>>>>>> ..... The
mythological approach was to make her as divine and perfect as Christ – the
Immaculate Conception of Mary, the Romanist claim that she was born without any
sin, that she never committed a sin during her lifetime. Her mythical Assumption
is another affirmation of that approach.
Many more mythological details
could be added, and they all add to the claim that Christmas itself is a
myth.
That is why we should never let any human being get between us and
the plain Word of God. Why? Because people reject the false statements and the
truth of the Word at the same time. They mix the two together and throw both out
together...... <<<<<
"They mix the two together and throw
both out together:"
I could not help but think of the Hebrews Scripture
where the Lord talks about those who:
Hebrews 4:2 - "For unto us was the Gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the Word preached did not profit
them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it."
Two grave and
spiritually costly mistakes people make. The error which you point out; and then
the error of unbelief when the Gospel is presented. On one hand they mix and
toss. On the other hand, they toss because they haven't mixed the necessary
faith.
Moses wrote of Christ (John 5:46), Abraham saw Christ’s day (John 8:56), all the Old Testament believers believed in the promised Messiah. As the object of faith Christ is the cause of faith; even secular faith is kindled by its object. The statement that chapter 11 names nothing but examples of faith, and that thus Christ, too, is such an example, is more specious. Christ should then be mentioned in chapter 11, but without the designation τελειωτής, this second designation being here even connected with the first by one article.
Rationalism and modernism rob Christ of his deity, reduce him to a mere man, and thus depict him as being no more than a perfect example for us to follow. But what good does a perfect example do us who cannot possibly achieve perfection? We need vastly more than a perfect example, which by its very perfection may well cause us to cry in despair: “We cannot hope even to approach such an example!” From start to finish we need the divine Christ as the One who can fill us with faith, keep us in faith, and finally crown our faith.
The relative clause states what makes Christ the One who causes and completes the faith of believers: he is the One “who for the joy lying before him perseveringly endured (the) cross, despising (the) shame, and has sat down at the right (hand) of the throne of God.” “The joy lying before him” is the glorification that followed the sufferings plus his kingship over all believers.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews and of the Epistle of James. Columbus, O. : Lutheran book concern, 1938, S. 427.
“By the sinners against himself.” These contrasting phrases are abutted in order to let us feel the contrast: sinners—against the Sinless One. He who as the sinless One should have merited the highest praise from all men, who were not sinless, received the most terrible opposition at the hands of “the sinners,” whom the readers well know. As he has persevered through it all, the readers surely ought to consider him well now when they, who are saved from sin by him, are asked to put away the hampering sin and to manifest perseverance in running their race to a successful issue. What Christ did for them is to inspire them “in order that you may not grow tired (aorist, ingressive: get to the point of tiredness) by relaxing in your souls” (present participle, probably middle, picturing the gradual letting down of effort). The imagery of the ἵνα clause appears to be that of the runner letting himself get tired of the effort and thus quitting.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews and of the Epistle of James. Columbus, O. : Lutheran book concern, 1938, S. 431.
The readers were shrinking from further inflictions such as those mentioned in 10:32–34, which they gladly endured while they now thought to escape them by turning back and again becoming Jews. They had forgotten what God says about chastisement. God might have had the higher distinction of martyrdom in mind for them as he had for other believers, and now these readers foolishly shrink from even this lower and universal distinction which God finds necessary in the case of all his sons. The implication is that certain other believers had, indeed, been called to bloody martyrdom. Who these others were we have attempted to show in the introduction: they were the believers in the old congregation in Rome. As far as the martyrs referred to in 10:35b are concerned, we need not exclude them although they belong to the Old Testament period; Jesus is, however, in a class by himself as we see from the expression “contending against the sin,” nor is Jesus ever regarded as a martyr in Scripture.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews and of the Epistle of James. Columbus, O. : Lutheran book concern, 1938, S. 433.
The comparison covers three points: 1) the kinds of fathers 2) the time of their fatherhood 3) our relation to them. The one kind were “the fathers of our flesh,” the other is “the Father of the spirits.” These genitives have been referred to when we were discussing the question of creationism and traducianism, a question that is not even touched here much less decided in favor of the conception that our flesh or body is procreated by the earthly father while our immortal spirit is created by God in the instant of our bodily procreation and in that instant joined to our body. Both body and spirit are derived from our parents, and God is the creator of both. “He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still preserves them,” a simple Catechism truth on which no erudite, speculative commentator shall confuse us. These genitives do not elucidate the questions as to from whom and in what way we originate; they are genitives of relation and no more: the fathers who have to do with our bodily nature and themselves have this nature; the Father who has to do with far more than our flesh, with the spirits, both the bodiless, angelic spirits and the embodied human spirits, ourselves, all human spirits. This one divine Father is thus infinitely above all human fathers.
Hence we only “had” the latter fathers; in the case of most of us they are dead and gone, their whole father activity is ended. While the writer naturally says “fathers,” the word by no means intends to exclude mothers who also certainly were our “chastisers.” In v. 8 “son” and “sons” in no way exclude daughters—or is this writer speaking only to males and of males? This other Father is spoken of with a future tense which reaches from the present into the indefinite future: “shall we not much rather be in subjection” to him? His is to be an eternal fatherhood for us. But this is a question that is directed to our volition and not one about a fatherhood (creatorship) that simply exists but about a filial relation and attitude that we should assume, acknowledge and assume gladly. The question does not deal with a parallel: “We had earthly fathers; shall we not have a heavenly Father?” The question goes beyond that: “We respected our earthly chastisers; shall we not be subject to our heavenly Father?”
The point dwells on our relation, which our will may alter to our terrible detriment or may retain in the normal way to our great advantage. We should not be misled by the verbal correspondence: καὶ ἐνετρεπόμεθα—καὶ ζήσομεν. The tenses warn against making these two parallel: an imperfect that lies wholly in the past, a future that continues into eternity.
