News & Events

The Institute of Lutheran theology not only provides programs to train pastors and teachers, but it also provides educational and devotional resources for individuals and congregations. These resources are provided free of charge and made available through our web page. Please subscribe to and use any of these resources.

The Second Sunday After Epiphany, January 19, 2025

Download Printable

The Second Sunday After Epiphany, January 19, 2025

What a promise! In the grace of God, we have gifts, unique gifts. Christians are not cookie-cutter the same. We are unique, distinct persons. Even as the new creature in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), the work of God’s grace delivers us into personal individuality. The work of God’s grace does not add supernatural abilities or powers to our natural human ones. God’s grace is a work of God that puts miserable sinners to death, ending their misery. Out of that death, God’s grace raises up saints to walk in the newness of life. The death worked by grace is the alien work of God. The raising up worked by God’s grace is the proper work of God. God grants his gifts through his alien and his proper work.

These eleven verses hold twenty-nine distinct commands. The imperatives overwhelm us. Their demands weigh us down. The charge of hypocrisy haunts us. Idolatry lies not far from us as pride and despair tempt us: the hypocrisy of pride claims us when we think of attaining the commands; the hypocrisy of despair claims us when we think of failing the commands. We come to idolize either our attaining or our failing. Relief from this burden… relief from this weight of demands… relief comes only through death. God’s promise and prophecy given to Adam there in the Garden of Eden must be brought to fruition, “In the day you eat of it, you shall surely die” (Ge. 2:17). Just so, God’s grace carries out God’s alien work and puts the sinner—that’s you—to death. But God’s grace is not through with you. Grace reaches into that death to fulfill another promise, “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live…” (Jn. 11:25).  Just so, God’s grace carries out his proper work of raising up sinners to newness of life as children of God.

Children of God have new ears that go along with being a new creature in Christ. These new ears hear no threat in these eleven verses as holding commands. No, these verses simply describe what the children of God will be doing, not because they are commanded to it but because it is now their nature to do it. Children of God cannot help themselves. They must… they will… and they do… love without hypocrisy.

Table Talk: Discuss the difference between love on command and spontaneous love.

Pray: Heavenly Father, work your will upon me that I would receive both your alien work and your proper work. Amen

Romans 12:6-16 (ESV)

6 And we have different gifts according to the grace given to us. If the gift is prophecy, that individual must use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is service, he must serve; if it is teaching, he must teach; 8 if it is exhortation, he must exhort; if it is contributing, he must do so with sincerity; if it is leadership, he must do so with diligence; if it is showing mercy, he must do so with cheerfulness.

9 Love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another with mutual love, showing eagerness in honoring one another. 11 Do not lag in zeal, be enthusiastic in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints, pursue hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. Do not be conceited.