Martin Luther's Master Class on Law and Gospel

[@sammy2840]

Have been reading Walther’s Law and Gospel for 30 years! Still finding gems! Great session Pastor! God Bless you!

[@rickclark1420]

Praise be to God for your infectious faith! I am happily standing in His rain, His imputed righteousness! I hope the world will be infected!

[@nicholassaastano5558]

Im not a confessional Lutheran but I love Luther and read him often and i desire to learn more of what Lutherans believe. Even John Calvin called Luther a great apostle and his spiritual father. The Reformed owe a debt to Luther. Thanks for this great teaching on the Law and Gospel distinction. Reformed folk affirm the Law and Gospel distinction.

[@Greg-k4e]

I'm trying to decide still if Luther or Calvin was closer to perfect truth

[@zebra2346]

I think the failure of many evangelical churches is their failure to distinguish between law and gospel, producing exhausted Christians striving to keep the law of God for assurance of salvation but failing to do so. That was my experience. Don't look inward at your own failures with despair, look outward and recieve the righteousness of Christ and be filled with joy. It took so many years for this to finally sink in. Only when i left my Reformed church of close to 20 years for an LCMS church did i finally have clarity on the Law versus Gospel

[@Alex-l6k4j]

yep

[@lc-mschristian5717]

Love it! Thanks Pastor. May God bless you and give you grace to continue fighting the good fight. God's peace be with you

[@imnotanalky]

Thank you for your message in this video, and to your service in the kingdom. Does the law also have an additional meaning and reality in all our lives? When we as people sin and break the various commandments, the result is usually hurt, conflict, distrust, disconnection from others, guilt , shame, regret, etc. These play out in the second table of the law, but aren’t these the inevitable results of sin? One spouse cheating on the other causes a mountain of pain and grief. I feel like I read about this in Proverbs, but very little in the confessions , or in Lutheran preaching. If people could keep the law ( our selfishness makes this impossible), wouldn’t 100% of human conflict be eliminated? I think the passive righteousness has MUCH to say to all of us running like bumper-cars into the lives of each other.

[@lc-mschristian5717]

@@imnotanalky nobody can perfectly keep God's holy law. God gave His law ,as the Lutheran Confessions teach, for 3 chief reasons: a curb, it holds back sin, a mirror, to see our own sin and a guide, we know and seek to keep God's will as revealed in the 10 Commandments. God's peace.

[@penelopestarros3182]

Thank you Pastor Wolfmueller.

[@plattevilleclarks]

God be praised indeed!

[@luthergirl106]

Thank you Pastor!!!!! Great lesson. Please keep up the wonderful work!

[@nickpalmer4689]

This was awesome! I would definitely encourage you to do more content like this. I was reading along and listening to you at the same time and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This was very helpful in discerning the difference between law and gospel and how to put it into action. As Luther says in this introduction that it is easy to distinguish the difference between law and gospel in words but very difficult in practice. Thank you! Soli Deo Gloria!

[@36742650885]

Please pray for me I need your intercession I’ve been bound by legalism please intercede for me

[@Alex-l6k4j]

Read the Gospel of John and Luther

[@hirendrakumarbenya2951]

Iam much blessed by this teaching of active righteousness and passive righteousness. Iam a Luther fan. I always read his books and writings for my spiritual growth and encouragement. Thank you brother for this teaching.

[@patdunham3513]

Thank you Pastor! Great stuff!

[@vincentmartinez1938]

This is so wonderful truth I can't seem to get enough of this blessed truth. Thank you brother. Keep up the good fight..

[@jamessheffield4173]

Romans 4:8 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD will not impute sin.

[@sparky4581]

Have you ever thought about doing a compilation of Martin Luther's work in updated audiobook form? Most of my reading is done in audiobooks, due to my work hours. Unfortunately I am the only on working and is expected to take care of the whole household. Thank you for all you do. You make an impact in a lot of people's lives!

[@j.patcarro1623]

Awesome idea you've got there pal. Love having such audiobooks and using it while at work.