Much more should the meaning of the verbs prevent such a paralleling. Our having respected the earthly fathers is greatly advanced by asking about being subject to the heavenly Father. While being subject to him includes our willing acceptance of his chastisements it means far more, namely willing acceptance of our entire relation to him as our Father, we being his sons. It is thus that “we shall live”; the verb is used as it was in 10:38. This is a question, and hence the two future tenses are deliberative (see R.875 on this use of the future): “Do the readers want this result of their relation to the heavenly Father?” Surely, they do.
R. A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research, by A. T. Robertson, 4th ed.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews and of the Epistle of James. Columbus, O. : Lutheran book concern, 1938, S. 436.
In v. 12 the wording alludes to Old Testament language such as that found in Isa. 35:3, and v. 13 alludes to Prov. 4:26. Allusion is not quotation. The figurative language cannot be made physical, for a man who has paralyzed knees cannot straighten them up so as to bear him. The readers are allowing themselves to grow disheartened amid the persecutions that have been coming upon them. This laming, paralyzing discouragement they are fully able to shake off and so are able to straighten themselves up again in the full strength of faith. In the preceding verses the writer furnishes them full power to do this, and we may add all that this epistle has presented as the basis for these verses. He, therefore, now issues the peremptory (aorist) call: “Brace up!”
13) With this goes the allied call to make straight tracks for their feet (not “with” their feet). These tracks or paths are the thoughts of the readers, which are to be true, straight, leading directly to their spiritual goal. All false and even inadequate thoughts about persecution are like twisted paths that run off in all directions so that the feet do not know where they are going. To the order: “Brace up!” there is added the second: “Go straight!” Both apply to the heart and to the mind.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews and of the Epistle of James. Columbus, O. : Lutheran book concern, 1938, S. 441.
The thought is greatly reduced when it is referred only to the moral life, to sins of various kinds. It goes far deeper, it denotes the defilement that is due to the loss of God’s grace, to sinking back into the filth and the guilt of sin, to the bitterness which scorns Christ and his blood and his righteousness. The writer is in no way blind to the danger which would ensue for the mass of his readers if even a single one of them should fall away from Christ and return to Judaism. We may say that the danger was the greater because the readers were a compact body, all of them Jewish Christians, all worshiping in their old synagogues in Rome, which had now become Christian churches. By returning to Judaism some influential former rabbi among them might draw a large number with him. In fact, as these synagogues had become Christian, so they might again become Jewish. Obsta principiis! Resist the beginnings!
Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews and of the Epistle of James. Columbus, O. : Lutheran book concern, 1938, S. 446.
Some commentators leave us under a wrong impression, namely that as Jews the readers had had only Moses and the law while they now have Christ and the gospel. This view is unhistorical. Chapter 11 corrects it. The Jews had Abraham and the Abrahamitic covenant with all the Messianic promises, and we are told in 11:39, 40 that, although God fully attested their faith in his Messianic promises, all the Old Testament saints died without seeing these promises fulfilled in Jesus (Matt. 13:16, 17). In the development of God’s plans, when the children of Abraham became a nation and were brought out of Egypt under Moses (11:27, etc.), the Jews had come only as far as Sinai and the giving of the law 430 years after Abraham (Gal. 3:17), this law being given to them because of transgression in order to keep them in the knowledge of sin (Rom. 3:20).
But the readers have come to the actual fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham, to Jesus Christ and to all that he has actually brought. This is the history of grace. The present paragraph must be read in the light of this history. The tragic mistake of the Jews was the fact that they clung to Sinai and Moses, to the law, and were blind to the covenant of Abraham with its promise of the Messiah and thus blind also to the fulfillment of this promise in Jesus. The readers who had made this mistake and had been rescued from this mistake were inclined to fall back into it in order to escape the persecutions that were connected with their faith in Jesus. This entire epistle seeks to keep them from taking this fatal step.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews and of the Epistle of James. Columbus, O. : Lutheran book concern, 1938, S. 450.
There is an intentional contrast in these directly opposite phrases, and no less a contrast than that God’s present communication is far, far superior to the one he at one time made to the Israelites on Sinai. Although all those manifestations at Sinai were so stupendous they were, nevertheless, only “on earth,” in that one locality. They magnified the law mightily indeed, yet this law came only because of transgression (Gal. 3:19), as an adjunct to the Abrahamitic testament and promise. Great as this communication was, its greatness only makes this other stand out as being vastly greater even as it comes to us “from heaven.”
We see its exalted contents in v. 22–24, to which there must be added the consummation indicated in v. 26, 27. It is asked how this communication comes from heaven. We find the answer in John 15:26, 27; 16:7–15; Acts 2:11: “We hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.” The Holy Spirit conveys the divine gospel communication which begins at Pentecost. As now being embodied in the New Testament writings this revelation speaks to us. These readers in Rome had heard Paul and then also Peter for a brief time (see the introduction); but the entire gospel is God’s voice from heaven. The refusal to hear at Sinai was severely punished (Exod. 32:28, 35); the refusal to hear the gospel shall certainly not escape punishment. The trajection of ἐπὶ γῆς by separating it from τὸν χρηματίζοντα has been called unprecedented, but all efforts to connect it with the intervening participle cancel the contrast with ἀπʼ οὐρανῶν; we shall have to learn that the Greek is flexible enough to do what it plainly does here.
26) The contrast, one communication made on earth, the other coming from heaven, is only preliminary; it is the relative clause that brings the main contrast, which lies in what the voice did at Sinai and in what it declares it will yet do when bringing in the consummation of all that v. 22–24 contain: whose voice shook the earth at that time but now has given promise, declaring: Yet once again I will rock not only the earth but also the heaven. Now this yet once again indicates the change of the things shaken as things that have been made in order that there may remain the things not shaken.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews and of the Epistle of James. Columbus, O. : Lutheran book concern, 1938, S. 462.
