Pious Lutheran

Crucifixion,  Pietro Perugino, ~1506 The Righteousness of Faith The world demands righteousness by works. Christ reckons us righteous on account of His blood as a gift. Therefore we receive Christ’s righteousness through faith. A blessed festival of the Reformation to you dear friends in Christ! Sometimes Reformation Day gets equated with little more than a day to celebrate German culture, which is a fine thing to do; sometimes it gets equated with celebrating Martin Luther, which is okay. But today isn’t about anything so small as German culture or Martin Luther, rather today is about the gospel, it’s about justification, it’s about the righteousness of faith in Christ! In Luther’s day, and still today, the world demands righteousness by works. But today we rejoice that Christ reckons us righteous on account of His blood, as a gift. We therefore receive Christ’s righteousness not by works, but through faith. Indeed, the world does in fact demand righteousness by works. We live in ...

James, Brother of the Lord,  Constantinople, 985 Remaining steadfast under trial. Early on James rejected Jesus, then came to faith, eventually became Bishop of Jerusalem, and remained faithful to death. Let us learn from James to repent of our unbelief and remain steadfast when we face trials of various kinds. “ Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. ” Those words penned by St. James are such an encouragement to remain faithful when we’re frustrated, worn down, and intimidated by this world. In fact, the entire life of St. James is a beautiful illustration of remaining steadfast under trial. Early on James rejected Jesus, then he came to faith, eventually became bishop of Jerusalem, and remained faithful to death. Let us learn from James to repent of our unbelief and remain steadfast when we face trials of various kinds. St. James is called the brother of...

Christ Among the Pharisees , Jacob Jordaens, ~1660-1670 Talking about theology We’re often silent and refuse to talk theology Yet Jesus is not silent and continues to speak We must therefore ask Jesus questions, answer His, and speak of Him with others “ And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask Him any more questions. ” Just as Jesus had silenced the Sadducees so Jesus silenced the Pharisees. But their silence is not a good thing. Jesus elsewhere bids us: “ Ask, and you will receive. ” Or shortly later in the Gospel of Matthew Jesus sat down with His apostles on Mount Olivet and they continued to ask Him questions. Those who hated Jesus and sought to kill Him refused to speak with Him, but those who love Jesus never stop speaking to Him. Therefore let us be encouraged to always talk about theology . Far too often we’re silent and refuse to talk theology, and yet Jesus is not silent and continues to speak. We must therefore always ask Jesus ques...

Adoration of the Trinity,  Vincent Lopez Portana, 1791-1792 Unity in Christ What is Christian unity? Exposing false unity Maintaining true unity St. Paul urges us “ to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called… eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ” Unity is a word which gets used quite frequently. Churches and hospitals have it in their name, our country is known as the United States, and Jesus Himself prayed for unity in His high priestly prayer. But for all of this talk about unity, do we know what it means and entails, do we know what it looks like? Oftentimes the term unity is bandied about, but what we’re united in is seldom identified clearly.  For the Christian our unity is in Christ. Today let us clearly define and identify Christian unity. This way we might expose false unity, which isn’t Christian or healthy. So that finally we might learn how to maintain true unity amongst ourselves. So, what is Christian unity?...

Raising of the Son of the Widow of Nain , Martino Altomonte, 1731 Jesus raises the dead bodily. Jesus was born, died, raised, and ascended bodily The body matters. We shall be raised bodily About half a year ago we celebrated the resurrection of our Lord on Easter. Today, after some waiting, we celebrate the fruits of Jesus’ resurrection, namely, our resurrection. Jesus was crucified and buried and raised, for the forgiveness of our sins, so that we may be raised from the dead to life. Indeed, Jesus raises the dead bodily. Jesus was born, died, raised, and ascended bodily, because the body matters, and so too shall we be raised bodily. It’s incredibly beautiful that when Elijah raised the widow of Zarephath’s son and Jesus raised the widow of Nain’s son, both of those deaths and resurrections foreshadow the death and resurrection of Jesus. Afterall, by the time Jesus died, Mary was a widow, and Jesus is the only-begotten Son of of the Father. Like these mothers, Mary suffered great so...