Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Scripture Text: John 15:18–20
Click for a recording of today's Sola Devotion.
John 15:18–20
From the Confessions: The Defense of the Augsburg Confession
Concerning the Marriage of Priests
To you, most excellent and chaste Emperor, they propose such laws—that no barbarity, however monstrous and cruel, would consider. Because your character is not stained by disgrace or cruelty, we hope that you will deal with us charitably in this matter, especially when you have learned that we have the gravest reasons for our position, derived from the Word of God, which the adversaries oppose with the most trifling and vain opinions.
Pulling It Together: There it is; that is the problem. When we base our positions on traditions, we end up with opinions. When our beliefs come from God’s Word, how can we do anything but oppose human opinions that are contrary to his Word? Sola Scriptura—Scripture alone—being one of the pillars of Reformation thought, helps us remember that we do not interpret Scripture with tradition, nor do we develop doctrine based upon tradition. Lutherans—indeed, Christians—are to use Scripture to interpret Scripture, and to understand life. Scripture must be our worldview. It will make us seem strange to some, and the world will likely hate us, but we will have done as our Lord instructs us, firmly taking our stand in faith through the Word of God (1 Cor 16:13). You can take no stronger stance, as Luther stated at the Diet of Worms in 1521, “A simple layman armed with Scripture is greater than the mightiest pope without it.”
Prayer: Give me the insight and the courage, O Lord, to take my stand in your Word. Amen.
Holy Families! is an initiative of the North American Lutheran Church provided through a generous grant from the Thrivent Foundation, in honor of the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation (1517 AD to 2017 AD). Produced by Sola Publishing, this special initiative includes a number of Lutheran discipleship resources for families and congregations, including Daily Family Prayer Resources, Parent Pages, Faith Formation downloadable pages for children/families, Educational Videos, Parents' Video/Discussion Series on Faith Formation, Reformation Bible Study: In the Luther Household.
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.
Click Here For Content Archives