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Luther's Works Genesis 1-5

Pastor Rhode offers a thorough introduction to Martin Luther's lectures on the first five chapters of Genesis. He delves into Luther's theological perspectives, addressing the literal interpretation of the six-days of creation, the origin and significance of the Christian faith in the Old Testament, and the primary role and purpose of the sacraments in Christian life. Luther's critiques of Judaism and the Judeo-Christian worldview are mentioned. This introduction lays the groundwork for Luther's detailed examination of the first five chapters of Genesis in the weeks ahead.

The Roman Catholic Church's doctrine of purgatory is examined and explained as unbiblical. This doctrine is primarily supported by a single passage from the Apocrypha. The session discusses the marks of the true church: the pure teaching of God's Word, the proper administration of the sacraments, and the presence of believers who receive and live according to the marks of the true church and refute all false teaching. This is the final session of this series using the book, "Ministry, Word, and Sacraments."

This is a word for word excerpt on Pastor Rhode's teaching on the Last Judgement at [38:41] from this audio file. He states: "If God did not become incarnate in Christ, there would be no mercy. There would just be a judgement. God the Father has life in Him, but that life isn't for transgressors. In the day you transgress, you shall surely die. That is, you are cut off from the One who is life. You die. So the entire incarnation is couched here as purest gospel. That He becomes man, receives life from the Father within Himself. And then, as the Son of Man is given judgement over the world. What's the gospel there? The gospel point is that He who is man has life now to give to men. There is salvation in Him, whereas if there was no incarnation, there would be no hope of salvation. There would be no judgement of men by a Man, and there would be no life for men had life not been given to Christ, the man. ---- The reflection would be that had the incarnation and of course, by extension, the cross not happened, there would just be the judgement and no life."

In this session, Pastor Rhode finishes the section on Prayer. Questions discussed are: Should we pray to the Saints? Are priests to marry? How are we to view the gift of celibacy?

True prayer is not restricted by time or place, but is accessible to all believers in Christ. While designated times and places can aid in fostering discipline and consistency in prayer, they are not prerequisites for acceptable prayer. There is a distinction between genuine Christian prayer and the practices of heathens and Papists. Heathens and infidels pray to false gods or unknown deities, while Papists introduce mediation through saints and rely on rituals and merit-based prayers, which deviate from true Christian piety. Sincere prayer is rooted in faith in Christ, where believers approach God in faith, seeking His grace and mercy. This understanding aligns with the teachings of the New Testament, emphasizing the centrality of Christ in prayer and the importance of a genuine relationship with God. Pastor answers a question at [26:15] regarding the meaning of the term "ex opere operato". This is followed by a discussion of the question at [29:30], "Should one pray to saint who have died"?