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Canonical Scripture
Scripture Teaches Fully All Godliness
The Preaching of the Word of God Is
the Word of God
Inward Illumination Does Not Eliminate External
Preaching
Heresies
Apocrypha
The True Interpretation of Scripture
Interpretations of the Holy Fathers
Councils
Traditions of Men
God Is One
God Is Three
Heresies
Images of God
Lactantius
God Alone Is To Be Adored and Worshipped
God Alone Is To Be Invoked Through the Mediation
of Christ Alone
The Saints Are Not To Be Adored, Worshipped
or Invoked
The Due Honor To Be Rendered to the Saints
Relics of the Saints
Swearing by God's Name Alone
All Things Are Governed by the Providence
of God
The Epicureans
Means Not To Be Despised
God Created All Things
Of Angels and the Devil
Of Man
The Sects
The Fall of Man
Sin
Death
Original Sin
The Sects
God Is Not the Author of Sin, and How Far
He Is Said to Harden
Curious Questions
What Man Was Before the Fall
After the Fall
Man Does Evil by His Own Free Will
Man Is Not Capable of Good Per se
Understanding of the Arts
Of What Kind Are the Powers of the Regenerate,
and in What Way Their Wills Are Free
The Regenerate Work Not Only Passively but
Actively
The Free Will Is Weak in the Regenerate
In External Things There Is Liberty
Heresies
God Has Elected Us Out of Grace
We Are Elected or Predestinated in Christ
We Are Elected for a Definite Purpose
We Are to Have a Good Hope for All
Whether Few Are Elect
What in This Matter Is To Be Condemned
Admonitions Are Not in Vain Because Salvation
Proceeds from Election
Whether We Are Elected
Temptation in Regard to Predestination
Christ Is True God
The Sects
Christ Is True Man, Having Real Flesh
A Rational Soul in Christ
Two Natures in Christ
Not Two but One Christ
The Sects
The Divine Nature of Christ Is Not Passible,
and the Human Nature Is Not Everywhere
The Sects
Our Lord Truly Suffered
Impartation of Properties
Christ Is Truly Risen from the Dead
Christ Is Truly Ascended Into Heaven
The Sects
The Fruit of Christ's Death and Resurrection
Jesus Christ Is the Only Savior of the World,
and the True Awaited Messiah
The Creeds of Four Councils Received
The Sects
The Will of God Is Explained for Us in
the Law of God
The Law of Nature
The Law Is Complete and Perfect
Why the Law Was Given
The Flesh Does Not Fulfill the Law
How Far the Law Is Abrogated
The Ancients Had Evangelical Promises
The Promises Twofold
The Fathers Also Had Not Only Carnal but Spiritual
Promises
What Is the Gospel Properly Speaking?
Of the Spirit and the Letter
The Sects
The Teaching of the Gospel Is Not New, but
Most Ancient Doctrine
What Is Repentance?
True Repentance Is Conversion to God
Sacerdotal Confession and Absolution
Of the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven
Opening and Shutting (the Kingdom)
The Ministry of Reconciliation
Ministers Remit Sins
How Ministers Absolve
Diligence in the Renewal of Life
Errors
The Sects
Papal Indulgences
Satisfactions
What Is Justification?
We Are Justified on Account of Christ
Imputed Righteousness
We Are Justified by Faith Alone
We Receive Christ By Faith
James Compared with Paul
What Is Faith?
Faith Is the Gift of God
Faith Efficacious and Active
Concerning Good Works
Works of Human Choice
The End of Good Works
Good Works Not Rejected
We Are Not Saved by Good Works
Good Works Please God
We Teach True, Not False and Philosophical Virtues
God Gives a Reward for Good Works
There Are Not Merits of Men
The Church Has Always Existed and It
Will Always Exist
What Is the Church?
Citizens of One Commonwealth
Only One Church for All Times
The Catholic Church
Parts of Forms of the Church
The Particular Church
The Two Peoples
The Church the Temple of the Living God
Christ the Sole Head of the Church
No Disorder in the Church
Dissensions and Strife in the Church
Of the Notes or Signs of the True Church
Outside the Church of God There Is No Salvation
The Church Is Not Bound to Its Signs
The Church Appears at Times To Be Extinct
Not All Who Are in the Church Are of the
Church
We Must Not Judge Rashly of Prematurely
The Unity of the Church Is Not in External
Rites
God Uses Ministers in the Building of
the Church
The Ministry Is Not To Be Despised
Who the Ministers Are and of What Sort God
Has Given the World
Christ the Teacher
Ministers of the New Testament
Papal Orders
Concerning Monks
Ministers Are To Be Called and Elected
Ordination
Priesthood of All Beleivers
Priests and Priesthood
The Nature of the Ministers of the New Testament
Ministers as Stewards of the Mysteries of
God
The Power of Ministers of the Church
The Lord Reserves True Power for Himself
The Power of the Office and of the Minister
The Power of Ministers Is One and the Same,
and Equal
Order To Be Preserved
When and How One Was Placed Before the Others
The Duties of Ministers
Discipline
Even Evil Ministers Are To Be Heard
Synods
The Worker Is Worthy of His Reward
The Sacraments [Are] Added to the Word
and What They Are
Some Are Sacraments of the Old, Others of the New, Testaments
The Number of Sacraments of the New People
The Author of the Sacraments
Christ Still Works in Sacraments
The Author and the Ministers of the Sacraments
To Be Distinguished
The Substance or Chief Thing in the Sacraments
The Similarity and Difference in the Sacraments
of Old and New Peoples
Our Sacraments Succeed the Old Which Are
Abrogated
In What the Sacraments Consist
The Consecration of the Sacraments
Signs Take Name of Things Signified
The Sacramental Union
The Sects
The Thing Signified Is Neither Included in or
Bound to the Sacraments
The Purpose for Which Sacraments Were Instituted
The Institution of Baptism
One Baptism
What it Means To Be Baptized
We Are Baptized with Water
The Obligation of Baptism
The Form of Baptism
The Minister of Baptism
Anabaptists
The Supper of the Lord
The Author and Consecrator of the Supper
A memorial of God's Benefits
The Sign and Thing Signified
Spiritual Eating of the Lord
Christ as Our Food Sustains Us in Life
Christ Received by Faith
Spiritual Food
Eating Necessary for Salvation
Sacramental Eating of the Lord
Unbelievers Take the Sacrament to Their
Judgment
The Presence of Christ in the Supper
Other Purposes of the Lord's Supper
Preparation for the Supper
The Observance of the Supper with Both Bread
and Wine
What Ought To Be Done in Meetings for
Worship
Meetings for Worship Not To Be Neglected
Meetings Are Public
Decent Meeting Places
Modesty and Humility To Be Observed in Meetings
The True Ornamentation of Sanctuaries
Worship in the Common Language
Common Language
Free Prayer
The Method To Be Employed in Public Prayers
Singing
Canonical Hours
The Time Necessary for Worship
The Lord's Day
Superstition
The Festivals of Christ and the Saints
Fasting
Public and Private Fasting
Characteristics of Fasting
Lent
Choice of Food
Sects
Youth To Be Instructed in Godliness
The Visitation of the Sick
The Burial of Bodies
The Care of the Dead
The State of the Soul Departed from the
Body
Purgatory
The Apparition of Spirits
Ceremonies and Rites
Diversity of Rites
Things Indifferent
The Possessions of the Church and Their
Proper Use
The Misuse of the Church's Possessions
Single People
Marriage
How Marriages Are To Be Contracted
Matrimonial Forum
The Rearing of Children
The Magistracy Is from God
The Duty of the Magistrate
War
The Duty of Subjects
Sects and Seditions
Canonical Scripture. We believe and confess the canonical Scriptures of the holy prophets and apostles of both Testaments to be the true Word of God, and to have sufficient authority of themselves, not of men. For God himself spoke to the fathers, prophets, apostles, and still speaks to us through the Holy Scriptures.
And in this Holy Scripture, the universal Church of Christ has the most complete exposition of all that pertains to a saving faith, and also to the framing of a life acceptable to God; and in this respect it is expressly commanded by God that nothing either be added to or taken from the same.
Scripture Teaches Fully All Goodness. We judge,
therefore, that from these Scriptures are to be derived true wisdom and
godliness, the reformation and government of churches; as also instruction
in all duties of piety; and, to be short, the confirmation of doctrines,
and the rejection of all errors, moreover, all exhortations according to
that word of the apostle, "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable
for teaching, for reproof," etc. (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Again, "I
am writing these instructions to you," says the apostle to Timothy,
"so that you may know how one ought to behave in the household of
God," etc. (1 Tim. 3:14-15). Scripture
is the Word of God. Again, the selfsame apostle to the Thessalonians:
"When," says he, "you received the Word of God which you
heard from us, you accepted it, not as the word of men but as what it really
is, the Word of God," etc. (1 Thess. 2:13.) For the Lord himself has
said in the Gospel, "It is not you who speak, but the Spirit of my
Father speaking through you"; therefore "he who hears you hears
me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me" (Matt. 10:20; Luke
10:16; John 13:20).
The Preaching of the Word of God Is the Word of God.
Wherefore when this Word of God is now preached in the church by preachers
lawfully called, we believe the the very Word of God is proclaimed, and
received by the faithful; and that neither any other Word of God is to
be invented nor is to be expected from heaven: and that now the Word itself
which is preached is to be regarded, not the minister that preaches; for
even if he be evil and a sinner, nevertheless the Word of God remains still
true and good.
Neither do we think that therefore the outward preaching is to be thought as fruitless because the instruction in true religion depends on the inward illumination of the Spirit, or because it is written "And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor . . ., for they shall all know me" (Jer. 31:34), and "Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth" (1 Cor. 3:7). For although "no one can come to Christ unless he be drawn by the Father" (John 6:4), and unless the Holy Spirit inwardly illumines him, yet we know that it is surely the will of God that his Word should be preached outwardly also. God could indeed, by his Holy Spirit, or by the ministry of an angel, without the ministry of St. Peter, have taught Cornelius in the Acts; but, nevertheless, he refers him to Peter, of whom the angel speaking says, "He shall tell you what you ought to do."
Inward Illumination Does Not Eliminate External Preaching. For he that illuminates inwardly by giving men the Holy Spirit, the same one, by way of commandment, said unto his disciples, "Go into all the world, and preach the Gospel to the whole creation" (Mark 16:15). And so in Philippi, Paul preached the Word outwardly to Lydia, a seller of purple goods; but the Lord inwardly opened the woman's heart (Acts 16:14). And the same Paul, after a beautiful development of his thought, in Rom. 10:17 at length comes to the conclusion, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the Word of God by the preaching of Christ."
At the same time we recognize that God can illuminate whom and when he will, even without the external ministry, for that is in his power; but we speak of the usual way of instructing men, delivered unto us from God, both by commandment and examples.
Heresies. We therefore detest all the heresies
of Artemon, the Manichaeans,
the Valentinians,
of Cerdon, and the Marcionites,
who denied that the Scriptures proceeded from the Holy Spirit; or did not
accept some parts of them, or interpolated and corrupted them.
Apocrypha. And yet we do not conceal the fact that certain books of the Old Testament were by the ancient authors called Apocryphal, and by others Ecclesiastical; inasmuch as some would have them read in the churches, but not advanced as an authority from which the faith is to be established. As Augustine also, in his De Civitate Dei, book 18, ch. 38, remarks that "in the books of the Kings, the names and books of certain prophets are cited"; but he adds that "they are not in the canon"; and that "those books which we have suffice unto godliness."
The True Interpretation of Scripture. The apostle
Peter has said that the Holy Scriptures are not of private interpretation
(II Peter 1:20), and thus we do not allow all possible interpretations.
Nor consequently do we acknowledge as the true or genuine interpretation
of the Scriptures what is called the conception of the Roman Church, that
is, what the defenders of the Roman Church plainly maintain should be thrust
upon all for acceptance. But we hold that interpretation of the Scripture
to be orthodox and genuine which is gleaned from the Scriptures themselves
(from the nature of the language in which they were written, likewise according
to the circumstances in which they were set down, and expounded in the
light of like and unlike passages and of many and clearer passages) and
which agree with the rule of faith and love, and contributes much to the
glory of God and man's salvation.
Interpretations of the Holy Fathers. Wherefore
we do not despise the interpretations of the holy Greek and Latin fathers,
nor reject their disputations and treatises concerning sacred matters as
far as they agree with the Scriptures; but we modestly dissent from them
when they are found to set down things differing from, or altogether contrary
to, the Scriptures. Neither do we think that we do them any wrong in this
matter; seeing that they all, with one consent, will not have their writings
equated with the canonical Scriptures, but command us to prove how far
they agree or disagree with them, and to accept what is in agreement and
to reject what is in disagreement.
Councils. And in the same order also we place
the decrees and canons of councils.
Wherefore we do not permit ourselves, in controversies
about religion or matters of faith, to urge our case with only the opinions
of the fathers or decrees of councils; much less by received customs, or
by the large number who share the same opinion, or by the prescription
of a long time. Who is the judge? Therefore, we do not admit any
other judge than God himself, who proclaims by the Holy Scriptures what
is true, what is false, what is to be followed, or what to be avoided.
So we do assent to the judgments of spiritual men which are drawn from
the Word of God. Certainly Jeremiah and other prophets vehemently condemned
the assemblies of priests which were set up against the law of God; and
diligently admonished us that we should not listen to the fathers, or tread
in their path who, walking in their own inventions, swerved from the law
of God.
Traditions of Men. Likewise we reject human traditions,
even if they be adorned with high-sounding titles, as though they were
divine and apostolical, delivered to the Church by the living voice of
the apostles, and, as it were, through the hands of apostolical men to
succeeding bishops which, when compared with the Scriptures, disagree with
them; and by their disagreement show that they are not apostolic at all.
For as the apostles did not contradict themselves in doctrine, so the apostolic
men did not set forth things contrary to the apostles. On the contrary,
it would be wicked to assert that the apostles by a living voice delivered
anything contrary to their writings. Paul affirms expressly that he taught
the same things in all churches (1 Cor. 4:17). And, again, "For we
write you nothing but what you can read and understand." (2 Cor. 1:13).
Also, in another place, he testifies that he and his disciples--that is,
apostolic men--walked in the same way, and jointly by the same Spirit did
all things (2 Cor. 12:18). Moreover, the Jews in former times had the traditions
of their elders; but these traditions were severely rejected by the Lord,
indicating that the keeping of them hinders God's law, and that God is
worshipped in vain by such traditions (Matt. 15:1ff.; Mark 7:1 ff.).
God Is One. We believe and teach that God is
one in essence or nature, subsisting in himself, all sufficient in himself,
invisible, incorporeal, immense, eternal, Creator of all things both visible
and invisible, the greatest good, living, quickening and preserving all
things, omnipotent and supremely wise, kind and merciful, just and true.
Truly we detest many gods because it is expressly written: "The Lord
your God is one Lord" (Deut. 6:4). "I am the Lord your God. You
shall have no other gods before me" (Ex. 20:2-3). "I am the Lord,
and there is no other god besides me. Am I not the Lord, and there is no
other God beside me? A righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides
me" (Isa. 45:5, 21). "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and
gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness"
(Ex. 34:6).
God Is Three. Notwithstanding we believe and teach
that the same immense, one and indivisble God is in merspn inseparably
and without confusion distinguished as Father, Son and Holy Spirit so,
as the Father has begotten the Son from eternity, the Son is begotten by
an ineffable generation, and the Holy Spirit truly proceeds from them both,
and the same from eternity and is to be worshipped with both.
Thus there are not three gods, but three persons, consubstantioal,
coeternal, and coequal; distinct with respect to hypostases, and with respect
to order, the one preceding the other yet without any inequality. For according
to the nature or essence they are so joined together that they are one
God, and the divine nature is common to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
For Scripture has delivered to us a manifest distinction
of persons, the angel saying, among other things, to the Blessed Virgin,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High
will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy,
the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). And also in the baptism of Christ a voice
is heard from heaven concerning Christ, saying, "This is my beloved
Son" (Matt. 3:17). The Holy Spirit also appeared in the form of a
dove (John 1:32). And when the Lord himself commanded the apostles to baptize,
he commanded them to baptize "in the name of the Father, and the Son,
and the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28:19). Elsewhere in the Gospel he said:
"When the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father,
even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness
to me," etc. (John 15:26). In short, we receive the Apostles'
Creed because it delivers to us the true faith.
Heresies. Therefore we condemn the Jews and Mohammedans,
and all those who blaspheme that sacred and adorable Trinity. We also condemn
all heresies and heretics who teach that the Son and Holy Spirit are God
in name only, and also that there is something created and subservient,
or subordinate to another in the Trinity, and that there is something unequal
in it, a greater or a less, something corporeal or corporeally conceived,
something different with respect to character or will, something mixed
or solitary, as if the Son and Holy Spirit were the affections and properties
of one God the Father, as the Monarchians,
Novatians, Praxeas, Patripassians, Sabellius, Paul of Samosata, Aetius,
Macedonius, Antropomorphites, Arius, and such like, have thought.
