38 Shortness of Life brought upon oneself

Tempted. I fear that I have rendered my own life shorter by my own sins. Therefore, how am I able to hope for the presence and help of God in death? Those guilty of their own death receive not a better life after death.

Comforter. Yes, but that is to be understood only of those who by impatience bring violence upon themselves and force their soul from its bodily home against the will of God. Let such an idea be far from your piety. Augustine writes, For no man ought to inflict death upon himself by his own will only to flee from temporal troubles by falling into eternal ones. No one ought to do this because of another’s sins, lest he who would not have been defiled by another’s sin bring upon himself the gravest of his own. Again, no one ought to do this because of his past sins, for he has a greater need of this life so that these sins might be healed by repentance. No one ought to do this because of a desire for the better life hoped for after death, for that better life after death is not received by those guilty of their own death.

But if your mind is disturbed by these thoughts and you think you have shortened your own life by immoderate use of food and drink or by some other disorder, grieve over this with earnest groans, place all of your trust in the merit of Christ, firmly resolve to better your way of life, and God, who has promised the forgiveness of sins to those who truly repent, will pardon your iniquities. Manasseh, a man of blood, had himself cut the thread of life and yet heartily repented and obtained the glory of eternal life (2 Kings 21:16). The thief on the cross received the due reward for his deeds (Luke 23:41) but earnestly converting to God, entered paradise with Christ. Indeed, our first parents brought death on themselves and all of their posterity, yet clinging to that little Gospel promise that He would crush the serpent’s head (Gen 3:15), they were raised again by that life-giving consolation. Therefore, if you have followed these in their sins, follow them also with tears in their repentance. God’s hand is not yet withdrawn nor has His mercy waned because of so many years. The gate of pardon is not closed as long as He permits time for repentance.


—Gerhard, Johann. Handbook of Consolations: For the Fears and Trials That Oppress Us in the Stuggle with Death . Wipf & Stock, an Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers. Kindle Edition.

I compiled blog posts from https://adfontesjournal.com/ej-hutchinson/luther-on-aristotles-ethics-1/ on the topic of Ethics and How Luther viewed Aristotle on that loci.

Preserve us, O God, in holiness of mind and in purity of body!

—Gerhard

Racism is a sin.

Luther on the Canaanite woman : “She catches the Lord with his own words. Yes, still more, with the rights of a dog she gains the rights of a child. Now where will he go? He has caught himself and must help her. But know this well, he loves to be caught in this way. If we only had the skill of this woman to catch God in his own judgment and say, ‘Yes, Lord, it is true, I am a sinner and not worthy of thy grace, but you have promised forgiveness and didst not come to call the righteous, but like Paul says in 1 Timothy 1:15, to save sinners.’ Behold, the Lord must then through his own judgment, have mercy on us.”

Biblical Exegesis for Dummies 101 on Matthew 15:

https://www.genesbrunotes.com/images/BIBLE_-_MATTHEW_-_Chapter_15.pdf

We ALL are dogs and don't deserve God's grace. You are a dog, yes, you. Whether you're white, asian, black, or anything, you're a dog regardless. Most of us here are not Jews also. Christ's point was about grace, sin and forgiveness, not race, hatred or favoritism. So preach what Christ taught and preached, not your own "kinism" or any type of "racism". Let's not quarrel over words.


Please read the linked commentary here.

If anyone teaches different doctrines and does not devote himself to the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. Instead, he has a morbid craving for controversies and battles over words, things that produce envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant frictions among people whose minds are depraved, who have lost hold of the truth, imagining that their godliness is a means of financial gain. Separate yourselves from such people.

—St. Paul

Did someone just thumb down what St. Paul said??

A friend of mine sent this to me:

St Ambrose teaches that what is born of grace compels us to love over and against that which is born of nature. I stand with St Ambrose.

"For I love you, whom I have begotten in the Gospel, no less than if you were my own true sons. For nature does not make us love more ardently than grace. We certainly ought to love those who we think will be with us for evermore than those who will be with us in this world only. These often are born unworthy of their race, so as to bring disgrace on their father; but you we chose beforehand, to love." - On the Duties of the Clergy VII.24

I consider you more my kinsmen than my heathen neighbor.

II. REMEMBERING THE SINS OF YOUTH

O HOLY GOD, just Judge, do not remember the faults of my youth (Psalm 25:7). Do not recall any more the sins of my past (Jeremiah 31:34). The root of evil desire produced so much poison fruit in my childhood. The evil of original sin produced so many actual sins. The thoughts of my heart are depraved and perverse from earliest childhood, even from tender infancy (Genesis 6:5). If I were a day-old infant, in Your sight I would still not be innocent (Job 14:4). The faults and failures that weigh on me are as many as the days of my life; in fact, they are many more because even a righteous person falls seven times in a day (Proverbs 24:16). If a righteous person falls seven times in a day, I believe that I, hopeless and unrighteous, have fallen seventy times seven times in a day.

Life increased and the web of sins increased. However much You kindly added to the length of my life, my defective and corrupt nature added an equal amount to the weight of my sins. I look back at my life and find the most foul and filthy cloak of sins. When I compare the course of my life to the light of Your precepts, I find only darkness and blindness. My youth should have been picked like a tender young flower, worn as a crown of virtue, and offered to You as a fragrant scent. The best of my years should have belonged to You, the Creator of nature. But the filth of sins polluted that flower of my youth in the foulest way. The stinking filth of transgressions fouled it terribly and miserably. Of all our years, the earliest are the most apt time for us to serve God. However, I used most of mine to serve the devil. The memory of many sins committed in my promiscuous and uncontrolled youth weighs heavy on my mind. Worse yet, many more of these sins escape my memory. Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults (Psalm 19:12).

For the disobedience of my youth, I offer to You, holy Father, the obedience of Your Son. I offer to You the perfect innocence of the one who became obedient to You, even to death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:8). Even as a boy of twelve, Christ showed a holy obedience to You and followed Your will with great willingness (Luke 2:42). This obedience, O just Judge, I offer as the price and satisfaction for the great disobedience of my youth.

AMEN.

Gerhard, Johann. Meditations on Divine Mercy: A Classic Treasury of Devotional Prayers (pp. 34-35). Concordia Publishing House. Kindle Edition.

Tell Gospel Training center

https://www.instagram.com/tell_realgospeltraining?igsh=cXRiaTQxeDdrMWVk

Why Is Evangelical Theology Simplistic? (w/ Steven Kozar)

https://www.youtube.com/live/ujDr0iVoCUA?si=_VNhyZtIjSXFxG43

Lutheran Gigacats
A Mighty Fortress is Our God
https://youtu.be/T0132OxXRdA