How Sure Is Our Salvation?

Monday after the Second Sunday in Lent
March 1, 2010

The Lord be with you

This coming Sunday, the Third Sunday in Lent, March 7, 2010, we will continue our series “Puzzlers and Questions about the Bible” in our adult Bible class at Lamb of God Lutheran (LCMS). As noted in earlier posts on this blog, this series is simply examining questions that have been submitted. This coming week's question is a good one:

In light of the verse that states that it is impossible to restore to repentance one who has been a Christian and turned his back, could Judas have been saved & did Peter really lose his faith? Add to this David.

The only partial quote given in the question is from Hebrews 6:6. I have to guess what references are in the mind of the person who submitted the question in relation to Judas, Peter, and David. The three most likely candidates are Acts 1:25; Luke 22:31-34; and Psalm 51, especially verses 10-12.

There are really two questions here:

1) Can someone loose their salvation?
2) Can someone who has lost their salvation be restored?

I am reminded of the 17th century hymn by Johann Olerius, “Oh, How Great Is Your Compassion,” verse 4

Lord, Your mercy will not leave me;
Ever will Your truth abide.
Then in You I will confide.
Since Your Word cannot deceive me,
My salvation is to me
Safe and sure eternally. (LSB 559)

The study is titled “How Sure Is Our Salvation?”

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

From Scrolls to the Bible

Friday after Epiphany 3
January 29, 2010

The Lord be with you

At Lamb of God Lutheran (LCMS) we will continue our series “Puzzlers and Questions about the Bible” in our adult Sunday Bible study this coming Sunday. In this series we simply address questions people have submitted. The following question is the one we will consider this Sunday:

“Are the letters of Paul arranged in chronological order in the Bible? If so, I have a question: In Philemon, Demas is one of Paul’s “fellow workers.” But in 2 Timothy Demas left Paul, yet Timothy’s letter is before Philemon in the Bible. So, what happened? If the books are not chronological … never mind.”

The simple answer to this question is, “No, the books of the Bible are not arranged in chronological order.” As the person has given me permission to skip the question if the answer is “no,” I thought about doing just that. However I have decided to address a related question. “Why are the books of the Bible arranged in the order we have them.” I will also give a history of the transmission of the biblical text. This lesson, therefore, is not strictly a “Bible study.” It is more a study about the Bible. However, we will be looking up some passages.

The name of the study is “From Scrolls to the Bible.”

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

She Bears Kill Teenagers

Tuesday after Epiphany 3
January 19, 2010

The Lord be with you

At Lamb of God Lutheran Church (LCMS), in our adult Bible study this coming Sunday, we will continue our series “Puzzlers and Questions about the Bible.” The submitted question we will consider is:

2 Kings 2:23-24 – Little children came forth out of the city and mocked Elisha’s bald head. Elisha cursed them, and two she-bears came out of the woods and ate 42 of the children. Are we to accept this as literally true?

As phrased, this is a question about “hermeneutics.” Hermeneutics is the branch of theology which deals with the study of the principles of interpretation. Obviously we will not have the time to do a full study of the various approaches to biblical interpretation. Instead we will quickly review four different systems and how they could treat this story, then zoom in on how this text can be handled using the “Historical-Grammatical” approach. (This part will answer the literal/figurative question from my point of view.)

We will finish by considering what we can learn from this text, even though that is not part of the question.

The study is titled: Literal or Figurative (How Can We Tell the Difference?)

Sunday Bible study starts at 9:00 AM.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

In the Garden

Thursday after Advent 3
Commemoration of Daniel the Prophet and the Three Young Men
December 17, 2009

This coming Sunday will be the Fourth Sunday in Advent. It will also be the Commemoration of Katharina von Bora Luther. In our adult Sunday school class we will continue our series titled: Puzzlers and Questions about the Bible. This weeks question is:

“Was Jesus’ torture in the Garden stemming from His knowledge that He would be separated from God (be in Hell) for the time necessary to be offered as our sacrifice, more than it was of fear related to the cause and suffering of death?”

