Minkota Mission District – NALC

Index

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Romans 3:21–28

From the Confessions: The Defense of the Augsburg Confession

Concerning Repentance 

IX. That receiving the sacrament of repentance obtains grace ex opere operato, without a right attitude on the part of the recipient—without faith in Christ.

Pulling It Together

Everything depends upon faith in Christ. Going to church, doing good works, being president of Council, having perfect attendance, teaching Sunday School, and even knowing all three of the ecumenical creeds (yes, even the Athanasian Creed) by heart mean nothing without faith. Simply doing the deed (ex opere operato: by the work worked) does not bring grace. Only faith in Christ apprehends grace (Eph 2:8–9). So we confess that the righteousness and grace of God has been given apart from works of the law. People are justified by God’s grace through faith in Christ, not by doing works. Works are evidence of one’s faith but they do not merit grace.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for your grace to me, a poor sinner. Amen. 

Learning the Apostles' Creed teaches the Apostles' Creed according to the pattern of Luther's Small Catechism, and is recommended for the Fourth Grade Level.

Index

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2 Corinthians 5:20b–6:1

From the Confessions: The Defense of the Augsburg Confession

Concerning Repentance 

VIII. That canonical satisfactions are necessary for redeeming the punishment of purgatory, or that they profit as a payment to blot out guilt. Uninformed people understand it in this way.

Pulling It Together

The uneducated persons mentioned in this eighth statement in the list of false teachings are the very ones teaching those doctrines. Melancthon referred to them as “uninformed” since they relegated believers to a purgatory. Because it was taught in the schools that satisfactions are made to apply only to the punishment—instead of Christ being the satisfaction for sin—there had to be a place in the schoolmen’s minds where believers went when they died but had not yet paid the entire debt of their sins.

The Lutherans however, confessed that everything hinges on Christ. He bore our sin on the cross (1 Pet 2:24) so that we would be made “the righteousness of God.” This free gift of God (Rom 6:23) does not depend upon our righteousness or our satisfactions for sins. Our devotion and good works are not the point. Righteousness and salvation are not about our love, but instead, rest completely in God having loved the world so much that he sent his Son to be the propitiation for sin (1 John 4:10). God in Christ has reconciled us to himself. Do not receive his grace vainly by now trying to make satisfactions for your sins.

Prayer: Dear Lord and Savior of the world, move me to know your great love and be at peace in you. Amen. 

Dwell In My Love! - Word of Life Series (Unit 3) is a resource for those looking to develop small groups built around the Word of God. This model of small-group ministry is an excellent tool for evangelism since it is rooted in prayer and Scripture. Its primary focus is to empower those who believe in Jesus Christ to be comfortable sharing their faith and inviting others to experience a transformed life in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Meant for use in Small Group gathering, each of the six sessions is based on a primary Scripture text, with intentional time for reflection. There are questions, prayer, faith sharing, and mini evangelism case-studies. The series would be helpful for those involved in starting a Bible study fellowship, house church, or mission congregation. It can also be used by established congregations to aid in establishing a small group ministry.

• Unit 1   • Unit 2   • Unit 3

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Psalm 38:1–4

From the Confessions: The Defense of the Augsburg Confession

Concerning Repentance 

VII. That the enumeration of sins in confession, which the adversaries teach, is necessary according to divine right.

Pulling It Together

There are surely some specific sins that we ought to confess so that we are honest before God, hear absolution of that specific, troublesome sin, and thereby, know God’s peace. But it is not necessary to name every sin in order to be fully forgiven. We have to admit that our sins are great in number, that they have gone over our heads as if if we were drowning in our iniquities. Who could confess such a volume of transgressions? There would be no end to confession.

We are given salvation and a good conscience before God through baptism (1 Pet 3:21). So, we have the assurance of God’s forgiveness in general confession, since we believe that Christ has died for our sins (John 3:16; 8:24). We have redemption and the forgiveness of sins through him; indeed, we have been given citizenship in his kingdom (Col 1:13–14). If you believe that Jesus is the one sent down from heaven to save us from our sins, you have eternal life (John 6:47). So, we confess that one does not need to name all sins in order to make Christ’s saving work effective. We are saved through God’s grace by faith in Christ, not by our exhaustive cataloging of sins.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord Jesus, for drawing me out of this abyss. Amen. 

