What is the Augsburg Confession and why does it matter?

Sunday, September 29, 2024

We recently had a three-week Bible study about how God's Word helps us to make sense of and approach suffering. In the Lutheran Christian tradition, the cross of Christ is crucial as we grapple with suffering and evil in our lives and in this world. At the cross, Jesus Christ endured ultimate suffering, not only on a physical level but spiritually as well. Christ suffered the punishment for our sins and was (temporarily) forsaken by God the Father. He underwent all this for us so that we can be spared from God’s righteous wrath in hell and, instead, be united with our Lord forever!

The preaching and teaching of this Gospel of Christ was what set apart the early Lutheran reformers during the 1520s and thereafter. Martin Luther and his fellow reformers (in both the church and the state), were willing to lay down their lives, if necessary, rather than giving up or compromising the precious Gospel message, that our sins are fully forgiven, by God’s grace, through faith in Jesus Christ.

In 1517, Luther sparked what became known as the “Reformation” with the publication of his Ninety-Five Theses. His theses were primarily written against the sale of indulgences to fund the Vatican. What began with one man speaking out quickly became a society-shaking movement throughout Europe, and the world has never been the same!

Thirteen years later, representatives of the Lutheran Reformation were summoned to an imperial meeting (called a “Diet” at that time) in the southern German city of Augsburg. There, the Lutherans (known first as “Evangelicals” or “Protestants”) would have the opportunity to discuss their faith and reforms before Charles V., the “Holy Roman Emperor” who ruled over much of central Europe. Martin Luther himself was unable to travel to Augsburg because he was branded an outlaw in the Empire some years before. 

The lead representative of the Lutherans at Augsburg was Luther’s closest colleague, Philip Melanchthon. After arriving in the city and hearing many of the false attacks that were circulating against the Lutherans, Melanchthon quickly composed an updated confession of faith to read before Charles on June 25, 1530. Melanchthon’s tone in this confession was very respectful and conciliatory, while still firmly stating the Lutheran position on salvation, Holy Communion, the role of good works in our Christian lives, and other critical teachings. This document, known as the Augsburg Confession (AC), deliberately sought to show that the early Lutherans stood firmly in the “catholic” (universal) Christian faith, extending back to the early Church, while also distinguishing some Lutheran beliefs and practices from those of other reforming groups (the forebears of modern-day Baptist, Calvinist, and Reformed churches). 

The AC is the foundational statement of what it means to believe and practice the Lutheran Christian faith. Since 1530, when the AC was delivered before the Emperor, Lutherans have continued to subscribe to its doctrine. Additionally, Lutheran pastors and other professional church workers in The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod vow to confess the Christian faith as expressed in the AC (together with the other writings in the Lutheran Confessions) because they are a true exhibition of Scripture. (I took that vow on July 22, 2012 at my ordination.)

Unfortunately, many Lutherans today are unfamiliar with the AC and its simple summary of the Christian faith. That’s why I’d like to invite you to our new Sunday Bible study at 9:00am each week in the church sanctuary. Participants will receive a copy of the Reader’s Edition of the Augsburg Confession which includes helpful notes to explain and introduce the articles of faith. Together, we’ll be looking at most of the AC, while also discussing its continued significance for our life of faith in Christ and as members of His Body, the Church. Come and learn why many early Lutherans were willing to suffer and die, rather than giving up the Good News of Jesus Christ!

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Kory Janneke