Author: Rev. Jacob Ehrhard

Rev. Jacob Ehrhard is pastor of St. John's Ev. Lutheran Church (Mayfair), Chicago, Illinois.

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Higher History

Concord #9: Augsburg Confession (The Church)

the christian church

Article 7: The Church

If you went to 1333 Kirkwood Ave. in St. Louis, Missouri, you would find the international headquarters of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. If you went to Vatican City in Italy, you might find the Pope, who is the head of the Roman Catholic Church. But in neither case would you find the Church, properly speaking. Sure, some people may use the word “church” to describe earthly organizations of Christians, but that’s not what the Church truly is.

The Church is not something that can be seen. It’s not a person, or a class of people, or a business office. The Church is an article of faith. “Also they teach that one holy Church is to continue forever. The Church is the congregation of saints, in which the Gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments are rightly administered,” (Augsburg Confession VII.1).

The Church is the congregation of saints. It’s the sum total of all believers everywhere, who are gathered here and there throughout the world. This congregation, however, is not a group of like-minded individuals who find that they have something in common and decide to get together and make a church. They are gathered. Passive. The Church is called, gathered, enlightened, and sanctified by the Spirit. That’s why the Church is always where the Gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments are rightly administered. They are the Spirit’s instruments.

Even though the Church cannot be seen in any earthly institution, it can be perceived by the means of grace. The preaching of God’s Word, Baptism, and the Supper are called the marks of the Church—they mark where it can be found. Because the Church is defined thusly, this is sufficient for the true unity of the Church. “And to the true unity of the Church it is enough to agree concerning the doctrine of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments. Nor is it necessary that human traditions, that is, rites or ceremonies, instituted by men, should be everywhere alike. As Paul says: One faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of all, etc. Eph. 4:5-6,” (Augsburg Confession VII.2-4).

Human traditions do not define the Church, but good human traditions will always extol and point to those things that mark the Church, namely, the preaching of the Gospel and the Sacraments. Traditions that point elsewhere, or worse, deny the instruments of the Spirit, should be tossed.

We confess that the one holy Church is to continue forever. Not only will the Church never perish in this world, but it will extend into the world that is to come, when our Lord Jesus Christ returns on the Last Day.

You can read the Book of Concord at http://www.bookofconcord.org

 

“Concord” is a weekly study of the Lutheran Confessions, where we will take up a topic from the Book of Concord and reflect on what we believe, teach, and confess in the Lutheran Church. The purpose of this series is to deepen readers’ knowledge and appreciation for the confessions of the Lutheran Church, and to unite them “with one heart” to confess the teachings of Holy Scripture.

Rev. Jacob Ehrhard serves as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in New Haven, MO.

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Articles

Concord #8: Augsburg Confession (Obedience)

New Obedience good works

Article 6: New Obedience

“Faith apart from works is dead,” writes St. James (James 2:26b ESV). But we confess that we are saved by faith alone, apart from works. Doesn’t the addition of works cancel faith? Or maybe Lutherans have gotten it wrong, and obedience really is a part of faith and salvation.

It would be a mistake to say that Lutherans never talk about good works or obedience to God. But good works must have their proper place. The 6th article of the Augsburg Confession speaks to good works: “Also they teach that this faith is bound to bring forth good fruits, and that it is necessary to do good works commanded by God, because of God’s will, but that we should not rely on those works to merit justification before God,” (Augsburg Confession VI.1).

First, good works follow faith; they don’t precede faith. Not a single good deed is required to obtain faith. Faith is obtained by the work of the Holy Spirit in the means of grace. But, faith is bound to bring forth good fruits of obedience. Read that again. Faith is bound to bring forth good fruits.

Second, this means that faith isn’t just a potential to do good works, as if it’s a special divine power that you can decide to use or not use. Faith is bound to bring forth good fruits. Why? Because faith is the work of the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit doesn’t stop with faith. He also works the good works in you. As St. Paul writes in Ephesians: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them,” (Ephesians 2:8-10). Who prepares the works? God does; we simply walk in them in obedience.

