Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Scripture Text: 1 Corinthians 1:4–9
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1 Corinthians 1:4–9
From the Confessions: The Defense of the Augsburg Confession
Concerning the Number and Use of the Sacraments
Confirmation and Extreme Unction are rites received from the Fathers which not even the Church requires as necessary to salvation since they do not have God’s command. Therefore it is useful to distinguish these rites from the former, which have God’s express command and a clear promise of grace.
Pulling It Together: By definition, confirmation and extreme unction, or last rites, are not sacraments. They do not contain the clear command of God in Scripture, nor do they have a promise of his grace. This is not to say that confirmation and last rites do not have value. Yet, if they are considered sacraments, then it is the Church’s grace that is offered, with whatever value that human or, worse, institutional grace has to offer. For these things are institutionally commanded.
Again, this is not to say that the Church should not have rites like Confirmation, but we should not consider it a sacrament that offers God’s grace. Rather, it is God who confirms us outside of any commandment of a rite. True confirmation comes from God’s Spirit, not from the Church. He freely gives us faith and his gifts, sustaining (or confirming, 1 Cor 1:8, KJV, ASV, NASB) believers until the end. He keeps us holy and blameless until his coming just as he made us holy and righteous to begin with, because of faith in Christ.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for your free gift of grace. Amen.
The first in the series, Superior Justice is a mystery-fiction novel that features the character of Jonah Borden as a not-so-typical Lutheran Pastor, who also happens to investigate local mysteries. Set in the midst of the striking beauty of Minnesota's Lake Superior coastline, Superior Justice will draw you in with its unique and quirky characters, and keep you guessing until the end.
Author
Rev. Mark E. Ryman serves as Pastor for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Salisbury, NC. Previously, Pastor Ryman has served other congregations in North Carolina and Ohio, as well as a call to specialized ministry with Sola Publishing.
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