The Grandeur of the Gospels

Every time I crack open my Bible to one the the Gospels, I get something new out of what I read that I've never gotten before. No matter how many times I read Matthew's account of Jesus' parables, Mark's account of Jesus' miracles, Luke's Passion narrative, or John's writing of Jesus' words and deeds after the Resurrection, something new pops out at me. Digging through the many levels of the Gospels is never boring to me. How could I be bored with something so complex, something that I'll never master the understanding of? I always enjoy standing for the Gospel reading before the Sermon. So often, the Gospel reading contains words from the very lips of Jesus! I just love each and every Gospel, and one could make a case for each one as to which is the best. Matthew's writing makes so many parallels to the Old Testament, helping the Jews make the connection. It's organized and neat, making it the favorite of most Type A personalities. Mark's writing is fast-paced and exciting, giving it the nickname of "the man's Gospel." Luke's writing is certainly the most intellectual, making it the Gospel of choice for most academics. And who could forget John? The disciple whom Jesus loved... His Gospel contains deep emotion that Christian women often find moving and relatable. But no matter which Gospel happens to be your favorite, it is a Gift from the Lord, every word of which was inspired by the Holy Spirit, some of which were spoken by the Father and the Son Himself. Give thanks for the Gospels! Their majesty is unmatched.

--Jonathan

Salvation is NOT a Mere Business Transaction

"What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.'"
-- Romans 4:1-3 (NASB)


In all of the world's false religions, a man's salvation is believed to be acquired by his good deeds. His works. In all of the world's false religions, eternal salvation is a simple business transaction. This might sound attractive to many people, which explains paganism's wide following. It sounds great to say: What you have to do to get to heaven is pray 5 times a day, read this book for 20 minutes a day, and go to this sacred place at least once in your life. If you do that, you're in!... Too bad sin has a much higher price than that in the real world. A price so high that it can only be forgiven by the blood of a perfect and sinless sacrifice. Jesus Christ. So how do we achieve the righteousness that Father Abraham possessed? Sola Fide. Through Faith Alone. Abraham had faith, and God credited it to him as righteousness. Abraham wasn't right in God's eyes because of the good works he did in his life. Good works can't take away sin. But Jesus can and did. And through Abraham's faith in the promised Messiah, he achieved that righteousness we all desire. The world needs to shake the idea that salvation is like a mere business transaction, that if we give God something, we'll get it. Salvation is a free gift won for us by Christ's death and resurrection. That's the Story and I'm stickin' to it.

-- Jonathan

My Teacher! My Savior.

"Jesus said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?' Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, 'Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.' Jesus said to her, 'Mary!' She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, 'Rabboni!' (which means, Teacher)."

-- John 20:15-16 (NASB)

Easter... a day of celebration and thanksgiving. A day to remember what happened after Jesus' suffering and death... His resurrection. When Peter, John, and Mary saw the empty tomb on that Sunday morning, they thought someone had taken Jesus' dead body. No. He had risen. Jesus' followers didn't quite understand Jesus' prophesy about His own resurrection just yet. They thought he was gone for good. But with the word 'Mary!' uttered from the lips that never lied made Mary see the truth. 'Teacher!' she cried. 

When we are weeping, distraught beyond comprehension, or wrapped up in our own sinful flesh, this same Jesus says to us: 'Jonathan!' (or whatever your name may be), and we respond, 'Teacher! The only-begotten Son of God! The one who was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and made man! The one who was crucified for me under Pontius Pilate! And the one who on the third day rose again! Teacher! Alleluia!' And all is well.

-- Jonathan

Into Your Hands

"And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, 'Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.' Having said this, He breathed His last."

-- Luke 23:46 (NASB)

Upon the cross on this holiest of Fridays, our Savior Jesus cried out His seventh and final word: "Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit." Most people think that "It is finished." was His final word, but in actuality it was His sixth. But with this final word, He gives up His Spirit to the Father. It is a phrase that sounds similar to what we say in Martin Luther's Morning and Evening Prayers: "Lord, into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things." With these words, we entrust our body and soul and all things to the Lord. We put them under His protection. But with Jesus' words, He gives up His Spirit. He knew it was finished and He chose to die... for us. And having said this, He hung His sacred head and breathed His final breath. The Passion narrative, while full of sorrow, simultaneously brings me great joy. It is because of what He did for me that I will one day inherit life eternal. And the best part about that is, I will be with the One who made life eternal possible, and gave it freely to me.

-- Jonathan

The For You-ness of Maundy Thursday

"And He said to them, 'This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.'"
-- Mark 14:24 (NASB)


During the Thursday of this holiest of weeks, we remember Jesus' words of institution of the Holy Eucharist. In the upper room, our Savior gave His disciples His body and blood to eat and drink for the forgiveness of sins. This evening, many of us will partake in this same feast that brings life eternal to us. The part of this verse that hits home to me the most is when Jesus said that His blood is poured out for many. What good would it do if we believed that Christ poured out His blood on the cross of Calvary if we didn't recognize that it was for us. His body and blood was given and shed for us. And it is because of these two simple words that life eternal will be forever ours. So a blessed Maundy Thursday to all. Remember that going to church tonight it a "get to", not a "got to", and most of all, that it is for you.

-- Jonathan

Free Will: What are we really saying?

What is free will? I feel the meaning of this term has lost its meaning throughout the years. The way I understand it, free will is YOUR ability to ACCEPT Christ as your Savior. It is how you have the power to receive the gifts that Christ has set out for us. But when you make statements like this, what are you saying? Are you saying that by your merit you are able to accept Jesus as Lord? Is it your flesh, your body and mind, your intelligence that allows you to make such a decision to accept these gifts?

                When you say things like this and make these kinds of statements, you are denying the work of the Holy Spirit and saying that you are worthy of accepting Christ crucified on your own, that you are able to accept those gifts without the help of anything other than yourself. No. This is not correct theology. We have all sinned and we all fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). If we have sinned and fall short, how are we able to come to Christ? Well first off, only by the aid of the Holy Spirit are we to recognize the gifts given to us by God, whether it be through baptism or through the hearing of the Gospel. But to go on in Romans 3, verse 24 says that we are justified not by our works, but as a GIFT by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. We are justified by faith (Romans 4:1-11) and so to say that we are able to gain faith on our own without the help of the Holy Spirit is like you one, earning your salvation by works of your own intellect, and two, claiming that you are worthy of the gift that Christ set out for you to have before it becomes a part of your life. This is not the approach you want to take. You want to recognize you are a sinner, and that you sin daily, and that there is no way around that. You need to hear the Gospel and you need to hear the gifts that Christ has already set for you and instead of actively accepting Christ, passively receive Christ through the hearing of the word or in sacrament, and let the Holy Spirit work inside of you with an open heart.

                I have had this discussion with many people who say that they have accepted Christ. They all say that their conversion was led by the Holy Spirit, not their own intellect. So if it is led by the Holy Spirit, why are not giving him the credit? That is like taking Christ credit of dying on the cross and saying that you can do it on your own. So if we all believe the same thing, than why do we not profess that in our churches? Why take away from the work of God? Always give God the glory. Never put it upon yourself because that is what Satan would have you do. So lets come together and give God all the glory that he deserves!


-- Joshua

Attention All Weary and Heavy-Laden!

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

-- Matthew 11:28-30

This glorious Gospel passage gives me immense comfort no matter how many times I read it. One of the many beautiful things about God's Word is that it never gets old to faithful ears. And this passage is certainly no exception. Far too often I find myself burdened by my own problems. It crosses my mind all too infrequently to drop my baggage at the foot of the Cross. But why so infrequently? What other answer is there? There is no other name by which I am saved, and no other yoke I long to carry. I know I'm not the only one who becomes weary and heavy-laden. I'm not the only one who longs for rest. And I'm not the only one to which Christ gives this rest. But I'm fully convinced that even if I were the only one, Jesus would still give it freely. And who doesn't desire rest for their souls? I know I do. Jesus is gentle and humble in heart. His yoke is easy and His burden, light. Christ was crucified and risen for us. Because of this fact, we can find true rest for our souls, washed by the Blood of the crucified and risen Lamb.

And once we take His yoke upon us, His yoke becomes our yoke. His burden, our burden. Suddenly, our burdens are now light, and our yokes easy.

-- Jonathan