Images of God. Since God as Spirit is in essence
invisible and immense, he cannot really be expressed by any art or image.
For this reason we have no fear pronouncing with Scripture that images
of God are mere lies. Therefore we reject not only the idols of the Gentiles,
but also the images of Christians. Images of Christ. Although Christ
assumed human nature, yet he did not on that account assume it in order
to provide a model for carvers and painters. He denied that he had come
"to abolish the law and the prophets" (Matt. 5:17). But images
are forbidden by the law and the prophets (Deut. 4:15; Isa. 44:9). He denied
that his bodily presence would be profitable for the Church, and promised
that he would be near us by his Spirit forever (John 16:7). Who, therefore,
would believe that a shadow or likeness of his body would contribute any
benefit to the pious? (2 Cor. 5:5). Since he abides in us by his Spirit,
we are therefore the temple of God (2 Cor. 3:16). But "what agreement
has the temple of God with idols?" (2 Cor. 6:16). Images of Saints.
And since the blessed spirits and saints in heaven, while they lived
here on earth, rejected all worship of themselves (Acts 3:12f.; 14:11ff.;
Rev. 14:7; 22:9) and condemned images, shall anyone find it likely that
the heavenly saints and angels are pleased with their own images before
which men kneel, uncover their heads, and bestow other honors?
But in fact in order to instruct men in religion and
to remind them of divine things and of their salvation, the Lord commanded
the preaching of the Gospel (Mark 16:15)--not to paint and to teach the
laity by means of pictures. Moreover, he instituted sacraments, but nowhere
did he set up images. The Scriptures of the Laity. Furthermore,
wherever we turn our eyes, we see the living and true creatures of God
which, if they be observed, as is proper, make a much more vivid impression
on the beholders than all the images or vain, motionless, feeble and dead
pictures made by men, of which the prophet truly said: "They have
eyes, but do not see" (Ps. 115:5).
Lactantius. Therefore we approved the judgment
of Lactantius, an ancient writer, who says: "Undoubtedly no religion
exists where there is an image." Epiphanius and Jerome. We
also assert that the blessed bishop Epiphanius did right when, finding
on the doors of a church a veil on which was painted a picture supposedly
of Christ or some saint, he ripped it down and took it away, because to
see a picture of a man hanging in the Church of Christ was contrary to
the authority of Scripture. Wherefore he charged that from henceforth no
such veils, which were contrary to our religion, should be hung in the
Church of Christ, and that rather such questionable things, unworthy of
the Church of Christ and the faithful people, should be removed. Moreover,
we approve of this opinion of St. Augustine concerning true religion: "Let
not the worship of the works of men be a religion for us. For the artists
themselves who make such things are better; yet we ought not to worship
them" (De Vera Religione, cap. 55).
God Alone Is To Be Adored and Worshipped. We
teach that the true God alone is to be adored and worshipped. This honor
we impart to none other, according to the commandment of the Lord, "You
shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve" (Matt.
4:10). Indeed, all the prophets severely inveighed against the people of
Israel whenever they adored and worshipped strange gods, and not the only
true God. But we teach that God is to be adored and worshipped as he himself
has taught us to worship, namely, "in spirit and in truth" (John
4:23 f.), not with any superstition, but with sincerity, according to his
Word; lest at any time he should say to us: "Who has required these
things from your hands?" (Isa. 1:12; Jer. 6:20). For Paul also says:
"God is not served by human hands, as though he needed anything,"
etc. (Acts 17:25).
God Alone Is To Be Invoked Through the Mediation of
Christ Alone. In all crises and trials of our life we call upon him
alone, and that by the mediation of our only mediator and intercessor,
Jesus Christ. For we have been explicitly commanded: "Call upon me
in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me"
(Ps. 1:15). Moreover, we have a most generous promise from the Lord Who
said: "If you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you"
(John 16:23), and: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden
and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). And since it is written:
"How are men to call upon him in whom they have not believed?"
(Rom. 10:14), and since we do believe in God alone, we assuredly call upon
him alone, and we do so through Christ. For as the apostle says, "There
is one God and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ
Jesus" (1 Tim. 2:5), and, "If any one does sin, we have an advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" etc. (1 John 2:1).
The Saints Are Not To Be Adored, Worshipped or Invoked.
For this reason we do not adore, worship, or pray to the saints in heaven,
or to other gods, and we do not acknowledge them as our intercessors or
mediators before the Father in heaven. For God and Christ the Mediator
are sufficient for us; neither do we give to others the honor that is due
to God alone and to his Son, because he has expressly said: "My glory
I give to no other" (Isa. 42:8), and because Peter has said: "There
is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved,"
except the name of Christ (Acts 4:12). In him, those who give their assent
by faith do not seek anything outside Christ.
The Due Honor To Be Rendered to the Saints. At
the same time we do not despise the saints or think basely of them. For
we acknowledge them to be living members of Christ and friends of God who
have gloriously overcome the flesh and the world. Hence we love them as
brothers, and also honor them; yet not with any kind of worship but by
an honorable opinion of them and just praises of them. We also imitate
them. For with ardent logings and supplications we earnestly desire to
be imitators of their faith and virtues, to share eternal salvation with
them, to dwell eternally with them in the presence of God, and to rejoice
with them in Christ. And in this respect we approve of the opinion of St.
Augustine in De Vera Religione: "Let not our religion be the
cult of men who have died. For if they have lived holy lives, they are
not to be thought of as seeking such honors; on the contrary, they want
us to worship him by whose illumination they rejoice that we are fellow-servants
of his merits. They are therefore to be honored by way of imitation, but
not to be adored in a religious manner," etc.
Relics of the Saints. Much less do we believe
that the relics of the saints are to be adored and reverenced. Those ancient
saints seemed to have sufficiently honored their dead when they decently
committed their remains to the earth after the spirit had ascended on high.
And they thought that the most noble relics of their ancestors were their
virtues, their doctrine, and their faith. Moreover, as they commend these
"relics" when praising the dead, so they strive to copy them
during their life on earth.
Swearing by God's Name Alone. These ancient men
did not swear except by the name of the only God, Yahweh, as prescribed
by the divine law. Therefore, as it is forbidden to swear by the names
of strange gods (Ex. 23:13; Deut. 10:20), so we do not perform oaths to
the saints that are demanded of us. We therefore reject in all these matters
a doctrine that ascribes much too much to the saints in heaven.
All Things Are Governed by the Providence of God.
We believe that all things in heaven and on earth, and in all creatures,
are preserved and governed by the providence of this wise, eternal and
almighty God. For David testifies and says: "The Lord is high above
all nations, and his glory above the heavens! Who is like the Lord our
God, who is seated on high, who looks far down upon the heavens and the
earth?" (Ps. 113:4 ff.). Again: "Thou searchest out . . . all
my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, lo, O Lord, Thou knowest it
altogether" (Ps. 139:3 f.). Paul also testifies and declares: "In
him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28), and "from
him and through him and to him are all things" (Rom. 11:36). Therefore
Augustine most truly and according to Scripture declared in his book De
Agone Christi, cap. 8, "The Lord said, 'Are not two sparrows sold
for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's
will'" (Matt. 10:29). By speaking thus, he wanted to show that what
men regard as of least value is governed by God's omnipotence. For he who
is the truth says that the birds of the air are fed by him and the lilies
of the field are clothed by him; he also says that the hairs of our head
are numbered (Mat. 6:26 ff.).
The Epicureans. We therefore condemn the Epicureans
who deny the providence of God, and all those who blasphemously say that
God is busy with the heavens and neither sees nor cares about us and our
affairs. David, the royal prophet, also condemned this when he said: "O
Lord, how long shall the wicked exult? They say, 'The Lord does not see;
the God of Jacob does not perceive.' Understand, O dullest of the people!
Fools, when will you be wise? He who planted the ear, does he not hear?
He who formed the eye, does he not see?" (Ps. 94:3,7-9).
Means Not To Be Despised. Nevertheless, we do
not spurn as useless the means by which divine providence works, but we
teach that we are to adapt ourselves to them in so far as they are recommended
to us in the Word of God. Wherefore we disapprove of the rash statements
of those who say that if all things are managed by the providence of God,
then our efforts and endeavours are in vain. It will be sufficient if we
leave everything to the governance of divine providence, and we will not
have to worry about anything or do anything. For although Paul understood
that he sailed under the providence of God who had said to him: "You
must bear witness also at Rome" (Acts 23:11), and in addition had
given him the promise, "There will be no loss of life among you .
. . and not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you" (Acts
27:22, 34), yet when the sailors were nevertheless thinking about abandoning
ship the same Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers: "Unless
these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved" (Acts 27:31). For
God, who has appointed to everything its end, has ordained the beginning
and the means by which it reaches its goal. The heathen ascribe things
to blind fortune and uncertain chance. But St. James does not want us to
say: "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and trade,"
but adds: "Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall
live and we shall do this or that'" (James 4:13,15). And Augustine
says: "Everything which to vain men seems to happen in nature by accident,
occurs only by his Word, because it happens only at his command" (Enarrationes
in Psalmos 148). Thus it seemed to happen by mere chance when Saul,
while seeking his father's asses, unexpectedly fell in with the prophet
Samuel. But previously the Lord had said to the prophet: "Tomorrow
I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin" (1 Sam. 9:16).
God Created All Things. This good and almighty
God created all things, both visible and invisible, by his coeternal Word,
and preserves them by his co-eternal Spirit, as David testified when he
said: "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all their
host by the breath of his mouth" (Ps. 33:6). And, as Scripture says,
everything that God had made was very good, and was made fo the profit
and use of man. Now we assert that all those things proceed from one beginning.
Manichaeans and Marcionites. Therefore, we condemn the Manichaeans
and Marcionites who impiously imagined two substances and natures, one
good, the other evil; also two beginnings and two gods contrary to each
other, a good one and an evil one.
Of Angels and the Devil. Among all creatures,
angels and men are most excellent. Concerning angels, Holy Scripture declares:
"Who makest the winds thy messengers, fire and flame thy ministers"
(Ps. 104:4). Also it says: "Are they not all ministering spirits sent
forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation?"
(Heb. 1:14). Concerning the devil, the Lord Jesus himself testifies "He
was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth,
because there is no truth in him. When he lies he speaks according to his
own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44).
Consequently we teach that some angels persisted in obedience and were
appointed for faithful service to God and men, but others fell of their
own free will and were cast into destruction, becoming enemies of all good
and of the faithful, etc.
Of Man. Now concerning man, Scripture says that
in the beginning he was made good according to the image and likeness of
God;(2) that God placed
him in Paradise and made all things subject to him (Gen., ch. 2). This
is what David magnificently sets forth in Psalm 8. Moreover, God gave him
a wife and blessed them. We also affirm that man consists of two different
substances in one person: an immortal soul which, when separated from the
body, neither sleeps nor dies, and a mortal body which will nevertheless
be raised up from the dead at the last judgment in order that then the
whole man, either in life or in death, abide forever.
The Sects. We condemn all who ridicule or by subtle
arguments cast doubt upon the immortality of souls, or who say that the
soul sleeps or is a part of God. In short, we condemn all opinions of all
men, however many, that depart from what has been delivered unto us by
the Holy Scriptures in the apostolic Church of Christ concerning creation,
angels, and demons, and man.
The Fall of Man. In the beginning, man was
made according to the image of God, in righteousness and true holiness,
good and upright. But when at the instigation of the serpent and by his
own fault he abandoned goodness and righteousness, he became subject to
sin, death and various calamities. And what he became by the fall, that
is, subject to sin, death and various calamities, so are all those who
have descended from him.
Sin. By sin we understand that innate corruption
of man which has been derived or propagated in us all from our first parents,
by which we, immersed in perverse desires and averse to all good are inclined
to all evil. Full of all wickedness, distrust, contempt and hatred of God,
we are unable to do or even to think anything good of ourselves. Moreover,
even as we grow older, so by wicked thoughts, words and deeds committed
against God's law, we bring forth corrupt fruit worthy of an evil tree
(Matt. 12:33 ff.). For this reason by our own deserts, being subject to
the wrath of God, we are liable to just punishment, so that all of us would
have been cast away by God if Christ, the Deliverer, had not brought us
back.
Death. By death we understand not only bodily
death, which all of us must once suffer on account of sins, but also eternal
punishment due to our sins and corruption. For the apostle says: "We
were dead through tresspasses and sins . . . and were by nature children
of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, who is rich in mercy . . .
even when we were dead through our tresspasses, made us alive together
with Christ" (Eph. 2:1 ff.). Also: "As sin came into the world
through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because
all men sinned" (Rom. 5:12).
Original Sin. We therefore acknowledge that there
is original sin in all men. Actual Sins. We acknowledge that all
other sins which arise from it are called and truly are sins, no matter
by what name they may be called, whether mortal, venial or that which is
said to be the sin against the Holy Spirit which is never forgiven (Mark
3:29; 1 John 5:16). We also confess that sins are not equal; although they
arise from the same fountain of corruption and unbelief, some are more
serious than others. As the Lord said, it will be more tolerable for Sodom
than for the city that rejects the word of the Gospel (Matt. 10:14 f.;
11:20 ff.).
The Sects. We therefore condemn all who have taught
contrary to this, especially Pelagius and all the Pelagians, together with
the Jovinians who, with the Stoics, regard all sins as equal. In this whole
matter we agree with St. Augustine who derived and defended his view from
Holy Scriptures. Moreover, we condemn Florinus and Blastus, against whom
Irenaeus wrote, and all who make God the author of sin.
God Is Not the Author of Sin, and How Far He Is Said
to Harden. It is expressly written: "Thou art not a God who delights
in wickedness. Thou hatest all evildoers. Thou destroyest those who speak
lies" (Ps. 5:4 ff.). And again: "When the devil lies, he speaks
according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies"
(John 8:44). Moreover, there is enough sinfulness and corruption in us
that it is not necessary for God to infuse into us a new or still greater
perversity. When, therefore, it is said in Scripture that God hardens,
blinds and delivers up to a reprobate mind, it is to be understood that
God does it by a just judgment as a just Judge and Avenger. Finally, as
often as God in Scripture is said or seems to do something evil, it is
not thereby said that man does not do evil, but that God permits it and
does not prevent it, according to his just judgment, who could prevent
it if he wished, or because he turns man's evil into good, as he did in
the case of Joseph's brethren, or because he governs sins lest they break
out and rage more than is appropriate. St. Augustine writes in his Enchiridion:
"What happens contrary to his will occurs, in a wonderful and
ineffable way, not apart from his will. For it would not happen if he did
not allow it. And yet he does not allow it unwillingly but willingly. But
he who is good would not permist evil to be done, unless, being omnipotent,
he could bring good out of evil." Thus wrote Augustine.
Curious Questions. Other questions, such as whether
God willed Adam to fall, or why he did not prevent the fall, and similar
questions, we reckon among curious questions (unless perchance the wickedness
of heretics or of other churlish men compels us also to explain them out
of the Word of God, as the godly teachers of the Church have frequently
done), knowing that the Lord forbade man to eat of the forbidden fruit
and punished his transgression. We also know that what things are done
are not evil with respect to the providence, will, and power of God, but
in respect of Satan and our will opposing the will of God.
In this matter, which has always produced many conflicts in the Church,
we teach that a threefold condition or state of man is to be considered.
What Man Was Before the Fall. There is the state
in which man was in the beginning before the fall, namely, upright and
free, so that he could both continue in goodness and decline to evil. However,
he declined to evil, and has involved himself and the whole human race
in sin and death, as has been said already. What
Man Was After the Fall. Then we are to consider what man was after
the fall. To be sure, his reason was not taken from him, nor was he deprived
of will, and he was not entirely changed into a stone or a tree. But they
were so altered and weakened that they no longer can do what they could
before the fall. For the understanding is darkened, and the will which
was free has become an enslaved will. Now it serves sin, not unwillingly
but willingly. And indeed, it is called a will, not an unwill(ing).(3)
Man Does Evil by His Own Free Will. Therefore,
in regard to evil or sin, man is not forced by God or by the devil but
does evil by his own free will, and in this respect he has a most free
will. But when we frequently see that the worst crimes and designs of men
are prevented by God from reaching their purpose, this does not take away
man's freedom in doing evil, but God by his own power prevents what man
freely planned otherwise. Thus Joseph's brothers freely determined to get
rid of him, but they were unable to do it because something else seemed
good to the counsel of God.
Man Is Not Capable of Good Per se. In regard
to goodness and virtue man's reason does not judge rightly of itself concerning
divine things. For the evangelical and apostolic Scripture requires regeneration
of whoever among us wishes to be saved. Hence our first birth from Adam
contributes nothing to our salvation. Paul says: "The unspiritual
man does not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God," etc. (1 Cor.
2:14). And in another place he denies that we of ourselves are capable
of thinking anything good (2 Cor. 3:5). Now it is known that the mind or
intellect is the guide of the will, and when the guide is blind, it is
obvious how far the will reaches. Wherefore, man not yet regenerate has
no free will for good, no strength to perform what is good. The Lord says
in the Gospel: "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin
is a slave to sin" (John 8:34). And the apostle says: "The mind
that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's
law, indeed it cannot" (Rom. 8:7). Yet in regard to earthly things,
fallen man is not entirely lacking in understanding.