When you see good works and the new obedience worked by the Spirit in this way, we can then boldly confess along with the Augsburg Confession, “For remission of sins and justification is apprehended by faith, as also the voice of Christ attests: When ye shall have done all these things, say: We are unprofitable servants. Luke 17:10. The same is also taught by the Fathers. For Ambrose says: It is ordained of God that he who believes in Christ is saved, freely receiving remission of sins, without works, by faith alone,” (Augsburg Confession VI. 2-3).

You can read the Book of Concord at http://www.bookofconcord.org

 

“Concord” is a weekly study of the Lutheran Confessions, where we will take up a topic from the Book of Concord and reflect on what we believe, teach, and confess in the Lutheran Church. The purpose of this series is to deepen readers’ knowledge and appreciation for the confessions of the Lutheran Church, and to unite them “with one heart” to confess the teachings of Holy Scripture.

Rev. Jacob Ehrhard serves as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in New Haven, MO.

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Higher History

Concord #7: Augsburg Confession (Ministry)

minister with sacarament

Article 5: Ministry

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became flesh and gave Himself as the sacrifice for sin for the sinner’s justification. But that was 2,000 years ago and half a world away. What good does Jesus do for me in rural Missouri in 2017 (or wherever you happen to be at any given time)?

If Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection is only information about a man who lived long ago in a strange land, then He really is just a historical footnote. Nothing more than a fable or a fairy tale to inspire you to live your life a certain way. Faith in Him would really be no faith at all. It is only a memory of something that happened long ago and far away.

But the story of Jesus doesn’t end there. The book of Acts begins, “In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen,” (Acts 1:1-2). The Gospel is only the beginning; Jesus’ work continues in the Church, where He continues to deliver the faith of the cross through the Holy Spirit and the apostolic teaching. This is the ministry of Jesus in the Church.

“That we may obtain this faith, the Ministry of Teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments was instituted. For through the Word and Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Ghost is given, who works faith; where and when it pleases God, in them that hear the Gospel, to wit, that God, not for our own merits, but for Christ’s sake, justifies those who believe that they are received into grace for Christ’s sake” (Augsburg Confession V.1-3).

The ministry of preaching of the Word and the administration of the sacraments are the instruments that the Holy Spirit uses to give faith to you, here and now. The ministry is the “for you” of the Gospel. These means deliver and create faith. We reject that we can get a hold of either faith or the Holy Spirit by our own preparations or works.

In the German translation of the Book of Concord, this article on Ministry is called Predigtamt. “Preaching Office.’ The office of the pastor. This is your pastor’s job—preach the Gospel; administer the sacraments. This is where you go to find the faith delivered—the hearing of the Gospel; the receiving of the sacraments. There is no more blessed place for you to be in the Church than on the receiving end of the means of grace.

You can read the Book of Concord at http://www.bookofconcord.org

 

“Concord” is a weekly study of the Lutheran Confessions, where we will take up a topic from the Book of Concord and reflect on what we believe, teach, and confess in the Lutheran Church. The purpose of this series is to deepen readers’ knowledge and appreciation for the confessions of the Lutheran Church, and to unite them “with one heart” to confess the teachings of Holy Scripture.

Rev. Jacob Ehrhard serves as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in New Haven, MO.

Categories
Higher History

Concord #6: Augsburg Confession (Justification)

Jesus justification God

Article 4: Justification

Original sin has replaced our original righteousness. That is to say, in the beginning God created man and woman in a right relationship with Him and all of creation, properly oriented toward God in knowledge and worship, and toward creation in vocation. But sin disordered that relationship. We became disoriented, crooked, skewed. Now our orientation is every which way but toward God.

