“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus,” (Rom. 3:21-26, ESV).

On June 25, 1530, Chancellor Christian Beyer of Saxony read the German version of the Augsburg Confession aloud to Emperor Charles V and the assembly at the Diet of Augsburg. It took approximately two hours to read the entire confession and Beyer’s voice carried so that those gathered outside the main hall at the bishop’s residence could hear. It was a watershed moment for the Western Church and marks the beginning of the Lutheran Church.

Central to Augsburg Confession was Article IV on Justification, described as “the article on which the Church stands or falls.” The confession states:

“Furthermore, it is taught that we cannot obtain forgiveness of sin and righteousness before God through our merit, work, or satisfactions, but that we receive forgiveness of sin and become righteous before God out of grace for Christ’s sake through faith when we believe that Christ has suffered for us and that for his sake our sin is forgiven and righteousness and eternal life are given to us. For God will regard and reckon this faith as righteousness in his sight, as St. Paul says in Romans 3[:21-26] and 4[:5],” (Kolb-Wengert, Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, IV:1-3, p. 38, 40).

The heart of the Augsburg Confession—and Lutheran theology—is Christ, and the certainty that we are saved by Christ’s redeeming work alone without any merit or worthiness within us. The Augsburg Confession and Lutheran theology are based upon God’s Word, as St. Paul writes in Romans 3–4.

What follows in the Augsburg Confession in Article V confesses that the institution of the Office of the Holy Ministry is “so that we may obtain this faith.” (K-W, V:1, p. 40) Dr. Luther beautifully describes the centrality of Christ’s forgiveness in the Church in the Large Catechism:

“Therefore everything in this Christian community is so ordered that everyone may daily obtain forgiveness of sins through the Word and signs appointed to comfort and encourage our consciences as long as we live on earth,” (LC II, 55).

May everything that our congregations do be focused on Christ and the forgiveness that we receive for His sake, that we are justified by God’s grace through faith in Christ’s atoning sacrifice! That is the article on which the Church stands or falls!

Prayer – O Lord, heavenly Father, pour out your Holy Spirit on Your faithful people. Keep them steadfast in Your grace and truth, protect and comfort them in all temptation, defend them against all enemies of Your Word and bestow on Christ’s Church Militant Your saving peace; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Fraternally in Christ,

President Lee Hagan