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.
Showing posts with label Henry Eyster Jacobs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Henry Eyster Jacobs. Show all posts
Friday, March 17, 2023
Navigation for the Original - Henry Eyster Jacobs - Luther's Large Catechism.
Accept No Substitutes
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| Jacob's entire Luther's Large Catechism is found in this linked PDF - Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry. |
The haughty but misled Lutheran Church Missouri Synod has vomited its megaflop - Luther's Large Catechism - onto its publication list. The only generation left that can read would die before completing a fraction of CPH's latest publication mistake, so a few of us decided to emphasize the Large Catechism as written. That will take up some space, so this navigation page will serve to link each commandment from Luther's work. The link will be in the left column.
Large Catechism
Thursday, April 1, 2021
Hymn - Lord Jesus Christ, We Humbly Pray
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"Lord Jesus Christ, We Humbly Pray"
by Henry E. Jacobs, 1844-1932
by Henry E. Jacobs, 1844-1932
1. Lord Jesus Christ, we humbly pray
That we may feed on Thee today;
Beneath these forms of bread and wine
Enrich us with Thy grace divine.
2. The chastened peace of sin forgiven,
The filial joy of heirs of heaven,
Grant as we share this wondrous food,
Thy body broken and Thy blood.
3. Our trembling hearts cleave to Thy Word;
All Thou hast said Thou dost afford,
All that Thou art we here receive,
And all we are to Thee we give.
4. One bread, one cup, one body, we,
United by our life in Thee,
Thy love proclaim till Thou shalt come
To bring Thy scattered loved ones home.
5. Lord Jesus Christ, we humbly pray
To keep us steadfast to that day
That each may be Thy welcomed guest
When Thou shalt spread Thy heavenly feast.
The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #314
Text: 1 Corinthians 10:17
Author: Henry E. Jacobs, 1910
Tune: "Herr Jesu Christ, dich"
1st Published in: Cantionale Germanicum
Town: Dresden, 1628
Thursday, October 8, 2020
From the Lutheran Librarian - Jacobs' Book of Concord
Clear print, large format quality paperback available on Amazon by the Lutheran Librarian
Book Contents
- Detailed Contents
- Preface by Lutheran Librarian
- Preface by Henry Eyster Jacobs.
- Preface To The First Edition.
- Preface To The Christian Book Of Concord.
- The General Creeds: The Apostles’ Creed. The Nicene Creed. The Athanasian Creed.
- The Augsburg Confession
- The Apology Of The Augsburg Confession
- The Smalcald Articles
- The Small Catechism of Martin Luther
- The Large Catechism of Dr. Martin Luther
- The Formula Of Concord
- The Saxon Visitation Articles
About the Translation
“The translation of the Augsburg Confession adopted in this volume is the well-known one of Dr. Charles P. Krauth, which he has kindly revised as the proof-sheets passed through his hands.
“In the Small Catechism, the translation prepared by Dr, Charles F. Schaeffer with the co-operation of a committee of the Ministerium of Pennsylvania, and in universal use in the English churches of the General Council, is reprinted, with the addition of the formula for confession contained in the Book of Concord.
“The Large Catechism was translated for this work by Rev. A. Martin, Professor of the German Language and Literature in Pennsylvania College, to whom the Editor is greatly indebted for assistance and advice also in other directions.
“The Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald Articles and the Formula of Concord were translated by Henry Eyster Jacobs. The rendering of the Apology is from the Latin, the German translation of Justus Jonas of the Concordienbuch being more of a paraphrase than a translation, differing sometimes from the original by the omission, introduction and transposition of entire paragraphs, and therefore inducing the editors of some of the best German editions of the Symbolical Books to prepare fresh translations. We have, accordingly, carefully revised our translation from the Latin, by comparing it with the German translations of Schöpf, Köthe, Spieker and Bodemann.
