The Radical Gospel

Lutheran Theology by Steven D. Paulson

2011-04-21T17:05:00.000-07:00

Without a preacher there is no good news, no gospel, and so no distinction between law & gospel. The arrival of a preacher is the sine qua for faith, since "faith comes by hearing" and no one can hear without a preacher (Romans 10). (p. 27)

Who then is the "self" that God gives? He is not the law-not even the glorious outpouring of love that inspires others to love-God's self giving is His son Jesus Christ, so that God's essence is verbal, sacramental, and Christological: "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself." (2 Cor. 5) (p. 53)

Faith is not a thought, although thinking follows it; it is not a feeling, though the feeling of comfort emerges from it; neither is faith a virtue or moral act. Faith is not glory; it gives no power in the world, it guarantees no success or relief from suffering-indeed suffering increase with faith. What faith does , however, is give unshakeable certainty, the very kind that human works fruitlessly seek, since they place trust in something other than Christ's promise of the forgiveness of sins. All else in life fails to bring peace or release from anxiety and uncertainty because everything besides Christ's promises is in the process of being destroyed by God. (p. 132)

Free To Be by Gerhard Forde & James Nestingen

2010-11-01T19:34:00.000-07:00

At the same time , the First Commandment sums up the whole gospel. It is God's promise, the announcement of the decision that God has made for you and each of us in Christ. This is the promise Paul declares in Rom. 8:31 when he asks, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Because God is for us, Paul goes on to say, nothing "in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39). p. 14

You are called both holy and a saint because the word the Spirit speaks to you in the church is Christ's word of forgiveness. It is pronounced each sunday in your congregation and can be spoken to you anytime you want to hear it. "Your sin is forgiven for Jesus' sake," the pastor says. Though the exacting word may vary, whenever words such as these are spoken, Christ is at work to make them work. p.111

"That's how the old sinner in us dies. God kills the old you each day with kindness. The God of grace keeps showering you with promises and gifts until finally the old you just plain dies of it. It happens as the Spirit working through the Word enables you to say, " I don't have to impress God anymore or prove that I can take care of myself. I can count on God to keep the word. I repent-you are the Lord. Do what you think is best." p. 170

Daily Office Readings

2010-09-11T09:33:00.000-07:00

Daily Office Readings is a collection of Scriptures designed to take you through 90% of the Bible within a 2 year cycle. The 4 volume set is a great resource to keep you rooted in God's word and is very easy to use and keep up with. Highly recommended for pastors. The link takes you to one book. Could not find it sold as a four volume set. However, just search around on amazon and you should be able to acquire the full 4 volume set.

Freedom in Response by Oswald Bayer

2010-09-11T09:17:00.000-07:00

"But when we are immediately led to ask what is meant exactly by the Word that founded and maintains the Church. It can only be the Word that is the presence of Jesus Christ, communicated humanly in the word of baptism, the word of the Lord's Supper ("This is my body given for you') and in the unconditional word of absolution: 'I totally absolve you from all your sins. You are free', or 'Do not be afraid'...The infallible Word creates a faith which is certain-mpre certain than all the experience in life which contradicts it." p. 253

Getting the Gospel Right: Assessing the Reformation and New Perspectives on Paul

2010-03-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

"By means of his suffering and death on the cross, Christ bore the penalty and suffered the curse of the law on behalf of his people. Christ satisfied God's justice by his endurance of the condemnation and death that properly are due to those who violate the law of God. Furthermore, by means of his obedience and fulfillment of all the requirements of the law, Christ, met all the demands of righteousness on their behalf. Christ alone, upon the basis of his obedience to and satisfaction of the law's demands, secures the justification of his people." (p. 13)

"When believers are united to Christ through faith, they come to participate in all the benefits of his saving work. Faith is the 'empty hand' by which believers acknowledge and receive all that Christ has accomplished for them." (p.83)

