Faith Comes By Hearing
In the cascading layers of noise in our ever-changing world, discover a space for reflection and inspiration is increasingly rare. Faith Comes By Hearing is a unique podcast series that cuts through the clamor, carrying the timeless messages of the Gospel into our lives with renewed relevance. Faith Comes By Hearing ventures into the challenges of everyday life and the deep need to hear the truth that we are saved by grace, through faith, through Christ Jesus alone.
Episodes
83 episodes
We Believe According to the Scriptures - What is Church? - 1 Corinthians 1:10-18
1 Corinthians 1:10–18 urges the church to be united in mind and judgment rather than divided by loyalty to pastors or parties. He defines the church not by its building or programs but by the gathering of God’s people around the Word and the Sa...
Encouragement in Christ - Philippians 2:1-5
St. Paul is writing from prison to a beloved church beginning to crack. He addresses selfish ambition and empty glory not with a new demand but with a reminder of what has already been given: encouragement in Christ, comfort in love, and a shar...
We Believe According to the Scriptures - O Death, Where is Your Victory? - 1 Corinthians 15
Death will come for every one of us, and the question that follows is as old as the grave itself: what happens then? Pastors hear it often because the heart cannot leave it alone. The world offers guesses, speculations and myth; Scripture offer...
Precious Words Amid A Troubled World - Jeremiah 15:19, Romans 12:1, and Matthew 16:24-25
God calls His people to refuse bitterness, flattery, and retaliation even when the world answers good with evil. This is not mere moral advice from the Scriptures but the shape of life that flows from Christ Jesus Himself, who embodied non-reta...
I Believe According to the Scriptures: Simultaneously Saint and Sinner Part II - Romans 7:17-25
In this sequel addressing the theology that the Christian is at the same time Saint and Sinner, Dr. Larson describes the Christian’s lifelong battle with the old Adam- the flesh. The Christian needs to move from self-improvement plans to relyin...
I Believe According to the Scriptures -Theology of the Cross - Mark 8:34-35
In this episode of Faith Comes by Hearing, Dr. Cary Larson contrasts the popular but false “theology of glory," the idea that faithful living obligates God to bless us with success and ease—with the true theology of the cross revealed in Script...
I Believe According to the Scriptures - The Priesthood of All Believers -1 Peter 2:9–25
1 Peter 2:9–25 proclaims that every believer is part of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation—set apart not by personal perfection but by being clothed in Christ through baptism. The clear teaching of Scripture, distinguishes the...
I Believe According to the Scriptures: Confession and Absolution - John 20:23
When guilt weighs heavy and the conscience convicts, where do we turn? Not to self-justification. Not to denial. Not to despair. To the cross—and to the clear word of forgiveness spoken in Christ’s name. “Blessed is the one whose transgression ...
Believe According to the Scriptures: Christ Jesus' True Presence - 1 Cor. 11:24-26
1 Corinthians 11, proclaims the true bodily presence of Christ Jesus in, with, and under the bread and wine of the Sacrament of the Altar and the means by which forgiveness, life, and salvation are delivered. To receive Christ Jesus in His holy...
I Believe According to the Scriptures: Baptism Saves - 1 Peter 3:18-22
This episode of the Faith Comes by Hearing expounds the Lutheran understanding of baptism drawing on 1 Peter 3, Titus 3, Mark 16, and Romans 6, teaching that baptism delivers the forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and grants...
I Believe According to the Scriptures: I Am Saved by Grace Alone - Ephesians 2:8-9
In this episode Dr. Larson explores the riches of God's grace, reminding us through Ephesians 2 that we are saved by grace through faith as a free gift in Christ Jesus alone. Join us as we unpack this amazing grace, which is available to all, r...
I Believe According to the Scriptures: You Cannot Hire a Shepherd - 2 Timothy 4:1-5
Drawing richly from the Augsburg Confession Article Five -Of the Ministry, the stories of Moses and Peter, and the heart of pastoral vocation, Dr. Larson urges faithful preaching of the Word in season and out, with patience and love, for a chur...
