patriot Hosta poking through the mulch. Gardeners in early spring are anxious to see everything come up at once, and the plants are not designed for instant appreciation. Older roses are budding but new roses are only showing their early red leaves. 

Clethra look dead and Joe Pye is still hiding. Chaste Tree will flower later. The beauty of roses is their flowering all summer. The others, because they take turns being in full bloom,

keep insects and birds happy. 

The Military Gardening Group, always ready to spot new flowers, is already using the Overwatch (the front porch) to look for progress while drinking pour-over coffee.

The Hostas gave me a flash-back to the evangelism conference, about 42 years ago. Stick with me for the lesson. A fine lecturer described the changing church scene. Not long before, half the babies baptized would be in confirmation class. In the future, very few of the children would still be around for confirmation. He had some gloom and doom predictions which I recalled. He might have been a Fuller Seminary, but I do not recall him talking about his sources.

Gardening made me think about the conference - and the difference between mourning the lost plants and keeping up with new beginnings. The expert only discussed sociology (which is the study of middle class people). There was no Gospel content, no efficacy of the Means of Grace. Every expert from that point on, whether LCA or LCMS or WELS, lined up to tell people all was lost without their advice, grim days were ahead.

One of the big theories was keeping everyone busy as a way to have a healthy church. All the sociology morphed into marketing (sociology for junk food vendors). Churches could buy packaged programs for generating members' activities, spiritual gift inventories, and the rest of the nonsense.

In the LCA, I asked if we had any message better than "Let's march downtown and cause some destruction." That cleared the room. In WELS, it was "We are so pure, you can't help but join our tiny sect." Nobody offered anything that grew, and anyone questioning the plan was to be shunned like a skunk at a picnic. I kept asking why WELS was using material directly from the LCA, down to the graphics and fakey charts. Instead of spending so much money on Christian Ed in WELS, why not buy directly from Fuller Seminary? Wearing a Fuller sweatshirt at WELS gatherings was my way of fitting in, but it was not well-received - or WELS-received. 

"Fuller has a vast accumulation of missionary data," one WELS pastor told me. Notice the tilt - the people who sell their buffoonery have the data, so they must be honored, used, financed, and respected.

Back to gardening - I could sow the seed (some always survives) and plant the seedlings, or I could explain to everyone why it is so hard to grow roses, unusual herbs, and special plants. The only way to have a garden is to work it all the time, even long into autumn with a winter season of mulch turning into rich soil ahead.

An abundance of gardening work turns into an abundance. If a congregation cannot confidently teach faith in Jesus Christ - once the theme of all churches of the Reformation - it is bound to starve, like my boyhood churches. The Congregationalist (UCC) church is gone. The large Disciples church closed and could not find buyers for a long time. The Augustana Synod church, which became LCA and ELCA, was advertising their Blessing of the Animals service when we last drove by...without stopping.

LutherQueasy Blows Smoke To Avoid the Chief Article of Christianity

Woods' - a Calvinist - added this translation note to his English translation of the published Knapp lectures. Woods was a major figure in American Calvinism and this book was used throughout America. Knapp was considered one of the last Pietists at Halle University, which became entirely rationalist, the home of Biblical "scholars" who mocked the Scriptures - like the faculties of LCMS, WELS, ELS, and ELCA today. I own an early copy of the English version, which circulated before Walther and his syphilitic bishop landed in America.

The Objective Justification salesmen seem unaware of this passage and its basis for Justification by Faith throughout the New Testament.

Jojakim Dettmann (Random_layman) Senior Member Username: Random_layman Post Number: 3907 Registered: 5-2006

Posted on Thursday, April 15, 2021 - 10:55 pm:       The Ichabod site is probably not a source you want to be using on LQ much, even if it is right which it is sometimes. A mistake Rev. Jackson makes is that he does not understand the German idealist roots of the Objective-Subjective distinction. Instead he thinks objective justification came from Pietism or an earlier figure named Huber. Also, he thinks that rejecting Objective Justification and affirming a simpler "Justification by Faith" concept he is adhering to the true biblical view. Actually, his position is just reflective of a different epistemology. It doesn't make him any more biblical. Because he doesn't realize the crypto-secularist orgins of his disagreements, he (& many if not all of his opponents) are doomed to talking past each other, trying to solve the question with theology, when really it is an underlying difference in their secular philosophies.

