The Three Cs

If the Mass is a promise, as has been said, then access to it is to be gained , not with any works, or powers, or of one's own, but by faith alone. For where there is the Word of the promising God, there must necessarily be the faith of the accepting man. It is plain therefore, that the beginning of our salvation is a faith which clings to the Word of the promising God, who, without any effort on our part, in free and unmerited mercy takes the initiative and offers us the word of his promise. "He sent forth his word, and thus healed them," not: "He accepted our work, and thus healed us." First of all there is God's Word. After it follows faith; after faith, love; then love does every good work, for it does no wrong, indeed, it is the fulfilling of the law (Rom. 13:10). In no other way can man come to God and deal with him than through faith. That is to say, that the author of salvation is not man, by any works of his own, but God, through his promise; and t...

Lutheran Satire asks, why does Pope Francis keep saying things that make it sound like the Catholic Church doesn't teach what the Catholic Church teaches? Because, dude, like, mellow out, man.

But you shall kill him. Your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. (Deut. 13:9) I always struggle when I read all of the law: They can seem like such harsh words. Yes, they can be quite beautiful, too. Some of them even seem easy to obey: Laws like Deuteronomy 6:5 -- You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. That doesn't sound so onerous, does it? We love to love, don't we? Loving God, who created everything? Praise be to God! What a wondrous creation we live in. It's easy to love the God who gave us majestic mountains and spacious skies and amber waves of grain. Right? Then we hit Deuteronomy 13:9. You shall kill him, the Lord declares. Your hand shall be first against him to put him to death. And then the people must join in. Stone the fool. Stone him. Kill him, the one who leads you astray, who leads you away from loving the Lord, your God, with...

What do you want with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time? In case you've missed it, I write a lot about believing in God. (OK, that's an understatement; it is what I write about). Believe, is my reminder. Set your hope in Jesus. Have faith that the one you have not seen is real, that the stories you read about him are true. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and strength. Of course, I am not just reminding you; I am reminding myself, in a large part because of today's passage. You realize, demons believe in Jesus, don't you? Oh, wait? Demons are real, you ask? Of course they are real! Why would we need a savior if there are no demons? Yes, demons are very real; they really do possess people; they are going to hell, and they know it. And they want to take you and me with them. Demons are intimately aware of who Jesus is. In fact, they not only recognized the son of Joseph and Mary, they recognized him as the W...

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’" I had struggled with today's passage for a long time. But it dawned on me, I had been misunderstanding these words at the end of Jesus' sermon on the mount. I kept reading this passage and hearing the 'Lord, Lord,' as though these were people who had faith in God. I mean, who would prophesy, who would cast out demons, who would do mighty works ... if they didn't believe? Right? But that isn't what Christ is noting here. Read the words, again. "Did  we  not ... do this." They aren't expressing their faith in God. They are praising themselves. Look at me...

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. No one likes to be called ungodly. (Well, at least most people don't like it; I am sure you, like me, have met some profoundly proud atheists at one time.) But ungodly living is so unbecoming. Most of us don't like to be around arrogant people. We don't like heartlessness. We condemn ruthlessness, senselessness, those who harm the innocent. We rightfully take offense at boastful blasphemers. And let's be honest, who likes to be around drunks all the time ? Of course, you know the truth, don't you? You know you are just like that. Maybe not all the time ... maybe not even most of the time ... maybe rarely ... but we are all  like that. There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. (Romans 3:10-11) Yes, it's true: We are all  like that. Ungodly. Unrighteous. Yes, ...

Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. I made a horrible mistake. For the longest time I thought godliness was something that came from me. Godliness, one dictionary will tell you, is a piety by virtue of being a godly person, or having a righteousness by virtue of being pious, or devout, or reverent. Therefore, if I am pious; therefore, if I am doing something righteous; therefore if I am being reverent, then I am living a godly life, the dictionary will tell you. Apparently, the people who wrote the definition haven't read the Bible. God has revealed a mystery to us here: Godliness isn't something you do. Godliness is something God does through you. Listen to the words of Timothy, again, as God reveals the mystery. The mystery of godliness is Jesus was manifested in the flesh (Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:35); Th...