Understanding of the Arts. For God in his mercy
has permitted the powers of the intellect to remain, though differing greatly
from what was in man before the fall. God commands us to cultivate our
natural talents, and meanwhile adds both gifts and success. And it is obvious
that we make no progress in all the arts without God's blessing. In any
case, Scripture refers all the arts to God; and, indeed, the heathen trace
the origin of the arts to the gods who invented them.
Of What Kind Are the Powers of the Regenerate, and
in What Way Their Wills Are Free. Finally, we must see whether the
regenerate have free wills, and to what extent. In regeneration the understanding
is illumined by the Holy Spirit in order that it may understand both the
mysteries and the will of God. And the will itself is not only changed
by the Spirit, but it is also equipped with faculties so that it wills
and is able to do the good of its own accord (Rom. 8:1 ff.). Unless we
grant this, we will deny Christian liberty and introduce a legal bondage.
But the prophet has God saying: "I will put my law within them, and
I will write it upon their hearts" (Jer. 31:33; Ezek. 36:26 f.). The
Lord also says in the Gospel: "If the Son makes you free, you will
be free indeed" (John 8:36). Paul also writes to the Philippians:
"It has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should
not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake" (Phil. 1:29).
Again: "I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring
it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (v. 6). Also: "God
is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure"
(ch. 2:13).
The Regenerate Work Not Only Passively but Actively.
However, in this connection we teach that there are two things to be observed:
First, that the regenerate, in choosing and doing good, work not only passively
but actively. For they are moved by God that they may do themselves what
they do. For Augustine rightly adduces the saying that "God is said
to be our helper. But no one can be helped unless he does something."
The Manichaeans robbed man of all activity and made him like a stone or
block of wood.
The Free Will Is Weak in the Regenerate. Secondly,
in the regenerate a weakness remains. For since sin dwells in us, and in
the regenerate the flesh struggles against the Spirit till the end of our
lives, they do not easily accomplish in all things what they had planned.
These things are confirmed by the apostle in Rom., ch. 7, and Gal., ch.
5. Therefore that free will is weak in us on account of the remnants of
the old Adam and of innate human corruption remaining in us until the end
of our lives. Meanwhile, since the power of the flesh and the remnants
of the old man are not so efficacious that they wholly extinguish the work
of the Spirit, for that reason the faithful are said to be free, yet so
that they acknowledge their inffrmity and do not glory at all in their
free will. For believers ought always to keep in mind what St. Augustine
so many times inculcated according to the apostle: "What have you
that you did not receive? If then you received, why do you boast as if
it were not a gift?" To this he adds that what we have planned does
not immediately come to pass. For the issue of things lies in the hand
of God. This is the reason Paul prayed to the Lord to prosper his journey
(Rom. 1:10). And this also is the reason the free will is weak.
In External Things There Is Liberty. Moreover,
no one denies that in external things both the regenerate and the unregenerate
enjoy free will. For man has in common with other living creatures (to
which he is not inferior) this nature to will some things and not to will
others. Thus he is able to speak or to keep silent, to go out of his house
or to remain at home, etc. However, even here God's power is always to
be observed, for it was the cause that Balaam could not go as far as he
wanted (Num., ch. 24), and Zacharias upon returning from the temple could
not speak as he wanted (Luke, ch. 1).
Heresies. In this matter we condemn the Manichaeans
who deny that the beginning of evil was for man [created] good, from his
free will. We also condemn the Pelagians who assert that an evil man has
sufficient free will to do the good that is commanded. Both are refuted
by Holy Scripture which says to the forner, "God made man upright"
and to the latter, "If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed"
(John 8:36).
God Has Elected Us Out of Grace. From eternity
God has freely, and of his mere grace, without any respect to men, predestinated
or elected the saints whom he wills to save in Christ, according to the
saying of the apostle, "God chose us in him before the foundation
of the world" (Eph. 1:4). And again: "Who saved us and called
us with a holy calling, not in virtue of our works but in virtue of his
own purpose and the grace which he gave us in Christ Jesus ages ago, and
now has manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus"
(2 Tim. 1:9 f.).
We Are Elected or Predestinated in Christ. Therefore,
although not on account of any merit of ours, God has elected us, not directly,
but in Christ, and on account of Christ, in order that those who are now
ingrafted into Christ by faith might also be elected. But those who were
outside Christ were rejected, according to the word of the apostle, "Examine
yourselves, to see whether you are holding to your faith. Test yourselves.
Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you fail
to meet the test!" (2 Cor. 13:5).
We Are Elected for a Definite Purpose. Finally,
the saints are chosen by God for a definite purpose, which the apostle
himself explains when he says, "He chose us in him for adoption that
we should be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for
adoption to be his sons through Jesus Christ that they should be to the
praise of the glory of his grace" (Eph. 1:4 ff.).
We Are to Have a Good Hope for All. And although
God knows who are his, and here and there mention is made of the small
number of elect, yet we must hope well of all, and not rashly judge any
man to be a reprobate. For Paul says to the Philippians, "I thank
my God for you all" (now he speaks of the whole Church in Philippi),
"because of your fellowship in the Gospel, being persuaded that he
who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of
Jesus Christ. It is also right that I have this opinion of you all"
(Phil. 1:3 ff.).
Whether Few Are Elect. And when the Lord was asked
whether there were few that should be saved, he does not answer and tell
them that few or many should be saved or damned, but rather he exhorts
every man to "strive to enter by the narrow door" (Luke 13:24):
as if he should say, It is not for you curiously to inquire about these
matters, but rather to endeavor that you may enter into heaven by the straight
way.
What in This Matter Is To Be Condemned. Therefore
we do not approve of the impious speeches of some who say, "Few are
chosen, and since I do not know whether I am among the number of the few,
I will enjoy myself." Others say, "If I am predestinated and
elected by God, nothing can hinder me from salvation, which is already
certainly appointed for me, no matter what I do. But if I am in the number
of the reprobate, no faith or repentance will help me, since the decree
of God cannot be changed. Therefore all doctrines and admonitions are useless."
Now the saying of the apostle contradicts these men: "The Lord's servant
must be ready to teach, instructing those who oppose him, so that if God
should grant that they repent to know the truth, they may recover from
the snare of the devil, after being held captive by him to do his will"
(2 Tim. 2:23 ff.).
Admonitions Are Not in Vain Because Salvation Proceeds
from Election. Augustine also shows that both the grace of free election
and predestination, and also salutary admonitions and doctrines, are to
be preached (Lib. de Dono Perseverantiae, cap. 14 ff.).
Whether We Are Elected. We therefore find fault
with those who outside of Christ ask whether they are elected. (4)
And what has God decreed concerning them before all eternity? For the preaching
of the Gospel is to be heard, and it is to be believed; and it is to be
held as beyond doubt that if you believe and are in Christ, you are elected.
For the Father has revealed unto us in Christ the eternal purpose of his
predestination, as I have just now shown from the apostle in 2 Tim. 1:9-10.
This is therefore above all to be taught and considered, what great love
of the Father toward us is revealed to us in Christ. We must hear what
the Lord himself daily preaches to us in the Gospel, how he calls and says:
"Come to me all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you
rest" (Matt. 11:28). "God so loved the world, that he gave his
only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal
life" (John 3:16). Also, "It is not the will of my Father that
one of these little ones should perish" (Matt. 18:14).
Let Christ, therefore be the looking glass, in whom we may contemplate
our predestination. We shall have a sufficiently clear and sure testimony
that we are inscribed in the Book of Life if we have fellowship with Christ,
and he is ours and we are his in true faith.
Temptation in Regard to Predestination. In the
temptation in regard to predesination, than which there is scarcely any
other more dangerous, we are confronted by the fact that God's promises
apply to all the faithful, for he says: "Ask, and everyone who seeks,
shall receive" (Luke 11:9 f.). This finally we pray, with the whole
Church of God, "Our Father who art in heaven" (Matt. 6:9), both
because by baptism we are ingrafted into the body of Christ, and we are
often fed in his Church with his flesh and blood unto life eternal. Thereby,
being strengthened, we are commanded to work out our salvation with fear
and trembling, according to the precept of Paul.
Christ Is True God. We further believe and
teach that the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, was predestinated or
foreordained from eternity by the Father to be the Savior of the world.
And we believe that he was born, not only when he assumed flesh of the
Virgin Mary, and not only before the foundation of the world was laid,
but by the Fahter before all eternity in an inexpressible manner. For Isaiah
said: "Who can tell his generation? (Ch. 53:8). And Micah says: "His
origin is from of old, from ancient days" (Micah 4:2). And John said
in the Gospel" "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God," etc. (Ch. 1:1). Therefore, with respect
to his divinity the Son is coequal and consubstantial with the Father;
true God (Phil 2:11), not only in name or by adoption or by any merit,
but in substance and nature, as the apostle John has often said: "This
is the true God and eternal life" (1 John 5:20). Paul also says: "He
appointed the Son the heir of all things, through whom also he created
the world. He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his
nature, uholding all things by his word of power" (Heb. 1:2 f.). For
in the Gospel the Lord himself said: "Father, glorify Thou me in Thy
own presence with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was
made" (John 17:5). And in another place in the Gospel it is written:
"The Jews sought all the more to kill him because he . . . called
God his Father making himself equal with God" (John 5:18).
The Sects. We therefore abhor the impious doctrine
of Arius and the Arians against the Son of God, and especially the blasphemies
of the Spaniard, Michael Servetus, and all his followers, which Satan through
them has, as it were, dragged up out of hell and has most audaciously and
impiously spread abroad in the world.
Christ Is True Man, Having Real Flesh. We also
believe and teach that the eternal Son of the eternal God was made the
Son of man, from the seed of Abraham and David, not from the coitus of
a man, as the Ebionites said, but was most chastely conceived by the Holy
Spirit and born of the ever virgin Mary, as the evangelical history carefully
explains to us (Matt., ch. 1). And Paul says: "He took not on him
the nature of angels, but of the seed of Abraham." Also the apostle
John says that whoever does not believe that Jesus Christ has come in the
flesh, is not of God. Therefore, the flesh of Christ was neither imaginary
nor brought from heaven, As Valentinus and Marcion wrongly imagined.
A Rational Soul in Christ. Moreover, our Lord
Jesus Christ did not have a soul bereft of sense and reason, as Apollinaris
thought, nor flesh without a soul, as Eunomius taught, but a soul with
its reason, and flesh with its senses, by which in the time of his passion
he sustained real bodily pain, as he himself testified when he said: "My
soul is very sorrowful, even to death" (Matt. 26:38). And, "Now
is my soul troubled" (John 12:27).
Two Natures in Christ. We therefore acknowledge
two natures or substances, the divine and the human, in one and the same
Jesus Christ our Lord (Heb., ch. 2). And we way that these are bound and
united with one another in such a way that they are not absorbed, or confused,
or mixed, but are united or joined together in one person--the properties
of the natures being unimpaired and permanent.
Not Two but One Christ. Thus we worship not two
but one Christ the Lord. We repeat: one true God and man. With respect
to his divine nature he is consubstantial with the Father, and with respect
to the human nature he is consubstantial with us men, and like us in all
things, sin excepted (Heb. 4:15).
The Sects. And indeed we detest the dogma of the
Nestorians
who make two of the one Christ and dissolve the unity of the Person. Likewise
we thoroughly execrate the madness of Eutyches and the Monothelites or
Monophysites
who destroy the property of the human nature.
The Divine Nature of Christ Is Not Passible, and the
Human Nature Is Not Everywhere. Therefore, we do not in any way teach
that the divine nature in Christ has suffered or that Christ according
to his human nature is still in the world and thus everywhere. For neither
do we think or teach that the body of Christ ceased to be a true body after
his glorification, or was deified, and deified in such a way that it laid
aside its properties as regards body and soul, and changed entirely into
a divine nature and began to be merely one substance.
The Sects. Hence we by no means approve or accept
the strained, confused and obscure subtleties of Schwenkfeldt and of similar
sophists with their self-contradictory arguments; neither are we Schwenkfeldians.
Our Lord Truly Suffered. We believe, moreover,
that our Lord Jesus Christ truly suffered and died for us in the flesh,
as Peter says (1 Peter 4:1). We abhor the most impious madness of the Jacobites
and all the Turks who execrate the suffering of the Lord. At the same time
we do not deny that the Lord of glory was crucified for us, according to
Paul's words (1 Cor. 2:8).
Impartation of Properties. We piously and reverently
accept and use the impartation of properties which is derived from Scripture
and which has been used by all antiquity in explaining and reconciling
apparently contradictory passages.
Christ Is Truly Risen from the Dead. We believe
and teach that the same Jesus Christ our Lord, in his true flesh in which
he was crucified and died, rose again from the dead, and that not another
flesh was raised other than the one buried, or that a spirit was taken
up instead of the flesh, but that he retained his true body. Therefore,
while his disciples thought they saw the spirit of the Lord, he showed
them them his hands and feet which were marked by the prints of the nails
and wounds, and added: "See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself;
handle me, and see, for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that
I have" (Luke 24:39).
Christ Is Truly Ascended Into Heaven. We believe
that our Lord Jesus Christ, in his same flesh, ascended above all visible
heavens into the highest heaven, that is, the dwelling-place of God and
the blessed ones, at the right hand of God the Father. Although it signifies
an equal participation in glory and majesty, it is also taken to be a certain
place about which the Lord, speaking in the Gospel, says: "I go to
prepare a place for you" (John 14:2). The apostle Peter also says:
"Heaven must receive Christ until the time of restoring all things"
(Acts 3:21). And from heaven the same Christ will return in judgment, when
wickedness will then be at its greatest in the world and when the Antichrist,
having corrupted true relgion, will fill up all things with superstition
and impiety and will cruelly lay waste the Chruch with bloodshed and flames
(Dan., ch. 11). But Christ will come again to claim his own, and by his
coming to destroy the Antichrist, and to judge the living and the dead
(Acts 17:31). For the dead will rise again (1 Thess. 4:14 ff.), and those
who on that day (which is unknown to all creatures [Mark 13:32]) will be
alive will be changed "in the twinkling of an eye," and all the
faithful will be caught up to meet Christ in the air, so that then they
may enter with him into the blessed dwelling-places to live forever (1
Cor. 15:51 f.). But the unbelievers and ungodly will descend with the devils
into hell to burn forever and never to be redeemed from torments (Matt.
25:46).
The Sects. We therefore condemn all who deny a
real resurrection of the flesh (2 Tim. 2:18), or who with John of Jerusalem,
against whom Jerome wrote, do not have a correct view of the glorification
of bodies. We also condmn those who thought that the devil and all the
ungodly would at some time be saved, and that there would be and end to
punishments. For the Lord has plainly declared: "Their fire is not
quenched, and their worm does not die" (Mark 9:44). We further condemn
Jewish dreams that there will be a golden age on earth before the Day of
Judgment, and that the pious, having subdued all their godless enemies,
will possess all the kingdoms of the earth. For evangelical truth in Matt.,
chs. 24 and 25, and Luke, ch. 18, and apostolic teaching in 2 Thess., ch.
2, and 2 Tim., chs. 3 and 4, present something quite different.
The Fruit of Christ's Death and Resurrection.
Further by his passion and death and everything which he did and endured
for our sake by his coming in the flesh, our Lord reconciled all the faithful
to the heavenly Father, made expiation for our sins, disarmed death, overcame
damnation and hell, and by his resurrection from the dead brought again
and restored life and immortality. For he is our righteousness, life and
resurrection, in a word, the fulness and perfection of all the faithful,
slavation and all sufficiency. For the apostle says: "In him all the
fulness of God was pleased to dwell," and, "You have come to
fulness of life in him" (Col., chs. 1 and 2).
Jesus Christ Is the Only Savior of the World, and
the True Awaited Messiah. For we teach and believe that Jesus Christ
our Lord is the unique and eternal Savior of the human race, and thus of
the whole world, in whom by faith are saved all who before the law, under
the law, and under the Gospel were saved, and however many will be saved
at the end of the world. For the Lord himself says in the Gospel: "He
who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way,
that man is a thief and a robber . . . . I am the door of the sheep"
(John 10:1 and 7). And also in another place in the same Gospel he says:
"Abraham saw my day and was glad" (ch. 8:56). The apostle Peter
also says: "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other
name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." We therefore
believe that we will be saved through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
as our fathers were (Acts 4:12; 10:43; 15:11). For Paul also says: "All
our fathers ate the same spiritual food and all drank the same spiritual
drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock which followed them, and
the Rock was Christ" )1 Cor. 10:3 f.). And thus we read that John
says: "Christ was the Lamb which was slain from the foundation of
the world" (Rev. 13:8), and John the Baptist testified that Christ
is that "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John
1:29). Wherefore, we quite openly profess and preach that Jesus Christ
is the sole Redeemer and Savior of the world, the King and High Priest,
the true and awaited Messiah, that holy and blessed one whom all the types
of the law and predictions of the prophets prefigured and promised; and
that God appointed him beforehand and sent him to us, so that we are not
now to look for any other. Now there only remains for all of us to give
all glory to Christ, believe in him, rest in him alone, despising and rejecting
all other aids in life. For however many seek salvation in any other than
in Christ alone, have fallen from the grace of God and have rendered Christ
null and void for themselves (Gal. 5:4).