Answers Below

Dettmann - "The Ichabod site is probably not a source you want to be using on LQ much, even if it is right which it is sometimes."

GJ - LutherQueasies get hysterical when someone refutes their nonsense with the Scriptures, the Book of Concord, Luther, Chemnitz, Melanchthon, and Hunnius. 

Dettmann - "A mistake Rev. Jackson makes is that he does not understand the German idealist roots of the Objective-Subjective distinction. Instead he thinks objective justification came from Pietism or an earlier figure named Huber. Also, he thinks that rejecting Objective Justification and affirming a simpler "Justification by Faith" concept he is adhering to the true biblical view."

GJ - I have shown the source of OJ/SJ and cited it. Dettman has refuted nothing and somehow does a long-distance brain scan to explain what I think. Knapp was one source, and the translation led to the Waltherians adopting the OJ/SJ labels, because Walther liked that distinction. Huber has been explained and researched on this blog and his works eviscerated by Hunnius, translated by Rydecki. The plain words of the Sacred Scriptures are far more persuasive than the quasi-psycho-socio-neo-crypto-babbling of LutherQueasies.

Dettmann - "Actually, his position is just reflective of a different epistemology. It doesn't make him any more biblical."

GJ - Dettmann starts in darkness and ends in confusion.

Doomedman - "Because he doesn't realize the crypto-secularist orgins (sic) of his disagreements, he (& many if not all of his opponents) are doomed to talking past each other, trying to solve the question with theology, when really it is an underlying difference in their secular philosophies."

GJ - The fear in this doomed man is palpable, but where is his post from yesterday?

Here are my Kindle books on Amazon.

 The print copy of The Path To Understanding Justification is found here.

No faith, no forgiveness, no Holy Spirit.

OJ won in the LCMS, WELS, ELS, CLC (sic), and ELCA.

Rain To Follow New Plants Planted

Joe Pye Weed, enough to rename the rose garden 

The postman only left a gardening packet today. That was it. "Only one?" I wondered. 

Christina and I were going to Walmart. She wanted a haircut, so I went inside to get her. The garage door was open and the postman left a surprise - a large box from Growers Exchange. They pack plants the way people pack prized china.'

The haircut went well and we headed home. The weather was already changing, with a steady cold wind suggesting a long rain. Soon I was in clover, literally, sitting on a bed of clover planting the Joe Pye Weed in the back yard.

Questions

"Joe Pye is a weed?" Yes, that is the name, but the plant grows in one spot and attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. It must be ordered before spring to beat the rush.

"Joe Pye grows 9 feet tall?" Yes, the Pyes began shading the roses quite a bit last year, so I am pruning them back in the front yard - somewhat.

Carbon Cowboys say, "Leave living roots in the ground as long as possible." The perennials come back every year, so they are a major addition to a garden. As they grow stronger, they improve the soil and rain penetration into the soil.

Earthworm Count

The traditional measure of good soil is an earthworm in every shovel of soil. I enjoyed digging deep little holes, each handful of soil holding at least one earthworm. The rain will further fatten the new red wigglers.

I soak all new plants in rainwater, so they can reverse the dehydration of shipping. Growers Exchange packs them in perfect shape with plastic to hold in moisture. I gave them all a bath anyway, so they would start out strong. After eight (8) of them were in the ground and staked - to mark them and warn clumsy feet like mine - I poured 10 gallons of rainwater on the bunch, gently and precisely.

We should get rain tonight and plenty tomorrow. All day I will be enjoying the work done outside by the nitrogen rich storm, tons falling down, absorbed by wooden and organ mulch.

Ranger Bob, Sassy and I had coffee before the planting began. A juvenile rabbit began to cut across the rose garden as we watched. Bob ordered an immediate attack, but Sassy knew better. The rabbit was alerted and double-timed to our neighbor's yard.

Sassy barked sharply at Bob, so I told her to come over for some petting. She likes to be asked, so she came over and got a thorough fur massage from Bob. That was a fun day, marked by a phone call from good friends.

Hawk on the bird feeder (garbage barrel). He sat there a long time and watched me like a...