I’ve titled the study “In the Garden.” I always love questions about Jesus, especially ones relating to our atonement. Anyone can come and join the study. We begin at 9:00 AM.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Christ, Sin and the Father

Wednesday after Advent 2
December 9, 2009

The Lord be with you

This coming Sunday (Advent 3) the adult Bible class will tackle the following question:

“Taking on the sin of the world separated Jesus from God because God cannot be in sin. How can God separate Himself from Himself?”

All I can say is, ouch! How can someone ask a simple parish pastor such questions? I feel like saying, “Go to the seminary and take a Christology class.” But the question has been asked and we will look at it and say what we can say about one of the truly great mysteries of our faith. We begin at 9:00 AM. The study is titled “Christ, Sin and the Father.”

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

The Suffering Savior

Thursday after Advent 1
December 3, 2009

The Lord be with you

At Lamb of God Lutheran Church (LCMS) we continue our Bible study series “Puzzlers and Questions About the Bible.” Our last study actually took two weeks, which is why nothing was posted about this past Sunday’s lesson. However this coming Sunday (Advent 2) we move on to a new topic. This time we do not actually have a question, per se, but a request for a deeper understanding of our Lord’s suffering. The submission reads, “Jesus is and always has been God. God chose to have his son (God in the flesh) serve as the sacrifice for all mankind. Please discuss why Jesus had to suffer so in His death, why was death not enough?” The study is titled, "The Suffering Savior."

We will tackle this topic Sunday, beginning at 9:00 AM. As always, everyone is welcome.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Can the Un-Baptized Go to Heaven?

Tuesday after Pentecost 24
November 17, 2009

The Lord be with you

This coming Sunday, the Last Sunday of the Church Year, the adult Bible study at Lamb of God Lutheran Church (LCMS) will continue its series titled “Puzzlers and Questions about the Bible” by considering the question: “Can the un-baptized go to heaven?” No doubt whoever submitted this question has asked it many times and received honest and faithful responses, but the settings probably were such that only a quick answer could be given (such as Sunday morning between Sunday school and worship services). Pastors probably referred the individual to the catechism or other instructional material already in the possession of the individual, knowing the answer was there either explicitly or implicitly. Without having time to give the theological foundation for the answer based on Scripture, the question continues to roll around in the mind, not quite satisfied. So Sunday we will take the time to look at Bible passages about faith, baptism, salvation, etc., and think through them. We will then give a response that is based on something solid, not simply on what feels right but is uncertain, and thus have an answer that will hopefully stick. The study is titled “Baptism and Heaven.” We begin at 9:00 AM.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Casting Lots in the Bible

Commemoration of Martin of Tours, Pastor
Veterans Day
November 11, 2009

The Lord be with you

This coming Sunday (Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost) the adult Sunday school class at Lamb of God Lutheran Church (LCMS) will continue its series titled “Puzzlers and Questions about the Bible” in which we examine questions submitted by people concerning the Bible that have puzzled them in the past. This week’s question is: “Why does God use ‘casting lots’ to decide things, which seems like chance or magic or gambling?”

The casting of lots to make a decision is more prevalent in the pages of the Bible than a casual reader might at first think. I found nearly 50 references! So, if this practice has always puzzled you, come to class Sunday. We begin at 9:00 AM. I’ve titled the study, A “Chance” Discovery of God’s Will.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Does God Deceive?

Friday after All Saints’ Day
November 6, 2009

The Lord be with you

This post must come under the heading of “better late than never.” This coming Sunday at Lamb of God Lutheran (LCMS) the adult Bible study will be looking at Jeremiah 20:7, where Jeremiah complains:

O LORD, you have deceived me,
and I was deceived;
you are stronger than I,
and you have prevailed.
I have become a laughingstock all the day;
everyone mocks me.

