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JULY 2008
To the people of God at St. Paul,
June
25th marked anniversaries of two great events in the life of the
Lutheran Church. That day marked the 478th anniversary of the presentation
of the Augsburg Confession and the thirteenth anniversary of my
ordination. Needless to say, the former event has had a much more
profound effect than the latter. However, I would imagine that many,
if not most, of you were unaware of the impact of the proceedings
that occurred June 25, 1530 in the little town of Augsburg, Germany.
The Augsburg Confession is a document written by Luther’s
student and friend Philip Melancthon. It consists of 28 articles
of faith drawn from Holy Scripture. At risk of losing their reputation,
their freedom, and even their lives, seven German princes and the
mayors and councils of the free cities of Nuremberg and Reutlingen
signed the Confession as a public declaration of faith. Martin Luther
was unable to attend the presentation of the Confession because
he had been declared an outlaw by the pope, and it was made public
that he could or should be hunted down, kidnaped, or killed. All
this came about because Luther upheld St. Paul’s teaching
that “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” [Eph. 2:8-9]. The Roman Catholic
response to the Augsburg Confession called the Roman Confutation
stated: “Their [the Lutheran princes’] ascription of
justification to faith alone is diametrically opposed to the truth
of the Gospel, by which works are not excluded” [Pt. I, Art.
VI].
To this day, Martin Luther is still, because of this very reason,
condemned as a heretic by the Roman Catholic Church according to
the official proceedings of the Council of Trent. Luther, the German
princes, and tens of thousands of other God-fearing Christians risked
everything to profess the Scriptural truths that had been denied
by the Roman Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire.
The presentation of the Augsburg Confession was not like the signing
of the Declaration of Independence. The Lutherans did not intend
to break away from the Roman Church. It was their desire to change
the church from within. However, in the years that followed the
public declaration of faith we know as the Augsburg Confession,
the Lutherans, who had been forcibly removed from the Roman Church,
were forced to hold their ground against all kinds of attacks. The
“new” church was called the Evangelical Church, that
is, the Church of the Gospel. The enemies of the Gospel fought against
the German Lutherans with more than just a war of words -- swords,
clubs, and spears were used because words and the Word were on the
side of the Lutherans.
As the present church moves into the future, I pray that we never
forget the past. Much can be learned from those who sacrificed of
themselves for the sake of the Gospel. Our culture has forgotten
what it means to sacrifice. We tend to give of ourselves, of our
time, or of our possessions only when it is convenient or we have
much to spare.
Like in Luther’s day, so in our society, the Gospel is under
attack from all sides and works-righteousness is still a common
belief. I ask you the same question put toward those who signed
the Augsburg Confession: “What are you willing to give up
that the truth of the Gospel might be preached in your nation, in
your church, and in your home?”
In
Christ,
Pastor Eden
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