The Creeds of Four Councils Received. And, to
say many things with a few words, with a sincere heart we believe, and
freely confess with open mouth, whatever things are defined from the Holy
Scriptures concerning the mystery of the incarnation of our Lord Jesus
Christ, and are summed up in the Creeds and decrees of the first four most
excellent synods convened at Nicaea, Constantinople, Ephesus and Chalcedon--together
with the creed of
blessed Athananasius,(5)
and all similar symbols; and we condemn anything contrary to these.
The Sects. And in this way we retain the Christian,
orthodox and catholic faith whole and unimpaired; knowing that nothing
is contained in the aforesaid symbols which is not agreeable to the Word
of God, and does not altogether make for a sincere exposition of the faith.
The Will of God Is Explained for Us in the Law
of God. We teach that the will of God is explained for us in the law
of God, what he wills or does not will us to do, what is good and just,
or what is evil and unjust. Therefore, we confess that the law is good
and holy.
The Law of Nature. And this law was at one time
written in the hearts of men by the finger of God (Rom. 2:15), and is called
the law of nature (the law of Moses is in two tables), and at another
it was inscribed by his finger on the two Tables of Moses, and eloquently
expounded in the books of Moses (Ex. 20:1 ff.; Deut. 5:6 ff.). For the
sake of clarity we distinguish the moral law which is contained in the
Decalogue or two Tables and expounded in the books of Moses, the ceremonial
law which determines the ceremonies and worship of God, and the judicial
law which is concerned with political and domestic matters.
The Law Is Complete and Perfect. We beleiver that
the whole will of God and all necessary precepts for every sphere of life
are taught in this law. For otherwise the Lord would not have forbidden
us to add or to take away anything from this law; neither would he have
commanded us to walk in a straight path before this law, and not to turn
aside from it by turning to the right or to the left (Deut. 4:2; 12:32).
Why the Law Was Given. We teach that this law
was not given to men that they might be justified by keeping it, but that
rather from what it teaches we may know (our) weakness, sin and condemnation,
and, despairing of our strength, might be converted to Christ in faith.
For the apostle openly delcares: "The law brings wrath," and,
"Through the law comes knowledge of sin" (Rom. 4:15; 3:20), and,
"If a law had been given which could justify or make alive, then righteousness
would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture (that is, the law) has concluded
all under sin, that the promise which was of the faith of Jesus might be
given to those who believe . . . Therefore, the law was our schoolmaster
unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith" (Gal. 3:21 ff.).
The Flesh Does Not Fulfill the Law. For no flesh
could or can satisfy the law of God and fulfill it, because of the weakness
in our flesh which adheres and remains in us until our last breath. For
the apostle says again: "God has done what the law, weakened by the
flesh, could not do: sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh
and for sin" (Rom. 8:3). Therefore, Christ is the perfecting of the
law and our fulfilment of it (Rom. 10:4), who, in order to take away the
curse of the law, was made a curse for us (Gal. 3:13). Thus he imparts
to us through faith his fulfillment of the law, and his righteousness and
obedience are imputed to us.
How Far the Law Is Abrogated. The law of God is
therefore abrogated to the extent that it no longer condemns us, nor works
wrath in us. For we are under grace and not under the law. Moreover, Christ
has fulfilled all the figures of the law. Hence, with the coming of the
body, the shadows ceased, so that in Christ we now have the truth and all
fulness. But yet we do not on that account contemptuously reject the law.
For we remember the words of the Lord when he said: "I have not come
to abolish the law and the prophets but to fulfill them" (Matt. 5:17).
We know that in the law is delivered to us the patterns of virtues and
vices. We know that the written law when explained by the Gospel is useful
to the Church, and that therefoe its reading is not to be banished from
the Church. For although Moses' face was covered with a veil, yet the apostle
says that the veil has been taken away and abolished by Christ. The
Sects. We condemn everything that heretics old and new have taught
against the law.
The Ancients Had Evangelical Promises. The
Gospel, is indeed, opposed to the law. For the law works wrath and announces
a curse, whereas the Gospel preaches grace and blessing. John says: "For
the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ"
(John 1:17). Yet not withstanding it is most certain that those who were
before the law and under the law, were not altogether desititute of the
Gospel. For they had extraordinary evangelical promises such as these are:
"The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head" (Gen.
3:15). "In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed"
(Gen. 22:18). "The scepter shall not depart from Judah . . . until
he comes" (Gen. 49:10). "The Lord will raise up a prophet from
among his own brethren" (Deut. 18:15; Acts 3:22), etc.
The Promises Twofold. And we acknowledge that
two kinds of promises were revealed to the fathers, as also to us. For
some were of present or earthly things, such as the promises of the Land
of Canaan and of victories, and as the promise today still of daily bread.
Others were then and are still now of heavenly and eternal things, namely,
divine grace, remission of sins, and eternal life through faith in Jesus
Christ.
The Fathers Also Had Not Only Carnal but Spiritual
Promises. Moreover, the ancients had not only external and earthly
but also spiritual and heavenly promises in Christ. Peter says: "The
prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours searched and
inquired about this salvation" (I Peter 1:10). Wherefore the apostle
Paul also said: "The Gospel of God was promised beforehand through
his prophets in the holy scriptures" (Rom. 1:2). Thereby it is clear
that the ancients were not entirely destitute of the whole Gospel.
What Is the Gospel Properly Speaking? And although
our fathers had the Gospel in this way in the writings of the prophets
by which they attained salvation in Christ through faith, yet the Gospel
is properly called glad and joyous news, in which, first by John the Baptist,
then by Christ the Lord himself, and afterwards by the apostles and their
successors, is preached to us in the world that God has now performed what
he promised from the beginning of the world, and has sent, nay more, has
given us his only Son and in him reconciliation with the Father, the remission
of sins, all fulness and everlasting life. Therefore, the history delineated
by the four Evangelists and explaining how these things were done or fulfilled
by Christ, what things Christ taught and did, and that those who believe
in him have all fulness, is rightly called the Gospel. The preaching and
writings of the apostles, in which the apostles explain for us how the
Son was given to us by the Father, and in him everything that has to do
with life and salvation, is also rightly called evangelical doctrine, so
that not even today, if sincerely preached, does it lose its illustrious
title.
Of the Spirit and the Letter. That same preaching
of the Gospel is also called by the apostle "the spirit" and
"the ministry of the spirit" because by faith it becomes effectual
and living in the ears, nay more, in the hearts of believers through the
illumination of the Holy Spirit (II Cor. 3:6). For the letter, which is
opposed to the Spirit, signifies everything external, but especially the
doctrine of the law which, without the Spirit and faith, works wrath and
provokes sin in the minds of those who do not have a living faith. For
this reason the apostle calls it "the ministry of death." In
this connection the saying of the apostle is pertinent: "The letter
kills, but the Spirit gives life." And false apostles preached a corrupted
Gospel, having combined it with the law, as if Christ could not save without
the law.
The Sects. Such were the Ebionites said to be,
who were descended from Ebion the heretic, and the Nazarites who were formerly
called Mineans. All these we condemn, while preaching the pure Gospel and
teaching that believers are justified by the Spirit alone,(6)
and not by the law. A more detailed exposition of this matter will follow
presently under the heading of justification.
The Teaching of the Gospel Is Not New, but Most Ancient
Doctrine. And although the teaching of the Gospel, compared with the
teaching of the Pharisees concerning the law, seemed to be a new doctrine
when first preached by Christ (which Jeremiah also prophesied concerning
the New Testament), yet actually it not only was and still is an old doctrine
(even if today it is called new by the Papists when compared with the teaching
now received among them), but is the most ancient of all in the world.
For God predestinated from eternity to save the world through Christ, and
he has disclosed to the world through the Gospel this his predestination
and eternal counsel (II Tim. 2:9 f.). Hence it is evident that the religion
and teaching of the Gospel among all who ever were, are and will be, is
the most ancient of all. Wherefore we assert that all who say that the
religion and teaching of the Gospel is a faith which has recently arisen,
being scarcely thirty years old, err disgracefully and speak shamefully
of the eternal counsel of God. To them applies the saying of Isaiah the
prophet: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness
for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for
bitter!" (Isa. 5:20).
The doctrine of repentance is joined with the Gospel. For so has the
Lord said in the Gospel: "Repentance and forgiveness of sins should
be preached in my name to all nations" (Luke 24:27).What
Is Repentance? By repentance we understand (1) the recovery of a right
mind in sinful man awakened by the Word of the Gospel and the Holy Spirit,
and received by true faith, by which the sinner immediately acknowledges
his innate corruption and all his sins accused by the Word of God; and
(2) grieves for them from his heart, and not only bewails and frankly confesses
them before God with a feeling of shame, but also (3) with indignation
abominates them; and (4) now zealously considers the amendment of his ways
and constantly strives for innocence and virtue in which conscientiously
to exercise himself all the rest of his life.
True Repentance Is Conversion to God. And this
is true repentance, namely, a sincere turning to God and all good, and
earnest turning away from the devil and all evil. 1. REPENTANCE IS A GIFT
OF GOD. Now we expressly say that this repentance is a sheer gift of God
and not a work of our strength. For the apostle commands a faithful minister
diligently to instruct those who oppose the truth, if "God may perhaps
grant that they will repent and come to know the truth" (II Tim. 2:25).
2. LAMENTS SINS COMMITTED. Now that sinful woman who washed the feet of
the Lord with her tears, and Peter who wept bitterly and bewailed his denial
of the Lord (Luke 7:38; 22:62) show clearly how the mind of a penitent
man ought to be seriously lamenting the sins he has committed. 3. CONFESSES
SINS TO GOD. Moreover, the prodigal son and the publican in the Gospel,
when compared with the Pharisee, present us with the most suitable pattern
of how our sins are to be confessed to God. The former said: "'Father,
I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be
called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants'" (Luke 15:8
ff.). And the latter, not daring to raise his eyes to heaven, beat his
breast, saying, "God be merciful to me a sinner" (ch. 18:13).
And we do not doubt that they were accepted by God into grace. For the
apostle John says: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just,
and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we
say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us"
(I John 1:9 f.).
Sacerdotal Confession and Absolution. But we believe
that this sincere confession which is made to God alone, either privately
between God and the sinner, or publicly in the Church where the general
confession of sins is said, is sufficient, and that in order to obtain
forgiveness of sins it is not necessary for anyone to confess his sins
to a priest, murmuring them in his ears, that in turn he might receive
absolution from the priest with his laying on of hands, because there is
neither a commandment nor an example of this in Holy Scriptures. David
testifies and says: "I acknowledged my sin to thee, and did not hide
my iniquity; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord'; then
thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin" (Ps. 32:5). And the Lord who
taught us to pray and at the same time to confess our sins said: "Pray
then like this: Our Father, who art in heaven, . . . forgive us our debts,
as we also forgive our debtors" (Matt. 6:12). Therefore it is necessary
that we confess our sins to God our Father, and be reconciled with our
neighbor if we have offended him. Concerning this kind of confession, the
Apostle James says: "Confess your sins to one another" (James
5:16). If, however, anyone is overwhelmed by the burden of his sins and
by perplexing temptations, and will seek counsel, instruction and comfort
privately, either from a minister of the Church, or from any other brother
who is instructed in God's law, we do not disapprove; just as we also fully
approve of that general and public confession of sins which is usually
said in Church and in meetings for worship, as we noted above, inasmuch
as it is agreeable to Scripture.
Of the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Concerning
the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven which the Lord gave to the apostles,
many babble many astonishing things, and out of them forge swords, spears,
scepters and crowns, and complete power over the greatest kingdoms, indeed,
over souls and bodies. Judging simply according to the Word of the Lord,
we say that all properly called ministers possess and exercise the keys
or the use of them when they proclaim the Gospel; that is, when they teach,
exhort, comfort, rebuke, and keep in discipline the people committed to
their trust.
Opening and Shutting (the Kingdom). For in this
way they open the Kingdom of Heaven to the obedient and shut it to the
disobedient. The Lord promised these keys to the apostles in Matt., ch.
16, and gave them in John, ch. 20, Mark, ch. 16, and Luke, ch. 24, when
he sent out his disciples and commanded them to preach the Gospel in all
the world, and to remit sins.
The Ministry of Reconciliation. In the letter
to the Corinthians the apostle says that the Lord gave the ministry of
reconciliation to his ministers (II Cor. 5:18 ff.). And what this is he
then explains, saying that it is the preaching or teaching of reconciliation.
And explaining his words still more clearly he adds that Christ's ministers
discharge the office of an ambassador in Christ's name, as if God himself
through ministers exhorted the people to be reconciled to God, doubtless
by faithful obedience. Therefore, they exercise the keys when they persuade
[men] to believe and repent. Thus they reconcile men to God.
Ministers Remit Sins. Thus they remit sins. Thus
they open the Kingdom of Heaven, and bring believers into it: very different
from those of whom the Lord said in the Gospel, "Woe to you lawyers!
for you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves,
and you hindered those who were entering."
How Ministers Absolve. Ministers, therefore, rightly
and effectually absolve when they preach the Gospel of Christ and thereby
the remission of sins, which is promised to each one who believes, just
as each one is baptized, and when they testify that it pertains to each
one peculiarly. Neither do we think that this absolution becomes more effectual
by being murmured in the ear of someone or by being murmured singly over
someone's head. We are nevertheless of the opinion that the remission of
sins in the blood of Christ is to be diligently proclaimed, and that each
one is to be admonished that the forgiveness of sins pertains to him.
Diligence in the Renewal of Life. But the examples
in the Gospel teach us how vigilant and diligent the penitent ought to
be in striving for newness of life and in mortifying the old man and quickening
the new. For the Lord said to the man he healed of palsy: "See, you
are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse befall you" (John 5:14).
Likewise to the adulteress whom he set free he said: "Go, and sin
no more" (ch. 8:11). To be sure, by these words he did not mean that
any man, as long as he lived in the flesh, could not sin; he simply recommends
diligence and a careful devotion, so that we should strive by all means,
and beseech God in prayers lest we fall back into sins from which, as it
were, we have been resurrected, and lest we be overcome by the flesh, the
world and the devil. Zacchaeus the publican, whom the Lord had received
back into favor, exclaims in the Gospel: "Behold, Lord, the half of
my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything,
I restore it fourfold" (Luke 19:8). Therefore, in the same way we
preach that restitution and compassion, and even almsgiving, are necessary
for those who truly repent, and we exhort all men everywhere in the words
of the apostle: "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies,
to make you obey their passions. Do not yield your members to sin as instruments
of wickedness, but yield yourselves to God as men who have been brought
from death to life, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness"
(Rom. 6:12 f.).
Errors. Wherefore we condemn all impious utterances
of some who wrongly use the preaching of the Gospel and say that it is
easy to return to God. Christ has atoned for all sins. Forgiveness of sins
is easy. Therefore, what harm is there in sinning? Nor need we be greatly
concerned about repentance, etc. Notwithstanding we always teach that an
access to God is open to all sinners, and that he forgives all sinners
of all sins except the one sin against the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:29).
The Sects. Wherefore we condemn both old and new
Novatians and Catharists.
Papal Indulgences. We especially condemn the lucrative
doctrine of the Pope concerning penance, and against his simony and his
simoniacal indulgences we avail ourselves of Peter's judgment concerning
Simon: "Your silver perish with you, because you thought you could
obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this
matter, for your heart is not right before God" (Acts 8:20 f.).
Satisfactions. We also disapprove of those who
think that by their own satisfactions they make amends for sins committed.
For we teach that Christ alone by his death or passion is the satisfaction,
propitiation or expiation of all sins (Isa., ch. 53; I Cor. 1:30). Yet
as we have already said, we do not cease to urge the mortification of the
flesh. We add, however, that this mortification is not to be proudly obtruded
upon God as a satisfaction for sins, but is to be performed humbly, in
keeping with the nature of the children of God, as a new obedience out
of gratitude for the deliverance and full satisfaction obtained by the
death and satisfaction of the Son of God.
What Is Justification? According to the apostle
in his treatment of justification, to justify means to remit sins, to absolve
from guilt and punishment, to receive into favor, and to pronounce a man
just. For in his epistle to the Romans the apostle says: "It is God
who justifies; who is to condemn?" (Rom. 8:33). To justify and to
condemn are opposed. And in The Acts of the Apostles the apostle states:
"Through Christ forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him
everyone that believes is freed from everything from which you could not
be freed by the law of Moses" (Acts 13:38 f.). For in the Law and
also in the Prophets we read: "If there is a dispute between men,
and they come into court . . . the judges decide between them, acquitting
the innocent and condemning the guilty" (Deut. 25:1). And in Isa.,
ch. 5: "Woe to those . . . who acquit the guilty for a bribe."
