In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit             Actions speak louder than words if you are a Pharisee. The Pharisees and Scribes strictly interpreted the fifth commandment. Their interpretation was so strict that no room was left for anything except the physical act of murder. Whoever […]

What is the most unique claim to fame of the hymn, “All Mankind Fell in Adam’s Fall”? You can see that it is placed first in the “Faith and Justification” section of TLH, but that is not its most prominent trait. Rather, the enduring legacy of today’s Hymn of the Day is its unique honor of being one of only two hymns to be quoted in The Lutheran Confessions. In a document called The Formula of Concord, we read that, in an argument over original sin, “[One] party contended that because ‘through Adam’s fall the whole human nature and essence is corrupted’” (FC I.1; Kolb-Wengert, 531.1). This translation varies from the hymn, but you get the idea. This hymn is used in The Lutheran Confessions to proclaim the reality that we are born in sin and bound to die. This is a necessary prelude to the forgiveness of sins, what today’s Gospel Lesson calls “righteousness.” Full-strength Law and full-strength Gospel for us today as we receive the curse of Adam and the blessings of Christ.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit             Saint Paul writes in Second Corinthians chapter five: all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is the Gospel in a nutshell as much as John 3:16 is also the Gospel […]

1879, 1891, and 1905.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit The Law of God is so good and so wise that you cannot keep it as God wants you to keep it. You can try to keep the Law, but you will stumble. Keeping the Law means to love […]