In the setting of the argument of Romans, therefore, justification language refers to God's act of granting believers a status of favour and righteousness on account of the work of Christ. Justification is all about the forgiveness of sins and the granting of a new status of righteousness in Christ to otherwise guilty, condemnable sinners. Paul's teaching about justification is not simply about 'who is a member of the covenant', but it goes to the deeper issue of 'who has a right to stand before God, despite his sin and unworthiness.'" (p. 79)

Luther: An Introduction to His Thought by Gerhard Ebeling

2009-12-18T08:46:00.000-08:00

"Theology- in the specific sense of Christian theology-is only meaningful at all for the purpose of preaching. 'Preaching' here must be taken in a very broad sense, or more accurately, in the very exact, real and consequently very comprehensive sense of the word which is spoken and must be spoken, in concrete circumstances, for Jesus Christ's sake. Only when we have something to say for Jesus Christ's sake, appealing to him, and speaking in his name, which means speaking with an authority received from him, is there any point in theology. And the distinction between the law and the gospel is only the central issue of theology because it is concerned with what is the true word of Christian preaching...Christian preaching is the process in which the distinction between the law and the gospel takes place." (p.116-117)

The Lutheran Study Bible

2009-12-08T16:26:00.000-08:00

This must be the year for great study bibles. THE LSB is a tad bit more Christ centered than the ESV Study Bible. Overall, my number 1 pick for best study bible in 2009.

www.cph.org has more cover styles.

The Spirituality of the Cross by Gene Edward Veith

2009-08-12T17:01:00.000-07:00

"Our relationship to God is not determined by our good works (since those with a sinful nature can never have enough of them to earn anything before God)- what we need rather, is forgiveness for our sins and the perfect good works of Jesus Christ. But our relationship to our neighbors is determined by our good works, which themselves are only made possible by God working through us. " p. 78

"The means of grace through which the Holy Spirit works on us to create faith and spiritual growth are evangelical. That is they bear the Gospel of forgiveness through Christ. They do not work as talismans to make the rain fall or our business successful (though we can pray for such things). Their purpose is to communicate grace, the unmerited favor of God that grants eternal life." p. 50

Special Announcement: New Additions to Luther's Works 56-75

2009-07-20T07:20:00.000-07:00

Luther’s Works American Edition, New Additions to Series (www.cph.org/luthersworks)

Volumes 56-75

Concordia Publishing House is embarking on a monumental project to publish more of Luther’s Works. Currently there are fifty-five volumes in the Luther’s Works series comprising only about one-third of Luther’s writings. The new series is an expansion of the existing American Edition, not a replacement for it. Twenty new volumes for the American Edition of Luther’s Works are planned with the first volume scheduled to appear in late 2009.

Volumes will come out once a year, not necessarily in numerical order. This will begin with volume 69 (John 17-20)

Please call Concordia Publishing House 1-800-325-3040 for more information.

The Hammer of God by Bo Giertz

2009-05-24T20:45:00.000-07:00

"But why, then, have I not received a clean heart?"

"That you might learn to love Jesus...I mean, Johannes, that if you had received a clean heart and for that reason had been able to earn salvation-to what end would you then need the Savior? If the law could save a single one of us, Jesus would surely not have needed to die on the cross. 'Because the law worketh wrath, and God stops every mouth by his holy commandments, that all the world may become guilty before God."

The sick man had become perfectly still... "Have you one more thing to say"

"Yes, one thing more Johannes. 'Behold The Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world...Yes, he atoned for all that sin, when he died in your place" p.25

Luther's Small Catechism

2009-05-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

My favorite version!

Theology the Lutheran Way by Oswald Bayer

2009-05-16T19:33:00.000-07:00

"In every promise, God repeats his original words of self- introduction: "I am your God, And, therefore, you are my people." It opens up for us a reliable community in which even now, in the midst of all threats, we can be free. We should understand this promise not in an abstract personalistic sense, but in a concrete worldly way. When we hear it, it is always intertwined with covenant and creation" p.184

Johnny Cash: Reads The Complete New Testament

2009-05-06T17:11:00.000-07:00

A great way to hear the Word. This is also available on Itunes.

