The Gifts of God
Comments on Galatians with an ear to Luther’s commentary
Scripture Text: Galatians 3:2 and Ephesians 1:11-14
Series: Comments on Galatians
The gifts of God always come through his mercy and grace — not because we deserve them or earned them. This is the point that Paul continues to make. To illustrate this very thing, Luther says elsewhere that we are brought into the Church by the Holy Spirit through hearing and continuing to hear the Word of God (Large Catechism, II 52). For example, if we think that we are members of Christ’s Body, the Church, because we got up and walked down the aisle one Sunday and joined, we could not be more mistaken. I am a member of Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church in Salisbury, North Carolina, because my name is in the register. But I am a member of Christ’s Church because his Holy Spirit called me through the Word of God. I remain a member of his Church because I still hear that Word — not because I did anything. God is the doer; I am the receiver.
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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.
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