The Presentation of the Augsburg Confession
490 years ago on 25 June, our Lutheran fathers gave a confession of their faith before the Roman Church and the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V. That confession of faith is called the Augsburg Confession and it lays out simply and clearly what we as Lutherans teach, believe and confess. Although this event should probably be considered the beginning of the Lutheran Reformation, it was 13 years after Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the church door in 1517. In the year 1530 the Moslem Turks were threatening the Holy Roman Empire. They had already swallowed up the lands in south eastern Europe and had their sights set on central and northern Europe. In an effort to save the Empire and the Christian faith in Western Europe, the Moslem Turks would have to be stopped. But the Holy Roman Empire was not united. Some of the lands and princes remained loyal to the Pope and the Roman Church while others had embraced the clear Scriptural teaching of Lutheranism. The emperor believed these differences in religion had to be worked out—that is, the Lutheran princes and land return to the Roman Church. The Emperor, Charles V, called together an assembly—diet—of princes and other representatives from the Empire to forge a united front against the Turks and restore unity. The meeting was held in the southern German city of Augsburg. The Lutherans were required to give a statement of faith. Because Luther’s safety could not be guaranteed, he could not attend. But with Luther’s approval and guidance, the Augsburg Confession was drawn together by his co-worker Philip Melanchton. The Augsburg Confession was read in German before Emperor and Church at 3 PM on 25 June 1530. The Augsburg Confession became the chief explanation of God’s Word by which Lutheranism has been known ever since.
What does all this mean in light of our text this evening? –Faith in Christ leads us to confess, to proclaim that faith. St. Paul writes: I believed and so I spoke; Sts. Peter and John say: We cannot stop telling what we have seen and heard. The psalmist [119.46] writes: I will speak of Your written truths before kings and not feel ashamed.
What is it that we as Christians confess first and foremost? The main teaching of the Christian faith: we are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus. This is the main doctrine that was confessed in Augsburg those 490 years ago and what we continue to confess today. As our fathers put it that day at Augsburg: Our churches teach that people cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works. People 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. By His death, Christ made satisfaction for our sins. God counts this faith for righteousness in His sight.
The big question dealt with in Augsburg/ the big question that everybody has to deal with is: How am I saved? How can I be righteous/ holy before God? Without perfect righteousness heaven is shut to us and hell is open wide! All of us are sinners. All of us lack the righteousness God demands of us. That unrighteousness is seen in what we say, do and think. Even our desires lack righteousness.
But how do so many people want to enter heaven? What is the way that so many people want to be righteous? By doing the works of the Law; by doing what God commands in His law, they hope to earn heaven. Of course, striving to live a holy life, striving to live according to God’s law is a good thing; of course righteousness should mark the Christian’s life. But we cannot earn heaven by it; and we dare not put our trust and confidence in our works—and why? They are far from that perfection God demands/ requires, as any examination of conscience will show.
St. Paul begins our text: Moses writes about the righteousness which comes from the law, ‘The man who does those things shall live by them.’” Yes, a person can be righteous by fulfilling the Law and can obtain eternal life by doing the Law—but note that this is only the case if the person does all of the commandments perfectly; or, to put it differently—only by being perfectly sinless can a person be righteous according to the Law. The very fact that we all confessed our sins earlier in the Divine Service means what? –We haven’t lived according to the Law perfectly. And this means what? –We have no righteousness from the Law. And this means what? –We cannot gain heaven by our works. Elsewhere St. Paul writes: There is a curse on all who depend on doing what the Law says, because it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who does not follow and do everything written in the book of the Law.’
Dear Christian, the main point of our Augsburg Confession, the main point of holy Scripture, the main point of today’s text is that there is another righteousness—not a righteousness of the Law, but a righteousness which comes from faith. And how we need this other kind of righteousness, the righteousness that comes from faith! For even by just one sin we no longer have the righteousness from the Law. Now the Law just accuses and condemns us.
But in His mercy God has provided another righteousness for us—not one from the Law, which we cannot do, but a righteousness by grace through faith—faith in Jesus and His work. Jesus is our righteousness! He brought about for us this righteousness. Our text: But the righteousness which comes from faith speaks in this way, ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?” [that is, to bring Christ down] or, “Who will descend into the depths” [that is, to bring Christ up from the dead]”. Jesus is our righteousness; He is our salvation. The very fact that He is our righteousness is our greatest joy and comfort. It means that He has done everything to save us from our sin and damnation. There’s nothing left for us to do! Jesus has already come. He is the true God who has come down from heaven, became one of us taking on human flesh and blood, and placed Himself under the Law of God—and for us and our salvation, as our Substitute, obeyed fully and perfectly all of God’s holy Law. And on top of that, as our Substitute, He took our sins upon Himself to the cross and there endured the curse and wrath of God for each of our sins. Precisely because Jesus never once sinned, fulfilling all righteousness, and perfectly paying the price of our sins on the cross, He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven opening the kingdom of Heaven to all believers.