Luther's Small Catechism with Explanation

2009-04-19T20:53:00.000-07:00

To Live With Christ by Bo Giertz

2009-02-24T17:24:00.000-08:00

Unbelievable!! A full 5 stars!! This may be the best yearly devotional yet.

The Law-Gospel Debate by Gerhard O. Forde

2009-02-10T19:27:00.000-08:00

The problem is that man as sinner must learn the proper use of law, and that means learning to accept both limits of law and his own limits as a creature in this world. What man needs is to be saved for existence in this world...Only a living faith in Christ as the end of the law can hold the law in its proper perspective. Faith alone makes and keeps the law natural p. 210-11

It cannot present itself as a new and perhaps higher kind of law which supposedly "saves" man. It must foster a proclamation which points to Christ...It must realize that the unity of law and gospel- that is , that the God of the law and the God of the gospel are one and the same-is something which can be grasped in the final sense only by faith...Theology, of course, asserts this unity, but faith does not consist ultimately in believing the assertions of theology, but rather in trusting in the Christ who alone makes it possible to believe the unity. p 213

It is only faith that one becomes aware of the real distinction between law and gospel and therefore hears the law for what it really is . It is also precisely in faith that one sees that law must be ordered before the gospel. It is only in faith that one becomes aware of the ontological order where being "in Adam" is always "the old," "the past," while being "in Christ" is the new, "the future." p. 228

BEST BOOK OF 2008: Martin Luther's Theology: A Contemporary Interpretation by Oswald Bayer

2009-01-05T17:32:00.000-08:00

"The effect that the law creates is not surprising. One has no trouble understanding what it means to rely on oneself and on one's own deeds; the action-consequences relationship has its own logic. But the gospel is absolutely, completely incomprehensible. That God rescues one from, and brings one safely through, the deserved judgment is a miracle. Law and gospel cannot be plausibly intertwined together; their existence is hard and fast in opposition to each other. The gospel is literally a paradox; it stands against that which the sinner can reasonably expect; it stands against damnation." - p. 228

"Faith is the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer; No matter how coming to faith, or being in faith, is experienced, whether subjectively, biographically, psychologically-faith is the work of God and not of human being. As whatever is involved in salvation, our will is bound-which is good for us!"-p. 240

"If the Holy Spirit calls only "through the gospel," but the gospel is gospel only as it is distinguished from the law, then the distinction between law and gospel is decisive with respect to the teaching about the Holy Spirit, about pneumatology, as well. Thus the work of the Spirit is first of all, to sharpen the law and to bring about God's judgment against sin; only then does the Spirit work through the second and final word of God, the gospel, in that he forgives sin and creates faith."- p. 247

Martin Luther: His Life and Teachings By James Arne Nestingen

2008-12-31T14:23:00.000-08:00

"When despair comes, it show a power of its own. In fact, the conviction that despair ought to be controllable, that 'I shouldn't feel this way, and if only I could do such-and-such, I'd feel better,' makes the despair worse. It becomes double despair, so that in addition to the original despair, a person begins to despair about despairing and then to despair about despairing about despairing. The experience becomes circular, an unbreakable, seemingly endless chase in which the despair feeds on itself...Despair does not end theorectically by hearing explanations about it, It has to be stopped." p. 36

"As Luther spoke of it, to be brought under the power of Jesus as Lord is to be given a new self, a new life. It is to be brought to the realization that the hands that hold the future are the same hands that touched the lame and the lepers and, in the end, took nails in them. It is to discover that the destiny of the self and of the whole earth is being shaped and is ultimately in the control of the one who raised Jesus from the dead and who has promised to give life to all who are with him." p. 41

"This faith is freedom. It is "the end of the law," as Paul puts it in Rom. 10:4, for in Christ , the self does not have to be achieved or accomplished. There is a new self, a new agent. Someone else has taken control. To live in faith is to live 'in Christ,' to be taken under the power of his efficacious Word so that all of life is shaped by his grace, in faith." p. 42

The Freedom of a Christian by Martin Luther

2008-12-26T20:23:00.000-08:00

"Repentance proceeds from the law of God, but faith or grace come from the promise of God. Paul says in Romans 10:17 'So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.' A person is consoled and exalted by faith in the divine promise after being humbled and led to self-knowledge by threats and fear of the divine law. p.79

