We Live Forever

and a river cruise!

Bryan Wolfmueller

Feb 26, 2025

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1/ God, My Head-Lifter

What a glorious picture, the LORD lifting up our downcast heads!

2/ “We will live forever”

This is part of the text we’ll cover in Worldwide Bible class today. Join us live at 9a Texas time. www.wolfmueller.co/bible

3/ “Save me, Long-Suffering Lord”

From St Grigor Narekatsi’s Pray Book, Prayer #2

4/ More On Gnosticism.

Gnosticism is the strength and life of every heresy and false teaching. Understanding it helps us understand the devils tactics.

A few weeks ago I published this little video about Gnosticism. Two days later I ran across this great summary of if in Martin Franzman’s introduction to 1 Timothy.

(This is a little longer quotation, but well worth your time to study and ponder.)

Basic to all forms of Gnosticism is a dualistic conception of reality, that is, the view that what is spiritual, nonmaterial, is of itself good and what is material or physical, is of itself bad. This view affects man's whole attitude toward the world of created things. The dreary details of gnostic speculations on the origin of the material universe need not concern us here. It may suffice to note:
a. that the world is no longer viewed as God's good creation, as the Scriptures view it (that is, a world which God created, fallen with fallen man but redeemed with man and destined to be transfigured with him, Rom. 8:19-22); rather, the created world is viewed as in itself alien and hostile to God because it is matter and not spirit;
b. that man's desperate predicament, his alienation from God, is no longer seen as being due to his sinful rebellion against God, but to the fact that he is entangled in the world of matter;
c. that redemption consists in being freed from the material world in which man dwells and is entangled. This liberation can come about only by knowledge (Greek, gnosis, hence the name of the heresy); this knowledge must be imparted to man by revelation from a higher world;
d. the mission of the Savior-God is to impart this knowledge not to all men, but to a select few who will pass it on to those who are "worthy";
e. that those who have knowledge, the "gnostics," must free themselves from the influence of matter by abstaining from certain foods and from marriage. (Sometimes the negative attitude toward things physical and material had the opposite effect and led to a supreme indifference to things physical and material, so that, for instance, the sexual life of man was considered to be morally indifferent.)
Such a trend of thought would lead inevitably to an utter distortion of all that "the glorious Gospel of the blessed God" (1 Tim. 1:11) proclaimed. God the Creator disappears—all the good gifts of food and drink which He gives are suspected and feared; all the salutary orders which He has established in this world (marriage, family, government) are despised and ignored. The Old Testament, which rings with glad adoration of the God who made the heavens and the earth and blesses man within the orders of this world, must either be ignored or have its obvious sense interpreted away by allegorizing "myths and endless genealogies." The Law becomes the arena of speculation and vain discussions, not the voice of God which calls the sinner to account and condemns him. In terms of this kind of thought, there can be no real incarnation of the Son of God; for how can the divine, which is spiritual, enter into union with matter, which is of itself evil? And when sin is not recognized as man's guilt, there can be no real redemption either.
Where knowledge is made central in the religious life of man and self-redemption by way of ascetic exercise is made the way of salvation, there is no possibility of that pure Christian love which "issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith" (1 Tim. 1:5). A narrow and sectarian pride takes its place (1 Tim. 6:4, 20; cf. 1:3-7). Where the teaching office becomes a wordy, speculative, disputatious purveying of "knowledge" to a select coterie of initiates, it is bound to become corrupted; it appeals to the pride, the selfishness, and the mercenary instincts of men.
Franzman The Word of the Lord Grows, 152-153

5/ Rhine River Cruise

Keri and I have finalized the plans for our 2026 Theological Adventure Cruise. We’ve chartered a Rhine River Cruise, and will sail from Amsterdam to Basil July 6-14, 2026.

Imagine this: an entire river cruise ship filled with fellow Lutherans, sailing through four breathtaking countries, diving deep into Scripture and Reformation history together. For nine unforgettable days, we’ll journey from Amsterdam to Basel, not just as tourists, but as a community—worshiping, learning, and exploring the very places where the Reformation unfolded. Morning and Evening Prayer, daily Bible studies, rich theological discussions, and joyful fellowship will shape our time aboard the Avalon View, making this much more than a vacation. This is a true Theological Adventure—crafted just for you!

You can learn all about it and apply to join us here.

6/ God Hides His Promises

One of the themes that runs through the Scriptures is God hiding the promises that He gives. (Think of the instructions to Abraham to offer Isaac, the son of the promise.) Luther picks up on this theme in his Genesis Commentary (and we’re noticing it a lot in the Worldwide Bible Class.)

Pastor Gernander found this quotation from Luther on the theme:

Reason and all Epicureans argue that God seems to be a liar, because He promises in a kindly manner but gives things that are evil. ...
This is the constant course of the church at all times: promises are made and then those who believe the promises are treated in such a way that they are compelled to wait for things that are invisible, to believe what they do not see, and to hope for what does not appear. He who does not do this is not a Christian. For when Christ Himself is about to reign, He is crucified. When He is to be glorified, He is spit on. He must suffer first and then at length be glorified.
God does this in order to test our hearts, whether we are willing to do without the promised blessings for a time. We shall not do without them forever. This is certain. And if God did not test us and postpone His promises, we would not be able to love Him whole-heartedly. For if He immediately gave everything He promises, we would not believe but would immerse ourselves in the blessings that are at hand and forget God.
Accordingly, He allows the church to be afflicted and to suffer want in order that it may learn that it must live not only by bread but also by the Word (Matt. 4:4), and in order that faith, hope, and the expectation of God’s help may be increased in the godly. To be sure, it is difficult and troublesome to hold on to this help and consolation. Thus Solomon says in Prov. 13:12: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” But the promised blessing consoles and sustains the heart. (Genesis, LW 5:202-203)

7/ Upcoming Events

March 14-16, Texas Lutheran Men’s Retreat (Theme: The Three Estates), Camp Lonestar, Lagrange, TX
March 21-23, Young Adults for Life Conference (Theme: Responding to Life Issues), St Paul Lutheran, Austin, TX
March 28-29, In His Image, A Conference on Human Sexuality, Crown of Life Lutheran Church, San Antonio, TX (Friday for pastors, Saturday for everyone)

Please add your own theological recommendations in the comments.

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Thank you, again, for your time and attention, and for your prayers. Please keep in touch.

Christ is Risen! Pastor Wolfmueller

Psalm 27:4

www.wolfmueller.co

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