How is Job's faith and God's Grace separated? Do you know anything about Grace scripturally? Are you sure you went to a LCMS church? Even the liberal pastors teach this. You say you were taught Luther's Small Catechism, did you ever read it? No one could have objectively read it and come away with a statement like this. Now c'mon marbren were you ever in the LCMS? Your scriptural foundation is demonstrably weak, you see no connection between faith and grace, and you have demonstrated an inability to follow doctrine you declared at your 'confirmation' you would. I've never seen an LCMS 'lutheran' like you, and I've been one much longer than you've been alive, and this is most certainly true!
After He left Pastor #1 came in, He was the fine Pastor who confirmed me and taught me that WE LUTHERANS ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO HAVE THE TRUTH! and all about judgment day and replacement theology. Early on under him our church burned down was built in a beautiful new location and around 1961 or so we joined the LCMS.
How is Job's faith and God's Grace separated?
Many people on FR do not like my new perspective on Job 1:1. I would not have liked it my self about 2 years ago. It came from a Bible Study teaching on Job of my current Pastor #5 whom I serve as his elder presently.
Learning from my Best Friend during college days and more recently from Pastor #5 that God is bigger than our preconceived notions, I tried to listen to his teaching with an open mind. Job is COOL! He starts off believing OF God in the end he believes IN God. Sort of like my Faith walk, such as it is.
This is one truth the world can learn from us Lutherans. God's Grace, not Our works is what saves us. Even the decision in faith to accept our Lord Jesus Christ as Our Lord and Savior is a Work of God's Grace( a bit of a mystery as we do like to take credit for our justification). The free will we have only comes after we are justified (Born Again). Unbelievers have no free will as they are slaves to sin. A slave does not have free will. Believers are slaves to Christ. We Believers do have the free will to resist the Holy Spirit, but why? We are slaves to Christ He is responsible for us! If we do resist the Holy Spirit God has ways to bring us back in line. THANK YOU JESUS!
I have not either. We LCMS do tend to be group think and cookie cutter types. BTW when Pastor #5 came into my life about 8 years ago He also taught replacement theology and judgment day like Luther. He felt bad for the poor Palestinians and was antisemitic. He did not teach me the truth about Israel.