Sharper Iron From Kfuo Radio

Rev. AJ Espinosa, pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Irvine, CA and host of Thy Strong Word on KFUO Radio, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Romans 8:12-17. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit in Christians has profound implications. Now that the debt of sin has been forgiven in Christ, Christians no longer owe allegiance of sin to the flesh but rather give the due of love in service to God and the neighbor. This happens by the indwelling Spirit, by Whom we put to death sinful deeds. Those who are led by the Holy Spirit are now adopted sons of God. This is more than provision for physical needs; this is a complete change in legal status, the transfer of a man from one family to another. No longer do we belong to sin and death; now we belong to God with the same rights and inheritance as Jesus. That is so true for Jew and Gentile alike, that together without distinction all Christians can address God as our Father with the same term of endearment that Jesus uses. The inheritance that is ours in Christ

Rev. Zelwyn Heide, pastor at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Hannover, ND and Zion Lutheran Church in New Salem, ND, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Romans 8:1-11. St. Paul reaches one of the high points of the epistle, drawing together all that he has said concerning the unrighteousness of man and the righteousness of God. For those who are in Christ, there is now no more condemnation. The reality of being “in Christ” is the controlling reality for Christians. In Christ, God has done what the law could not do. The law could not do it because of our own sinful flesh. Yet God sent Jesus as true man, without any sin or guilt of His own, to take on our sin and defeat it in His own flesh. Now that He has fulfilled the Law and we are in Him, our walk is not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. The flesh and the Spirit are polar opposites. Those who live according to the flesh are entirely hostile to the things of God and hostile toward Him. Those who live according to the Spirit have life and

Rev. Dr. Adam Koontz, assistant professor of exegetical theology at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Romans 7:14-25. St. Paul describes his own struggle against sin as a Christian; this is the struggle of every Christian. Such a realistic description keeps us from self-justification. Even St. Paul the Apostle, upon self-examination and reflection, recognized just how deep his sin ran and how much his sin fought against the reality of life and freedom in Christ. Though he lives under Christ’s reign, sin is close at hand, leading him to accomplish the sin he hated and to leave undone the good he desired. Paul’s use of thee first-person singular not only describes his own personal experience, but invites every Christian to confess the same. The truth for Christians is that whenever we want to do right, evil is right there waging war against us. For that reason, mature Christians plead their wretchedness to God. Only in this confession of utter need before G

Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor at Christ Lutheran Church in Hebron, CT, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Romans 7:1-13. Christians are under grace; they are no longer under the law. How did this happen? St. Paul uses the human example of the law of marriage. All Christians can understand this truth from God’s Word. Marriage, the good gift of God before the fall into sin, unites one man and one woman for life. When the husband dies, however, the law of marriage no longer applies to the wife; she is now free. The example of death setting free from law is applied to Christians. Christians have been put to death through their connection to the death of Christ. They belong to Him, the One raised from the dead. Whereas their life in the flesh took advantage of the law to produce more sin, their life in the Spirit through Christ produces the good fruit God has given. This does not mean that the law is sinful, however. In fact, God’s law is good and holy. Paul uses his own life prior to Christianity as an example.

Rev. Clint Poppe, pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Lincoln, NE, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Romans 6:12-23. God’s gracious action in Christ delivered in Holy Baptism means that sin is no longer the Christian’s king or lord. Therefore, St. Paul commands that we must not live in our bodies as if sin is our king. Though we think sin is under our control, sin quickly progresses to control us. However, this is not our reality in Christ. Our members are not weapons put into service for sin and unrighteousness, but instruments of good works that God has given to us as He has brought us from death to life. This action of God by His grace is our controlling reality, not so that we would continue in sin, but so that we would present ourselves as obedient slaves to righteousness. God be praised! This is exactly what has happened, not out of compulsion, but from willing, grateful hearts molded by God to the doctrine that Jesus has given us. Such slavery is not to be understood in the human way of ty

