Evangelical Lutheran Catholics

“Is not this a beautiful, glorious exchange, by which Christ, who is wholly innocent and holy, not only takes upon himself another’s sin, that is, my sin and guilt, but also clothes and adorns me, who am nothing but sin, with his own innocence and purity?

And then besides dies the shameful death of the Cross for the sake of my sins, through which I have deserved death and condemnation, and grants to me his righteousness, in order that I may live with him eternally in glorious and unspeakable joy.

Through this blessed exchange, in which Christ changes places with us (something the heart can grasp only in faith), and through nothing else, are we freed from sin and death and given his righteousness and life as our own.” ~ Luther’s Works (AE) Vol. 51, p. 316.

We pray to the Lord for His blessings and provisions to us this day, forgiving our sins and sanctifying our good works. Hear Christ for you at kfuo.org!

Learn more about the Augsburg Confession and the rest of our Lutheran Confessions here: https://thelc.ms/3KXuorA

+ Presentation of the Augsburg Confession +

25 June

The Augsburg Confession, the principal doctrinal statement of the theology of Martin Luther and the Lutheran reformers, was written largely by Phillip Melanchthon. At its heart it confesses the justification of sinners by grace alone, through faith alone, for the sake of Christ alone. Signed by leaders of many German cities and regions, the confession was formally presented to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at Augsburg, Germany, on June 25, 1530. A few weeks later Roman Catholic authorities rejected the Confession, which Melanchthon defended in the Apology of the Augsburg Confession (1531). In 1580, the Unaltered Augsburg Confession was included in the Book of Concord. - Treasury of Daily Prayer

Today the Church commemorates the presentation of the Augsburg Confession in 1530 at the Diet of Augsburg to the emperor Charles V. Thanks be to God for the work of these faithful Reformers! Hear Christ for you at kfuo.org.

How Do You Find a Good Church? What questions should we ask when looking for a congregation? In this video, Chad Bird walks us through seven questions to ask regarding teachings, preaching...

“I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” Galatians 2:21

Martin Luther is quoted as saying, “The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me.” Reform signifies an improvement upon or ridding of oppression/evil by providing a better way. Reformation exposes corruption in an aim to make things better. As Christ-followers, we are in constant reform. “Since Christians are always sinners,” wrote W. Robert Godfrey, “the church will always need reform.” Contrary to what the Catholic Church of Martin Luther’s day proclaimed as truth, Luther poured over Scripture to find there was no penance required or good work needed to earn righteous standing with God. Through Jesus, our faith allows us to confess our sins and repent, becoming more sanctified by the day as we reach closer to the gates of heaven.

"The 16th Century Protestant Reformation was born out of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses. The reforms, particularly in regard to indulgences (payments taken in place of penance), were posted to a cathedral door in Wittenberg, Germany as a proclamation. The 95 Theses were written in Latin and wouldn’t have attracted the attention of the German-speaking people on the way in and out of the church the day he nailed them to the door. His intent was to reform the Catholic Church. “True revivals are provoked by the sovereign work of God through the stirring of His Holy Spirit in the hearts of people,” wrote R.C. Sproul, “They happen when the Holy Spirit comes into the valley of dry bones (Ezek. 37) and exerts His power to bring new life, a revivification of the spiritual life of the people of God.” Though Luther did not intend to start a new denomination, he was accused of being a heretic and was excommunicated in 1520...
Martin Luther’s personal struggle and revelation continue to remind us of the freedom and peace we have in Christ, despite our constant dysfunction and sin. Should we feel the burden of guilt and shame, we should remember Luther, run to God in Scripture, and embrace the Truth ourselves. Luther said, “Anyone who is to find Christ must first find the church, how could anyone know where Christ is and what faith is in him unless he knew where his believers are?” We are forgiven, once for all, though we all fall short. No penance on earth could erase the effects of our sins. Christ accomplished it once and for all on the cross."
-Excerpted from "What Christians Need to Know about Reformation Day" by Meg Bucher

94). Christians should be exhorted to be diligent in following Christ, their Head, through penalties, death and hell.

95). And thus be confident of entering into heaven through many tribulations rather than through the false security of peace (Acts 14:22).

90). To repress these very sharp arguments of the laity by force alone, and not to resolve them by giving reasons, is to expose the church and the pope to the ridicule of their enemies and to make Christians unhappy.

87). ``What does the pope remit or grant to those who by perfect contrition already have a right to full remission and blessings?''

86). ``Why does not the pope, whose wealth is today greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus, build this one basilica of St. Peter with his own money rather than with the money of poor believers?''

83). ``Why are funeral and anniversary masses for the dead continued and why does he not return or permit the withdrawal of the endowments founded for them, since it is wrong to pray for the redeemed?''

62). The true treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God.

54). Injury is done to the Word of God when, in the same sermon, an equal or larger amount of time is devoted to indulgences than to the Word.

45). Christians are to be taught that he who sees a needy man and passes him by, yet gives his money for indulgences, does not buy papal indulgences but God's wrath.

43). Christians are to be taught that he who gives to the poor or lends to the needy does a better deed than he who buys indulgences.

