2015 Winter - Higher Things Magazine (with Bible Studies) by Higher Things: Dare to be Lutheran!

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In This Issue:

Tasting God’s Goodness • Lent: Jesus’ Resolution for You • The Gospel According to St. Lucasfilm • Shaming the Shamers

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Contents T A B L E O F

Volume 15/Number 4 • Winter 2016

Special Features 4 Lent: Jesus’ Resolution for You

Rev. George F. Borghardt Lent is a great time to recycle your failed New Year’s resolutions, right? Not so much. Rev. Borghardt will help you get to the heart of the reason for the season of Lent!

6 Shaming the Shamers

By Rev. Mark Buetow We’ve all seen the Facebook posts expressing outrage— veiled or overt—about how so-and-so did such-and-such. Maybe we’ve made a few posts like that ourselves…c’mon… admit it! Rev. Buetow explains how, in in Christ, we are rescued from wallowing in the shame of others.

8 The Gospel According to St. Lucasfilm: I Have a Bad Feeling About This

By Rev. Rich Heinz In light of the phenomenal success of The Force Awakens, HT’s resident Star Wars aficionado, Rev. Heinz, makes the case that it’s the perfect time to look at the Gospel connections that run throughout this enduring science fiction saga. (No spoilers!)

10 So Turn into a Dinosaur

Rev. Harrison Goodman “All things are possible for those who believe!” Nowadays, these words of Jesus are on tee-shirts, posters, and the occasional “inspirational” meme. Without any context, this declaration is a sobering reminder that we fall miserably short in our belief. Rev. Goodman demonstrates that Jesus’ words are only truly understood in light of His fulfilling the Law on our behalf.

12 Apologists Every Christian Should Know, Part 6 The Studious Sleuthing of Lee Strobel: Why the Gospels Are Historically Reliable

By Rev. Mark A. Pierson Once again, Rev. Pierson brings to the table a Christian apologist with impressive credentials: Lee Strobel. Learn how Strobel’s personal journey to disprove the Scriptures revealed far more evidence about the reliability of the Gospels than he ever imagined.

20 The Bright Light of Jesus

By Amber Scarbeary The victim of a vicious sexual assault, Amber reminds us how God’s mercy and grace can redeem even the darkest of days and that it is through Christ’s righteousness that we—His Bride, the church—are presented to the Father, pure and spotless, and continue to live in this life by His grace.

22 Tasting God’s Goodness

By Bethany Woelmer Bethany relates how we worship a God who comes to us via our senses. From water, Word, Body and Blood, Jesus keeps His promise to be with us until the very end of the age...giving us a delightful taste of the heavenly feast to come!

24 Living in Light of Our Justification

By Hayden Smith Pietism, an misplaced emphasis on Christian living as the proof of our salvation, is an -ism that we all have to fight against, whether we realize it or not. Hayden shows us that the only way to shake off the doubt it can create is to keep our eyes on the Cross and partake of Christ’s gifts, for they are outside of us.

Regular Features 28 Catechism: The Fourth Commandment

By Rev. William M. Cwirla This first commandment with a promise reflects how our God of order loves us and wants what’s best for us in this life. Although we struggle with and may even rebel against those authorities He has placed over us, we can trust in Christ’s perfect obedience to His Father in our stead.

30 Bible Study: Shaming the Shamers

Be sure to check out this sample of one of our student Bible studies which links up with Rev. Buetow’s article on P. 6.

HigherThings

Volume 15/Number 4/Winter 2016 Bible Studies for these articles can be found at: higherthings.org/ magazine/biblestudies.html Editor

Katie Hill Art Director

Steve Blakey Editorial Associates

Rev. Greg Alms Rev. Paul Beisel Rev. Bart Day Rev. Gaven Mize Rev. Dr. Matthew Richard Copy Editor

Dana Niemi Bible Study Authors

Rev. Mark Buetow Rev. Jacob Ehrhard Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz Subscriptions Manager

Elizabeth Carlson IT Assistant

Jon Kohlmeier ___________

Board of Directors President

Rev. George Borghardt Vice-President

Rev. Dr. Carl Fickenscher Treasurer

Chris Loemker Secretary

Rev. Joel Fritsche Rev. Duane Bamsch Eric Maiwald Sue Pellegrini Matt Phillips Rev. Chris Rosebrough ___________

Executive Council Deputy Executive/Media

Rev. Mark Buetow Conference and Retreats Executive

Sandra Ostapowich Business Executive

Connie Brammeier Technology Executive

Stan Lemon

Higher Things® Magazine ISSN 1539-8455 is published quarterly by Higher Things, Inc., PO Box 156, Sheridan, WY 82801. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the executive editor of Higher Things Magazine. Copyright 2016. Higher Things® is registered trademarks of Higher Things Inc.; All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States. Postage paid at St. Louis, Missouri. For subscription information and questions, call 1-888-4826630, then press 4, or e-mail subscriptions@higherthings.org. (This phone number is only used for subscription queries.) For letters to the editor, write letters@higher things.org. Writers may submit manuscripts to: submissions@ higherthings.org. Please check higherthings.org/magazine/ writers.html for writers’ guidelines and theme lists.

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Jesus’ Resolu It was such a good idea.

You gave something up for the new year. You needed to do it. You almost had to do it. So you resolved never to do it again. It was great!

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Until, suddenly, you did it again. But it only happened once. You easily justified it. Then, next thing you knew, you were right back to where you before you made that resolution. “Don’t worry,” you say to yourself, “I’ll start again on Ash Wednesday! I’ll give it up for Lent, which is right around the corner.” Well, hold up. Lent isn’t supposed to be your New Year resolutions 2.0, self-improvement program. That’s not why the Lord gave you a Lent! Lent is about Jesus being tempted for you and overcoming temptation in your place. Lent is Jesus riding into Jerusalem, headed to have a sign hung above His head which said how much He’s for you: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. Lent is Jesus betrayed into the hands of sinners, beaten, mocked, rejected by His people. Lent is nails being driven into His hands

and feet, and Him hoisted above the earth. Lent is Jesus dead—God dead—in your place. Lent is Jesus buried and hallowing your grave, making it a holy resting place for you and those whom you love. Lent isn’t about you changing; it’s about God changing. God repented of punishing you. He relented from giving you what you deserve. He took all the punishment due you and cast the full weight of it onto His Son. And His Son died as the propitiation—the sacrifice for your sins and the sins of the whole world. The real problem about you isn’t just that you eat a little too much junk food or have some bad habits you really should stop doing sometime. The thing that will get you tossed into hell is your sin! Your sins are the reason for the suffering and death of Christ. Jesus does a Lent for you because He alone can save you. Your sins crucified the Lord of Glory! Your sins should bring the wrath and hatred of God upon you. If you have any doubts about this, look at Jesus on Good Friday. He took God’s punishment for you and it killed Him. God died to save you. And then God rose again on Easter. Lent is all done by faith! That’s what Lent is for you— it’s about you receiving Jesus. And that’s

ution for You By Rev. George F. Borghardt

where fasting and giving up stuff is a Gospelly gift for you, too! It’s about preparing for Jesus’ resurrection. Get rid of everything that would make this life about you! Repent of your sins! Fix your eyes on Jesus! Stop doing your sins. Turn from them. Die to them. Don’t hide from them—confess them. Don’t just give them up for a few weeks—stop doing them for all time. Never go back to them. Run from them like you would from something that is going to kill you, because left alone with your sins, they will kill you. But you haven’t been left alone in your sins. God has acted! He has sent His Son who Lented in your place to save you from...well...you! Lent is about Jesus doing that saving. You are on the receiving end of His doing Lent for you. And what you give up is given up, not because you need to change something about yourself. Give it up to help you fix your eyes on Jesus as the One who has saved you. You fast from Monday to Saturday, remembering that He died for you. You don’t give up what you do in Lent on Sundays because that’s when you remember the Lord’s resurrection. But whether you are fasting or Sunday-not-fasting, you are doing

everything for the Lord. If, after all that, you still need to change something about yourself, just change it. Do that thing you want to do, or need to do to turn from sin. Make whatever change in your life that you have to make. Stop doing that thing, eating that thing, drinking that thing, being that thing. Improve. Restart your New Year’s resolution. And even better than changing for yourself is to change for others. Be the person you want to be for the sake of others. They really could use a Jesus-died-for-you-and-rose-againfor-you neighbor. Be that one for them as they are that neighbor for you in Jesus. But Lent is always all about Jesus for you and Jesus in your place. It’s about Christ taking on all that is you so that you would be the child of God that Adam was created to be. It’s about Jesus’ Lent for you, received by faith alone. So be repented. Believe He has forgiven you. Fix your eyes on Jesus. That’s Lent: a new year, a new life in Jesus. Rev. George F. Borghardt is the Senior Pastor at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in McHenry, Illinios. He also serves as the president of Higher Things.

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Shaming the

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Shamers By Rev. Mark Buetow

And above all things have fervent love for one another, for â&#x20AC;&#x153;love will cover a multitude of sins.â&#x20AC;? - 1 Peter 4:8

ou’ve probably seen them on the interwebs: people exposing those awful people who do mean things. The waitress posts a copy of the receipt where there is no tip, just a nasty note. Or those oh-so-helpful social media posts “to the person who took up two parking spots outside my apartment.” It’s a dangerous move to attempt to shame someone publicly because there’s a good chance you’ll be shamed right back and with a vengeance! This is the way our warped world thinks: If you are mean and nasty to others, that’s really awful and the just punishment is that others get to be mean and nasty to you. But it’s wrong to bully the bullies. And it’s wrong to shame the shamers. The new man in Christ is not called to expose the sins of others but to cover them with love, as the Apostle directs us to do. But that’s pretty difficult. It’s hard not to rejoice when some jerk gets his just desserts by having his jerkiness exposed for all to see. That’ll teach ‘im! But it doesn’t. What’s really going on is what Jesus was exposing when He told the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9–14). There, the Pharisee prayed, “God, I thank you I’m not like all the other sinners out there, especially that I’m not like this tax collector.” Usually our first reaction to hearing that story is to laugh at the Pharisee’s hypocrisy and say, “I’m glad I’m not like that Pharisee!” Do you see what Jesus did there? He got us! He exposes in us what we hate in others—namely, that we, too, are hypocrites and shamers. If we mess up or do something stupid, we don’t want it made known to everyone. But if someone else does, it’s so easy for our sinful flesh to attribute horrible motives to him and go for the jugular in shaming him and showing everyone what a bully and fool he is. But ask yourself: What could God expose about you? What does He know about what you’ve done that He could bring to light and make you the butt of a nasty social media post? What bullying and shameful behavior have you done that deserves to be spread abroad and mocked?

But the Lord doesn’t do that, because He doesn’t see your faults. His love covers a multitude, and more—all of your sins! In fact, Jesus goes the way of the cross to do that. And if there was ever a shaming to be had, it was of Jesus. “He saved others! He can’t save Himself!” Can you just see the clickbait headlines? “Son of God gets nailed to a cross and can’t get down.”“This Guy saved everyone else but what happens next will blow your mind!”“You’ve never seen anything this gross and shameful: Jesus!” And so it could go. And that’s exactly what happened. Jesus let all the shame and mockery get heaped upon Him by a world that loves to point out how bad other people are. We do that to hide our own behavior and to make ourselves look good and popular. But Jesus takes it on to save you. He wears all the shame the world has to pile on Him to take away your shame. Because of the cross, you will never, ever, have to stand before God, ashamed of what you’ve said or done. Not a single sin will cause God to mock you because all your sins are paid for. Even the sin of shaming the shamers and bullying the bullies and picking on others for their differences and mistakes and faults and inadequacies has been wiped out by the blood of Jesus. And so it is with YOUR sins in laughing at the sins of others. So are your sins of pointing out the sins of others. The love of God in Christ Jesus, washed on you at the font and given to you to eat and drink with the flesh

and blood of Jesus—this love covers a multitude of sins. Covers their sins. Covers your sins. Now you are so free in Christ you can pause when you’re out and about in the world for real or on line. Don’t take pleasure in someone’s meanness being exposed. Don’t pass on that juicy story about the jerk who got what they deserved. Don’t passively-aggressively vaguebook about the person who wronged you in some way. Instead, as the new man in Christ, speak well of others, defend them, and explain everything in the kindest way. Not only will that go a long way in making you a happier person, it will be a great blessing to others who no longer have to fear becoming an object of ridicule because of your reaction to something they’ve done. And if that doesn’t work? If the shame you would cover comes back to you? If your patience and covering of someone’s sins backfires and they let loose on you? So what? You’re covered by the perfection of Christ. You can never be shamed before God. And even if you are shamed before the world, you are so free as to rejoice in suffering and bearing the name of Jesus that way. Jesus died and rose. What can bullies and shamers do about that? Nothing. There is a place in this world for shame and scorn. That place is upon Jesus. All the shame and the scorn are His. That way, all the smiles and good things to say are said about you by God the Father for Jesus’ sake. And, by extension, in confessing our sins, we lay our shaming on Jesus and go joyfully to the work of speaking well of our neighbors and covering their offenses with the love of Christ. Jesus’ tomb is empty! You won’t believe what happened next: Their sins were forgiven and they loved their neighbors and were kind to them! Rev. Mark Buetow is pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church in DuQuoin, Illinois and serves as the deputy and media services executive for Higher Things. He can be reached at buetowmt@gmail.com.

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The Gospel According to St. Lucasfilm: I Have a Bad Feeling About This By Rev. Rich Heinz

“

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Well, the Force is

what gives a Jedi his power. It’s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together,” explains Obi Wan Kenobi. There it is: the moment when Gen-Xers and anyone older were first introduced to this “ancient religion.” In the real world, this is describing a false religion, with aspects of pantheism or panentheism, where “god” is (or is in) everything, seemingly sprinkled with Buddhism. The Star Wars galaxy as envisioned by George Lucas is really filled with mysticism from the Far East. But maybe there is something worth another glance. When we look at these films, we can find some unintended Gospel themes.