Order a Printed Copy
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Mid-Week Advent Service, December 18, 2019
Mid-Week Advent Service,
December 11, 2019
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The Hymn # 92 Now Sing We
The Order of Vespers p. 41
The Psalmody Psalm 2 on page 123
The Lection - Isaiah 9 KJV
Sermon Hymn #80 Luther All Praise to Thee Eternal God
God's Wonder - The Divine Nature
The Prayers and Lord’s Prayer p. 44
The Collect for Peace p. 45
The Benediction p. 45
Hymn #656 Behold a Host Arrayed in White
In Our Prayers
- Fifth Anniversary - Corey and Abby Fagan - December 18th
- Norma Boeckler's birthday - Sunday
- Carl Roper's cancer is defeated. Lynda is getting better.
- We will send gifts a different way to the Philippines, due to international issues.
- Those looking for better employment.
- Those treating or recovering from disorders and operations.
"All Praise to Thee, Eternal God"
by Martin Luther, 1483-1546
1. All praise to Thee, eternal God,
Who, clothed in garb of flesh and blood,
Dost take a manger for Thy throne,
While worlds on worlds are Thine alone.
Hallelujah!
2. Once did the skies before Thee bow;
A virgin's arms contain Thee now,
While angels, who in Thee rejoice,
Now listen for Thine infant voice.
Hallelujah!
3. A little Child, Thou art our Guest
That weary ones in Thee may rest;
Forlorn and lowly is Thy birth
That we may rise to heaven from earth.
Hallelujah!
4. Thou comest in the darksome night
To make us children of the light,
To make us in the realms divine,
Like Thine own angels, round Thee shine.
Hallelujah!
5. All this for us Thy love hath done;
By This to Thee our love is won;
For this our joyful songs we raise
And shout our thanks in ceaseless praise.
Hallelujah!
The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #80
Text: John 1:14
Stanza 1 based on Latin sequence, 11th century
Author (Stanzas 2-5 ): Martin Luther, 1524, cento
Translated by: unknown, 1858
Titled: Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ
German, st. 1, 1370
Tune: Gelobet seist du, Jesu
Ancient melody, c. 1400
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
From Jacobs, p. 160
Incarnation
21. By what term is the act of the Son of God in assuming human nature known?
Incarnation.
John 1:14. “And the Word became flesh.” Heb. 2:14. “Since the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself in like manner partook of the same.” Heb. 2:16; 1 Tim. 3:16; Rom. 9:5; 1:3.
22. Was this peculiar to the Second Person of the Trinity?
Only the Son of God assumed human nature. But the Father who sent the Son into the world, and the Holy Spirit who appears in the conception of Christ (Luke 1:35), just as in creation (Gen. 1:2), were also active. There was a special intervention of God in and beyond the order of nature established at the creation. God, who at creation established an order, in virtue of which men came into the world through certain means, can, at His will, dispense with such means, and provide for a virgin birth. To deny the possibility of this, is to question the existence and almighty power of God. To admit its reality is to admit the possibility of everything else mysterious and supernatural in Christianity. Consubstantiality of Humanity
23. The conception of Jesus being so unlike that of others, was the human nature that resulted also unlike that of other men?
“He was consubstantial with us according to the manhood; in all things, except sin, like unto us” (Chalcedon).
Heb. 4:15. “He hath been in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
Christ, therefore, experienced all the infirmities that are common to the race, as hunger, thirst, sleep, fatigue, tears, sorrow, pain; but no individual infirmities are ascribed to Him, as particular diseases which attack some, but do not affect all. Sinlessness of Humanity
24. How do you prove the sinlessness of Jesus?
A. From distinct passages of Scripture Heb. 4:15, quoted under 23; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 7:26; John 8:46; 1 Peter 1:19; 2:22. B. From His divinity Sin is a personal matter. It is always a person who sins. But the person of Christ is God.
161
C. From the definition of sin “Sin is the want of conformity with God’s Law.” But the Law is the declaration of God’s will. God cannot will what is contrary to His will, i.e., Jesus could not sin. He was, therefore, not only sinless, but impeccable. Admit peccability, and the divinity of Christ is practically denied. 25. But if Christ were impeccable, how do you explain His temptation? Is temptation possible, where a fall is impossible?