Justification is getting lined back up again, like this paragraph is “left justified” because the words are lined up straight on the left side. Justification is how we get pointed back toward God; it’s how we get restored to that right relationship with Him that we lost. And being right with God, we also become right with the world.

No strength, merit, or work of our own can do this. It might get you close—really close, in fact. But if it’s not right in line, even minor imperfections will be amplified when it comes to reaching God. Like traveling to the moon—if you’re off even by fractions of a percent, you’ll sail right past into the outer darkness.

So how do we get right?  Lutheran churches teach that people “cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works, but are freely justified for Christ’s sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor, and that their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake, who, by His death, has made satisfaction for our sins. This faith God imputes for righteousness in His sight. Rom. 3 and 4” (Augsburg Confession, article IV). Faith. Faith is what justifies.

But it’s not just any old faith. It’s faith that we are justified for Christ’s sake. He’s the One who does the work with His sacrificial death and victorious resurrection. We don’t justify ourselves by approaching God; God justifies us by receiving us into favor. And He does so by forgiving our sins.

This faith He imputes for righteousness. That means that He counts it for righteousness. It’s like you log into your bank account to find that someone has deposited more money than you could ever hope to spend. Through faith, God gives us credit for Jesus’ work. And we are justified.

You can read the Book of Concord at http://www.bookofconcord.org

 

“Concord” is a weekly study of the Lutheran Confessions, where we will take up a topic from the Book of Concord and reflect on what we believe, teach, and confess in the Lutheran Church. The purpose of this series is to deepen readers’ knowledge and appreciation for the confessions of the Lutheran Church, and to unite them “with one heart” to confess the teachings of Holy Scripture.

Rev. Jacob Ehrhard serves as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in New Haven, MO.

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Sermons FOR YOU

“The Other Side of Baptism” – The Baptism of Our Lord 2019

It was not necessary for Jesus to be baptized—not for Himself—but it was necessary for you. Jesus’ baptism is the other side of your baptism, the thing that makes it worthwhile. The baptism of Christ provides the gifts of your baptism.

Text: Matt. 3:13-17 (One Year)

Preacher: Pastor Jacob Ehrhard, St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church, Chicago, Illinois

Categories
Higher History

Concord #5: Augsburg Confession (Jesus)

Jesus christian

Article 3: Jesus

In the second article of the Augsburg Confession, the first evangelical Christians presented the problem of sin. Without delay, the solution to sin is given in the very next article of faith: Jesus Christ. It’s a simple and straightforward confession of faith, but there’s a lot packed into a few words.

 

Two Natures

A whole book can be written on this topic alone, but simply put, Jesus is truly God and truly man: not one or the other; not part God and part man; not the body of a man and the soul of God. All of Jesus-body and soul-at the same time human and divine. This is the mystery of the incarnation: “Also they teach that the Word, that is, the Son of God, did assume the human nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin Mary, so that there are two natures, the divine and the human, inseparably enjoined in one Person, one Christ, true God and true man, who was born of the Virgin Mary,” (Augsburg Confession III.1-2).

 

Sacrifice

He shared in our humanity so that by His death He would be the sacrifice for the sin of humanity. This includes the sin that has been passed down from Adam, as well as all sins which we ourselves have committed since. His blood earned our forgiveness. He “truly suffered, was crucified, dead, and buried, that He might reconcile the Father unto us, and be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for all actual sins of men” (Augsburg Confession III.2-3).

 

Reign

He is now risen and ascended to God’s right hand where He reigns over all creation, and in particular His kingdom of grace. His reign is His gracious activity in sending the Holy Spirit to create faith and to sanctify the faithful. “He also descended into hell, and truly rose again the third day; afterward He ascended into heaven that He might sit on the right hand of the Father, and forever reign and have dominion over all creatures, and sanctify them that believe in Him, by sending the Holy Ghost into their hearts, to rule, comfort, and quicken them, and to defend them against the devil and the power of sin” (Augsburg Confession III.4-5).

