Sermon - Presentation of the Augsburg Confession 2023 - Matthew 10:26-33

Presentation of the Augsburg Confession, St. John's Church in Schweinfurt, late 16th Cent.

Having the courage to confess the truth of scripture

1. Historical details

2. Courage is fearing God instead of man

3. Confessing the truth requires we love both God and man, but in that order

Are you willing to die on that hill? Usually that’s a question asked in order to convince someone to back down from their position. That’s fair, not every hill is worth dying on. But, when it comes to our faith in God, that is a hill we must die on. The Lutheran reformers 500 years ago realized that.

October 31st, 1517 is popularly known as Reformation Day among us. Although, to be frank, it wasn’t a particularly significant day in history, since Martin Luther just posted the 95 Theses in Wittenberg, and his theses weren’t very good. But June 25th, 1530, although not widely known, is a much more significant day in history. On that day we see that our Lutheran forefathers had the courage to confess the truth of scripture, even in the face of great risk. This was the hill they were willing to die on.

A bit of context: in 1521 Luther refused to recant his teachings and he was subsequently excommunicated and sentenced to death. In the ensuing years various German princes came to Luther’s defense, since they shared the Lutheran confession, or at the least didn’t share the Roman position. However, Roman Emperor Charles V was also facing military threats from Muslims, so he wanted to settle these religious disputes in order to focus on fighting the Muslims. Thus, he called a meeting at Augsburg in which all parties had the opportunity to present their positions.

In short, Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon wrote is called the Augsburg Confession, which was then presented by two laymen, Dr. Christian Beyer and Dr. Gregroy Bruck. Having read it aloud, Dr. Bruck handed it to the emperor and said: “This is a Confession that will even prevail against the gates of hell, with the grace and help of God.” The Augsburg Confession was written gently and peacefully, but with clarity and directness, intended to mostly reveal that the Lutherans hadn’t departed from the true faith, were retaining the vast majority of traditions, were not like the radical reformers, and thought they only had a handful of issues with Rome they wished to be resolved.

However, Rome didn’t respond in kind, but rejected the Augsburg confession and demanded that the Lutherans recant or else. Rome’s response was known as the Confutation, which was read to the Lutherans, but a written copy was never given  to them because the Confutation was so poorly written they were embarrassed to have everyone see it. Rome demanded that the Lutherans accept the Confutation, make no reply to it, or permit it to be published. Obviously the Lutherans weren’t going to comply to that, so the Lutherans wrote against the confutation and published the copies of the Confutation they had made so that the truth would be brought to light. Over the ensuing decades Rome shed much Lutheran blood in order to try and stamp out the faith confessed at Augsburg, but due to God’s help and grace the Confession prevailed against the gates of Hell and Rome. Many of our Lutheran forefathers died on this hill, and it was worth it, and that’s why we're here today.

That brief history is an important lesson for us today that we might learn from our forefathers to also have courage to confess the truth of scripture in our own day, courage to be willing to die on this hill. St. Paul tells St. Timothy to “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” We are commanded, like the pastors and laymen at Augsburg, like Sts. Timothy and Paul, to make the good confession of the faith in our time and place, to die on this hill.

One of the crucial things for us to recognize here is that we’re not merely celebrating a historical event. Instead, the important lesson for us to take away is that we are to be courageous in our confession of the truth of scripture today. For one thing, this means that we’re fighting a different battle than the Lutherans were 500 years ago.

We are all about that Lutheran confession of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, as revealed in scripture alone. However, that’s not the main battle today. Of course it’s important and I preach on it regularly, but the issues today are different. We’re fighting for reality itself! We’re fighting for the existence of objective truth, that there is right and wrong, good and evil, and everything isn’t gray. So for instance, we’re fighting for the creational and biological truth that there is such a thing as a man and a woman, and that the two are distinct, not interchangeale. These are the hills we must die on today!

It’s easy to fight the same old battles of the past, but it’s much more challenging and risky to fight our battles today. This is why we need courage! Jesus said: “Have no fear of them… do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” It’s interesting that growing in courage is a bit paradoxical, since one who is courageous is going to fear God. Someone who is a coward is afraid of man, but not afraid of God. In a manner of speaking, courage is simply fear properly oriented.

A coward believes that man is more dangerous than God. But a brave man believes that God is the more dangerous one. This is very rational as well. If you have to choose between pleasing God and man, then it’s obvious that God is much more powerful than man, and it makes more sense to please God, since God’s wrath and blessings are much greater than man’s. Jesus says it very plainly:“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” The fear of God drives us to confess God’s Word because it matters more than the opinions of man. The hill worth dying on is the hill which confesses Christ instead of man.

Not only does courage grow with properly oriented fear, but with properly oriented love. We have courage to confess the truth of scripture because we love God and man, and in that specific order. As we know, we love because He first loved us. Our love for God and others flows from His love for us, revealed when He was martyred on our behalf. He died on a hill for us, so that we might die on our hills. He took up His cross, so that we might take up ours. He loves us and so we love Him. This love drives us to be faithful to His word and promise to us and are driven to confess His word aloud. Subsequently because we love one another we confess His Word to each other because we want everyone to know His good Word of love and promise for them. 

Therefore, the charge given to Timothy is also given to us: “Keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.” That’s what it means to confess Jesus before others. We confess Christ when we confess His Word. We deny Christ when we don’t confess His Word. 

To do this we must fear and love God more than man. Not just when you stand before the emperor or governor with your life on the line, but when you stand before your friends, family, and others with your popularity on the line. This is when this lesson becomes difficult and we’re tempted to cave under pressure. No one today is holding a sword to your neck if you say homosexuality or fornication or quiting coming to church is sinful, but people you know won’t like you as much, and that’s the sacrifice you must be willing to make. There’s the hill! Are you willing to be faithful and die on it?

I pray that you will by the grace, mercy, and help of God confess the truth of scripture. Because when you confess Christ, you will be able to withstand all, even the gates of hell! Fear God, not man; love God, and also your neighbor; be courageous in these last days. This is a fight, a war, it’s not nice or easy or safe, it’s risky and dirty. But if you stand upon the confession made by all the saints before you, if you confess Christ before men, then be at peace with the knowledge that God will preserve you against all odds and in the end, you will stand with our Lord Jesus Christ and dwell with Him in unapproachable light. “Fight the good fight of the faith.” This is the hill worth dying on. See your Savior already died on this hill, and now He lives forever. Such is also your hope by the grace, mercy, and help of God.