Temptation properly is only testing or proving. When gold is brought to the touch-stone or submitted to the blowpipe or treated with various chemical reagents, there is no possibility of any other result than that it will stand the test and be proved to be gold. We inevitably associate the thought of temptation with that of the possibility of a fall, from the fact that man’s nature is corrupt, and that even the regenerate are only partially renewed, and, therefore fallible, and likely, under the test, to show its worst features. The agony of our Lord’s temptation came not from the necessity of a great struggle in order that He might prove Himself victor, but from the fact that it was a part of His passion. That He, the manifestation of the absolute holiness of God, should endure the presence and be subjected to the humiliation of the conversation and suggestions of the lowest and vilest of all creatures, the source and head of all the crime in the universe, was an indignity that called forth all His repugnance to the great enemy. 26. Was there any other particular in which the humanity of Christ was distinguished from that of others?
All the excellences and perfections of human nature He had in the highest degree. These He possessed as the sinless man, and as the one within whose body the Godhead dwelt in a peculiar way. Whatever physical attractiveness He may have had, and for which the old teachers cite Ps. 45:2, came from His holy character as it was expressed in His outward form. While the bodies of others contain the seeds of mortality (Rom. 6:23), that of Christ was by its own nature immortal, His death occurring by an act of His will (John 10:18), and not from inner weakness or external force, and His body, after death, being incorruptible (Acts 2:31). 27. What was the purpose of the Incarnation?
The Redemption of the human race.
Matt. 20:28. “The Son of man came, to give his life a ransom for many.”
Heb. 2:14. “He partook of flesh and blood, that, through death, he might bring to nought him that had the power of death.”
28. Would the Son of God not have become incarnate if Adam had not sinned?
The doctrine that He would have come only for the completion of humanity, or to furnish a model of a holy life, or for any other purpose than to rescue men from sin, is without any authority from Scripture. God’s will or decree to send His Son into the world everywhere presupposes God’s foreknowledge of sin, and His determination to provide a remedy for it. Personal Union
29. In what two senses is the expression, Personal Union, used?
On the one hand, it designates an act (unüo), and is synonymous with Incarnation.
162
On the other hand, it refers to a state, resulting from the act (unio). 30. In what does the state of union consist? In that henceforth both natures have but one person — the personal communion; and, as a result, the intimate and perpetual personal presence of each nature in and with the other. Attributes of Union
31. How has the Church guarded the statement of this doctrine?:
The Chalcedon Symbol (see above, 8) has denied this union negatively as: A. Unconfused There is no mingling of natures. Although there is a communion, they remain distinct. B. Unchanged One is not changed into the other. C. Indivisible i.e., with respect to place. “Nowhere is the human nature unsustained by the Logos, or the Logos not sustaining the human nature. The human nature is not outside of the Logos, nor is the Logos without the human nature.” D. Inseparable i.e., with respect to time. The union is never dissolved, but is perpetual. Items (a) and (b) are in opposition to the Eutychians; (c) and (d) in opposition to the Nestorians. The Eutychians confused the natures; the Nestorians divided the person. 32. How has the Athanasian Creed defined it?
“Who although He be God and man: yet He is not two, but one Christ. One; not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh; but by taking the manhood into God. One altogether; not by confusion of substance, but by Unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ.”
Communion of Natures
33. What follows from this communion of the Person with both natures?
The communion of natures with each other. There is a perichoresis or pervasion or penetration of one nature by the other, or existence of one nature within the other. “The divine nature is said actually to penetrate or perfect the human, and the human to be passively penetrated or perfected by the divine; but not in such way that the divine successively occupies one part of the human after the other, and extensively diffuses itself, through it; but, since it is spiritual and indivisible, it at the same time as a whole perfects and energizes each part of the human nature and that nature as a whole, and remains entire in the entire human nature, and entire in every part” (Baier).
Col. 2:9. “In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.”
John 1:14; Heb. 2:14. 34. What analogy is there to this communion of natures?
