Category: Higher History

Concord #11: Augsburg Confession (Baptism, Supper, Confession)

Post author By Rev. Jacob Ehrhard
Post date March 5, 2019
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Articles 9, 10 & 11: Baptism – Supper – Confession

The ninth, tenth, and eleventh articles of the Augsburg Confession take up Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and Confession, respectively. Each of these articles is surprisingly short—the longest of them is only two sentences. But the brevity of this confession should not make you think that these are unimportant matters, or that there was relatively little difference with the Roman Church on these instruments of the Holy Spirit.

Baptism

“Of Baptism they teach that it is necessary to salvation, and that through Baptism is offered the grace of God, and that children are to be baptized who, being offered to God through Baptism are received into God’s grace. They condemn the Anabaptists, who reject the baptism of children, and say that children are saved without Baptism,” (Augsburg Confession, Article IX). The basic understanding of Baptism is that it is a vehicle of salvation, in agreement with Mark 16:16, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved,” and 1 Peter 3:21, “Baptism…now saves you.” Because children need salvation, they also need Baptism.

Lord’s Supper

“Of the Supper of the Lord they teach that the Body and Blood of Christ are truly present, and are distributed to those who eat the Supper of the Lord; and they reject those that teach otherwise,” (Augsburg Confession, Article X). Even more simply stated that Baptism. The Supper distributes the body and blood of Christ, which are truly present, to all who partake of it. This is what the words of Christ declare.

Confession

“Of Confession they teach that Private Absolution ought to be retained in the churches, although in confession an enumeration of all sins is not necessary. For it is impossible according to the Psalm: Who can understand his errors? Ps. 19:12” (Augsburg Confession, Article XI). Confession is kept with one caveat—you don’t have to list your sins.

Even though the means of grace are confessed clearly and simply in these three articles of the Augsburg Confession, there are some significant disagreements that are revealed when you go beyond the surface. The theology that underlies the sacraments in the Roman Church leads to a sharp divergence, especially in the practice of the sacraments. These are addressed in the final section of the Augsburg Confession (articles 22-28), as well as in subsequent confessional documents. Stay tuned for more!

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.

Tags augsburg confession, baptism, book of concord, confession, Lord's Supper, lutheran, sacraments

Higher History

Concord #10: Augsburg Confession (What the Church Is)

Post author By Rev. Jacob Ehrhard
Post date February 25, 2019
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Article 8: What the Church Is

You don’t have to spend much time in the church to find out that it’s inhabited by sinners as much as it is by saints. But unlike the rest of the world, Christians’ faults seem to stand out in sharper contrast against the message of love, kindness, reconciliation, and mutual sacrifice that the Scriptures exhort them to practice. And it’s not just the members of the church. Sometimes the ministers set the worst example of all with their accusations, backbiting, controversies over words, and love of dissension. It’s as if they’re a bunch of fakes. For this reason, the world calls the church a bunch of hypocrites.

First, we must understand what a hypocrite is. The world defines it as “believing the right thing, but doing the wrong thing,” such as a Christian who confesses the Eighth Commandment on Sunday, but spreads rumors about his neighbor on Monday. But in the Scriptures, a hypocrite is someone who does the right thing, but believes the wrong thing. Like the Pharisees, who kept the Law to the letter, but whose actions hid a false faith.

The reality is that both kinds of people are found in the Church. Contrary to the world’s expectation, the Church is not the place to find perfect saints; it’s the place to find forgiven sinners. And there’s always room for another. But even so, there are also hypocrites in the Church—people who play the part perfectly, but are later revealed to be faithless and wicked. They did the right thing, at least outwardly, but believed only in themselves and not their Savior.

But to this the Augsburg Confession of the Lutheran Church says: “Although the Church properly is the congregation of saints and true believers, nevertheless, since in this life many hypocrites and evil persons are mingled therewith, it is lawful to use Sacraments administered by evil men, according to the saying of Christ: The Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat, etc. Matt. 23:2. Both the Sacraments and Word are effectual by reason of the institution and commandment of Christ, notwithstanding they be administered by evil men” (Augsburg Confession VIII.1-2).

The comfort in this confession is that the Church and its holiness is not dependent upon the holiness of the people who occupy it. The Sacraments and the Word are not effective because of the perfection of the ministers who administer them, nor because they make perfect saints in this life. They are effective because of the institution and commandment of Christ. Even if the Church was completely full of hypocrites who believed nothing, the Word and the Sacraments would still stand because Christ is risen and they are His Sacraments. And because these means of grace are effective, even hypocrites can be transformed into saints by the working of Christ and the Holy Spirit.

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

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

Tags augsburg confession, book of concord, church, hypocrites, lutheran, sinners

Higher History

Concord #9: Augsburg Confession (The Church)

Post author By Rev. Jacob Ehrhard
Post date February 19, 2019
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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

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

Tags augsburg confession, book of concord, church, lutheran, sacraments, word

As Lutheran As It Gets Higher History

54: John Mason Neale – Sing, My Tongue, the Glorious Battle

Post author By Rev. Christopher Gillespie
Post date February 16, 2019
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This week, Pastors Gillespie and Riley discuss Neale’s translation of Fortunatus’ hymn, prayer, the two kingdoms, right and left-handed power, and the importance of a “catholic” confession of the Christian faith.