Sacrifice In Episode IV: A New Hope, we are given classic examples of sacrifice. Princess Leia knows how dangerous her mission is. There is a good chance she will be intercepted and die for the cause of freedom. Still, she and the rebel troops press on, in the hopes that their potential deaths would serve the greater good. When Obi Wan realizes that Luke and Leia are both on the Death Star, as well as R2D2, who has “vital information” for the Alliance, he knows what must be done. Without hesitating, he speaks

some parting words and heads off to set things in motion for the others to escape. Obi Wan, however, knows he will not leave the space station alive. He confronts the evil enemy and purposefully gives himself up, so that the enemy is distracted, and the others can escape. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John15:13 ESV). Obi Wan displayed great love in laying his life down for his friends. Of course, infinitely more perfect, and loving, and godly is the Lord Himself, who laid down His life, not only for His friends, but also for His enemies—every last sinner. “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8 ESV). Good and Evil/Light and Dark The epic story continues in Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Once again we are drawn into this heroic tale of the neverending fight between good and evil/light and dark. Yet, while Han, Luke, and Leia embody the good, and Vader and his Emperor are surely evil, the talk of a Light side of the Force and a Dark side is all impersonal. The Force is described like a thing, not a person. Sometimes we get pulled into such talk in real life. Good and evil become more like concepts and philosophy, rather than real personal beings, such as the Lord God and His holy angels fighting Satan and his fallen legions. In the end, that makes it easier to deny their existence. Good and evil are not just some vague or generic ideas. God the Son, perfect, holy, and sinless, became incarnate for you. He took on flesh so that He could take on your sin, and suffer and die to rid you of it, dragging your sorry “Dark side” self through the waters of Holy Baptism, so that He could “call you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9 ESV). As He poured forgiveness

and rescue over you, the perfect Christ delivered the righteousness that He won for you at the cross. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV). Nothing vague or abstract there! Redemption We get more bad theology sprinkled with Christian themes in Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. The final chapter of the original trilogy is all about redemption. In the Old Testament, God established guidelines to “redeem” extended family who had lost their inherited land, or fallen into debt through widowhood. Debts were paid, and they were freed from the shadow of poverty. This foreshadowed Jesus coming to redeem us from sin, death, and the devil. “There is good in him yet!” claimed Luke regarding Vader. He hoped to persuade Vader to leave his evil in the past and return to the good. The root of the problem for us, biblically, is that we cannot choose the good. We cannot redeem ourselves. St. Paul reminds us that even when brought to faith, we still struggle with the Old Adam and “daily sin much.”“For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing” (Romans 7:19 ESV). In the film, Anakin finally returns to the Light side, by the work of his son, who saw that he still had good in him. In real life, you have been brought to the light of Christ, through no work of your own, with no good in you, through Christ alone. He is your only true Redeemer. Yes, the Star Wars galaxy as envisioned by George Lucas is really filled with mysticism from the Far East. It’s not a deliberately “Christian” story. And yet, we can always find topics with themes from the true Gospel that compare or contrast with Lucas’ story. While his literary devices are by no means good for a real-life religion, we can rejoice in the Epiphany Lord, who sacrificed Himself to redeem us and bring us into His marvelous light! Rev. Rich Heinz is Pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, Illinois, and has been a Star Wars fan and aficionado since, “Oh, before you were born” — 1977. He has taught breakaways at Higher Things conference on this and related topics, and enjoys talking about these fictional heroes. And by the way, he is thrilled with Episode VII, but will gladly absolve anyone who (wrongly) disagrees. You can reach Rev. Heinz at revfrheinz@gmail.com

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By Harrison Goodman

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I wasn’t raised Christian. I was baptized when I was 19 years old, and began playing catch-up with all the born-andraised Lutherans who already knew how to sing table prayers and recite Sunday School stories. To this day, every kid I’ve ever confirmed has been a Christian longer than I have. People have tried to encourage me in my “spiritual growth” by giving me lots of little helps. One of them was a little ribbon bookmark covered in Bible verses for different situations in life. I remember one particularly terrible day. I was slumped against my dresser, and after rubbing my eyes raw, I gazed upon my very own Bible that had its very own bookmark. I saw the “Inspirational” section on it almost right away. I took it as a sign. Mark 9:23: “And Jesus said to him, ‘If you can! All things are possible for one who believes.’” All things are possible for one who believes. Beautiful. Until you finally realize you can’t do all things. I hate those little bookmarks. I couldn’t find the words until years and seminary educations later, but the reason that verse sounded so beautiful is because I thought it promised the path forward. If I really believed, I would never fail. The reason it didn’t actually work is because that’s all law and no gospel. The reason I lit that little bookmark on fire in the kitchen sink was because the law can’t save me. All things are possible for one who believes. So…turn into a dinosaur! If you can. If it’s law, it’s on you. Do it right now, or admit one of three things: 1) there is no God, 2) even worse, you don’t really believe in Him, or 3) maybe you don’t quite understand the verse. If you want to make the Bible about yourself instead of Jesus, then when you fail, not only is it your fault, but there’s no help. That’s not inspirational. That’s a death sentence. In Mark 9, Jesus’ words crushed the man hearing them. His son was demon possessed, and he just couldn’t help him. He tried, but he couldn’t do all things. So, after hearing Jesus, “...

immediately the father of the child cried out and said, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’” (Mark 9:24) That’s what I can relate to. I want to succeed. I want to believe enough to make all things possible. I just can’t. That isn’t proof that God’s not real. It just means I’m a sinner. The inspirational part actually comes next. Jesus helps sinners and failures. Jesus helps us. “And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, ‘You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.’ And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, ‘He is dead.’ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ And he said to them, ‘This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer’“ (Mark 9:25-29). Jesus meant what He said to this man. All things really are possible for one who believes. But the Bible is not about you, the Bible is about Jesus FOR you. All things are possible FOR you. God gives them for you to receive. He even gave His Son to die upon a cross. He even gives forgiveness and help to sinners and failures. He even gives this for you.

The disciples, burdened by their own failure, made Jesus spell things out. They tried and failed to cast out this demon. He said,“this kind of demon cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” Prayer is not your work, but finding comfort in God’s promise. Our Small Catechism, the book that actually helped me when that evil little bookmark failed, says “Our Father who art in heaven. What does this mean? With these words God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father.” We don’t pray because we can do anything by believing hard enough. We pray because God can do anything, and we trust Him to help us. And this God who can do anything actually loves you. He loves you like this: He sends His Son to redeem you, and name you His own child in your baptism. Cross yourself and know He already has done things for you, as a dear father does them for his dear child. Maybe He won’t turn you into a dinosaur. Maybe He won’t let you pass your test. Maybe He won’t let you avoid pain. Fine. But He has already borne you through it. Christ was crucified and raised for you. You are baptized into that. Even when the world watches you cry your last and thinks you’re dead, He takes you by the hand, lifts you up, and raises you even from death. All things are possible for you who believe. You don’t have to work this out on your own. Jesus has already given them to you. He has even given everlasting life. This is for you who believe. Rev. Harrison Goodman serves as pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Carroll, Nebraska.

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Apologists Every Christian Should Know PART 6

Must-Reads

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These first four books consist of interviews with top scholars on major objections to Christianity, seasoned with relevant examples from Strobel’s career as an investigative journalist. ————————— The Case for Christ: The result of his initial examination of the Gospels. ————————— The Case for the Real Jesus: Deals with more recent and specific protests against the Gospels. ————————— The Case for Faith: Addresses persistent emotional objections to belief. ————————— The Case for a Creator: Considers whether science opposes or supports faith. ————————— The Case for Christianity Answer Book: Sort of a greatest hits, with 60 topics addressed in brief fashion. ————————— Taking a similar approach to Strobel, homicide detective J. Warner Wallace uses his expertise to scrutinize the Gospels in Cold-Case Christianity. ————————— In what he calls a “blook” (a cross between a blog and a book), Mark Roberts provides a concise rendition of the historical argument.

The Studious Sleuthing of Lee

Why the Gospels Did it really happen? Did Jesus actually do and say what the Gospels claim? If not, we Christians believe in a fairytale and it’s time to grow up. If so, the greatest story ever told about this dying and rising God-in-theflesh is more than just myth or legend, it’s historically and factually true—true in the same sense that it’s true Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth, or that Julius Caesar was stabbed by senators. Nobody seriously doubts that these events occurred. With Jesus, however, skepticism and unbelief run rampant. He is dismissed daily as a fraud and a fabrication in college classrooms, in countless books and videos, and on the internet.

Perhaps the primary cause for all this doubt is the assumption that the Gospels paint a false picture. Modern scholarship, we are told, has shown that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the products of people who never knew Jesus, and who greatly distorted his teachings and life. But is this the case? When the historical record is examined, does it support or refute the Gospel accounts? These are crucial questions that demand a weighing of the evidence. As with any case, however, the weighing of the evidence can be tainted by one’s preconceived notions. This is why it’s helpful to consider the findings of an atheist-turned-apologist named Lee Strobel. Becoming Skeptical of Skepticism Strobel was an unbeliever who was unwilling to affirm much about Jesus beyond His reputation as a rebellious rabbi and His brutal death on the cross. Starting with the assumptions that miracles don’t happen and that the Bible is full of myths and contradictions, he easily rejected the notion that Jesus is God’s

Son who rose from the dead. Strobel, an investigative journalist with a master’s degree in law studies, was convinced that faith in anything must be founded on facts, not on opinions or emotions or wishful thinking. It was precisely this training, however, that helped Strobel change his tune. Upset that his wife became a Christian, Strobel set out to examine the evidence for Jesus, using his legal skills and journalism experience. He had investigated numerous criminal cases—studying crime scenes, interviewing eyewitnesses, analyzing the physical evidence—and he was used to seeing careful research overturn the assumptions of experts. But when he turned his critical eye toward the Gospels for the first time, he began to see how sloppy and prejudiced he had been when it came to Jesus. Strobel had selectively accepted views that confirmed his skepticism, written off Scripture before giving it a fair hearing, and mistaken his anti-Christian bias for neutral objectivity. In short, Strobel quickly realized his views were based on nothing more than blind faith.

Strobel:

Are Historically Reliable

By Rev. Mark A. Pierson

The End of a Long Journey For two years, Strobel thoroughly studied the case for Christ. He read books, interviewed specialists, studied ancient history, learned about archaeology, and picked apart the Gospels. He looked at all manner of evidence, including eyewitness, documentary, scientific, corroborative, circumstantial, and psychological evidence—all the categories of proof that are admissible in court. When his sleuthing ended, Strobel was led to an inescapable conclusion: The Gospels are indeed historically reliable accounts about Jesus. While not particularly happy about the outcome, Strobel was honest enough to admit that all his major objections were answered. He was also a good enough journalist and legal scholar to know that his verdict need not rest on 100% certainty. Court cases and historical claims are judged based on a reasonable level of probability— that is, on whether they provide the best explanation of the evidence. And Strobel knew that no alternate theory about Jesus could do that. Surprisingly, his attempt to disprove Christianity took him on a long, slow journey during which he was dragged kicking and screaming into the kingdom. Let’s follow Strobel’s lead, and treat the Gospels like any record of ancient history, as we briefly consider three main aspects of his quest: the reliability of the manuscripts, the reliability of their content, and external evidences. The Manuscripts as Reliable Do the Gospels we have today faithfully resemble what was first written, or did copyists change them? This inquiry involves comparing all known copies of the manuscripts, noting where they differ, and reconstructing the originals.

To do this, we want to know: 1.) the time difference between the copies and the original, 2.) the number of copies, and 3.) how important any discrepancies are. Errors tend to multiply over time when making handwritten copies, so the earliest ones tend to be more accurate. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were written between AD 50-100, and the first renditions we have are from around AD 125. This may sound like an extremely long interval, since we are used to copying information instantly today, yet it is actually insignificant for two reasons. First, the originals were written on papyrus, which lasts for over a hundred years before wearing out. So they were read and circulated until at least AD 150, and served as a safeguard against scribes making any significant changes. Second, scholars easily accept copies of other ancient works that come much later than the originals. In the cases of the ancient historians Herodotus, Thucydides, Tacitus, Suetonius, and Josephus, the earliest known copies are separated from their authors from 500 to 1000 years or more! For the number of copies available to compare with one another, the Gospels likewise surpass all other works from this time. There are about 20 times more Gospel manuscripts than the average number for any writing of the GrecoRoman world. To give examples from both ends of the spectrum, there are about 200 copies of Suetonius and only three of Tacitus. While 200 sounds a lot better than three, historians accept the

contents of both as being reliable. Yet there are about 2,000 manuscripts of the Gospels, blowing every other ancient literary work out of the water. When all copies of the Gospels are compared, there are indeed many places where there is not a wordfor-word match (a non-match is called a variant). The issue, however, is not the quantity of variants but the quality of variants. For example, if the Trinitarian reference at the end of Matthew differed between copies (which it doesn’t), that could be a problem, but foreign names spelled differently in some copies of Matthew is inconsequential. In fact, most variants have no bearing on what the text means; for the few places where they do, not one affects a single point of Christian doctrine. The Content as Reliable Having accurate copies, however, does not mean the original authors got it right. Ancient historians believed eyewitness testimony was required for their works to be credible. Whenever possible, those who experienced the events firsthand were interviewed, and the account was written within the witnesses’ lifetimes so they could confirm or deny the reports. The

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Gospels are no exception to these rules. To be trustworthy, their content needs to originate with people who saw and heard Jesus. Interestingly, “Matthew,”“Mark,” “Luke,” and “John” weren’t the original titles of the Gospels. These were added later, which has caused some to wonder if they can be traced to anyone who actually knew Jesus. They can be. Around the year 80 AD, when some eyewitnesses of Jesus and his disciples were still alive, a man named Papias performed the original investigation into who wrote the first two Gospels. After acquiring testimony from living witnesses, Papias concluded that Mark had documented Peter’s preaching about Jesus, and that Matthew also composed a Gospel. In the Gospel of Luke, the author admits that since he never knew Jesus he purposely relied on eyewitnesses and carefully examined everything (Luke 1:1-4). In his sequel, the Book of Acts, the author reveals certain instances in which he would have met disciples and witnesses of Jesus. Virtually no scholar denies it was written by Luke himself. The fourth Gospel clearly claims to have been written by a follower of Jesus (John 1:14). He even stresses that this is why his narrative should be believed: “This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true” (John 21:24). While he does not name himself, the primitive church had little doubt he was John. What really matters, however, is not his name but his vantage point as an eyewitness. So two Gospels, Mathew and John, were composed by companions of Jesus, while two others, Mark and Luke, were written by those who had direct contact with the eyewitnesses. This makes for good history writing, which historians in their day would have easily recognized. The Gospels were also written early enough that both favorable and hostile witnesses would still be living and could correct or protest any inaccuracies. Yet no written reports to the contrary emerged until

the second century, when all the witnesses had died. What about the oral tradition that pre-dates the written Gospels? A generation or two sounds like a long time to remember words and deeds accurately before recording them. But the disciples lived in an oral culture, where rote memorization was the primary means of education. We might botch lines from our favorite movies, but they were used to retaining massive amounts of data with ease. Studies of oral cultures have shown that the significance of major events remains constant with each retelling, even if some material gets rearranged or summarized. This helps explain why the Gospels are so similar, yet sometimes differ on peripheral issues. And common sense tells us Jesus’ words and deeds were so profound that they’d be remembered no matter how much time had passed. External Evidence On the one hand, external evidences for the Gospels are nice but not necessary. Four biographies in strong agreement about someone, written by those who knew either Him or His followers, amounts to a historian’s goldmine. On the other hand, external corroboration can increase confidence in the Gospels. So while there are literally thousands of artifacts relating to Jesus, we will only mention a few contemporary writings and archaeological finds. In addition to the nine different authors of the New Testament, there are another 33 sources that mention Jesus within 150 years of his life: 20 are Christian compositions, four are heretical writings (such as gnostic texts), and nine are secular Greek or Roman authors. By contrast, only 10 authors mention Tiberius Caesar (the Roman Emperor at the time of Jesus’ death) within 150 years of his life. The ratio of all sources between Jesus and Tiberius for the same timeframe is 42:10! Even when counting only nonChristian sources for each, the ratio becomes an even 9:9. Therefore, to make extra demands for Jesus without

doing so for Tiberius or other historical figures is a clear double standard. At least three non-Christian historians mentioned Jesus. The most famous is Josephus, a Jew writing at the end of the first century. He said Jesus was a wise teacher, performed astonishing deeds, was followed by Jews and Greeks, had a brother named James, was called the Christ, was accused by prominent Jews, was crucified by Pilate, and was believed by some to have risen from the dead. The Romans Tacitus and Suetonius also refer to Jesus by the year 115. Tacitus referenced His crucifixion under Pilate, while both implied they knew of Jesus’ claimed resurrection. These observations from secular scholars match the Gospels well. In terms of archaeology, the list of items that support the Gospels is massive. From the record of the census issued by Caesar Augustus, to Peter’s house by the Sea of Galilee, to the mortal remains of Caiaphas the high priest, to the sites of the crucifixion and empty tomb, numerous discoveries indicate the Gospels are works of history, not fiction or legend. The Truth Will Come Out It has been said that there is no story people have wished was true more than the Christian story. For Strobel, however, he wished it was false. Like so many skeptics, his superficial search for an alternate Jesus allowed him to discover what he wanted to discover in the first place. But when he put his investigative skills to work and tried to disprove the Gospels, he found something he never would have guessed: The Jesus encountered in these texts is the real Jesus after all. And because the Christian faith is founded on historical facts, we continue to encounter this same Jesus, who comes to us and rescues us through His saving Word. Rev. Mark A. Pierson wrote the chapter on the historical reliability of the Gospels in the book, Making the Case for Christianity. You can email him at markapierson@gmail.com

Dare to be a Deaconess! Concordia University Chicago: The Total Package for Deaconess Education With a 35-year history, CUC’s deaconess program is the oldest and most well established in the LCMS. Students and graduates serve throughout the U.S. and the world.

n Sit at the feet of outstanding theology professors n Learn from veteran deaconesses n Worship and study God’s Word in a vibrant community of faith n Live, learn and serve alongside many church work students n Study theology in Cambridge, UK n Live out God’s mercy in field work, internship and graduate placement around Chicago,

the U.S. and the world n A cost-effective way to obtain full LCMS Deaconess Certification n Earn a Bachelor of Arts in Theology plus a one-year paid internship n Graduates can enhance their service with a master’s degree in social work, counseling,

gerontology, teaching or business

Learn more about becoming a deaconess today by visiting CUChicago.edu/deaconess or email Kristin.Wassilak@CUChicago.edu.

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University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA

Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO

July 26-29

Visit BreadofLife2016.org or email conferences@higherthings.org for more details.

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst,” (St. John 6:35). Jesus is the Bread of Life. He is the bread that came down from heaven. Our fathers ate manna in the wilderness and they all died. Jesus is the Bread that a man may eat of and never die. Believing in His Words and promises, receiving His Body and Blood, we live forever. We are very excited to announce that the 2016 Higher Things conferences will rejoice in Jesus being the “Bread of Life.” We will receive His Words. We will eat His Body and drink His Blood. We will live forever.

Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN

July 5-8

Higher Things 2016 Conferences

Bread of Life

June 28-July 1

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Bread of Life Higher Things 2016 Conferences

June 28-July 1 Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN

Why Higher Things?

We live in a culture of blurry religious distinctions and doit-yourself spirituality. Youth, especially, need solid ground that will nurture lasting Christian faith. Rather than treating youth as an adolescent subculture and confusing them with religious experiences that cannot be replicated at home, Higher Things believes in challenging youth to learn the pure doctrine of the Christian faith. By teaching them the same message that they hear at home, youth grow in the fullness of the Christian faith as they come to appreciate historic liturgical practice and its unique focus on God’s gifts of forgiveness, life and salvation for us delivered in Word and Sacrament.

The Theme: Bread of Life

Registration

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Please note: Registration windows have changed! Download a Registration Packet with detailed registration information and instructions at BreadofLife2016.org. Registration will open on November 1, 2016 and close as each site reaches capacity. We work very diligently to keep costs as low as possible while providing the best conferences we can – every year! The per-person rates below are based on the date your group’s registration fees are paid in full. Additional fees may apply for registrations and changes made on or after May 1, 2016. Balances paid on or after May 1, 2016 will be subject to a $25 per-person late fee. See the detailed Registration Packet for more information about fees and deadlines. EARLY BIRD! REGULAR Nov. 1, 2016 to Feb. 1, 2016 to Jan. 31, 2016 April 31, 2016

LATE (on or after May 1, 2016)

Vanderbilt University (June 28-July 1, 2016) University of Northern Iowa (July 5-8, 2016) Colorado State University (July 26-29, 2016)

$355

$385

$410

July 5-8

University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA

July 26-29

Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO

Your Registration Fee includes:

• All conference programming (Catechesis, Worship, Entertainment) • Three (3) nights of campus housing (double-capacity) • Nine (9) Meals (Tuesday supper through Friday lunch) • Conference Handbook • Daily Services Book • Conference T-Shirt • Free issue of Higher Things magazine Not only can you register your group online at BreadofLife2016.org, you can pay deposits and your balance online for no additional charge too! All you need is a valid HT Online account. If you don’t have one yet, you can sign up for one at www. higherthings.org.

Age Requirements

Higher Things conferences are generally planned for highschool-aged youth, but registrants may be any youth who have been confirmed prior to the conference, including middle school and college students. We recognize that the ages of confirmed youth vary from congregation to congregation, and just ask that if a group is bringing young people who are not yet confirmed or in high school, their group leaders be prepared to provide additional supervision accordingly.

Chaperones

Chaperones must be at least 21 years old at the time of Registration, and approved by the group’s pastor to serve in that role. There must be at least one (1) male chaperone for up to every seven (7) male youth in a registered group, and at least one (1) female chaperone for up to every seven (7) female youth in the group. There is no restriction on the number of chaperones that may register with a group. All chaperones and other adults in a group must complete the registration process. If you are unable to recruit the necessary number of chaperones from your congregation for your youth to attend a conference, Higher Things will be happy to help you find other groups from your area who would be willing to “share” their chaperones with you. All Higher Things staff, volunteers, and leadership have completed child safety training and annual background checks. All adults/chaperones registered to attend a Higher Things conference must also pass a national criminal and sexual predator background check by May 1 of the conference calendar year. See Registration Policies in the Registration Packet for additional information regarding background checks.

Conference Capacities

All three 2016 conferences have a capacity of 1,000 attendees.

Upcoming Higher Things Retreats! Upcoming Higher Things Retreats! Upcoming Higher Things Retreats! More details about these and other upcoming retreats is at www.higherthings.org/retreats!

Upcoming Patriarchs, Pharaohs, and Philistines Patriarchs, Pharaohs, and Philistines Pharaohs, and Philistines HigherPatriarchs, Things Retreats! More details about these and other upcoming retreats is at www.higherthings.org/retreats! More More details details about about these these and and other other upcoming upcoming retreats retreats is is at at www.higherthings.org/retreats! www.higherthings.org/retreats!

January 22-23, 2016 January 22-23, 2016Lutheran Church in Corcoran, MN St. John Evangelical January 22-23, Teacher: Rev. David Kind 2016 January 22-23, 2016Lutheran Church in Corcoran, MN John Evangelical MoreSt. details about these and other upcoming retreats Contact: Jayme Kruse, jayme.kruse@gmail.com or (612)-807-6526 St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church in Teacher: Rev. David Kind St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church in Corcoran, Corcoran, MN MN www.higherthings.org/retreats! Cost: is at $30/person Contact: Teacher: Teacher: Cost: Contact: Contact: Cost: Cost:

Jayme Kruse, jayme.kruse@gmail.com or (612)-807-6526 Rev. David Kind Rev. David Kind $30/person Jayme Kruse, Jayme Kruse, jayme.kruse@gmail.com jayme.kruse@gmail.com or or (612)-807-6526 (612)-807-6526 $30/person $30/person

Branded in Baptism February 13-14, 2016 Branded in Baptism Branded in Baptism February 13-14, 2016 Trinity Lutheran Church in Sheboygan, WI February 13-14, 2016 Teacher: Jacob Ehrhard February 13-14, 2016 TrinityRev. Lutheran Church in Sheboygan, WI Contact: Pastor John Berg, berg@trinitysheboygan.org Trinity Lutheran Church in Teacher: Rev. Jacob Ehrhard Trinity Lutheran Church in Sheboygan, Sheboygan, WI WI Cost: $50/person Contact: Pastor JohnEhrhard Berg, berg@trinitysheboygan.org Teacher: Jacob Teacher: Rev. Rev. Jacob Ehrhard Cost: $50/person Contact: Pastor John Contact: Pastor John Berg, Berg, berg@trinitysheboygan.org berg@trinitysheboygan.org Cost: $50/person Cost: $50/person

Come at me Bro! Devil, World and Sinful Come at me Bro! Devil, World and Sinful Nature Baptized Child of God Come atvs.me Bro! Devil, World and Sinful March 4-5,vs. 2016 Nature Baptized Child of God Nature vs. Baptized ChildinofMcHenry, God IL March 4-5, 2016 Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church March 4-5, 2016 Teacher: Rev. Mark buetowLutheran Church in McHenry, IL March 4-5, 2016 Zion Evangelical Contact: Pastor George Borghardt, revborghardt@gmail.com Zion Evangelical Teacher: Rev. Mark buetowLutheran Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church Church in in McHenry, McHenry, IL IL Cost: $50/person Contact: Teacher: Teacher: Cost: Contact: Contact: Cost: Cost:

Pastor George Borghardt, revborghardt@gmail.com Rev. Mark buetow Rev. Mark buetow $50/person Pastor George Pastor George Borghardt, Borghardt, revborghardt@gmail.com revborghardt@gmail.com $50/person $50/person

Am I Crazy? Am I Crazy? Being a Christian in the 21stst Century Am I Crazy? April 15-16, 2016 Being a Christian in the 21stst Century Being a Christian in the April 2016 in Solon, Camp15-16, Io-Dis-E-Ca IA 21 Century April 2016 Teacher: Rev. George Borghardt April 15-16, 2016 Camp15-16, Io-Dis-E-Ca in Solon, IA Contact: Daniel Sanchez, director@iodiseca.org Camp Io-Dis-E-Ca in Teacher: Rev. George Borghardt Camp Io-Dis-E-Ca in Solon, Solon, IA IA Cost: $50/person Contact: Daniel Sanchez, director@iodiseca.org Teacher: George Borghardt Teacher: Rev. Rev. George Borghardt Cost: $50/person Contact: Daniel Sanchez, Contact: Daniel Sanchez, director@iodiseca.org director@iodiseca.org Cost: $50/person Cost: $50/person

We are now booking retreats for the Spring and Fall of 2016! If you’d like to retreats host a Higher for Things retreat at your church,  We are now booking the Spring and Fall of 2016! contact Patrick Sturdivant (retreats@higherthings.org) for more information. We are now booking retreats for the Spring and Fall of 2016! If you’d like to host a Higher Things retreat at your church,  contact Patrick (retreats@higherthings.org) for more information. If like aa Higher church,  If you’d you’dSturdivant like to to host host Higher Things Things retreat retreat at at your your church,  contact Patrick Sturdivant (retreats@higherthings.org) for more contact Patrick Sturdivant (retreats@higherthings.org) for more information. information.

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The Bright Light of

in the Darkn I was raped. For a long

time, I grappled with feelings of fear, anger, shame and insecurity. These emotions led me to become secluded and not confide in anyone what had happened to me. Questions lingered and raced through my mind. What might happen to me? Pity, nagging questions, investigation, trials or rumors? My refusal to deal with these overwhelming emotions during this time caused a deep depression. I felt lonely and worthless. This struggle was reflected in my school work and friendships. I lost most of my closest friends due to my seclusion. My grades slipped and I was tempted to drop out of school. I went from being a happy, social high school student to a shadow of a girl with no hopes for the future.

As time passed, I was eventually able to confide what happened to my family and eventually, trusted friends. It was one of the most difficult things I’ve done. However, through this experience I have learned so much:

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That there is freedom in forgiveness. Jesus teaches us the power of forgiveness in the book of Luke when He is being crucified. He says, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” What happened to me was not my sin. My rapist sinned against me. But my holding onto un-forgiveness was also a sin. I’ll never forget the moment I decided to forgive my rapist. I felt so freed from all the darkness I was holding onto. Reminded of Jesus’ forgiveness, I let go of the power the devil had been using to hold onto me. I also learned that I can always trust the Lord to help me through the struggles of recurring emotions from this trauma. It is not a sin to feel emotions but, it is wrong to use these

ness of Devastation emotions negatively or hold onto them as hatred. Often, I am angry that my purity was stolen from me. Yet, I know that when I am married and consent to the man that I love, that will be the real time I have given up myself. I can pray to the Lord to grant me patience and strength until this day. That I am pure. Through God’s gift of the sacraments and baptismal waters I have been washed clean. My favorite Bible verse is Luke 7:47, when Mary is washing Jesus’ feet and the others around the table speak unkindly about Mary and her behavior and Jesus declares, “Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven.” This verse reminds me how His perfect life is mine in Christ Jesus. More than that, Scripture presents the deeper reality that we, His church, are already the spotless Virgin waiting for our Bridegroom, Jesus. That God is at work. One of my proudest moments was graduating high school. I had wanted to drop out due to challenges both inside and outside the classroom but my family and teachers pushed me to keep going. I worked toward many goals—some little, some big. I have run a half marathon, several 5Ks, am attending college, held a job for over four years, attended and volunteered for numerous Higher Things conferences. Each of these achievements shows what God has given me. God has given me the talents and the capability to do anything He sets before me. That I LOVE the body God gave me. I have flaws. I also have God inside my heart and soul. I hold His word on my lips and sing praises to his name. 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 is a comforting passage: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of all mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in affliction, with the comfort which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same

By Amber Scarbeary

Christ

sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share comfort.” I have been stitched together with God’s Word and been nurtured and guided from birth to serve Him. How powerful is it that God has a plan for YOU and the bodies he has individually created for YOU? You are never alone with Christ and our Church family. Every Sunday we are reminded of Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice for us through the Holy Sacrament and our baptismal gift. Jesus died on the cross for the sins of all people and that even includes even my rapist’s sins. That I need to talk about my struggle. It’s beneficial to get professional help if you need to! Talk to someone you trust. Your pastor, elder, Sunday school teacher, or even the person three pews in front of you can help you with the spiritual and emotional care you need. Yes, I was raped, and I will never forget what happened to me, but I believe that God brought me through such a dark place to help others find the power of His Word just as the 2 Corinthians 1 passage says. I will never stop sharing my story with the hopes that I can help one person find the bright light Jesus has to share in the most troubling, lonely, and depressing times: His great love for us and the forgiveness of sins! If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused there are many resources with information on getting help, learning the law, talking to your friends, and prevention. • The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network www.rainn.org • The National Sexual Violence Resource Center www.nsvrc.org • Free counseling at 1.800.656.HOPE. • The National Suicide Helpline 1.800.273.TALK. Amber Scarbeary is attending Illinois Central College studying Dietetics and transferring to Illinois State University to major in Exercise Science and Nutrition. In her free time she enjoys exercising, especially running, reading, cooking, and watching Netflix. You can reach Amber at amberscarbeary@gmail.com

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God’s

Tasting

Goodness By Bethany Woelmer

Preparing food is a daily process of tasting,

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adding more seasoning, tasting again, throwing in another spoonful or more slices, tasting once more, sprinkling more salt, tasting again and again, and...I’m sure you get the picture. Whether we are in the kitchen making soup, at an ice cream parlor choosing the perfect kind of ice cream, or at the dinner table trying a new food for the first time, our sense of taste is stimulated and doing its job, affirming our favorite foods and creating categories of “likes” and “dislikes” according to what we desire.

