adam beehn

Human after all! #IAMBaptized

[adam beehn @greehnery]

“Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time?”

Ecclesiastes 7:16-17

Pray Hard. Sin boldly. You’re forgiven for Jesus’ sake.

[adam beehn @greehnery]

@pudicat11 Nothing new here. But leave it to a non-Christian to address the elephant in the room that is our bondage to self.

[Tullian Tchividjian @TullianT]

I absolutely believe Christians should be fully engaged in the world around them. In fact, it is precisely in the ordinary arenas of life—schools, neighborhoods, businesses, government, sports fields, hospitals—that the grace of God shows up in and through our humanity. Christians are not called to retreat from culture but to be faithfully present within it.

But here’s the distinction that matters: being a Christian in culture is very different from trying to “Christianize” culture. The first is about vocation, the second is about power. The first flows from freedom, the second tends toward coercion. One is about love of neighbor, the other often devolves into fear of losing control.

We should not confuse Christian involvement with Christian conquest. The Bible never commands us to build a “Christian nation.” It calls us to love God and love our neighbor—whether through serving as a firefighter, raising children, writing songs, teaching math, or serving in public office. A Christian teacher doesn’t need to turn a classroom into a Sunday School for that work to be deeply good and profoundly God-glorifying. A Christian politician doesn’t need to baptize legislation to serve justly and love mercy.

The goal isn’t to remake the world into some outwardly Christian utopia but to bear witness—through our work, our words, our art, our service—to the grace of God that has remade us. We don’t “shape the world” by force; we shape it by faithfulness. That means showing up in our callings with integrity, honesty, kindness, and creativity, trusting God to use our small offerings in ways we may never see.

So yes, Christians should be involved everywhere—from science labs to Hollywood studios to city halls—but not as conquerors trying to brand the culture with a cross-shaped logo. Rather, we go as those who are free, forgiven, and loved, eager to serve, create, build, heal, and contribute for the good of our neighbors. That’s very different from trying to legislate or enforce a “Christian culture.” The first is grace in action; the second is graceless control.

There’s a story about Martin Luther being approached by a shoemaker who had just embraced the gospel. The man asked, “Dr. Luther, now that I believe, what should I do? Should I become a missionary, a preacher, or something else?”

Luther replied, “What do you do now?”

“I’m a shoemaker,” the man answered.

“Then make good shoes,” Luther said, “and sell them at a fair price.”

[Steve Martin (shaking the ladder) @pudicat11]

Devotional by Pr. Mark Anderson

Romans 8:32-35
“If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.
Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died- more than that, who was raised to life-is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?”
-
Two friends who belonged to the same church were having lunch.

“Did you see that a new Bible study is starting next week?”, one friend asked the other. “Why not join me?”

“No. Thanks anyway,” he laughingly replied. “I know the Bible is important but I like things the way they are. If I start studying the Bible, God knows what might happen!”

I think many people share the view of the man referenced above. There is a general belief that studying God’s Word is important and most within the churches would say so. At the same time there is a sense that in encountering the Bible I may be wading into treacherous waters.
Actually, the reluctant friend, adverse to opening the Bible, was on to something. There is no question that the reading or studying of Scripture can be life-altering. Opening the Scriptures is risky business. Assumptions may be challenged, ways of living called into question. In a real sense, our friend above sensed that an adversary was lurking in the pages of the Bible. And in one sense he is right.
It is my belief that this reluctance, whatever else may be informing it, can also reflect a basic misunderstanding of the heart of the faith; namely, the grace of God. Hear me out.

As a Lutheran Christian I read the Bible in the light of my baptism, in the light of the Cross. For in baptism my old self is put to death with Christ and raised to new life with Him. This means to encounter God’s Word, whether in judgment or mercy, will always be to encounter God for me. To have God’s grace in Christ affirming me means that the Word of Scripture will only be a threat to my old self-justifying self, not to the new person who is being brought along in Christ Jesus, who is justified by grace alone. When I read the Bible in the light of this unconditional grace, I may begin with the assumption that this Word of God is for me, not against me.

To be let in on God’s grace means that I am free to join Him in His judgments on the old person within me. For the new person in Christ in me, who trusts in God’s grace alone, does not want the old self to be let off the hook. I am actually anxious to see the old boy put in his place! Since there is no condemnation in Christ, I can face all accusers; ‘You cannot say anything about me that I have not already said about myself.’ The Word of God is only the adversary of the old, sinful person in me.

