Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Scripture Text: Hebrews 12:1–2
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Hebrews 12:1–2
From the Confessions: The Defense of the Augsburg Confession
Concerning Political Order
It is also vain delusion that Christian perfection is had by not holding property. Christian perfection does not consist in the contempt of civil ordinances, but in inclinations of the heart, in great fear of God, in great faith, just as Abraham, David, Daniel, even in great wealth and while exercising civil power, were no less perfect than any hermits.
Pulling It Together
It is God who makes us perfect (1 Thes 5:23). There is nothing we can do or not do, possess or not possess, that makes us perfect or complete in the eyes of God. We do not achieve perfection; we are made perfect by God’s perfection in Jesus Christ. We are perfect through faith in him. Though many trials beset us, we must stand steadfast in the hope and joy that is set before us, through him who endured death and shame because of the joy that lay before him (Heb 12:2). This firmness of faith finally works itself out in a mature Christian (James 1:3–4). In the meanwhile, it is God who sanctifies all people who have faith in Christ. They do not work toward their own perfection; God calls them faithful, for the sake of Christ (1 Thes 5:24). So let us look to Jesus instead of to conceited, religious deceptions such as wealth or the lack thereof.
Prayer: Help me keep you as my focus, Lord. Amen.
The kind of church we see in the New Testament is different from what most modern people imagine when they think of “going to church.” Experience Life Together: Experiencing House-Church Ministry, by Rev. Tom Hilpert, is a 15-week house-church curriculum designed for pastors, lay leaders, and churches interested in getting a taste for what church in the home is really like. Whether referred to as a house-church, organic church, alternative church, or cell church, this material applies well to any group that wants to experience Christian worship in the context of a small group meeting within the homes of the participants.
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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