The fact that the great rock-mass of Sinai shook and quaked is attested by Judges 5:4, 5; Ps. 68:8, 9; 77:18; 114:7. The writer combines this with Hag. 2:6, the promise which the same voice of God made and which, as the perfect tense implies, still stands: “Yet once again I will rock not only the earth but also the heaven.” The writer quotes, not verbatim, but correctly, and inserts “not only but also” in order to emphasize the truth that this “once” will include also the visible heaven itself. To shake something is to show its instability and therefore its temporary nature. Sinai shook, it was not the final, unshakable place for Israel, who also left it behind soon enough. What happened through the voice of God at Sinai is only an advance sign of what, according to that voice, shall happen again, namely the whole earth and the very heaven about the earth shall be made to rock (σείω).
Although the earth and the firmament with its heavenly bodies seem so stable and permanent they are really transient; God founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of his hands, “they shall perish” (1:10). Being shakable and unstable, they cannot endure in this condition. When time ceases, when only eternity, which means timelessness, exists, no shakable things will remain. Thus, as far as the earth is concerned, the Scriptures point us to every earthquake that occurs as a sign of the transient condition of the earth, Matt. 24:29. We read still more in 2 Pet. 3:10–13. This is, however, promise: “the voice has promised” us this mighty coming change (v. 27). We are to look forward to it with joyful anticipation. We are to long for it as we long for the coming of the beautiful springtime when the fig tree buds and puts forth its leaves, Matt. 24:32, 33.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews and of the Epistle of James. Columbus, O. : Lutheran book concern, 1938, S. 463.
I think that the picture with Christ
on the Cross with the Hebrews 10:38-39 Scripture more or less exposes and
destroys the whole falsehood of universal objective justification.
UOJ
(universal objective justification) is not only based upon going hog wild over
Christ's Atonement. It over emphasizes the Atonement at the expense of
Scripture's teaching about the Holy Spirit's work of the "new birth," -
conversion. [John 3:1-21 - in context]
But, be that as it may, another
form of UOJ is basically based upon the false notion of "sovereign immunity," -
that being, that God's Ten Commandment laws no longer apply to Christians, since
Christians [supposedly] cannot (genuinely) "sin."
This incorrect and
damning "sovereign immunity" doctrine is sometimes [now] labeled “freedom in
Christ,” because it is purported that the Christian is "no longer 'under the
law.'"
"Sovereign Immunity's" (comparative) analogy is found in the
modern day scenario of a diplomat upon foreign soil. Should the diplomat commit
a crime that is either punishable by fine; temporary incarceration; life in
prison; or, the death penalty, - that diplomat is (therefore) immune to the
penalty because he is not on his native soil but upon another's "foreign" soil,
and is under immunity protection. And, as the destructive analogy plays out;
since the Christian is [actually] living in the heavenlies [Colossians 3:1-2]
what transpires here on earth, is therefore inconsequential and is "covered" by
the Atonement and the new creation [new man] "immunity."
Finally, I
believe that all forms of universalism are heresy - including "universal
objective justification" and the one I described above - "sovereign immunity"
["can't sin]. They all can be lumped together under the major heresy category of
Antinomianism. And, who initiated that description? None other than Luther, who
correctly taught Scripture's chief doctrine of God's grace and justification by
faith alone! [Ephesians 2:8-9]
The Sacrificial Work of Jesus: In Six Great Comparisons, 8:1–10:18
The Preamble: the Main Point, v. 1, 2.
1) It is interesting to note how different men divide this epistle. There is but little divergence of viewpoint. This is due to the fact that the writer steadily elaborates his rather closely linked line of thought and inserts scarcely any marks of division. One might make 8:1, 2 the end of the previous section instead of the preamble of the new section. These matters are formal to a large extent, and we moderns like them because we are scholastics in this respect. Let us, then, say that we think that our division into chapters is properly made at this point and that v. 1, 2 form the preamble to what follows until 10:18. We add that this material seems to divide itself into six minor parts, in each of which a comparison is drawn.
1) The two Ministries Compared;
2) The two Testaments Compared;
3) The two Tabernacles Compared;
4) The two Kinds of Blood Compared;
5) The Two Kinds of Sacrifice Compared;
6) The Final Comparison regarding the Removal of Sins.
we trust that this outline of the thought will serve our purpose in understanding this section.
Now the main point in the discussion (is this): Such a High Priest we have as sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, as a ministrant of the Holy Place and of the true Tabernacle, which the Lord erected, not man.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews and of the Epistle of James. Columbus, O. : Lutheran book concern, 1938, S. 248
In Gal. 3:19 “mediator” is used with reference to Moses, but he is such in the sense of being Israel’s representative who receives the law from God and brings it to Israel; he is a mediator only in this way (see the author’s exposition of Gal. 3:19, 20). Some think that in our passage Jesus is presented as being such a mediator as Moses was and not such as the Jewish high priests were. But Jesus is not our representative to bring God’s testament and its promises down to us. This “better testament” is the old testament which God made with Abraham, which is now carried into execution because it is now sealed with Jesus’ blood. The law brought to Israel by Moses is also called a testament and as such is also sealed with blood (9:15–20), but only with the blood of calves and goats. This law-testament was temporal and came to an end. The law came in 430 years after the testament that was made for Abraham (Gal. 3:17); and Israel lost its promises because of transgression so that this law-testament came to an end.
Jesus is the Mediator of a better testament in a far higher and different sense than Moses was a mediator, the law was given to Israel only ἐν χειρὶ μεσίτου, “at the hand of a mediator” (Israel’s representative). The mediatorship of Jesus consists in this that he offered up “himself once for all” (v. 27). He is the one Mediator “who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Tim. 2:5, 6). He stepped in the middle and by his blood made the better testament better indeed and effective according to this testament’s own provisions. The testamentary promises could not be fulfilled without his blood.
