I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. John 6:47 One could preach a hundred thousand years about these words and emphasize them again and again. Yes, one can’t speak enough about these words. Here Christ explicitly promises eternal . . . Continue reading →
Martin Luther
Luther: Christ The Physician
We, on the other hand, teach and comfort an afflicted sinner this way: “Brother, it is impossible for you to become so righteous in this life that your body is as clear and spotless as the sun. You still have spots and . . . Continue reading →
Christians and Social Responsibility
It is true, however, that Luther did not normally conceive of the Christian’s social responsibility as transforming the existing structures of society. While persons can be transformed by the gospel in the kingdom of God, institutions can only be reformed by the . . . Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Luther On The Power Of The Word
These are some of our favorite Heidelquotes. Something to think about from the Heidelcast. If you are subscribed to the Heidelcast or the Heidelblog (see below) you will receive these episodes automatically. All the Episodes of the Heidelcast How To Subscribe To Heidelmedia . . . Continue reading →
Reformation Day 2022: The Antidote For A Fearful People
On reflection, it is rather amazing that an obscure Augustinian monk from a German backwater, teaching in an obscure school, was able to turn the Holy Roman Empire on its ear. Just as amazing is the fact that the greatest known powers . . . Continue reading →
Review: R. C. Sproul’s Luther and the Reformation
With his characteristic clarity and story-telling ability, R. C. Sproul’s Luther and the Reformation: How a Monk Discovered the Gospel reveals the lines of connection between the personal crises of Martin Luther’s life and the development of his theological thought. As the . . . Continue reading →
Sproul On Luther And The Reformation
Martin Luther (1483–1546) is one of the most important figures in Western history. He is one of the most important figures in world history but the probabilities are that most Christians, including those of us in the Reformation traditions, who trace our . . . Continue reading →
Merry Christmas From Martin Luther
This is a wonderful story to tell about very great men and pillars of the churches. Paul is the only one who has his eyes open and sees the sin of Peter, Barnabas, and the other Jews, who were acting insincerely along . . . Continue reading →
Part 4: What’s Going On Right Now: Sex, Race, Politics, and Power with Dr. W Robert Godfrey
In this fourth session of Bob’s Sunday school class at the Escondido URC, he explains what led to the collapse of Christendom. It began with Luther at Worms, in 1521. In his famous speech he presented a choice: to maintain Christendom, the powerful . . . Continue reading →
Luther: Find A Church Where This Is Preached Weekly
Simul Iustus Et Peccator Is Still True
Therefore, whoever is justified is still a sinner; and yet he is considered fully and perfectly righteous by God who pardons and is merciful. Martin Luther | The Disputation Concerning Justification (1536) | Luther’s Works, 34:152–53 (HT: Inwoo Lee) Resources How To . . . Continue reading →
Luther: Before The Fall We Had No Need Of Christ
Before the Fall, Adam did not need Christ, for he was righteous by his own nature, through the law of perfect nature he loved the law. But after the Fall all need Christ. Martin Luther | The Disputation Concerning Justification (October, 1536) . . . Continue reading →
Of Luther, Limbaugh, And Losers (Relax, It’s A Joke)
On this date in 1546 Martin Luther went to be with our Savior, Jesus. Yesterday, Rush Limbaugh died and we hope that he too was received into the loving arms of the Savior. Both men were in desperate need of the unconditional . . . Continue reading →
Luther Challenges The (Ana)Baptist Interpretation Of Mark 16:16
In the third place, it is said, as I also have read, that they base their faith on this verse, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” [Mark 16:16]. This they interpret to mean that no man should be baptized . . . Continue reading →
This Is Entirely Incorrect And Here Is Why
I stumbled upon this passage whilst looking for something else. It is an excellent summary of what was widely held and taught from the first half of the 19th century through the first half of the 20th century. There are more than a few Reformed, evangelical, and Lutheran folk who continue to repeat this narrative and it is one which I have been trying to overturn. Why? Because it is simply untrue. Continue reading →
The Ninety-Five Theses: Did Luther Nail Or Mail Them (Or Both)?
It is Reformation Day 2020. As far as I know, magisterial (Reformed and Lutheran) Protestants have been observing October 31 as Reformation Day since the 17th century. Longtime readers of this space will may remember my critique of October 31 as Reformation . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours: Carl Trueman On Luther As Theologian Of The Cross
There are few figures more central to the history of the West than Martin Luther (1486–1546). Without him there would have been no Reformation, or at least it would have looked very differently. The confessional Protestant churches, i.e., Lutherans and the Reformed . . . Continue reading →
Not For Others Only But For Me Also
Therefore read these words “me” and “for me” with great emphasis, and accustom yourself to accepting this “me” with a sure faith and applying it to yourself. Do not doubt that you belong to the number of those who speak this “me.” . . . Continue reading →
New In Print: Calvin—Subtle Sacramentarian Or Loyal Son? John Calvin’s Relationship To Martin Luther
In October of 1545, Heinrich von Wolfenbüttel (1489–1568), the Romanist Duke of Braunschweig-Lüneberg-Wolfenbüttel, in the process of a attempting to recover lands taken from him by the Protestant Schmalkald League (in 1542), was taken captive along with his sons. The Lutheran territories . . . Continue reading →
What Happened To Divine Immutability?
The biblical doctrine of God’s immutability says that God is always what he is. He is never any more or any less than he is. He is not becoming. He is not changing. He is utterly reliable. He is utterly perfect. He . . . Continue reading →
Video: The Glass Ceiling Cracked (How The Reformation Happened)
Video courtesy the Lynden United Reformed Church (Lynden, WA) where Bob Godfrey and I spoke earlier this month for their Reformation Conference: Luther Nailed It.