“And around this groundbase is a golden ring, to signify that such bliss in heaven is endless, and more precious than all joys and treasures, since gold is the best and most precious metal. Christ, our dear Lord, He will give grace unto eternal life.”

“This rose, moreover, is fixed in a sky-coloured ground, to denote that such joy of faith in the spirit is but an earnest and beginning of heavenly joy to come, as anticipated and held by hope, though not yet revealed.”

“But this heart is fixed upon the centre of a white rose, to show that faith causes joy, consolation, and peace. The rose is white, not red, because white is the ideal colour of all angels and blessed spirits.”

“Now, although the cross is black, mortified, and intended to cause pain, yet it does not change the colour of the heart, does not destroy nature-i.e., does not kill, but keeps alive. ‘For the just shall live by faith,’ – by faith in the Saviour.”

We had a clean-up day at my church today, and I found a nice little poster of Luther’s explanation of the meaning of his seal. I thought I would share it with you here in parts, one part per day for each part of the seal.

“The first thing expressed in my seal [...]

It seems that some people have a very hard time with the idea that God justifies sinful humans by faith only, and not for good deeds. We always want to be a part of it, or get some credit for it. Plus, God has to have some kind of reason, not just faith, right? Don’t [...]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/03/jesus-holy-saturday_n_1398224.html

I just happened across this article a bit ago, and I found it kind of interesting…and ridiculous at the same time. What happened on Holy Saturday? As I read through this article, I found myself wondering what the big deal is about disputing where Jesus was and what He was doing on Holy Saturday. [...]