Back To The Basics: Do Not Mingle Law & Gospel!
In the name of Jesus. Amen. Tonight, we gather to explore a foundational truth of our Christian faith—the proper distinction and application of Law and Gospel. To do this during the Season of Lent, we will use the help of C.F.W. Walther. Now, in case you are not familiar with C.F.W. Walther, let me take a brief moment to introduce you—or reintroduce you—to a faithful teacher from our Lutheran heritage. C.F.W. Walther isn’t just some distant historical figure tucked away in an old church history book. No, he’s one of our theological grandfathers in the faith. In the 1800s, Walther helped lay the groundwork for what we now know as the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. He was a pastor, a teacher, and a man deeply shaped by the theology of Martin Luther and the Lutheran Confessions. What made Walther stand out wasn’t just his intellect—though he had plenty of that—but his deep pastoral heart. He knew the dangers of confusing the Law and the Gospel, and he fought...