🤔 Spoiler: It's more than just fulfilling Old Testament checklists. 👀

The Old Testament prophecies weren’t predictions—they were revelations of truth about who God is. 🔥

A Savior who’s born of a virgin, dies on a cross, and rises from the dead? Yep! 100%

Messiah = Savior, and every prophecy about Him proves God’s plan..

This isn’t just history; it’s truth about who God is and how much He loves *you*. ❤️

The same Old Testament faith as Moses, Peter, and Paul is yours today. ✝️

✅ You’re forgiven.

✅ You’re saved.

✅ You’re secure in Christ.

Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Content Executive.

#higherthings #lcms #lutheran #oldtestamentprophecy #messiah

We’re playing the wrong questions only game! 🎯

🤔Question: How can I use my religion to make me feel safe?

(If you ask a law question, expect a law answer. ⚖️ Any question that includes phrases such as “What can I do?” is a law question.)

It’s the opposite of faith because faith doesn't look to self; it looks to Jesus. ✝️

Faith looks to God for every good gift, including safety.🛡️

God, the creator, takes care of everything. 🌍

Relying on political parties or self-help methods can turn into idolatry. 🏛️📚

We start turning the gifts and blessings from God into idols. ⚠️

(It’s why prosperity teachers make so much money, and so many people follow them. 💸)

God gives us gifts we see and can't see… 🌟

🛡️He defends us from all evil

🚧He protects us when we don’t even know we’re in danger

False teaching tells us he does it because… 🚫

✔️ We did something good

📖 We’ve been reading the Bible

⛪ We’ve been going to church

He doesn’t do it because of any merit or righteousness in us. ❌

➡️The Truth: You know Christ loves you because he died for you, and that’s what you get to measure safety against. ❤️✝️

Even the bad news is good news because of Jesus. 💖

Jesus promises peace through his presence, not through a lack of trials. 🕊️

Even death has been conquered through Christ. ⚰️✝️

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Rom. 8:31) ✨

In the face of trials, Jesus calls us to run to the cross (where He comes to us).🏃

The peace God gives you is the forgiveness of sins. 🤝

Safety is not rooted in having enough good things or too few bad things. 💎💔

It’s rooted in a present God FOR YOU. 🌟

When we experience suffering, remember that it too has a purpose. 🌱

Rejoice in the life of faith that looks not to ourselves, but to the gifts of the Holy Spirit — where He forgives your sins and washes you clean. 💧

Contributor Marsh Shamburger is Pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Rocklin, CA.

Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Content Executive.

#higherthings #lcms #lutheran #jesus

🤔Why Don't Lutherans Do Testimonies?

Testimonies are a prominent feature in evangelical traditions but less common in Lutheran churches.

❓What’s wrong with testimonies?

🛑 They often shift the focus from Christ to the individual, creating a "me-centered" narrative rather than a Christ-centered one.

⚠️ There’s a risk of “exceptionalizing” faith stories, which might alienate those without dramatic experiences.

🤷 They can become overly individualistic, focusing on personal uniqueness rather than shared grace and salvation.

The impact of testimonies:👇

📉 A testimony-focused culture may prioritize behavior modification over the gospel message of grace and forgiveness.

💃 It shifts church from being a place to receive grace to one where individuals feel pressured to showcase their spiritual achievements.

The Lutheran take:👇

📖 Faith is created by hearing God’s Word, not through subjective experiences or individual narratives.

🛡️ The Lutheran confessions forbid preaching and public teaching in a worship setting without a formal call, raising concerns about lay testimonies in public worship.

🙏 Emphasis on human sinfulness highlights the need for Christ’s forgiveness rather than self-improvement stories.

💔 Lutherans acknowledge the ongoing struggle with sin, pointing to Christ’s mercy as the foundation of hope.

Even outwardly pious individuals struggle internally, emphasizing the need for Christ's salvation.

💡 Acknowledging inner brokenness aligns with the Lutheran focus on grace over works (or appearances).

Ultimately, we don't want to have a story. We want the life, death, and resurrection of the God-man, Jesus Christ, who is the savior of the world. 🙌

There’s a time and a place to talk about struggles and give encouragement, but it's not from the front of the church or in place of Bible study. 📚

Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Content Executive.

Contributor Chris Brademeyer is Pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Oakes, ND.

#higherthings #lcms #lutheran #christiantestimonies

❓What evidence is there for the existence of God in our physical universe?

The idea of evidence is that it can be used to convince someone of something or defend what you already believe. ⚔️

☑️ Keep this (from the Small Catechism) in mind when talking to others about the faith:

“ I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel.”

That means that no amount of evidence ❌ is ever actually going to convince somebody of God's existence apart from the preaching of the gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit.

If you want to look for evidence of God, don’t start with creation.🌳

➡️ We get out of OUR depth really fast, and it will be nothing but a battleground.

When talking about evolution, there’s no explanation of how inorganic matter became organic matter. ⁉️

Instead of talking about the first article of the creed that you see beset by sin, look to the one that conquers it — Jesus. ✝️

Why start with Jesus? He took part in our physical universe.🙋‍♂️ This is documented history — that he lived, died, and stopped being dead.

There is a lot of evidence for the resurrection, including witnesses who were martyrs for their faith. (No one would die for a lie.) ⚔️

There are only three options for who Jesus is: Lord, liar or lunatic.

The existence of God is proven in the resurrection.

Because it’s proven in Jesus; it will be proven in you. 🤲

This is where were make our stand.🎯

Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Content Executive.

#higherthings #lcms #lutheran #evidenceforgod

🤔 What’s up with purgatory?

Where it comes from:

📜 It’s not mentioned in the Bible; it is derived from the Apocrypha in 2 Maccabees 12, where a man named Judas (not that one) organized an offering for Jews buried with testaments to idols, believing it would enable them to enter the resurrection.

📝 These texts are considered descriptive, not prescriptive.

✝️ For Catholics, purgatory addresses sins NOT enumerated or absolved during confession.

Bible verses Catholics use:

📖 Matt. 12:32: Catholics interpret "forgiveness in the age to come" as evidence of purgatory.

⛓️ 1 Peter 3:19: Catholics see "spirits in prison" as souls in purgatory, whereas Lutherans interpret it as referring to demons.

How forgiveness works:

🤍 In Lutheran theology, forgiveness on earth is absolute. The forgiveness of sins proclaimed on earth manifests into the resurrection.

✅ If your sins are forgiven here, they’re never going to be brought back up later.

✝️ When Jesus said, "It is finished" on the cross, He atoned for all sins, making additional purification unnecessary.

💧 Baptism unites us with Jesus in his death and resurrection (Rom. 6).

Lutherans on Purgatory:

🚫 Purgatory is unnecessary because Jesus’ atonement renders believers perfect in God's eyes.

✝️ The purgatory was Jesus. Our baptism ties us to that purgatory.

🙌 If you’re baptized, your sins are already forgiven. You’re a new creation in Christ — fully

saint and fully sinner.

⚖️ Purgatory is not a necessity for Christians, because your sins are already purged on the cross.

Conclusion:

🙏 Lutherans find comfort in God’s efficacious word and the promise of baptism, focusing on God’s grace rather than human merit.

🔥 Purgatory is tied to the idea of purging sins, but we say our purgatory was Jesus.

✝️ Jesus makes purgatory obsolete.

Contributor Amelia is a college student and HT’s assistant webmaster.

Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Content Executive.

✨ Genesis 10: Noah’s Sons and the Two Paths ✨

Noah’s sons — Shem, Ham, and Japheth — each received incredible gifts: land, language, and culture. But their stories took different turns.

👉 Shem’s line followed God, seeking peace and wisdom. (The messianic line comes through Shem.)

👉 Japheth’s descendants also walked with God.

👉 But Ham’s line? They turned away, chasing power and building empires like Babel, Nineveh, and Sodom.

Even though they strayed, God still provided for them. He gave gifts and called them back to Him. 💛

Let’s look at one individual who is named…Nimrod. He is …

➡️ a mighty hunter and ruler

➡️ He was a hunter of men more than animals; hunting here means conquering others

➡️ He builds the city of Babel

The descendants of Ham are raised to seek power in all things.

🦋 True freedom is found within God’s law, which promotes the good of the neighbor, community, and self.

🛣️ Like Noah’s descendants, we face the choice between the narrow path of faith and the wide path of the world.

🎓This is why when looking for a college, make sure there’s a church nearby you will want to attend. (This should be a deciding factor.)

Other key takeaways . . .

😊 God’s grace extends to both the righteous and the unfaithful, providing blessings to all because Jesus died for everyone.

↩️ There is always a way back to God, no matter how far one strays.

📏 Measuring how well your faith is flourishing based on how well your circumstances are going is a dangerous trick.

✝️ Jesus Christ conquers fear and worry, offering forgiveness, love, and inclusion of all nations in his church.

❤️ Faith is not about earning God’s love but trusting in His grace, which is renewed daily for sinners

🌈 God’s blessings and preservation are a reflection of His enduring love, not of human merit.

Contributor Michelle Bauman is the Director of Y4Life.

Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Content Executive.

#higherthings #lcms #lutheran #genesis

✨ What does the virgin birth of Jesus Christ mean? Why is this important? ✨

🌟 Why would God choose to work this way? 🌟

We believe that Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary. 🙏

📜 There is Old Testament prophecy pointing to this…

“The virgin shall conceive and bear a son” (Isaiah 7:14)

This means that Jesus is in fact the very same Jesus who was foretold of old. 🌠

It shows that Christianity is not a brand new religion, but really the continuation of the first. 📖

What does it mean for us?❓

🌿 Jesus is not born sinful.

❤️ Jesus was free from death, but he chose to die for you and the whole world.

🙌 He is fully God and fully man.

✨He has two natures, the divine and the human.

✝️ When the Son bore the cross for you, the Son, divine and human, died.

✅ He fulfilled OT prophecy.

The virgin birth paints a picture of the kind of God we have:🖼️

🌍 A God who would use something like the virgin birth to enter into this creation.

💔 He subjects himself to humiliation to save you.

🙏 He works through the lowly to save you.

👉 Remember: Mary started catching flack right away because her virtue was called into question. (Joseph was planning to divorce her.) 💔💍

The Virgin conceived and bore a son because this is where God works — in the place where the world would mock and belittle. Just like the world mocks the cross. 😔✝️

Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Content Executive.

#higherthings #lcms #lutheran #virginbirth

📖 How Should We Approach the Bible?

It’s not us that are reading the Bible, but the Bible’s reading us 📚✨ — it’s the Lord who is with his word and actually comes to you through his word.

📜 Isaiah 55:11 says:

“My word . . . goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose.”

⚔️ Hebrews 4:12 says:

“For the word of God is . . . sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit.”

How does it do that? 🤔

The law ⚖️ is on one side and the gospel ❤️ is on the other side.

The takeaway: The Bible is going to do stuff to you. 😲

The word of God kills and makes alive. ☠️➡️💖

Jesus is the word made flesh 🕊️ to dwell among us. He is the way 🚶‍♂️, the truth ✨, and the life 🌱.

Let’s flesh out the two different ways that people tend to read the Bible 📖:

1️⃣ Read the Bible looking for answers

📚 Reading it like this may allow someone to obtain information in order to gain knowledge.

(That’s not necessarily bad, but that’s not why the Bible was written. ❌)

2️⃣ Read the Bible as if it revealed God for us

🙏 Read it in faith knowing that God is actually coming to you.

Just like God gives us preachers 🎙️ to bring his gifts to us.

Key Takeaway:

Learning something 🧠 is very different from felt comfort 💛. Learning can distract us from what’s wrong, but the law exposes our sins and the cross ✝️ gives us forgiveness.

Only focusing on the law ⚖️ when we read the Bible can make us Pharisees 👨‍⚖️ or lead us into despair 😔.

In summary: When we open the Bible 📖, look for the very Word of God himself — the Word who became flesh. 🕊️

So instead of asking, “How do I treat the Bible?”, a better question is: “How does the Bible treat me?” 🤔

The Bible is the word of Jesus ❤️, and Jesus came so that he would save his people from their sin. ✝️

Contributor Marsh Shamburger is Pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Rocklin, CA.

#higherthings #lcms #lutheran #bible