We Are Justified on Account of Christ. Now it
is most certain that all of us are by nature sinners and godless, and before
God's judgment-seat are convicted of godlessness and are guilty of death,
but that, solely by the grace of Christ and not from any merit of ours
or consideration for us, we are justified, that is, absolved from sin and
death by God the Judge. For what is clearer than what Paul said: "Since
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified
by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus"
(Rom. 3:23 f.).
Imputed Righteousness. For Christ took upon himself
and bore the sins of the world, and satisfied divine justice. Therefore,
solely on account of Christ's sufferings and resurrection God is propitious
with respect to our sins and does not impute them to us, but imputes Christ's
righteousness to us as our own (II Cor. 5:19 ff.; Rom. 4:25), so that now
we are not only cleansed and purged from sins or are holy, but also, granted
the righteousness of Christ, and so absolved from sin, death and condemnation,
are at last righteous and heirs of eternal life. Properly speaking, therefore,
God alone justifies us, and justifies only on account of Christ, not imputing
sins to us but imputing his righteousness to us.
We Are Justified by Faith Alone. But because we
receive this justification, not through any works, but through faith in
the mercy of God and in Christ, we therefore teach and believe with the
apostle that sinful man is justified by faith alone in Christ, not by the
law or any works. For the apostle says: "We hold that a man is justified
by faith apart from works of law" (Rom. 3:28). Also: "If Abraham
was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before
God. For what does the scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was
reckoned to him as righteousness. . . . And to one who does not work but
believes in him who justified the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness"
(Rom. 4:2 ff.; Gen. 15:6). And again: "By grace you have been saved
through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God--not
because of works, lest any man should boast," etc. (Eph. 2:8 f.).
Therefore, because faith receives Christ our righteousness and attributes
everything to the grace of God in Christ, on that account justification
is attributed to faith, chiefly because of Christ and not therefore because
it is our work. For it is the gift of God.
We Receive Christ By Faith. Moreover, the Lord
abundantly shows that we receive Christ by faith, in John, ch. 6, where
he puts eating for believing, and believing for eating. For as we receive
food by eating, so we participate in Christ by believing. JUSTIFICATION
IS NOT ATTRIBUTED PARTLY TO CHRIST OR TO FAITH, PARTLY TO US. Therefore,
we do not share in the benefit of justification partly because of the grace
of God or Christ, and partly because of ourselves, our love, works or merit,
but we attribute it wholly to the grace of God in Christ through faith.
For our love and our works could not please God if performed by unrighteous
men. Therefore, it is necessary for us to be righteous before we may love
and do good works. We are made truly righteous, as we have said, by faith
in Christ purely by the grace of God, who does not impute to us our sins,
but the righteousness of Christ, or rather, he imputes faith in Christ
to us for righteousness. Moreover, the apostle very clearly derives love
from faith when he says: "The aim of our command is love that issues
from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith" (I Tim.
1:5).
James Compared with Paul. Wherefore, in this matter
we are not speaking of a fictitious, empty, lazy and dead faith, but of
a living, quickening faith. It is and is called a living faith because
it apprehends Christ who is life and makes alive, and shows that it is
alive by living works. And so James does not contradict anything in this
doctrine of ours. For he speaks of an empty, dead faith of which some boasted
but who did not have Christ living in them by faith (James 2:14 ff.). James
said that works justify, yet without contradicting the apostle (otherwise
he would have to be rejected) but showing that Abraham proved his living
and justifying faith by works. This all the pious do, but they trust in
Christ alone and not in their own works. For again the apostle said: "It
is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now
live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God,(7)
who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not reject the grace of God;
for if justification were through the law, then Christ died to no purpose,"
etc. (Gal. 2:20 f.).
What Is Faith? Christian faith is not an opinion
or human conviction, but a most firm trust and a clear and steadfast assent
of the mind, and then a most certain apprehension of the truth of God presented
in the Scriptures and in the Apostles' Creed, and thus also of God himself,
the greatest good, and especially of God's promise and of Christ who is
the fulfilment of all promises.
Faith Is the Gift of God. But this faith is a
pure gift of God which God alone of his grace gives to his elect according
to his measure when, to whom and to the degree he wills. And he does this
by the Holy Spirit by means of the preaching of the Gospel and steadfast
prayer. THE INCREASE OF FAITH. This faith also has its increase, and unless
it were given by God, the apostles would not have said: "Lord, increase
our faith" (Luke 17:5). And all these things which up to this point
we have said concerning faith, the apostles have taught before us. For
Paul said: "For faith is the [HUPOSTASIS] or sure subsistence, of
things hoped for, and the [ELEGXOS], that is, the clear and certain apprehension"
(Heb. 11:1). And again he says that all the promises of God are Yes through
Christ and through Christ are Amen (II Cor. 1:20). And to the Philippians
he said that it has been given to them to believe in Christ (Phil. 1:29).
Again, God assigned to each the measure of faith (Rom. 12:3). Again: "Not
all have faith" and, "Not all obey the Gospel" (II Thess.
3:2; Rom. 10:16). But Luke also bears witness, saying: "As many as
were ordained to life believed" (Acts 13:48). Wherefore Paul also
calls faith "the faith of God's elect" (Titus 1:1), and again:
"Faith comes from hearing, and hearing comes by the Word of God"
(Rom. 10:17). Elsewhere he often commands men to pray for faith.
Faith Efficacious and Active. The same apostle
calls faith efficacious and active through love (Gal. 5:6). It also quiets
the conscience and opens a free access to God, so that we may draw near
to him with confidence and may obtain from him what is useful and necessary.
The same [faith] keeps us in the service we owe to God and our neighbor,
strengthens our patience in adversity, fashions and makes a true confession,
and in a word, brings forth good fruit of all kinds, and good works.
Concerning Good Works. For we teach that truly
good works grow out of a living faith by the Holy Spirit and are done by
the faithful according to the will or rule of God's Word. Now the apostle
Peter says: "Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue,
and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self- control," etc.
(II Peter 1:5 ff.). But we have said above that the law of God, which is
his will, prescribes for us the pattern of good works. And the apostle
says: "This is the will of God, your sanctification, that you abstain
from immorality . . . that no man transgress, and wrong his brother in
business" (I Thess. 4:3 ff.).
Works of Human Choice. And indeed works and worship
which we choose arbitrarily are not pleasing to God. These Paul calls [THLEEOTHRASKEIAS]
(Col. 2:23--"self- devised worship"). Of such the Lord says in
the Gospel: "In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the
precepts of men" (Matt. 15:9). Therefore, we disapprove of such works,
and approve and urge those that are of God's will and commission.
The End of Good Works. These same works ought
not to be done in order that we may earn eternal life by them, for, as
the apostle says, eternal life is the gift of God. Nor are they to be done
for ostentation which the Lord rejects in Matt., ch. 6, nor for gain which
he also rejects in Matt., ch. 23, but for the glory of God, to adorn our
calling, to show gratitude to God, and for the profit of the neighbor.
For our Lord says again in the Gospel: "Let your light so shine before
men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who
is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16). And the apostle Paul says: "Lead
a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called (Eph. 4:1).
Also: "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the
name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and to the Father through
him" (Col. 3:17), and, "Let each of you look not to his own interests,
but to the interests of others" (Phil. 2:4), and, "Let our people
learn to apply themselves to good deeds, so as to help cases of urgent
need, and not to be unfruitful" (Titus 3:14).
Good Works Not Rejected. Therefore, although we
teach with the apostle that a man is justified by grace through faith in
Christ and not through any good works, yet we do not think that good works
are of little value and condemn them. We know that man was not created
or regenerated through faith in order to be idle, but rather that without
ceasing he should do those things which are good and useful. For in the
Gospel the Lord says that a good tree brings forth good fruit (Matt. 12:33),
and that he who abides in me bears much fruit (John 15:5). The apostle
says: "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good
works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them"
(Eph. 2:10), and again: "Who gave himself for us to redeem us from
all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous
for good deeds" (Titus 2:14). We therefore condemn all who despise
good works and who babble that they are useless and that we do not need
to pay attention to them.
We Are Not Saved by Good Works. Nevertheless,
as was said above, we do not think that we are saved by good works, and
that they are so necessary for salvation that no one was ever saved without
them. For we are saved by grace and the favor of Christ alone. Works necessarily
proceed from faith. And salvation is improperly attributed to them, but
is most properly ascribed to grace. The apostle's sentence is well known:
"If it is by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace
would no longer be grace. But if it is of works, then it is no longer grace,
because otherwise work is no longer work" (Rom. 11:6).
Good Works Please God. Now the works which we
do by faith are pleasing to God and are approved by him. Because of faith
in Christ, those who do good works which, moreover, are done from God's
grace through the Holy Spirit, are pleasing to God. For St. Peter said:
"In every nation any one who fears God and does what is right is acceptable
to him" (Acts 10:35). And Paul said: "We have not ceased to pray
for you . . . that you may walk worthily of the Lord, fully pleasing to
him, bearing fruit in every good work" (Col. 1:9 f.).
We Teach True, Not False and Philosophical Virtues.
And so we diligently teach true, not false and philosophical virtues, truly
good works, and the genuine service of a Christian. And as much as we can
we diligently and zealously press them upon all men, while censuring the
sloth and hypocrisy of all those who praise and profess the Gospel with
their lips and dishonor it by their disgraceful lives. In this matter we
place before them God's terrible threats and then his rich promises and
generous rewards-- exhorting, consoling and rebuking.
God Gives a Reward for Good Works. For we teach
that God gives a rich reward to those who do good works, according to that
saying of the prophet: "Keep your voice from weeping, . . . for your
work shall be rewarded" (Jer. 31:16; Isa., ch. 4). The Lord also said
in the Gospel: "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven"
(Matt. 5:12), and, "Whoever gives to one of these my little ones a
cup of cold water, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward"
(ch. 10:42). However, we do not ascribe this reward, which the Lord gives,
to the merit of the man who receives it, but to the goodness, generosity
and truthfulness of God who promises and gives it, and who, although he
owes nothing to anyone, nevertheless promises that he will give a reward
to his faithful worshippers; meanwhile he also gives them that they may
honor him. Moreover, in the works even of the saints there is much that
is unworthy of God and very much that is imperfect. But because God receives
into favor and embraces those who do works for Christ's sake, he grants
to them the promised reward. For in other respects our righteousnesses
are compared to a filthy wrap (Isa. 64:6). And the Lord says in the Gospel:
"When you have done all that is commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy
servants; we have only done what was our duty'" (Luke 17:10).
There Are No Merits of Men. Therefore, although
we teach that God rewards our good deeds, yet at the same time we teach,
with Augustine, that God does not crown in us our merits but his gifts.
Accordingly we say that whatever reward we receive is also grace, and is
more grace than reward, because the good we do, we do more through God
than through ourselves, and because Paul says: "What have you that
you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you
had not received it?" (I Cor. 4:7). And this is what the blessed martyr
Cyprian concluded from this verse: We are not to glory in anything in us,
since nothing is our own. We therefore condemn those who defend the merits
of men in such a way that they invalidate the grace of God.
The Church Has Always Existed and It Will Always
Exist. But because God from the beginning would have men to be saved,
and to come to the knowledge of the truth (I Tim. 2:4), it is altogether
necessary that there always should have been, and should be now, and to
the end of the world, a Church.
What Is the Church? The Church is an assembly
of the faithful called or gathered out of the world; a communion, I say,
of all saints, namely, of those who truly know and rightly worship and
serve the true God in Christ the Savior, by the Word and Holy Spirit, and
who by faith are partakers of all benefits which are freely offered through
Christ.
Citizens of One Commonwealth. They are
all citizens of the one city, living under the same Lord, under the same
laws, and in the same fellowship of all good things. For the apostle calls
them "fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household
of God" (Eph. 2:19), calling the faithful on earth saints (I Cor.
4:1), who are sanctified by the blood of the Son of God. The article of
the Creed, "I believe in the holy catholic Church, the communion of
saints," is to be understood wholly as concerning these saints.
Only One Church for All Times. And since there
is always but one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, Jesus
the Messiah, and one Shepherd of the whole flock, one Head of this body,
and, to conclude, one Spirit, one salvation, one faith, one Testament or
covenant, it necessarily follows that there is only one Church.
The Catholic Church. We, therefore, call
this Church catholic because it is universal, scattered through all parts
of the world, and extended unto all times, and is not limited to any times
or places. Therefore, we condemn the Donatists who confined the Church
to I know not what corners of Africa. Nor do we approve of the Roman clergy
who have recently passed off only the Roman Church as catholic.
Parts of Forms of the Church. The Church is divided
into different parts or forms; not because it is divided or rent asunder
in itself, but rather because it is distinguished by the diversity of the
numbers that are in it. MILITANT AND TRIUMPHANT. For the one is called
the Church Militant, the other the Church Triumphant. The former still
wages war on earth, and fights against the flesh, the world, and the prince
of this world, the devil; against sin and death. But the latter, having
been now discharged, triumphs in heaven immediately after having overcome
all those things and rejoices before the Lord. Notwithstanding both have
fellowship and union one with another.
The Particular Church. Moreover, the Church Militant
upon the earth has always had many particular churches. Yet all these are
to be referred to the unity of the catholic Church. This [Militant] Church
was set up differently before the Law among the patriarchs; otherwise under
Moses by the Law; and differently by Christ through the Gospel.
The Two Peoples. Generally two peoples are usually
counted, namely, the Israelites and Gentiles, or those who have been gathered
from among Jews and Gentiles into the Church. There are also two Testaments,
the Old and the New. THE SAME CHURCH FOR THE OLD AND THE NEW PEOPLE. Yet
from all these people there was and is one fellowship, one salvation in
the one Messiah; in whom, as members of one body under one Head, all united
together in the same faith, partaking also of the same spiritual food and
drink. Yet here we acknowledge a diversity of times, and a diversity in
the signs of the promised and delivered Christ; and that now the ceremonies
being abolished, the light shines unto us more clearly, and blessings are
given to us more abundantly, and a fuller liberty.
The Church the Temple of the Living God. This
holy Church of God is called the temple of the living God, built of living
and spiritual stones and founded upon a firm rock, upon a foundation which
no other can lay, and therefore it is called "the pillar and bulwark
of the truth" (I Tim. 3:15). THE CHURCH DOES NOT ERR. It does not
err as long as it rests upon the rock Christ, and upon the foundation of
the prophets and apostles. And it is no wonder if it errs, as often as
it deserts him who alone is the truth. THE CHURCH AS BRIDE AND VIRGIN.
This Church is also called a virgin and the Bride of Christ, and even the
only Beloved. For the apostle says: "I betrothed you to Christ to
present you as a pure bride to Christ" (II Cor. 11:2). THE CHURCH
AS A FLOCK OF SHEEP. The Church is called a flock of sheep under the one
shepherd, Christ, according to Ezek., ch. 34, and John, ch. 10. THE CHURCH
AS THE BODY. It is also called the body of Christ because the faithful
are living members of Christ under Christ the Head.
Christ the Sole Head of the Church. It is the
head which has the preeminence in the body, and from it the whole body
receives life; by its spirit the body is governed in all things; from it,
also, the body receives increase, that it may grow up. Also, there is one
head of the body, and it is suited to the body. Therefore the Church cannot
have any other head besides Christ. For as the Church is a spiritual body,
so it must also have a spiritual head in harmony with itself. Neither can
it be governed by any other spirit than by the Spirit of Christ. Wherefore
Paul says: "He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent"
(Col. 1:18). And in another place: "Christ is the head of the church,
his body, and is himself its Savior" (Eph. 5:23). And again: he is
"the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fulness
of him who fills all in all" (Eph. 1:22 f.). Also: "We are to
grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the
whole body, joined and knit together, makes bodily growth" (Eph. 4:15
f.). And therefore we do not approve of the doctrine of the Roman clergy,
who make their Pope at Rome the universal shepherd and supreme head of
the Church Militant here on earth, and so the very vicar of Jesus Christ,
who has (as they say) all fulness of power and sovereign authority in the
Church. CHRIST THE ONLY PASTOR OF THE CHURCH. For we teach that Christ
the Lord is, and remains the only universal pastor, the highest Pontiff
before God the Father; and that in the Church he himself performs all the
duties of a bishop or pastor, even to the world's end; {Vicar} and therefore
does not need a substitute for one who is absent. For Christ is present
with his Church, and is its life-giving Head. NO PRIMACY IN THE CHURCH.
He has strictly forbidden his apostles and their successors to have any
primacy and dominion in the Church. Who does not see, therefore, that whoever
contradicts and opposes this plain truth is rather to be counted among
the number of those of whom Christ's apostles prophesied: Peter in II Peter,
ch. 2, and Paul in Acts 20:2; II Cor. 11:2; II Thess., ch. 2, and also
in other places?
No Disorder in the Church. However, by doing away
with a Roman head we do not bring any confusion or disorder into the Church,
since we teach that the government of the Church which the apostles handed
down is sufficient to keep the Church in proper order. In the beginning
when the Church was without any such Roman head as is now said to keep
it in order, the Church was not disordered or in confusion. The Roman head
does indeed preserve his tyranny and the corruption that has been brought
into the Church, and meanwhile he hinders, resists, and with all the strength
he can muster cuts off the proper reformation of the Church.
