Concord Matters from KFUO Radio

God is merciful, even if the world does not see it. Luther highlights the explanation as a reminder that the consequences of following other gods are eternal. Although it may seem that the world is prospering without faith in the Triune God, God is working good for His people according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). We are to expect only what God promises to give and know that as the tomb is empty...

A god is whatever we depend on for all good and seek for refuge in distress. One can believe that such good comes from the Triune God, or one could seek it elsewhere. What is your god? Luther warns of mammon, people, skill, power, friendship, and pride. Each of these can easily become a god. However, we know from Scripture that all that is good is from God (Mark 10:18). He is the One who gives us...

Short, concise, teachable, and robust in theology. This is the essence of Martin Luther’s catechisms. Luther was committed to ensuring that the Christian faith was taught in homes, which would then edify the life of the Church in the body of Christ. Every Christian should be able to recite by heart the ten commandments, the Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer before receiving the Lord’s Supper, along wit...

Martin Luther wrote the Large Catechism for the sake of families teaching the faith in the home and for pastors to faithfully preach the Word. While reading and reciting the small catechism is beneficial to learn the basics of the faith, it is also edifying for as we receive the Holy Spirit by God’s Word, protection against Satan, and following the will of God. Dr. Ryan Macpherson, Academic Dean o...

Our hope is in Christ alone. Any promotion of works for salvation is blasphemy. No matter how impressive the music, smells, bells, or works, no one can find their final comfort in these things. When Luther completed the Smalcald Articles, there were forty-two other confessors of the faith who subscribed to his teachings. We continue to confess the same words because they are in accordance with God...

The Church is simple: believers gathered to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd. The holiness of those who gather is fully dependent on the Word by faith in Christ’s forgiveness, not on ceremonies. Although our salvation is not dependent on works, faith in Christ has a natural outflow of good works. The Church, that is, believers in Christ, are to make their boast in the Lord and follow His will....

The qualifications for an overseer in Christ’s Church are very clear (see 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1). He is to be above reproach, soberminded, self-controlled, gentle, well-thought-of, and the husband of one wife. Therefore, we believe that pastors are allowed to marry. The distinction between a pastor and bishop is not one of hierarchical power, but of servanthood to God’s people. The Roman Church...

The Office of the Keys is an aid to all believers in the battle against sin and provides consolation for those with a guilty conscience. The Roman Church taught that those who confessed all their sins to a confessor would find comfort. Enthusiasts looked within for a good conscience, apart from the Word of God. However, we know that God does not deal with us in any way other than through His spoke...

The Sacrament of the Altar and the Office of the Keys were sticking points for many in the Church during the 1530s and still are today. In addressing these doctrines, the Concordians made sure their words were very clear: Christ has given us these gifts to be faithfully given to sinners. Misunderstandings about Christ’s presence in the Sacrament, overly sophisticated thought on how the Sacrament i...

The Gospel is God’s work through Christ’s death and resurrection for the sake of our forgiveness, life, and salvation. This Gospel is lavishly generous with His gifts: spoken Word, Baptism, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Office of the Keys, and the mutual consolation of the saints. By His grace, God provides these gifts, so that His people might receive this undeserved salvation. Rev. Joshua Will...

Repentance apart from Christ leads only to death. The Roman church had a very detailed system of repentance: contrition, confession, and satisfaction. Although the system was well defined, the premise for it began with the misunderstanding that a person could make their own satisfaction for sins. Yet we know that only Christ makes satisfaction for our sins, and, in faith, we confess, knowing that...

Repentance has two parts: first, contrition—sorrow for sin—and second, faith in the Gospel. The Lord delivers His Law as a thunderbolt and hammer, striking the heart and stirring it toward newness of life. True contrition is not merely sorrow for sin but the realization that we deserve death because of it. In faith, we repent, knowing that there is One who will save us from this body of death. The...

The chief power of the Law is to reveal original sin with all its fruit. We know how low our human nature has fallen in that we need the Law to increase our trespass (Romans 5:20), so as not to harden our hearts. The Law shows us our sin, restrains us from sin, and in Christ by the help of the Holy Spirit, enables us to live a holy life. “Lord God, show us our sin that we may bear fruit of repenta...