Dear Christian, we have no righteousness from the Law but we do have a righteousness which comes from faith. For Jesus’ sake, God forgives us our sins and gives us the perfect righteousness of Jesus. In faith—created in us by the Holy Spirit—we receive Jesus’ perfect righteousness. When God now looks at us, He does not see all of our sin, but only Jesus’ perfect holiness and righteousness.
Later in our text St. Paul writes: For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’ Faith, that inward trust of the heart/ that reliance on Jesus and His work is the one way through which we obtain the blessings of salvation. Faith is constantly receiving this forgiveness, this righteousness of Jesus. We are holy, righteous because of this righteousness which faith receives—this perfect righteousness of Jesus.
The apostle continues: But what does it say? ‘The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.’ This is the Word of faith that we preach. Jesus and His salvation, His righteousness is near us. He is present with His blessings in the Word and Sacraments. To receive Jesus, His salvation, His righteousness in the Sacrament and word nothing more is needed than faith because faith alone grasps Jesus and His righteousness. That means that faith in Jesus and His work alone saves us and justifies. Faith does not save because it is a good work we do or such a great virtue; instead, faith saves because it receives Jesus and His righteousness. The Word of faith Paul and all faithful preachers proclaim not only tells us of Jesus and His work but it contains and brings us Jesus and His righteousness. That Word of faith, the preaching of Christ crucified demands faith of us—demands that we believe it but at the same time it creates that very faith it demands. How? –Because through that word, the Holy Spirit is at work to create and strengthen faith. Jesus’ work to save us, His righteousness is near; it is here, available to all in the word. We don’t have to discover it or devise it but simply believe it in faith, that very faith that the Holy Spirit creates and so receive that perfect righteousness of Jesus that comes to us through faith.
That word of faith not only creates faith but leads us to confess that faith that we have! St. Paul continues in our text: If with your mouth you confess, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and in your heart you believe ‘God raised Him from the dead,’ you will be saved. With your heart you believe and become righteous; with your mouth you confess and are saved. Faith and confession are two sides of the same coin. Confession of faith is a fruit of faith. A person who from the heart believes that Jesus is true God and our Savior cannot but also outwardly confess Jesus with the mouth before God and man. That’s what our Lutheran fathers did at Augsburg. They could not help but to tell what Jesus did for them: that He was their righteousness, that they were not saved by their works but by Jesus and His life, suffering and death.
But as wonderful as the confession of faith is, it is still a fruit/ result of faith. Confession doesn’t save—faith alone does that as it receives Jesus and His work and holiness. Confession of faith, though, testifies of the inward, invisible faith in the heart—a faith that receives Jesus and His perfect righteousness.
That we confess Jesus is Lord and believe in Him and His completed work of salvation—that’s all because of the work of the Holy Spirit: both the faith and the confession of that faith. Elsewhere St. Paul writes: No one is able to say, ‘Jesus is the Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit. As we confess our faith as our fathers did before Emperor and Church in Augsburg, or as we talk about Jesus among ourselves or when we tell others who don’t know the Good News about Jesus, the Holy Spirit is working on us and through us. What glorious things the Holy Spirit works as we confess that faith in Jesus that is in our hearts! We get the word out and through that Word the Holy Spirit works in the hearts of others. If no one would follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit to confess the faith, Christianity would have died out that first generation. But the Lord be praised! –Faithful confessing the faith continues until today. Is it part of our daily life? St. Paul specifically mentions those called to preach the word, like pastors and missionaries, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on Him if they have not believed in Him? How can they believe in Him if they have not heard of Him? How can they hear if no one preaches? How can men preach if they are not sent? Just as the Bible says: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. But all of us can confess our faith because the Holy Spirit leads and empowers us to do it. He wants us to confess the faith that is in our hearts for through that word of Jesus we share/ that confession of faith—Jesus is coming near to that child, friend, co-worker, parent, etc. with His work and blessings, His righteousness and forgiveness, to save them through faith. So then faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through the word of Christ that we confess.
As today we rejoice in the confession of faith made 490 years ago, may we be strengthened by their example and, led by the Holy Spirit, may we confess that faith that the Lord has created in our hearts to the glory of God. INJ