Holy Communion is not effective because of motions and rituals. We are not accomplishing something because we have acted out a tragedy.
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The New Testament teaches that the highest form of worship happens within, spiritually, in the heart. One may do all the outward, religious services but do so with a corrupt heart.
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The Word has been given to reveal God and arouse faith in him. The Sacrament of Holy Communion was instituted so that, in remembering Christ, that faith may be strengthened.
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A husband may buy his wife diamonds, flowers, and many other things, but if his word does not accompany them, it is difficult to believe for long that these are signs of his love.
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Drawing significance to professions, making divisions among ourselves, is the furthest thing from the focus of the Lord’s Supper. Christ is the emphasis of our communion. Christ is our communion.
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The human heart, harder than diamonds, is determined to have its own way. Religious matters are not exempt from our hardness of heart.
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Our sacrifices — on an altar or on the altar of life do not settle the score with God. As we have shown many times, Christ alone is the sacrifice that has reconciled God.
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The disciples gathered around their Lord, bringing nothing to the table. Christ Jesus brought it all. The disciples did nothing but receive with thankful hearts.
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"The Spiritual Realms," a nine-session Bible study on Heaven and Hell and other places beyond this world
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Besides the odious practice of marketing Christ’s body and blood, this commerce is based upon selfish desires, largely the freeing of departed loved ones from a place that does not exist.
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Holy Communion is the privilege of those who truly participate in the body and blood of Christ. This participation is genuine fellowship in the communion of saints, else it is a mockery.
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There is false security in performing a ritual, or in it being performed for us, expecting that it has some spiritual value just because the ceremony is done. It is not enough to come to the altar to eat and drink a bit of bread and wine.
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We cannot work our way to God. We cannot do so morally or religiously. Imagine someone saying, I’m good enough now to be forgiven my badness.
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The religious works of others on our behalf can no more kill or mortify us than make us alive again or quickened. The work worked by them, though perhaps very satisfying to the eye and ear, remains the work of a human being.
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Either Christ is the full and final atonement for the sins of the world, or he is not. In the latter case, two things are true.
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Paul tells us all that is required to be reconciled to God. All things in heaven and earth are brought peace and consolation through the blood of Christ alone. Through faith...
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God had a plan — from the beginning. You see it spread before you as early as the book of Genesis. He made a covenant with Abraham in order to bless the nations through the Lion of tribe of Judah.
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Here is a collection of verses and links to all the online jigsaw puzzles used in our devotions and worship pages, as well puzzles made from Luther quotes.
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God had a plan—from the beginning. You see it spread before you as early as the book of Genesis. He made a covenant with Abraham in order to bless the nations through the Lion of tribe of Judah.
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Jesus Christ is the only high priest able to stand between you and God. As such, he is called our “great high priest” by the writer of Hebrews. Because Jesus is our high priest, we are able to make the good confession. That confession is that he is the Christ, the one whose sacrifice has made the difference.
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What is it that proclaims the gospel? That thing belongs in our services of worship. The Sacraments proclaim the gospel on the deepest level. “Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” clearly “speak” the good news of Christ among us.
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The Lutherans believed (and believe) that we have no need of an intermediary in order to receive the benefits of Holy Communion. Christ is our intermediary. We only need his grace.
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We have been saved by God’s grace — not by our good works or offerings of money or service. This salvation happens through faith in Christ. It is that simple.
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Faith in Christ, in what he has done for us, is so important because it always makes us look to the source of forgiveness and salvation. Anything that turns our attention away from him must be avoided altogether.
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Repentance does not mean that we must go and do something to overturn God’s anger. Repetition of prayers and good deeds do not effect God’s forgiveness.
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The desolating sacrilege that Daniel referred to is not about decorations, ceremony, and other external matters. God is instead, teaching us internal, spiritual matters through Daniel’s prophecy: to keep faith...
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The good news of Jesus Christ comes to us in preaching. We must hear it; then God gives us faith. But the Word must truly be heard in this proclamation, with all that “hearing” means.
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Whether it is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, or grace, forgiveness, and eternal life under consideration, God’s gifts are just that: gifts. He gives freely to all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
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The Lutheran Reformers taught that there are two basic types of kingdoms in the world: the first, spiritual, the second, temporal. The Church at the time of the Reformation held — and wielded — both powers.
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We should not go through the motions of religious ceremony, for this is vanity and hypocrisy. Ritualism without understanding is foolishness.
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Look to Abraham. Was his putting the knife to Isaac the sacrifice God desired? No; that was a test, not a real sacrifice. The true sacrifice was Abraham’s faith in God.
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