Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Reformation Seminary Tonight - The Two Natures of Christ

Reformation Seminary Lecture Tonight at 7 PM Central -

The Two Natures of Christ

Zoom link - https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86825663862?pwd=M3q6HvvwIJyN9atUEd5IuRl1cExFma.1

YouTube Saved Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Yn2itYso1M

The Son of God exists from eternity.
He is there at the Creation, not only in Genesis 1 (Let there be...assumes the Second Person) but more openly in John 1 - all things were created through Him, and nothing was created apart from Him).
The Holy Spirit teaches these matters to us through the Scriptures, preaching, and teaching.
"Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards [house managers] of the mysteries of God." 1 Corinthians 4:1 KJV.
The mysteries are those doctrines taught by the Holy Spirit, which are not based on human wisdom and logic, but based on the Spirit's teaching through the Scriptures. A house steward does not own anything but is charge of managing the owner's house perfectly, not slovenly, selfishly, lazily, or drunkenly. That is why pastors and teachers are not allowed to make up their own version of the Christian Faith. We have endured 150 years of "great theologians" like Barth, Tillich, Bultmann, etc invent their heavily edited version of the Savior.
The Son and the Father are together in the Creation, with the Spirit hovering over Creation and teaching us in the Scriptures.
The Son is also part of the expulsion of the orchard thieves in Genesis 3:15 and also Eve's hope in KJV Genesis 4:1. And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. (Hebrew - literally, gotten a man-child__the Lord). The Hebrew makes it an apposition - as if saying, I have given birth to a boy__the Lord. They were promised the Savior and she thought her firstborn was the Savior.
The Son is portrayed throughout the Old Testament, which shocks some people, no doubt because some "professors" deny the Messianic Promises in Psalms (CPH NIV OT) and elsewhere.
Jesus is unique because the Son took on our flesh and frailties, born of the Virgin Mary. He is also unique because the Two Natures, once together, have never been apart and will never be apart. Incarnation means God in the flesh.
However, the divine nature of Christ is never limited by His human nature, so He is where He wills, such as in the locked upper room and the elements of Holy Communion.
Everything about His human nature is beneficial to us because He is just like us, only divine and without fault.
Examples of His anguish include trembling at the tomb of Lazarus, KJV John 11:34 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! 37 And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? 38 Jesus therefore again groaning [trembling or moved with anger, difficult to translate] in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.
The humanity of Christ teaches us with great clarity that the Son of God allowed Himself to be captured, insulted, slugged, whipped, and forced to carry His cross, nailed on it the most cruel way possible, and raised up to suffer slowly and die. Those who deny the Two Natures of Christ simply reject the Gospel and Jesus as their Savior.
That error has repeated ever since the so-called scholars chose to embrace the false codices (Sinaiticus and Vaticanus) and produce the polluted paraphrase Bibles - like the RSV, NIV, ESV, NRS, Beck, etc. The mainline seminaries, including the Lutheran ones, reject Justification by Faith in Christ and bray that every single person in the world is born forgiven, without faith in Him.

So bad, ELCA denied it but also used it in their crumbling seminaries.

The ALPB Online Ovaltines promote the work of these clowns.

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

More About Apologetics - Translations - 11 AM Central

Starting with the best Bible is essential, not to be replaced for a denomination's profit-margin.

Zoom - not available after the allotted time is used up.

YouTube link available -

Next lecture - The Two Natures of Christ. Wednesday, 7 PM Central, Zoom.

Apologetics - Defense of the Gospel - The Two Doctrinal Attacks

The Virgin Birth

KJV Isaiah 7:14 - 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

New NIV footnote - Isaiah 7:14 Or young woman

RSV - 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman[a] shall conceive and bear[b] a son, and shall call his name Imman′u-el.

Isaiah 7:14 Or virgin

NRSVA

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

NRSVACE

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

NRSVCE

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

NRSVUE

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel.

The Ending of Mark's Gospel - Mark 16:9-20

New NIV - [The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have verses 9–20.]

RSV -

Mark 16:20 Some of the most ancient authorities bring the book to a close at the end of verse 8. One authority concludes the book by adding after verse 8 the following: But they reported briefly to Peter and those with him all that they had been told. And after this, Jesus himself sent out by means of them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. Other authorities include the preceding passage and continue with verses 9–20. In most authorities verses 9–20 follow immediately after verse 8; a few authorities insert additional material after verse 14

Christian News (Otten/Hale) - The same excuses as above.

ESV - [Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9–20.][a]

NRSV -

Mark 16:8 Some of the most ancient authorities bring the book to a close at the end of verse 8. One authority concludes the book with the shorter ending; others include the shorter ending and then continue with verses 9–20. In most authorities verses 9–20 follow immediately after verse 8, though in some of these authorities the passage is marked as being doubtful.

The Fall of Constantinople scattered Greek artists and scholars. Erasmus became Europe's first Greek scholar. Luther learned Greek and Melanchthon became Europe's great scholar in Greek. Guess which Bible is closest to Luther's...the KJV. Tyndale is directly associated with the Luther circle of scholars, though much remains unknown.