"From faith there flows a love and joy in the Lord. From love there proceeds a joyful, willing, free mind that serves the neighbor and takes no account of gratitude or ingratitude, praise or blame, gain or loss. We do not serve others with an eye toward making them obligated to us. Nor do we distinguish between friends and enemies or anticipate their thankfulness or ingratitude. Rather, we freely and willingly spend ourselves and all that we have, whether we squander it on the ungrateful or give it to the deserving...So our works ought to be directed freely toward our neighbor. Each of us should become a Christ to the other. And as we are Christs to one another, the result is that Christ fills us all and we become a truly Christian community" p.83

Who then can even begin to comprehend the glory and riches of the Christian life? It can do all things and has all things and lacks nothing. It rules over sin, death, and hell and at the same time seeks to serve and benefit other people...Our trust in Him means that we are Christs to one another and act toward our neighbor as Christ has acted toward us. But in our time a very human way of teaching sets the tone, telling us that the life of faith involves the seeking of merits and rewards. The result is that Christ is seen simply as a taskmaster who is far harsher than Moses" p.84

Through Faith Alone

2008-12-11T17:14:00.000-08:00

Another version of the previously posted Faith Alone devotional.

The Ragamuffin Gospel

2008-10-19T15:08:00.000-07:00

"Jesus has journeyed to the far reaches of loneliness. In His broken body He has carried your sins and mine, every separation and loss, every heart broken, every wound of the spirit that refuses to close, all the riven experiences of men, women, and children across the bands of time." p. 109

Faith Active In Love by George Wolfgang Forell

2008-10-19T14:34:00.000-07:00

"The relationship to God shape's a man's ethics; his ethics does not shape his relationship to God." p. 65
"Christian ethics is based upon the claim that a saving relationship between God and man is possible. Such a claim can only be made on the basis of the Gospel of the forgiveness of sins" p. 63

ESV Classic Reference Bible

2008-10-19T14:30:00.001-07:00

Essential Theological Terms by Justo L. González

2008-10-19T14:26:00.000-07:00

Galatians by Martin Luther

2008-08-10T12:35:00.000-07:00

"But true Christian religion does not first present God in his majesty, as Moses and other teachers do. It commands us not to search out the nature of God, but to know his will presented to us in Christ, whom he wanted to take on flesh and be born and dies for our sins; and he wants this to be preached among all nations" p. 34
"I must listen to the Gospel, which teaches me not what I ought to do (for that is the proper function of the law), but what Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has done for me-namely, he suffered and died to set me free from sin and death." p.72

Commentary On Romans by Martin Luther

2008-08-07T18:46:00.000-07:00

" Therefore a man must have something else than the law, and more than the law, to make him righteous and save him. But they who dot rightly understand the law are blind; they go ahead, in their presumption, and think to satisfy the law with their works, not knowing what the law demands, viz., a willing and happy heart" p. xxiii

"Christ's death is the death of sin, and His resurrection is the raising up of righteousness. For by His death Christ has atoned for our sins, and through His resurrection He has procured for us righteousness. Christ's death does not merely signify, but has effected the remission of our sins. Christ's resurrection is not merely the pledge of our righteousness, but also its cause." p. 87

"As is the sin of the one, so is the grace of the other. As the sin of the one becomes known through our condemnation without any actual sin of our own, so the grace of the other is made known by this that His righteousness is granted to us without our merit." p.97

The Preached God by Gerhard O. Forde

2008-07-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

"The preaching of the Word, that is, is to do the same thing as the sacrament- to give Christ and all his blessings. Indeed, since the Word is Christ, preaching is "pouring Christ into our ears" just as in the sacrament we are baptized into him and he is poured into our mouths. We have tended to overlook or forget the fact that the Christ whose body and blood is really present in the supper is also really present in the speaking of the Word. Preaching is to be understood as a sacramental event...To preach is to give Christ to the hearer, to do the sacrament to them"- p. 91

