Reformation Seminary Lecture - More About Apologetics

 

Starting with the best Bible is essential, not to be replaced for a denomination's profit-margin.


Zoom link is here ->The Zoom connection expired after the live connection was over.

YouTube link is here - https://youtu.be/jR037DXctmU

Next lecture - The Two Natures of Christ, Wednesday, 7 PM Central.

Apologetics - Defense of the Gospel - The Two Doctrinal Attacks

The Virgin Birth

KJV Isaiah 7:14 - 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

New NIV footnote - Isaiah 7:14 Or young woman

RSV - 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman[a] shall conceive and bear[b] a son, and shall call his name Imman′u-el.

1. Isaiah 7:14 Or virgin

NRSVA

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

NRSVACE

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

NRSVCE

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

NRSVUE

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel.

The Ending of Mark's Gospel - Mark 16:9-20

New NIV - [The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have verses 9–20.]

RSV - 

1. Mark 16:20 Some of the most ancient authorities bring the book to a close at the end of verse 8. One authority concludes the book by adding after verse 8 the following: But they reported briefly to Peter and those with him all that they had been told. And after this, Jesus himself sent out by means of them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. Other authorities include the preceding passage and continue with verses 9–20. In most authorities verses 9–20 follow immediately after verse 8; a few authorities insert additional material after verse 14

Christian News (Otten/Hale) - The same excuses as above.

ESV - [Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9–20.][a]

NRSV - 

1. Mark 16:8 Some of the most ancient authorities bring the book to a close at the end of verse 8. One authority concludes the book with the shorter ending; others include the shorter ending and then continue with verses 9–20. In most authorities verses 9–20 follow immediately after verse 8, though in some of these authorities the passage is marked as being doubtful.

The Fall of Constantinople scattered Greek artists and scholars. Erasmus became Europe's first Greek scholar. Luther learned Greek and Melanchthon became Europe's great scholar in Greek. Guess which Bible is closest to Luther's...the KJV. Tyndale is directly associated with the Luther circle of scholars, though much remains unknown.

Knowledge of Greek came just in time for the Reformation.

A Simple Litmus Test For The Big Five - ELCA-LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic)

 

A chameleon can change colors so easily. This one attended a Thrivent session for The Big Five - ELCA-LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic). The Thrivent manager told the synod managers, "Relax! We are all unified and at peace."

I recall a synod president saying, "They major in the minors!" That declaration seemed rather vague and yet filled with scorn. He should have praised The Walther Four - LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic), who did so much to covet chameleons, always changing colors, depending on the occasion, longing for big buildings and papal costumes.

I devised this concise doctrinal test -

1. Do you believe in the Virgin birth of Jesus, predicted in Isaiah 7:14?
2. Do you believe that Jesus actually rose from the dead?

I asked those questions when a future pastor was talking about how well the Disciples of Christ and Unitarian-Universalists got along at the same seminary. The response was "Those are not important issues. Just medical questions," she said dismissively. 

When a Christian Brother and a priest asked me the same two questions, I said, "Of course!" and they walked away angry saying, "There is no use for you!" That took place at Notre Dame's seminary where we had classes.

The Big Five - ELCA-LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic) have solved the two doctrinal questions one way, and they are united, scratching each other's back, the blind leading the blind.

Their concise conclusion unites them - ANY BIBLE EXCEPT THE KING JAMES VERSION.

The Missouri and the WELS sects jumped on the NIV bandwagon right away. Relatively few use the New KJV or tolerate it. Even then, the NKJV locks the front door and opens the back door, because it offers the apostate variety "translation" in footnotes, always changing.

The RSV - licensed by the National Council of Marxist Churches - demoted the Virgin Birth to "a young woman." In various editions, the Virgin is put back in Isaiah 7:14, with "young woman " in the footnote. The two definitions seem to move up and down. Nevertheless, the footnote concept is used throughout the modern versions, changing the meaning and often eliminating words, phrases, verses, and more.

Christian News promoted the Beck Bible, which questioned the empty tomb and resurrection in Mark 16 - and many more examples - joining the apostate chorus.

This snip and clip Bible has been fashioned to change constantly, always going against the Traditional Text of the Greek New Testament. WELS kicked out the pastors who questioned the precious NIV. Problem solved.

