Note: This post was originally published September 14, 2018. ~ Ed.

Provocative titles for blog articles are en vogue. If it doesn’t shock grandma or sound like the devil said it apparently it’s not worth reading. I hear that provocative titles increase traffic, too. And while Gottesdienst is not into church growth in the holy, catholic Church, they are into blog-traffic growth in the internet-produced meta-church. So, for my inaugural post I’ve decided to use a title that might shock some.

So, why is the article title provocative? It really shouldn’t be for a Lutheran. God objectively forgave the world when Jesus Christ died. He did this before any of us repented. Luther teaches us this from the Scriptures. For example, in his treatment of Hebrews 1:3, “…After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…”

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