You will find the church wherever two or more are gathered in the name of Jesus, that is, with faith in him, teaching the gospel, and administering the sacraments.
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Jesus was clear on this matter when he was brought before Pilate. His kingdom is not of this world. It is not temporal but instead, spiritual.
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Jesus was clear on this matter when he was brought before Pilate. His kingdom is not of this world. It is not temporal but instead, spiritual.
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As worshipers come forward for Holy Communion, many pause at the baptismal font, place their fingers in the water, and make the sign of the cross on their forehead.
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All those who by nature were born Jews, or Abraham’s seed, were given the law so that they might be an example to the nations of how God would have people live.
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The Body of Christ is not an organization that merely goes through the motions of ceremonies. The Church has gifts in the heart, namely, the Holy Spirit and faith.
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The “house of the righteous,” the church, is infiltrated by the wicked. Sometimes, they seem petty, though they are aggravating and ungodly.
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When we perceive the threat to the Church — a threat that exists both from within and without — we can be led to despair of her continued existence.
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We believe in the Church. This is the congregation of those who believe in Christ. They are spread throughout the ages — past, present, and future.
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So we must be careful to confess that sinful people, such as ourselves, become righteous and holy only through the grace of God.
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We deplore the condition of some church bodies, that they have abandoned the Word of God for culturally correct beliefs. Yet, we should not complain overly much.
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Some people attend church because they were raised to do so. They give no thought to faith; it is simply the right thing to do.
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Nearly 40 years ago, a half dozen people from a local cult attended my church, trying to get people to follow their false god.
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Jesus did not come into the world to teach sinners how to save themselves. “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”
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Declaring that a Christian’s deeds are required for justification and salvation both denies Christ and leaves the believer in despair
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The disciples were in hiding, very likely imagining that they were next, that the authorities would come for them too. They had crucified the Lord; what would they do to his followers?
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Surely, it is thought, there must be something we must do. This is the seed of religion and heresy, for faith knows that we can do nothing.
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It is human nature to imagine that we can buy our way out of problems. The person caught speeding, therefore, pays the court to keep the offense off the books so that insurance rates will not increase
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Let us continue to keep Christ at the center of all things. The promised Messiah, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin from the lineage of kings, suffered, was crucified and buried for our sins.
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The ability to love God is not something that we are born with or that we can develop on our own with this fallen nature of ours. In order to love God, one must first be born again.
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Jesus rebuked the Pharisees because they valued their own traditions more than God’s commandments, so we must be careful to evaluate those things that we believe and do.
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It is easy for us to confuse the plain sense of things. Sometimes we need someone to come in to our midst and cut to the chase.
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Lift up the shield of faith in Christ every time the devil attacks. Do not trust your thinking and your doing. Trust Christ, who is your shield.
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Justification, righteousness, and salvation are not only received by faith, these gifts of God are preserved for us to the end of time.
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If we go to church, feed the hungry, and buy coats and mittens for the poor, but have no faith in the God who calls us to do such things, do those good works save?
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Jesus satisfied God’s requirement of keeping the law perfectly. Moreover, he paid the penalty for the sins of those who cannot keep the commandments.
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The living grace of God is Jesus Christ. There is no salvation available to us without this grace. There is no grace without Jesus Christ.
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We cannot reason our way to righteousness. Who has been able to say, “In this way, I shall be a good person” and been successful in the enterprise?
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Justification is that obedience to the gospel that hears and believes, that trusts God’s promise. Sanctification is the obedience that results from such faith.
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Lasting peace with God comes through faith. Our deeds can make us feel good for a while but that feeling is not only false, it does not last.
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Yes, God wants our good works, but he earnestly desires our hearts. Works that are done with an unbelieving, faithless heart are not good works; they are hypocritical.
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