Vices and carnal sins must be trampled down, beloved brothers, and the corrupting plague of the earthly body must be trodden underfoot with spiritual vigor, lest, while we are turning back again to the conversation of the old man, we become entangled in deadly snares, even as apostle, with foresight and wholesomeness, forewarned us and said: "So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God" (Romans 8:12-14). If we are the sons of God; if we are already beginning to be His temples; if, having received the Holy Spirit, we are living holy and spiritually; if we have raised our eyes to heaven; if we have lifted our hearts, filled with God and Christ, to things above and divine, let us do nothing but what is worthy of God and Christ, even as the apostle arouses ...

I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. I don't understand why people willfully reject the truth. We preach it to our children from the first day they can speak: Always tell the truth. Our courts make us swear, to God no less, to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, and we send people to jail for failing to do so. We know the consequences of untruth, of half truth, of white lies can be severe. People get hurt. So what exactly is truth? Socrates gave us a mouthful in defining it, when he said, "To say of what is that it is not, or of what is not that it is, is false, while t...

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. In my last post, I challenged the idea that Jesus never said he was God, by laying out from just the first eight chapters of John how in fact he did say he was. The Jews knew what Jesus was saying, and they wanted to stone him; they just didn't get the chance. And if you will listen to Jesus' words today, you will hear him say it clearly. Today, we have what I think is the most powerful testimony yet, the Father and the Son ar...

Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” Some people seem to think Jesus never said he was God, so therefore they don't believe in him. Oh, it's true that Jesus, the King of the Jews, never said anything like, "Kneel before the Lord your maker! Kneel before me, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! I am God!" But make no mistake: Jesus did say he was God. In fact, from today's ...

He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. It's been too long since I wrote. But today I couldn't resist this. I love discovering great passages of Scripture. Most of you are likely more familiar with the more famous passages of John 3: Jesus' discourse with Nicodemus. Today, though, I flew right through that and landed on this section, where John the Baptist exalts the Christ to a Jew who had questions about purification. I can...

From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: ‘Go to this people, and say, “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ " Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”

You have been bought with the blood of God; you are redeemed by the Passion of Christ. For your sake He suffered death, that you might die to your sins. His face endured spitting, that you might shrink from scorn. He drank vinegar and gall, that you might be set apart from wrath. He received stripes on His body, that you might not fear suffering. If you are truly His servant, fear your holy Lord. If you are truly His disciple, walk in your Master's footsteps. Endure scorn from your brother, that you may be the companion of Christ. Show no anger against man, that you are not separated from your Redeemer. -- Ephraim Syrus

For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): “I am the Lord, and there is no other. I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain.’ I the Lord speak the truth; I declare what is right. “Assemble you rselves and come; draw near together, you survivors of the nations! They have no knowledge who carry about their wooden idols, and keep on praying to a god that cannot save. Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me. “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word...

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.  Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?  Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?  Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?  Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—  just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?    Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.  And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.”  So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

One will scarcely die for a righteous person — though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die — but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,  fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.  That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.”  But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone,  but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord,  who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

"Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.   By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: "To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance."   "Only in the Lord , it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength; to him shall come and be ashamed all who were incensed against him.   In the Lord all the offspring of Israel shall be justified and shall glory."

The Supreme Court, You and Me, and the Future of Marriage | Public Discourse Yesterday's most important developments in that broadest struggle, of course, did not happen at a marble courthouse in Washington, but in a million minds and hearts and households across the country, as people chose in ways great and small to honor—or not—the demanding ideals of marriage and family, and community. As champions of civil society, we always knew that. Yet it would be naive to deny the law's effect on those ideals. That's why the courthouse matters—and why we must keep up our witness to the truth about marriage, by word and deed, until it is safely beyond judicial overreach.

Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father," for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

Upholding Marriage: God’s Plan and Gift | LCMS News and Articles As Christians, we proclaim this truth, no matter what the courts or legislatures may say. We are called not to popularity but to truth.  Therefore, we call on our fellow Christians to be faithful first to God’s Word, knowing that another court is ultimately supreme.

And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them,  saying,  "We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you  intend to bring this man's blood upon us."  But Peter and the apostles answered,  "We must obey God rather than men."

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. I have been slacking the past week. I know I have had time to blog, but for whatever reason I just didn't want to. Nonetheless, I have been thinking about doing today's theme for some time, like I do on my Facebook page: That is, post a verse of the day from my readings. I was going to put this off until I finished Revelation next week, but then I heard a wonderful sermon from Ephesians by Pastor Jeff Schwarzentraub (harvestdenver.org), who reminded me again, who reminded all of us again: Don't be ashamed to preach the Gospel. Tell all the world the good news that Jesus Christ died for your sins. Tell all the world that Jesus Christ is risen; he is risen indeed! Alleluia! Tell all the world the good news that all who believe ARE forgiven. Tell all the world! If you don't, who will? What's holdi...

Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded. If you are a regular Bible reader, I am sure you must have looked quizzically at the title of this post and my Bible reference. The title is James 1:22. So, what's with the Proverbs reference, you ask? Yesterday, I had lunch with a Christian friend of mine who has been struggling with his faith, struggles that have him occasionally wondering if he is really saved. Maybe I am doing too much, he says. Maybe I am not doing enough. Maybe I don't really believe. Maybe my faith is dead. Passages like those in James have a way of doing that to every Christian. Do not merely listen to the Word, James writes, do as it says (James 1:22 NIV). Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? (James 2:20 ESV) For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it (James 2:10 NIV). Am I really goo...

I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. I don't know anyone who will agree with Paul on this passage. Really, Paul? Worst of sinners? I know you stoned Christians for confessing that Jesus is Lord, that you are a murderer (Acts 8:1), persecutor (1 Cor 15:9), and worst of all, blasphemer (Matt. 12:31; Lev. 24:15-16). But the worst of sinners? Really? I ...

I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. I have always been fascinated by the illustrations of light in the Bible. You know, God is light, right? Evil hates the light, because it exposes our dark deeds. We turn away from the light of the Word that became flesh because we cherish our sinful pleasures. In darkness, we learn to indulge in our selfishness, in our passions, in our debauchery, in our drunkenness, eventually losing sight of real life in God, the life was the light of men (John 1:4). And so in today's reading I couldn't help but spend a lot of time here in chapter 26. But unlike some of my previous studies of light, I was captivated by Paul's account of his conversion. This is the third time in Acts of the Apostles we hear the story of Saul's journey to Damascus. The first time...

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel — not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. I need to thank Pastor Ted Benson for today's sermon first. This entry is really just an extension of God's message through him today. But what a liberating message it was: Jesus plus nothing equals the true gospel. And it really is a reinforcement for my reading today, Acts 13-16. It is so easy to get caught in the snares of Satan. Believe, but if you don't study, you aren't saved, Satan will tell you. Believe, but if you don't speak in tongues, you aren't saved, he will tell you. Believe, but if you don't follow God's law, you aren't saved, he will tell you. Believe, but if you are sexually immoral, if you are a hater, if you are not devout, if you do this, if you don't do that, then you aren't saved...

To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives  forgiveness of sins through his name. Today's passage reminds me, you can't hear this message enough. Everyone who believes in Jesus receives forgiveness of sins through his name. You caught that, right? Everyone! Not some believers. Everyone! As Peter reminds us through Luke's account of the early years after Pentecost, God has promised. He didn't just promise here. He promised Abraham (Gen. 15:6). More than that, Jesus himself promised.  Don't be afraid, just believe. Mark 5:36 I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward. Mark 9:41 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. Mark 16:16 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one an...

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. God bless my pastor, Joe Meyer, for going somewhere on Sunday few would be brave enough to do. Today is Memorial Day. Yesterday, all across the United States, churches no doubt took pause, like mine, to remember those who laid done their lives in defense of our great nation. I am sure most, like mine, sang patriotic hymns, and said prayers for the families of the men and women who made the "ultimate sacrifice" for our nation. Being Memorial Day, I suppose it's common for pastors to preach, too, on one of the great passages of Scripture, John 15:13, reminding us of the incomparable Gospel. "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." Those sermons undoubtedly went something like this: Those of us who believe are Jesus' friends. And Jesus died for us. He allowed God ...

Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For  if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.  But the Scripture  imprisoned everything under sin, so that  the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given  to those who believe.  Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law,  imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. He is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! I really needed to hear this passage yesterday, and today, and I am sure tomorrow, too. It captures the amazing truth of the Word! Believe the good news: Jesus Christ is risen, the miracle of miracles! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Paul's letter to the Galatians is so incredibly important. Too often we get bogged down in the Law, which reminds us of our failures. We should read Galatians frequently because Paul spells out our salvation in such simple terms: We are saved by faith, not works! Je...