Since the testament is entirely one-sided, made for us by God, when Jesus serves as the Mediator he acts for God. We only receive the testament and the blood that seals it and makes it effective. Only in this sense is he “our” Mediator. We may say that all of the prophetic work of Jesus belongs to his mediatorship (1:1, etc.; 2:3), for the preaching of Jesus reveals him as the Mediator. So also the active obedience of Jesus, which is inseparable from the passive, belongs to his mediation. But the supreme point is the High-priestly sacrifice of himself by which he entered into the Holy of Holies in heaven to become our Mediator forever. Moses was not a high priest; Moses did not go behind the veil with blood on the Day of Atonement. This Aaron and his successors did so that they are the types of Jesus in this his mediatorship.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews and of the Epistle of James. Columbus, O. : Lutheran book concern, 1938, S. 258
The third great mark of the new testament is the forgiveness it bestows on all who are placed under it: “Because I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins will I not remember any longer.” The Hebrew word which is translated “unrighteousness” signifies “guilt,” “guiltiness.” This deserves full punishment, yet God says that he will be ἵλεως, “merciful,” and will thus not punish. The synonymous line says still more, namely that God will no longer remember the sins. They will be blotted from his mind and his memory as if he had never known them. The idea is not that God arbitrarily forgives and forgets any man’s sins. “Blessed is he … whose sin is covered,” Ps. 32:1. “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us,” Ps. 103:12. “Thou wilt cast all our sins into the depths of the sea,” Micah 7:19. It is the expiating power of Jesus’ blood that covers, removes, and casts into the depths our sins; then they are, indeed, erased from the memory of God. This is divine forgiveness, the greatest mark of the new testament.
The Sinaitic testament should not be conceived as a mere set of laws that resulted in transgressions while the new testament is gospel and thus filled with pardon. Then the old would really be no testament at all. If it is claimed that the Jews had to keep the law in order to be saved, then none were saved before Jesus came. The Sinaitic laws of ritual are full of forgiveness. “Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah,” Ps. 32:5. “Who forgiveth all thine iniquities,” Ps. 103:3. “If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared,” Ps. 130:3, 4. The difference does not lie along this line. Christ’s expiation on the cross was just as effective for contrite sinners who lived before Calvary as it is for those who live after Calvary, before Christ entered the Holy of Holies in heaven as well as after he entered it (v. 1, 2).
The difference lies in this fact: the old testament was given to a nation. It was thus that the bulk of this nation ever and again proved obdurate; “they did not remain in my testament” (v. 9). When this old Mosaic testament was brought to them because of their transgressions (Gal. 3:17, 19), they did not let even its threats and its judgments halt them and keep them true. The new testament is not intended for a nation. All that is national, temporal, preparatory, as far as preserving one nation as God’s people is concerned, has disappeared. The new testament is intended for all men, no matter in what nation they may be found, who by contrition, repentance, faith, and holy obedience do remain in this testament and thus do obtain all that its testamentary provisions convey: enlightenment (v. 11), holiness (v. 10), and above all forgiveness (v. 12). As v. 8 states it with the word συντελεῖν, the new testament is actually consummated or accomplished, brought to its goal.
13) Yet it is not the universality or any other of the many great things contained in the word of God quoted from Jeremiah that the writer wishes to stress. For his readers, who are thinking of throwing away the new testament and its Mediator in the heavenly Holy of Holies and going back to the old national testament, the writer selects only this one decisive point from the quotation: In saying a new one he has declared the first one old. Now the thing declared old and becoming aged (is) near to vanishing away.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews and of the Epistle of James. Columbus, O. : Lutheran book concern, 1938, S. 269.
Interesting that
Lenski starts off with Hebrews 8:12. If we see who the Lord is making this
covenant with, that is Israel and Judah, we can't use 8:12 for every single
person in the world, believer and unbeliever. However, Scripture does describe
who the true Israel is (Romans 9:6, 8; Galatians 3:29) and this promise of the
New Covenant would apply to them.
I've been dodged a few times when I
ask, "well to whom does this prophesy apply? Can I speak of everyone included in
verse 12?"
"Commit Whatever Grieves Thee" by Paul Gerhardt, 1607-1676
1. Commit whatever grieves thee
Into the gracious hands
Of Him who never leaves thee,
Who heaven and earth commands.
Who points the clouds their courses,
Whom winds and waves obey,
He will direct thy footsteps
And find for thee a way.
Befiehl du deine Wege
Und was dein Herze kränkt,
Der allertreusten Pflege
Des, der den Himmel lenkt!
Der Wolken, Luft und Winden,
Gibt Wege, Lauf und Bahn,
Der wird auch Wege finden,
Da dein Fuß gehen kann.
2. On Him place thy reliance
If thou wouldst be secure;
His work thou must consider
If thine is to endure.
By anxious sighs and grieving
And self-tormenting care
God is not moved to giving;
All must be gained by prayer.
Dem Herren mußt du trauen,
Wenn dir’s soll wohlergehn;
Auf sein Werk must du schauen,
Wenn dein Werk soll bestehn.
Mit Sorgen und mit Grämen
Und mit selbsteigner Pein
Läßt Gott sich gar nichts nehmen,
Es muß erbeten sein.
3. Thy truth and grace, O Father,
Most surely see and know
Both what is good and evil
For mortal man below.
According to Thy counsel
Thou wilt Thy work pursue;
And what Thy wisdom chooseth
Thy might will always do.
Dein’ ew’ge Treu’ und Gnade,
O Vater, weiß und sieht,
Was gut sei oder schade
Dem sterblichen Geblüt;
Und was du dann erlesen,
Das treibst du, starker Held,
Und bringst zum Stand und Wesen,
Was deinem Rat gefällt.
4. Thy hand is never shortened,
All things must serve Thy might;
Thine every act is blessing,
Thy path is purest light.
Thy work no man can hinder,
Thy purpose none can stay,
Since Thou to bless Thy children
Wilt always find a way.
