By Paul Philp A new church year has begun, and the prophet Isaiah gives us a glimpse of the future new creation by focusing us upon the past. Isaiah is prophesying about that which is yet to come in the restoration of the church, begun in Christ’s first advent and yet to be concluded in his second advent. ..
Editor’s Note: The Fall issue of the Concordia Journal is now being distributed to our subscribers. This issue is dedicated to various perspectives on ecumenism and church relations, including an essay by the important Luther scholar and Roman Catholic ecumenist, Fr. Jared Wicks, S.J. Our own Charles Arand provides a helpful introduction, highlighting the timeliness of ..
The fourth video in a series of FAQs on Luther’s two kinds of righteousness: How does the distinction of two kinds of righteousness help clarify sanctification?
We don’t need to be – and really can’t afford to be — independent islands, working only in our own contexts, cultures, and circles
By Bruce M. Hartung An encouragement when preparing to preach on this text, the Epistle assigned for the Last Sunday of the Church Year: Read aloud and meditate on all the assigned readings for the day, praying that the Holy Spirit will enlighten and move you with the truth of the Scriptures which you are reading and on ..
The first day of the “Listening to God’s Word” theological symposium at the Lutherische Theologische Hochschule, Oberursel, focused on “Historical Approaches” to the text, using Genesis 1 and Matt 14:22-33 as test cases. The symposium’s goal is not to “settle” right and wrong interpretations, but to discuss together different ways that the biblical texts are studied. The ..
The third video in a series of FAQs on Luther’s two kinds of righteousness: How does the distinction of two kinds of righteousness help clarify grace and forgiveness?
“And behold, a lawyer stood up to put Jesus to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” (Luke 10:25-26). It is possible to know and read the Scriptures—yet not understand them. The teacher of the ..
By Rick Marrs Since becoming a seminary professor, I have been unpleasantly surprised at the number of lay people who have told me that they do not believe their parish pastor is working very hard. Note that this is their perception, and is not necessarily truth. They have said things like, “Our pastor preaches and teaches on Sunday ..
By David I. Lewis Overview In 2 Thessalonians 2 the Apostle Paul discusses matters of eschatology as he exhorts the church in Thessalonica not to be disturbed by false teachings that said that the day of the Lord had already come. He quells these fears by pointing out what must take place first, namely the apostasy and revelation ..
The second video in a series of FAQs on Luther’s two kinds of righteousness: Where did Luther get the distinction of two kinds of righteousness?
The first video in a series of FAQs on Luther’s two kinds of righteousness: Introduction, and Is the distinction of two kinds of righteousness biblical?
By Kent Burreson Looking Forward to the Family Reunion Certain feast days in the church calendar have a decidedly baptismal focus: Epiphany, the Baptism of our Lord, the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday, Pentecost, the Presentation of our Lord, and . . . All Saints’ Day. All Saints’ Day focuses upon the lives of all ..
By Bruce Schuchard The church’s celebration, its regular remembrance, of seminal events––like the Reformation––happens so that the faithful might be encouraged to remember and never to forget what the faithful must never forget. Thus, the chief, the simplest, the most fundamental, articles of the faith are the focus, so that the faithful might remain grounded, ..
In the Word from Concordia Seminary is a unique, complete electronic Bible study-in-a-box. All the materials you need to facilitate the Bible study topic are downloadable – the Student study sheets, the Leader Guides, and the video presentations. This series, “Isaiah’s Ancient Song for Today: The Servant Suffers for Straying Sheep,” is presented by Dr. ..