The impartation of the Divine nature by the Mystical Union of Christ with the believer. The Personal Union being closer, more intimate and more exalted implies a more complete communion of natures.
163
2 Peter 1. “He hath granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye might become partakers of the divine nature.”
Saturday, December 14, 2019
My Short Review of Henry Eyster Jacobs' A Summary of Christian Doctrine. Lutheran Library - On Amazon
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| The print copy of Jacob's A Summary of the Christian Faith can be found here. |
Gregory Jackson, PhD
5.0 out of 5 stars
Henry Eyster Jacobs Is No Longer Overlooked as a Lutheran Leader
Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2019
Format: Paperback
I would suggest Jacobs to anyone looking for a clearly written, Scriptural, doctrinal book, faithful to the Lutheran Reformation. The writing is lucid and obviously coming from a genius who wanted to convey the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the simplest words. The book reminds me of the Gospel of John in that respect, aiming at strengthening and creating faith in the Savior. Jacobs' Summary is too easily overlooked by those who followed his era and felt superior and more scientific in their knowledge. Likewise, those outside the General Council were too eager to find fault with its leaders and too sluggish to appreciate their merit.
The free ebook of Jacobs' A Summary of the Summary of Christian Faith can be found here.
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Henry Eyster Jacobs - The Two Natures in Christ
Jacobs was the professor of theology at the Philadelphia Seminary - General Council, which was founded as an alternative to the Pietistic, ecumenical General Synod. I was interviewed for a position at this seminary, long ago. It is now United Lutheran Seminary.
Topics included
7. What topics are included in Christology, or that portion
of Theology treating of the Mediatorial Office?
The Person, the States and the Offices of Christ. Chalcedon
Symbol
8. How has the Church summarized its faith on this subject?
Most comprehensively in the symbol of Chalcedon:
“We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent
teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same
perfect in Godhead and also perfect in Manhood; truly God and truly Man, of a
reasonable soul and body; consubstantial with the Father, according to the
Godhead, and consubstantial with us, according to the Manhood; in all things,
except sin, like unto us; begotten before all ages of the Father, according to
the Godhead, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of
the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, according to the Manhood; one and the same
Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures,
‘inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably’; the distinction of
natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of
each nature being preserved and concurring in One Person and One Subsistence,
not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only
begotten God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ; as the prophets from the
beginning have declared concerning Him, and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has
taught us, and the Creed of the Fathers has handed down to us.”
In its simplest form, this truth is stated in the Small
Catechism, Creed, Article 11. The Divinity of Christ
9. What is the first thing to be considered in treating of
the Person of Christ?
That He is true God, consubstantial, coequal and coeternal
with the Father.
158
The proof for this is given above, Chap. 3, Sec. 17-23. For
“consubstantial,” see same chapter, Q. 48. The divinity of Christ does not
consist in divine gifts, but in His entire and complete oneness in all His
attributes with God.
The Humanity of Christ
10. What is the second?
That He is true man, consubstantial with us. The proof for
this is found in that He has: A. The names of man Tim. 2:5; John 8:40; Acts
17:31. His favorite designation of Himself is “Son of man.” He is called
“flesh” (John 1:14), “a child” (Acts 4:27), “Son of Abraham, David,” etc., especially
in the genealogical tables of Matthew and Luke. B. The parts of a man Body and
soul or spirit, and various parts of His body are mentioned. C. The experiences
of men He was conceived, was born, grew, hungered, thirsted, was fatigued,
grieved, wept, exulted, died. D. The acts of men. He went about, conversed,
etc.
Truth of the Humanity
11. Why did the early Church lay such emphasis upon the
word “true”?
Particularly against the Docetists who maintained it was
not a true body which Christ had, but only the appearance of a body.
12. Upon
what arguments did they base this error?
They said that angels repeatedly appeared in human bodies,
and yet were not true men; that the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove
without being a true dove. They quoted Rom. 8:3, “God sent his Son in the
likeness of sinful flesh,” laying especial emphasis upon “likeness.”
13. How
were they answered?
