Posted by A2 on 4/17/2001, 3:40 pm

The Augsburg Confession, Article 1: God Posted by Anon.II on 4/2/2001, 10:50 am , in reply to "Re: Well...not really." What Lutherans Believe:The Augsburg Confession by Pastor Bob Lewis Article 1: God "Our churches teach with great unanimity that ... there is one ... God ... yet ... three persons ... Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." The reformers who are the "big names" in the history of Lutheranism ... Martin Luther, Philip Melancthon, and others ... didn't set out to create a new church or a new denomination. They simply wanted to reform what they saw as errors within the one holy catholic and apostolic church. So they began their presentation to the Catholic emperor Charles the Fifth with articles that would be cause for little argument between them. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the first article of the Augsburg Confession, which is about God. Father, Son and Holy Spirit; three persons, one God. It was quite plain to the reformers that this was the place to start when talking about the Christian faith, because this is the point where all who are Christian must agree. These are words drawn from our ecumenical creeds: Apostles, Nicene, Athanasian. Outside the circle drawn by these words is that which is not Christian. We are a Trinitarian people. It seemed so simple, so ecumenical. The Catholic emperor and the reformers were off to a good start, on common ground, at least at the beginning. And it seems easy for us, too, to affirm these words. The name of our Triune God begins and ends our worship. We confess our faith in the words of the Creeds. Children and adults are baptized in that name in our font, and in Presbyterian, Baptist, Episcopalian and Roman Catholic fonts as well. This first article reflects the First Commandment, and its foundational statement for faith: "You shall have no other gods." We can certainly agree on this article with our lips. But do we agree on it with our lives? The great theologian Paul Tillich said, "Whatever you fear, love, and trust the most is your god." Whatever you fear, love, and trust the most is your god. How well do we do with our living confession of this article? Lots of other gods are out there, clamoring for our worship. The list of false gods is a long one. And it's oh, so easy to give in ... to money, power, drugs, love, sex, possessions, food, sports, academics, friends ... you name it, there's always something else out there clamoring to fill the hole in our lives that God wants to fill personally, in Jesus Christ. It's terribly easy for us to give in to the idols, the false gods. In fact, you can say it's second nature for us to do that. And so, we find ourselves , neatly enough, ready for next month's article, the Second Article of the Augsburg Confession ... Original Sin. Pastor Bob Lewis Messenger, June 1997 The Augsburg Confession Article I: Of God. 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. They condemn all heresies which have sprung up against this article, as the Manichaeans, who assumed two principles, one Good and the other Evil - also the Valentinians, Arians, Eunomians, Mohammedans, and all such. They condemn also the Samosatenes, old and new, who, contending that there is but one Person, sophistically and impiously argue that the Word and the Holy Ghost are not distinct Persons, but that "Word" signifies a spoken word, and "Spirit" signifies motion created in things. ---------- The Augsburg Confession, Article 3: The Son of God Posted by Anon.II on 4/2/2001, 10:53 am , in reply to "Re: Well...not really." The Augsburg Confession Series by Pastor Bob Lewis Article 3: The Son of God If you've been following this little series on our Lutheran Confessions, you'll recall that so far we've covered articles on God, and Original Sin. And these articles, which began this original Protestant manifesto, actually were not disputed by their opponents. It was agreed among all parties concerned that Christians everywhere worshipped the Triune God, and believed that human beings, ever since Adam, have lived lives separated from God because of sin. With Article 3, however, the split between Reformers and the church establishment began. "Our churches also teach that...the Son of God...took on man's nature..." The article begins innocently enough. It sounds a lot like the second article of the Apostles' or Nicene Creed. But then, a hidden bombshell: ...that (Jesus) might reconcile the Father to us and be a sacrifice not only for original guilt but also for all actual sins of men. And there the division began. For the medieval Church held that yes, what Jesus did on the cross did save us, but what we do also helps us in our salvation. And these works were carefully outlined: becoming a monk or nun, giving great sums of money to the Church, going on pilgrimages to shrines of the saints, and so on. As the establishment Church read this article, they most certainly wondered: what about all these "good works" and their place in our being saved?" Their answer came in article 4: "It is also taught among us that we cannot obtain forgiveness of sin and righteousness before God by our own merits, works, or satisfactions, but that we receive forgiveness of sins and become righteous before God by grace, for Christ's sake, through faith..." The reformers were clear: Jesus Christ, what he did for us on the cross, and through the gift of faith he gives us, he alone can save us from death. Nothing that we can do can make us right with God. No amount of money can buy us back into relationship with God. No amount of pilgrimages or switching careers to become a monk or nun makes us right with God. Even living a "good" life, going to church, and so on, still isn't good enough for God. We need Jesus alone, faith alone, grace alone. And that was unthinkable to the reformers' opponents. Surely, people must be able to do something to help make them better before God. No, said the reformers, we can't. And they pointed to Scripture, St. Paul to be exact, who pointed out that if we could save ourselves, why did Jesus need to come and die for us anyway? It was a hard article to swallow then. It was the crux, the central arguing point, of the Reformation. And it continues to be the "article by which the Church stands or falls" today. Why? We'll discuss that next month. Next: More on Article 4 plus Articles 5 and 6, too. Pastor Bob Lewis Messenger, October 1997 The Augsburg Confession Article III: Of the Son of God. 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, 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 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. The same Christ shall openly come again to judge the quick and the dead, etc., according to the Apostles' Creed. ---------- Posted by Steve B. on 4/2/2001, 11:11 am , in reply to "I know you've read the following creeds" A2, You are correct that I've read the creeds you post. What I have never understood, however, is how my statement that “Jesus is both a human and a divine person” is supposed to have strayed from any of these creeds. Sincerely, Steve