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? I What or whom do I fear most? In what or whom do I trust most for financial security, physical safety, or emotional support? Do I fear God's wrath and therefore avoid every sin? Is my love of God evident in my daily life? Do I expect only good from God in every situation, or do I worry, doubt, complain, or feel unfairly treated when things go wrong? II Does the Gospel adorn my daily speech and conduct, or do I curse, speak carelessly, or misuse Go'd name? Have I kept all the vows I have made in the Lord's name? Am I diligent and sincere in my prayers, or have I been lazy, bored or distracted? Do I trust that the Lord God will answer them according to His good and gracious will? III Do I despise the Word by neglect or by paying little or no attention when it is read or preached? Am I faithful in the Divine Service, or do I attend sporadically, prefer...

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. I won't have a lot of time to spend blogging in the next couple of weeks; I am taking a minimester in psychology at ICC through the end of May to pick up what I hope are the final three social science hours I need to qualify academically at Concordia Seminary. If you have never taken a minimester (this is my first), well, understand tha...

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. You can't read this passage too much. I don't know about you, but I always get excited when I know I am near 1 Corinthians 13, which I first memorized as an eighth-grader at Concordia Lutheran School in Peoria, thirty-plus years ago. It's a great reminder of God's nature, and unfortunately, mine. Love is patient, love is kind. Too frequently, I am not. It does not envy, it does not boast. Yes, I do. It is not proud, it does not dishonor others. I am a United States Marine Corps veteran! And yes, I have dishonored. It is not self-seeking or easily angered. I have been. It keeps no record of wrongs. Sigh. Love does not delight in...

Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? I have written about this passage recently. But today, I am not taking a course you might expect as the country debates the front-and-center issues of our day: homosexuality, same-sex marriage, over-the-counter birth control pills for children. Although these are important topics that Christians have been discussing for more than 2,000 years, we clearly aren't the first people living in a place consumed by immorality. The folks of Corinth, Greece, had, at one time, a temple with 1,000 sacred prostitutes serving in the name of religion. No doubt sexual immorality is as rampant today in our culture as idolatry, adultery, theft, greed, debauchery. But as I was exploring this passage, I couldn't get past the realization of Hosea 4 as it relates here. Hear the Word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land; "There is no faithfulness, no lov...

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. God chose you. Maybe you were influential. Maybe you were of noble birth. Maybe you are wise or strong. But you are probably more like me, neither influential, nor noble, nor wise, nor strong. If you know anything about me, you know I certainly have nothing in which to boast. That's the beauty of today's passage. God chose you and me to believe. I am a despicable sinner. But we have been saved (John 3:17)! Praise God from whom all blessings flow. God has chosen you and me to believe (1 Cor. 1:30; Rom. 5:1-2; Phil. 3:9; Eph. 2...

Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith — to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.  I wonder what I would be doing today if, 29 years ago, I hadn't spiraled out of control with my education at Southern Illinois University. Would I have become a United States Marine or a journalist? Would I have met my wife, Valerie, adopted her first son and raised three more children with her? Don't get me wrong: I am thankful for the paths I took. Especially now. I completed my Associate in Arts and Science in liberal arts at Illinois Central College today. Just about two years ago, I looked at my future at the newspaper, as the industry wa...

For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you. I am always amazed at the Word I read every day. On every page, in every iota of every i, I can't get past the truth of God. Did you hear it in today's verse? I first heard it today in a big A-ha moment (Rom. 9:13) that I may explain some other day. Then the Word rang out repeatedly -- almost as if the church bells struck 24 times because it was midnight -- through Romans 9-12. If you are puzzled where I am going with this, I will spell it out for you. B.E.L.I.E.V.E. Every day God calls us to believe. Believe the Word. Believe in the Word. Believe in God. Believe in Christ. Believe that Jesus is the Christ. Believe that Jesus died for you. Believe that he is risen, he is risen indeed! Believe that you have been justified. Believe that you are being sanctified. Believe, and be saved. "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That...

I am not ashamed of the gospel ... Say it with me again: "I am not ashamed of the gospel." So why are so many of us ashamed? Why are so many of us unwilling to stand up for truth? Why are so many of us willingly abandoning the Word of God? How sad are these questions. For the record, the gospel is the good news: Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world, lay in a tomb for three days, defeated death, and raised himself from the grave for all believers. Today, everyone who believes this good news, this gospel from God, will receive eternal life in the light of love! And yet Christians around the world continue to abandon this good news, this gospel from God. How, you ask? We continue to deny sin. Haven't you heard: There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good (Psalm 14). Their throats are open graves; their tongues practi...