Angels assumed human bodies only temporarily, and for some
transient purpose. Christ Himself declares the difference in Luke 24:39.
“Handle me and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones,
as ye behold me having.”
The union of the Spirit with the dove was symbolical; that
of the Son of God with man, personal. The former was temporary; the latter
permanent. The emphasis in Rom. 8:3 is not on “likeness,” but on “sinful”. The
meaning is the same as in Phil. 2:7, “He was”found in fashion as a man,"
i.e., to all outward appearances, He was nothing more than any other man — a
child like other children, a Galilean peasant among Galilean peasants. This is
not opposed to the truth of His humanity, but is contrasted simply with
His
State of Glory. Completeness of the Humanity
159
14. What is implied in His true manhood?
Its completeness or perfection.
15. Who attacked this?
Apollinaris, in the Fourth Century, who sought to explain
the personal union by teaching that the Divine Nature replaced a part of
Christ’s humanity, viz., the rational soul; and the Monothelites of the Seventh
Century, who taught that the Divine Nature took the place of a truly human
will. Unity of Person
16. What is meant by saying that there is but one Person?
That “there is one and the same Christ, Son, Lord,
Only-begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures” (Chalcedon). “Who although He
be God and man; yet He is not two, but one Christ; one, not by conversion of
the Godhead into flesh, but by taking the manhood into God; one altogether, not
by confusion of substance, but by Unity of Person” (Athanasian Creed). The
difference between “me” and “thee” is never applied to the divine and human
natures. There is but one “I” acting and speaking, thinking and feeling and
willing through both natures. There is but one “Thou” whom the Father addresses
and one “He” to whom the Spirit bears witness.
17. What proof have you of this
unity?
In Rom. 1:3, the same person is said to be “made of the
seed of David according to the flesh,” and declared to be “the Son of God.” In
Luke 1:3, that which is born of the Virgin Mary is called “the Son of God.” In
John 1:14, “the Word,” who is declared in V. 1, to be God, is said to have
become “flesh.” In Gal. 2:20, “the Son of God” is said to have given Himself
for sinful man. Relation of Person and Nature
18. Is the person related in the same way to each nature?
The person, with the divine nature, has existed from all
eternity. The human nature began in time. The person, therefore, was once
without a human nature. But the human nature could not exist without a person.
The person of the human nature, therefore, came not from that nature, but from
the divine. Since the human nature entered into the world, i.e., was conceived
and born and lived by the divine person uniting Himself with our race in the
womb of the Virgin Mary, we say that the human nature has no personality of its
own, but that the personality of the human nature is that which it has derived
from the divine. The Greek theologians called this the doctrine of the
anhypostasia of the human nature, which our theologians accept, although
stating that enhypostasia is preferable. The unity of the person requires that
we must hold to the want of personality on the part of the human nature.
19. If
we were to affirm that the human nature had a personality of its own, what would
follow?
The doctrine that in Christ, there are two persons, as as
well as two natures. Unity of personality could be taught, then, only by
finding place for the destruction at some time of the human personality, and
its being replaced by the divine. Double Generation
20. Since there are two natures, can we say there are two
Sons, viz., a Son of God and a Son of Man?
160
No. There is but one Son, at one and the same time Son of
God and Son of Man. That through which, He is the Son of God, is His eternal
generation of the Father, “true God begotten of the Father from all eternity”
(Small Catechism). See Chapter 3, 51-53. That through which He is the Son of
Man is His conception by the Holy Ghost and birth of the Virgin Mary (Lukes
1:35; Gal. 4:4). We speak, therefore, of a double generation of Christ: one,
eternal; the other, temporal; one, according to the divine; the other,
according to the human nature. Incarnation
21. By what term is the act of the Son of God in assuming
human nature known?
Incarnation.
John 1:14. “And the Word became flesh.” Heb. 2:14. “Since
the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself in like manner
partook of the same.” Heb. 2:16; 1 Tim. 3:16; Rom. 9:5; 1:3.
