Lamb of God Ev Lutheran Church & Academy
July of 2019~ Newsletter
The Augsburg Confession
25 June 1530
2018 was heralded as the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. 1518 was the year that Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the Chapel door in Wittenberg. The truth is that the Reformation really began in June of 1530. 2019 marks the 489th anniversary of the Reformation… stay tuned for the 500th in 2030.
The Augsburg Confession, also known as the Augustan from its Latin name, Confessio Augustana, is the primary confession of faith of the Lutheran Church and one of the most important documents of the Protestant Reformation. The Augsburg Confession was written in both German and Latin and was presented by a number of German rulers and free-cities at the Diet of Augsburg. The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V had called on the Princes and Free Territories in Germany to explain their religious convictions in an attempt to restore religious and political unity in the Holy Roman Empire and rally support against the Turkish invasion. It is the fourth document contained in the Lutheran Book of Concord.
Philipp Melanchthon, Martin Luther and Justus Jonas had already drafted a statement of their theological views in the Articles of Schwabach in 1529, when on 21 January 1530, Emperor Charles V issued letters from Bologna, inviting the Imperial Diet to meet in Augsburg on 8 April for the purpose of discussing and deciding various important questions. Although the writ of invitation was couched in very peaceful language, it was received with suspicion by some of the “Lutherans”.
On 14 March, the Elector John of Saxony directed Martin Luther, Justus Jonas, Johannes Bugenhagen and Philipp Melanchthon to meet in Torgau, where he was, and present a summary of the Lutheran faith to be laid before the Holy Roman Emperor at the diet.
The Augsburg Confession consists of 28 articles presented by Lutheran princes and representatives of "free cities" at the Diet of Augsburg that set forward what the Lutherans believed, taught and confessed in positive (theses) and negative (antitheses) statements. The theses are 21 Chief Articles of Faith describing the normative principles of Christian faith held by the Lutherans; the antitheses are seven statements describing what they viewed as abuses of the Christian faith present in the Roman Catholic church.
While not considered to be an Ecumenical Creed on par with the Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds, the Augsburg Confession is nonetheless true to the doctrine of Holy Scripture and communicants the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles. The Augustana is the cornerstone of the Book of Concord which serves as the definitive statement of saving faith confessed by Christians from the days of the Apostles.
Let us rejoice and be glad that the Church remains a confessing congregation which bears witness to the truth of God’s Word and the power of the Gospel unto salvation.
Happy 489th anniversary of the Reformation. Let’s keep confessing until Christ returns.
Pastor Houser
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Officer and Board Members who are on Ballot Officers Chairman – John Adams Board of Deacons Board of Properties Board of Education Officers and Board members election will be held at the July 21, 2019 meeting of the congregation assembly. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To Pastor Houser and Lamb of God family: Thank you so very much for your many prayers, messages,
Prayers for Trip to Higher Things The church staff and student will be leaving for Chicago for the conference on Monday July 1 and return on Friday July 5. Please keep them in prayer for safe travel.
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