[@claudiakuiper1993]

Thank you so much! Love how you explain law and gospel.

[@Djblueberry]

This is among some of the most beautiful comforting things I've ever heard

[@anthonyhilton4168]

That was a really, really good show!

[@pasangnamgel1869]

I love your podcast. Excellent! Keep doing the good work brother!

[@judithtaylor6713]

It’s getting through. Thank you for this message.

[@theleastartic]

Just listened today via podcast (& now watching) - so good! Hope you'll do more shows like this, Pastor. Edifying & encouraging (& entertaining - I was lol at times)! TYSM. Our Lord's peace to you & yours.

[@j.patcarro1623]

WOW!! What a wonderful way to get into Christian theology. Love the fact you make it accessible for us all. Doesn't sound as an academic matter or just a scholar issue. Many thanks again Pastor Wolfmueller :) Greetings from Santiago, Chile

[@Sheryleization]

To God be praised! Loved this.

[@judithtaylor6713]

This is an effective teaching method. The content is so wonderful it preaches itself but thank you for bringing it to us.

[@jordantsak7683]

Ιn Greece, and not only in Greece, people don't know anything else but the ''salvation by works'' christianity. This is why they combine in their minds the two, faith and holiness, ''if you say you' re christian you are either a saint or a hypocrite''. And this is why they leave the church. They don't want to go there where, they think, only hypocrites , priests and laymen, go. This is an indirect way of self-justification and not only. They never heard of ''salvation by grace'' theology. When they hear to this they usually say ''this is so easy, so convenient, so wrong. You have to do something so we consider you a christian or to be continually something, a saint, a real saint''. ''Evangelicals'' in Greece also don't accept the lutheran thesis because they think it is a kind of antinomianism. They are ''protestants'' in name only. They don't teach the real reformational theology of ''only grace''. They think they do, but, as any lutheran knows, the don't, they deceive themselves. They say all the time ''grace, faith etc'' but they don't know the real meaning of the words. I guess the same it is in the US also. People is so badly educated on christianity, they listen to the real think and they can't accept it.

[@karinlofgren6359]

So true, well said.

[@1920s]

"The rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock." That man came to God on His terms-he built his house on the rock, which is obedience.” - John MacArthur That’s what I’m coming out of.

[@svnsetsomnia8280]

What do you mean coming out of? I've been listening to MacArthur sermons on KZbin all day. Are his teachings not biblical? I don't mean the question to be sarcastic, if he's not a good teacher then I really want to know lol

[@yellowblackbird9000]

@@svnsetsomnia8280 Reformed theology has a poor distinction between law and gospel and essentially bases assurance of salvation on works.

[@svnsetsomnia8280]

@@yellowblackbird9000 yeah I agree. I’ve come a loooong way since I wrote that comment lol

[@saintlouissaints]

@@svnsetsomnia8280 MacArthur is a “Calvinist”. Calvinism is a heresy. They deny free will and make God the author of sin even though the Westminster Confession says otherwise.

[@zebra2346]

I went to a Reformed church for close to two decades, when the eldership turned over i began to notice something off. Intuitively i noticed they were confusing the Law and Gospel with a heavier emphasis on Law, and began to preach obedience, which made me cringe. By God's grace I wised up and got out of there. Am now extremely happy at my newish LCMS home church. The Gospel is fundamental and the pastors there compared to those at my former Reformed church are the most friendly, winsome, wholesome people

[@morreejones6890]

This is excellent! Gotta download this now!

[@je3199]

You are correct when you say if I read this I will thank you sir. THANK YOU, from a Presby :)

[@jdman561]

Haha I completely agreed. Paul is awesome like that.

[@swm1700]

Thank you!