"To put it in most pointed fashion for our purposes here, ministry in the light of Lutheran confessional theology is the actual doing of the divine election in the living present by setting bound sinners free through the Word of the cross. Rightly considered, this sets the Lutheran view of ministry off from both Roman views on the right and Protestant views of the left...A minister is rather an ambassador, one who is called, authorized, and sent to do the bidding of the soveriegn-in this case, to do the electing as authorized by the crucified and risen Jesus." -p. 118

"The absolute dies to become the absolver; to be absolved therefor is to be saved, to die to the old and raised to the newness of life. It is the purpose of theology, therefor to lead us to see that and to drive us to do the absolution authorized by the crucified and risen one, actually to break the silence of eternity and say it: Your sins are forgiven for Jesus' sake."- pg. 162

Justification By Faith: A Matter of Death and Life by Gerhard O. Forde

2008-07-17T18:04:00.000-07:00

"We are justified freely, for Christ's sake, by faith, without the exertion of our own strength, gaining of merit, or doing of works. To the age old question, 'What shall I do to be saved?' the confessional answer is shocking: 'Nothing! Just be still; shut up and listen for once in your life to what God the almighty, creator and redeemer, is saying to you in the death and resurrection of his Son! Listen and Believe!"'-p.22

"'Complete' sanctification is not the goal but the source of all good works"-p.51

"But what does such talk mean? It means simply under the power of the absolutely unconditional decree- 'I love you, you are mine, I will never let you go, you are just for Jesus sake'- we might begin at least to love God from the heart. When we simply listen to him, that is, we might begin to love him and bear fruit."- p.53

The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel: 39 Evening Lecturesby Dr. C.F.W. Walther

2008-07-06T17:33:00.000-07:00

"When the Law condemns you, then immediately lay hold upon the Gospel." p.45

"The shepherd picks up the lost sheep, no matter how torn and bruised it is. He places it on his shoulder and, rejoicing, carries it to the sheepfold" p. 72

"By the term world, the Lord refers to mankind in its apostate condition, to the lost, accursed, and condemned sinners that make up the world. To these the Savior brings this blessed doctrine: 'Though you have broken every commandment of God, do not despair; I am bringing you forgiveness and salvation here and hereafter.'" p.73

What Luther Says compiled By Edwald M. Plass

2008-07-06T12:16:00.000-07:00

The only of its kind. An encyclopedia of Luther's quotations that are organized by topic.

Set of Luther's Works Vol. 1-54 and Luther the Expositor

2008-07-06T12:09:00.000-07:00

Another essential resource for those studying theology.

The Early Church Fathers, 38 Volumes Edited By: Philip Schaff, Alexander Roberts

2008-07-06T12:03:00.000-07:00

An essential resource at a very reasonable cost for those pursuing theology.

Luther Discovers the Gospel: New Light Upon Luther's Way from Medieval Catholicism to Evangelical Faith by Uuras Saarnivaara

2008-07-02T14:57:00.000-07:00

"He is righteous through the righteousness of Christ. He is sanctified through the holiness of Christ. The entire merit of Christ is his, as though it were his own accomplishment. He is altogether without sin, for the inexhaustible righteousness of Christ swallows up his sins. It is a righteousness so abundant and marvelous all griefs and tribulations of this present life practically disappear in its wonderful glory."- p.101

"Throughout his life Luther taught a 'theology of the Cross.' However, there is to be found a fundamental difference between his theology of the Cross prior to his tower experience and following it. In the former, the central theme was the Cross that man has to bear in the footsteps of Christ and the way of the Cross which God uses to save His elect. After his experience in the tower Luther began to emphasize as the central theme the Cross of Christ which He bore for the sinner."-p.117

Theology Is for Proclamation

2008-06-30T15:11:00.000-07:00

"The preacher acts on the presupposition that only the present-tense, here-and-now deed of God, the proclamation itself, can be the solution to the problem of God. The proclamation is the end result, the culmination, of the great acts of God in history. The preacher ought to have the consciousness of standing in the place knowing that Word and sacrament are themselves the end (telos), the purpose of it all. The concrete moment of proclamation is the doing of the mighty act of God in the living present. It is no a recital of past acts, but the doing of the act itself now. Only when there is an authoritative Word from God in the present tense do we escape the threat of the hidden God. Only then can a faith be created to stand in the face of that threat. As Paul wrote, 'Faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ' (Rom. 10:17)."-p.35

Faith Alone: A Daily Devotional

2008-06-30T13:38:00.000-07:00

A great devotional.

Martin Luther's Theology: Its Historical and Systematic Development by Bernhard Lohse and translated by Roy A. Harrisville

2008-06-30T08:25:00.000-07:00

"What is further unique about Luther's distinction is that law and gospel cannot be assigned to the Old or New Testament, nor to particular biblical passages, so as to establish for all time that one text is only law and the other only gospel. Most texts assigned to the law have also a gospel side, just as most texts assigned to the gospel have a law side. In the Decalogue, in the summary of the law, Luther could find the gospel, insofar as God promises to be present with the words, 'I am the Lord , thy God.' The cross, the heart of the Christian message of reconciliation and salvation, is at the same time the harshest judgment on human sin."-p.269

On Being a Theologian of the Cross: Reflections on Luther's Heidelberg Disputation, 1518 by Gerhard O. Forde

2008-06-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

"Once it is clear and actually believed that only we who "without works" believe much in Christ are righteous before God, once that preposterous joy actually hits us, a new day dawns. Such righteousness is simply complete in itself. It is like the joy and ecstasy of love. It is its own apology. It needs nothing. The way is cleared for good works." p106

A More Radical Gospel: Essays on Eschatology, Authority, Atonement, and Ecumenism by Gerhard O. Forde

2008-06-29T21:16:00.000-07:00

"The reason why abounding grace does not lead to sin lies in the fact that in its radicality it puts and end to the old, not in some species of compromise with the old...The radical forgiveness itself puts the old to death and calls forth the new."-10

Faith Victorious: An Introduction to Luther's Theology by Lennart Pinomaa

2008-06-29T21:03:00.000-07:00

"The officeholders exercise the power of the keys in behalf of the congregation and not because they have received some special authority to rule over men. Christ's keys or the true keys signify to Luther the office and the authority to convey to repentant sinners what Christ has procured with his blood. These keys contain Christ's blood, death, and resurrection. They signify grace, and when they are used it is Christ himself who is doing the retaining and remitting of sins...The binding key works in the area of the law, while the loosing key works in the area of the gospel." p. 130-131

The Captivation of Will: Luther vs. Erasmus on Freedom and Bondage

2008-06-29T20:52:00.000-07:00

"The preaching of Jesus Christ and him crucified on account of sinners is God's desired way of being God. That means. according to Luther, that preaching must be categorical. In today's jargon that means unconditional. Proclamation that gives forgiveness to sinners on account of Christ alone is the only solution for all our problems with God. The only way to end the threat of the unpreached God is by preached God. That is the presupposition for all Christian preaching and the reason for this book." p.78

Roots of Our Faith: A Six-Session Course on Lutheran Teaching by James Arne Nestingen

2008-06-29T20:23:00.000-07:00

"In the same way, as Jesus Christ becomes our Lord, he gives us himself and what is his-his life, his victory over sin, death, and the devil. And we in turn give him ourselves and what is ours-our sin, our guilt, our bondage. Of us, he says, 'They are mine.' And of him we say, 'He is ours; he is mine; I am his.' All that separated us from him has been overcome." p. 29

Where God Meets Man: Luther's Down-to-Earth Approach to the Gospel by Gerhard O. Forde

2008-06-29T19:35:00.000-07:00

"For the gospel too must be seen in terms of what it does. For what is the Gospel? It is the end of the law! That is to say that what the gospel does is to put an end to the "voice" of the law. And that means actually to put a stop to it, to 'shut it up,' to make it no longer heard. Thus the gospel too, is defined primarily by what it does: the gospel comforts because it puts and end to the voice of the law. It is an entirely new and unexpected thing that breaks into man's life and world: the voice which for man as sinner 'never ends' is stopped by God's action in Christ. An entirely new kind of life breaks in upon us!" p.16