The act of “tasting” can reach beyond this type of sense, however. Forget about the ice cream you are now currently craving, or the plan for what you will soon make for dinner tonight, or the bag of chips I know that you are debating on grabbing. (Don’t do it!) Allow me, for just a moment, to orient your idea of taste according to what you receive from God in His Word. That’s right: The sting of the Law that burns your tongue, convicts you of your sin and condemns to death. Then consider the pure Gospel, sweet as honey, that fills your mouth with forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. The Israelites certainly had a liking for taste and its symbolic qualities which we can see in the Passover meal. The roasted lamb reminded them of the blood to be sacrificed to save their lives, the bitter herbs reminded them of the bitterness of slavery, and salt water reminded them of the tears they cried in Egypt. They were stricken with bondage, much like the bondage we face in sin. We, like the Israelites, cry to God in times of suffering, wondering where He is and asking, “Who will save us from this bondage of death? Who can free us from these ropes of sin that drag us further into our graves?” To our old Adam the Law burns and kills. It tastes horrible, and we detest it. We spit it out in disgust, ignore it, and attempt to push it aside, time and time again. We find other pleasures in this world in which our selfish taste buds come to life. They leave us filled with all the riches the world has to offer; yet we are still hungry for something more. The food that the Law brings does not fully satisfy, because it rots our soul with poison and provides no nourishment or hope for life. The Israelites’ meal also consisted of greens that symbolized the coming of Spring and new hope: “haroset,” a combination of nuts, apple, cinnamon, and wine, that reminded them of the hope of freedom from slavery, and a hard-boiled egg that not only symbolized suffering and oppression but also new life. God freed them from their bondage of slavery in Egypt and led them to the promised land of Canaan—the land “flowing with milk and honey.” The Gospel sweetens and refreshes. It tastes good, because of God’s deliverance from sin for us that He accomplished on the cross. Jesus tasted the full punishment of sin and death, suffering each whip

across His back and each pounding of the nails through His hands and feet for us. He tasted the bitter, sour wine on the sponge. He suffered death itself, and through His resurrection He defeated death, bringing us life and securing for us eternity in heaven. The psalmist, David, said in Psalm 34, “Taste and see that the Lord is good,” in order to bring to mind the nature of those whose hope is in the Lord. We know how bitter the Law tastes and we find ourselves to be poor miserable sinners, yet we trust in God as our Deliverer who not only saved us on the cross but also continues to feed us with words of grace and mercy. These words “given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins” and “I forgive you all your sins” are some of the ways in which God’s words of life enter our ears and create faith in us. Our mouth tastes Christ’s Body and Blood, our ears taste His words of forgiveness, and our eyes fix upon His crucifixion that accomplished this life for us. The praise that David refers to in Psalm 34 is described as being “continually in my mouth,” meaning that the faith we receive by God’s Word enters our senses, connecting us to Christ. Whether we are in the Divine Service, around the dinner table, or carrying out our vocations, we can taste God’s goodness to us. We can also taste the praise by which we return our thanks and proclaim to others what He has done. And in Christ, even the Law turns into a sweet and delicious food that the new man enjoys! We need not try to come up with our own recipe for salvation. If it were up to us, we would cover up our sin by sprinkling in a few more good deeds. We would work our way into heaven by stirring together all kinds of good works and seeking comfort in the riches of this world. However, God had a different plan of salvation that did not include our works. He sent His Son to redeem us. In Christ, we lack nothing. God continually prepares for us an abundance of the fruits of His mercy, giving us a marvelous “foretaste of the feast to come” in the resurrection where we have eternal life. Taste and see: The Lord is good. Bethany Woelmer is a member at Faith Lutheran Church in Plano, Texas.

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Living in Light of Our

Justification By Hayden Smith

Pietism isn’t just a product of the 17th century. It has reared

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its ugly head in all theology, in all men, at all times. Historically, speaking, pietism was a reaction to what was seen as a lack of heartfelt faith borne out in the Christian life with too much focus on an intellectualized faith. Pietism countered this with an emphasis on more subjective inner faith and so purity of doctrine and the sacraments were de-emphasized Over time, pietism has come to mean a functional works’ righteousness created by looking to our own works as evidence for our salvation. It comes naturally to us. There is always a beckoning; there is always a “still small voice,” if you will, that calls our attention to our works for justification and, I dare say, sanctification.“Live the victorious and rigorous Christian life and if you don’t…we all know you never really were a Christian in the first place.”

Pulpits in all corners of Christianity promote this false theology week in and week out to prod people toward living more “holy” lives. The main flaw with this approach is that it seems detached from the working of forgiveness through the Holy Word and Sacraments and leaves the Cross, where true forgiveness for the whole world for Christ’s sake comes forth, somewhere in the distant rear-view mirror. Pietism feels natural. We all desperately want to play a part in the free salvation won on Calvary’s cross. We naturally want to be accepted by the Most High on some basis of our own— our being or doing. We don’t like the God who seems to sit back and forgive the chief of all sinners for Christ’s sake alone. It’s as if it is too easy for us, isn’t it? Why...that just isn’t fair! And yet, the reality of it all is that this is exactly how God operates: forgiving us sinners apart from our the keeping of the works of the law because of His Son—the Lamb slain on our behalf before the foundation of the world. So let’s grant that we are justified and have forgiveness for the sake of Christ. Enter in pietism, which comes in the guise of sanctification by putting our attention on our subsequent works. What happens? When we see our lack of tangible progress, we begin to believe that maybe we aren’t really justified. To put it another way, when we struggle with sin, we easily conclude maybe we aren’t saved at all. This insidious invasion of pietism is due to a fundamental misunderstanding of the distinction between the Law and the Gospel. How many times have you heard sermons on the Law of God without the Gospel to console you? How many times have you been crushed by His immovable Law without ever hearing the free promise of forgiveness in Christ for you? Or, how often have you heard a sermon in which nothing but “Christian living” is described, without any announcement of Christ’s forgiveness? This is the heart of pietism: striving to be justified and sanctified by the Law instead of by the Gospel and the Sacraments. The death and resurrection of Jesus—the very center of all life, forgiveness, justification, and sanctification—is treated as a hurdle to jump over in order to move on to the dealings that really matter: our good works. Who needs the bloodied Lamb of God constantly? It’s much too radical, much too free, far too cheap. Pietism wants a Christian to be a holy person. This sounds like a noble goal. However, pietism ultimately perceives this holiness by looking to the progression in good works—to

the self—for sanctification. The Gospel declares the promises of Christ’s gifts, which ultimately cannot be perceived through good or bad works, but only in the Word and Sacraments freely given and offered for the forgiveness of all sin. It is in our baptism that the Lord saves us and drowns our old Adam; that is where He buries us with Christ, and washes us with the waters of regeneration. It is in the Sacrament of the Altar in which Christ, really and truly, becomes one flesh and blood with us. In Holy Baptism, we are already buried with Him— baptized into His holy cross, suffering, and death. Through the Holy Supper, Christ truly lives in us and promises to raise us on the Last Day. We are already holy in the Holy Son of God. It is only through faith in the finished work of Christ alone, which is freely given to us through His gifts, that we may properly avoid pietism. Our Lord Christ says, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” and again, through the author of the epistle to the Hebrews “without holiness no man shalt see the Lord” (Matthew 5:48; Hebrews12:14). This is good, right, and salutary. How can we ever assent to such perfection—to be even like God ourselves? Pietism answers in this way: We can achieve this in the present life through our works. The Gospel answers with a much more radical approach. Consider the church father St. Augustine when he says that “the law is perfectly kept when all that is not kept is forgiven.” Therefore, in the places that we are not perfect as He is perfect, He purifies us in forgiveness. In the condition of our evil desires and passions, He assists us with His promises and with great grace. In the midst of lusts and temptations, He gives us solace in the Sacraments and the Holy Gospel, announcing before all men at all times, “I forgive you. I love you. I am saving you. I’ve got you. You’re mine. I wash you in my waters. I fill you with my Body and Blood: the true manna from above.” Take heart, dear Christian! You have a scandalous God who justifies the ungodly—even those who are naturally pietistic—because natural pietists are all there are, and that means He justifies you, too! Hayden Smith is a member of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. He can be contacted at haygsmith@yahoo.com.

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HIGHER THINGS

Reflections LutheranReformation.org Your one-stop shop for celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation. New content added regularly.

H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 26

Higher Things is pleased to provide free daily devotions, called “Reflections,” for youth and their families. These Reflections are centered on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and are based upon each day’s texts from the weekly readings in the one-year lectionary and from Luther’s Small Catechism. You can download and print a seasonal Reflections booklet, subscribe to the daily Reflections and receive them in your e-mail box or connect to an RSS Feed and Podcast by visiting: www.higherthings.org/reflections.html

Cross train your brain.

“The Core really made me think outside of the box and forced me to answer difficult questions, not accepting an “I don’t know” or “I don’t care” answer. It involved a lot of connection-making, which really helped me articulate my responses to difficult questions.”

Education should strengthen your brain, challenge you to ask questions, and build a strong foundation for your future. In Concordia University Irvine’s *nationally recognized Core curriculum, you will learn about God and service to the world through the cross of Christ. You will cross disciplinary boundaries by studying biology with theology, mathematics with philosophy, and history with literature. You will wrestle with questions and concepts of life that have endured across the centuries. You will cultivate sound academic habits and skills that apply across the curriculum, to your future careers, and life. Exercise your mind. Exercise your faith. Cross train your brain. *Concordia University Irvine is a member of the Association for Core Texts and Courses’ Liberal Arts Institute. This prestigious institute— composed of 12 universities that include Columbia, St. John’s, Pepperdine, and Notre Dame—promotes “the integrated and common study of world classics and texts of major cultural significance” in general education programs across North America.

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W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 _ 27

Catechism

The Gift of Parents and Other Authorities By Rev. William M. Cwirla

Honor your father and your mother.

What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but honor them, serveand obey them, love and cherish them. (The Fourth Commandment)

I H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 28

magine a world without authority. You could do whatever you wanted. Drive whatever speed you thought was best. Take anything you needed without paying for it. Stay out as long as you wanted. Go to school, or not, whenever you felt like it. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Or maybe it doesn’t. If you can do whatever you want, others can do the same. Imagine traffic where everyone drove according to his or her own rules. They have a name for that: Demolition Derby. Imagine running a business where employees showed up whenever they felt like it. They have a name for that, too: bankruptcy. Imagine a classroom with no teacher, or a community in which there was no law enforcement, no laws, no order. We call that “anarchy.” The word “anarchy” literally means “no head.” There’s no one in charge. If the police announce they aren’t coming to work on Monday, you’re going to lock the doors on Sunday and not leave the house. God is a God of order. He creates things in an ordered fashion and sets things in order. In His temporal kingdom, God has three orders or authority structures: home, civil society, and the church. The home is the first order from which the other two flow. From the household flows community and nation. Temporally speaking, the church as we see it is part of God’s temporal government, too, as He arranges to have the Gospel preached in this world until Jesus shows His glorious face again on the Last Day. Each order has its own authority. In the home, it’s husband and wife, parents and children, masters and

servants. In civil society, it’s governors and citizens. In the church, it’s preachers and hearers. God has established these orders for our blessing and to keep our old Adam in check. Our sinful nature, the “old Adam,” doesn’t like authority or order. He’s an anarchist and rebel. He prefers to do what is right in his own eyes and doesn’t care about what happens to others. And so he despises parents and other authorities, including teachers, bosses, pastors, presidents, governors, legislatures, the police— anyone in authority. What the old Adam hates the most is when the authorities say, “No, you can’t do that.” It kills him. Literally. “Honor your father and your mother,” and, by extension, all other temporal authorities in home, society, and church. These authorities are God’s gift to you. The word “honor” is usually reserved only for God Himself, but in this commandment, it applies also

Order to God’s representatives and deputies— parents and other authorities. To honor parents and other authorities in this world is to honor God Himself. To fear and love God is also to honor, serve, obey, love and cherish God’s deputies— the temporal authorities He puts over us to protect us from ourselves and from each other. When we step over the line— when we create disorder and hurt others—we will find ourselves in timeout, grounded, in prison, or under church discipline. This is to mortify (kill) our sinful nature, the old Adam, and discipline us to live as sinners/ saints in this world. How then do you honor parents and other authorities? First, you esteem them as the most precious treasure on the earth. The Large Catechism tells us that if you didn’t have father and mother, you’d set up a couple of rocks and call them Dad and Mom. Second, you speak respectfully to them at all times, and hold that tongue of yours, even if they go a bit too far. Third,

you honor them with your actions, obeying them when you are young, taking care of them when they are old. There is literally a lifetime of good works to do in this simple commandment to honor your father and mother. The fourth commandment uniquely comes with a promise: “…that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth.” (Ephesians 6:3). That’s not eternal life, but temporal life in God’s temporal kingdom. Those who live at peace with God’s authority tend to have long and peaceful lives; those who live at odds with the authorities tend to die young. This isn’t a bargain, just simply a fact of life. “This, in short, is the way God will have it: render him obedience, love and service, and he will reward you abundantly with every blessing; on the other hand, if you provoke him to anger, he will send upon you both death and the hangman” (Large Catechism, 1.136). Jesus was 12 years old, Luke says, “And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them [Joseph and Mary]….” (Luke 2:51). Think about that. Jesus, the Son of God, was obedient to His earthly parents, Joseph and Mary. He came into our Flesh to be the obedient son for all of us. When we, as baptized children of God, honor our father and mother and other authorities, we are doing precisely what Jesus would do, and what He did, because Jesus is doing it in and through us! His obedience is ours; our obedience is His. You are to honor and obey Your father, mother, every day, Serve them each way that comes to hand; You’ll then live long in the land. Have mercy, Lord! (Lutheran Service Book, #581) Rev. William M. Cwirla is the pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Hacienda Heights, California, and is a president emeritus of Higher Things. He can be reached at wcwirla@gmail.com.

W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 _ 29

Shaming the

Shamers A HIGHER THINGS BIBLE STUDY • Winter 2016

What is shame? What does it mean to shame someone else? What examples do you see of people shaming others? Why do people shame other people? Should we shame people who deserve it? How do you feel when you are shamed by someone else? Why do you think people like to see others shamed?

Read Genesis 9:18–23. What did Ham do to his father? What do Shem and Japheth do? How does this compare to when someone does something and is shamed for it?

Take a look at Luke 18:9–14. How does the Pharisee pray? How does the tax collector pray? How does their opinion of themselves relate to what they believe about God? How would this affect how they view others? How do we know whether God will have mercy on us when we ask Him?

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What does Isaiah 50:5–7 prophesy about the Savior? What does the Suffering Servant conclude about what He will undergo? How does the shame of men compare with being the Lord’s?

Read Matthew 27:38–44. How do the enemies of Jesus shame Him? What challenge do they give Him? How does Jesus respond? See also Luke 23:32–34, 39–43.

What does Jesus’ enduring of shame have to do with out shame and our shaming of others? See Hebrews 12:1–3. What does the cross say about our shame?

What does 1 Peter 4:8 tell us to do for others? How does this work? What example do we have of this in Matthew 1:18–19?

Read the 8th Commandment and meaning, LSB p.322. What does this commandment teach us about shame and shaming? What excellent advice does it give for speaking about others? Give some examples of how we might do this. And what do we do when we’ve shamed someone?

Close by singing LSB 696, “O God, My Faithful God.” Make note of stanzas 3 and 4.

To access the Leader’s Guide for this study, as well as Bible studies for articles in this issue and previous issues, as a part of an HTOnline subscription, point your browser to: higherthings.org/magazine/biblestudies.html.

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“The Bright Light of Christ  in the Darkness of Devastation” A HIGHER THINGS® BIBLE STUDY Leader’s Guide

Leaders’ Introduction The subject matter of the corresponding magazine article is that of surviving rape. This study will give the students the opportunity to discuss the passages that the author of the article indicates have helped her a great deal. It will also address to some extent how Jesus is with us even in personal tragedies and struggles. In the event that one of your students wants more information, you can suggest the networks and help lines listed in the article, encourage talking with the pastor and parents as they are able, and seeking help from professionals trained in the issue of rape or sexual abuse. 1. What sin does the author indicate a rape victim might carry? What does Jesus say of those who sinned against Him? See Luke 23:32–34. How does that provide us an answer when other sin against us? The author clearly states that being raped was not her fault. That is not her sin. But she does acknowledge that she carried unforgiveness for her assailant. Jesus, while being crucified, asked the Father to forgive those who were killing Him. While this seems like it might be an example for us, that we should forgive others who sin against us, it’s much more than that. The forgiveness that Jesus exhibits and achieves on Calvary IS the forgiveness He gives us for our sins and then gives to others through us. Point out that when we forgive others, it is never our forgiveness but Jesus’ that He gives to others through us. 2. Read Ephesians 5:25–27. How might these verses comfort someone who is concerned about their purity being sullied by the experience of sexual assault? How does Christ see us? How do we see our spouses? The author states her anger at having something taken from her that she did not willingly give. She points out, however, that in Christ, she is nothing but pure. The Ephesians verses remind us that there is nothing so impure or spotted or ruined in us that we are not perfectly clean and pure and spotless in the sight of Jesus, because we are His beloved Bride and He Himself has washed us and made us pure. So Paul teaches husbands, in the light of Christ’s love for His church, to see their brides the same way. It will be a gift for the author when she marries a man who refuses to see her as anything but pure and perfect in his sight, just as she is in Jesus’ sight. 3. Read Luke 7:36–50. What does Jesus’ host say about the woman who is washing His feet? How does Jesus respond? What does Jesus say about the woman? How can this passage comfort someone in light of their feelings and emotions in the wake of rape? The woman washing Jesus’ feet is called a “sinner” by His host. Jesus responds with a story about two people, one who has been forgiven a much larger debt than the other. The point of His story is that someone who has been forgiven much, loves much, while someone who has been forgiven for little, may not love as much. The victim of rape is often saddled with burdens of guilt and shame and impurity even though the act was not her fault and she did not deserve it. Against these emotions is the forgiveness and love of Jesus to cover all sins and shame, no matter their source. From such love of the Savior comes much love in good works and love of others.

Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

4. One passage we hear in times of tragedy is Romans 8:28–30. How can this be misunderstood or misapplied? What does it actually mean and what comfort is there for those who suffer something? Sometimes this passage is quoted in the “everything has a purpose” sort of way, as if we can remove hurts simply by saying it. On the other hand, it is true that God is working all things out for our good. Everything that happens to us can be used by the Lord to bring us closer to Him, to increase our faith in Jesus, and to crucify our sinful flesh. The end result of all that is our salvation, as Paul says. And that salvation is rooted in God’s work and promises in Jesus. Notice how Paul traces back our salvation to the very will of God. Therefore, God has one plan: to save us forever. Everything that happens even He can turn to good for that purpose. After all, He took the ultimate evil, the killing of His Son, and used it for the salvation of the world. 5. Read 2 Corinthians 1:3–7. What has God done for us? For what purpose? How does Paul consider his sufferings in the light of his hearers (fellow Christians to whom he is writing)? What do all Christians who suffer have in common? First of all, God has brought us comfort in our tribulations. Whatever sufferings we have, Jesus brings us peace through his Word and the forgiveness of sins. He does this so that we might be able to comfort others when they face trials and suffering. Paul suffered many things in His service to Christ as a preacher of the Gospel yet he considers the consolation of his sufferings in part to be that he can comfort and console others. All Christians who suffer have the same consolation, the same hope, the same blessing: They have Jesus and His life and all His gifts. Even in the things we suffer, the Lord can use them in us to make us able to help others who face similar tragedies or are victims of the same crimes or circumstances. The hope given to us by Christ is for us to use to give hope to others, too. 6. One of the lessons the author learned is that she needs to talk about what happened. How does Galatians 6:2 apply? How can we help someone who has experienced something traumatic? The idea of bearing one another’s burdens is part of our life together in Christ. To bear one another’s burdens means to listen to others and help where we can, including being a friend to a person who has a lot of emotional or physical trauma. In part, being a good listener and just “being there” for a person are wonderful opportunities to help them. When they are ready to talk about what happened, we can be a listening ear. Point out that such a listening ear doesn’t speak about it to others, and asks permission from the person to listen and let them share what happened. 7. There can be much darkness in our lives. What hope does Christ give us in His own promises in John 8:12? Does this mean we will not have suffering? What does “the light of life” mean? Where do we find this light and life? There is much darkness but Jesus promises He is the Light of the World. While He does not promise we will not suffer, He does promise forgiveness, life, salvation and peace that passes human understanding. This comfort begins and ends with Jesus and is given by Him where He has promised to be: in His church, through His Word, Baptism, Absolution, and His Supper. 8. Discuss other ways you might be a good friend and helper to someone who has experienced some trauma or tragedy. Answers will vary. In the specific case of rape, you could share the resources listed in the article. Patiently listening and gently proclaiming the love of Christ are something every Christian can do for someone who has suffered from a horrible experience. And don’t forget to encourage youth to pray for their friends and those who have undergone such things.

Closing Sing together, “Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me,” (LSB 756).

Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

“The Bright Light of Christ  in the Darkness of Devastation” A HIGHER THINGS® BIBLE STUDY 1. What sin does the author indicate a rape victim might carry? What does Jesus say of those who sinned against Him? See Luke 23:32–34. How does that provide us an answer when other sin against us?

2. Read Ephesians 5:25–27. How might these verses comfort someone who is concerned about their purity being sullied by the experience of sexual assault? How does Christ see us? How do we see our spouses?

3. Read Luke 7:36–50. What does Jesus’ host say about the woman who is washing His feet? How does Jesus respond? What does Jesus say about the woman? How can this passage comfort someone in light of their feelings and emotions in the wake of rape?

4. One passage we hear in times of tragedy is Romans 8:28–30. How can this be misunderstood or misapplied? What does it actually mean and what comfort is there for those who suffer something?

5. Read 2 Corinthians 1:3–7. What has God done for us? For what purpose? How does Paul consider his sufferings in the light of his hearers (fellow Christians to whom he is writing)? What do all Christians who suﬀer have in common?

6. One of the lessons the author learned is that she needs to talk about what happened. How does Galatians 6:2 apply? How can we help someone who has experienced something traumatic?

7. There can be much darkness in our lives. What hope does Christ give us in His own promises in John 8:12? Does this mean we will not have suﬀering? What does “the light of life” mean? Where do we find this light and life?

8. Discuss other ways you might be a good friend and helper to someone who has experienced some trauma or tragedy.

Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

“So ATurn Into a Dinosaur” HIGHER THINGS® BIBLE STUDY Leader’s Guide

Leaders’ Introduction This Bible study will distinguish between two kinds of faith. Theologians use the Latin phrases “fides qua creditur” and “fides quae creditur,” which mean respectively, “faith by which it is believed,” and, “faith which is believed.” In other words, the act of faith is distinguished from the object of faith. In this study, the shorthand “qua” (pronounced kwah) and “quae” (rhymes with “fry”) will be used to familiarize the youth with this phrase. The leader may want to post these phrases with their definitions on the wall or write them on a whiteboard. At the conclusion of this Bible study, the youth will be able to distinguish between these two kinds of faith, and confess that the wonderful promises ascribed to faith in the Holy Scriptures are true not because of the strength of the believer, but because of the One who is believed. The leader may begin the Bible study with a prayer to the Holy Spirit for profitable study (for examples, see the front of The Lutheran Study Bible). 1. The word faith is not always used in the same way in the Scriptures. Look at these two verses from Paul’s letter to the Galatians and describe what Paul means by “faith” in each circumstance. Make sure to read the context for clues (Galatians 1:23; 2:16). In the first instance, in Galatians 1:23, Paul uses the word “faith” to refer to the content of the faith. It is the faith which is believed. In Galatians 2:16, St. Paul uses the word “faith” (as well as the verb, “believe”) as the act of faith. 2. These two ways of talking about faith are described by the Latin phrases fides qua creditur and fides quae creditur. They mean, respectively, “faith by which it is believed,” and, “faith which is believed.” In other words, qua is the act of believing and quae is the content of the faith. Look at the following verses and discuss whether it is talking about qua (pronounced kwah) or quae (rhymes with “fry”). Don’t ignore context! Matthew 15:28; Luke 8:25; Acts 3:16; Acts 6:7; Acts 16:5; Romans 1:8; Romans 3:28; 1 Corinthians 16:13; Galatians 3:2; Ephesians 2:8; Ephesians 4:5; Hebrews 11:1; Jude 3. Often times “quae” faith can be identified by the use of the definite article: “the faith.” Though this is not always the case (in the Greek language, the word for faith is very often accompanied by the definite article, but not always translated). The leader will direct the youth to consider each instance of the word “faith” as either the act of faith or the content of faith. Some instances will be very obvious; others will be more ambiguous. Encourage the youth to discuss and defend their answers with each other. If you have time, look in a Bible concordance for more instances of the word “faith” and do the same. 3. What is lost if the word “faith” is always used in a qua sense? What is lost if it is always used in a quae sense? How do the verses above change if “faith” is understood in only one way? If faith is only subjective (qua), then it doesn’t really matter what you believe, so long as you believe… something. If faith is only objective (quae), then everyone would have faith whether they believed it or not. Both kinds of faith—the subjective and the objective—are necessary and should not be set up against each other.

Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

4. If Mark 9:23 is taken out of context, say, in a list of inspirational verses about faith, what is the danger? See Proverbs 3:5. The sentence, “All things are possible for the one who believes,” (Mark 9:23) is an incomplete thought. Taken out of its context, it suggests that the act of believing (qua) is what makes all things possible. This is what happens when faith is separated from its object, when the act of faith is removed from the content of the faith. Faith becomes its own object. 5. How does the man’s response to Jesus in Mark 9:24 show a distinction between the two kinds of faith? The man confesses his faith. “I believe!” This is the act of faith (qua). But it’s not enough. All things are not possible when your faith rests on the wrong thing. So he adds: “Help my unbelief!” His petition is to the object of his faith to do what he is unable to do. 6. Hebrews 12:1-2 is the culmination of the great chapter on faith that precedes it. What do these verses show us about how the qua and the quae are related? Jesus is the Founder and Perfecter of our faith (ESV). He begins faith and ends it. He is the cause and the object of faith. The content of the Christian faith points us to Jesus. The act of faith holds fast to the promises He gives. Qua and quae go together.

Closing Read through Responsive Prayer 1 (LSB, p. 282).

Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

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Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

“So ATurn Into a Dinosaur” HIGHER THINGS® BIBLE STUDY 1. The word faith is not always used in the same way in the Scriptures. Look at these two verses from Paul’s letter to the Galatians and describe what Paul means by “faith” in each circumstance. Make sure to read the context for clues (Galatians 1:23; 2:16).

2. These two ways of talking about faith are described by the Latin phrases fides qua creditur and fides quae creditur. They mean, respectively, “faith by which it is believed,” and, “faith which is believed.” In other words, qua is the act of believing and quae is the content of the faith. Look at the following verses and discuss whether it is talking about qua (pronounced kwah) or quae (rhymes with “fry”). Don’t ignore context! Matthew 15:28; Luke 8:25; Acts 3:16; Acts 6:7; Acts 16:5; Romans 1:8; Romans 3:28; 1 Corinthians 16:13; Galatians 3:2; Ephesians 2:8; Ephesians 4:5; Hebrews 11:1; Jude 3.

3. What is lost if the word “faith” is always used in a qua sense? What is lost if it is always used in a quae sense? How do the verses above change if “faith” is understood in only one way?

4. If Mark 9:23 is taken out of context, say, in a list of inspirational verses about faith, what is the danger? See Proverbs 3:5.

5. How does the man’s response to Jesus in Mark 9:24 show a distinction between the two kinds of faith?

6. Hebrews 12:1-2 is the culmination of the great chapter on faith that precedes it. What do these verses show us about how the qua and the quae are related?

Closing Read through Responsive Prayer 1 (LSB, p. 282).

Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

“Lent: Jesus’A HIGHER Resolution for You” THINGS® BIBLE STUDY Leader’s Guide

Leaders’ Introduction Because of the practice of “giving something up” during the season of Lent, this part of the church year can easily become about us, and in some ways a chance to improve our performance on resolutions we might have made for the New Year, which we’ve failed to keep. We’ll see how Lent is not a sort of churchly selfimprovement program, but rather its focus is on Jesus and His resolve to go and suffering all things to accomplish our salvation. Seeing Jesus and His work for sinners as the center of Lent will give us a proper perspective for those Lenten disciplines we may choose, in our freedom, to practice. 1. Discuss Lenten traditions that you’ve heard of or practiced. Why do people tend to give something up for Lent? Would Lent be a good time to double down on New Year’s resolutions that you’ve failed to keep well? Why or why not? Answers will vary. Some people give up sweets, or television, or Facebook, or certain foods or drinks for the season of Lent. Oftentimes these sacrifices are made with a view to better health or trying to overcome bad habits or making better use of our time. Sometimes, we forego something in a show of solidarity with Jesus: He suffered for us, so we’ll give up something for Him. In these ways, Lent can become a sort of “New Year’s Resolutions 2.0” in which we recommit to some bit of self-improvement using Lent as our chance to better ourselves. But since Lent isn’t about us, we shouldn’t be doing something for ourselves but for the sake of hearing more of Christ’s Word and having opportunities to serve others. 2. Read Luke 5:27–32. What does “righteous” mean? Did Jesus come for those who can fix themselves? For whom did He come? What is repentance? See Luke 15:1–10. “Righteous” means “right with God” but is typically misunderstood to mean “act right” or “do right,” as if our behavior can make us right with God! Jesus called sinners to repentance. Repentance means to be turned from sin by the Holy Spirit to faith in Jesus. Notice in the parables of the sheep and coin, repentance doesn’t mean they did something. It means they were rescued and found! When He is accused of hanging around sinners, Jesus says that’s exactly why He came. To bring them to repentance, that is, to turn them from sin to faith in Him. In short, we don’t come to God to do for Him; He comes to work for us to save us. 3. What does Jesus do in Luke 9:51? How is this described? What is He going to do? See also Luke 18:31–32. What does this have to do with the season of Lent in the church? Jesus “sets His face” to go to Jerusalem. In some translations (compare multiple if you have more than one available), He is said to “steadfastly set His face” toward Jerusalem. We can almost say Jesus has resolved to go to Jerusalem. As He gets near (Jericho) He tells His disciples why He is going: to suffer and die and rise again. The focus of Lent is upon Jesus’ accomplishing our salvation, specifically by His overcoming temptation for us and suffering and dying on the cross in our place and rising again on Easter.

Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

4. What does Jesus say about fasting in Matthew 6:16–18? What purpose would fasting (or giving something up) serve? See also 1 Corinthians 9:24–27. When we fast (or even give something up for a time) we do so not to show others; not to make God pleased with us. Rather, we do so as a discipline, that is, getting rid of things that make us the center of our own lives and attention. Fasting or giving something up helps us remember that it’s not about us, but about Jesus. Paul preaches the Gospel but doesn’t want to be disqualified by being overcome by his earthly desires and so forth. He disciplines his body (a reference to such practices as fasting) in order to keep his attention on Christ and not himself. 5. We often speak of giving up something for Lent, but what is it that God gives up for you? See Romans 8:31–32. What does this teach us about anyone giving something up? Giving something up for Lent doesn’t do anything for us with respect to God. As mentioned above, it is to keep ourselves from being the center of the universe. The real “giving up” is that God the Father gave up His own Son into suﬀering and death to rescue us from our sins. Jesus was given up, not for His own sake but for ours. So, if we were to give anything up, it can never be for our own sakes but for the sake of others—that we would be better people for our neighbor, and those around us. 6. Since Lent is about Jesus and what He has done for us, do we have to worry about our sinful habits or sins we should stop doing? Consider Colossians 3:5–14. What should we work to get rid of? Why? For whom? Of course we have sins and bad habits that need getting rid of and repenting of. Paul tells us to “put off” all those things. The purpose, though, is not to improve ourselves. It’s for the sake of our neighbor, for others who need us not to sin against them but to love and serve them. The result of this self-denial is the for benefit of others, not for ourselves, since we are already okay with God through Jesus Christ. 7. How does Hebrews 12:1–2 give us the proper perspective for what Lent is and how we observe it? How does that compare to the way we usually think about our resolutions and self-improvement plans? Jesus begins and ends our faith; it is all in Him. The work is His that He has accomplished to deliver us from sin and death. Lent is about having our eyes on Jesus. It’s a reminder that it was a joy for Jesus to do the work the Father gave Him. Usually when we seek to improve ourselves, resolve to change something, or give something up, we do it grudgingly, because it makes us uncomfortable or suﬀer in some tiny way. Jesus did what He did for the joy of obeying His Father and it is that obedience that saves us. We, who would only think of ourselves, are saved by Jesus’ trust and obedience to His Father. Thus we are rescued from sin and death and even from ourselves trying to save ourselves! 8. In what way do we “fix our eyes on Jesus” as the author of Hebrews teaches us? How can Lent be about Jesus instead of ourselves? Answers may vary but point out that this is all the Lord’s work in us and He does it through His Word and gifts. In other words, Lent is a time to rejoice more in the Word of God (Sunday School, Bible Class, catechesis), to be absolved of our sins (in worship or privately), to hear God’s Word preached and to remember our baptism and receive Christ’s Body and Blood. This is why, in the season we are most tempted to make about ourselves, there are extra opportunities for worship, so that the Lord can keep our eyes on Him!

Closing Sing together, “O Christ, You Walked the Road,” (LSB 424).

Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

“Lent: Jesus’A HIGHER Resolution for You” THINGS® BIBLE STUDY 1. Discuss Lenten traditions that you’ve heard of or practiced. Why do people tend to give something up for Lent? Would Lent be a good time to double down on New Year’s resolutions that you’ve failed to keep well? Why or why not?

2. Read Luke 5:27–32. What does “righteous” mean? Did Jesus come for those who can fix themselves? For whom did He come? What is repentance? See Luke 15:1–10.

3. What does Jesus do in Luke 9:51? How is this described? What is He going to do? See also Luke 18:31–32. What does this have to do with the season of Lent in the church?

4. What does Jesus say about fasting in Matthew 6:16–18? What purpose would fasting (or giving something up) serve? See also 1 Corinthians 9:24–27.

5. We often speak of giving up something for Lent, but what is it that God gives up for you? See Romans 8:31–32. What does this teach us about anyone giving something up?

6. Since Lent is about Jesus and what He has done for us, do we have to worry about our sinful habits or sins we should stop doing? Consider Colossians 3:5–14. What should we work to get rid of? Why? For whom?

7. How does Hebrews 12:1–2 give us the proper perspective for what Lent is and how we observe it? How does that compare to the way we usually think about our resolutions and self-improvement plans?

8. In what way do we “fix our eyes on Jesus” as the author of Hebrews teaches us? How can Lent be about Jesus instead of ourselves?

Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

“Living in LightA HIGHER of OurTHINGS® Justification” BIBLE STUDY Leader’s Guide

Opening Prayer “Faith clings to Jesus’ cross alone And rests on Him unceasing; And by its fruits true faith is known, With love and hope increasing. For faith alone can justify; Works serve the neighbor and supply The proof that faith is living.” (LSB 555, st. 9) 1. A the primary characteristics of pietism is to focus inward on ourselves. Why is it dangerous to rest our faith inwardly in our feelings and works? While emotions are a good gift from God—consider the illustration of the recent Disney/Pixar movie Inside Out—they can also be affected by the fall into sin. While emotions and works flow from faith, they do not give us a firm foundation for faith. Faith is only as strong as its object. And if the object of faith is ourselves, we have set ourselves up with a poor idol to worship. After all, our emotions and feelings come and go; up and down; this way and that. Christ’s love in the cross, however, is constant. Jesus Crucified is a firm foundation. Baptism, Absolution, Word, and Supper are the bedrock of the Christian life, as well as the means by which we live holy lives according to God’s calling. We look for hope and faith outside of us in the cross, not within us. 2. It has been observed that many pulpits in modern Christianity resound with false teaching. According to Paul, what should Christian pulpits be filled with? Read 1 Corinthians 2:1-5. Not primarily the wisdom, works, or feelings or will of man, but Christ Crucified for sinners. This is the center of Christianity. Take this away and the Church is nothing more than a glorified service organization. Everything we say and do—including the good works God gives us to do—flow from the cross and lead back to it. If the cross is not the center of our theology, then something we have invented will be. But wherever the cross is the center, there is our life in Christ—both our salvation and our good works. 3. Read Ephesians 2:8-10. What does Paul teach us about justification and sanctification? Whose work is it? The famous watchwords of the Reformation come from this passage: We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, found in Scripture alone. Faith is a gift. Justification, or salvation, is also a gift. Too often we think that sanctification is our part once we’re justified. But Paul corrects that error by teaching us that sanctification is also gift. God gives us the good works that we walk in. He prepared them. He sent us to do them. He accomplishes them through us. This is how Baptism works out in our lives. We are saved by grace alone and we are sanctified by grace alone as well. 4. Read Romans 3:9-20. What is the purpose of the Law? What is the Gospel? Read Romans 4:1ﬀ. Paul is quite clear, the Law kills. It is like a magnifying glass that brings sin to light. It magnifies it and exposes it, so that Christ can deal with it. Through the Law comes knowledge of sin. God’s works to bring us to repentance and faith in Him. The Gospel is God’s Word; it brings life, pardon, forgiveness, and freedom. This is God’s work of restoration and reconciliation for us in the redemption done for us by Jesus. That is why we call the Gospel “Good News.” Look at hymns 579 and 580 in Lutheran Service Book for a fantastic summary of Law and Gospel in hymn form.

Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

5. According to Hebrews 10:19-25, how does God give us His holiness? The author of Hebrews says that we are sprinkled clean with pure water, for a good conscience before God. Where does God sprinkle and wash us with the pure water flowing from Christ’s side on the cross? In the waters of Holy Baptism. God’s means of grace (Word, Absolution, Baptism, and Supper) give us the redemption won for us on the cross so that we receive God’s holiness safely and graciously. In other words, God’s holiness is received, not achieved. 6. Read Romans 6:1-14. According to St. Paul, what is the source of our life in Christ, both in justification and sanctification? Holy Baptism is the word of God in and with the water that does such great things. The Water of Baptism kills our sin, drowns our old Adam, destroys the power of death by joining us to Christ’s death; and the water of baptism clothes us in Christ, raises us to new life in Jesus, gives us the inheritance of sons. In Holy Baptism we are God’s children—we are saved and set free. We are free to love and serve the neighbor, anyone in need. Baptism gives us a new identity and a new spirit within us, the Holy Spirit, who makes us walk in newness of life.

Closing Prayer “All Blessing, honor, thanks, and praise To Father, Son, and Spirit, The God who saved us by His grace; All glory to His merit. O Triune God in heav’n above, You have revealed Your saving love; Your blessed name we hallow.” (LSB 555, st. 10)

Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

“Living in LightA HIGHER of OurTHINGS® Justification” BIBLE STUDY Opening Prayer “Faith clings to Jesus’ cross alone And rests on Him unceasing; And by its fruits true faith is known, With love and hope increasing. For faith alone can justify; Works serve the neighbor and supply The proof that faith is living.” (LSB 555, st. 9) 1. A the primary characteristics of pietism is to focus inward on ourselves. Why is it dangerous to rest our faith inwardly in our feelings and works?

2. It has been observed that many pulpits in modern Christianity resound with false teaching. According to Paul, what should Christian pulpits be filled with? Read 1 Corinthians 2:1-5.

3. Read Ephesians 2:8-10. What does Paul teach us about justification and sanctification? Whose work is it?

4. Read Romans 3:9-20. What is the purpose of the Law? What is the Gospel? Read Romans 4:1ff.

5. According to Hebrews 10:19-25, how does God give us His holiness?

6. Read Romans 6:1-14. According to St. Paul, what is the source of our life in Christ, both in justification and sanctification?

Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

“The Gospel According to St. Lucasfilm: I Have a Bad Feeling About This” A HIGHER THINGS® BIBLE STUDY Leader’s Guide

Opening Prayer “Brightest and best of the stars of the morning, Dawn on our darkness and lend us Thine aid; Star of the East, the horizon adorning, Guide where our infant Redeemer is laid.” (LSB 400, st. 1) 1. Pastor Heinz teaches us that movies, such as Star Wars can often have intended or unintended Gospel themes in them. Besides Star Wars, can you think of other films, books, or stories that also have Gospel themes in them? Answers will vary on this, depending on familiar this idea of finding Gospel themes in movies or books outside of Christianity. Though here are a few popular ones that may be familiar to most: Lord of the Rings trilogy; Chronicles of Narnia; Harry Potter; Superman, and many of Disney’s movies. 2. How does Jesus use stories to teach people about the good news of God’s kingdom, come in Him? Read Matthew 13. The parables are stories and God’s Word all at once. Jesus uses these stories to teach His Word, and often in unexpected ways. Think of the prodigal son who was welcomed home by his gracious father, or the workers in the vineyard who are paid the same wages no matter how long they worked. 3. How does Paul use the pagan philosophers’ own works to drive to the true story of the Gospel? See Acts 17. In Acts 17, Paul is in Athens at the Aereopagus, a center of philosophy and learning in an ancient city that was known for its wisdom and philosophers. Paul quotes their own poets and “scriptures” in service of the true Scripture and story of the Gospel. He leads them with famous quotations from their own writings to demonstrate that what they had been worshiping as an unknown god, is now known in a God of flesh and blood who was raised from the dead: Jesus. Not only does he quote their poets, but he uses their story to subvert pagan wisdom and fill it with the wisdom of the cross. This serves as a good example for us in our witness in the public sphere today. 4. Read Romans 5:1-11. What is truly remarkable about Christ’s sacrifice for us? How is this diﬀerent from any other sacrifice, either in the real world or a fictional one? Paul says that someone may die for a good man, that’s expected. Who wouldn’t die for the hero of the community or give his life for an honorable man? But Christ reveals His love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Jesus doesn’t wait for us to love Him and then die for us. He makes us lovable by dying for us. We love because He first loved us. Christ dies for His enemies, for those who rebelled against Him. He exchanges our sin for His righteousness, our death for His life. It’s the opposite of what anyone expects (1 Cor. 1-2). Every other world religion promises salvation, but only by works of man. Jesus alone promises salvation for all through His work. Christianity is the one true story where the unexpected ending comes true—Jesus, the Innocent One dies for the guilty so that, by His taking on our guilt, we are made innocent in Him.

Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

5. As Pastor Heinz reminds us, light and dark is a primary theme in Star Wars. How does Jesus talk about light and darkness? And how does this compare and contrast with light and dark in Star Wars? See John 1 and 8. Whereas the Force is a balance of dark and light, Jesus says that light and dark cannot coexist. One must give way to the other. There is no balance to be struck. The Light must win. And Jesus is the Light of the World, the light no darkness can overcome. There is no balance to be struck for Jesus. He doesn’t make a deal with the devil—He defeats him by crushing his head on the cross. In this way, the light and dark of Star Wars is mostly contrasted. The one major comparison is that the light is good while the dark side is evil. It’s not as close as Christianity’s doctrine of total depravity. But it’s not completely relativistic either, otherwise there would be no plot resolution in the story itself. 6. According to Peter in 1 Peter 1:13-21, how are we redeemed? Luther summarizes it well in the Small Catechism explanation of the Apostles’ Creed: not by gold or silver, but by Jesus’ holy precious blood, and his innocent suﬀering and death. 7. How can we use fictional stories, such as Star Wars, to talk about the true story of the Gospel that took place, not in a galaxy far, far away, but in the real world? Stories of fiction, whether in film or book or theatre are not replacements for the Gospel, but they may be helpful companions, or bridges we can use, like St. Paul did in Acts 17, to communicate themes that are shadowed in movies and stories that find fulfillment or their reality in the Gospel. Without being of the world viewing and reading these things allows us to be in the world and to communicate the Gospel in the language of the people to which we are talking.

Closing “Christ, the Word of God incarnate, Lord and Son of Abraham; Christ, the radiance of the Father, Perfect God, the great I AM; Christ the Light, You shine unvanquished, Light and life You bring to all; Light our path with Your own presence, Grant us grace to heed Your call,” (LSB 540, st. 1).

Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

“The Gospel According to St. Lucasfilm: I Have a Bad Feeling About This” A HIGHER THINGS® BIBLE STUDY Opening Prayer “Brightest and best of the stars of the morning, Dawn on our darkness and lend us Thine aid; Star of the East, the horizon adorning, Guide where our infant Redeemer is laid.” (LSB 400, st. 1) 1. Pastor Heinz teaches us that movies, such as Star Wars can often have intended or unintended Gospel themes in them. Besides Star Wars, can you think of other films, books, or stories that also have Gospel themes in them?

2. How does Jesus use stories to teach people about the good news of God’s kingdom, come in Him? Read Matthew 13.

3. How does Paul use the pagan philosophers’ own works to drive to the true story of the Gospel? See Acts 17.

4. Read Romans 5:1-11. What is truly remarkable about Christ’s sacrifice for us? How is this diﬀerent from any other sacrifice, either in the real world or a fictional one?

6. According to Peter in 1 Peter 1:13-21, how are we redeemed?

7. How can we use fictional stories, such as Star Wars, to talk about the true story of the Gospel that took place, not in a galaxy far, far away, but in the real world?

Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

“Parents and Other Authorities: The Gift of Order” A HIGHER THINGS® BIBLE STUDY Leader’s Guide

Leaders’ Introduction The Fourth Commandment is a commandment about authority. It begins with the parents and radiates outwardly. The leader should prepare by reading the Large Catechism on the Fourth Commandment to become familiarized with the various teaching contained in this commandment. This Bible study will explore passages that pertain to godly obedience within the three orders of household, society, and church. 1. Compare the Fourth Commandment found in Exodus 20:12 with what God commands concerning our neighbors in general in Matthew 22:39, Romans 13:8, and 1 John 3:14. How are parents distinguished from all other neighbors? The commandment concerning parents requires honor, whereas love is the requirement for all other neighbors. Honor includes love, but it is also much more. The Large Catechism teaches us that to honor parents includes “modesty, humility, and submission to a majesty hidden in them.” In other words, it means recognizing in your parents a unique vocation from God, that it is God working through them to both provide for and discipline His children. 2. How does Paul say the Fourth Commandment diﬀers from all the other commandments in Ephesians 6:1-3? The Fourth Commandment is the first commandment with a promise. Paul quotes from Exodus 20:12 and Deuteronomy 5:16. This promise means that those who obey parents will have a more peaceful life than rebellious and disobedient children, whose lives may even be shortened because of it. 3. The Lord promises that those who obey parents will live long in the land He is giving. Does this mean that God really does reward good works? Check out Exodus 20:5-6 and Proverbs 13:13. How would you characterize the rewards for good works in light of Galatians 3:19-22? God certainly rewards good works. This does not mean that you can earn salvation by following the Ten Commandments. The rewards promised throughout the Scriptures are temporal in nature. God doesn’t promise eternal life for following the Fourth Commandment, but long life in the land He is giving. If you are obedient to your parents, your life goes easier than when you’re fighting against them—even if they’re actually wrong! Following the Law may enrich life, but it can never give life. Even the most obedient child will one day die. 4. Parents aren’t the only people we are required to obey according to the Fourth Commandment. Parental authority is also found in the government. What does. Paul say about how a Christian should behave towards governing authorities in Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-17? The governing authorities, which at the time were becoming increasingly hostile to Christianity, deserve the same obedience and honor as parents. Just as honor is a requirement to recognize God working through parents, it also requires us to believe that God works through governing authorities. This isn’t always easy, especially when a police oﬃcer pulls you over for doing nothing and is writing you a ticket. But it’s especially at these times, when you’re not feeling too favorably towards authorities, that you © 2015 Higher Things, Inc.

Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

should remember the commandment. It will go well with you if you are polite, but if you fight back, it will not go well for you. 5. Discuss how obeying authorities can make your life easier? Is this true even if they’re wrong? How might your life be shortened by disobeying authorities? When is it required of you to disobey, according to the example of the Apostles in Acts 5:29? The youth will have many things to say. Encourage them to speak from their own experiences. The leader may introduce some other scenarios involving parents, teachers, police, or other authorities. Ask them how God might be working through authorities who treat you unjustly. The only time earthly authorities must be disobeyed is when their authority comes into direct contradiction with the authority of God. Then God must be obeyed rather than men. 6. Besides parents and other authorities, there are also spiritual fathers in the Church. How do pastors occasionally exercise the authority of parents? But Paul also identifies a different kind of “fatherhood” in 1 Corinthians 4:13-21. How does this authority diﬀer from the authority of parents? Pastors may exercise parental authority, say, by punishing an unruly confirmation class with extra homework. But this is not the primary authority of a pastor. Luther writes in the Large Catechism, “For the only ones called spiritual fathers are those who govern and guide us by God’s Word” (LC I.158). Pastors are worthy of honor for the same reasons fathers and mothers are—because of their vocation. It is not the pastor who baptizes, but God. It’s not the pastor who speaks, but God. It’s not the pastor who serves at the altar, but God. To honor pastors is to recognize God’s work in and through their work. 7. Read the story of Jesus as a boy in the temple in Luke 2:41-52. How is Jesus obedient to His Father in heaven? How is He obedient to His parents on earth? Jesus not only demonstrates obedience, but is obedient in our place. He is first obedient to His Father in heaven by being occupied with the things of His Father, namely, the Word of God. When His earthly parents return to collect Him, He “was submissive to them” (Luke 4:51 ESV). The word that is translated as “submissive” (and sometimes “obedient”) literally means, “under order.” It means, first, to recognize the order God has placed you under, and, second, to recognize that it is God who works through that order for your good. So Jesus recognized, even as a young boy, that His Father in heaven works both through the preaching of the Word and through the vocation of parent.

Closing Sing together, “These Are the Holy Ten Commands” (LSB #581, stanzas 1, 5, 11, 12).

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Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

“Parents and Other Authorities: The Gift of Order” A HIGHER THINGS® BIBLE STUDY 1. Compare the Fourth Commandment found in Exodus 20:12 with what God commands concerning our neighbors in general in Matthew 22:39, Romans 13:8, and 1 John 3:14. How are parents distinguished from all other neighbors?

2. How does Paul say the Fourth Commandment diﬀers from all the other commandments in Ephesians 6:1-3?

3. The Lord promises that those who obey parents will live long in the land He is giving. Does this mean that God really does reward good works? Check out Exodus 20:5-6 and Proverbs 13:13. How would you characterize the rewards for good works in light of Galatians 3:19-22?

4. Parents aren’t the only people we are required to obey according to the Fourth Commandment. Parental authority is also found in the government. What does. Paul say about how a Christian should behave towards governing authorities in Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-17?

5. Discuss how obeying authorities can make your life easier? Is this true even if they’re wrong? How might your life be shortened by disobeying authorities? When is it required of you to disobey, according to the example of the Apostles in Acts 5:29?

6. Besides parents and other authorities, there are also spiritual fathers in the Church. How do pastors occasionally exercise the authority of parents? But Paul also identifies a different kind of “fatherhood” in 1 Corinthians 4:13-21. How does this authority diﬀer from the authority of parents?

7. Read the story of Jesus as a boy in the temple in Luke 2:41-52. How is Jesus obedient to His Father in heaven? How is He obedient to His parents on earth?

Closing Sing together, “These Are the Holy Ten Commands” (LSB #581, stanzas 1, 5, 11, 12).

Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

“Why the Gospels AreAHistorically Reliable” HIGHER THINGS® BIBLE STUDY Leader’s Guide

Leaders’ Introduction Read the article and review the three reasons why we can conclude the manuscripts of the Bible are historically reliable: manuscript evidence, authorship of eyewitnesses, and external evidence (such as secular historians). This study will deliver primarily into the second facet, since the authorship and eyewitness testimony are themselves taught by the Scriptures. Students should recognize the Bible’s own internal witness that it is written by those who saw the events (New Testament in particular). The authors themselves point this out. 1. Discuss arguments you’ve heard that the Bible (especially the New Testament) is not reliable. What sort of evidence for the truth of the New Testament do you think people are looking for? What do you know about the manuscripts (copies of the originals) of the Bible? Answers will vary. Typically, those who challenge the Christian faith point to the Gospels as records of Jesus’ life as stories that were made up and cannot be verified. Actually, there are more copies of the New Testament than there are of any other ancient writings—by a landslide! You can review the statistics from the article but they are summarized like this: There are about 200 copies of the Roman historian Suetonius and three of the Roman historian Tacitus. There are more than 2,000 copies just of the Gospels alone and 99% of them are the same (with the 1% being variations in word order, spelling, or sometimes words added or removed that don’t change the meaning in any significant way). In short, opponents would have to admit that there are at least a lot more New Testament manuscripts than any other ancient book, so the Gospels can at least be looked at with less bias against them. 2. Read Luke 1:1–4. What is Luke’s purpose in writing? Where did he get his information? What does he want for his reader? Luke wants to write orderly account of the things that Theophilus (his reader) has seen and heard. The Gospel was being preached before Luke’s Gospel was written. Luke spoke with preachers and eyewitnesses who had seen and heard the things that Jesus said and did. He wants his readers to have certainty that what they have heard is accurate. In short, the author was very concerned to write an accurate record about the things that had happened so people could believe that it was so and that it was NOT made up. 3. What does John point out to us in the following passages? How might we use that in a discussion with someone who is questioning the reliability of the Gospels? John 1:14; 19:33–37; 21:23–25; 1 John 1:1–4. John repeatedly says that he is writing what he has seen. He was an eyewitness to Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. He writes specifically so that those who read would have fellowship. Not all those who read John’s writings will have seen Jesus, so John is careful to point out that he has witnessed these with his own eyes and ears. When Christians speak of Christ, we are not just talking about stuﬀ we haven’t seen and so can’t really know. We’re repeating the testimony of those who were there and saw it. You might ask someone whether they believe in historical events and people they have not seen, and why? Then, with so much evidence for the New Testament manuscripts and their eyewitness testimony, we can at least make the case that what we believe about Jesus isn’t ridiculous. © 2015 Higher Things, Inc.

Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

4. Read Matthew 17:1–9 and then 2 Peter 1:16–21. Who was there with Jesus at His transfiguration? What does Peter say in his epistle? What does he say that means about the written scriptures? One of the accusations leveled against God’s Word is that the things about Jesus are just made up, like myths or stories concocted to make a point. Peter was there, too, as another eyewitness. He pleads with his readers to believe that he is an eyewitness and that therefore what is written is not something completely new or made up but rather a written record of things that were seen. Nobody knows more than the authors of the New Testament that people could accuse them of making things up. Therefore, they are careful to emphasize the eyewitness nature of the faith they preach. 5. Read 1 Corinthians 15:1–8. What is the eyewitness testimony about here? How many witnesses are there and who are they? What is the importance of these eyewitnesses? See 1 Corinthians 15:12–19. Paul lays out that there were many eyewitnesses of Jesus after He rose from the dead. The women saw Him. The apostles saw Him. Many more (over 500) disciples saw him. Notice his remark that some have fallen asleep (died) but many were still available to ask and verify the truth of the matter. And it matters because the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the center of the Christian faith. If Jesus did not actually rise from the dead, then the Christian faith is actually foolish and worthless. Remember: The writers of the Bible were not unaware that what they preached was crazy in the world’s eyes. That is why they were so careful to point out the details that could have been verified by real-life eyewitnesses. 6. What was the importance of the written word in the Old Testament? See Exodus 17:13–14; Proverbs 25;1; Jeremiah 30:1–3. What can we say about the Old Testament to those who doubt its authenticity and truthfulness? The passages listed are examples of how, throughout the Old Testament, the written word, confirming the prophecy and the Lord speaking to his people was a big deal. In 1947, some children playing near the Dead Sea discovered a cave filled with jars in which there were all kinds of scrolls (the Dead Sea Scrolls). These copies of many of the Old Testament books were 1,000 years older than any copies that were known to exist before that. And, sure enough, they were 99% the same (with the same little variations that don’t aﬀect the truth of God’s Word). Again, the point is that the written word and its careful preservation has always been a priority for the Lord and His people. The Christian faith is not established on made-up stories but upon carefully preserved documents and eyewitness testimony. 7. Read John 20:2–31. What did the disciples tell Thomas? What was his reaction? What did he demand? What does Jesus tell Thomas? What does Jesus say that applies to us? Can manuscript evidence convince someone to believe in Jesus? If not, why is it important? Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Faith that trusts in Jesus is gift given to us and worked in us by the Holy Spirit through the Word. Thomas, like many people today, refuses to believe unless he can see Jesus for himself. Jesus shows Thomas his hands and feet but it is His words, “Do not be unbelieving but believing” that give Thomas faith. Just so, telling people about the eyewitness testimony and manuscript evidence and continuity won’t make them believers. However, for Christians, it is a way to remind those who ask or question (or argue and challenge) that what we believe as Christians (that Jesus truly lived, died, and rose again) is not completely ridiculous but is based in historical fact with a reliable record backing it up.

Closing Sing together, “If Christ Had Not Been Raised from Death” (LSB 486).

Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

“Why the Gospels AreAHistorically Reliable” HIGHER THINGS® BIBLE STUDY 1. Discuss arguments you’ve heard that the Bible (especially the New Testament) is not reliable. What sort of evidence for the truth of the New Testament do you think people are looking for? What do you know about the manuscripts (copies of the originals) of the Bible?

2. Read Luke 1:1–4. What is Luke’s purpose in writing? Where did he get his information? What does he want for his reader?

3. What does John point out to us in the following passages? How might we use that in a discussion with someone who is questioning the reliability of the Gospels? John 1:14; 19:33–37; 21:23–25; 1 John 1:1–4.

4. Read Matthew 17:1–9 and then 2 Peter 1:16–21. Who was there with Jesus at His transfiguration? What does Peter say in his epistle? What does he say that means about the written scriptures?

5. Read 1 Corinthians 15:1–8. What is the eyewitness testimony about here? How many witnesses are there and who are they? What is the importance of these eyewitnesses? See 1 Corinthians 15:12–19.

6. What was the importance of the written word in the Old Testament? See Exodus 17:13–14; Proverbs 25;1; Jeremiah 30:1–3. What can we say about the Old Testament to those who doubt its authenticity and truthfulness?

7. Read John 20:2–31. What did the disciples tell Thomas? What was his reaction? What did he demand? What does Jesus tell Thomas? What does Jesus say that applies to us? Can manuscript evidence convince someone to believe in Jesus? If not, why is it important?

Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

“Shaming the Shamers” A HIGHER THINGS® BIBLE STUDY Leader’s Guide

Leaders’ Introduction Despite living in a day and age where anything goes—and sometimes the more outlandish, the better— shame is still a weapon used against others. Sexual freedom suggests there are no boundaries or limits and yet “slut shaming” is a real thing. People live by their own standards of right and wrong, but if someone violates those, they are quick to be shamed by others. This is all particularly prevalent on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Sometimes even Christians make the excuse that exposing someone else’s faults is okay provided it’s true. But God’s Word teaches us that we are to cover the shame of others, and not expose their sins and shortcomings. This study looks are how we behave, how we should behave, and how Christ answers for our shame and the shaming we do of others. 1. What is shame? What does it mean to shame someone else? What examples do you see of people shaming others? Why do people shame other people? Should we shame people who deserve it? How do you feel when you are shamed by someone else? Why do you think people like to see others shamed? Answers will vary. Essentially, shaming is to expose someone else’s sins, faults, mistakes, or shortcomings in order to make them look bad and to make themselves look good to others. Examples will likewise vary but social media is full of them. There are bad tippers who have their restaurant bills exposed; parents overreacting to their kids caught on cellphone video, etc. When we shame others or, at the very least, when we enjoy watching the sins of other people exposed, we like it because it makes us feel good about ourselves. Even if just for a moment, or in comparison to that person, we feel that we are pretty good people who would never do something like that. It’s a chance to judge others while convincing ourselves we’re really better than they are. 2. Read Genesis 9:18–23. What did Ham do to his father? What do Shem and Japheth do? How does this compare to when someone does something and is shamed for it? Ham saw his father’s nakedness and exposed it, shaming Noah. Shem and Japheth covered Noah. Instead of broadcasting and showing everyone what someone has done, we should cover their sin and not expose it for all to see. In case the question arises why Noah (in the following verses) punishes Ham, remind students that there, Noah is acting in his fatherly authority, not simply shaming Ham to make himself look better. 3. Take a look at Luke 18:9–14. How does the Pharisee pray? How does the tax collector pray? How does their opinion of themselves relate to what they believe about God? How would this affect how they view others? How do we know whether God will have mercy on us when we ask Him? The Pharisee prays essentially to congratulate himself on his good life. He believes in a God who should think he is special because he is a good person. That sort of self-idolatry causes him to judge the tax collector and make himself better than others. The tax collector, on the other hand, comes before God with nothing except the hope that God will have mercy on him. We can be certain of God’s mercy for Jesus’ sake, because we are baptized, absolved, and have the Gospel preached to us and we receive the Sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood. Those are God’s promises that He judges us, not like we judge others or on the basis of what we do, but on what Christ has done and accomplished for us.

Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

4. What does Isaiah 50:5–7 prophesy about the Savior? What does the Suffering Servant conclude about what He will undergo? How does the shame of men compare with being the Lord’s? Here is a beautiful prophecy of what Jesus will eventually undergo when He is shamed by His enemies. Yet, the Servant declares that He will not be ashamed. This teaches us that even though men will try to expose Jesus and make Him look foolish, to puff themselves up, His trust is in the Lord. In the Lord, there can be no true shame, for the only thing that really matters is what God says about us, not others. 5. Read Matthew 27:38–44. How do the enemies of Jesus shame Him? What challenge do they give Him? How does Jesus respond? See also Luke 23:32–34, 39–43. The enemies of Jesus mock Him mercilessly. The crowds have always favored Jesus over the religious leaders and now they’ve got Jesus where they want Him. They can walk by and shame His nakedness and apparent inability to save Himself. Jesus’ only reply is to forgive them and to promise the one thief that he would be in paradise. Where we would heap shame and scorn and mockery, Jesus has nothing but the will to take it, endure, and forgive it in us. 6. What does Jesus enduring of shame have to do without shame and our shaming of others? See Hebrews 12:1–3. What does the cross say about our shame? Jesus endures shame worse than any we can dish out. Not only has He suffered indignity as we do when our faults are exposed, it is as if we could shame Him, we would. He takes the scorn of the mockers as the shame heaped upon Him by the whole world. His enduring shame was for our sakes. Not only does He share in our shame, He dies for our shaming others. His blood pays the price for all shame, both that we give and receive. The cross is the end of our shame. No matter we have done, it can’t embarrass us before God. He has removed our shame. Now we need not look to shame others either, as their sins have been put away by Jesus, too. 7. What does 1 Peter 4:8 tell us to do for others? How does this work? What example do we have of this in Matthew 1:18–19? Love covers a multitude of sins. Simply put, love doesn’t go to the letter of the law to punish someone or expose her sin. We like shaming because we think someone is getting what they deserve. But if that is true, we all deserve bad things! Love covers sins by not exposing them and instead finding ways to help the person cover and overcome them. This is what Joseph did for Mary when he supposed she had committed adultery. He could have her stoned according to the Law of Moses but instead, because he knew God didn’t judge him for his sins, he would cover Mary’s sins and "divorce her quietly. (Of course, that was before he knew what was going on!) 8. Read the 8th Commandment and meaning, LSB p.322. What does this commandment teach us about shame and shaming? What excellent advice does it give for speaking about others? Give some examples of how we might do this. And what do we do when we’ve shamed someone? Shame attacks the reputation of someone. The 8th Commandment teaches us to protect the reputations of others. It encourages us to “explain everything in the kindest way” or (as the other translation put it) “put the best construction on everything.” Examples will vary but students should be able to come up with instances where they can protect someone’s reputation and avoid shaming them by not posting about it on social media, not gossiping about it to others, etc. It’s also a good opportunity to reflect on how we’ve broken the 8th Commandment and to find comfort in the forgiveness of sins in our baptism, absolution, and the Lord’s Supper.

Closing Sing together, “O God, My Faithful God” (LSB 696). Make note of stanzas 3 and 4.

Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

“Shaming the Shamers” A HIGHER THINGS® BIBLE STUDY 1. What is shame? What does it mean to shame someone else? What examples do you see of people shaming others? Why do people shame other people? Should we shame people who deserve it? How do you feel when you are shamed by someone else? Why do you think people like to see others shamed?

2. Read Genesis 9:18–23. What did Ham do to his father? What do Shem and Japheth do? How does this compare to when someone does something and is shamed for it?

3. Take a look at Luke 18:9–14. How does the Pharisee pray? How does the tax collector pray? How does their opinion of themselves relate to what they believe about God? How would this affect how they view others? How do we know whether God will have mercy on us when we ask Him?

4. What does Isaiah 50:5–7 prophesy about the Savior? What does the Suﬀering Servant conclude about what He will undergo? How does the shame of men compare with being the Lord’s?

5. Read Matthew 27:38–44. How do the enemies of Jesus shame Him? What challenge do they give Him? How does Jesus respond? See also Luke 23:32–34, 39–43.

6. What does Jesus enduring of shame have to do without shame and our shaming of others? See Hebrews 12:1–3. What does the cross say about our shame?

7. What does 1 Peter 4:8 tell us to do for others? How does this work? What example do we have of this in Matthew 1:18–19?

8. Read the 8th Commandment and meaning, LSB p.322. What does this commandment teach us about shame and shaming? What excellent advice does it give for speaking about others? Give some examples of how we might do this. And what do we do when we’ve shamed someone?

Closing Sing together, “O God, My Faithful God” (LSB 696). Make note of stanzas 3 and 4.

Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

“Tasting God’s Goodness” A HIGHER THINGS® BIBLE STUDY Leader’s Guide

Leaders’ Introduction The article focuses on the sense of taste as an expression of how God interacts with us. In this Bible study participants will explore how God engages them through their senses, and why He does so. The leader may begin the Bible study with a prayer to the Holy Spirit for profitable study (for examples, see the front of The Lutheran Study Bible). 1. In “Tasting God’s Goodness,” the author writes of the sense of taste as an expression of how God interacts with us and we with God. But taste is not the only sense that God uses. How does God engage the sense of hearing in these passages: 1 Kings 19:9-18; Mark 7:31-37; Colossians 3:12-17? What gift does God give through hearing, according to Romans 10:5-17? In 1 Kings 19, Elijah encounters God in a still and quiet voice, as opposed to a magnificent show of power. Jesus heals deaf and a mute man so that he can hear and give praise to God. St. Paul encourages the Church to speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs in order to let the Word of Christ dwell richly. Finally, it is by the sense of hearing that the gift of faith is given. 2. The sense of sight in the Scriptures is often connected to the glory of God (Psalm 97:6). How did God’s people see Him in the following passages: Exodus 13:17-22; Exodus 40:34-38. How is the glory of Lord now made visible for us, according to John 1:14? But also consider 2 Corinthians 5:7-10—how can sight sometimes be misleading? God is invisible. Sinful eyes cannot behold Him. Yet He does make Himself visible. In the Old Testament, the Glory of the Lord was the visible manifestation of God. In the Exodus it was the pillars of cloud and fire that came to rest in the tabernacle. In the New Testament, the glory of God, that is, how He makes Himself visible, is in the flesh of Jesus Christ. But sight is not everything. To simply look upon Jesus, you would conclude that He was no different from any other man. It is the Word of God that reveals that the person you see is the Son of God. So hearing trumps seeing in this life, because we walk by faith and not by sight. 3. Touch is a very important sense in Scripture. How does God use touch to make Isaiah worthy to be in the presence of God in Isaiah 6:1-7? What does the touch of Jesus accomplish in Matthew 8:3, 15; Mark 5:24-34; Mark 6:56? How does touch confirm the resurrection of Jesus in Luke 24:36-43 and John 20:24-29? In the presence of God, Isaiah is acutely aware of his sin. God touches his lips with the burning coal as a tangible sign that He takes Isaiah’s sins away from him. In a similar way, whenever Jesus touches someone in the Gospels, He takes their sickness and their burdens away. Finally, after He is risen from the dead, He invites His disciples to touch Him to confirm that He has indeed risen from the dead in His body.

Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

4. What causes the sweet smell for the Lord in Genesis 8:20-22? How is smell part of the worship of Israel according to God’s command in Exodus 30:1-10? The smell of incense is connected to what in Psalm 141:1-2 and Revelation 5:8, 8:3-4? What do the incense and myrrh given to Jesus in Matthew 2:11 tell us about Jesus? The burned sacrifice Noah offered was a sweet smell for the Lord. Burning incense and its associated smell was part of the worship of Israel, commanded by God. Psalm 141 and Revelation 5 and 8 associate incense with the prayers of the saints. Sometimes incense is still used today in the Church, the smell reminding us of how sweet our prayers are that ascend to God. The wise men bring gifts of incense and myrrh to Jesus at His birth and show us that He is our final Sacrifice, and that He also oﬀers prayers on our behalf. 5. Psalm 34 uses taste as a metaphor for experiencing the goodness of the Lord. But God also engages the sense of taste as well. What are the tastes God gives in Exodus 12:1-20, and what do they point to? How are some of these tastes brought into the New Testament of Jesus Christ? See 1 Corinthians 5:7-8. The tastes of the Passover meal—roasted lamb, bitter herbs, unleavened bread—these point to the Lord’s deliverance of His people from their bondage. It was at the Passover meal that Jesus instituted the New Testament in His blood. He incorporated the tastes of bread and wine into this new meal. The tastes point to what is hidden in these elements—His true body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. These He gave to deliver us from the bondage of sin. 6. Some people claim to have a sixth sense, to be able to know something in an extrasensory way. What does St. Paul have to say about such opinions in Colossians 2:16-23? What is the object of senseless worship, according to Psalm 115? Such religions are self-made. And often this is seen in an asceticism that denies the senses—don’t touch, don’t taste, don’t handle. This can be seen in the Roman Catholic Church’s forbidding priests to marry and forbidding meat on Fridays. Ironically, such extra-sensory religion is an indulgence of the flesh, according to St. Paul, because it’s mean to show the strength of the self in earning favor from God. The object of senseless worship is an idol (Psalm 115:4-8). 7. Why does our Lord engage our senses in earthy ways, according to 2 Corinthians 4:7-18? The treasures of God are delivered in earthen vessels (2 Corinthians 4:7 KJV), that is, things of the earth that engage the senses. Words, water, bread, wine. These common things engage every one of our senses, surround us and fill us with the treasure of heaven—the forgiveness of sins. We are bodied creatures, and we have bodied God, who became flesh and blood to suffer and to die. And He engages us in our bodies. This is so that the outer self would waste away with its sins and evil desires, and that the inner self—the creation of God—would emerge finally in the resurrection from the dead.

Closing Pray together the Litany (LSB, p. 288-289).

Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

“Tasting God’s Goodness” A HIGHER THINGS® BIBLE STUDY 1. In “Tasting God’s Goodness,” the author writes of the sense of taste as an expression of how God interacts with us and we with God. But taste is not the only sense that God uses. How does God engage the sense of hearing in these passages: 1 Kings 19:9-18; Mark 7:31-37; Colossians 3:12-17? What gift does God give through hearing, according to Romans 10:5-17?

2. The sense of sight in the Scriptures is often connected to the glory of God (Psalm 97:6). How did God’s people see Him in the following passages: Exodus 13:17-22; Exodus 40:34-38. How is the glory of Lord now made visible for us, according to John 1:14? But also consider 2 Corinthians 5:7-10—how can sight sometimes be misleading?

3. Touch is a very important sense in Scripture. How does God use touch to make Isaiah worthy to be in the presence of God in Isaiah 6:1-7? What does the touch of Jesus accomplish in Matthew 8:3, 15; Mark 5:24-34; Mark 6:56? How does touch confirm the resurrection of Jesus in Luke 24:36-43 and John 20:24-29?

5. Psalm 34 uses taste as a metaphor for experiencing the goodness of the Lord. But God also engages the sense of taste as well. What are the tastes God gives in Exodus 12:1-20, and what do they point to? How are some of these tastes brought into the New Testament of Jesus Christ? See 1 Corinthians 5:7-8.

6. Some people claim to have a sixth sense, to be able to know something in an extrasensory way. What does St. Paul have to say about such opinions in Colossians 2:16-23? What is the object of senseless worship, according to Psalm 115?

7. Why does our Lord engage our senses in earthy ways, according to 2 Corinthians 4:7-18?

Closing Pray together the Litany (LSB, p. 288-289).

Magazine Bible Studies - Winter 2015

2015 Winter - Higher Things Magazine (with Bible Studies)

Articles inside

The Fourth Commandment: The Gift of Order

Living in Light of Our Justification

Tasting God’s Goodness

The Bright Light of Jesus

The Studious Sleuthing of Lee Strobel: Why the Gospels Are Historically Reliable

So Turn into a Dinosaur

The Gospel According to St. Lucasfilm: I Have a Bad Feeling About This

Shaming the Shamers

Lent: Jesus’ Resolution for You