Thy Strong Word from KFUO Radio

Every election cycle, Christians argue about what they owe the government and where that obligation ends. Paul wrote the original version of that argument. The governing authority is God's servant, he says, and you owe it taxes, respect, and honor. That was written under Nero, which means Paul is not talking about a government that deserves your admiration. He is talking about an office God established for your good. Then he turns to the Christian's own life: put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh. How you live under authority and how you live before God are both answered.

The Rev. Ryan Kleimola, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Toledo, OH, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Romans 13:1–14.

To learn more about Trinity Lutheran Church, visit trinitylutheran.org.

Why does doing the right thing sometimes feel impossible? Why do feelings of guilt follow us even when we've been forgiven? These aren't new questions. St. Paul wrote his letter to the Romans for a church he had never visited, and yet he addressed the struggles every Christian knows firsthand: the weight of the law, the persistence of sin, the sufficiency of what God has done in Christ. Romans covers enormous ground. Paul moves from the universal problem of sin through justification by faith, the role of baptism, the war between flesh and spirit, God's faithfulness to Israel, and the shape of life together in the body of Christ. There's a reason the Reformation was born in this letter. Join us on Thy Strong Word as we open up Romans, weekdays at 11am or on-demand anytime, at KFUO.org.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].

After eleven chapters of what God has done for you, Paul says “therefore” and gets specific about what it looks like to live in God’s grace. He tells us: Present your bodies as living sacrifices. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. Love without hypocrisy. Think soberly about your gifts. Feed your enemy when he is hungry. This is where Paul connects doctrine to daily life, and every instruction here grows out of the mercy God has already given you in Christ.

The Rev. Dr. Stephen Krenz, pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Columbia, IL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Romans 12:1–21.

To learn more about St. Paul's Lutheran Church, visit stpauls-lcms.org.

Why does doing the right thing sometimes feel impossible? Why do feelings of guilt follow us even when we've been forgiven? These aren't new questions. St. Paul wrote his letter to the Romans for a church he had never visited, and yet he addressed the struggles every Christian knows firsthand: the weight of the law, the persistence of sin, the sufficiency of what God has done in Christ. Romans covers enormous ground. Paul moves from the universal problem of sin through justification by faith, the role of baptism, the war between flesh and spirit, God's faithfulness to Israel, and the shape of life together in the body of Christ. There's a reason the Reformation was born in this letter. Join us on Thy Strong Word as we open up Romans, weekdays at 11am or on-demand anytime, at KFUO.org.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].

If you are a Gentile Christian, you are a wild branch grafted into someone else's tree. But what of the original covenant? God has not abandoned His people. Though many have fallen away, he kept a remnant by grace, and Paul himself is the proof. But what does Paul mean when he says, "all Israel will be saved"? This is one of the most debated passages in the letter, and getting it wrong has real consequences.

The Rev. John Lukomski, pastor emeritus and co-host of Wrestling with the Basics on KFUO Radio, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Romans 11:1–36.

Why does doing the right thing sometimes feel impossible? Why do feelings of guilt follow us even when we've been forgiven? These aren't new questions. St. Paul wrote his letter to the Romans for a church he had never visited, and yet he addressed the struggles every Christian knows firsthand: the weight of the law, the persistence of sin, the sufficiency of what God has done in Christ. Romans covers enormous ground. Paul moves from the universal problem of sin through justification by faith, the role of baptism, the war between flesh and spirit, God's faithfulness to Israel, and the shape of life together in the body of Christ. There's a reason the Reformation was born in this letter. Join us on Thy Strong Word as we open up Romans, weekdays at 11am or on-demand anytime, at KFUO.org.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].

People often talk about faith like it is something you find inside yourself if you look hard enough. Paul reveals just the opposite. Faith comes from outside you––from the Word of Christ spoken into your ears by someone God sent to speak it. That is how it reached you, and that is how it has reached every Christian who has ever lived. Paul traces the chain all the way back from the believer to the preacher to the one who sent the preacher, and it changes how you think about every sermon you have ever heard.

The Rev. James Helms, Jr., pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Greenbelt, MD, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Romans 10:1–21.

To learn more about Holy Cross Lutheran Church, visit myholycross.com.

Why does doing the right thing sometimes feel impossible? Why do feelings of guilt follow us even when we've been forgiven? These aren't new questions. St. Paul wrote his letter to the Romans for a church he had never visited, and yet he addressed the struggles every Christian knows firsthand: the weight of the law, the persistence of sin, the sufficiency of what God has done in Christ. Romans covers enormous ground. Paul moves from the universal problem of sin through justification by faith, the role of baptism, the war between flesh and spirit, God's faithfulness to Israel, and the shape of life together in the body of Christ. There's a reason the Reformation was born in this letter. Join us on Thy Strong Word as we open up Romans, weekdays at 11am or on-demand anytime, at KFUO.org.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].

You own a Bible. You have probably started reading it more than once. And somewhere along the way, you wondered whether you were doing it right. On this Free-Text First Friday, we walk through the basic rules that help Christians read Scripture faithfully: why context matters, how Law and Gospel shape everything, why the whole book points to Christ, and how these tools belong to every Christian in the pew, not just the pastor in the study.

The Rev. Robert Smith, pastor emeritus in Ft. Wayne, IN, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to discuss hermeneutics and reading the Bible.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].

Paul opens this chapter with a dramatic expression of grief, like Moses before him, saying he would forfeit his own salvation if it meant his fellow Israelites would be saved. That alone should tell you how personal this gets. God chose Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, and showed mercy to whom He would show mercy. The potter has authority over the clay, and that offends us because we want God to explain Himself. Yet, God demonstrates time and again that he is not only sovereign, but compassionate and merciful toward all people—Jew and Gentile.