The Gospel—that is, Christ reconciling the world back to the Father by His life, death, and resurrection—was the heartbeat of the Reformation. We take a closer look at the articles that clearly articulate the Gospel and why it is important to steadfastly keep them on our hearts, lips, and ears throughout our lives. Rev. David Juhl, pastor at St. Peter Lutheran Church, Arlington, WI joins Rev. Brad...

If we are not dead in our sins, Christ died in vain. The corruption of humankind is so deep that our only hope is a full resurrection (Romans 6:1-4). The Roman Church in Luther’s day taught that individuals had the power to observe God’s commands and love Him, without the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. Yet, all that the human heart can give is more evil deeds (pride, despair, lying, abusing Go...

The office of the papacy is not mandated in Scripture. In fact, the pope of Luther’s day was demanding obedience to the Church, not by a mandate from the Word of God, but by the power of his position. Luther, on the other hand, proclaimed the unity we have in the one name of Christ. We are united in His name through doctrine, faith, sacraments, prayer, and mercy to others. To grant any person or o...

The Roman Church suggested the possibility of convening a Free Council to allow the broader Church to address the issues at hand, but they ultimately postponed any such gathering. Luther wrote the Smalcald Articles to call their bluff and provide the simple truths of Scripture one last time. He ends his preface in prayer, seeking the Lord’s help to address false doctrine. May we do the same today!...

The Church is entrusted with forming servants for faithful service in God’s kingdom. Monasteries were established to provide men and women with a way to live out their baptismal identity through service in the Church and their daily vocations. However, over time, they came to be seen as a means of earning forgiveness and attaining a holier life. At the heart of the issue was the Gospel—if we seek...

Anything done in the Church that conflicts with the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world robs people of a clear conscience in Christ. The Church at the time of Luther had fallen into practices that were leading people away from the cross and empty tomb for full salvation: pilgrimages, monastic societies, relics, indulgences, and the invocation of saints. Luther spoke sharp admonition to...

The Triune God is a Divine Majesty. We receive a glimpse of this majesty through the Word of God and learn how, in love, He saved us from our sins. Luther “begins at the beginning” with our God who created the heavens and the earth and then points us back to the Chief Article: that Jesus Christ died for our sins and was raised for our justification (Romans 4:24-25). Rev. Dr. Steve Mueller, Profess...

The Reformers found themselves in need of a clearer and more direct confession of the faith after controversy arose in Germany and the broader Church. Luther went straight to work. The Smalcald Articles were written as a clear, direct, and firm confession of the Christian faith. Luther was struggling with various health issues and wrote these articles as a kind of last will and testament of the fa...

The AFLC and LCMS share several common Scriptural convictions: salvation in Christ alone, the inerrancy of Scripture, male-only pastors, the value of every human life, and conversion as being the work of the Holy Spirit. Yet, there are differences between them, which are manifested by the AFLC’s confessional subscription to only the Creed, Augsburg Confession, and Small Catechism. We pray for unit...

When it comes to confessional subscription, it is important to know our history and understand the terminology that is used. Throughout the history of our country, Lutherans have asked the question, “What does it mean to be Lutheran in America?” The predecessors of the current Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) viewed the Augsburg Confession as being fully sufficient to answer this ques...

We believe, teach, and confess the Book of Concord because it is in accord with the Word of God. It is vital that the Church still confess this Truth today, as it leaves us no wiggle room to invent our own ideas. The authority for this is founded in the Divine Scriptures as Jesus tells us, “You will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free (John 8:32).” The Concordians were not writing to cr...

Our congregations, pastors, workers, and schools confess the entire Book of Concord because it is in accord with the Word of God. The Latin word, “Quia,” expresses a commitment to not only believe that the Lutheran Confessions are in agreement with the inerrant Word, but also to teach, preach, and administer the sacraments according to these confessions. The Lutheran Confessions bring clarity to t...