Abraham in Hebrews and James. The Bible Book - The KJV Reborn for Those Who Love the Word of God

Abraham in Hebrews

            Hebrews is the most eloquent book of the New Testament, constantly referencing the Old Testament. Genesis 15:6 is fulfilled in this unique way –

Hebrews 2:16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Centuries before King David, the Promise was given to Abraham. Centuries after David, the Promise was fulfilled by the Son of David, the Messiah. The Two Natures of Christ are clearly taught and the Virgin Birth implied in this passage. From a purely human standpoint, the entire New Testament was not based upon Adam, Moses, or the prophets, but upon Abraham – because he was promised to be the forerunner of the Kingdom of Christ and believed that Promise could miraculously overcome the frailties and infertility of old age. He believed and was counted forgiven by God.

Melchizedek

            Hebrews gives more space to Melchizedek than the rest of the Bible put together. This caused all kinds of speculation about Melchizedek throughout the ages.

Hebrews 7 For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; 2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; 3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

Lenski’s concise summary is excellent:

The genealogies of Jesus, that of his legal father in Matthew, that of his physical mother in Luke, extend back to royal David and back of that, the former to Abraham, the latter to Adam, and nowhere are there any priestly ancestors; his tribe is that of Judah and not of Levi. The sudden way in which the Scriptures draw back and close the curtain on Melchizedek is the divine way of making him a type of Jesus, the King-Priest, who, like Melchizedek, stands alone and unique in his priesthood and is absolutely distinct from the long Aaronitic succession of priests. Hebrews, p. 213.

Briefly, the lesson in Hebrews 7 is that Christianity does not depend on the Levitical priesthood of the Jews, so the believers should not depend upon or look to Jewish traditions making them the true Christians. In fact, sects and splinter groups still go back to what was left behind, adding required works to guarantee salvation, as Paul feared would happen. Abraham’s unique gift to Melchizedek is a foreshadowing of Jesus as the Great High Priest. Lenski:

The Jews as well as any other readers of this epistle were mistaken if they believed that the laws regarding the Aaronitic priesthood were unalterable and thus also made that priesthood unalterable. These laws rested only on the priesthood. When this priesthood was set aside, the laws of necessity went with it. “Completion” had to be attained; God could not permit inadequate means and laws concerning such means to stand in the way. These means and these laws served their temporary purpose; and when the time came, they had to be changed for something that would be permanent, complete, eternal. Hebrews, p. 224.

Lenski is very much like Luther in his unified approach to all of Scripture, as distinct from the use and abuse of isolated verses and half-verses to argue a point opposed to the Chief Article of Christianity.[1]

The Faith Chapter

            Hebrews 11 is properly called the Faith Chapter for its emphasis upon faith, and Abraham is given a paragraph to emphasize his trust in God, against all human reason:

Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 11 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

Whatever Abraham accomplished came by faith in God, so he established an earthly estate - and with Sarah, the future of believers, too numerous to count. And yet he also took, by God’s command, his only son to be sacrificed, to teach all those who followed what it can mean for God to give His only-begotten Son. The ram which replaced Isaac on the altar was like Christ on the altar as the substitute for our sins, both the victim and the priest.

Hebrews 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

Abraham in James

            James 2 contains a passage which the works saints try to kidnap for their benefit. This is good for the logical fallacy of emphasis, so often exploited by false teachers.

James 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

The author was not presenting an argument against Paul, but showing that as a believer, Abraham obeyed the command of God. We could alternately write that faith without works is not genuine faith.

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[1] Almost anything can be proven with the careful selection of verses and wrongful selection of topics. As Luther wrote, the Bible is a book for heretics.

Transparency - The Lutheran Hymnal

The TLH lectionary has some quirks, such as providing the Introit for each Sunday but not the Gradual.

Fortunately, the Lutheran Librarian, aka the Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry, provided a Word document with the variable elements for the entire church year. 

Copying the Introit, Collect, and Gradual is easy for each Sunday, and that adds to the Scriptural content for each Sunday. 

The historic liturgy was not invented by Luther but developed directly from Old Testament worship. "Always the same" is not true of the liturgy. Most of the worship service changes from week to week, and the standards can be replaced by hymns for that portion - such as the Gloria in Excelsis, Creed, Offertory.

I like having the entire service, including the sermon, reproduced on the blog, almost completely - or at least linked. The blog edition (emailed as a Word document) is a portable hymnal. The video is posted for each service, on the Ustream website, on the blog, and on Facebook.

In contrast, when I have been at non-Lutheran services, there is a lot of banal repetition. One choir sang the same word over and over. I saw one women standing up, writhing around, making terrible faces. I thought she was sick, then realized she was dramatizing the repetition of a single word. At what point does that become entertainment or a search for talent? 

