Let's review.

I am planning my next post on The Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  As I head in to that post, I thought this would be  a good time to review what I have attempted to demonstrate from The Lutheran Confessions, and from Scripture, so far.
Let's review.

1.  The Lutheran Confessions (including the ancient creeds) continue to be important to our faith walk today.  They not only define what it is to be Lutheran, they define what it is to be Christian.

2.  Jesus is Eternal God, just as the Nicene Creed sets forth.  This is what distinguishes Christianity from every other religion "in the history of history."

3.  Jesus died for our sins, as satisfaction for our sins by His blood.  There are differing "theories" of atonement, descriptions of HOW this works, but THAT it works is essential.

4.  The writers of the Lutheran Confessions wrote believing that there will be a hell and there will be human beings that inhabit it forever along with the demons.  We "chuck" this doctrine to our own peril and the eternal peril of those we love (which ought to be everyone).  Jesus spoke quite a bit about hell and damnation.

5.  The writers of the Lutheran Confessions took at face value the declarations in Scripture that angels and demons actually exist and actually impact the lives of human beings.

6.  Martin Luther referred to the good that we do as "faith active in love."  The Lutheran Confessions make it quite clear that we live out our faith in acts of love and obedience, what Luther also referred to as "living wet" - living out our baptism every day.

7.  Jesus is the only way to heaven.  He said so (John 14:6) and the confessors believed Him.  Is is possible that God has another way?  God is God.  But again, we are responsible for The Message that has been shared with us.  We don't deny the words of Jesus Himself because we find them unpopular.

8.  Our human natures are totally stained by sin.  God created our human natures "good" and they remain so, but the stain covers them completely.  The reason Jesus is the only way, the reason His death matters eternally, is that only His blood removes the stain.  There is no where else to go.

I have argued at the beginning of this blog that our ordination oath obligates us to teach in accordance with The Lutheran Confessions.  Some have stated that they do so "in so far as they are a faithful exposition of scripture."  But I posted the oath below to demonstrate that those words do not appear in the oath.  Instead we confess that they ARE a faithful exposition of Scripture.  And for each of these points I have gone the next step to demonstrate that they do in fact faithfully convey the teachings of Scripture, our norm of faith.

As Resurrection Sunday approaches, what my Latvian brothers and sisters call, Lieldienas (The Great Day) we will look closely together at what The Lutheran Confessions set forth regarding the center of Christian Faith, the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Thank you for walking with me.