Confessional Lutheran Theology

for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. --Ephesians 6:20

praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— --Ephesians 6:18

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; --Ephesians 6:17

above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. --Ephesians 6:16

and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; --Ephesians 6:15

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, --Ephesians 6:14

https://thebookofconcord.org/formula-of-concord-epitome/article-vii/

https://youtu.be/dt5AJr0wls0?si=ipawlmunQDMBV3GC

https://apps.apple.com/app/id1523714311

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. --Ephesians 6:12

https://youtu.be/v-Mb73M4hXk?si=u2HDNM4WV-eJh98d

https://youtu.be/14epxvU8XIA?si=uy-wNbv6k1wBwQmX

https://youtu.be/rOT3ZgnR-tQ?si=oqChq6LSYQ4DZu8m

https://youtu.be/dt5AJr0wls0?si=Qibc6cgbZBfLWrFZ

HAPPY NEW YEAR

MERRY CHRISTMAS 🎄

https://youtu.be/Kgnqe0LQ-60?si=nTNf8l_i8_iizf6G

James 2 (NKJV)

Beware of Personal Favoritism

2 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. ²For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, ³and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” ⁴have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

⁵Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? ⁶But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? ⁷Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?

⁸If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; ⁹but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. ¹⁰For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. ¹¹For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. ¹²So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. ¹³For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Faith Without Works Is Dead

¹⁴What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? ¹⁵If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, ¹⁶and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? ¹⁷Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

¹⁸But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. ¹⁹You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! ²⁰But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? ²¹Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? ²²Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? ²³And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. ²⁴You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

²⁵Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

²⁶For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

GM

https://youtu.be/SMJc9UMzFSE?si=Fs7IVAt6o2FIOhks

https://youtu.be/7l1eEbNx_M4?si=6rAiAUn49lRMsn9N

James 1 (NKJV)

Greeting to the Twelve Tribes

1 James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad:

Greetings.

Profiting from Trials

²My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ⁴But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. ⁵If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. ⁶But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

The Perspective of Rich and Poor

⁹Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, ¹⁰but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. ¹¹For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.

Loving God Under Trials

¹²Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. ¹³Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. ¹⁴But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. ¹⁵Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

¹⁶Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. ¹⁷Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. ¹⁸Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

Qualities Needed in Trials

¹⁹So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; ²⁰for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Doers—Not Hearers Only

²¹Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

²²But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. ²⁵But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

²⁶If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. ²⁷Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

https://youtu.be/uGt4Fs7t2vg?si=B8f2RjF6icyNujEV

CHRIST IS KING

https://youtu.be/wsxF1yBfegg?si=PtsZTB_KCx7Es699

Hebrews 13 (NKJV)

Concluding Moral Directions

13 Let brotherly love continue. ²Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. ³Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also.

⁴Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

⁵Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” ⁶So we may boldly say:

“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?”

Concluding Religious Directions

⁷Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. ⁸Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. ⁹Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.

¹⁰We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. ¹¹For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. ¹²Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. ¹³Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. ¹⁴For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. ¹⁵Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. ¹⁶But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

¹⁷Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.

Prayer Requested

¹⁸Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably. ¹⁹But I especially urge you to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.

Benediction, Final Exhortation, Farewell

²⁰Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, ²¹make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

²²And I appeal to you, brethren, bear with the word of exhortation, for I have written to you in few words. ²³Know that our brother Timothy has been set free, with whom I shall see you if he comes shortly.

²⁴Greet all those who rule over you, and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you.

²⁵Grace be with you all. Amen.

#Theologian

The phrase "Oratio, Meditatio, Tentatio" is a Latin maxim that outlines the life of a theologian according to Martin Luther, the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation. Here's what each term means:

- Oratio (Prayer): This is the starting point of a theologian's life, emphasizing the importance of prayer in seeking God's guidance and understanding.

- Meditatio (Meditation): This involves deep reflection and meditation on the Scriptures, going beyond surface reading to internalize and understand the deeper meanings of the biblical text.

