Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Scripture Text: 1 Corinthians 14:40
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1 Corinthians 14:40
From the Confessions: The Defense of the Augsburg Confession
Concerning Ecclesiastical Order
They receive the Fourteenth Article—with the proviso that we employ canonical ordination—in which we say that only those rightly called should be allowed the administration of Word and Sacraments in the Church. We have frequently testified in this assembly about this subject, that it is our greatest wish to maintain church polity and the ranks in the Church, even though they have been made by human authority. We realize that church discipline was instituted by the Fathers with a good and useful intention in the manner described in the ancient canons.
Pulling It Together
There should be a form of order and discipline in the Church, as there is in every organization. The Lutherans had no squabble with the Roman Church about the ordering of such matters. They agreed with their opponents that only those who are rightly called should be entrusted with the most important affairs of the Church: preaching and teaching the Word of God and administering the sacraments.
Prayer: Help me to remain faithful to your Word, Lord. Amen.
The goal of the Personalities of Faith youth Bible study series is to encourage young people to commit themselves to follow Jesus in discipleship by becoming "personalities of faith." By showing biblical examples of people who have followed—or failed to follow—God's call, participants will be prepared to better follow the Lord in their own lives.
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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