Dissensions and Strife in the Church. We are reproached
because there have been manifold dissensions and strife in our churches
since they separated themselves from the Church of Rome, and therefore
cannot be true churches. As though there were never in the Church of Rome
any sects, nor contentions and quarrels concerning religion, and indeed,
carried on not so much in the schools as from pulpits in the midst of the
people. We know, to be sure, that the apostle said: "God is not a
God of confusion but of peace" (I Cor. 14:33), and, "While there
is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh?" Yet we
cannot deny that God was in the apostolic Church and that it was a true
Church, even though there were wranglings and dissensions in it. The apostle
Paul reprehended Peter, an apostle (Gal. 2:11 ff.), and Barnabas dissented
from Paul. Great contention arose in the Church of Antioch between them
that preached the one Christ, as Luke records in The Acts of the Apostles,
ch. 15. And there have at all times been great contentions in the Church,
and the most excellent teachers of the Church have differed among themselves
about important matters without meanwhile the Church ceasing to be the
Church because of these contentions. For thus it pleases God to use the
dissensions that arise in the Church to the glory of his name, to illustrate
the truth, and in order that those who are in the right might be manifest
(I Cor. 11:19).
Of the Notes or Signs of the True Church. Moreover,
as we acknowledge no other head of the Church than Christ, so we do not
acknowledge every church to be the true Church which vaunts herself to
be such; but we teach that the true Church is that in which the signs or
marks of the true Church are to be found, especially the lawful and sincere
preaching of the Word of God as it was delivered to us in the books of
the prophets and the apostles, which all lead us unto Christ, who said
in the Gospel: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they
follow me; and I give unto them eternal life. A stranger they do not follow,
but they flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers"
(John 10:5, 27, 28).
And those who are such in the Church have one faith and
one spirit; and therefore they worship but one God, and him alone they
worship in spirit and in truth, loving him alone with all their hearts
and with all their strength, praying unto him alone through Jesus Christ,
the only Mediator and Intercessor; and they do not seek righteousness and
life outside Christ and faith in him. Because they acknowledge Christ the
only head and foundation of the Church, and, resting on him, daily renew
themselves by repentance, and patiently bear the cross laid upon them.
Moreover, joined together with all the members of Christ by an unfeigned
love, they show that they are Christ's disciples by persevering in the
bond of peace and holy unity. At the same time they participate in the
sacraments instituted by Christ, and delivered unto us by his apostles,
using them in no other way than as they received them from the Lord. That
saying of the apostle Paul is well known to all: "I received from
the Lord what I also delivered to you" (I Cor. 11:23 ff.). Accordingly,
we condemn all such churches as strangers from the true Church of Christ,
which are not such as we have heard they ought to be, no matter how much
they brag of a succession of bishops, of unity, and of antiquity. Moreover,
we have a charge from the apostles of Christ "to shun the worship
of idols" (I Cor. 10:14; I John 5:21), and "to come out of Babylon,"
and to have no fellowship with her, unless we want to be partakers with
her of all God's plagues (Rev. 18:4; II Cor. 6:17).
Outside the Church of God There Is No Salvation.
But we esteem fellowship with the true Church of Christ so highly that
we deny that those can live before God who do not stand in fellowship with
the true Church of God, but separate themselves from it. For as there was
no salvation outside Noah's ark when the world perished in the flood; so
we believe that there is no certain salvation outside Christ, who offers
himself to be enjoyed by the elect in the Church; and hence we teach that
those who wish to live ought not to be separated from the true Church of
Christ.
The Church Is Not Bound to Its Signs. Nevertheless,
by the signs [of the true Church] mentioned above, we do not so narrowly
restrict the Church as to teach that all those are outside the Church who
either do not participate in the sacraments, at least not willingly and
through contempt, but rather, being forced by necessity, unwillingly abstain
from them or are deprived of them; or in whom faith sometimes fails, though
it is not entirely extinguished and does not wholly cease; or in whom imperfections
and errors due to weakness are found. For we know that God had some friends
in the world outside the commonwealth of Israel. We know what befell the
people of God in the captivity of Babylon, where they were deprived of
their sacrifices for seventy years. We know what happened to St. Peter,
who denied his Master, and what is wont to happen daily to God's elect
and faithful people who go astray and are weak. We know, moreover, what
kind of churches the churches in Galatia and Corinth were in the apostles'
time, in which the apostle found fault with many serious offenses; yet
he calls them holy churches of Christ (I Cor. 1:2; Gal. 1:2).
The Church Appears at Times To Be Extinct. Yes,
and it sometimes happens that God in his just judgment allows the truth
of his Word, and the catholic faith, and the proper worship of God to be
so obscured and overthrown that the Church seems almost extinct, and no
more to exist, as we see to have happened in the days of Elijah (I Kings
19:10, 14), and at other times. Meanwhile God has in this world and in
this darkness his true worshippers, and those not a few, but even seven
thousand and more (I Kings 19:18; Rev. 7:3 ff.). For the apostle exclaims:
"God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal, 'The Lord knows
those who are his,'" etc. (II Tim. 2:19). Whence the Church of God
may be termed invisible; not because the men from whom the Church is gathered
are invisible, but because, being hidden from our eyes and known only to
God, it often secretly escapes human judgment.
Not All Who Are in the Church Are of the Church.
Again, not all that are reckoned in the number of the Church are saints,
and living and true members of the Church. For there are many hypocrites,
who outwardly hear the Word of God, and publicly receive the sacraments,
and seem to pray to God through Christ alone, to confess Christ to be their
only righteousness, and to worship God, and to exercise the duties of charity,
and for a time to endure with patience in misfortune. And yet they are
inwardly destitute of true illumination of the Spirit, of faith and sincerity
of heart, and of perseverance to the end. But eventually the character
of these men, for the most part, will be disclosed. For the apostle John
says; "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they
had been of us, they would indeed have continued with us" (I John
2:19). And although while they simulate piety they are not of the Church,
yet they are considered to be in the Church, just as traitors in a state
are numbered among its citizens before they are discovered; and as the
tares or darnel and chaff are found among the wheat, and as swellings and
tumors are found in a sound body, when they are rather diseases and deformities
than true members of the body. And therefore the Church of God is rightly
compared to a net which catches fish of all kinds, and to a field, in which
both wheat and tares are found (Matt. 13:24 ff., 47 ff.).
We Must Not Judge Rashly of Prematurely. Hence
we must be very careful not to judge before the time, nor undertake to
exclude, reject or cut off those whom the Lord does not want to have excluded
or rejected, and those whom we cannot eliminate without loss to the Church.
On the other hand, we must be vigilant lest while the pious snore the wicked
gain ground and do harm to the Church.
The Unity of the Church Is Not in External Rites.
Furthermore, we diligently teach that care is to be taken wherein the truth
and unity of the Church chiefly lies, lest we rashly provoke and foster
schisms in the Church. Unity consists not in outward rites and ceremonies,
but rather in the truth and unity of the catholic faith. The catholic faith
is not given to us by human laws, but by Holy Scriptures, of which the
Apostles' Creed is a compendium. And, therefore, we read in the ancient
writers that there was a manifold diversity of rites, but that they were
free, and no one ever thought that the unity of the Church was thereby
dissolved. So we teach that the true harmony of the Church consists in
doctrines and in the true and harmonious preaching of the Gospel of Christ,
and in rites that have been expressly delivered by the Lord. And here we
especially urge that saying of the apostle: "Let those of us who are
perfect have this mind; and if in any thing you are otherwise minded, God
will reveal that also to you. Nevertheless let us walk by the same rule
according to what we have attained, and let us be of the same mind"
(Phil. 3:15 f.).
God Uses Ministers in the Building of the Church.
God has always used ministers for the gathering or establishing of a Church
for himself, and for the governing and preservation of the same; and still
he does, and always will, use them so long as the Church remains on earth.
Therefore, the first beginning, institution, and office of ministers is
a most ancient arrangement of God himself, and not a new one of men. INSTITUTION
AND ORIGIN OF MINISTERS. It is true that God can, by his power, without
any means join to himself a Church from among men; but he preferred to
deal with men by the ministry of men. Therefore ministers are to be regarded,
not as ministers by themselves alone, but as the ministers of God, inasmuch
as God effects the salvation of men through them.
The Ministry Is Not To Be Despised. Hence we warn
men to beware lest we attribute what has to do with our conversion and
instruction to the secret power of the Holy Spirit in such a way that we
make void the ecclesiastical ministry. For it is fitting that we always
have in mind the words of the apostle: "How are they to believe in
him of whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing comes by the word of God"
(Rom. 10:14, 17). And also what the Lord said in the Gospel: "Truly,
truly, I say to you, he who receives any one whom I send receives me; and
he who receives me receives him who sent me" (John 13:20). Likewise
a man of Macedonia, who appeared to Paul in a vision while he was in Asia,
secretly admonished him, saying: "Come over to Macedonia and help
us" (Acts 16:9). And in another place the same apostle said: "We
are fellow workmen of God; you are God's tillage, God's building"
(I Cor. 3:9).
Yet, on the other hand, we must beware that we do not
attribute too much to ministers and the ministry; remembering here also
the words of the Lord in the Gospel: "No one can come to me unless
my Father draws him" (John 6:44), and the words of the apostle: "What
then is Paul? What is Apollos? Servants through whom you believed, as the
Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but only God gives the
growth" (I Cor. 3:5 ff.). GOD MOVES THE HEARTS OF MEN. Therefore,
let us believe that God teaches us by his word, outwardly through his ministers,
and inwardly moves the hearts of his elect to faith by the Holy Spirit;
and that therefore we ought to render all glory unto God for this whole
favor. But this matter has been dealt with in the first chapter of this
Exposition.
Who the Ministers Are and of What Sort God Has Given
the World. And even from the beginning of the world God has used the
most excellent men in the whole world (even if many of them were simple
in worldly wisdom or philosophy, but were outstanding in true theology),
namely, the patriarchs, with whom he frequently spoke by angels. For the
patriarchs were the prophets or teachers of their age whom God for this
reason wanted to live for several centuries, in order that they might be,
as it were, fathers and lights of the world. They were followed by Moses
and the prophets renowned throughout all the world.
Christ the Teacher. After these the heavenly Father
even sent his only-begotten Son, the most perfect teacher of the world;
in whom is hidden the wisdom of God, and which has come to us through the
most holy, simple, and most perfect doctrine of all. For he chose disciples
for himself whom he made apostles. These went out into the whole world,
and everywhere gathered together churches by the preaching of the Gospel,
and then throughout all the churches in the world they appointed pastors
or teachers(8) according
to Christ's command; through their successors he has taught and governed
the Church unto this day. Therefore, as God gave unto his ancient people
the patriarchs, together with Moses and the prophets, so also to his people
of the New Testament he sent his only- begotten Son, and, with him, the
apostles and teachers of the Church.
Ministers of the New Testament. Furthermore, the
ministers of the new people are called by various names. For they are called
apostles, prophets, evangelists, bishops, elders, pastors, and teachers
(I Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11). THE APOSTLES. The apostles did not stay in any
particular place, but throughout the world gathered together different
churches. When they were once established, there ceased to be apostles,
and pastors took their place, each in his church. PROPHETS. In former times
the prophets were seers, knowing the future; but they also interpreted
the Scriptures. Such men are also found still today. EVANGELISTS. The writers
of the history of the Gospel were called Evangelists; but they also were
heralds of the Gospel of Christ; as Paul also commended Timothy: "Do
the work of an evangelist" (II Tim. 4:5). BISHOPS. Bishops are the
overseers and watchmen of the Church, who administer the food and needs
of the life of the Church. PRESBYTERS. The presbyters are the elders and,
as it were, senators and fathers of the Church, governing it with wholesome
counsel. PASTORS. The pastors both keep the Lord's sheepfold, and also
provide for its needs. TEACHERS. The teachers instruct and teach the true
faith and godliness. Therefore, the ministers of the churches may now be
called bishops, elders, pastors, and teachers.
Papal Orders. Then in subsequent times many more
names of ministers in the Church were introduced into the Church of God.
For some were appointed patriarchs, others archbishops, others suffragans;
also, metropolitans, archdeacons, deacons, subdeacons, acolytes, exorcists,
cantors, porters, and I know not what others, as cardinals, provosts, and
priors; greater and lesser fathers, greater and lesser orders. But we are
not troubled about all these about how they once were and are now. For
us the apostolic doctrine concerning ministers is sufficient.
Concerning Monks. Since we assuredly know that
monks, and the orders or sects of monks, are instituted neither by Christ
nor by the apostles, we teach that they are of no use to the Church of
God, nay rather, are pernicious. For, although in former times they were
tolerable (when they were hermits, earning their living with their own
hands, and were not a burden to anyone, but like the laity were everywhere
obedient to the pastors of the churches), yet now the whole world sees
and knows what they are like. They formulate I know not what vows; but
they lead a life quite contrary to their vows, so that the best of them
deserves to be numbered among those of whom the apostle said: "We
hear that some of you are living an irregular life, mere busybodies, not
doing any work" etc. (II Thess. 3:11). Therefore, we neither have
such in our churches, nor do we teach that they should be in the churches
of Christ.
Ministers Are To Be Called and Elected. Furthermore,
no man ought to usurp the honor of the ecclesiastical ministry; that is,
to seize it for himself by bribery or any deceits, or by his own free choice.
But let the ministers of the Church be called and chosen by lawful and
ecclesiastical election; that is to say, let them be carefully chosen by
the Church or by those delegated from the Church for that purpose in a
proper order without any uproar, dissension and rivalry. Not any one may
be elected, but capable men distinguished by sufficient consecrated learning,
pious eloquence, simple wisdom, lastly, by moderation and an honorable
reputation, according to that apostolic rule which is compiled by the apostle
in I Tim., ch. 3, and Titus, ch. 1.
Ordination. And those who are elected are to be
ordained by the elders with public prayer and laying on of hands. Here
we condemn all those who go off of their own accord, being neither chose,
sent, nor ordained (Jer., ch. 23). We condemn unfit ministers and those
not furnished with the necessary gifts of a pastor.
In the meantime we acknowledge that the harmless simplicity
of some pastors in the primitive Church sometimes profited the Church more
than the many- sided, refined and fastidious, but a little too esoteric
learning of others. For this reason we do not reject even today the honest,
yet by no means ignorant, simplicity of some.
Priesthood of All Believers. To be sure, Christ's
apostles call all who believe in Christ "priests," but not on
account of an office, but because, all the faithful having been made kings
and priests, we are able to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God through
Christ (Ex. 19:6; I Peter 2:9; Rev. 1:6). Therefore, the priesthood and
the ministry are very different from one another. For the priesthood, as
we have just said, is common to all Christians; not so is the ministry.
Nor have we abolished the ministry of the Church because we have repudiated
the papal priesthood from the Church of Christ.
Priests and Priesthood. Surely in the new covenant
of Christ there is no longer any such priesthood as was under the ancient
people; which had an external anointing, holy garments, and very many ceremonies
which were types of Christ, who abolished them all by his coming and fulfilling
them. But he himself remains the only priest forever, and lest we derogate
anything from him, we do not impart the name of priest to any minister.
For the Lord himself did not appoint any priests in the Church of the New
Testament who, having received authority from the suffragan, may daily
offer up the sacrifice, that is, the very flesh and blood of the Lord,
for the living and the dead, but ministers who may teach and administer
the sacraments.
The Nature of the Ministers of the New Testament.
Paul explains simply and briefly what we are to think of the ministers
of the New Testament or of the Christian Church, and what we are to attribute
to them. "This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ
and stewards of the mysteries of God" (I Cor. 4:1). Therefore, the
apostle wants us to think of ministers as ministers. Now the apostle calls
them, [HUPERETAS], rowers, who have their eyes fixed on the coxswain, and
so men who do not live for themselves or according to their own will, but
for others--namely, their masters, upon whose command they altogether depend.
For in all his duties every minister of the Church is commanded to carry
out only what he has received in commandment from his Lord, and not to
indulge his own free choice. And in this case it is expressly declared
who is the Lord, namely, Christ; to whom the ministers are subject in all
the affairs of the ministry.
Ministers as Stewards of the Mysteries of God.
Moreover, to the end that he might expound the ministry more fully, the
apostle adds that ministers of the Church are administrators and stewards
of the mysteries of God. Now in many passages, especially in Eph., ch.
3, Paul called the mysteries of God the Gospel of Christ. And the sacraments
of Christ are also called mysteries by the ancient writers. Therefore for
this purpose are the ministers of the Church called--namely, to preach
the Gospel of Christ to the faithful, and to administer the sacraments.
We read, also, in another place in the Gospel, of "the faithful and
wise steward," whom "his master will set over his household,
to give them their portion of food at the proper time" (Luke 12:42).
Again, elsewhere in the Gospel a man takes a journey in a foreign country
and, leaving his house, gives his substance and authority over it to his
servants, and to each his work.
