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ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the National Council of Churches.
Friday, August 18, 2023
Alec Satin's Newest Newsletter - Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry - Matthias Loy
Efficacy - The Holy Spirit Always At Work in the Word - Psalm 1 - And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law [Torah - teaching] of the Lord; and in his law [Torah] doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Explanation
Long ago, the students at Gettysburg Seminary (now United in name only) learned Greek, Hebrew, and German to graduate. Lutheran seminary students now learn only a little Greek. As Ben Johnson said about Shakespeare, "Small Latin and less Greek."
Not only are seminary students throttled by activist fads but also deceived by Bad Bible Boosters (NIV, ESV, RSV, NRSV) plus the Beck Bible. They graduate without knowing much of anything except intersectionality and the glory of cell groups. Like trained seals, they quack their disapproval of the King James Bible.
Psalm 1 could be called an introduction to the Book of Psalms. How it is read makes all the difference. The first verse is Trinitarian in structure, not a surprise for those who know the Holy Trinity in Genesis 1 and John 1.
The next verse is a model for all people to follow.
2 But his delight is in the law [Torah - teaching] of the Lord; and in his law [Torah] doth he meditate day and night.
When most people hear the word Torah, they think only about the Law. One scholar pointed out that the Hebrew word is not confined to the concept of law and punishment. The root of the Hebrew word has always meant "teaching," which encompasses all of God's Word.
The Torah scrolls, another name for the Five Books of Moses, are both Law and Gospel. Our adult class already discussed Exodus 3 (not to mention Genesis 1 and John 1) about the Son of God. The Exodus itself is packed with references to the Messiah.
Verse 2 is the model for the believer. We delight to read, hear, and think about the Law and Gospel night and day.
The Holy Spirit teaches the lessons of the Father and the Son (Gospel of John) and guides us in the truth. Throughout of the Bible, this means the Word is acting upon us - contrition, forgiveness, fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, etc).
The blessing is this always-effective Word having a powerful influence on believers. The efficacy also happens when people mock the Word, offer false explanations, and replace the truth with their imaginary world.
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| They know what they are doing - taking the easy route, enjoying the big bucks. After dancing with the devil in this age, they will find themselves widowers in the Age to Come. |
All of us have been subjected to these falsehoods, as the Apostle Paul and Luther were. If we test the false doctrine with the Word of God, we see the errors fading away and the Gospel shining in the glory of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Neglect of the Word makes us more lethargic about the Scriptures, more indifferent, more prone to substitute something else for the revelation of God, which is so clear in the Teaching of Jesus Christ.
I have mentioned before that I know two WELS pastors who got caught up in the dubious Church Growth Movement. They deeply resented anyone who questioned that toxic fad. Their infatuation led to obnoxious atheism, as if their Father Below wanted them to make up for insulting a devil's dictionary of assaults on the Bible. The spiritual guides in their sect are especially at fault for jettisoning their ordination vows and embracing their Whore of Babylon, for leading others into falsehood.
Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Holy Trinity Sunday - "Here there are, therefore, two distinct persons, one of whom becomes reconciled, and the other is sent to reconcile and becomes man."
Complete Sermon Link ->Luther's Sermons - Romans 11:33-26. Trinity Sunday
11. Here there are, therefore, two distinct persons, one of whom becomes reconciled, and the other is sent to reconcile and becomes man. The former is called the Father, being first in that he did not have his origin in any other; the latter is called the Son, being born of the Father from eternity.
To this the Scriptures attest, for they make mention of God’s Son; as, for instance, in Psalm 2:7: “Thou art my son; this day have I begotten thee ;” and again, Galatians 4:4: “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth his Son,” etc. From this it necessarily follows that the Son, who is spoken of as a person, must be distinct from the person of the Father.
12. Again, in the same manner, the Spirit of God is specifically and distinctively mentioned as a person sent or proceeding from God the Father and the Son; for instance, God says in Joel 2:28: “I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,” etc. Here a spirit is poured out who is God’s, or a divine spirit, and who must be of the same essence, otherwise he could not say, “my Spirit ;” and yet he must be a person other than he who sent him or who pours out. Again, because when he was sent he manifested himself, and appeared in his descent in a visible form, like that of a dove or tongues of fire, he must be distinct in person from both the Father and the Son.
