Unless the LORD God opens our eyes and gives us understanding, His Word, the Bible, remains a closed book to us.

God’s gracious invitation continues to go out to all — us included — but only those who, by the grace of God, repent and heed the Gospel call, trusting in Christ alone for eternal salvation, will be saved.

When by the grace and mercy of God, we are brought to see our sinfulness and to turn to Jesus for forgiveness and life in Him, we become children of God - saved by His grace alone. We have an inheritance in heaven and look forward to the day when Jesus our Savior returns to take us to live with Him in holiness and righteousness, forever with our God and Savior.

In private confession and absolution, and each Sunday in corporate worship, sinners confess their sins to the Lord God and look to Christ Jesus and His cross in faith for the forgiveness of sins; and, the pastor announces unto them the grace of God and, in the stead and by the command of our Lord Jesus Christ, forgives the sins of penitent sinners. “But who can forgive sins but God alone?” some may ask.

Can anyone be counted just and saved by doing good works? by living a good life? by obeying God’s commandments? What does God say in His Word? 

So, I ask you, what do you think God desires? To love one’s neighbor and help him on the Sabbath day? Or to refrain from loving and helping a neighbor because it is the Sabbath day?

When did God create the heavens and the earth? Again, the Bible answers that question for us when it says: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth…” (Genesis 1:1).

Though Jesus does not intervene at every death and call the dead back to life, He has intervened for all of us in a much greater way. Jesus had compassion on us in our hopeless and helpless situation and tells us to stop crying because He is our solution.

The Bible teaches that the LORD God, when He created the heavens and the earth, also created a great number of angels to carry out His commands and do His will.

God would not have us be deceived. And, God will not be mocked. If one sows weeds, he cannot expect to harvest wheat! So it is with our spiritual lives. If we sow to the flesh, we cannot expect to reap life, but corruption.