Weg’ hast du allerwegen,
An Mitteln fehlt dir’s nicht;
Dein Tun ist lauter Segen,
Dein Gang ist lauter Licht,
Dein Werk kann niemand hindern,
Dein’ Arbeit darf nicht ruhn,
Wenn du, was deinen Kindern
Ersprießlich ist, willst tun.
5. Though all the powers of evil
The will of God oppose,
His purpose will not falter,
His pleasure onward goes.
Whate'er God's will resolveth,
Whatever He intends.
Will always be accomplished
True to His aims and ends.
Und ob gleich alle Teufel
Hier wollten widerstehn,
So wird doch ohne Zweifel
Gott nicht zurückegehn;
Was er sich vorgenommen,
Und was er haben will,
Das muß doch endlich kommen
Zu seinem Zweck und Ziel.
6. Then hope, my feeble spirit,
And be thou undismayed;
God helps in every trial
And makes thee unafraid.
Await His time with patience,
Then shall thine eyes behold
The sun of joy and gladness
His brightest beams unfold.
Hoff, o du arme Seele,
Hoff und sei unverzagt!
Gott wird dich aus der Höhle,
Da dich der Kummer plagt,
Mit großen Gnaden rücken;
Erwarte nur die Zeit,
So wirst du schon erblicken
Die Sonn’ der schönsten Freud’.
7. Arise, my soul, and banish
Thy anguish and thy care.
Away with thoughts that sadden
And heart and mind ensnare!
Thou art not lord and master
Of thine own destiny;
Enthroned in highest heaven,
God rules in equity.
Auf, auf, gib deinem Schmerze
Und Sorgen gute Nacht!
Laß fahren, was dein Herze
Betrübt und traurig macht!
Bist du doch nicht Regente
Der alles führen soll;
Gott sitzt im Regimente
Und führet alles wohl.
8. Leave all to His direction;
In wisdom He doth reign,
And in a way most wondrous
His course He will maintain.
Soon He, His promise keeping,
With wonder-working skill,
Shall put away the sorrows
That now thy spirit fill.
Ihn, ihn laß tun und walten,
Er ist ein weiser Fürst
Und wird sich so verhalten,
Daß du dich wundern wirst,
Wenn er, wie ihm gebühret,
Mit wunderbarem Rat
Die Sach’ hinausgeführet,
Die dich bekümmert hat.
9. A while His consolation
He may to thee deny,
And seem as though in trial
He far from thee would fly;
A while distress and anguish
May compass thee around,
Nor to thy supplication
An answering voice be found.
Er wird zwar eine Weile
Mit seinem Trost verziehn
Und tun an seinem Teile,
Als hätt’ in seinem Sinn
Er deiner sich begeben,
Und sollt’st du für und für
In Angst und Nöten schweben,
Frag’ er doch nichts nach dir.
10. But if thou perseverest,
Thou shalt deliverance find.
Behold, all unexpected
He will thy soul unbind
And from the heavy burden
Thy heart will soon set free;
And thou wilt see the blessing
He had in mind for thee.
Wird’s aber sich befinden,
Daß du ihm treu verbleibst
So wird er dich entbinden,
Da du’s am mind’sten gläubst;
Er wird dein Herze lösen
Von der so schweren Last,
Die du zu keinem Bösen
Bisher getragen hast.
11. O faithful child of heaven,
How blessed shalt thou be!
With songs of glad thanksgiving
A crown awaiteth thee.
Into thy hand thy Maker
Will give the victor's palm.
And thou to thy Deliverer
Shalt sing a joyous psalm.
Wohl dir, du Kind der Treue!
Du hast und trägst davon
Mit Ruhm und Dankgeschreie
Den Sieg und Ehrenkron’.
Gott gibt dir selbst die Palmen
In deine rechte Hand,
Und du singst Freudenpsalmen
Dem, der dein Leid gewandt.
12. Give, Lord, this consummation
To all our heart's distress;
Our hands, our feet, e'er strengthen,
In death our spirits bless.
Thy truth and Thy protection
Grant evermore, we pray,
And in celestial glory
Shall end our destined way.
Mach End’, o Herr, mach Ende
An aller unsrer Not,
Stärk unsre Füß’ und Hände
Und laß bis in den Tod
Uns allzeit deiner Pflege
Und Treu’ empfohlen sein,
So gehen unsre Wege
Gewiß zum Himmel ein.
Hymn #520 The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Ps. 37: 5
Author: Paul Gerhardt, 1656
Translated by: composite
Titled: Befiehl du deine Wege
Composer: Hans L. Hassler, 1601
Tune: Herzlich tut mich
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Text: , 1656.
Musik: , 1648.
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"If God Himself Be for Me"
by Paul Gerhardt, 1607-1676
1. If God Himself be for me,
I may a host defy;
For when I pray, before me
My foes, confounded, fly.
If Christ, my Head and Master,
Befriend me from above,
What foe or what disaster
Can drive me from His love?
2. This I believe, yea, rather,
Of this I make my boast,
That God is my dear Father,
The Friend who loves me most,
And that, whate'er betide me,
My Savior is at hand
Through stormy seas to guide me
And bring me safe to land.
3. I build on this foundation,
That Jesus and His blood
Alone are my salvation,
The true, eternal good.
Without Him all that pleases
Is valueless on earth;
The gifts I owe to Jesus
Alone my love are worth.
4. My Jesus is my Splendor,
My Sun, my Light, alone;
Were He not my Defender
Before God's awe-full throne,
I never should find favor
And mercy in His sight,
But be destroyed forever
As darkness by the light.
5. He canceled my offenses,
Delivered me from death;
He is the Lord who cleanses
My soul from sin through faith.
In Him I can be cheerful,
Bold, and undaunted aye;
In Him I am not fearful
Of God's great Judgment Day.