So, does God deceive Jeremiah? Find out Sunday.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

When We Die

Thursday after Pentecost 20
October 22, 2009

The Lord be with you

In Genesis 3:19 God says to Adam, “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” We have all heard this passage many times at funerals, but does it have any meaning in reference to how we treat the bodies of the deceased? Does the Bible in general have anything to say, or any pattern we might follow, in reference to that which was the temple of God? Such will be the questions we examine in this coming Sunday’s (Reformation Sunday) adult Bible study at Lamb of God Lutheran (LCMS). The question submitted is “Genesis 3:19 in regard to embalming and cremation.” As always, everyone is welcome. Bible study begins at 9:00 AM.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Rickert

The Pearl of Great Price

Monday after Pentecost 19
October 12, 2009

The Lord be with you

At Lamb of God Lutheran Church (LC-MS) we will continue our Sunday morning Bible study series, Puzzlers and Questions about the Bible this coming Sunday with a look at the Kingdom Parables found in Matthew 13. In this chapter there are the parables of the Sower, Good Seed and Weeds, Mustard Seed, Leaven, Hidden Treasure, Pearl of Great Price, and Fishing Net. The “question” submitted was simply the verse Matthew 13:45, which refers to the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price, so we will give special attention to it. Each of these parables deals with the “kingdom of God.”

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

How Bad Can It Get?

Monday after Pentecost 18
October 5, 2009

The Lord be with you

This coming Sunday, Pentecost 19, October 11, the adult Bible study at Lamb of God Lutheran (LCMS) will continue its series titled “Puzzlers and Questions About the Bible” by considering a story contained in Judges. The “question” submitted was simply the biblical reference Judges 21:22. This is actually part of the conclusion of a story that begins with chapter 19 and demonstrates just how low the spiritual and moral nature of the Israelites had sunk by the end of the time of the Judges. This story is also how the book of Judges ends. We will discover that God has a reason for ending this book with this picture of moral and spiritual decline. We will have to cover all three chapters to get the full feel for what is happening in chapter 21, and understand what the Lord intends for us to learn, so don’t be late.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Why Did God Allow Evil in the Garden of Eden

September 28, 2009

The Lord be with you

At Lamb of God Lutheran (LCMS) we will continue our Bible Study series titled “Puzzlers and Questions about the Bible.” This coming Sunday, Pentecost 18, we will consider what we can know from the Bible about why God allowed evil into the Garden of Eden. If you would like to know, join us at 9:00 AM.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Can Satan Create?

Thursday after Pentecost 16
September 24, 2009

The Lord be with you

At Lamb of God Lutheran (LCMS) we continue our series titled “Puzzlers and Questions about the Bible” in our Sunday morning adult Bible study. The question submitted that we will consider this coming Sunday is:

If God is not the author of evil or false doctrine, how does Satan create?

Whoever submitted this question is not the first person to ask this question, nor will they be the last. If you want to know the answer, come to class.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Jephthah Kills His Daughter

Friday after Pentecost 15
September 18, 2009

The Lord be with you

The adult Sunday morning Bible study at Lamb of God Lutheran (LCMS) continues its series titled “Puzzlers and Questions about the Bible.” Members and friends of Lamb of God have submitted all the “puzzlers and questions” for this series. This coming Sunday’s “question” was simply two Bible passages, Judges 11:30-31 and Judges 11:34-40. It is the story of Jephthah and his only child, a daughter, whom Jephthah kills as a sacrifice to God. We will look at the passage carefully.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

A Cursed Tree

Wednesday after Pentecost 13
September 2, 2009

The Lord be with you

At Lamb of God Lutheran Church (LCMS) this coming Sunday the Adult Bible class will field a question which, on the surface, seems trivial: Why does Jesus curse the fig tree in Matthew 21:19? Yet it is a good question for several reasons. First, nothing recorded in the Scriptures is without profit for us. Second, as a small incident, it is easy to skip over. Third, such little things are often used by non-Christians to attack our Faith as they attribute all kinds of vile motivations to Jesus. This incident is also recorded in Mark 11. We will look at both passages. The study is titled: A Cursed Tree.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Balaam's Booboo

