The War of Rejoicing

Gerhard's Five Uses of Scripture...

Bryan Wolfmueller

Sep 06, 2023

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1/ Yet I will rejoice (Habakkuk 3:18)

Focusing on the “Yet,” it is wonderful to see how our rejoicing is set against the troubles in our life.

The stalls are empty, the fields have failed, yet!

Our joy is spiritual warfare.

2/ Augustine: “Love God and do what you will.”

Here’s the famous quotation with some context.

"See what we are insisting upon; that the deeds of men are only discerned by the root of charity. For many things may be done that have a good appearance, and yet proceed not from the root of charity. For thorns also have flowers: some actions truly seem rough, seem savage; howbeit they are done for discipline at the bidding of charity. Once for all, then, a short precept is given you: Love, and do what you will: whether you hold your peace, through love hold your peace; whether you cry out, through love cry out; whether you correct, through love correct; whether you spare, through love do you spare: let the root of love be within, of this root can nothing spring but what is good."

St Augustine sermon on 1 John 4:4-12, which is also a reflection of Paul in Romans 13:10, “Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”

3/ Five uses of Scripture from Gerhard

Here’s the link to the article.

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4/ The Opposite of the Word appears

Martin Luther reflecting on Genesis 31:4…

We worked through this passage in the Worldwide Bible Class today, starting at 2:28.

5/ Theology begins with Thankfulness and continues in the Holy Spirit

From the Formula of Concord, this is a beauty.

...above all things we should thank God from our hearts for having liberated us from the darkness of ignorance and the bondage of sin and death through his Son, and for having reborne and illuminated us through Baptism and the Holy Spirit.
And after God, through the Holy Spirit in Baptism, has kindled and wrought a beginning of true knowledge of God and faith, we ought to petition him incessantly that by the same Spirit and grace, through daily exercise in reading his Word and putting it into practice, he would preserve faith and his heavenly gifts in us and strengthen us daily until our end. Unless God himself is our teacher, we cannot study and learn anything pleasing to him and beneficial to us and others.

(Formula of Concord II.15-16)

6/ One last Scripture…

Here’s a riddle from Psalm 36:9, reminding us also of John 1:4.

Please add your own theological recommendations in the comments.

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Christ is Risen!
Pastor Wolfmueller

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

www.wolfmueller.co