[@joebolling]

John 14:21 “Whoever *has* my commandments *and keeps them* is the one *who loves me.* The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

[@MrGassemann]

Read it, heard it while reading it. Thanks! The original #OJW

[@Kingcob7]

2000 theologians listened to this :O

[@soundimpact4633]

Suffer=allow? As an older Lutheran I was always taught righteousness means to be in right standing, and we are in right standing purely because of Christ. All of our righteousness is as filthy rags. I see many of these terms could be (sorry, Martin ❤️) as disciplines. And even an active righteousness as a Christian is becoming a disciple-- a follower. Salvation and Christ's righteousness is the Holy Spirit inside of us, sanctifying us. This is the active move from justification to sanctification. Create in me a clean heart oh God, and renew a right Spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with life free spirit. Trust and obey. Truth with faithfulness. Perhaps just a different perspective. ❤️

[@wakeywakey8603]

Knowing Christ means His Seed Conceived in me (made of Earth). My Soul + His Spirit = Eternal Covenant = Marriage = Abiding in Faith, Hope & Love. In the Bible, Knowing, Knew & Knowledge mean to conceive & have a child, which God considers marriage. So it's more than just head knowledge of Jesus. It's giving birth to His Spirit inside my soul. Becoming His earthen vessel like a virgin bride.

[@soundimpact4633]

It all creates a beautiful relationship when you love the Lord. Repentance takes us to the cross. The cross (justification) fills our heart with love and appreciation. Love and appreciation moves us to want to obey because his yoke is easy and his burden is light and as loving children we do want to please our heavenly father. But we will fail! Because we have a relationship with him we know that we can go back to the cross. The cross again fills our heart with appreciation and love, and Moves us to want to continually love God and love our neighbor and produce spiritual fruit....where we will once again fail, and go back to the cross.... Because Christ is our high priest in the order of Melchizedek before God the Father, the perfect sacrifice. He is our King. Our relationship with God is like the waves on the beach it ebbs and it flows it's constantly moving. It is a living, breathing relationship. It is never stagnant. It is living water! (And out of our bellies will flow rivers of living water). It is the bread of life! (Produced from fruit in keeping with repentance).

[@BeDangerousGroup]

Great podcast. You could slow down your speech a little, but great content!

[@run4cmt]

How does Paul's teaching to the modern-day Messianic movement? How much of Jewish traditions, festivals and practices should Jewish believers retain?

[@intheschoolofgodandnature]

"Theology is spiritual warfare"...⚔️🛡

[@villarrealmarta6103]

But the historical pattern is Grace then when that grace is despised there’s judgement. So I prefer the term grace and judgement.

[@wakeywakey8603]

We are the Dirt or Dust of the Earth, receiving the God Seed thru the Blood of Christ who died for our sins on Calvary. Repentance breaks up the hard ground (circumcision of the heart) so that God's Seed sent from Heaven can grow into the Root of Judah, and then the Tree of Life, from which Fruits of the Spirit can grow.... Love, Faith, Joy Peace.... The Divine Attributes of Christ. He is the Spirit of God's Righteousness IMPLANTED into my soul. From which He commanded His Disciples to eat (His flesh & His Blood). Which reGENErates us into His image bc He gave us His Blood (DNA) ❤

[@abigailmorgan3400]

It’s crazy how lazy people are, yet how badly we want to work for our salvation.

[@henryfirus6856]

Thank you Pastor Wolfmueller, your presentations are very Martin Lutheresqe. In my opinion Christian theology should not remain static. Why is gradual change in the Church always in the bad direction, and good change only happens with an act of God. Teaching 500 year old truths is important, but these truths, unless moved forward to their logical implications, will produce darkness. Your presentation is about the Decalogue and the Gospel, but the Decalogue is in Exodus ch 20, not in the Catechism. Implication is that Reformation did not end with Luther, there has to be another step, logically this step is to restore the perpetual holy Decalogue to the Law of the Christian Church, see Daniel 8:13-14.

[@maryanngregory4750]

With a name like wolfmueller, a good German name, that you would have known the lcms was number 1. Just teasing.

[@jillbayer641]

Ok so I should not worry about the 10 commandments? Even though I believe Jesus and his grace?

[@saint777a]

Where did you get that idea? Lutherans teach God's Ten Commandments. It is the first thing in Luther's catechism teachings.

[@traildude7538]

It's always baffled me that classes in Christian Ethics so often start with the Ten Commandments: Christian ethics starts with the Cross! And as a good Lutheran seminary professor noted, the Ten Words aren't commands for us to earn merit from, they're descriptions of what God is going to make us.

[@robertphelps5005]

Grace and peace to you Bryan in the name of Messiah Yeshua/Jesua. In todays global denominations I can't think of one that claims that we are saved by works (I could be wrong as there are over 40k denominations world wide). My question for you is what is the standard of working good after one is saved and what is the standard of sin that I am to avoid? Also, what was Jesus standard for righteousness and perfection that made Him the Messiah? Love the spirit of your ministry. Blessings to you and yours.

[@imnotanalky]

Hello, the standard we are to follow is pure holiness, or sinlessness. ALL people fall short of this requirement, though, and so we need a savior. Luther teaches about Christian righteousness: Christians claim Jesus’ righteousness as their own ( thus it is passive). Jesus gives us a status as righteous, by grace through faith. Since we are saved, and do not need to earn anything for ourselves, we seek good works out of gratitude, to glorify God, and to serve other people.

[@robertphelps5005]

@@imnotanalky Hi there :) Thank you for your generous reply. How do we then define what is sin? Why was Christ considered perfect?

[@saint777a]

@@robertphelps5005 sin is deny, defying or disobeying God who alone is Holy. Sin is not merely breaking a law but breaking the heart of God. It is saying to God, I "not your will but mine be done. " Only children created in God's image can cause such hurt to God our Father. Salvation is not merely getting out of hell into heaven but restoration of our broken relationship with God, accomplished in Jesus Christ by the mercies of God who sent Jesus to die for our sin. . Jesus is not considered good; rather he is good intrinsically from within. This is then proven by his obedience as he prays, "not my will but Thine be done." The perfect Son who perfectly obeys the Father. Praise, glory and honour to God. What an awesome God we serve.

[@cindystokes8347]

Suffer=put up with. Long suffering is putting up with for a long time. 😁

[@franciscosonnek7240]

What you say here? Then... In your talk on feelings and faith. Third segment.... You name something we can DO.. And include it under the category of passive righteousness".

[@franciscosonnek7240]

This is a return to st Thomas Aristotle and his natural law. Where our Apology is with you here where you and st paul say ALL we can DO Is "natural law" ="the natural man".

[@franciscosonnek7240]

Disturbing for a crusty old 65 yo 48+ year life long student of our Confessions Augustana apology as understood by our Concordia.

[@juliebless7119]

Kind of a hard concept, but faithful Lutherans are never the "doers". The Holy Spirit is our "doer". We take no credit for anything that others might say contributes to salvation. We belong to Jesus and all that we are is because of His love for us.

[@ThaynePropertymanage]

well, what you didn't say is the active guy will not have this passive righteousness any useful sense unless he values Christ above all else. And if he doesn't he'll die of stress like a dog, like a tare. So is the valuing of Christ above all else law or gospel?

[@nilsalmgren4492]

If you want to look at Law and Gospel, then look at what God says to Cain. but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. 6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? Sacrifice for pleasing God is secondary to doing what is right. Side note, no where in the Bible does it state that a person needs to receive God through some other person or our salvation being dependent on what another person does. It is you doing what is right, having God as your king and not simply doing what is right in your eyes.

[@Rich-vp4ih]

Hehe, I gave the 'wolf' his 666th 'like'. hehe

[@saintlouissaints]

When Paul says “not of works” he isnt talking about obedience to Jesus. He is talking about works of the Law of Moses such as circumcision. We must obey Jesus to inherit the kingdom. Ignore Luther, and stop sinning like Jesus said (Mtw 5:29-30).

[@Josh_Antikainen]

Do you seriously believe that knowledge of sin comes through the ceremonial law? This is certainly an absurd position.

