The Sixth Beatitude: Makarios in a Crucible?
We are not saved by the success of our refining process. We are saved precisely because our impurities, no matter what the percentage, ruin the whole thing.
Contributors
Haroldo Camacho
Haroldo Camacho lives in his home country of Colombia with his wife Mercedes and son, Orlando. He obtained his doctorate from the School of Theology at Claremont in 1991, and served many years as a Certified Court Interpreter with the Judicial Council of California. He has translated Luther’s Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians (1535) to both Spanish and English. He currently preaches at the local Presbyterian church in Barranquilla (La Roca), and teaches for MINTS International Seminary.
Most Recent
The Fifth Beatitude: The Most Surprising Act of Grace
Jesus did not need a single act of mercy to get him started on the road to mercy, his essence was by nature merciful.
The Fourth Beatitude: More than Cornucopias for the Hungry
Blessed are we, for we are filled by the cornucopia of Christ’s righteousness.
The Third Beatitude: The Meek Are Not Pushovers
The only one rightful heir of the kingdom of God, inherits from us, our cross, and descends into the kingdom of the damned.
The Second Beatitude: From Tears to Joy
The giver of life, the source of joy, stands weeping together with the human family as they grieve under the curse of sin.
The First Beatitude: Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit
“Poverty of spirit” is not an ethical value we strive for. It is an act of God’s mercy spoken to the deepest recesses of our soul when it’s overwhelmed by God’s grace.
The Scandalous Blessing of Makarios: An Introduction to the Beatitudes
The only one truly blessed of God, who in himself is God’s incarnate makarios, surrounds himself with a multitude of the accursed, the non-makarios.
The Seventh Petition: Deliver Us From Evil
This is not a plea for us to be given the strength to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. It is our helpless cry when boots – straps and all - slip off the edge of temptation’s cliff.
The Sixth Petition: Lead Us Not into Temptation
The petition not to be led into temptation is found in just the right place within the seven petitions.
The Fifth Petition: Forgive Us Our Debts as We Forgive Our Debtors
If we want to see evidence of our Father’s answer to the fifth petition, we need only to look at the cross and the empty tomb.
The Fourth Petition: Give Us this Day Our Daily Bread
Even though the horn of plenty on our table is there as the fruit of our labor, that is also a gift of God’s grace
The Third Petition: Your Will Be Done
The place where it is most difficult for us to accept God’s will is when suffering, calamities, and finally, death itself.
The Second Petition: Your Kingdom Come
The kingdom of God has a proper name, and his name is Jesus, Son of God, Son of Man.
Revisiting Our Father
Our prayer confesses that God’s abode is beyond us, yet ever so near for the prayer presupposes that we are being heard, even in our sighs and whispers.
What Is the Difference Between Faith and Hope?
This is an excerpt from Martin Luther’s Commentary on Saint Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians (1535), written by Martin Luther and translated by Haroldo Camacho (1517 Publishing, 2018).
Sing that Song Again
In both Psalms, we hear the Messiah becoming sin for us, and thus he pleads on our behalf before the Father
The Broken Deal
We’ve become experts at making deals with God.
Released from Double Jeopardy
He will plead guilty on our behalf, and suffer the death sentence in our place.
Tell Him Not to Yell at Me
He is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters, even as we curse and yell at him for not pleasing us with our pettish wishes.
We Didn't Know What Was in the Backpack
He is our gold. He is our pure garment. He is our healing. He is our sanity. He is our wholeness.
No Sob Story Needed
That is the good news that nullifies all hand wringing and wipes away every tear from every eye.
Our Signed and Sealed Adoption
He would not go back on his word, for his word is the word of the Father and the Spirit, and they all say “come.”
Unexpected Grace
Today, by faith, we live free from condemnation, free from the fear of death, free from all slander the devil could whisper and scatter about us. In Him we have a new family, the family of the forgiven.
The Law and the Conscience: An Excerpt from Martin Luther's Commentary on Saint Paul's Epistle to the Galatians
Indeed, the law said, “You shall love the Lord your God,” but the law cannot give me such love, nor can it take my hand to grasp on to Christ.
Post-Easter Musings
With this declaration of peace, Jesus was telling His disciples, ‘Because I died for you, you are now justified.’