36). Any truly repentant Christian has a right to full remission of penalty and guilt, even without indulgence letters.

37). Any true Christian, whether living or dead, participates in all the blessings of Christ and the church; and this is granted him by God, even without indulgence letters.

35). They who teach that contrition is not necessary on the part of those who intend to buy souls out of purgatory or to buy confessional privileges preach unchristian doctrine.

32). Those who believe that they can be certain of their salvation because they have indulgence letters will be eternally damned, together with their teachers.

1.). When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ``Repent'' (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.

9. Martin Luther Became an Exile

A ninth thing Christians should know about Lutherans is that Martin Luther became an exile. Luther was sent as an exile due to being a political enemy of Rome. Luther escaped his exile with the help of Frederick III, Elector of Saxony.

Luther was taken to Wartburg Castle at Eisenach, where he could remain safe from his enemies. During his time at the Wartburg Castle, he translated the New Testament into German and wrote many important writings such as the “Refutation of the argument of Latomu.”

Even though Martin Luther was exiled, he received help from his friend and could continue to write and spread Lutheranism for others to know the true message of the Bible. Lutherans continued to acknowledge Luther’s accomplishments through his exile and escape.

10. 72 Million Lutherans in the World
A tenth thing Christians should know about Lutherans is that there are 72 million Lutherans in the world. These are pretty high numbers as it shows us that it is crucial for us to know about this denomination.

As the years pass, this number will likely continue to rise as more individuals identify as being Lutheran. As Christians, it is important for us to remember that Lutherans believe in Jesus as their God and Savior, and they also believe that salvation is by grace through faith.

In other words, they have the correct doctrine of salvation, which means they are saved. It is a dangerous business to begin to look down on different denominations simply because they are not in the denomination we are.

The Lutheran Church is a very large denomination within Protestantism, and it is important that we understand its major beliefs.

8. Salvation by Grace Through Faith

An eighth thing for Christians should know about Lutherans is that Lutherans believe salvation is by grace through faith alone, as stated in Ephesians 2:8-9.

Many Christians believe Lutherans have radically different doctrines than other Protestants, and while they have some different doctrinal views, they have the same view of salvation.

They believe a person cannot be saved apart from placing faith in Jesus by believing that He died for their sins, was buried, and on the third day was raised to life.

Salvation by grace through faith is a hallmark of Lutheran theology, and it ultimately caused him to question the Roman Catholic Church.

People did not have to pay through heaven or purchase indulgences. Instead, a person is saved by grace through faith as Luther discovered by his own Scripture reading and this is what he taught his followers, which continues into the present day.

6. The Two Sacraments

A sixth thing Christians should know about Lutherans is the two sacraments. The two sacraments of Lutheranism are baptism and communion. Lutherans call these sacraments “rites.”

Lutherans believe baptism is required for salvation (Ibid.). Communion is vital for Lutherans as they believe Jesus’ true blood and body is part of communion in the wine and in the bread.

Most reformers taught that wine, and bread are only symbolic of Christ, but Luther taught that Jesus’ blood and body were truly present in the wine and bread, not allegorical. Therefore, Lutherans place a high view on baptism and communion.

While we know as believers, that baptism is not required for salvation, Lutherans teach that it is. This is one of the main differences between Lutherans and Christians because the Bible never tells us that salvation depends upon baptism.

Rather baptism is simply an outward sign of your faith, but it does not cause a person to become saved.

7. Three Solas

A seventh thing Christians should know about Lutherans is the Three Solas. The Three Solas consist of the belief in grace alone, faith alone, and Scripture alone. In other words, the Three Solas teach that salvation is by grace alone (Sola Gratia) and faith alone (Sola Fide).

The third Sola of Scripture alone (Sola Scriptura) teaches that the Bible is everything we need to know about God and grow in our walk with Him. Martin Luther believed the Bible was “the cradle” of Christ.

The Three Solas are crucial to Lutherans, and it is good for Christians to know about the Three Solas and their meaning.

4. The Book of Concord

A fourth thing Christians should know about Lutherans is The Book of Concord. The Book of Concord is the historical doctrinal standard of the Lutheran belief.

Within The Book of Concord, there are ten creedal documents seen as authoritative for Lutherans, which include the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed, the Small Catechism of Martin Luther, the Large Catechism of Martin Luther, the Augsburg Confession, the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald Articles of Martin Luther, the Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope, and the Formula of Concord (Ibid.).

Each of these ten creedal documents is seen as crucial to Lutheran doctrine. It is vital for Christians to be aware of The Book of Concord and the emphasis that is placed on this book by Lutherans.

5. The Augsburg Confession

A fifth thing for Christians to know about Lutherans in the Augsburg Confession. The Augsburg Confession is the number one confession for Lutherans, and it is seen as the confession that makes a person a Lutheran.

Philip Melanchthon wrote the Augsburg Confession in 1530; ever since then, it has become the primary confession for Lutherans (Ibid.).

Contained with the Augsburg Confession is the profession of faith of the Lutheran Church and what they believe about God, the Bible, salvation, justification, redemption, and other key doctrinal beliefs.