[@zebra2346]

Obedience and trusting in your own strength for justification will only turn you into a self-righteous pharisee. Trust in the One who kept the Law perfectly because you are Incapable

[@richardsaintjohn8391]

Lutheran: All Grace if you are Heterosexual. All Law if you're Gay.

[@Josh_Antikainen]

All impenitent sinners need the Law, and only the Law, preached to them. As soon as they are frightened by their sinful condition, the Gospel must immediately be preached to them.

[@jvolstad]

Didn't Luther claim to be married to the book of Galatians? Radical. I have some of the Table Talks. Beware those who want to put the curse of the law on us. Imagine trying to keep all 613 do's and don'ts.

[@traildude7538]

Or trying to follow all the rules in canon law....

[@gideonopyotuadebo2304]

ANTILAW GOSPEL IS THE LAWLESS GOSPEL OF SERPENT THE TEMPTER THAT IS CONTRARY, OPPOSED AND BLASPHEMOUS TO THE TRUE LAWFUL GOSPEL OF THE TRUE GOD YEHOVAH THE LAWGIVER

[@stephencolestock6433]

Proverbs 4:2 For I give you good doctrine: Do not forsake my law. I agree that we need to beware of false doctrine, but it seems to me that the position that followers of God should follow what God has commanded in accordance with the example that Jesus set for us to follow is obviously good doctrine, while forsaking God's law is false doctrine. In Jeremiah 9:3 and 9:6, they did not experientially know God and refused to know him and the problem was that in 9:13 they had forsaken God's law, so God's law is His instructions for how to experimentally know Him, or in other words, how to have a relationship with Him. In John 6:40, those who believe in Jesus will have eternal life, in John 17:3, eternal life is experientially knowing God and Jesus, and in Matthew 19:17, Jesus said that if we want to enter into eternal life, then obey the commandments, so obedience to the commandments is what it looks like to believe in Jesus and to know him. In 1 John 2:4, those who say that they know Christ, but don't obey His commands are liars and the truth is not in them, and in 1 John 3:4-6, sin is the transgression of God's law, and those who continue to practice sin have neither seen nor know him. In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus said that he would tell those who are workers of lawlessness to depart from him because he never knew them, so God's law is His instructions for how to know Christ and forsaking God's law is a salvation issue. So it is absurd to say that the height of Christian wisdom is to contrast knowing the law with knowing Christ, especially when knowing Christ is the goal of the law (Romans 10:4). I also agree that we should beware of false prophets. In Deuteronomy 13:4-5, the way that God instructed His people to determine that someone was a false prophet who was not speaking for Him was if they taught people to turn away from God's law. Either there are correct and incorrect reasons for someone to choose to become circumcised, and Paul was only speaking against the incorrect reasons, or according to Galatians 5:2, Christ is of no value to roughly 80% of the men in the US and Paul caused Christ to be of no value to Timothy when he had him circumcised (Acts 16:3). In Acts 15:1, they were wanting to require all Gentiles to becoming circumcised in order to become saved, however, that was never the purpose for which God commanded circumcision, so the Jerusalem Council was only ruling against an incorrect reason to become circumcised, not against obeying what God has commanded. Paul said that circumcision has no value, that what matters is obeying the commands of God (1 Corinthians 7:19), that circumcision has much value in every way (Romans 3:1-2), and that circumcision has value if we obey God's law (Romans 2:25), so the issue is that circumcision has no inherent value and that its value is entirely derived from whether we obey God's law. In Romans 2:26, the way to recognize that a Gentile has a circumcised heart is by their obedience to God's law, which is the same way to tell for a Jew (Deuteronomy 10:12-16, 30:6), which having an uncircumcised heart is associated with forsaking God's law (Jeremiah 9:26, Acts 7:51-53). If God's law were His instructions for how to be self-righteous and God does not want us to be self-righteous, then it would follow that God therefore does not want to be obeyed, which is absurd, especially considering that all throughout the Bible, God wanted His people to repent and to return to obedience to His law, therefore God's law was not given as instructions for how to become self-righteous, but as instructions for how to express His righteousness. Christ expressed his righteousness through His actions and what that looked like was sinless obedience to to the Mosaic Law, so that is also what it looks like when we have received the righteousness of Christ through faith. In Psalms 119:29, God graciously teaching us to obey His law is His free gift to us. Trying to earn our righteousness by obeying God's law has always been a fundamental misunderstanding of its goal. While it is true that Abraham believed God, so he was counted as righteous, it is also true that Abraham believed God, so he obeyed God's command to offer Isaac, so Abraham did not earn his righteousness by his obedience, but rather the same faith by which he was declared righteous was also expressed as obedience. So yes, in Romans 4:5, it our righteousness is not something that can be earned by our obedience, but that does not mean that it does not involve our active obedience. When we have a character trait, then we will express it through our actions, so to say that someone have received the gift of righteousness is to say that they are someone who practices righteousness, so practicing righteousness can't be separated from being righteous, though the way to become righteous is not earned through practicing righteousness. The reason why we have received the righteousness of Christ was not in order to hide it under a bushel, but in order to let it shine through our obedience. In 1 John 3:10, those who do not practice righteousness are not children of God, so again it is a salvation issue. In Jeremiah 6:16-19, forsaking the Mosaic Law is contrasted with the good way where we will find rest for our souls, so obeying God's law is the way to find rest for our souls, which incompatible with Luther's view of the law increasing terrors and driving the conscience to desperation.

