No Doubt About It: Christ Is Risen! He Is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

Today was my very first Easter away from home and apart from family and friends.

Thankfully, I was able to celebrate Easter Sunday with fellow believers at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Tampa, FL.

Anyway, this is the short blurb I put up on my Facebook page today that I thought I'd share...

Sure, I suppose that a case could be made that Thomas may have had an "excuse" for his doubts...until he came face-to-face with Jesus Christ (John 20:24-29).

An empty tomb.

A resurrected and risen Lord and Savior.

Multiple accounts written by divinely inspired eyewitnesses.

What's your excuse for your disbelief? John 20:29 says, "Jesus said to him, 'Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'"

Today, we live in a skeptical age that operates by saying, "I'll believe it when I see it!" However, in the Word and Sacraments, we see and we do receive the benefits of Jesus' death and resurrection.

Those who believe receive God's divine favor, for whoever believes has everlasting life (John 3:36 "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him"), and this is God's will for you.

How do we know that? 2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."

People commonly and mistakenly think that Biblical books were written mainly to provide rules for godly living. Speaking through John, God announces the "Good News" of the Gospel that Jesus is His Son and that by faith in His name, we have life and salvation -- the core message of the entire Scriptures (John 20:30-31)!

Even though I do not now see You, Lord, I believe and rejoice with inexpressible joy!

Happy Easter to you and yours!

NOTE: As you know, I am a newly converted Confessional Lutheran who recently escaped American Evangelicalism. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you believe that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is not consistent with our Confessions and Lutheran doctrine (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and point us back to) so that I can correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1). Finally, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier pieces I wrote on this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that category since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a "Book of Concord" containing our Confessions even existed. In addition, there are some entries that are a little "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavy influenced by common Evangelical concerns/criticisms that aren't that big a deal for us Lutherans. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because we now have this disclaimer and only to demonstrate the continuing work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6). Finally, please know that any time we engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the holy Scriptures, it will always follow the verse-by-verse notes from my Lutheran Study Bible unless otherwise noted. Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Grace and peace to you and yours!

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