The Cutting Edge of Organic Gardening - The Creation Garden

I told one reader that we are the cutting edge of organic gardening. Oddly enough, the traditional farmer today is a chemical and plowing advocate. If a carbon cowboy (organic)

or lunatic farmer (even more organic) comes into the hardware store, the modern farmers look away or scowl.

I dig holes for plants, but digging is quite limited. The foundation of plant nutrition is the fragile fungal network connecting plant roots with sources of nutrition and water. I fertilize with wood mulch, one of the best (and slowest to decay) soil additives. The rain and fungus work away at the wood and the fungus network is strengthened.

This is God's design and impossible to refute. Creation will improve on its own, because its inter-connected software does that. It is automatical - as we say, based on an ancient funny story. ("In this district, I thought the doctoral degree was automatical.)

For example, the daisies were planted primarily to host the Tachnid fly, which attacks aphids by laying eggs near them. All the aphid powders and sprays are a joke, because they kill every beneficial insect but not necessarily the aphids. 

Yesterday I planted five Hostas known for their bright yellow color. Years ago I learned Hosta flowers were good for hummingbirds. Then I watched them buzzing our Hostas, so I planted more Hostas and provided more hummingbird and butterfly plants. 

After I planted the new Hostas yesterday, the clouds came in and watered them steadily. First I soaked them in rainwater for a few hours. Every shipped plant is a bit dehydrated, so a rainwater soak is idea. I did learn that typical plants do not like all-night soaks, while roses can soak for a week or more.

Ranger Bob admonished me for wanting to take down a Mimosa tree. "It's a hummingbird tree. Don't you know that?" I looked it up and he was right. The Mimosa stays. The five feeders for hummers are filled. Joe Pye is warming up for a summer of Creation displays, fragrances and flowers and pollinators. 

More rain came last night and even more is expected the rest of the week.

I do my rounds to help plants along. Roses needed more help or elimination. The wild roses offer little but one set of dark red roses and a summer of long, thorny, canes. Newly planted ones get extra rainwater, peat humus (Ivy League manure), and pruning. 

I even added red wiggler earthworms, though they are already growing in the yard. They arrived a bit skinny from the trip, dehydrated. I dropped them in little lumps around our garden and two neighbors' gardens. It rained that night. My first order years ago, came very late after shipping. I spread them around anyway, because of possible live ones and eggs. Soon a fresh batch came and I scattered them. The garden became much lusher in two weeks. They produce usable nitrogen and sweeten the soil, so they are as dependable as the rain in garden improvements.

Do much garlic do you like?
This is giant Allium. I may have a few smaller ones.

The Bible Book - Abraham in Galatians and Romans - Bad News for Objective Justification. The KJV Reborn for Those Who Love the Word of God.

Abraham in Galatians and Romans

            If Abraham is a major figure in John and Luke, then he is dominant in Galatians and Romans. Galatians is first in composition, and Romans is first as the doctrinal statement. Paul wrote Galatians with great energy to refute the false claims of needing the Jewish law to be real Christians. The argument is clear in both books – we are justified by faith in Jesus Christ, which is impossible through the Law.

            The teaching of Justification by Faith is so clear in Galatians that only the apostates can miss what it means. Abraham was not circumcised when he was promised a son who would begin a line leading to the Savior. How could the false teachers entice the Galatians to engage in a practice that Abraham did not need?

Galatians 3: 3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? 4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.

 

5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

The mainstream, liberal, apostate mainline denominations – including ELCA, WELS, LCMS, and the ELS – teach universalism by claiming that the entire world is absolved from sin and forgiven, without faith. This is clearly contrary to the Scriptures from Genesis onward. What ties the two Testaments together is the faith of Abraham in Christ, his example of trusting God’s Promises.

Galatians 3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. 9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Dr. Walter A. Maier (PhD, Semitics, Harvard) created a radio ministry by teaching the inerrancy of the Bible and Justification by Faith[1]. His LCMS academic heirs teach the opposite of both – Biblical errors and justification without faith. The example of Abraham, so often repeated in the Bible, has no impact on their dogmatics. Nevertheless, the Scriptures connect Abraham to faith in every possible example.

11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. 13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

The example of Abraham’s two sons is another way of defining salvation through faith or the Law.