The Power of Ministers of the Church. Now, therefore,
it is fitting that we also say something about the power and duty of the
ministers of the Church. Concerning this power some have argued industriously,
and to it have subjected everything on earth, even the greatest things,
and they have done so contrary to the commandment of the Lord who has prohibited
dominion for his disciples and has highly commended humility (Luke 22:24
ff.; Matt. 18:3 f.; 20:25 ff.). There is, indeed, another power that is
pure and absolute, which is called the power of right. According to this
power all things in the whole world are subject to Christ, who is Lord
of all, as he himself has testified when he said: "All authority in
heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matt. 28:18), and again,
"I am the first and the last, and behold I am alive for evermore,
and I have the keys of Hades and Death" (Rev. 1:18); also, "He
has the key of David, which opens and no one shall shut, who shuts and
no one opens" (Rev. 3:7).
The Lord Reserves True Power for Himself. This
power the Lord reserves to himself, and does not transfer it to any other,
so that he might stand idly by as a spectator while his ministers work.
For Isaiah says, "I will place on his shoulder the key of the house
of David" (Isa. 22:22), and again, "The government will be upon
his shoulders" (Isa. 9:6). For he does not lay the government on other
men's shoulders, but still keeps and uses his own power, governing all
things.
The Power of the Office and of the Minister. Then
there is another power of an office or of ministry limited by him who has
full and absolute power. And this is more like a service than a dominion.
THE KEYS. For a lord gives up his power to the steward in his house, and
for that cause gives him the keys, that he may admit into or exclude from
the house those whom his lord will have admitted or excluded. In virtue
of this power the minister, because of his office, does that which the
Lord has commanded him to do; and the Lord confirms what he does, and wills
that what his servant has done will be so regarded and acknowledged, as
if he himself had done it. Undoubtedly, it is to this that these evangelical
sentences refer: "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,
and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you
loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matt. 16:19). Again, "If
you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins
of any, they are retained" (John 20:23). But if the minister does
not carry out everything as the Lord has commanded him, but transgresses
the bounds of faith, then the Lord certainly makes void what he has done.
Wherefore the ecclesiastical power of the ministers of the Church is that
function whereby they indeed govern the Church of God, but yet so do all
things in the Church as the Lord has prescribed in his Word. When those
things are done, the faithful esteem them as done by the Lord himself.
But mention has already been made of the keys above.
The Power of Ministers Is One and the Same, and
Equal. Now the one and an equal power or function is given to all ministers
in the Church. Certainly, in the beginning, the bishops or presbyters governed
the Church in common; no man lifted up himself above another, none usurped
greater power or authority over his fellow-bishops. For remembering the
words of the Lord: "Let the leader among you become as one who serves"
(Luke 22:26), they kept themselves in humility, and by mutual services
they helped one another in the governing and preserving of the Church.
Order To Be Preserved. Nevertheless, for the sake
of preserving order some one of the ministers called the assembly together,
proposed matters to be laid before it, gathered the opinions of the others,
in short, to the best of man's ability took precaution lest any confusion
should arise. Thus did St. Peter, as we read in The Acts of the Apostles,
who nevertheless was not on that account preferred to the others, nor endowed
with greater authority than the rest. Rightly then does Cyprian the Martyr
say, in his De Simplicitate Clericorum: "The other apostles
were assuredly what Peter was, endowed with a like fellowship of honor
and power; but {his} primacy proceeds from unity in order that the Church
may be shown to be one."
When and How One Was Placed Before the Others.
St. Jerome also in his commentary upon The Epistle of Paul to Titus, says
something not unlike this: "Before attachment to persons in religion
was begun at the instigation of the devil, the churches were governed by
the common consultation of the elders; but after every one thought that
those whom he had baptized were his own, and not Christ's, it was decreed
that one of the elders should be chosen, and set over the rest, upon whom
should fall the care of the whole Church, and all schismatic seeds should
be removed." Yet St. Jerome does not recommend this decree as divine;
for he immediately adds: "As the elders knew from the custom of the
Church that they were subject to him who was set over them, so the bishops
knew that they were above the elders, more from custom than from the truth
of an arrangement by the Lord, and that they ought to rule the Church in
common with them." Thus far St. Jerome. Hence no one can rightly forbid
a return to the ancient constitution of the Church of God, and to have
recourse to it before human custom.
The Duties of Ministers. The duties of ministers
are various; yet for the most part they are restricted to two, in which
all the rest are comprehended: to the teaching of the Gospel of Christ,
and to the proper administration of the sacraments. For it is the duty
of the ministers to gather together an assembly for worship in which to
expound God's Word and to apply the whole doctrine to the care and use
of the Church, so that what is taught may benefit the hearers and edify
the faithful. It falls to ministers, I say, to teach the ignorant, and
to exhort; and to urge the idlers and lingerers to make progress in the
way of the Lord. Moreover, they are to comfort and to strengthen the fainthearted,
and to arm them against the manifold temptations of Satan; to rebuke offenders;
to recall the erring into the way; to raise the fallen; to convince the
gainsayers to drive the wolf away from the sheepfold of the Lord; to rebuke
wickedness and wicked men wisely and severely; not to wink at nor to pass
over great wickedness. And, besides, they are to administer the sacraments,
and to commend the right use of them, and to prepare all men by wholesome
doctrine to receive them; to preserve the faithful in a holy unity; and
to check schisms; to catechize the unlearned, to commend the needs of the
poor to the Church, to visit, instruct, and keep in the way of life the
sick and those afflicted with various temptations. In addition, they are
to attend to public prayers or supplications in times of need, together
with common fasting, that is, a holy abstinence; and as diligently as possible
to see to everything that pertains to the tranquility, peace and welfare
of the churches.
But in order that the minister may perform all these
things better and more easily, it is especially required of him that he
fear God, be constant in prayer, attend to spiritual reading, and in all
things and at all times be watchful, and by a purity of life to let his
light to shine before all men.
Discipline. And since discipline is an absolute
necessity in the Church and excommunication was once used in the time of
the early fathers, and there were ecclesiastical judgments among the people
of God, wherein this discipline was exercised by wise and godly men, it
also falls to ministers to regulate this discipline for edification, according
to the circumstances of the time, public state, and necessity. At all times
and in all places the rule is to be observed that everything is to be done
for edification, decently and honorably, without oppression and strife.
For the apostle testifies that authority in the Church was given to him
by the Lord for building up and not for destroying (II Cor. 10:8). And
the Lord himself forbade the weeds to be plucked up in the Lord's field,
because there would be danger lest the wheat also be plucked up with it
(Matt. 13:29 f.).
Even Evil Ministers Are To Be Heard. Moreover,
we strongly detest the error of the Donatists who esteem the doctrine and
administration of the sacraments to be either effectual or not effectual,
according to the good or evil life of the ministers. For we know that the
voice of Christ is to be heard, though it be out of the mouths of evil
ministers; because the Lord himself said: "Practice and observe whatever
they tell you, but not what they do" (Matt. 23:3). We know that the
sacraments are sanctified by the institution and the word of Christ, and
that they are effectual to the godly, although they be administered by
unworthy ministers. Concerning this matter, Augustine, the blessed servant
of God, many times argued from the Scriptures against the Donatists.
Synods. Nevertheless, there ought to be proper
discipline among ministers. In synods the doctrine and life of ministers
is to be carefully examined. Offenders who can be cured are to be rebuked
by the elders and restored to the right way, and if they are incurable,
they are to be deposed, and like wolves driven away from the flock of the
Lord by the true shepherds. For, if they be false teachers, they are not
to be tolerated at all. Neither do we disapprove of ecumenical councils,
if they are convened according to the example of the apostles, for the
welfare of the Church and not for its destruction.
The Worker Is Worthy of His Reward. All faithful
ministers, as good workmen, are also worthy of their reward, and do not
sin when they receive a stipend, and all things that be necessary for themselves
and their family. For the apostle shows in I Cor., ch. 9, and in I Tim.,
ch. 5, and elsewhere that these things may rightly be given by the Church
and received by ministers. The Anabaptists, who condemn and defame ministers
who live from their ministry are also refuted by the apostolic teaching.
The Sacraments [Are] Added to the Word and What
They Are. From the beginning, God added to the preaching of his Word
in his Church sacraments or sacramental signs. For thus does all Holy Scripture
clearly testify. Sacraments are mystical symbols, or holy rites, or sacred
actions, instituted by God himself, consisting of his Word, of signs and
of things signified, whereby in the Church he keeps in mind and from time
to time recalls the great benefits he has shown to men; whereby also he
seals his promises, and outwardly represents, and, as it were, offers unto
our sight those things which inwardly he performs for us, and so strengthens
and increases our faith through the working of God's Spirit in our hearts.
Lastly, he thereby distinguishes us from all other people and religions,
and consecrates and binds us wholly to himself, and signifies what he requires
of us.
Some Are Sacraments of the Old, Others of the New,
Testaments. Some sacraments are of the old, others of the new, people.
The sacraments of the ancient people were circumcision, and the Paschal
Lamb, which was offered up; for that reason it is referred to the sacrifices
which were practiced from the beginning of the world.
The Number of Sacraments of the New People. The
sacraments of the new people are Baptism and the Lord's Supper. There are
some who count seven sacraments of the new people. Of these we acknowledge
that repentance, the ordination of ministers (not indeed the papal but
apostolic ordination), and matrimony are profitable ordinances of God,
but not sacraments. Confirmation and extreme unction are human inventions
which the Church can dispense with without any loss, and indeed, we do
not have them in our churches. For they contain some things of which we
can by no means approve. Above all we detest all the trafficking in which
the Papists engage in dispensing the sacraments.
The Author of the Sacraments. The author of all
sacraments is not any man, but God alone. Men cannot institute sacraments.
For they pertain to the worship of God, and it is not for man to appoint
and prescribe a worship of God, but to accept and preserve the one he has
received from God. Besides, the symbols have God's promises annexed to
them, which require faith. Now faith rests only upon the Word of God; and
the Word of God is like papers or letters, and the sacraments are like
seals which only God appends to the letters.
Christ Still Works in Sacraments. And as God is
the author of the sacraments, so he continually works in the Church in
which they are rightly carried out; so that the faithful, when they receive
them from the ministers, know that God works in his own ordinance, and
therefore they receive them as from the hand of God; and the minister's
faults (even if they be very great) cannot affect them, since they acknowledge
the integrity of the sacraments to depend upon the institution of the Lord.
The Author and the Ministers of the Sacraments To
Be Distinguished. Hence in the administration of the sacraments they
also clearly distinguish between the Lord himself and the ministers of
the Lord, confessing that the substance of the sacraments is given them
by the Lord, and the outward signs by the ministers of the Lord.
The Substance or Chief Thing in the Sacraments.
But the principle thing which God promises in all sacraments and to which
all the godly in all ages direct their attention (some call it the substance
and matter of the sacraments) is Christ the Savior--that only sacrifice,
and the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world; that rock,
also, from which all our fathers drank, by whom all the elect are circumcised
without hands through the Holy Spirit, and are washed from all their sins,
and are nourished with the very body and blood of Christ unto eternal life.
The Similarity and Difference in the Sacraments of
Old and New Peoples. Now, in respect of that which is the principal
thing and the matter itself in the sacraments, the sacraments of both peoples
are equal. For Christ, the only Mediator and Savior of the faithful, is
the chief thing and very substance of the sacraments in both; for the one
God is the author of them both. They were given to both peoples as signs
and seals of the grace and promises of God, which should call to mind and
renew the memory of God's great benefits, and should distinguish the faithful
from all the religions in the world; lastly, which should be received spiritually
by faith, and should bind the receivers to the Church, and admonish them
of their duty. In these and similar respects, I say, the sacraments of
both people are not dissimilar, although in the outward signs they are
different. And, indeed, with respect to the signs we make a great difference.
For ours are more firm and lasting, inasmuch as they will never be changed
to the end of the world. Moreover, ours testify that both the substance
and the promise have been fulfilled or perfected in Christ; the former
signified what was to be fulfilled. Ours are also more simple and less
laborious, less sumptuous and involved with ceremonies. Moreover, they
belong to a more numerous people, one that is dispersed throughout the
whole earth. And since they are more excellent, and by the Holy Spirit
kindle greater faith, a greater abundance of the Spirit also ensues.
Our Sacraments Succeed the Old Which Are Abrogated.
But now since Christ the true Messiah is exhibited unto us, and the abundance
of grace is poured forth upon the people of The New Testament, the sacraments
of the old people are surely abrogated and have ceased; and in their stead
the symbols of the New Testament are placed--Baptism in the place of circumcision,
the Lord's Supper in place of the Paschal Lamb and sacrifices.
In What the Sacraments Consist. And as formerly
the sacraments consisted of the word, the sign, and the thing signified;
so even now they are composed, as it were, of the same parts. For the Word
of God makes them sacraments, which before they were not. THE
CONSECRATION OF THE SACRAMENTS. For they are consecrated by the Word, and
shown to be sanctified by him who instituted them. To sanctify or consecrate
anything to God is to dedicate it to holy uses; that is, to take it from
the common and ordinary use, and to appoint it to a holy use. For the signs
in the sacraments are drawn from common use, things external and visible.
For in baptism the sign is the element of water, and that visible washing
which is done by the minister; but the thing signified is regeneration
and the cleansing from sins. Likewise, in the Lord's Supper, the outward
sign is bread and wine, taken from things commonly used for meat and drink;
but the thing signified is the body of Christ which was given, and his
blood which was shed for us, or the communion of the body and blood of
the Lord. Wherefore, the water, bread, and wine, according to their nature
and apart from the divine institution and sacred use, are only that which
they are called and we experience. But when the Word of God is added to
them, together with invocation of the divine name, and the renewing of
their first institution and sanctification, then these signs are consecrated,
and shown to be sanctified by Christ. For Christ's first institution and
consecration of the sacraments remains always effectual in the Church of
God, so that those who do not celebrate the sacraments in any other way
than the Lord himself instituted from the beginning still today enjoy that
first and all-surpassing consecration. And hence in the celebration of
the sacraments the very words of Christ are repeated.
Signs Take Name of Things Signified. And as we
learn out of the Word of God that these signs were instituted for another
purpose than the usual use, therefore we teach that they now, in their
holy use, take upon them the names of things signified, and are no longer
called mere water, bread or wine, but also regeneration or the washing
of water, and the body and blood of the Lord or symbols and sacraments
of the Lord's body and blood. Not that the symbols are changed into the
things signified, or cease to be what they are in their own nature. For
otherwise they would not be sacraments. If they were only the thing signified,
they would not be signs.
The Sacramental Union. Therefore the signs acquire
the names of things because they are mystical signs of sacred things, and
because the signs and the things signified are sacramentally joined together;
joined together, I say, or united by a mystical signification, and by the
purpose or will of him who instituted the sacraments. For the water, bread,
and wine are not common, but holy signs. And he that instituted water in
baptism did not institute it with the will and intention that the faithful
should only be sprinkled by the water of baptism; and he who commanded
the bread to be eaten and the wine to be drunk in the supper did not want
the faithful to receive only bread and wine without any mystery as they
eat bread in their homes; but that they should spiritually partake of the
things signified, and by faith be truly cleansed from their sins, and partake
of Christ.
The Sects. And, therefore, we do not at all approve
of those who attribute the sanctification of the sacraments to I know not
what properties and formula or to the power of words pronounced by one
who is consecrated and who has the intention of consecrating, and to other
accidental things which neither Christ or the apostles delivered to us
by word or example. Neither do we approve of the doctrine of those who
speak of the sacraments just as common signs, not sanctified and effectual.
Nor do we approve of those who despise the visible aspect of the sacraments
because of the invisible, and so believe the signs to be superfluous because
they think they already enjoy the thing themselves, as the Messalians are
said to have held.
The Thing Signified Is Neither Included in or Bound
to the Sacraments. We do not approve of the doctrine of those who teach
that grace and the things signified are so bound to and included in the
signs that whoever participate outwardly in the signs, no matter what sort
of persons they be, also inwardly participate in the grace and things signified.
However, as we do not estimate the value of the sacraments
by the worthiness or unworthiness of the ministers, so we do not estimate
it by the condition of those who receive them. For we know that the value
of the sacraments depends upon faith and upon the truthfulness and pure
goodness of God. For as the Word of God remains the true Word of God, in
which, when it is preached, not only bare words are repeated, but at the
same time the things signified or announced in words are offered by God,
even if the ungodly and unbelievers hear and understand the words yet do
not enjoy the things signified, because they do not receive them by true
faith; so the sacraments, which by the Word consist of signs and the things
signified, remain true and inviolate sacraments, signifying not only sacred
things, but, by God offering, the things signified, even if unbelievers
do not receive the things offered. This is not the fault of God who gives
and offers them, but the fault of men who receive them without faith and
illegitimately; but whose unbelief does not invalidate the faithfulness
of God (Rom. 3:3 f.)
The Purpose for Which Sacraments Were Instituted.
Since the purpose for which sacraments were instituted was also explained
in passing when right at the beginning of our exposition it was shown what
sacraments are, there is no need to be tedious by repeating what once has
been said. Logically, therefore, we now speak severally of the sacraments
of the new people.
