A Preacher Who Does Not Preach God’s Word (Luther)

In a Christmas Day sermon in 1521 Martin Luther preached on the advent story in Luke 2. Luther touched on many points in this sermon, including the message of the angels and the reality that Christ is the fulfillment of so many Old Testaments promises and prophecies. At one point when Luther was talking about…

Entrusting Our Cares to Mary!?

Many of us have heard or even used the phrase "hail Mary." It often refers to a long and risky throw in football, when the quarterback unleashes a monster toss hoping the receiver will catch it. This term, "hail Mary," is how the "Ave Maria" prayer in the Roman Catholic traiditon starts: "Hail, Mary, full…

The “Old Mire” of Works-Righteousness (Luther)

  Although I appreciate almost any sermon by Martin Luther, there are some that brilliantly stand out to me. One of those is a sermon called "Concerning the Sum of the Christian Life."  It's a sermon on 1 Timothy 1:5-7:  "But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good…

Rome, the Radical Reformation, and Exegesis (Muller)

 Among other things, the Protestant Reformation was brought about by a return to Scripture and it's teachings.  Obviously, this is a huge discussion and it's even hard to know where to begin when discussing this topic.  What got me thinking of this today is a paragraph I read in Richard Muller's volume on "Holy Scripture"…

Paul or the Papists? (Latimer)

Hugh Latimer was a 16th-century English preacher who came out of the Roman Catholic church to join the Reformation because of its biblical foundation and emphases. The following is a selection from a 1552 sermon by Hugh Latimer which contrasts the Roman Catholic view of salvation with the Reformation view.   You can read more…