22. Was this peculiar to the Second Person of the Trinity?
Only the Son of God assumed human nature. But the Father
who sent the Son into the world, and the Holy Spirit who appears in the
conception of Christ (Luke 1:35), just as in creation (Gen. 1:2), were also
active. There was a special intervention of God in and beyond the order of
nature established at the creation. God, who at creation established an order,
in virtue of which men came into the world through certain means, can, at His
will, dispense with such means, and provide for a virgin birth. To deny the possibility
of this, is to question the existence and almighty power of God. To admit its
reality is to admit the possibility of everything else mysterious and
supernatural in Christianity. Consubstantiality of Humanity
23. The conception of Jesus being so unlike that of others,
was the human nature that resulted also unlike that of other men?
“He was consubstantial with us according to the manhood; in
all things, except sin, like unto us” (Chalcedon).
Heb. 4:15. “He hath been in all points tempted like as we
are, yet without sin.”
Christ, therefore, experienced all the infirmities that are
common to the race, as hunger, thirst, sleep, fatigue, tears, sorrow, pain; but
no individual infirmities are ascribed to Him, as particular diseases which
attack some, but do not affect all. Sinlessness of Humanity
24. How do you prove the sinlessness of Jesus?
A. From distinct passages of Scripture Heb. 4:15, quoted
under 23; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 7:26; John 8:46; 1 Peter 1:19; 2:22. B. From His
divinity Sin is a personal matter. It is always a person who sins. But the
person of Christ is God.
161
C. From the definition of sin “Sin is the want of
conformity with God’s Law.” But the Law is the declaration of God’s will. God
cannot will what is contrary to His will, i.e., Jesus could not sin. He was,
therefore, not only sinless, but impeccable. Admit peccability, and the
divinity of Christ is practically denied.
25. But if Christ were impeccable,
how do you explain His temptation? Is temptation possible, where a fall is
impossible?
Temptation properly is only testing or proving. When gold
is brought to the touch-stone or submitted to the blowpipe or treated with
various chemical reagents, there is no possibility of any other result than
that it will stand the test and be proved to be gold. We inevitably associate
the thought of temptation with that of the possibility of a fall, from the fact
that man’s nature is corrupt, and that even the regenerate are only partially
renewed, and, therefore fallible, and likely, under the test, to show its worst
features. The agony of our Lord’s temptation came not from the necessity of a
great struggle in order that He might prove Himself victor, but from the fact
that it was a part of His passion. That He, the manifestation of the absolute
holiness of God, should endure the presence and be subjected to the humiliation
of the conversation and suggestions of the lowest and vilest of all creatures,
the source and head of all the crime in the universe, was an indignity that
called forth all His repugnance to the great enemy.
26. Was there any other
particular in which the humanity of Christ was distinguished from that of
others?
All the excellences and perfections of human nature He had
in the highest degree. These He possessed as the sinless man, and as the one
within whose body the Godhead dwelt in a peculiar way. Whatever physical
attractiveness He may have had, and for which the old teachers cite Ps. 45:2,
came from His holy character as it was expressed in His outward form. While the
bodies of others contain the seeds of mortality (Rom. 6:23), that of Christ was
by its own nature immortal, His death occurring by an act of His will (John
10:18), and not from inner weakness or external force, and His body, after
death, being incorruptible (Acts 2:31).
27. What was the purpose of the
Incarnation?
The Redemption of the human race.
Matt. 20:28. “The Son of man came, to give his life a
ransom for many.”
Heb. 2:14. “He partook of flesh and blood, that, through
death, he might bring to nought him that had the power of death.”
28. Would the Son of God not have become incarnate if Adam
had not sinned?
The doctrine that He would have come only for the completion
of humanity, or to furnish a model of a holy life, or for any other purpose
than to rescue men from sin, is without any authority from Scripture. God’s
will or decree to send His Son into the world everywhere presupposes God’s
foreknowledge of sin, and His determination to provide a remedy for it.
Personal Union
29. In what two senses is the expression, Personal Union,
used?