The Rev. Doug Griebenaw, pastor and mission advocate at KFUO Radio, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Romans 9:1–33.

Why does doing the right thing sometimes feel impossible? Why do feelings of guilt follow us even when we've been forgiven? These aren't new questions. St. Paul wrote his letter to the Romans for a church he had never visited, and yet he addressed the struggles every Christian knows firsthand: the weight of the law, the persistence of sin, the sufficiency of what God has done in Christ. Romans covers enormous ground. Paul moves from the universal problem of sin through justification by faith, the role of baptism, the war between flesh and spirit, God's faithfulness to Israel, and the shape of life together in the body of Christ. There's a reason the Reformation was born in this letter. Join us on Thy Strong Word as we open up Romans, weekdays at 11am or on-demand anytime, at KFUO.org.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].

Tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword. St. Paul lists them all in this section of his letter because he has faced most of them personally and he knows the Christians to whom he writes are facing the same and losing hope. He tells them plainly: none of it can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Christians have been holding on to these verses through every kind of suffering for two thousand years because the promise is that Christ does not let go, even when everything else does.

The Rev. Roger Mullet, pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Buffalo, WY, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Romans 8:31-39.

To learn more about Prince of Peace, visit princeofpeacebuffalo.org.

Why does doing the right thing sometimes feel impossible? Why do feelings of guilt follow us even when we've been forgiven? These aren't new questions. St. Paul wrote his letter to the Romans for a church he had never visited, and yet he addressed the struggles every Christian knows firsthand: the weight of the law, the persistence of sin, the sufficiency of what God has done in Christ. Romans covers enormous ground. Paul moves from the universal problem of sin through justification by faith, the role of baptism, the war between flesh and spirit, God's faithfulness to Israel, and the shape of life together in the body of Christ. There's a reason the Reformation was born in this letter. Join us on Thy Strong Word as we open up Romans, weekdays at 11am or on-demand anytime, at KFUO.org.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].

You have had moments where you needed to pray and could not find the words. Paul knows. He says the whole creation is groaning like a woman in labor, and we groan with it, waiting for what God has promised. The Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words, praying on our behalf when we cannot do it ourselves. And God works all things together for the good of those He has called. The comfort here is not that suffering makes sense, but that God is at work inside it.

The Rev. Peter Burfeind, pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Union City, MI and Agnus Dei Lutheran Church in Marshall, MI, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Romans 8:18–30.

To learn more about Our Savior and Agnus Dei Lutheran Churches, visit facebook.com/oursaviorunioncity and agnusdeimarshall.com.

Why does doing the right thing sometimes feel impossible? Why do feelings of guilt follow us even when we've been forgiven? These aren't new questions. St. Paul wrote his letter to the Romans for a church he had never visited, and yet he addressed the struggles every Christian knows firsthand: the weight of the law, the persistence of sin, the sufficiency of what God has done in Christ. Romans covers enormous ground. Paul moves from the universal problem of sin through justification by faith, the role of baptism, the war between flesh and spirit, God's faithfulness to Israel, and the shape of life together in the body of Christ. There's a reason the Reformation was born in this letter. Join us on Thy Strong Word as we open up Romans, weekdays at 11am or on-demand anytime, at KFUO.org.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].

If you have ever laid awake wondering whether God is angry with you, Romans 8 is where Paul answers. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. After seven chapters proving that sin and death have a grip on every human being alive, Paul announces that God has done what the law could not do. The Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, and that makes you a child of God and an heir with Christ.

The Rev. Sean Kilgo, pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Lawrence, KS, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Romans 8:1–17.

To learn more about Redeemer Lutheran, visit Redeemer-Lawrence.org.

Why does doing the right thing sometimes feel impossible? Why do feelings of guilt follow us even when we've been forgiven? These aren't new questions. St. Paul wrote his letter to the Romans for a church he had never visited, and yet he addressed the struggles every Christian knows firsthand: the weight of the law, the persistence of sin, the sufficiency of what God has done in Christ. Romans covers enormous ground. Paul moves from the universal problem of sin through justification by faith, the role of baptism, the war between flesh and spirit, God's faithfulness to Israel, and the shape of life together in the body of Christ. There's a reason the Reformation was born in this letter. Join us on Thy Strong Word as we open up Romans, weekdays at 11am or on-demand anytime, at KFUO.org.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].

Every Christian knows the sin you confess, mean it, and find yourself back in anyway: “I do the very thing I hate. The good I want to do, I don't do! Why?!” Paul clears the Law of any blame: it is holy, righteous, and good, even as it exposes how deeply sin runs in us. So, what’s the issue? Our sinful natures battling to regain control. The Apostle describes the Christian life from the inside as a war that ends with a cry for rescue—who will rescue me from this body of death? The good news is that St. Paul is eager to tell us just who has rescued us from sin, death, and Satan!

The Rev. Dr. Burnell Eckardt, editor-in-chief of Gottesdienst, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Romans 7.

Why does doing the right thing sometimes feel impossible? Why do feelings of guilt follow us even when we've been forgiven? These aren't new questions. St. Paul wrote his letter to the Romans for a church he had never visited, and yet he addressed the struggles every Christian knows firsthand: the weight of the law, the persistence of sin, the sufficiency of what God has done in Christ. Romans covers enormous ground. Paul moves from the universal problem of sin through justification by faith, the role of baptism, the war between flesh and spirit, God's faithfulness to Israel, and the shape of life together in the body of Christ. There's a reason the Reformation was born in this letter. Join us on Thy Strong Word as we open up Romans, weekdays at 11am or on-demand anytime, at KFUO.org.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].