"Only where God promises to be present in a saving way in, with, and under the earthly sign can one really be sure. Only then will faith be created and strengthened. God deals with men always through promises. Without the promise, the earthly sign would be at best only an act created by men to inspire themselves and not a sacrament." p.69

Living By Faith: Justification and Sanctification by Oswald Bayer

2008-06-29T17:56:00.000-07:00

"According to Romans 10:7, faith comes by hearing. It comes by hearing the Word that addresses us. It comes in the promise and pronouncement by which Jesus Christ opens up himself and the kingdomof God to me, bringing me, within the Christian community, back home to paradise, and making me a new person." p.44

Handling The Word of Truth: Law and Gospel in the Church Today by John T. Pless

2008-06-29T17:45:00.000-07:00

"The Law reproves sin but does not forgive it. The Gospel does not reprove sin but forgives it on the authority of Christ's atonement...The Law makes sinners, but the Gospel takes sinners and declares them to be saints, holy and righteous through faith in Jesus Christ." p. 75

Christ Alone by Rod Rosenbladt

2008-06-29T17:22:00.000-07:00

"So the pastor's calling is to present Christ Alone against the false counsel of a man's inner intuition and the false counsel of revivalism that he has taken as true. How so? The pastor must present the biblical promise concerning the sufficiency of Christ's death as sufficient to save even a morally guilty Christian...The question is whether the Christian is promised the forgiveness of sin on the sole basis of Christ's substitutionary death and ressurection for him. Yes or No? The biblical answer is an unequivocal 'Yes!'" p.41

Law and Gospel by Werner Elert

2008-06-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

"It is not the gopsel that serves the law, but the law serves the gospel, because it makes all men guilty, and because for all of us our mouths must first be stopped (Rom. 3:19), so that we learn that even with the works we venture we live only by grace. Either the law or the gospel is the end of God's ways with men, but not both. They are as oppossed to one another as death and life. It is the Gospel in which we place our faith."- page 48

*Note Wipfandstock should supply book on a reprint request. Click on the title to access their website.

Luther For Armchair Theologians by Steven Paulson

2008-06-29T12:59:00.000-07:00

"God's great weapons to fight the devil and sinners (along with their idols) is his word that comes to us at the right time-incarnate, deep in the flesh of Jesus Christ. Christ's great weapon is the tiniest, weakest, and apparently most ethereal thing in this old world- a word. 'Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me' is usually our mother's first lesson in ancient ontology. Jesus proves it to be a lie when it comes to God. Jesus came forgiving. This word is first an absolute judgment on all that fights against Christ, and second it is an absolute promise that Christ not only wins but does for your own sake, he is on your side." p. 35-36

The Living Word by Gustaf Wingren

2008-06-28T17:28:00.000-07:00

"The truly Biblical perspective is much deeper: the Word is supremely God's creative Word, and this creative Word is flesh in Christ. Where Christ is preached there the Word is preached." p. 16

"The Gospel always breaks into a world that has already got law, and for which law is not news, not a novelty. The preacher can make the law plain, can clarify it, and awaken the conscience of the people. However intensively that may be done, the work of the Church is not thereby carried out. Christ's Word remains in every age first and last the Gospel, the Word of resurrection, the Word of forgiveness, which is not intended to improve the earth but to open heaven." p. 140

The Righteousness of Faith According to Luther by Hans J. Iwand

2008-06-28T11:15:00.000-07:00

Hans J. Iwand, The Righteousness of Faith According to Luther, page 67

"Then this law , this cycle "I" and work and conscience would indeed be broken and I could confront the works that wait for me, knowing that God's judgment supports me, with the confidence of a master who commands his slave. Then I would act with the greatest freedom and confidence, knowing that no work that I do can decide my fate, my salvation, or my righteousness before God. That is precisely the heavenly gift that Luther finds in the New Righteousness; the freedom of the children of God who do work simply that it may be done, but who do not need to do any work at all in order to know that they live by God's grace."