Text: “Sing, My Tongue, the Glorious Battle,” Fortunatus, tr. John Mason Neale

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Please rate and review the show in Apple Podcasts, via https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/as-lutheran-as-it-gets/id1288159643?mt=2.

And as always, don’t forget Pr. Gillespie’s coffee for your caffeinated needs.

Tags cross, hymnody, John Mason Neale

Higher History

Concord #7: Augsburg Confession (Ministry)

Post author By Rev. Jacob Ehrhard
Post date January 22, 2019
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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

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

Tags augsburg confession, book of concord, lutheran, means of grace, ministry, pastor

Higher History

Concord #6: Augsburg Confession (Justification)

Post author By Rev. Jacob Ehrhard
Post date January 15, 2019
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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

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

Tags augsburg confession, book of concord, faith, Justification, lutheran, righteousness

Higher History

Concord #5: Augsburg Confession (Jesus)

Post author By Rev. Jacob Ehrhard
Post date January 8, 2019
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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

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

Tags augsburg confession, book of concord, creed, jesus, lutheran

Higher History

Concord #4: Augsburg Confession (Original Sin)

Post author By Rev. Jacob Ehrhard
Post date November 27, 2018

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

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

Tags book of concord, concupiscence, confession, lutheran, original sin, sin

Higher History

Concord #3: Augsburg Confession (God)

Post author By Rev. Jacob Ehrhard
Post date November 20, 2018
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Article 1: God

The Lutheran faith is not an entirely new faith, but is a continuation of the ancient faith of the Christian Church. The beginning of the first Lutheran confession recalls the creedal faith that was articulated in the first several centuries of the New Testament. Many disagreements and false teachings concerning the nature of God and the person of Christ had arisen almost from the time of Pentecost. In the year 325 A.D., pastors and bishops from across the Christian Church assembled a council in the town of Nicaea to hash out what Christians really believe. The result was the Nicene Creed.

“Our Churches, with common consent, do teach that the decree of the Council of Nicaea concerning the Unity of the Divine Essence and concerning the Three Persons, is true and to be believed without any doubting; that is to say, there is one Divine Essence which is called and which is God: eternal, without body, without parts, of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness, the Maker and Preserver of all things, visible and invisible; and yet there are three Persons, of the same essence and power, who also are coeternal, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. And the term “person” they use as the Fathers have used it, to signify, not a part or quality in another, but that which subsists of itself” (Augsburg Confession I.1-4).

Simply put, the God of the Christian Church is three distinct persons—Father, Son, Spirit—who share the same divine substance. Anything that denies this in whole or in part is contrary to the faith and cannot be called Christian. Some errors include considering Jesus or the Holy Spirit to be creatures or something less than fully God, or considering God to be one person who shows Himself in three different ways.

The Augsburg Confession grounds our confession of God in the Nicene Creed, but that does not mean that it’s a faith that was created by a bunch of men hanging out in Nicaea a few hundred years after Jesus suffered, died, rose, and ascended. The faith of Nicaea is grounded in Scripture, and thus the confession of the Lutheran Church is grounded in Scripture.

God’s nature is revealed very simply in the baptismal formula that Jesus gives in the last chapter of Matthew. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19 ESV). Three distinct persons; one shared name. The ancient creeds, and the Augsburg Confession that follows, are nothing more than an unfolding of what this divine name means—this name that is baptism’s gift for you.

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

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

Tags book of concord, Concordia, confession, creed, god, lutheran, trinity

Higher History

Concord #2: Augsburg Confession (About)

Post author By Rev. Jacob Ehrhard
Post date November 13, 2018
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About

“We at least leave with you a clear testimony, that we here in no wise are holding back from anything that could bring about Christian concord—such as could be effected with God and a good conscience” (Preface to the Augsburg Confession, paragraph 13).

The first distinctively Lutheran document of the Book of Concord is the Augsburg Confession (also known as the “Augustana”). It follows and is built upon the three Ecumenical Creeds (Apostles’, Nicene, Athanasian). This confession of faith expands on the basic doctrines taught in the creeds, and addresses some controversies that had arisen in the Church.

Introduction

The Augsburg Confession was written by theologians—Philip Melanchthon, with input from his colleague and friend, Martin Luther, among others. But the thing that makes the Augsburg Confession stand out is that it was presented and signed by princes and electors. It is the confession of the Lutheran layman.

It is called the Augsburg Confession because it was presented at a conference in the city of Augsburg in the year 1530. At that time, there was still anticipation that an open and honest conversation would bring about reformation and unity in the Church. The preface is written humbly and kindly and is full of hope, and the entire document seeks a peaceful harmony of teaching and faith.

What’s in It?

The content of the Augsburg Confession is clear and concise. The first 21 articles deal with various points of doctrine, while the final seven deal with various abuses in the medieval Roman Church. In the coming weeks, we’ll take up the topics of the Augsburg Confession in order to deepen our knowledge and appreciation for this foundational confession of the Lutheran Church.

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

“Concord” is a weekly study of the Lutheran Confessions, in which 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.

Tags augustana, book of concord, concord, Concordia, lutheran, Philip Melancthon