Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Scripture Text: Luke 11:23
Click for audio of today's lesson.
From the Word: The one who is not with me is against me, and the one who does not gather with me scatters. (Luke 11:23)
From the Confessions: The Large Catechism, The Ten Commandments
The Fourth Commandment
Honor your father and your mother, (that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.)
“What God commands must be far nobler than everything that we may devise ourselves. Because there is no higher or finer teacher to be found than God, there can be no better teaching than his. He teaches fully what we should do if we wish to perform truly good works, and by commanding them, he confirms that they please him. If then, it is God who commands this, and since no one can devise anything better, I will never improve upon it.”
Pulling It Together: We cannot imagine how something could be so; the Lord surely did not mean it that way. Perhaps it was just a man writing down his own thoughts that came to be considered The Holy Bible. It must be the way I imagine it, one reasons, defying “what is written” (Luke 10:26). Luther said that reason is the devil’s whore. We are wise in our own estimations (Proverbs 3:7; Romans 12:6), but the one who is truly astute, gathers wisdom from the Lord. Are you with Christ Jesus? If so, then your reason is aligned with faith, with the revelation of God in his Word.
Prayer: Teach me, Lord Jesus, that I may know all wisdom in you. Amen.
Receive these Sola Devotions in weekday emails. Click here to fill out a quick and secure subscription form.
The Cross and the Crown is an eight session study in Lutheran Basics, using the word "sola" to get the big picture right: that salvation is all God's doing.
Author
Rev. Mark E. Ryman serves as Pastor for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Salisbury, NC. Previously, Pastor Ryman has served other congregations in North Carolina and Ohio, as well as a call to specialized ministry with Sola Publishing.
Click Here For Content Archives