Text: John 10. Hymn: 716, I Walk in Danger All the Way.
John 10 is a nice and direct chapter on the deity of Christ.
BW in a comment on NR notes that the latter half of John 10:10, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly,” is often quoted to suggest that Christ came to fulfill our earthly dreams. The context gives a different story. There is no mention of monetary wealth or power. One is either receiving eternal life by faith in Christ or trying to enter salvation through another means.
716 is another hymn that I hadn’t sung before recording for the podcast. I like how this hymn follows the pattern of other hymns like LSB 607, “From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee,” where we have a looming Law problem up front for a couple of stanzas and then finish with Gospel stanzas. We go from walking in danger to walking heavenward.
We just passed the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels on 9/29, and I found this verse to be applicable:
I walk with angels all the way,
They shield me and befriend me;
All Satan’s power is held at bay
When heavenly hosts attend me;
They are my sure defense,
All fear and sorrow, hence!
Unharmed by foes, do what they may,
I walk with angels all the way.
Of course, we have to be careful what is taught about angels. No, we are not assigned a specific angel when we are born. No, angels do not look exactly like the topper on your Christmas tree. We do not become angels when we participate in a program sponsored by a popular day-time television host.
There are good angels and bad angels (demons).
Christian Cyclopedia says that good angels in the New Testament have a Christ-centered emphasis.
Demons, the chief of whom is Satan, are fallen angels. They will have no part in God’s eternal reward. Check out Christian Cyclopedia’s notes on demonology, demons, and the Devil here.
For a more detailed description check out Koehler’s Summary of Christian Doctrine.
For an even more detailed description check out Mueller’s Christian Dogmatics.
For the nitty-nitty gritty-gritty on all things theological, there is always the Pieper’s 3-volume set. It helps to know Greek, Hebrew, and German if you are going to go this route.