 

Return

We believe that Jesus will return, and that will be the Last Day of this present creation. He will raise the dead and give everlasting life to those who believe Him. “The same Christ shall openly come again to judge the quick and the dead, etc., according to the Apostles’ Creed” (Augsburg Confession III.6).

 

There is it. Simple. Clear. Compact. In fact, the whole content of the Christian faith is summarized in this article of faith. The rest of the Augsburg Confession simply unpacks what is already found here: Jesus — true God and true man, the sacrifice for sins, who reigns from God’s right hand, and who will return.

You can read the Book of Concord at http://www.bookofconcord.org

 

“Concord” is a weekly study of the Lutheran Confessions, where we will take up a topic from the Book of Concord and reflect on what we believe, teach, and confess in the Lutheran Church. The purpose of this series is to deepen readers’ knowledge and appreciation for the confessions of the Lutheran Church, and to unite them “with one heart” to confess the teachings of Holy Scripture.

Rev. Jacob Ehrhard serves as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in New Haven, MO.

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Small Catechism Tuesday

Small Catechism Tuesday #23 – The Third Article 1

A weekly quick take on Luther’s Small Catechism. This week, the Holy Spirit and where faith comes from.

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Small Catechism Tuesday

Small Catechism Tuesday #22 – The Second Article 3

A weekly quick take on Luther’s Small Catechism. This week, the resurrection.

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Small Catechism Tuesday

Small Catechism Tuesday #21 – The Second Article 2

A weekly quick take on Luther’s Small Catechism. This week we confess Jesus as the Redeemer.

Categories
Higher History

Concord #4: Augsburg Confession (Original Sin)

Christian confession Augsburg sin

Article 2: Original Sin

You can’t get too far in a theological discussion before you run into sin. It’s kind of a big deal in the Bible. And it also happens to be the topic of the second article of the Augsburg Confession. Everyone who’s ever gotten into trouble as a kid, or has gotten pulled over by police officer for breaking the speed limit has a pretty good idea of what sin is. It’s when you disobey. It’s when you break the rules.

Although we have a general, intuitive sense of what sin is, we also tend to have a pretty high view of ourselves. Our default assumption is that sins are the occasional misdeeds done by otherwise good people. We want to think that if we can peel enough layers away, we can find a spark of good inside.

If our only problem were occasional sins, we would be able to cancel out our sins with our good works. For every bad thing we did, we could do something good to balance out the divine scales of justice. Sin, however, is much more than a few misdeeds here and there. It’s a problem that goes much deeper than outward behaviors.

 

Concupiscence

“Also they teach that since the fall of Adam all men begotten in the natural way are born with sin, that is, without the fear of God, without trust in God, and with concupiscence; and that this disease, or vice of origin, is truly sin, even now condemning and bringing eternal death upon those not born again through Baptism and the Holy Ghost” (Augsburg Confession II.1-2).

Concupiscence is the $200 word. It’s the desire to sin, the inclination to sin. It’s what Jesus means when He says that whoever is angry with another person has committed murder and whoever lusts after a woman has committed adultery (see Matthew 5:21-30). It means that you’re a sinner before you even commit a sin.

Sin is the condition in which we are conceived and born. It’s inescapable. But God has given us a cure in Baptism. Baptism is a washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). All sins, whether original or actual, are drowned in the waters of the font, because that’s the place where Jesus has put His promise of forgiveness.

You can read the Book of Concord at http://www.bookofconcord.org

 

“Concord” is a weekly study of the Lutheran Confessions, where we will take up a topic from the Book of Concord and reflect on what we believe, teach, and confess in the Lutheran Church. The purpose of this series is to deepen readers’ knowledge and appreciation for the confessions of the Lutheran Church, and to unite them “with one heart” to confess the teachings of Holy Scripture.

Rev. Jacob Ehrhard serves as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in New Haven, MO.