Galatians 1:10-24, pt.1
Am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ. Gal. 1:10
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Martin Luther
Galatians 1:1-9, pt.1
Whereas Romans and Galatians cover the same subject matter, in the former Paul employs a loftier discourse and more sophisticated arguments, and in the latter, he addresses those who are “senseless” and “foolish” and adopts a style appropriate for censure and not instruction.
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Galatians – Being Good without the Law
The discussion tonight is to help us articulate how we reach moral conclusions of right and wrong. Dr. Sosis will give us some contemporary paradigms to think through what it means to be moral and how to discover that which God has impressed upon our conscious.
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Luther’s Christmas Sermons: Herod, Wise Men, and the Presentation, pt.2
In the Presentation, Simeon, an ordinary man, takes Jesus in his arms and praises God for the coming Messiah. The priests, however, who performed the purification ritual under the Law (Lev. 12) failed to recognize who was in their presence. They simply took their fee and moved on. A common man recognized the Messiah, while the religious leaders were blind to him. For us, the question is when do we do the same?
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Romans 6, pt.1
If we seek righteousness through our obedience, once we fail, then justice demands our punishment. But if we seek righteousness through Christ and his victory, then righteousness is immediately ours. And in this reckoning of righteousness, we rejoice not in works, but in the goodness of God.
Romans 1:1-17, pt.2
Under the New Persepctive, the question Paul answers is not “What must I do to be saved?” but “How do the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus fit into God’s continuing faithfulness to the promises he made to Abraham to bless all people and all creation through his seed (Gen 12:3)?”
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The Great Divorce, Ch.4-6, pt.2
But He cannot defend this deity of His against the self-righteous people who are unwilling to accept grace and eternal life from Him freely but want to earn it by their own works. They simply want to rob Him of the glory of His deity. – Martin Luther
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The Creed – He Ascended . . . , pt.1
The paradigm that this portion of the Creed adopts is that of Jesus as a victorious conquering King. In the Resurrection he defeats death, and in the Ascension he is elevated to his position of kingly power and authority.
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The Beatitudes – Rejoicing Through Persecution, pt.1
When we look at this final beatitude, Jesus does not call all persecution “blessed.” Rather, it is only that persecution that arises out of a righteousness grounded in interpersonal relationships and the rights and duties we owe to one another and to God.
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The Beatitudes – Making Peace, pt.1
Here the Lord honors those who find pleasure in diligently trying to make peace, not only so far as they are themselves concerned, but also among other people, that they may help to settle ugly and tangled disputes, endure contention, guard against and prevent war and bloodshed. – Martin Luther
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