Knowledge of Greek came just in time for the Reformation.

Monday, March 25, 2024

Lecture on Apologetics

Today - 11 AM - Apologetics - Without Apologizing 10 AM Central

Oops! I did not run the recording.

Zoom > I will have a new Zoom AND recording tomorrow at 11 a.m. Central.

1 Peter 3:15 - 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

15 κυριον δε τον θεον αγιασατε εν ταις καρδιαις υμων ετοιμοι δε αει προς απολογιαν (apologian) παντι τω αιτουντι υμας λογον περι της εν υμιν ελπιδος μετα πραυτητος και φοβου

Apologetics means defending the faith, not apologizing for faith.

1. Use the brighter passages to illuminate the darker ones. Canaanite woman. Matthew 15:21.

2. Compare the parallel passages for details.

3. Take advantage of parables with explanations. Matthew 13 and Mark 4.

4. Translations are commentaries. Stick with the best one - KJV/Luther's.

5. Avoid most commentaries, most of the time.

6. Learning Greek is very helpful. It is a joke at most seminaries.

7. A Greek New Testament word can be googled with "Thayer" for explanations.

8. Pay attention to Jesus' responses to the opposition.

Thursday, March 21, 2024

Inaugural Post - Reformation Seminary, March 21, 2024. Lecture at 7 PM Central. Music at 6:30 PM.

Zoom link -> https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85187471604?pwd=ciuMQhDJEfpE0wgXeKLYsTgDJ8lvbi.1

YouTube link will be here, after conversion -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pl5NYptONwA

I mentioned having more Biblical doctrine lessons. One person said, "Why not a seminary?" I thought about and said, "We have to save Zoom webinars, so that has to work."

Nothing was easier than a conversion to YouTube, so here I am with the first session. I am going to have an outline each time, posted in advance. I will limit my talk to 30 minutes, and we can have discussions after.

We have not fixed dates and times yet, but that will develop. Ichabod will be the primary post, which will be copied on Reformation Seminary, making the lectures orderly rather than lost in all the other posts.

Foundational Concept of the Bible -

The Efficacy of the Word - The Holy Spirit at Work in the Word and Sacraments

1. Dogmatics books tend to multiply themselves and promote battles.

2. Genesis 1 and John 1 are examples of efficacy, John explaining Genesis.

3. A. Hoenecke - The Word never without the Spirit, the Spirit never without the Word - that is sound doctrine. His Dogmatics were much more like the German Reformation.

4. The Reformation does not include Zwingli-Calvin, the changes in England, or anywhere else. The Reformation itself was established by Luther, Melanchthon, and Chemnitz.

a. Luther was the foundation, the result of many years of monastic work and teachers.

b. Melanchthon served as his opposite in temperament, the same in Biblical doctrine.

c. Martin Chemnitz studied under both and solidified their work through the Book of Concord, Examination of the Council of Trent, etc.

Efficacy

Effectual, powerful: energes

1 Corinthians 16:9 (KJV) For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and many adversaries.

Philemon 1:6 (KJV) That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 4:12 (KJV) For the word of God quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Operations, working: energema

1 Corinthians 12:6 (KJV) And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

To show forth, work: energew

Matthew 14:2 (KJV) And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him.

Mark 6:14 (KJV) And king Herod heard ; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him.

Romans 7:5 (KJV) For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

1 Corinthians 12:6 (KJV) And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

1 Corinthians 12:11 (KJV) But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

2 Corinthians 1:6 (KJV) And whether we be afflicted, for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, for your consolation and salvation.

2 Corinthians 4:12 (KJV) So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

Galatians 2:8 (KJV) (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)

Galatians 3:5 (KJV) He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Galatians 5:6 (KJV) For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

Ephesians 1:11 (KJV) In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

Ephesians 1:20 (KJV) Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set at his own right hand in the heavenly ,

Ephesians 2:2 (KJV) Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh
in the children of disobedience:

Ephesians 3:20‑21 (KJV) Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, {21} Unto him glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Reformation Seminary Starts Thursday, March 21st, 2024.

Designed by Norma A. Boeckler

Members and friends of Bethany Lutheran Church were asking about classes in Biblical doctrine. Someone suggested "a seminary," which is a good way organize the work. If I had looked into the future, I would not have imagined Ustream - our first broadcasting effort, Vimeo - our second, and Zoom - the most complicated and effective combination for speaking and music.

I am teaching fewer graduate classes in the Bible now, so I have more time and energy to do this. If people want to contribute, that is fine but not required. We only have one church account, for Bethany Lutheran Church, which is registered for non-profit status.

I am not sure how all this will develop, but I am happy to provide the basics of Biblical doctrine, following the examples of Martin Luther, Philip Melanchthon, and Martin Chemnitz. We will have discussion opportunities in the future. Picking times will be a challenge, but each session will be recorded and saved first on Ichabod and also on the Reformation Seminary blog.

I plan on teaching Thursday, March 21st, 2024. I will send notices and the basics by Zoom email. I am looking forward to the experience.

Lectures will not be any longer than 30 minutes, and discussions may follow.

The Seminary blog is here - Reformation Seminary.