Pious Lutheran

Feeding of the Five Thousand , Anonymous, circa 1750 St. Paul wrote in Galatians: “ For freedom Christ has set us free. ” And here in Romans St. Paul wrote: “ Present your members as slaves to righteousness. ” So which is it? Are we free or slaves? In short, Christ has freed us from our slavery of sin to be slaves of God. The freedom we have from Christ is a bit more nuanced than we Americans typically think. As Americans a fairly significant ideal is freedom, having individual autonomy and not being subject to authoritarian tyrants. That freedom is a good ideal, it’s a part of what makes the US such a desirable place to live. We can argue over the current state of freedom in our country and how things have changed since our founding, but I think it’s still safe to say we Americans by and large value our freedoms. Afterall, the motto of Iowa is: “Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain.” While these freedoms are great in terms of our citizenry, we have to be careful that...

Miraculous Catch of Fish,  Jacob Jordaens, 1640 We live in a very casual society. This is evident from the way people dress, speak, and conduct themselves around each other. Formality is often scoffed at and derided as rigid and old-fashioned. It wasn’t always this way, as you older folks probably remember, but it’s been this way now for quite a number of years.  However, formality and reverence are still universally recognized and valued. And while most of our society is casual, not everything is casual. Perhaps the most clear example today is seen in the military rites at a graveside funeral, which is anything but casual. The honor guard are formal and reverent in every respect. They’re dressed in crisp uniforms; every move, salute, or step they make is deliberate; they diligently fold and examine the flag; they present the flag to the survivor with a gentle yet serious tone of voice. Why all the formality? It’s because they are showing respect and honor to their fallen comr...

The Blind Leading the Blind,  Pieter Brueg, circa 1568 It’s a common misconception that Christianity is all about making people feel good about themselves. Right and wrong, truth and lie, forget about those things because they can offend, instead what matters is that people feel good about themselves. Afterall, Jesus said “ Judge not, ” therefore, Christianity is all about being nice.  But that belief completely misses the point of Christianity! Christianity is not just meant to make us feel good about ourselves, rather Christianity is all about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ who gave up His life so that our sins may be forgiven and that we may live with Him eternally. It’s not about feeling good, it’s about receiving our heavenly Father’s mercy! The Father shows us mercy, and we in turn show that mercy unto others. Jesus did tell us not to judge others, however that’s not the main point Jesus makes today. The more powerful imperative Jesus says is: “ Be merciful, ...

The SCOTUS finally overturned Roe v Wade, correcting a horrific error. It is with joy that we Christians give thanks to God for this momentous decision! This is only the first step, since abortion is still legal in a majority of US states, including Iowa. Nevertheless, this is a step in the right direction and a victory for life in our nation. The lie of abortion has harmed millions, killing children, hurting mothers, and teaching us that a person’s value is determined by their abilities. As Christians we confess that it is wrong to kill babies. God wonderfully knits all children together in their mothers’ wombs. Every life is valuable to God since He authored each life. God even took on our human flesh when Jesus was conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary. Jesus in the womb makes it clear that all lives are valuable: mothers, fathers, elderly, children, newborns, embryos, zygotes, and blastocysts! Christ took on our flesh in order to die upon the cross in our stead, and so led us ou...

Parable of the Lost Drachma, Domenico Fetti, 1618 Since Roe v Wade was overturned, many Christians have very appropriately celebrated and rejoiced. There’s certainly more work to be done still, since each state has to make abortion illegal, but this is a positive step in the right direction. Nevertheless, even though Christians have been rejoicing in this momentous decision, many pro-abortion people have strongly gone on the offense against Christianity, claiming that since we’re opposed to abortion Christianity is hateful and fails to love. But that is absolutely untrue. Christians love sinners because Christ loves sinners. By grace Jesus and His church receive repentant sinners. We read: “ The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear Him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” ” Christ, nor His bride the church, hate sinners, instead Christ is He who calls sinners to repentance and welcomes them into His hom...