[@rukusfan1387]

No. Living the laW leads to death. You fail to see the distinction between law and Gospel. Righteousness is imputed and not accessible by the law. Blessings.

[@stephencolestock6433]

@@rukusfan1387 In Deuteronomy 30:11-20, it says that God's law is not too difficult to obey and that obedience being life and a blessing while it is refusing to submit to it that leads to death and a curse, so choose life! Likewise, in Deuteronomy 32:47, it is our very life. In Proverbs 3:18, she is a tree of life for all who take hold of her. In Proverbs 6:23, for the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life. In Proverbs 19:16, whoever keeps the commandment keeps his life; he who despises his ways will die. In Matthew 19:17, Jesus said that the way to enter eternal life is by obeying God's commandments. Thinking that God gave the law to bring death to His children is expressing an extremely negative view of God when in reality it was given for our own good in order to bless us (Deuteronomy 6:24, 10:12-13). In Matthew 4:15-23, Jesus began his ministry with the Gospel message to repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand, which was a light to Gentiles, and the Mosaic Law is how his audience knew what sin is, so repenting from our disobedience to it is an integral part of the Gospel message, which he prophesied would be proclaimed to all nations (Matthew 24:12-14). Likewise, in Acts 2:38, when Peter called his audience to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins, the Mosaic Law was how they knew what sin is. In Romans 15:4, Paul said that OT Scripture was written for our instruction, and in 15:18-19, his Gospel message involved bringing Gentiles to obedience in word and in deed, so his Gospel was on the same page in regard to teaching repentance from our sins. Likewise, in Romans 10:16, 2 Thessalonians 1:8, and 1 Peter 4:17, it speaks against those who do not obey the Gospel. Righteousness is a character trait of God that is expressed by doing what is righteous, and God's law is His instructions for how to express that character trait, not for how to earn it. For example, God's law reveals that it is righteous to help the poor, but no amount of help the poor will ever cause someone to become righteous because the law was never given as a means of becoming righteous. In Romans 3:21-22, the Law and the Prophets testify that the righteousness of God comes through faith in Christ for all who believe, so this has always been the one and only way to become righteous. We express our character traits through our actions, so when God declares us to be righteous by grace through faith, He is also declaring us to be someone who expresses His righteousness through our actions in obedience to His instructions for how to do that found in His law. Jesus expressed his righteousness through His actions by living in obedience to God's law, so that is also the way that we live when we are imputed with his righteousness.

[@bernicefarnsworth6348]

Thank you!