Abraham in Romans – Faith Is Access to Grace

            The Apostle Paul, in the early part of Romans, chapters 1 and 2, eliminated all the forms of righteousness which do not enable forgiveness. Many sentimental funerals emphasize what Paul renounced – “He was a good man. He had a kind heart. He loved his children and the Cubs.” One funeral director grew alarmed when a mobster was preached into heaven by a fill-in minister. The relatives could not connect the praise with his violent history.

Chapter 3

Just like Galatians, Paul argued for Justification by Faith - followed by Abraham as the irrefutable example – Abraham believed the Promise and it was counted by God as righteousness. This righteousness is without the Law and comes by faith of Jesus Christ to all who believe. The Chief Article of the Christian Faith is so clear in this passage that people must insert words and distort the meaning to have it come out the opposite.

Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Those who deny the faith of Jesus are blasphemers and no amount of text distortion and added words can change that sin. Yet Paul has already filled up those bolt holes that are intended by ignorant interpreters to cinch their dogma against the Chief Article. “3:26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”

Justification and faith go together. So Paul uses Abraham to show that grace and faith are together, not opposed to each other. The KJV preserves the truth of the Greek text – the faith of Jesus – even to the point of confounding those who only know “faith in Christ,” which is also in the New Testament.

Chapter 4

            Nothing shows the ignorance of false teachers more than pruning a half-sentence from verse 25 and declaring victory. But what did Paul write?

Romans 4:1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

The various Justification by Faith phrases are repetitive because the Chief Article is based upon one verse – and its consequences – in the Old Testament. Sin begins with Adam, but forgiveness starts with Abraham, Genesis 15:6.

            Paul wrote these verses, aimed at all the congregations, because of the temptation to make Christianity faith plus works to earn salvation. Abraham is key because of his justification preceding his circumcision.

Romans 4:8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. 9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. 10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.

This was a major conflict in the Apostolic Age, and seem odd today, but forms of it repeat and flourish today, so it must be understood with child-like faith, not with Barthian-Kirschbaum theology tomes. Imagine an entire volume from Barth and his mistress that starts with “The gift is a demand.”

Romans 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, 17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

This chapter is only 25 verses long and has so much to say about Abraham and Justification by Faith.

            Everything comes down to the historical fact, that God chose this elderly couple, longing for a son, to have a son when no one could imagine. While this alone was a great miracle for them, the greater miracle was the ultimate blessing for all mankind in providing the Savior in the future by God’s grace and power.

Romans 4:17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. 19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: 20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

Thus the future of Israel and the Gentile nations depended on the faith of one elderly man and his supposedly infertile wife. God works His miracles among the most unlikely people.

            The following verses cannot be adequately understood apart from the entire chapter and the preceding three chapters. Snipping and clipping verses and half-verses is an ideal way to twist the truth but not to explain it.

Romans 4:23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; 24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

We are all beneficiaries of this faith, which gave us, through God’s guidance the Savior, but also the key to understanding the Word of God. We are declared righteous through faith in Him.

Romans 5, The Summary of Romans 4

Romans 5: Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

 

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[1] Galatians 2: 16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. The first bolded - δια πιστεως ιησου χριστου – not faith in Christ but the faith of Christ. The second bolded -  ινα δικαιωθωμεν εκ πιστεως χριστου – the faith of Jesus. Neither one is faith in Jesus, a fact skipped by modern translators. The KJV is correct with “faith of Christ.” Yes, He was both man and God, and He had faith in God the Father. Salvation comes to all believers from the faith of Christ to our faith, from faith to faith.

The Bible Book - Abraham in Luke's Gospel

The reference to Abraham as the father is found in Matthew 3, so we can see how this concept was elaborated in John 8

Matthew 3:9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

This is another expression of John 8 – God’s Word can raise up children of Abraham from stones, and we can rejoice that the Gospel created children of God from the tattooed and naked pagans of Europe, the Picts and Celtics, the ancestors of many of us. Already during Jesus’ ministry, the Word converted pagans into believers, children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but many blood descendants would be cast into outer darkness, Mathew 8:10-12.

Luke

Zacharias – “His name is John.”

 

              Luke reveals many truths in a few verses. The holy prophets have existed since the world began. These prophets taught the ancient Gospel Promises of protection for those who trust in the covenant of Abraham. God swore He would deliver us from our enemies so we could serve Him without fear – in holiness and the righteousness of faith – all our days.