Rev. Steve Andrews, pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Lee’s Summit, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Romans 6:1-11. If God loves to forgive and we love to sin, should we just keep on sinning? St. Paul answers in clearest terms: “Absolutely not!” Sin no longer is the defining reality for Christians because Christians have died to sin. God has accomplished this in Holy Baptism. When a person is baptized, that person is united with Christ. In Baptism, Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection become our death, burial, and resurrection. This is His gift to us right now by faith even as we await its full fulfillment by sight on the Last Day at the resurrection of all flesh. St. Paul reminds us that our connection to Christ in Holy Baptism is the defining reality for our lives right now. Because we have died with Him, we have been set free from sin, and we will be raised with Him on the Last Day. The basis for this truth is Jesus’ own death and resurrection. He has died once for all and has been ra

Rev. David Vandercook, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in North Little Rock, AR and Shepherd of Peace Lutheran Church in Maumelle, AR, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Romans 5:12-21. The unrighteousness of all can be traced to one man, Adam, just as the righteousness of God freely given to all can be traced to one man, Jesus Christ. Sin invaded God’s good creation through Adam. Through this original sin, inherited from one generation to the next, death spread to all. That was true even before the Law was given through Moses. The reality of sin still led all people to death, even when the transgression was not like Adam’s sin against God’s specific commandment. Yet this one man, Adam, stands as a type of another man, Christ. In Christ, God’s gracious gift abounds far more than man’s sin. Though Adam’s one trespass led to condemnation for all, Christ’s one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. This remains objectively true even though some do not receive the gift subjectively t

Rev. Andrew Preus, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Guttenberg, IA and St. Paul Lutheran Church in McGregor, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Romans 5:1-11. St. Paul begins to expound upon the fruit of justification through faith in the life of the Christian. Because God has declared sinners righteous through faith in Jesus Christ, we have peace with God. This present reality is grounded in the objective truth of what God has done in the past and gives us hope for the future. Right now, we boast in the hope that God has given us, even in the midst of our sufferings. Through these sufferings, God works out patience and tested character through which He brings us hope as we experience the anticipation of faith in God’s promise. This hope does not put us to shame because of the outpouring of God’s love in the shed blood of His Son Jesus, delivered to us in His Holy Supper. This revelation of God’s love in the giving of His Son into death for sinners is the basis for justification. This is all God’

Rev. Peter Ill, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Millstadt, IL, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Romans 4:13-25. St. Paul continues to expound upon Abraham as the example of the righteousness of God that comes through faith. The inheritance given to Abraham and his offspring depended not on works, but upon a promise. The background of Israel’s inheritance of the land shows quite clearly that a promise depends not on adherence to the law, but upon God’s promise. Apart from God’s promise, the law only brings wrath. With the promise, however, grace is freely given to Abraham and to all who share his faith. That makes Abraham the father of many nations, not according to his physical family tree, but according to his faith. This faith of Abraham is faith in Jesus Christ, the God who created all things out of nothing and who gives life to the dead. Abraham trusted in this promise, because he in his old age and Sarah in her barrenness were as good as dead. This faith, not works, was counted to Abraham as

Rev. Joel Heckmann, pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Okarche, OK, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Romans 4:1-12. Justification by grace through faith is nothing new. Abraham, who stood as the greatest example of righteousness among Jews, was declared righteous by God through faith. St. Paul quotes from Genesis 15 to make his point. “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Sin is pictured as a debt that sinners owe to God but can never pay back. God, completely as a gift, not only forgives the debt but credits Christ’s righteousness to us. The example of David shows the importance of the forgiveness of sins in the matter of justification. Though both of these men were circumcised, it was not their circumcision that made them righteous; it was their faith. Abraham was declared righteous through faith before he was circumcised. The righteousness of God through faith does not belong exclusively to the circumcised or uncircumcised. Instead, God credits His righteousness to