13. But in this article of faith, in which we say that the Son of God became man and that he was of the same nature as we ourselves are, in order that he might redeem us from sin and death and give us eternal life without any merit or worthiness of our own, we give Jews and Turks no less occasion for laughter and mockery than when we speak of the three persons. For this is a more absurd assertion by far, in the estimation of human reason, which speculates in its Jewish and Turkish—yea, heathenish—teachings, on this wise: God is an only, almighty Lord of all, who has created all men and given them the law according to which they are to live; accordingly it follows that he will be merciful to the good and obedient, but will condemn and punish the disobedient. Therefore, he who does good works and guards himself against sin, God will reward. These are nothing but heathenish conclusions drawn from earthly, worldly experience and observation, as if God’s government must be conducted on the same principles as that of a father among his children and domestics; for those are considered good rulers and masters who make a distinction with regard to their own interests.
Thursday, August 17, 2023
Marvin Schwan Memorials Renamed Yelloh!
ALPB Online Ovaltines, LutherQueasies Bury LCMS Higher Education Scandals.
Three or More in Trouble.
LCMS Higher Education Seems To Be Collapsing
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| The seminary needs a new coat of paint. |
In Phoenix I moved from taking computer science classes at the community college to teaching there. One teacher - a favorite - mentioned the University of Phoenix, where he also taught. Soon I was trying out to teach there - the initial person, Janie Sullivan, serving on the panel testing the newbies. She became the final editor of almost all my books.
When UOP began forcing DEI on faculty members, I requested no more class assignments. (Our cul-de-sac of 10 houses has four separate ethnic groups; we put the D in diversity.)
In two decades I saw UOP add online courses and finally drop face-to-face classes altogether. They are merging into the University of Idaho now.
When I was earning the MA in education (online, of course), I argued that online would become the biggest part of career education. Few people could work fulltime and finish a graduate degree. Even the people who worked fulltime for UOP usually took the online version.
At one state university the students were taking their online classes while staying in the dorms, shutting down a lot of classroom courses. The school had to limit campus residents online. Some of us found that hilarious.
The online movement in LCMS higher education seems to be - Close It Down. They keep giving up on historic colleges, like Selma. NYC had one which another entity quickly took over. Two are in crisis mode.
- The Oregon campus is being sued for $300 million over its fatal union with HotChalk (online software).
- The Texas campus is thumbing its nose at the national convention.
The itty-bitties are no better off - WELS, ELS, CLC (sic), ELDONUTs. The fatal combination is:
- Much smaller classes
- Higher costs making classes even smaller
- Building maintenance devouring the budgets.
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| Here is another LCMS battle - Concordia, Mequon. |
Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Holy Trinity Sunday Guest Sermon - "Such a revelation is radiantly shed forth from the greatest of God’s works, the declaration of his divine counsel and will."
Complete Sermon Link ->Luther's Sermons - Romans 11:33-26. Trinity Sunday
But, even knowing this, we have not yet searched out or fathomed the exalted, eternal, divine Godhead essence. For even though I have learned that there is an only divine majesty, who governs all things, I do not thereby know the inner workings of this divine essence himself; this no one can tell me, except, as we have said, in so far as God himself reveals it in his Word.
9. Now we Christians have the Scriptures, which we know to be the Word of God. The Jews also have them, From whose fathers they have descended to us. From these, and from no other source, we have obtained all that is known of God and divine works, from the beginning of the world. Even among the Turks and the heathen, all their knowledge of God—excepting what is manifestly fable and fiction—came from the Scriptures. And our knowledge is confirmed and proven by great miracles, even to the present day. These Scriptures declare, concerning this article, that there is no God or divine being save this one alone. They not only manifest him to us from without, but they lead us into his inner essence, and show us that in him there are three persons; not three Gods or three different kinds of divinity, but the same undivided, divine essence.
10. Such a revelation is radiantly shed forth from the greatest of God’s works, the declaration of his divine counsel and will. In that counsel and will it was decreed from all eternity, and, accordingly, was proclaimed in his promises, that his Son should become man and die to reconcile man to God. For in our dreadful fall into sin and death eternal, there was no way to save us excepting through an eternal person who had power over sin and death to destroy them, and to give us righteousness and everlasting life instead. This no angel or other creature could do; it must needs be done of God himself. Now, it could not be done by the person of the Father, who was to be reconciled, but it must be done by a second person, with whom this counsel was determined and through whom and for whose sake the reconciliation was to be brought about.