Luke 1: 70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: 71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; 72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; 73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, 74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

The central figure is not Adam or Moses but the patriarch Abraham, who believed God’s Promise of an everlasting and ever-growing Kingdom, and that was counted as righteousness. This happened before Abraham was circumcised, forgiveness without any form of Law, civic or religious.

Children from Stones

 

            As Luther wrote, the Holy Spirit is very stingy with words, so when we see them repeated in the Gospels, those words and verses are especially important. John the Baptist taught this, as quoted above in Matthew. The concept of children from stones is repeated in Luke’s Gospel. The last of all the prophets, more than a prophet – John the Baptist thundered -

Luke 3: 8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

Nothing is more lifeless and inert than a stone, so this metaphor is a clear reminder of the efficacy of God’s Word, since we are no more tuned to God’s Promises than stones are – until the Gospel is preached to us, as babies at baptism and later in life when the Promises come to us and give us a new life. The reference of John the Baptist to Abraham is related to the patriarch’s faith, not his blood.

Daughter of Abraham - Luke 13:16

            The woman healed in Luke 13 is a “daughter of Abraham,” so the synagogue ruler raged that she was healed on the Sabbath, when everyone must rest and not work. Jesus shamed the ruler, and the people rejoiced. The distinction is made again, about faith in Him versus the works of the Law.

Luke 13: 28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.

On Judgment Day, the patriarchs of faith and all prophets will be in the Kingdom of God, but the works saints (Luther’s term) will be tossed out.[1]

 

Luke 16 – Jesus Parable of Lazarus, the Rich Man, and Father Abraham

 

            Two great contrasts teach us the Gospel in Luke 16:19-31. The rich man is clothed in rich fabrics and eats a banquet of delicacies daily. Poor Lazarus is a dying cripple laid at the rich man’s gate, so he might beg some food from the rich man. But all Lazarus got, day after day, was the attention of scavenger dogs licking his open sores. The poor beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. But the rich man was carried into Hell, and he saw Lazarus far away, in the bosom of Abraham. His debate with Father Abraham, a noble title, is especially noteworthy because this is the Son of God teaching clearly about forgiveness and eternal salvation.

The rich man, who had everything in life and banquets daily, pleaded “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”

Father Abraham said, “Son, you had everything in life, he only had evil; now he is comforted and you are tormented.”

The rich man tried another approach, sending Lazarus to his five brothers, who were in need of this warning and his advice. The dying beggar is now a professor or preacher who might command the attention of the brothers who were so much like the rich man. Abraham countered, “They have Moses and the prophets. Let your brothers hear them.” This is a thunderbolt from heaven, meant to shake up everyone neutral or against the faith of Jesus. Moses and the prophets are sufficient for teaching people about the Savior, forgiveness of sin, and eternal life. The Old Testament alone is enough Gospel and is in fact an abundance of Gospel Promises and Blessings.

The rich man had a flawless final counter offer – “But if someone would rise from the dead, everyone would listen.”

The final response, spoken by the Savior, is weighted down with meaning – “If they do not pay attention to Moses and the prophets, neither will they listen to One if He rose from the dead.” Two doctoral students in theology at Notre Dame were furious with me for saying, “Of course I believe Jesus actually rose from the dead.” They said, “There is no talking with you about anything.” Rejection of the Old Testament Gospel blinds people to the simple, obvious truths of the New Testament.

Abraham’s name appears six times in this parable, because Father Abraham is the Father of Faith in the Savior.

Luke 19 – Little Zacchaeus

            Zacchaeus was short, but he was rich from extorting taxes from his countrymen to support the Roman occupation. He received a percentage, so he was motivated to harvest tax money in abundance. His rush to see Jesus suggests that he had heard much, felt deeply troubled by his greed, and raced to get a view from a sycamore tree. The Word of Jesus was certainly effective, so he slid down the tree, bark flying, to host Jesus.

Luke 19:5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house.

The people, who were sinners, murmured against Jesus going to the house of Zacchaeus, an open sinner. As a sign of his contrition, he offered to give money to the poor and pay back his overcharges.

Jesus said, “9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Zacchaeus is a son of Abraham by faith in Jesus Christ.

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[1] Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress is full of examples of faith versus the false notions of works. He obtained a copy of Luther’s Galatians Lectures and read the book more than any other book except the Bible. Those two books are found in the Lutheran Library, as printed books and PDFs, and as Understanding The Pilgrim’s Progress and Understanding Luther’s Galatians as my contributions.