It is by faith alone that man is able to appropriate the salvation which God has prepared for him in Christ Jesus. “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Right after this splendid, comforting passage, the Divine record proceeds thus: “He that believeth on Him is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” Here we have one of the most decisive, of the many emphatic, and oft repeated, Biblical statements that apart from Christ there can be no spiritual, no eternal life for man; and that Christ, with all His gifts and blessings, is received alone by faith.
“The forms and order of public worship, are not, in every sense, adiaphora (things indifferent). No one, beyond the Romish pale, presumes that they are absolutely necessary to salvation, as they exist at any particular period… Still, we cannot look upon it as altogether immaterial what form of worship the Church possesses… The life and spirit of the Church must ever stamp itself upon the forms and order of her public worship, and make the latter a general confession of her faith.
What do we mean when we say “I”? Who, what, is this human creature which utters, so freely, and most of the time so thoughtlessly, this word of a single letter? Next to the thought of God… these thoughts are most worthy of our serious, prayerful consideration. These are the thoughts which, rightly pursued, bring the largest dividends for the enrichment of the mind, and the strengthening of the spirit.
“When a student at College, Charles P. Krauth was known to all to possess brilliant and versatile talents, and high hopes were entertained of the future years of his life… When Mr. Krauth left the Seminary and entered the ministry, we have no reason to believe that his theological views were any other than those then entertained by his Professors, and prevalent in the Institutions at Gettysburg [General Synod under Samuel Schmucker]. Of the stricter Lutheran confessional position of later years, we do not know that there was then even a beginning.
The Apostles’ Creed is not merely a child’s confession. The child, indeed, at an early age, may learn its words, and a helpful measure of its truth; but no sage has ever exhausted it. It is like the ocean, the child may enjoy the waves as they roll up on the sandy beach, no man can touch its bottom where lie its deepest depths.
“The scheme for the destruction of the Holy Child seemed shrewdly laid indeed. The wise men would not fail to report to the king that wanted to join in worshiping the Savior; the Savior would not escape when all the children under two years of age in Bethlehem and vicinity were slain. That was the wicked reasoning of the wicked king…
The Apostles’ Creed is one of the confessions of Christendom. It is regarded as the creed of all who call themselves Christians. But it is well known that, especially in recent times, there has been a great outcry against creeds of every kind… The ideas begotten of evolution, of constant progression, have made these people intolerant of anything which bears the marks of age.
“The world is in the habit of measuring success by health, by wealth, and by fame; but a man may be ever so healthy in this world; he may be ever so wealthy in this world, and he may be ever so famous in this world, if, on the great Judgment Day he is ordered to go down from God’s face where the departed ones are – the lost – that man surely has not been successful. It is, after all, the Judgment Day that will decide as to whether one has been successful in this world or not…
“There are a few questions which… often trouble our people. One is the question which has to do with the number and proper order of the commandments. Our people often, in reading, or discussing the commandments, meet with these difficulties. They find that the order we follow differs from that followed by others. If they read or hear someone speak of the Fifth Commandment, for instance, they find that an entirely different subject is presented from that of which we think when the Fifth Commandment is mentioned. And the same difficulty arises if others hear us or read after us. When we come to understand the facts in the case we find that it is not such a serious matter, but until that time the trouble exists.”
“But, secondly, he [John the Baptist] was an example by his honest confession to all the children of God. They too are tempted to exalt themselves and be something in their own eyes, instead of being something to the praise of the Savior’s grace. They are enticed by the pleasures and riches and honors of the world, and are but too prone to grow weary in their Christian pilgrimage when the roads are rough and the storms are fierce. But too many shrink from the confession of Christ when it costs them something. Our poor human nature wants to bear no crosses, but seeks only to wear crowns and live in luxury and affluence. Even the confession, ‘I am not the Christ,’ we are slow to make in all its depth of import.
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