6. Naught, naught, can now condemn me
Nor set my hope aside;
Now hell no more can claim me,
Its fury I deride.
No sentence e'er reproves me,
No ill destroys my peace;
For Christ, my Savior, loves me
And shields me with His grace.
7. His Spirit in me dwelleth,
And o'er my mind He reigns.
All sorrow He dispelleth
And soothes away all pains.
He crowns His work with blessing
And helpeth me to cry,
"My Father!" without ceasing,
To Him who dwells on high.
8. And when my soul is lying
Weak, trembling, and opprest,
He pleads with groans and sighing
That cannot be exprest;
But God's quick eye discerns them,
Although they give no sound,
And into language turns them
E'en in the heart's deep ground.
9. To mine His Spirit speaketh
Sweet word of holy cheer,
How God to him that seeketh
For rest is always near
And how He hath erected
A city fair and new,
Where what our faith expected
We evermore shall view.
10. In yonder home doth flourish
My heritage, my lot;
Though here I die and perish,
My heaven shall fail me not.
Though care my life oft saddens
And causeth tears to flow,
The light of Jesus gladdens
And sweetens every woe.
11. Who clings with resolution
To Him whom Satan hates
Must look for persecution;
For him the burden waits
Of mockery, shame, and losses,
Heaped on his blameless head;
A thousand plagues and crosses
Will be his daily bread.
12. From me this is not hidden,
Yet I am not afraid;
I leave my cares, as bidden,
To whom my vows were paid.
Though life and limb it cost me
And everything I won,
Unshaken shall I trust Thee
And cleave to Thee alone.
13. Though earth be rent asunder,
Thou'rt mine eternally;
Not fire nor sword nor thunder
Shall sever me from Thee;
Not hunger, thirst, nor danger,
Not pain nor poverty
Nor mighty princes' anger
Shall ever hinder me.
14. No angel and no gladness,
No throne, no pomp, no show,
No love, no hate, no sadness,
No pain, no depth of woe,
No scheme of man's contrivance,
However small or great,
Shall draw me from Thy guidance
Nor from Thee separate.
15. My heart for joy is springing
And can no more be sad,
'Tis full of mirth and singing,
Sees naught but sunshine glad.
The Sun that cheers my spirit
Is Jesus Christ, my King;
That which I shall inherit
Makes me rejoice and sing.
Hymn #528 The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Rom. 8:31-39
Author: Paul Gerhardt
Translated by: based on Richard Massie, 1857
Titled: Ist Gott fuer mich, so trete
Composer: Melckior Teschner, 1613
Tune: Valet will ich dir geben
1. Ist Gott für mich, so trete
Gleich alles wider mich,
Sooft ich ruf' und bete,
Weicht alles hinter sich.
Hab' ich das Haupt zum Freunde
Und bin geliebt bei Gott,
Was kann mir tun der Feinde
Und Widersacher Rott'?
2. Nun weiß und glaub' ich feste,
Ich rühm's auch ohne Scheu,
Daß Gott der Höchst' und Beste,
Mein Freund und Vater sei,
Und daß in allen Fällen
Er mir zur Rechten steh'
Und dämpfe Sturm und Wellen
Und was mir bringet Weh.
3. Der Grund, da ich mich gründe,
Ist Christus und sein Blut,
Das machet, daß ich finde
Das ew'ge wahre Gut.
An mir und meinem Leben
Ist nichts auf dieser Erd';
Was Christus mir gegeben,
Das ist der Liebe wert.
4. Mein Jesus ist mein' Ehre,
Mein Glanz und helles Licht.
Wenn der nicht in mir wäre,
So dürft' und könnt' ich nicht
Vor Gottes Augen stehen
Und vor dem strengen Sitz;
Ich müßte stracks vergehen
Wie Wachs in Feuershitz'.
5. Mein Jesus hat gelöschet,
Was mit sich führt den Tod;
Der ist's, der mich rein wäschet,
Macht schneeweiß, was ist rot.
In ihm kann ich mich freuen,
Hab' einen Heldenmut,
Darf kein Gerichte scheuen,
Wie sonst ein Sünder tut.
6. Nichts, nichts kann mich verdammen.
Nichts nimmet mir mein Herz!
Die Höll' und ihre Flammen,
Die sind mir nur ein Scherz.
Kein Urteil mich erschrecket,
Kein Unheil mich betrübt,
Weil mich mit Flügeln decket
Mein Heiland, der mich liebt.
7. Sein Geist wohnt mir im Herzen,
Regieret meinen Sinn,
Vertreibt mir Sorg' und Schmerzen,
Nimmt allen Kummer hin,
Gibt Segen und Gedeihen
Dem, was er in mir schafft,
Hilft mir das Abba schreien,
Aus aller meiner Kraft.
8. Und wenn an meinem Orte
Sich Furcht und Schwachheit find't,
So seufzt und spricht er Worte,
Die unausprechlich sind
Mir zwar und meinem Munde,
Gott aber wohl bewußt,
Der an des Herzens Grunde
Ersiehet seine Lust.
9. Sein Geist spricht meinem Geiste
Manch süßes Trostwort zu,
Wie Gott dem Hilfe leiste,
Der bei ihm suchet Ruh',
Und wie er hab' erbauet
Ein' edle, neue Stadt,
Da Aug' und Herze schauet,
Was er geglaubet hat.
10. Da ist mein Teil, mein Erbe
Mir prächtig zugericht't;
Wenn ich gleich fall' und sterbe,
Fällt doch mein Himmel nicht.
Muß ich auch gleich hier feuchten
Mit Tränen meine Zeit,
Mein Jesus und sein Leuchten
Durch süßet alles Leid.
11. Wer sich mit dem verbindet,
Den Satan fleucht und haßt,
Der wird verfolgt und findet
Ein' harte, schwere Last
Zu leiden und zu tragen,
Gerät in Hohn und Spott,
Das Kreuz und alle Plagen,
Die sind sein täglich Brot.