Rev. Harrison Goodman, pastor at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in San Antonio, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Romans 3:21-31. The tiny conjunction, “but,” makes all the difference. Our works according to the Law cannot make us righteous, but God has manifested His righteousness apart from the Law. This righteousness is seen clearly in the crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The entire Old Testament bore witness to Him, and now that He has died and risen, the free gift of God’s righteousness is given through faith to all who believe. Just as there was no distinction in the unrighteousness of all men, so there is no distinction among those for whom Jesus died; He died for all. This justification is a gift, pure and simple; no work of man can add anything to it. Faith trusts, not in itself, but only in Jesus Christ. According to God’s gracious will, He has satisfied the wrath of God by giving His life in place of ours in order to declare us righteous. Our words must be precise her

Rev. Jeremiah Johnson, pastor at Glory of Christ Lutheran Church in Plymouth, MN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Romans 3:9-20. St. Paul builds to his climax of preaching that all people are unrighteous. Jews and Gentiles alike are under sin; they are slaves bound to this terrible master. The Apostle strings together a rapid fire list of one Old Testament passage after another in order to make his point. He faithfully preaches these texts to his Roman and modern readers, as he highlights that all sins of thought, word, and deed trace their roots to idolatry. Self-justification lies at the heart of the matter. All people desire, in one way or another, to be righteous before others and before God. Yet all works of the Law fail to give such righteousness. Instead, the Law can only rightly leave us completely silent before God as He shows us the true depth of our sin and evil. Christian confession admits that what God has spoken about us in His Law is true and awaits the Word of absolution that comes in

Rev. Dr. Rick Marrs, associate professor of practical theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis and author of Making Christian Counseling More Christ Centered, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study the distinction between the old Adam and new Adam. In distinguishing the old Adam and new Adam, God’s Word lays out an important distinction that Christians daily experience. The old self is the corrupt sinful nature that each person has inherited from Adam. This fleshly nature rebels against God and His Word. The new self is a gift of God to Christians through the Gospel. In Christ, God makes us His new creation. The battle between the old and new self wages in Christians throughout life. Even St. Paul later in life recognized the evil that dwelt in him and his continued need for the righteousness of God that comes by grace through faith in Christ. In his Small and Large Catechisms, Martin Luther makes use of this distinction by calling Christians back to Baptism. There we rejoice that God has drowned the sinner

Rev. Ryan Ogrodowicz, associate pastor and headmaster at Grace Lutheran Church and School in Brenham, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study the proper distinction between Law and Gospel. The proper distinction between Law and Gospel is a glorious light that opens the Holy Scriptures to us; apart from this distinction, the Bible remains a closed book. The Law is the revealed will of God for His creation. In the Law, God commands what we must and must not do. These commands curb our sinful behavior, show us our sin, and instruct Christians in what a righteous life is. The Gospel is not what we must do, but what God has done for us in His Son Jesus Christ. This is God’s free gift to us for our salvation apart from any merit or worthiness in us. Both Law and Gospel are good because they are God’s two different ways to speak to us. They must be distinguished, lest we falsely believe we can use the Law to save ourselves or turn the free gift of salvation in Christ into another Law. This distinction comes from

Rev. Brady Finnern, pastor at Messiah Lutheran Church in Sartell, MN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Romans 3:1-8. As St. Paul preaches that all men are unrighteous, objections arise, but the Apostle will not let any of them stand. If all stand condemned by the Law, Jews questioned the importance of having been a part of God’s people under the covenant of circumcision. The advantage was not in the outward rites apart from faith, but the proclamation of the Word of God that is received in faith. Wherever that Word is proclaimed, God is at work for the forgiveness and salvation of His people. The unfaithfulness of some was not the fault of God, nor does it bring into question His faithfulness. Rather, it points to the need to let God be God and allow Him to judge our sins so that He can judge us innocent for the sake of Christ. Sinners still try to insert themselves into the equation, however, even going so far as to claim credit because their unrighteousness allows God the opportunity to show His righ