On the one hand, it designates an act (unüo), and is
synonymous with Incarnation.
162
On the other hand, it refers to a state, resulting from the
act (unio).
30. In what does the state of union consist? In that henceforth
both natures have but one person — the personal communion; and, as a result,
the intimate and perpetual personal presence of each nature in and with the
other. Attributes of Union
31. How has the Church guarded the statement of this
doctrine?:
The Chalcedon Symbol (see above, 8) has denied this union
negatively as: A. Unconfused There is no mingling of natures. Although there is
a communion, they remain distinct. B. Unchanged One is not changed into the
other. C. Indivisible i.e., with respect to place. “Nowhere is the human nature
unsustained by the Logos, or the Logos not sustaining the human nature. The
human nature is not outside of the Logos, nor is the Logos without the human
nature.” D. Inseparable i.e., with respect to time. The union is never
dissolved, but is perpetual. Items (a) and (b) are in opposition to the
Eutychians; (c) and (d) in opposition to the Nestorians. The Eutychians
confused the natures; the Nestorians divided the person. 32. How has the
Athanasian Creed defined it?
“Who although He be God and man: yet He is not two, but one
Christ. One; not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh; but by taking the
manhood into God. One altogether; not by confusion of substance, but by Unity
of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is
one Christ.”
Communion of Natures
33. What follows from this communion of the Person with
both natures?
The communion of natures with each other. There is a
perichoresis or pervasion or penetration of one nature by the other, or
existence of one nature within the other. “The divine nature is said actually
to penetrate or perfect the human, and the human to be passively penetrated or
perfected by the divine; but not in such way that the divine successively
occupies one part of the human after the other, and extensively diffuses
itself, through it; but, since it is spiritual and indivisible, it at the same
time as a whole perfects and energizes each part of the human nature and that
nature as a whole, and remains entire in the entire human nature, and entire in
every part” (Baier).
Col. 2:9. “In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead
bodily.”
John 1:14; Heb. 2:14.
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Mid-Week Advent Service, December 4, 2019, 7 PM Central. Henry Eyster Jacobs, Part One
Mid-Week Advent Service,
December 4, 2019
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The Psalmody Psalm 14 p. 124
The Lection
Sermon Hymn #136 Angels from the Realms of Glory
The Lection
Sermon Hymn #136 Angels from the Realms of Glory
The First Sermon about Jesus
The Prayers and Lord’s Prayer p. 44
The Collect for Peace p. 45
The Benediction p. 45
In Our Prayers
- Carl Roper and his wife Lynda.
- Pastor and Mrs. Jim Shrader
- Randy Anderson's leg
- Pastor K and Doc Lito Cruz - dealing with diabetes.
- Those looking for work and a better income.
- Our media ministries - Alec Satin, Norma Boeckler, Travis and Lauren Cartee, Pastor Jordan Palangyos, Pastor Shrader's new blog - linked on our blog.
Luke 2
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
The First Sermon about Jesus
Luke 2: 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
I took the title of the sermon from Luther, who is always a good source. Our tendency is to look at a text as history, which it is, but perhaps slighting its real message.
This message reflects what I have outlined below about basic Biblical, Lutheran doctrine taught by and carefully explained by Henry Eyster Jacobs. You may think you have never heard of him, apart from my promotion of his work, but we have often sung his communion hymn.
These verses about the birth of Jesus are really the first sermon preached about Jesus, the Word of God Incarnate. Many prophesies were made, from Genesis 3:15 onward, faith in the future Messiah expressed in Genesis 4:1 (In Hebrew, I have begotten a man-child - the Lord.)
What makes this passage a sermon? First of all, it is Gospel, bringing faith and hope, replacing fear. The Angel of the Lord appeared, and the glory of the Lord shone like a lamp all around them, and they were seized with overwhelming fear.
This is how people react when they are in the presence of God and realize their smallness in the face of His glory. When Peter saw the power of the Lord of Creation to gather a great shoal of fish, He said, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man."