12. Das ist mir nicht verborgen,
Doch bin ich unverzagt.
Dich will ich laßen sorgen,
Dem ich mich zugesagt,
Es koste Leib und Leben
Und alles, was ich hab';
An dir will ich fest kleben
Und nimmer laßen ab.
13. Die Welt, die mag zerbrechen,
Du stehst mir ewiglich,
Kein Brennen, Hauen, Stechen
Soll trennen mich und dich,
Kein Hungern und kein Dürsten,
Kein' Armut, keine Pein,
Kein Zorn der großen Fürsten
Soll mir ein' Hindrung sein.
14. Kein Engel, keine Freuden,
Kein Thron, kein' Herrlichkeit,
Kein Lieben und kein Leiden,
Kein' Angst und Herzeleid,
Was man nur kann erdenken,
Es sei klein oder groß,
Der keines soll mich lenken
Aus deinem Arm und Schoß.
15. Mein Herze geht in Sprüngen
Und kann nicht traurig sein,
Ist voller Freud' und Singen,
Sieht lauter Sonnenschein.
Die Sonne, die mir lachet,
Ist mein Herr Jesus Christ;
Das, was mich singen machet,
Ist, was im Himmel ist.
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GJ - Thank you, Norman Teigen, for finding this great hymn and posting it.
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The video begins by spelling his name wrong. Paul Gerhardt the hymn writer is often confused with Johann Gerhard the theologian who worked with Chemnitz.
Mrs. Ichabod and I sing this together in German. Gerhardt is probably the greatest hymn writer of all time. He lost his pulpit for resisting Reformed doctrine.
Here is the HTML link, in case the embedded video flakes out at the end, as it does for us.
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Literal translation for prep school graduates:
Lobet den Herren alle, die ihn ehren
All Praise the Lord, All Who Honor Him.
1. Lobet den Herren alle, die ihn ehren; lasst uns mit Freuden seinem Namen singen und Preis und Dank zu seinem Altar bringen. Lobet den Herren!
All praise the Lord, who honor Him; let us sing his name with joy and bring praise and thanks to His altar. All praise the Lord.
2. Der unser Leben, das er uns gegeben, in dieser Nacht so väterlich bedecket / und aus dem Schlaf uns fröhlich auferwecket: Lobet den Herren!
He who our life has given, in this night has covered us so fatherly and wakes us joyfully from sleep, All praise the Lord.
3. Dass unsre Sinnen / wir noch brauchen können / und Händ und Füße, Zung und Lippen regen, das haben wir zu danken seinem Segen. Lobet den Herren!
That we can use our senses, move our hands and feet, tongue and lips, we owe His blessing. All praise the Lord.
4. Dass Feuerflammen / uns nicht allzusammen / mit unsern Häusern unversehns gefressen, das macht's, dass wir in seinem Schoß gesessen. Lobet den Herren!
The flames of fire will not devour our homes, He wills that we sit in His castle. All praise the Lord.
5. Dass Dieb und Räuber / unser Gut und Leiber / nicht angetast' und grausamlich verletzet, dawider hat sein Engel sich gesetzet. Lobet den Herren!
That thief and robber, our goods and life cannot take, for His angel has been appointed. All praise the Lord.
6. O treuer Hüter, Brunnen aller Güter, ach lass doch ferner über unser Leben / bei Tag und Nacht dein Hut und Güte schweben. Lobet den Herren!
O faithful Guardain, wellspring of all goodness, by day and night Your Guard and Goodness hover. All praise the Lord.
7. Gib, dass wir heute, Herr, durch dein Geleite / auf unsern Wegen unverhindert gehen / und überall in deiner Gnade stehen. Lobet den Herren!
Give us that we today, Lord, through Your escorts, go on our way unhindered and remain in Your grace. All praise the Lord.
8. Treib unsern Willen, dein Wort zu erfüllen; lehr uns verrichten heilige Geschäfte, und wo wir schwach sind, da gib du uns Kräfte. Lobet den Herren!
Strengthen our will to fulfill Your Word; teach us holy ways; and where we are weak, there give us strength. All praise the Lord.
9. Richt unsre Herzen, dass wir ja nicht scherzen / mit deinen Strafen, sondern fromm zu werden / vor deiner Zukunft uns bemühn auf Erden. Lobet den Herren!
Direct our hearts, that we do not trifle with Your judgments, but remain pious before Your future reign on earth. All praise the Lord.
10. Herr, du wirst kommen / und all deine Frommen, die sich bekehren, gnädig dahin bringen, da alle Engel ewig, ewig singen: >Lobet den Herren!<
Lord, you will soon come, and all Your believers, those who are converted, bring them in with grace, where all the angels, always always sing out, All praise the Lord.
Paul Gerhardt 1607-1676
Passende Bibelstellen:
Vers 1: Psalm 103, 21-22
Vers 8: 2. Korinther 12, 9-10
Vers 10: Offenbarung 22, 12
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Paul Gerhardt's Testament
Paul Gerhardt prepared his "testament" his 70th birthday for his son. It offers insight into this important Lutheran writer of many great chorales..
Now that I have reached the 70th year of my life and also have the joyful hope that my dear, holy God will soon rescue me out of this world and lead me into a better life than I have had until now on earth, I thank Him especially for all His kindness and faithfulness which, from my motherâ?Ts womb until the present hour, He has shown me in body and soul and in all that He has given me. Besides this, I ask Him from the bottom of my heart that when my hour comes He would grant me a happy departure, take my soul into His fatherly hands, and give my body a peaceful rest in the ground until the dear Last Day, when I, with all of my [family] who have been before me and also may remain after me, will reawake and behold my dear Lord Jesus Christ face to face, in whom I have believed but have not yet seen. To my only son whom I am leaving behind I leave few earthly goods, but with them I leave him an honorable name of which he will not have to be ashamed.