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Easter Sunday Second Sermoon - "This then is the effect of faith. He who believes that Christ has taken away our sin, is without sin, like Christ himself, and death, the devil and hell are vanquished as far as he is concerned and they can no longer harm him."

 

Complete Sermon - 

Luther's Sermons - Mark 16:1-8.
Easter Sunday. Second Sermon

II. THE FRUITS AND BENEFITS OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST.

6. St. Paul writes in Romans 4:25 as follows: “Christ was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification.” Paul is indeed the man who extols Christ in a masterly manner, telling us exactly why and for what purpose he suffered and how we should conform ourselves to his sufferings, namely, that he died for our sins. This is a correct interpretation of the sufferings of Christ, by which we may profit. And as it is not sufficient to know and believe that Christ has died, so it will not suffice to know and believe that he rose with a transfigured body and is now in a state of joy and blessedness, no longer subject to mortality, for all this would profit me nothing or very little. But when I come to understand the fact that all the works God does in Christ are done for me, nay, they are bestowed upon and given to me, the effect of his resurrection being that I also will arise and live with him; that will cause me to rejoice. This must be brought home to our hearts, and we must not merely hear it with the ears of our body nor merely confess it with our mouth.

7. You have heard in the story of the Passion how Christ is portrayed as our exemplar and helper, and that he who follows him and clings to him receives the Spirit, who will enable him also to suffer. But the words of Paul are more Christian and should come closer home to our hearts and comfort us more, when he says: “Christ was raised for our justification.”

Here the Lamb is truly revealed, of whom John the Baptist testifies, when he says in John 1:29: “Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.” Here is fulfilled that which was spoken to the serpent: “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head,” which means that for all those who believe in him, hell, death, and the devil and sin have been destroyed. In the same manner the promise is fulfilled to-day which God gave to Abraham, when he said in Genesis 22:18: “In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” Here Christ is meant, who takes away our curse and the power of sin, death and the devil.

8. All this is done, I say, by faith. For if you believe that by this seed the serpent has been slain, then it is slain for you; and if you believe that in this seed all nations are to be blessed, then you are also blessed. For each one individually should have crushed the serpent under foot and redeemed himself from the curse, which would have been too difficult, nay impossible for us. But now it has been done easily, namely, by Christ, who has crushed the serpent once, who alone is given as a blessing and benediction, and who has caused this Gospel to be published throughout the world, so that he who believes, accepts it and clings to it, is also in possession of it, and is assured that it is as he believes. For in the heart of such a man the Word becomes so powerful that he will conquer death, the devil, sin and all adversity, like Christ himself did. So mighty is the Word that God himself would sooner be vanquished than that his Word should be conquered.

9. This is the meaning of the words by St. Paul: “Christ was raised for our justification.” Here Paul turns my eyes away from my sins and directs them to Christ, for if I look at my sins, they will destroy me. Therefore I must look unto Christ who has taken my sins upon himself, crushed the head of the serpent and become the blessing. Now they no longer burden my conscience, but rest upon Christ, whom they desire to destroy. Let us see how they treat him. They hurl him to the ground and kill him. O God; where is now my Christ and my Savior? But then God appears, delivers Christ and makes him alive; and not only does he make him alive, but he translates him into heaven and lets him rule over all. What has now become of sin. There it lies under his feet. If I then cling to this, I have a cheerful conscience like Christ, because I am without sin. Now I can defy death, the devil, sin and hell to do me any harm. As I am a child of Adam, they can indeed accomplish it that I must die. But since Christ has taken my sins upon himself, has died for them, has suffered himself to be slain on account of my sins, they can no longer harm me; for Christ is too strong for them, they cannot keep him, he breaks forth and overpowers them, ascends into heaven (takes sin and sorrow captive, Ed. 1531), and rules there over all throughout eternity. Now I have a clear conscience, am joyful and happy and am no longer afraid of this tyrant, for Christ has taken my sins away from me and made them his own. But they cannot remain upon him; what then becomes of them? They must disappear and be destroyed. This then is the effect of faith. He who believes that Christ has taken away our sin, is without sin, like Christ himself, and death, the devil and hell are vanquished as far as he is concerned and they can no longer harm him.