Festival of the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession
Posted on June 25, 2024 by under
Scripture: Romans 14:7-17 (NKJV)
14:7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11 For it is written:
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”
12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. 13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.
14 I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15 Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; 17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Devotion
Judging is often confused with the disapproval of sin. St. Paul explains that wicked judging involves showing contempt. It is not wrong to call sin a sin. It is wrong to vainly punish your brother for his sin or to use his sin to cause him to fall. If this is the case with sins against God’s Law, then it is even more true when it comes to “sins” against human laws and human traditions, which are not necessarily sins at all. Our concern should always be to love our brother and prevent his stumbling in the faith.
However, when the Gospel is at stake, we are not to allow the truth to be spoken of as evil. This kind of judgment is good, because its purpose is to benefit our brother. False doctrine, just like hypocritical judging, threatens to cause Christians to stumble from the faith. When the Lutheran princes presented the Augsburg Confession to the emperor in 1530 A.D., they were properly judging and condemning the false doctrine of the papists. Their goal was not the damnation of everyone in the Roman church. Their goal was to defend the truth so that all could enjoy the righteousness, peace, and joy of the Gospel.
Collect: Almighty God, Who, through the preaching of Thy servants, the blessed Reformers, hast caused the light of the Gospel to shine forth: Grant, we beseech Thee, that, knowing its saving power, we may faithfully guard and defend it against all enemies, and joyfully proclaim it, to the salvation of souls and the glory of Thy holy Name; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord. Amen.
Collect for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Grant, O Lord, we beseech Thee, that the course of this world may be so peaceably ordered by Thy governance, that Thy Church may joyfully serve Thee in all godly quietness; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
