Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:31-32

Quick--What was the birth date of the Lutheran Church? If you said, "October 31, 1517," that would be a logical guess. Most of us have learned to think of that date as the birthday of the Lutheran Church because on that date Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, marking the beginning of the Reformation.

But another date is coming up on the calendar which would be more fitting to mark as the birth date of the Lutheran Church. That date is June 25. On that date in the year 1530, the Lutheran princes of Germany presented the Augsburg Confession before Emperor Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire. That event was significant because it was the first time in history when the Lutheran Church had an officially-endorsed statement of teaching for all the world to see.

The Augsburg Confession outlines the teachings of the Evangelical Lutheran Church as drawn from the Bible. This document and the other confessions of the Lutheran Church still stand today as statements of what Lutherans teach. We expect our pastors to pledge at ordination to teach according to these confessions. Our congregations make clear in their constitutions that no teaching that conflicts with those confessions will be tolerated.

The Presentation of the Augsburg Confession is a date worth celebrating because confessionalism has fallen out of favor today. Throughout most of the Christian Church today, people are more interested in being ecumenical than confessional. That is, people want to see churches get along and cooperate in social work rather than worry about teaching what God's word says.

What does Jesus think about confessionalism? Is it important for us to hold to a written statement of faith? Look again at the Bible verse above. "If you hold to my teaching," Jesus said, "you are really my disciples." In order to hold to Jesus' teaching, we need to know what that teaching is. We find his teaching in the Scriptures. That teaching needs to be presented and explained clearly. Therefore, a written confession of faith is valuable because it puts into plain words what Jesus wants us to know. It makes clear to all what we teach. Those who wish to study our teaching can compare our confessions with the Scriptures to see if we are in line with the Savior's teaching.

But shouldn't churches put aside denominational differences and work together for the good of society? Isn't that more loving than holding stubbornly to a document that is nearly 500 years old? Look again at Jesus' words. If we hold to his teaching, he says, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." The truth about God's love for sinners is found in his word. We don't hang on to the truth about the Savior when we ignore those teachings of churches that disagree with the Bible. Only the truth that Jesus Christ is our Savior sets us free from a life of slavery to sin and from an eternity in hell. Overlooking teachings that conflict with God's word doesn't proclaim the truth; it endangers the truth. If we allow false teaching to stand on the same level as the truth, eventually we will lose the blessed, saving truth of God's word.

Out of love for the great salvation that we have through Jesus, we want to hold to his teaching. We want to hold to his teaching without compromising or changing one letter of it, no matter how unpopular that teaching is and no matter what we may suffer for it. The eternal life of redeemed souls is on the line! The Son of God gave his life on the cross to wash away our sins and to win this blessing for us. Isn't that worth standing for? The Lutheran princes who presented the Augsburg Confession on June 25, 1530, put their lives and the safety of their territories at risk by standing up to Emperor Charles and the Roman Catholic Church. They took that risk because they valued Christ and his heavenly blessings more than they valued their earthly lives and kingdoms.

May the Holy Spirit lead us to appreciate our Savior's truth ever more deeply so that we too are willing to continue in that truth!