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