My son knows that from his tender childhood I have given him to the Lord my God as His possession, that he is to become a servant and preacher of His holy Word. He is to remain now in this and not turn away from it, even if he has only few good days in it. For the good Lord knows how to handle it and how sufficiently to replace external troubles with internal happiness of the heart and joy of the spirit.
Study holy theologiam in pure schools and at unfalsified universities and beware of the syncretists [those who mix religions or confessions], for they seek what is temporal and are faithful to neither God nor men. In your common life do not follow evil company but rather the will and command of your God. Especially: (1) Do nothing evil in the hope that it will remain secret, for nothing is spun so small that it is not seen in the light of day. (2) Outside of your office and vocation do not become angry. If you notice that anger has heated you up, remain still and speak not so much as a word until you have first prayed the Ten Commandments and the Christian Creed silently. (3) Be ashamed of the lusts of the flesh, and when you one day come to the years in which you can marry, then marry with God and with the good advice of pious, faithful, and sensible people. (4) Do good to people even if they have nothing with which to repay you, for the Creator of heaven and earth has long since repaid what humans cannot repay: when He created you, when He gave you His beloved Son, and when He accepted you in Holy Baptism as His child and heir. (5) Flee from greed as from hell. Be satisfied with what you have earned with honor and a good conscience, even if it is not all too much. But if the good Lord gives you something more, ask Him to preserve you from the burdensome misuse of temporal goods.
In summary: Pray diligently, study something honorable, live peacefully, serve honestly, and remain unmoved in your faith and confessing. If you do this, you too will one day die and depart from this world willingly, joyfully, and blessedly. Amen.
The Sharp Warning: Harden not Your Hearts, chapter 3
Consider Jesus in the Light of Moses, 3:1–6.
1) This is the preamble which resembles that found in 2:5–8. Moses is introduced because v. 7–19 cite the terrible unbelief that occurred on the journey through the desert under Moses. Let this story find no repetition under Jesus! We should not think that Jesus is put in contrast with Moses so that the readers are warned to forsake Moses for Jesus. They are paralleled—both Moses and Jesus are faithful. As Israel should have been faithful to Moses, so the readers should now be faithful to Jesus. In fact, the readers have a greater call to faithfulness than the unfaithful Israelites had as far as Moses was concerned because here is one greater than Moses. The two are alike, yet when they are paralleled, the greatness of Jesus must be kept in mind.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews and of the Epistle of James. Columbus, O. : Lutheran book concern, 1938, S. 99.
Do not Underestimate the Word of God, v. 12, 13.
12) This appendix is vital as the concluding word of both the warning voiced in chapter 3 and the promise given in 4:1–11. It is so essential because not only the warning and the promise are based on the Word of God as being “my voice,” Ps. 95 (see 3:8–11), but also because all that this epistle contains from 1:1 onward (“God spoke”) and will contain in the following chapters is based directly on God’s Word. So the writer says: Let there be no illusion in you, my readers, regarding this Word of God and what it says about Jesus; let no one think that disbelieving or disobeying this Word is a light matter. The writer has dwelt especially on Ps. 95:11 (3:8, 11; 4:3, 4), God’s oath, a most terrible Word of God. He now stresses the full power of the Word in its damning force. He has likewise dwelt on Ps. 95:7b plus 11: “Today” and “my rest,” with all the promise that lies in this Word (3:8, 15; 4:3–8). This, too, leads him to stress the power of the Word, the blessed promise of which is so mighty.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews and of the Epistle of James. Columbus, O. : Lutheran book concern, 1938, S. 139
On “High Priest” see 2:17 and 3:1; the addition “great” exalts his person and his office above all the Levitical high priests of the Jews and matches the fact that he “has gone through the heavens” in his high-priestly function, into the Holy of Holies of the very presence of God. “Passed into the heavens” (A. V.) is incorrect. In the Jewish Tabernacle the high priest passed from the altar that was outside through the Holy Place and so stepped behind the veil of the Holy of Holies. So our great High Priest, in a far more exalted manner, proceeded through what we call the created heavens into the presence of God. Only his greatness and this great act are now stressed and not the blood of expiation (2:17) and its effect although the title “High Priest” involves them; these points will be treated presently. As befits the new section of the letter together with the greatness of our High Priest, his name is added, “Jesus,” which again calls to mind his incarnation, his life, sufferings, and death here on earth, but with the mighty apposition “the Son of God,” which expresses his deity. Our High Priest is infinitely great in his person and his office.
“Having him, let us continue to hold fast to the confession!” We “have” him because of his having been made the great High Priest; God has given him to us as such. “The confession” recalls 3:1 where we are bidden “to consider thoroughly the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.” He, “our great High Priest, Jesus, the Son of God,” and all that lies in this designation are the substance of the confession; κρατῶμεν means that we are to continue to hold him fast with all our “strength” by confessing our faith in him. The writer admonishes himself as well as his readers. Yet the present tense signifies that he and they have been doing this, it asks for steady continuation. The implication is that the readers have given evidence of wavering, of giving up this confession. “Keep on confessing him with heart and soul!” is the appeal.
15) We have the strongest motive for holding fast to him. The writer reverts to 2:17, 18 where he calls our High Priest “merciful,” “himself tempted and thus able to help those being tempted,” who calls us “brothers” (2:11, etc.). Our weaknesses dispose us to give up our confession instead of holding to it with strength; here is the answer that lifts up beyond any such weakness: “For we do not have a High Priest unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,” the very contrary is the case; he knows all these weaknesses from his own experience, “having been tried in all respects in like manner (as we) except for sin.” Is not his personal name “Jesus” which he bore here on earth when in his humiliation he took upon himself so many of our human weaknesses? How can we then think that he does not feel with us (συμπάσχω - sympathy - suffer with) in our weaknesses?
Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews and of the Epistle of James. Columbus, O. : Lutheran book concern, 1938, S. 149.
