Theological

Martin Luther’s House Postils are Christ-centered devotional sermons which Luther delivered to his family and students. This newly typeset edition contains the complete collection, originally published by Matthias Loy in three volumes.

25 May 2022

This short and widely used catechism is evidence that Missouri Synod Lutherans not long ago clearly taught and believed in justification by faith. Who receives this forgiveness? Although it has been procured for all men, and is offered by the Gospel to all that hear it, yet only those who believe the Gospel and thus accept the forgiveness of sins actually become partakers of such forgiveness. What, then, do we, together with our Church, confess regarding the forgiveness of sins, or justification? That we receive forgiveness of sins and are justified before God, not by our works, but by grace, for Christ’s sake, through faith. Why must we ever firmly maintain this Article especially? Because it is the chief article of Christian doctrine, by which the Christian Church distinguishes itself from all false religions, and which gives all the glory to God alone, and affords enduring comfort to poor sinners. “Heinrich Christian Schwan was the Missouri Synod president for 20 years (1878-1899), but that lengthy service and his pastoral and missionary activities have been effaced from the LCMS histories. Schwan’s presidency was sandwiched between the presidencies of CFW Walther and Walther’s hand-picked successor in teaching, Franz Pieper. Walther and Pieper were advocates of Objective Justification.”

18 May 2022

“This weightiest chapter ever penned by Inspiration yields up its lessons best when literally understood, and when explained by the laws of common sense. “The secret of recent assaults upon the Bible is the restiveness of the modern spirit… so eager is the desire for anything new, that even the destruction of all that is precious and venerable is hailed on account of the morbid excitement thereby aroused. …these extremists are so irrational in their hate of the old that they would rather that the edifice of Revelation should be crumbled to the earth, and that the immortal hopes of mankind should be reduced to wreck, than that they should be immutably fixed upon the pillar and ground of the past.” — J. B. Remensnyder

11 May 2022

“This book possesses distinction as one of very few systematic theologies written from the viewpoint of Scandinavian-American Lutheran pietism, a movement which combined the Norwegian/Haugean and the Swedish/Rosenian traditions. It has been observed that, in general, the four major earmarks of pietism are experiential Christianity, Biblical focus, holy living, and opposition to formalism.

21 Apr 2022

“The mistake of those who direct all their efforts toward making men better and improving human society by teaching and enforcing the law… is of serious consequence to the souls of men… It can neither save their souls nor make them good… The only help for us is in Christ, without whom we can do nothing; and that help consists first of all in the forgiveness of our sins, which separate us from God and all that is good, and deprive us of all true peace and joy. Therefore the Christian life depends on faith in the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.

14 Apr 2022

“In these godless and worldly times we must earnestly and diligently preach conversion. We must insist on its necessity. We must reason, exhort, convince, beseech, and plead; ‘Turn ye, turn ye; why will ye die?’”

9 Mar 2022

“Only one, true Christian Church exists, and that Church is made up of all those who sincerely believe in Christ as their Savior. The true Church, then, is invisible, including members of all denominations, even those without a denomination or formal affiliation. Only God can judge the heart, so one cannot judge whether a person has saving faith from his membership in one denomination or another.” — Gregory L Jackson

22 Feb 2022

“The Lutheran Church may justly claim that, in the Common Service, she possesses and uses “the completest embodiment of the Common Service of the Christian Church of all ages”; a Service “which may he tendered to all Christians who use a fixed Order, the Service of the future as it has been of the past” (Preface to the Common Service). Should this book be of assistance to any one, in awakening interest, or in developing a better understanding, a more intelligent use, and a higher appreciation of the forms of Divine Worship, as the Church of the Reformation conceives and orders it, the very considerable time and labor which its production has cost will not have been spent in vain.” — From the Introduction.

9 Feb 2022

“[Luther] felt that many things were wanting in this extemporaneous explication… But as he was satisfied that the sense and substance of each Psalm were everywhere faithfully given, and that a very important part of the true religion was here copiously handled; he was, under these assurances, the more willing to overlook any thing that might be wanting in the way of greater correctness, and loftier language and expression.”

3 Feb 2022

“The message of the Law is needed in our congregations today as much as ever. Even where church attendance is gratifying, spiritual life is often on a rather low spiritual and moral plane… The range of topics treated in these sermons is virtually extensive with the spiritual needs and duties of our people. Subjects… likely to result in resentment upon the part of some of the hearers, are boldly dealt with from the standpoint of one who is accustomed to declaring: ‘Thus saith the Lord.’” – From the Introduction by C. B. Gohdes

26 Jan 2022