Wednesday after Pentecost 12
August 26, 2009

The Lord be with you

The adult Bible study at Lamb of God Lutheran (LCMS), Spartanburg, SC, this coming Sunday (Pentecost 13, August 30) is titled “Following A Dangerous God”. (I ripped the title idea off of C.S. Lewis). It deals with the story of Balaam found in Numbers 22 – 24, and the epilogue in Numbers 25:1-9. The question submitted is:

What’s the story on Balaam? In Numbers 22:11-12, Balaam asks God to curse a people on behalf of Balak, King of Moab but God says no. So, Balaam tells Balak he won’t do it. Than, in Numbers 22:18-20, Balaam is asked by Balak again to come with him and curse the same people. Balaam says he can’t do anything against the Lord, but when God speaks to him once more, He tells Balaam to go with the men after all. THEN, in Numbers 22:22, God sends his angel to stop Balaam from going, and later tells him he would have killed him (Num. 22:33). Why would God say to do something, and then send an angel to stop the same act?

We will examine all the Balaam passages in the Bible as we explore this question.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Bible Study for Pentecost 12, 2009

Saturday after Pentecost 11
August 22, 2009

The Lord be with you

The adult Bible study at Lamb of God Lutheran (LCMS) in SC, continues its series “Puzzlers and Questions about the Bible” in which we examine questions submitted by members of our church. The upcoming study is titled “How Free from Sin are We?” It is based on a series of questions from 1 John. The questions are:

In 1 John 1:10 it says, “If we say we have not sinned we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” (past tense, sinned). Now contrast that with sin in 1 John 5:18, “We know that whoever is born of God does not sin, but He … the wicked one does not touch him.” (-touches others and things around us?) (present tense those walking in God do not sin). Contrast this with verse that says “we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against …” and 1 John 5:19 – “… under the sway of the wicked one”
To what degree are we to be alert to the evil one and to [what] degree are we “touched” or is that only if we are “not in sin?”

This will require some examination of the Greek that underlies our English translations. This is because the Greek verb system is quite different from the English verb system. For example the word identified as “past tense” in the question, and is past tense in the English translation cited, is not past tense in Greek. Intrigued? Join us if you can Sunday morning at 9:00.

This study will be the last one out of 1 John (at least until some other questions are submitted from that book). After we finish this we are going to jump to the Old Testament and consider some questions about Balaam.


(Icon of St. John the Evangelist)

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Pentecost 11 Adult Bible Study

Tuesday after Pentecost 10
August 11, 2009

We continue at Lamb of God Lutheran Church (LCMS or LC-MS) our Sunday morning Bible study series titled “Puzzlers and Questions about the Bible.” This coming Sunday (the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, August 16, 2009) we will be looking at 1 John 5:4-8. If you compare the King James on verses 7 and 8 with other modern translations like the English Standard or the New American Standard, you will notice some marked differences. The King James is longer. The questions submitted are based on the King James translation. This will give us an excellent opportunity to understand why there are such differences. Those of you in our NT Greek Language class will get a foretaste of the first topic we will cover after we finish the Voelz text book. The subject is called “Textual Criticism.”

You do find Christians who feel the only “real” Bible is the King James translation. For them passages like this one becomes very important in their rejection of other translations because the other translations have eliminated words from the Bible (in their thinking). Therefore this study might be quite helpful in understanding that we stand on God’s Word as originally written by the prophets and evangelists, not just a translation of it. This will also help you to understand why our pastors all take Greek and Hebrew.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Sunday Morning Bible Study

Friday after Pentecost 9
August 7, 2009

The Lord be with you

The Sunday morning adult Bible study at Lamb of God Lutheran Church (LCMS) is engaged in a series titled “Puzzlers and Questions about the Bible.” The idea is simple. People submit questions about the Bible and I develop a study that addresses the question. Most studies take one class, but some may take two. There has been over 100 different questions submitted so far, and more are still coming. Right now we are looking at questions that have all come out of 1 John. This coming Sunday (Pentecost 10, August 9, 2009) we will look at 1 John 3:9, specifically the phrased “whoever abides in Him does not sin.” As no specific question was submitted with the Biblical reference we will simply do some careful exegesis.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert