Solid as a rock!

Word from the Center
Written By Dr. Gregory Seltz

Welcome to "Word from The Center" Monday, a devotional word from the center of our faith, Jesus Christ, with reflections on His Word. I'm Gregory Seltz. Today's verses are Matthew 16:13-17, where the Bible says,

[13] When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" [14] They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." [15] "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" [16] Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." [17] Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.

Owning your own home is still the American dream, isn't it? Yes, there's nothing like "coming home" from a long work trip, or "being home" with family and friends, especially during the holidays. But home ownership has responsibilities too. "Work around the house" never seems to end, does it? There's always something to fix, something to mow, something to trim, or something to clean.

One year, one of the big "fixes" of our house was the backyard deck. And this was no ordinary fix; it was a big repair/restoration job. The deck runs all the way around the back of the house. 2x6 boards needed replacing (some as long as 16'), posts needed fixing, and, of course, the whole deck needed to be painted in the end. Whew! In addition to the challenges of time and effort, it also could have been very costly. So, to try to keep costs down, I fixed a few of the boards that were still in pretty good shape rather than replacing them all. Thankfully, there was a product that helped me do that. This epoxy product easily molded to the wood, hardened like rock, and stuck to the wood like glue. It was able to make some things "good as new." When faced with the enormous challenges of the deck, it worked like a miracle. All I had to do was add this compound to certain places and now the deck is "solid as a rock," maybe even better than when it was new.

So if you asked me, "Do you have an answer for difficult, big issues with aging decks?" I can say confidently, even boldly, "Yes!" But questions like that, though momentarily important, are superfluous in the long run. Proud as I am about my work on the deck, the next owner of the house might come in, tear it down, and start from scratch. That's the way of temporal things. That's why our lesson for today is so important. It asks the question that matters in our lives most of all. This question, and this one alone, really needs your answer. This question has eternal consequences at stake, as well as endless opportunities. This question Christ asks of you and me. It concerns what is "solid as a rock" for what really matters in life. He poses the key question in today's reading, "Who do you say I am?" The "Who is Jesus?" question, and all it entails, is the one that really matters. Is He God? Is He the Messiah/Christ? Is He the One for all? Is He the One for me?

People were waiting thousands of years for a Messiah who could reconcile a sinful world to its Creator. For those disciples who walked with Jesus, there was no one in the world like Him. In today's reading, Peter, acting as their spokesman, boldly answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God." This confession about Jesus endured to the very end of their lives; in fact, most of these disciples died for their faith in Jesus. Their mouths and their lives openly proclaimed that this Jesus was indeed the sinless Son of God, the long-awaited Messiah. He lived, died, and rose again so that we all might live eternally by grace through faith in Him alone.

This Question about Jesus Is So Vital because the right answer changes everything. He is the world's Savior; that's true. But for you and for me, He is our Savior. That response is more than mere human philosophy. It is not simply about making some temporal lifestyle changes that only impact you for a moment. It's not merely about some secret wisdom that puts you at the head of the line in life. This question focuses in on who Jesus is and what He has done for you, most powerfully through His life, death, and resurrection. Your answer changes everything for you.

That's one reason why Jesus presses Peter for a response (see verse 15). This isn't merely about getting the right answer on a test. This isn't some trivia that is here today and gone tomorrow. Peter's answer not only "gets things right." His life-changing answer calls for faith and trust in Jesus as one's Lord and Savior. That's why Jesus affirms Peter's bold confession. In the verse after our reading, Jesus announces, "On this rock, I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). He thereby confirms that such a confession is "solid as a rock" for life now and forever.

So, what's your answer today? Stay with us on these Mondays as we learn to know and trust in Jesus as our Savior amidst the on-going challenges and struggles we face. And know this, for the challenges that we face in this chaotic world, we need a relationship with God that is enduring, "solid as a rock." With faith in Christ, that's exactly what we have.

PRAYER: – Dear Lord Jesus, Son of the Living God, thank You for being our Savior. Give us knowledge of all that You have done for us as our Lord and Messiah. Then also give us faith to trust in You in all things. AMEN.

See Also
Our Founding Fathers
Our Founding Fathers

Our Founding Fathers are indeed the fathers of all Americans. DEI taught us to despise them, to concentrate on their faults, to think of ourselves as somehow more enlightened. Critical theory is all about destruction, about seeing through something so that you can no longer see the thing itself. DEI is the philosophy of the scoff and sneer.

But as Americans, we do well to think on the God of providence and to celebrate this day with thanksgiving. Now, mind you, I honor all peoples as they sing their anthems, giving thanks for their own special heritage. But our heritage is a cornucopia, a legacy that we are called to live up to.

IT’S NOT WHO YOU KNOW, BUT WHETHER HE KNOWS YOU!
IT’S NOT WHO YOU KNOW, BUT WHETHER HE KNOWS YOU!

Today’s reading is Luke 13:23-27 and 30 which says,

23 Someone asked [Jesus], “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ 27 “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ 26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’…30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”

The Magdeburg Confession
The Magdeburg Confession

475 years ago, Magdeburg, Germany, was under siege by her own emperor, Charles V. It was the last Lutheran city remaining in Germany only four years after the death of Martin Luther. At issue was the preaching of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments. The highest authority in the land was demanding that the city churches re-institute Roman worship practices.

The city officers faced a difficult choice. Should they abandon the scriptural doctrine and practice restored by the Lutheran Reformation? Or should they take up arms against the God-ordained temporal authority? The pastors and theologians of the city penned the Magdeburg Confession to instruct the city councilmen of their God-given duty.

September 2025 Bulletin Blurbs
September 2025 Bulletin Blurbs

The dates identifying the LCRL bulletin blurbs are only suggestions. Please feel free to use any and all of the bulletin blurbs as your ministry needs allow.

September Bulletin Insert
September Bulletin Insert

The Bulletin Insert is designed to be printed and cut in half to fit conveniently inside a Sunday worship bulletin. Each month an insert will offer insight, encouragement, and information from the LCRL on the topics of Religious Liberty, Life, Marriage, or Education.

GOOD DIVISION? IT DEPENDS!
GOOD DIVISION? IT DEPENDS!

Today’s reading is Luke 12:49-51, where Jesus says,   

49 “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.

Two Kinds of Righteousness
Two Kinds of Righteousness

Two kinds of righteousness? I suppose, but not as it's often spoken about in our midst. There is civic righteous, which is to live in accordance with the natural law and may rightly describe the life of anyone, with or without Christ. Civil righteousness, reverence for life, for marriage, for the rights of property, and the like is a good thing. A Mormon may then live a life of civic righteousness, though he cannot be truly righteous or declared righteous.

 

We are told that the righteousness that comes from God is vertical and differs from all human righteousness. But such a notion needs to be challenged. The righteousness that we receive from God is, in fact, the righteousness lived on the horizontal plane. Many Christians think of righteousness as a gift from God that finds an opening in the cross of Christ. But that is misleading. The righteousness of God is, in fact, the righteousness of Christ, imputed to us because of Christ's active and passive obedience, even unto His death as a sacrifice for our sins. The likes of Forde and Paulson mislead, saying that Christ came forgiving, and for that He was murdered. By no means. Christ's forgiveness was made possible by the Father's sacrifice of His Son, as well as by Christ actually fulfilling, not putting an end to, the Law.

WHIP WORRY AND START TO LIVE AGAIN!
WHIP WORRY AND START TO LIVE AGAIN!

Today’s reading is Luke 12:22-23 and 29-31 where Jesus says,

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes…. 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.”

There’s No Debate
There’s No Debate

Recently, one among us complained that the LCMS has more often taken positions on the Republican side of things, with nothing from the Democrat agenda. I wonder if such complaints, from an opposite point of view, are made in the ELCA. What of it? Among the so-called Republican views cited were articles on being pro-life and warning against the rainbow revolution and the trans crisis. But these are not positions based on politics, though politics matter as a matter of justice and protection, but are essential to our humanity. Those who favor abortion, gay marriage, and the transgender agenda are in fact at war with the God of Genesis, the Author of creation. About such things there should be no debate among us, for to deny male/female, to deny the child in the womb is to deny Christ, who Himself lived in the womb of Mary, reiterated the truth of creation (Matthew 19, Mark 10) and came to be the groom for His bride, the Church.

HEAVENLY MINDED, EARTHLY GOOD!
HEAVENLY MINDED, EARTHLY GOOD!

Today’s reading is Luke 12:13-15 which says,

13 Someone in the crowd said to [Jesus], “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

When Satan Subverts Godly Government, the Church Cannot Be Silent
When Satan Subverts Godly Government, the Church Cannot Be Silent

English Statesman George Savile quipped, “Men are not hanged for stealing horses, but that horses would not be stolen.” With all that is happening in the world, his words concentrate our thoughts. Justice is not merely about trials and verdicts leading to punishment. It’s also about deterrence.

Through current events, many are relearning a seemingly long-forgotten factor relative to justice. As I watched the evening news with my wife, a segment came on about Venezuelan gang members being ordered back into the country after deportation. Without prompting, she asked, “What does it say when a federal judge orders the immediate return of violent criminals who’ve already been deported?”

August Prayer Partner Thursday
August Prayer Partner Thursday

Prayer Partner Thursday provides a month-long prayer emphasis in one of the four Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty areas of emphasis: Religious Liberty, Sanctity of Life, Educational Freedom, and Marriage as an Institution (family).

MAN, THAT’S LIVING!
MAN, THAT’S LIVING!

Today’s reading is Colossians 2:6-8, where the Bible says,   

 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.

Blessed Is the Fruit of Your Womb
Blessed Is the Fruit of Your Womb

The Bible is an earthy, fleshy book. God forms Adam from dirt. He fashions Eve from Adam’s rib. They eat forbidden fruit and use animal skin for covering. There are pillars of smoke and fire, roasted lambs and bitter herbs, bloody sacrifices and clouds of temple incense. And not only in the Old Testament — the New Testament continues with such physicality. Jesus heals with spit and dirt, fingers in ears, and caskets touched. A bloody cross culminates in bodily resurrection. Finally, He promises the resurrection of our bodies and a renewed physical earth.

Biblical salvation is not an offer to escape the body into some disembodied realm, whether platonic, gnostic, Eastern, transhumanist or anything else. Rather, the Bible deeply anchors redemption itself to the body. God carries out His redemptive deliverance through intense bodily realities from creation to consummation.

August Bulletin Insert
August Bulletin Insert

The Bulletin Insert is designed to be printed and cut in half to fit conveniently inside a Sunday worship bulletin. Each month an insert will offer insight, encouragement, and information from the LCRL on the topics of Religious Liberty, Life, Marriage, or Education.

August 2025 Bulletin Blurbs
August 2025 Bulletin Blurbs

The dates identifying the LCRL bulletin blurbs are only suggestions. Please feel free to use any and all of the bulletin blurbs as your ministry needs allow.

THE ONE THING NEEDED IS PROVIDED!
THE ONE THING NEEDED IS PROVIDED!

Today’s reading is Luke 10:38-42, where the Bible says,    

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “You are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Assisted Suicide: No Lives Matter
Assisted Suicide: No Lives Matter

Make no mistake, legal suicide corrupts. Corrupts doctors who have taken an oath to do no harm. Corrupts a medical system that comes to think of patients as costs. Corrupts sacred bonds of a family, and the ties that bind generations. The fact that we are so willing to kill an unborn child, the fact that Obama, when in the Illinois legislature, would not even vote to ban partial-birth abortion should tell us something. The weak and the vulnerable are found at life's beginning and end and then everywhere in between. Where there is not right or wrong, there is only power; where life is not held as precious, it becomes cheap.

A Father Sacrifices His Son: Dads Matter
A Father Sacrifices His Son: Dads Matter

That's the story of salvation. We are given a glimpse in Abraham's willingness to put Isaac on the altar. In a worldly way, we see it when parents send their sons off to war. But what of those parents who say, "I just want my child to be happy"? I think we all get it, though that can't be the end all. There has to be something more. The writer to the Hebrews tells us that Abraham knew that Isaac would live again, would rise from the dead. But then, don't we?

BE A NEIGHBOR BECAUSE WE HAVE A SAVIOR
BE A NEIGHBOR BECAUSE WE HAVE A SAVIOR

Today’s reading is Luke 10:30-37, where Jesus responds to the question, “Who is my neighbor?”    

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denariic and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

FREEDOM TO DO GOOD!
FREEDOM TO DO GOOD!

Today’s reading is Galatians 6:9-10, where the Bible says,   

9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Remembering the LRCL’s First Fourth of July in D.C.: Rejoicing Today!
Remembering the LRCL’s First Fourth of July in D.C.: Rejoicing Today!

It’s Friday, July 4th, 2025, in Washington D.C. and it has been an incredible journey. Our LCRL work started in 2017. From the start, our mission has been to bring a faithful two-kingdom voice into the heart of federal politics—a voice that limits the reach of government, defends the family and the Church, and upholds First Amendment freedoms so that God’s people can freely proclaim the whole counsel of God without fear of coercion or intervention to the contrary. For a time, threats like COVID shutdowns, the Obergefell decision, and the politicized coercion of DEI-LGBTQ mandates eroded those protections and weaponized government against those holding to traditional, biblical values.

July Prayer Partner Thursday
July Prayer Partner Thursday

Prayer Partner Thursday provides a month-long prayer emphasis in one of the four Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty areas of emphasis: Religious Liberty, Sanctity of Life, Educational Freedom, and Marriage as an Institution (family).

FOR FREEDOM TO ENDURE - THERE’S A PRICE TO BE PAID!
FOR FREEDOM TO ENDURE - THERE’S A PRICE TO BE PAID!

Today’s reading is Galatians 5:1, where the Bible says,   

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

The Oppressors and the Oppressed
The Oppressors and the Oppressed

That's how Marxism works. In the Communist Manifesto, it's the freeman and slave, the patrician and the plebeian, lord and serf, guild-master and journeyman. Translated into the present, it's critical theory where it becomes a matter accumulating points. Score one for being a woman, one for being a person of color, one for being LGB, and perhaps two for being T. Count yourself as an enemy of the one percent, and that's at least a half-point. Such an odd thing, yet you gain a bit of oppressed status by including yourself among the 99 percent. Say you are an LGBTQ ally, another half point, and so on. Colleges have long operated this way, and many young people, young women especially, come home as trained Marxists.

THE ONLY IDENTITY THAT OVERCOMES, BONDS, AND HOLDS
THE ONLY IDENTITY THAT OVERCOMES, BONDS, AND HOLDS

Today’s reading is Galatians 3:26-29, where the Bible says,   

26 So, in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

July Bulletin Insert
July Bulletin Insert

The Bulletin Insert is designed to be printed and cut in half to fit conveniently inside a Sunday worship bulletin. Each month an insert will offer insight, encouragement, and information from the LCRL on the topics of Religious Liberty, Life, Marriage, or Education.

July 2025 Bulletin Blurbs
July 2025 Bulletin Blurbs

The dates identifying the LCRL bulletin blurbs are only suggestions. Please feel free to use any and all of the bulletin blurbs as your ministry needs allow.

Cohabitation Hurts More Than a Couple
Cohabitation Hurts More Than a Couple

If a couple came to me and said, “Pastor, we’d like to get married, and we’d like to do everything we can today to make sure our marriage ends in divorce tomorrow,” then I would tell them that the first thing they should do is move in together. Cohabitation is that destructive to marriage and family life.

However, the warning must not stop there. Because it is a form of public and intentional sin, cohabitation is particularly destructive to the conscience, and not just to the couple’s conscience but also to the conscience of the Christian community. Many couples view their choices as going no further than themselves. I would like to challenge this by considering some of the ways that cohabitation harms the broader Christian community.

A BRIDGED GAP CAN STAND IN THE GAP!
A BRIDGED GAP CAN STAND IN THE GAP!

Today’s verses are 2nd Corinthians 5:19-20, where St. Paul says, 

19 That God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not counting man’s sins against them. And He has committed to us this ministry of reconciliation, 20 for we are God’s ambassadors, as though were making His appeal through us, be reconciled to God!

Dr. Gregory Seltz
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