But more than adversary of sin, the Word of God is an advocate for sinners. This means that when I read and study the Bible I am encountering the one who is for me. If you want to know what Gods thinks about you, don’t look at your bank account, health, history or nature. And don’t look at your sins. Look at Jesus Christ on the Cross. There, you see God condemning the sin in you and taking you up in His grace and forgiveness. The entire Bible is the story of this God who confronts sin for us that He may be grace for us. When we read the Bible through the lens of the Cross, we encounter God not as threat but as grace, and our lives are set free to trust.

If you have been reluctant, even averse, to picking up your Bible, I encourage you to reconsider. Make the Cross alone your lens of interpretation. And as you read, you may be confident that your merciful God will be putting the old, self-justifying you away with the crucified Jesus, even as He works to bring the new justified you to life, in the freedom of faith, with your resurrected Lord.
_

“May the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

[adam beehn @greehnery]

@pudicat11 I often say that all Luther has done for me, in sum, has lead to confident trust in the Word as it is given to me for my whole salvation, entirely apart from my feelings about it. “This is My body and blood, given for you for the forgiveness of sin.” Thanks Steve & Pr. Mark!

[adam beehn @greehnery]

@pudicat11 Very true Steve. On a related note you might also find discussions of God in general grow more tense as you mention Jesus (and consequently, you actually put a name to God so that He’s not “just anybody”).

Baptism is where He meets us. To kill and make alive! ✝️

[John Hoyum @JohannesFlacius]

PSA has been in the news, so I’ll just drop off right here the best to ever do it: Christ the original, only, and greatest sinner—for you. My old seminary professor, current podcast cohost, Steve Paulson:

[John Hoyum @JohannesFlacius]

https://t.co/4lziH4I0xr

[Kelsi Klembara @kelsiklembara]

Third use of the law debate coming soon with these two! They look serious, but it really was very friendly 😉

[1517 @1517]

1517 Scholar Steve Paulson is walking us through the Psalms! Catch up on Psalms 1-5: https://t.co/gSVY9cAMmt

[adam beehn @greehnery]

@pudicat11 @cjohnsonn0311 The joy is just radiating from Calvin’s face there though! Right?

Right?

[Luthers Erbe ✝ 🏵️ @Gerecht_Suender]

The other most beautiful sentence outside scripture:

I believe that 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, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.

[Steve Martin (shaking the ladder) @pudicat11]

.
"For freedom.."

https://t.co/xpqYCB6t0Q

[adam beehn @greehnery]

@wendelltalks Ecclesiastes. Probably my favorite book in all of Scripture—preaches Law and Gospel like no other, in relatively few words (loaded statement, I know). It’s like Scripture’s own Small Catechism.

[BigRig Creates🔜Pokemon Worlds / XP @BigRigCreates]

I made the Porygon Wii REAL. Might be my favorite video yet!

[adam beehn @greehnery]

@pudicat11 @wendelltalks It’s the language of “making the first move” that immediately gets me. My Lutheran pastor (third use guy) says the same thing. There’s a LOT of Calvinism lurking behind the scenes in most Lutheran pulpits these days.

[adam beehn @greehnery]

@wendelltalks Luther also chided Erasmus’ tendency to ask questions when he (Erasmus) should have been making assertions. And insisted that anyone »not« doing so on these matters was not speaking as a Christian.

Luther was dead on.

[adam beehn @greehnery]

@iAmDustin1992 Happy Thanksgiving guys. Grace and peace to you and yours. ✝️

[Chad Bird @birdchadlouis]

@rustyrockets, think of the temple as architecture that preaches Jesus. From the altar (=cross) to the bronze sea (=baptism) to the bread of the presence (=Lord's Supper) to the menorah (=Spirit's light) to the altar of incense (=Christ's priestly praying for us) to the mercy seat (=Christ himself; see Rom. 3:25), the temple as a whole, as well as its individuals parts, is an architectural sermon about Jesus. See John 2 where Jesus says that his body is the temple of God.

[adam beehn @greehnery]

@pudicat11 @matthewxcw I’m »trying« to enjoy it (I feel like I’m more into film and TV scores, that sort of thing) but don’t know where to look otherwise. Good to have a few other names to look into though! Thanks Steve.

[adam beehn @greehnery]

@PsBruceFlanagan Interesting that he says Law here and not gospel.