Lutheran Essentials meets in the undercroft of the church on Wednesday evenings at 7pm. You can reach the undercroft by going around to the back parking lot of the church and descending the staircase to the kitchen. Knock on the door if it is closed and some one will let you in. You can also join us remotely via our livestream. Our current study is on the Augsburg Confession. We are providing hard copies of the Book of Concord for free, as well as copies of the Lutheran Service Book.
We will open class with Psalm 119:89-96 (Lamedh) and our catechism lesson will be the Third Part on Holy Baptism. We will then read the Article XVIII on Free Will. We will talk about how humans have free will with respect to things at our level and below but have no free will with respect to spiritual matters. We will also talk about the heresies of Pelagianism and Arminianism which say that humans can chose to love God or at least make a beginning. While the Confutation agrees with this article the Apology points out that they really do not and why. We will then sing the hymn “Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice” (LSB 556).
We will then read Article XIX on The Cause of Sin. We will discuss how Satan and mankind are the authors of sin, not God. We will also talk about how God saves but man condemns himself. We will close with the hymn “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded” (LSB 450).
As always new people are always welcome to this study at any point during the class. Please talk to the Pastor, Elders or Paul Edmon if you have any questions.