Rev. Tim Koch, pastor at Emanuel Lutheran Church in Milbank, SD, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Romans 2:12-29. St. Paul continues to strip away from sinners all confidence apart from Christ. The problem is sin and death. Those who sin die, with or without the Law. The Law requires action, not only hearing, from both Gentiles and Jews alike. Though the Gentiles did not have the Law written down in the Ten Commandments, God’s Law still was written on their hearts. Their works according to the Law testify to that truth, as does their accusing conscience. The Jews, on the other hand, have found their confidence and identity in the Law. That confidence is nothing, however, unless the Jews do the Law. St. Paul rightly condemns them for their failure in this regard, which only leads to the blasphemy of God’s name. He takes them to a different starting point, the covenant of circumcision which the LORD gave as His promise. Yet as they break the Law, even their outward circumcision counts for nothing, becaus

Rev. Gaven Mize, pastor at Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hickory, NC joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Romans 2:1-11. St. Paul’s “they” of Romans 1 becomes “you” in Romans 2. Those who have heard the proclamation of God’s wrath against the unrighteousness of man are left with no excuse. To pass judgment on “them” is to recognize the justice of judgment upon oneself. Comparison to another sinner will not justify anyone, nor will a presumption on the kindness and patience of God. God intends His kindness to lead us to repentance and forgiveness in Christ Jesus. If we misuse Christ as scapegoat as an excuse to keep sinning, we only store up God’s wrath. His judgment comes to us, not based on the judgments we have made of others, but based upon our own works as they stack up next to His standard of the Law. That is why eternal life will only come to those who have Christ through faith in the things of God; those who have sought only the things of man only have God’s wrath and fury. That is equall

Rev. Dustin Beck, pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Warda, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Romans 1:18-32. Having proclaimed that the Gospel is God’s power to save, St. Paul begins to lay out why humanity needs salvation at all. God’s righteousness to save sinners goes hand-in-hand with His wrath against man’s unrighteousness. The unrighteousness of man expresses itself in the suppression of the true knowledge of God. Creation is witness to all people of the eternal power and divine nature of the Creator. Knowing this, however, men have denied it. In an attempt to be wise on their own, they have become foolish by replacing God with idols. Such idolatry is seen in the corruption of soul, mind, and body. God gives sinners over to their evil desires, letting them see firsthand what the devastating consequences of that idolatry truly are. Homosexuality and sins against God’s gift of marriage stand as Exhibit A of this truth, but St. Paul will not let anyone off the hook. In a tragic list of evil

Rev. Paul Pater, pastor at Shepherd of the Ridge Lutheran Church in North Ridgeville, OH and Hope Lutheran Church in Sheffield Village, OH, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Romans 1:8-17. Rome was known in the wider world for many political and economic reasons, but none of those are the reason for Paul’s thanksgiving in this epistle. He gives thanks for the faith the Roman Christians had in Jesus Christ. Though he had never visited this congregation previously, he still prayed for them regularly and longed to visit them in person. His longing to see them was bound under the will of God for his ministry. Paul desired to be with them in order that they could share the mutual consolation and conversation of the brethren in the Gospel. He had a joyful obligation to preach this good news concerning Jesus to all people. Paul lays out that Gospel as the theme for his entire epistle. Though the preaching of the crucified and risen Savior seemed foolish and weak to the world, Paul was not ashamed. He knew that

Rev. Chris Hull, pastor at Zion Lutheran Church in Tomball, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Romans 1:1-7. St. Paul’s epistle to the Romans lays out the fullness of the Christian faith centered around the truth of justification by grace through faith in Christ. Paul identifies himself both as a child of God bound only to Christ and as an apostle sent to preach the Gospel of God. That Gospel was announced already in God’s promises through the Old Testament prophets. That Gospel centers in Jesus Christ our Lord. He is true man, our Brother, the Christ from the line of David. He is true God, declared to the world in His resurrection from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. These are more than empty historical facts. Jesus has accomplished this for sinners, to give us His grace and give us a new identity underneath the hearing of His Word. This is what the Romans have received as those loved by God and made holy by Him. Because of Jesus, grace and peace are theirs and ours still today. “The Righ