Concerning the Marriage of Priests – part 53
Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Scripture Text: 1 Peter 1:24–25
Series: Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Click for a recording of today's lesson.
From the Confessions: The Defense of the Augsburg Confession
They defend a law that is godless and destructive to good morals with false arguments like these. With such reasons they set the minds of princes firmly against God’s judgment, who will hold them accountable for dissolving marriages, and for torturing and killing priests. Do not doubt that, as the blood of Abel cried out in death (Genesis 4:10), so the blood of many good men, against whom they have unjustly raged, will also cry out. God will avenge this cruelty. Then you will discover how vacuous our opponents’ reasons are, and you will perceive that in God’s judgment, no slander against God’s Word will stand, as Isaiah says, “All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field” (Isaiah 40:6).
Pulling It Together
Only God’s Word will abide. Our idle arguments will wither, our fine words and reasoning fall with the flowers at the end of summer. As they wither and fall, God’s glory will appear in full bloom before us. It was there all along but obscured by the high-standing hedges of our lofty intellects.
Prayer: Lord, have mercy. Amen
Share this post
Author
Rev. Dr. Mark E. Ryman has served as Pastor for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Salisbury, NC, since 2021. Previously, Pastor Ryman served congregations in North Carolina and Ohio, as well as a call to specialized ministry with Sola Publishing.
Click Here For Content Archives