- Tentatio (Testing or Trial): This refers to the trials and challenges that theologians face, which serve to test their faith and deepen their reliance on God and His Word¹.

Luther believed that these three elements were interconnected and cyclical, each one reinforcing and deepening the others, thus shaping the life and work of a theologian. This process is not just academic but deeply personal, involving the heart and soul as much as the mind.

Hebrews 12 (NKJV)

The Race of Faith

12 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ²looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The Discipline of God

³For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. ⁴You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. ⁵And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:

“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
⁶For whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”

⁷If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? ⁸But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. ⁹Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? ¹⁰For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. ¹¹Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Renew Your Spiritual Vitality

¹²Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, ¹³and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

¹⁴Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: ¹⁵looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; ¹⁶lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. ¹⁷For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

The Glorious Company

¹⁸For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, ¹⁹and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. ²⁰(For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.” ²¹And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”)

²²But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, ²³to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, ²⁴to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

Hear the Heavenly Voice

²⁵See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, ²⁶whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” ²⁷Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.

²⁸Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. ²⁹For our God is a consuming fire.

𝕳𝖆𝖕𝖕𝖞 𝕽𝖊𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖒𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 𝕯𝖆𝖞

The year is 1517. It is the day before All Saints Day, an important church festival for all devout Catholics. But something besides All Saints Day is on the minds of many people in Wittenberg, Germany. On the streets and in the shops townspeople and students are excitedly discussing something that interests and troubles them very much. As they talk, some of them point to papers they have in their hands. Let us listen in on one of the groups. “Where did you get that letter of indulgence?” “From a priest called John Tetzel. He is selling them in Jueterbock. Tetzel says that God will not punish anyone who buys an indulgence letter like this. He will not have to go to purgatory when he dies.”

“You better tell Dr. Luther about that paper and what John Tetzel is doing. I don’t think Dr. Luther will approve of it. And I’m sure that he will not like what you did. Don’t you remember that he preached a very strong sermon against the misuse of indulgences last February? Some students also told me that Luther knows what Tetzel is up to and that he is going to do something about it. Look, there is Luther now.”

They look up and see Luther walking down the steps of the Augustinian Cloister. In one hand he has a large sheet of paper, in the other a hammer. He walks resolutely down the path toward the Market Place. As he passes by the students and other groups of people, he greets them cordially but does not pause to visit with them as is his usual custom. His mind is occupied with what is written on the paper and with what he is about to do. His destination is the Castle Church. After a fifteen minute walk, he reaches the main door on the north side of the building. Without hesitation he holds the sheet of paper up, and with a few hammer blows nails it to the Castle Church door.

There was really nothing that seemed unusual in what Martin Luther had done. The church door was often used as a bulletin board for notices and news items. Nor did Luther think that what he had written would arouse more than the usual interest. His message was a list of 95 theses, or statements. In them he expressed his opinion about the sale of indulgences and the forgiveness of sins.

In the introduction, he invited his fellow professors and others to debate the theses with him. Little did Luther realize that his actions on October 31, 1517, would mark the beginning of a great reformation of the church and of the return of the pure word of God to the people of the world.

https://youtu.be/ize_eiCFEg0?si=EkF2opqzulcGrkBq

Reformation Roundtable Voicechat!

Today, we will gather for a conversation to celebrate the Reformation, discuss its history, and future implications. And of course, to celebrate Luther pwning the papcy.

Sunday, Oct. 27th, 2:00 p.m. EST

Some friends of the channel joining in:
Confessional Lutheran Theology
That Ancient Faith

Click here to join the voicechat!

Got 95 Theses but a Pope ain't one

Btw if you want Luther t-shirt designs, you can take from here:

https://t.me/Augsburg1517/1058

https://youtu.be/dt5AJr0wls0?si=RnZ7Ght-Nmef7gRa