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
The angel countered their fear with this great message - "Don't be afraid, for I am Gospeling you with a great joy for all people." The opposite of fear is faith, not courage, faith in Good News rather than condemnation, Good News for all people, not just for some.
It is not just Good News, but Good News about the Son of God. That is the meaning of the Gospel, Jesus' incarnation, His ministry of healing and forgiveness, His death and resurrection.
For all people - that alone is so different from what false religions teach, because there is always an elite group. Calvinists teach that our fate is determined before we are born, predestined to eternal life (the few) or to everlasting torment (the vast majority). World religions teach works to appease God, and there is never enough that can be done, no matter how extreme the measures are.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
This remarkable verse is poetic, hymnic. So it is easily seen as a catechism, a verse to be repeated when training children, which is what we do with pageants. Ending the fear and growing faith in the shepherds' hearts - one statement of fact. But did the Angel say "a Savior" or "the Savior." In Greek, it is simply Savior, which is more emphatic that our expressions of "a" or "the." It is more like The One and Only Savior, but the ancients were not so verbose as we are.
And here is the great benefit of this gift to mankind, which can never be fully described. Faith in this truth receives the benefit of His life, death, resurrection, and ascension. There is no qualification, no series of tests to advance toward this completion. God creates and nurtures this faith through the proclamation of the Gospel (most important for Luther) and through study of His Word.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
It is best to understand this as "the sign." There was only one baby in one manger for feeding animals, and wrapped as a newborn. This is the strangest combination - the Angel of the Lord, more like Lord's-Angel in Greek, telling them do not be afraid, because a baby will prove the truth of this message of joy. He is the Savior.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
13 και εξαιφνης εγενετο συν τω αγγελω πληθος στρατιας ουρανιου αινουντων τον θεον και λεγοντων
a great army of angels - gathered to announce Peace!
If anyone hesitated at the previous instructions, this epiphany of angels singing certainly confirmed the miraculous and the unique quality of this message - an army of angels singing to a few shepherds.
This is what should comfort those laboring in the vineyards of the Lord. He did not announce the Savior first to the kings and governors, the high priests and professors, but to the shepherds and the Wise Men. While the great and mighty, who can buy a $100 million mansion and strut on the world stage, the Gospel is entrusted to ordinary people who appreciate this Truth for all ages.
We are like the shepherds in knowing and believing this angelic message from God and its proof lying in the manger. The entire world is full of narratives about special messengers, even angelic tales of all kinds - spirits, demons, wise old men. But that is a far cry from the revealed truth of the Savior's birth.
The angelic sermon brings joy and trust in God - and healing from the wounds of life, our need for forgiveness. Fear evaporates when we trust in the Word and realize armies of angels were employed to rejoice in the Savior. That was a long wait for them.
Theirs was the first sermon about the newborn Savior, and that sermon will continue to be preached here and there, believed and also rejected, until the End of Time.
Henry Eyster Jacobs was a leader in the General Council, which formed after the Civil War - a revolt based on the liberal, ecumenical General Synod. Note that all Lutheran groups during this time were Pietistic to some extent.
Jacobs is honored by all Lutheran groups for his fine book on Biblical, Lutheran doctrine. You can download the pdf for free by clicking this link - Jacobs, A Summary of the Christian Faith.
One way to find the terms or sections from the book is to use control-f and put that term in the window. I opened the new Christian News today.
control f - justification by faith, 0 response.
control f - efficacy, 0 response.
control f - Means of Grace, 0 response.
Point A - The Word and the Spirit always work together.
Genesis 1
Isaiah 55:8ff.
1 Thessalonians 2:13
James 516 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Point B. Grace comes to us only through the Means of Grace. Note above - the Spirit only works through the invisible and visible Word.
The Means (or Instruments) of Grace are shorthand for the Word -invisible in preaching and teaching - and the Sacraments (visible Word).
If someone understands the Spirit only at work in the Word, then the constant insistence of people being "declared righteous" 2000 years ago (unrecorded) or everyone coming into the world forgiven, or other such nonsense (Calvinism included) is obviously not Biblical.
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