We’re going to end our yearly project reading through the Book of Concord in the same way we began, with thoughts from Pastor Ben Meyer. I sincerely hope you enjoyed this project, and I want to take time to thank every single one of the authors of the Reading Reflections throughout the year.
Our year together reading the Book of Concord is coming to a close.
Maybe you read the appointed readings for each day.
Maybe you read most of them, but missed some days.
Maybe you had good intentions, but didn’t do a very good job of keeping up with the readings.
None of that can be changed now; it’s in the past.
But what will you do next year? Will you keep reading the Book of Concord or will you put it back on the shelf because “I’ve already read that?”
We all know of confirmation students who think that they’ve “graduated from the catechism,” but you also know that this is a foolish and arrogant thing to think. We never graduate from the catechism because the catechism has the foundational ideas that are found throughout Scripture. If you ever move on from the catechism, you’re moving on from Scripture, too.
I think this week’s reading are extremely helpful in helping us to know why we should keep studying the Lutheran Confessions.
First, in the Solid Declaration XI, 73, we read this:
The Holy Spirit dwells in the elect, who have become believers, as in His temple [1 Corinthians 6:19]. He is not idle in them, but moves God's children to obey God's commands. Therefore, believers, too, should not be idle, much less resist the work of God's Spirit. They should practice all Christian virtues, in all godliness, modesty, temperance, patience, and brotherly love; and they should give all diligence to make their calling and election sure [2 Peter 1:10].
The practices of reading Scripture and grounding yourself in the Lutheran Confessions by the consistent setting of our minds on the things of God help us to focus on that which is of eternal importance, and help us to live out the faith.
When you study the Confessions it helps you to focus on and keep at the forefront of your mind the truths confessed therein. Being idle—that is, avoiding the study of these eternal truths—gives room for Satan to attack and for our sinful nature to take over.
For instance, Article XI beautifully teaches the truths of Scripture on the doctrine of election. Yet if we ignore this article and fail to study and teach it, the inevitable outcome will be confusion, fear, anxiety, and room for Satan to deceive. But if we study it, there is comfort, truth, confidence in Christ, and we’re well shielded against the attacks of the accuser.
Now let’s turn our attention to the conclusion. After listing several sects and refuting the errors taught by those sects, the confession then notes:
These and similar articles, one and all, with what belongs to them and follows from them, we reject and condemn as wrong, false, heretical, and contrary to God’s Word, the three Creeds, the Augsburg Confession and Apology, the Smalcald Articles, and Luther’s Catechisms. All godly Christians should beware of these articles to the extent that the welfare and salvation of their souls is dear to them.
We should beware of these false teachings. But in order to beware of false teaching, we must know truth. That’s one reason the study of God’s Word and the Lutheran Confessions (that confess what God’s Word says) is so vitally important. If we don’t know the truth, if we’re not so thoroughly grounded in it that we can easily identify error, then we are far more likely to fall into error.
Finally, let me conclude with this. We don’t study the Confessions merely as a scholarly pursuit, but so that we can confess them in word and in life.
Keep studying these things so that we can live out the faith.
Keep studying them so that you can boldly confess the faith.
Keep studying them so that you can be a faithful witness to your neighbor.
VDMA
Ben Meyer is a husband, father, pastor and child of God. He has served as a pastor in Missouri, Illinois, and now at Hope Lutheran Church in Sunbury, Ohio and has presented at the Rural and Small Towns Missions national conference. He is the president of the Central Ohio Lutheran Immigrant Mission. He enjoys sports, fishing, hiking, reading, and spending time with his family.
Thank you for offering this. As an almost Lutheran this has been helpful. I will be following again next year as much of it went over my head. Thanks again and may God bless you as you offer this service.