I Believe According to the Scriptures: Simultaneously Saint and Sinner - Romans 7:13-25
In this episode of Faith Comes By Hearing, Dr. Larson explores the Lutheran teaching of simul justus et peccator—that Christians are simultaneously saints and sinners. Drawing from Romans 7, he candidly describes the daily struggle aga...
I Believe According to the Scriptures: The Law and The Gospel - John 1:17
This episode of Faith Comes By Hearing returns to the biblical fundamentals: the vital distinction between God’s Law (which shows our sin) and God’s Gospel (which reveals our Savior). No one is saved by following the Law! We are saved ...
I Believe According to the Scriptures: The True God-Romans 1:19-20
This episode explores the most vital question of all: Who is God? Creation reveals the power of God but only the Holy Scriptures informs us about God, His true name, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and His love for you. Scripture calls to mo...
I Believe According to the Scriptures: The Authority of Holy Scripture - 2 Timothy 3:16-17
In this episode of Faith Comes By Hearing, Rev. Dr. Cary Larson explores Holy Scripture's divine inspiration, inerrancy, and supreme authority, centered fully on Christ Jesus, which encourages us to feast on Scripture as the perfect no...
Special Edition - Memorial Day Address 2026 - John 15:13
In this special episode of Faith Comes By Hearing, Dr. Larson addresses the Iowa community of Algona on this day that the country honors the fallen. Drawing on the words of Jesus, the Apostle Paul, and Martin Luther's 1526 treatise "Whether Sol...
The Power From On High That Changes Everything - Pentecost Sunday - Acts 2:1-21
In this special Pentecost episode of Faith Comes By Hearing, Dr. Larson explains why the Holy Spirit is so important in the daily life of every Christian. Discover how the same Spirit who gave the disciples courage and Christ’s peace is still a...
Ascended Yet Never Absent: The True Meaning of Christ’s Homecoming - The Ascension of Christ - Luke 24:44–53
In this episode of Faith Comes By Hearing, Dr. Larson reflects on the Ascension of our Lord, an often-overlooked but essential feast day of the church. We explore what it means that Christ Jesus has been exalted to the right hand of the Father ...
Never Truly Alone: The Gift of the Holy Helper - Sixth Sunday of Easter - John 14:15-21
God is near to us. Dr. Cary Larson encourages you to find comfort in the promise that, even when our feelings fail or life feels overwhelming, the Holy Spirit gives us a conviction that is strong and steady, "tempered like fine steel." Through ...
The Only Way, The Explosive Truth, The Abundant Life- Fifth Sunday of Easter - John 14:1-14
Dr. Larson unpacks Jesus’ explosive claim “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” contrasting Christianity’s bold exclusive truth with the world’s fuzzy “all roads lead to God” illusion in this post-COVID America. Follow the risen Christ with ...
I Shall Not Want: The Promise of the Good Shepherd - Fourth Sunday of Easter - Psalm 23
Like David before us, we are called to move from a small, restrictive view of Christ to one of awe and devotion, trusting that the Creator of the universe is personally and lovingly concerned with every detail of our lives. Whether life is flou...
Recognizing Jesus in an Uncertain World - Third Sunday of Easter - Luke 24:13-35
Jesus' appearance to two disciples on the road to Emmaus highlights their despair due to misunderstanding Holy Scripture. Jesus clarifies that Old Testament prophecies required the Messiah's suffering for victory over sin. Christ Jesus calls Hi...
The Office of the Keys - 2nd Sunday of Easter - John 20:19-31
Dr. Cary Larson explores the "Office of the Keys," examining how Jesus empowered his disciples to forgive sins through the Holy Spirit. Reflecting on Thomas’s journey from disbelief to a bold confession of faith, true forgiveness and restoratio...
I Know That My Redeemer Lives! - Easter Sunday - Job 19:23-27
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah! In this powerful Easter sermon, Dr. Cary Larson proclaims the undeniable truth of the empty tomb and the living Savior who conquered death for you, delivering unshakable hope, full forgiveness, a...