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Learning About Confession - Teacher's Guide guides leaders in teaching the meaning of Confession and Forgiveness according Luther's guidance in the Small Catechism. The student book, Learning About Confession is recommended for the Sixth Grade Level. Each week focuses on a specific Bible story that illustrates the theme, with additional references from Scripture and Luther's Small Catechism - Children's Version. With a healthy balance of Law and Gospel, lessons emphasize the connection between repentance and forgiveness, and how the promise of God’s forgiveness changes our lives.

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John 8:21–24

From the Confessions: The Defense of the Augsburg Confession

Concerning Repentance 

VI. That sins are not remitted before God by the power of the keys, but that the power of the keys has been instituted to change eternal punishments to temporal punishments, to impose certain satisfactions upon consciences, to institute new acts of worship, and to obligate consciences to such satisfactions and acts of worship.

Pulling It Together

Luther wrote many letters to pastors who were facing various problems in their churches. Some of those difficulties were caused by their peoples’ consciences being troubled by obligations imposed upon them by the church in Rome. Rather than urging them to deal specifically with those issues, Luther urged these pastors to get to the heart of the issue, that which caused the confusion. He wrote to John Gulden, pastor of St. Peter’s Church in Weida, Thuringia, who argued publicly with fellow clergy who disagreed with him about ceremonies: “I beg you to give first place in your preaching to those things which are of greatest weight, namely that you urge faith and love upon your hearers” (Letters of Spiritual Counsel, Regent College Publishing, Vancouver, 1960, 295). He wrote to the entire clergy of Luebeck about the gradual introduction of reform by focusing on the basic principles of the faith. “Put first and foremost what is fundamental in our teaching, the doctrine concerning our justification... Reform of impious rites will come of itself when what is fundamental in our teaching, being effectively presented, has taken root in pious hearts” (ibid. 296).

So today, we ought to be teaching our people that God forgives sins for Christ’s sake, not because we perform certain rituals. We must teach that people may have peace of conscience through faith in Christ’s work. When they hear Christ speak in the absolution, they are to take him at his word, believing with absolute certainty that they are truly forgiven for Christ’s sake, that there is nothing they need add to his promise. In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for his sake God forgives us all our sins.

If we do not teach this with clarity and passion, our people may believe instead, that there is something else they must do to appease God, and so, they will never have peace with him. They must come to believe that Jesus has died for their sins, or there is the very great danger that they will die in their sins. This is fundamental and must have first place in our preaching so that the reform of hearts and churches may gradually take hold. 

Prayer: Lord, be merciful to me, a poor sinner. Amen. 

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Connections is a magazine for evangelical Lutheran Christians filled with meaty articles as well as lighter spiritual fare. Articles and features are contributed by individuals and ministries of LCMC, NALC, CALC, Lutheran Core, and other confessional Lutherans from congregations across North America. Connections is published six times a year. 

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Mark 16:19

From the Confessions: The Defense of the Augsburg Confession

Concerning Repentance 

V. That the power of the keys is beneficial for the forgiveness of sins before the Church, but not before God.

Pulling It Together

The power of the keys binds things in heaven, not just on earth. When a “door” is unlocked or locked on earth in the name of Christ, it is done in heaven too. Whatever is bound or locked on earth is also bound or locked in heaven. This happens because it is not by the authority of the pastor that absolution or the forgiveness of sins is conferred. The Church is not the authority here either. If we think of absolution as something bestowed by the Church, there will be no end of confusion. Lutherans confess that the pastor and the Church absolve sin under the authority of Christ. It is God’s voice you hear when your pastor pronounces absolution. Your pastor is speaking with God’s authority and by his command. And so, it is bound on earth—and in heaven.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for locking the gates of hell. Amen. 

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The Spiritual Realms is a nine-session Bible Study series on Heaven and Hell and places beyond this world. Specifically, the study looks at the many “place names” that are found throughout Scripture, referring to spiritual realms of existence that underlie and comprise the universe God created. This Bible Study series is a challenging one, in that it explores realities of existence beyond what we know and experience everyday.

The study not only addresses matters of life, death, heaven and hell, it steadfastly affirms that Jesus Christ is at the center of all these things. Our ultimate faith and hope rest in Christ’s death and resurrection for our sake. We live in faith by the biblical promise that: “God raised the Lord, and will also raise us up by his power.” (1 Cor 6:14)