The Institution of Baptism. Baptism was instituted
and consecrated by God. First John baptized, who dipped Christ in the water
in Jordan. From him it came to the apostles, who also baptized with water.
The Lord expressly commanded them to preach the Gospel and to baptize "in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt.
28:19). And in The Acts, Peter said to the Jews who inquired what they
ought to do: "Be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ
for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:37 f.). Hence by some baptism is called a sign
of initiation for God's people, since by it the elect of God are consecrated
to God.
One Baptism. There is but one baptism in the Church
of God; and it is sufficient to be once baptized or consecrated unto God.
For baptism once received continues for all of life, and is a perpetual
sealing of our adoption.
What it Means To Be Baptized. Now to be baptized
in the name of Christ is to be enrolled, entered, and received into the
covenant and family, and so into the inheritance of the sons of God; yes,
and in this life to be called after the name of God; that is to say, to
be called a son of God; to be cleansed also from the filthiness of sins,
and to be granted the manifold grace of God, in order to lead a new and
innocent life. Baptism, therefore, calls to mind and renews the great favor
God has shown to the race of mortal men. For we are all born in the pollution
of sin and are the children of wrath. But God, who is rich in mercy, freely
cleanses us from our sins by the blood of his Son, and in him adopts us
to be his sons, and by a holy covenant joins us to himself, and enriches
us with various gifts, that we might live a new life. All these things
are assured by baptism. For inwardly we are regenerated, purified, and
renewed by God through the Holy Spirit; and outwardly we receive the assurance
of the greatest gifts in the water, by which also those great benefits
are represented, and, as it were, set before our eyes to be beheld.
We Are Baptized with Water. And therefore we are
baptized, that is, washed or sprinkled with visible water. For the water
washes dirt away, and cools and refreshes hot and tired bodies. And the
grace of God performs these things for souls, and does so invisibly or
spiritually.
The Obligation of Baptism. Moreover, God also
separates us from all strange religions and peoples by the symbol of baptism,
and consecrates us to himself as his property. We, therefore, confess our
faith when we are baptized, and obligate ourselves to God for obedience,
mortification of the flesh, and newness of life. Hence, we are enlisted
in the holy military service of Christ that all our life long we should
fight against the world, Satan, and our own flesh. Moreover, we are baptized
into one body of the Church, that with all members of the Church we might
beautifully concur in the one religion and in mutual services.
The Form of Baptism. We believe that the most
perfect form of baptism is that by which Christ was baptized, and by which
the apostles baptized. Those things, therefore, which by man's device were
added afterwards and used in the Church we do not consider necessary to
the perfection of baptism. Of this kind is exorcism, the use of burning
lights, oil, salt, spittle, and such other things as that baptism is to
be celebrated twice every year with a multitude of ceremonies. For we believe
that one baptism of the Church has been sanctified in God's first institution,
and that it is consecrated by the Word and is also effectual today in virtue
of God's first blessing.
The Minister of Baptism. We teach that baptism
should not be administered in the Church by women or midwives. For Paul
deprived women of ecclesiastical duties, and baptism has to do with these.
Anabaptists. We condemn the Anabaptists, who deny
that newborn infants of the faithful are to be baptized. For according
to evangelical teaching, of such is the Kingdom of God, and they are in
the covenant of God. Why, then, should the sign of God's covenant not be
given to them? Why should those who belong to God and are in his Church
not be initiated by holy baptism? We condemn also the Anabaptists in the
rest of their peculiar doctrines which they hold contrary to the Word of
God. We therefore are not Anabaptists and have nothing in common with them.
The Supper of the Lord. The Supper of the Lord
(which is called the Lord's Table, and the Eucharist, that is, a Thanksgiving),
is, therefore, usually called a supper, because it was instituted by Christ
at his last supper, and still represents it, and because in it the faithful
are spiritually fed and given drink.
The Author and Consecrator of the Supper. For
the author of the Supper of the Lord is not an angel or any man, but the
Son of God himself, our Lord Jesus Christ, who first consecrated it to
his Church. And the same consecration or blessing still remains along all
those who celebrate no other but that very Supper which the Lord instituted,
and at which they repeat the words of the Lord's Supper, and in all things
look to the one Christ by a true faith, from whose hands they receive,
as it were, what they receive through the ministry of the ministers of
the Church.
A memorial of God's Benefits. By this sacred rite
the Lord wishes to keep in fresh remembrance that greatest benefit which
he showed to mortal men, namely, that by having given his body and shed
his blood he has pardoned all our sins, and redeemed us from eternal death
and the power of the devil, and now feeds us with his flesh, and give us
his blood to drink, which, being received spiritually by true faith, nourish
us to eternal life. And this so great a benefit is renewed as often as
the Lord's Supper is celebrated. For the Lord said: "Do this in remembrance
of me." This holy Supper also seals to us that the very body of Christ
was truly given for us, and his blood shed for the remission of our sins,
lest our faith should in any way waver.
The Sign and Thing Signified. And this is visibly
represented by this sacrament outwardly through the ministers, and, as
it were, presented to our eyes to be seen, which is invisibly wrought by
the Holy Spirit inwardly in the soul. Bread is outwardly offered by the
minister, and the words of the Lord are heard: "Take, eat; this is
my body"; and, "Take and divide among you. Drink of it, all of
you; this is my blood." Therefore the faithful receive what is given
by the ministers of the Lord, and they eat the bread of the Lord and drink
of the Lord's cup. At the same time by the work of Christ through the Holy
Spirit they also inwardly receive the flesh and blood of the Lord, and
are thereby nourished unto life eternal. For the flesh and blood of Christ
is the true food and drink unto life eternal; and Christ himself, since
he was given for us and is our Savior, is the principal thing in the Supper,
and we do not permit anything else to be substituted in his place.
But in order to understand better and more clearly how
the flesh and blood of Christ are the food and drink of the faithful, and
are received by the faithful unto eternal life, we would add these few
things. There is more than one kind of eating. There is corporeal eating
whereby food is taken into the mouth, is chewed with the teeth, and swallowed
into the stomach. In times past the Capernaites thought that the flesh
of the Lord should be eaten in this way, but they are refuted by him in
John, ch. 6. For as the flesh of Christ cannot be eaten corporeally without
infamy and savagery, so it is not food for the stomach. All men are forced
to admit this. We therefore disapprove of that canon in the Pope's decrees,
Ego Berengarius (De Consecrat., Dist. 2). For neither did godly antiquity
believe, nor do we believe, that the body of Christ is to be eaten corporeally
and essentially with a bodily mouth.
Spiritual Eating of the Lord. There is also a
spiritual eating of Christ's body; not such that we think that thereby
the food itself is to be changed into spirit, but whereby the body and
blood of the Lord, while remaining in their own essence and property, are
spiritually communicated to us, certainly not in a corporeal but in a spiritual
way, by the Holy Spirit, who applies and bestows upon us these things which
have been prepared for us by the sacrifice of the Lord's body and blood
for us, namely, the remission of sins, deliverance, and eternal life; so
that Christ lives in us and we live in him, and he causes us to receive
him by true faith to this end that he may become for us such spiritual
food and drink, that is, our life.
Christ as Our Food Sustains Us in Life. For even
as bodily food and drink not only refresh and strengthen our bodies, but
also keeps them alive, so the flesh of Christ delivered for us, and his
blood shed for us, not only refresh and strengthen our souls, but also
preserve them alive, not in so far as they are corporeally eaten and drunken,
but in so far as they are communicated unto us spiritually by the Spirit
of God, as the Lord said: "The bread which I shall give for the life
of the world is my flesh" (John 6:51), and "the flesh" (namely
what is eaten bodily) "is of no avail; it is the spirit that gives
life" (v. 63). And: "The words that I have spoken to you are
spirit and life."
Christ Received by Faith. And as we must by eating
receive food into our bodies in order that it may work in us, and prove
its efficacy in us--since it profits us nothing when it remains outside
us--so it is necessary that we receive Christ by faith, that he may become
ours, and he may live in us and we in him. For he says: "I am the
bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes
in me shall never thirst" (John 6:35); and also, "He who eats
me will live because of me . . . he abides in me, I in him" (vs. 57,
56).
Spiritual Food. From all this it is clear that
by spiritual food we do not mean some imaginary food I know not what, but
the very body of the Lord given to us, which nevertheless is received by
the faithful not corporeally, but spiritually by faith. In this matter
we follow the teaching of the Savior himself, Christ the Lord, according
to John, ch. 6.
Eating Necessary for Salvation. And this eating
of the flesh and drinking of the blood of the Lord is so necessary for
salvation that without it no man can be saved. But this spiritual eating
and drinking also occurs apart from the Supper of the Lord, and as often
and wherever a man believes in Christ. To which that sentence of St. Augustine's
perhaps applies: "Why do you provide for your teeth and your stomach?
Believe, and you have eaten."
Sacramental Eating of the Lord. Besides the higher
spiritual eating there is also a sacramental eating of the body of the
Lord by which not only spiritually and internally the believer truly participates
in the true body and blood of the Lord, but also, by coming to the Table
of the Lord, outwardly receives the visible sacrament of the body and blood
of the Lord. To be sure, when the believer believed, he first received
the life-giving food, and still enjoys it. But therefore, when he now receives
the sacrament, he does not receive nothing. For he progresses in continuing
to communicate in the body and blood of the Lord, and so his faith is kindled
and grows more and more, and is refreshed by spiritual food. For while
we live, faith is continually increased. And he who outwardly receives
the sacrament by true faith, not only receives the sign, but also, as we
said, enjoys the thing itself. Moreover, he obeys the Lord's institution
and commandment, and with a joyful mind gives thanks for his redemption
and that of all mankind, and makes a faithful memorial to the Lord's death,
and gives a witness before the Church, of whose body he is a member. Assurance
is also given to those who receive the sacrament that the body of the Lord
was given and his blood shed, not only for men in general, but particularly
for every faithful communicant, to whom it is food and drink unto eternal
life.
Unbelievers Take the Sacrament to Their Judgment.
But he who comes to this sacred Table of the Lord without faith, communicates
only in the sacrament and does not receive the substance of the sacrament
whence comes life and salvation; and such men unworthily eat of the Lord's
Table. Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy
manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, and eats and drinks
judgment upon himself (I Cor. 11:26-29). For when they do not approach
with true faith, they dishonor the death of Christ, and therefore eat and
drink condemnation to themselves.
The Presence of Christ in the Supper. We do not,
therefore, so join the body of the Lord and his blood with the bread and
wine as to say that the bread itself is the body of Christ except in a
sacramental way; or that the body of Christ is hidden corporeally under
the bread, so that it ought to be worshipped under the form of bread; or
yet that whoever receives the sign, receives also the thing itself. The
body of Christ is in heaven at the right hand of the Father; and therefore
our hearts are to be lifted up on high, and not to be fixed on the bread,
neither is the Lord to be worshipped in the bread. Yet the Lord is not
absent from his Church when she celebrates the Supper. The sun, which is
absent from us in the heavens, is notwithstanding effectually present among
us. How much more is the Sun of Righteousness, Christ, although in his
body he is absent from us in heaven, present with us, nor corporeally,
but spiritually, by his vivifying operation, and as he himself explained
at his Last Supper that he would be present with us (John, chs. 14; 15;
and 16). Whence it follows that we do not have the Supper without Christ,
and yet at the same time have an unbloody and mystical Supper, as it was
universally called by antiquity.
Other Purposes of the Lord's Supper. Moreover,
we are admonished in the celebration of the Supper of the Lord to be mindful
of whose body we have become members, and that, therefore, we may be of
one mind with all the brethren, live a holy life, and not pollute ourselves
with wickedness and strange religions; but, persevering in the true faith
to the end of our life, strive to excel in holiness of life.
Preparation for the Supper. It is therefore fitting
that when we would come to the Supper, we first examine ourselves according
to the commandment of the apostle, especially as to the kind of faith we
have, whether we believe that Christ has come to save sinners and to call
them to repentance, and whether each man believes that he is in the number
of those who have been delivered by Christ and saved; and whether he is
determined to change his wicked life, to lead a holy life, and with the
Lord's help to persevere in the true religion and in harmony with the brethren,
and to give due thanks to God for his deliverance.
The Observance of the Supper with Both Bread and Wine.
We think that rite, manner, or form of the Supper to be the most simple
and excellent which comes nearest to the first institution of the Lord
and to the apostles' doctrine. It consists in proclaiming the Word of God,
in godly prayers, in the action of the Lord himself, and its repetition,
in the eating of the Lord's body and drinking of his blood; in a fitting
remembrance of the Lord's death, and a faithful thanksgiving; and in a
holy fellowship in the union of the body of the Church.
We therefore disapprove of those who have taken from
the faithful one species of the sacrament, namely, the Lord's cup. For
these seriously offend against the institution of the Lord who says: "Drink
ye all of this"; which he did not so expressly say of the bread.
We are not now discussing what kind of mass once existed
among the fathers, whether it is to be tolerated or not. But this we say
freely that the mass which is now used throughout the Roman Church has
been abolished in our churches for many and very good reasons which, for
brevity's sake, we do not now enumerate in detail. We certainly could not
approve of making a wholesome action into a vain spectacle and a means
of gaining merit, and of celebrating it for a price. Nor could we approve
of saying that in it the priest is said to effect the very body of the
Lord, and really to offer it for the remission of the sins of the living
and the dead, and in addition, for the honor, veneration and remembrance
of the saints in heaven, etc.
What Ought To Be Done in Meetings for Worship.
Although it is permitted all men to read the Holy Scriptures privately
at home, and by instruction to edify one another in the true religion,
yet in order that the Word of God may be properly preached to the people,
and prayers and supplication publicly made, also that the sacraments may
be rightly administered, and that collections may be made for the poor
and to pay the cost of all the Church's expenses, and in order to maintain
social intercourse, it is most necessary that religious or Church gatherings
be held. For it is certain that in the apostolic and primitive Church,
there were such assemblies frequented by all the godly.
Meetings for Worship Not To Be Neglected. As many
as spurn such meetings and stay away from them, despise true religion,
and are to be urged by the pastors and godly magistrates to abstain from
stubbornly absenting themselves from sacred assemblies.
Meetings Are Public. But Church meetings are not
to be secret and hidden, but public and well attended, unless persecution
by the enemies of Christ and the Church does not permit them to be public.
For we know how under the tyranny of the Roman emperors the meetings of
the primitive Church were held in secret places.
Decent Meeting Places. Moreover, the places where
the faithful meet are to be decent, and in all respects fit for God's Church.
Therefore, spacious buildings or temples are to be chosen, but they are
to be purged of everything that is not fitting for a church. And everything
is to be arranged for decorum, necessity, and godly decency, lest anything
be lacking that is required for worship and the necessary works of the
Church.
Modesty and Humility To Be Observed in Meetings.
And as we believe that God does not dwell in temples made with hands, so
we know that on account of God's Word and sacred use places dedicated to
God and his worship are not profane, but holy, and that those who are present
in them are to conduct themselves reverently and modestly, seeing that
they are in a sacred place, in the presence of God and his holy angels.
The True Ornamentation of Sanctuaries. Therefore,
all luxurious attire, all pride, and everything unbecoming to Christian
humility, discipline and modesty, are to be banished from the sanctuaries
and places of prayers of Christians. For the true ornamentation of churches
does not consist in ivory, gold, and precious stones, but in the frugality,
piety, and virtues of those who are in the Church. Let all things be done
decently and in order in the church, and finally, let all things be done
for edification.
Worship in the Common Language. Therefore, let
all strange tongues keep silence in gatherings for worship, and let all
things be set forth in a common language which is understood by the people
gathered in that place.
Common Language. It is true that a man is permitted
to pray privately in any language that he understands, but public prayers
in meetings for worship are to be made in the common language known to
all. PRAYER. Let all the prayers of the faithful be poured forth to God
alone, through the mediation of Christ only, out of faith and love. The
priesthood of Christ the Lord and true religion forbid the invocation of
saints in heaven or to use them as intercessors. Prayer is to be made for
magistracy, for kings, and all that are placed in authority, for ministers
of the Church, and for all needs of churches. In calamities, especially
of the Church, unceasing prayer is to be made both privately and publicly.
Free Prayer. Moreover, prayer is to be made voluntarily,
without constraint or for any reward. Nor is it proper for prayer to be
superstitiously restricted to one place, as if it were not permitted to
pray anywhere except in a sanctuary. Neither is it necessary for public
prayers to be the same in all churches with respect to form and time. Each
Church is to exercise its own freedom. Socrates, in his history, says,
"In all regions of the world you will not find two churches which
wholly agree in prayer" (Hist. ecclesiast. V.22, 57). The authors
of this difference, I think, were those who were in charge of the Churches
at particular times. Yet if they agree, it is to be highly commended and
imitated by others.
The Method To Be Employed in Public Prayers. As
in everything, so also in public prayers there is to be a standard lest
they be excessively long and irksome. The greatest part of meetings for
worship is therefore to be given to evangelical teaching, and care is to
be taken lest the congregation is wearied by too lengthy prayers and when
they are to hear the preaching of the Gospel they either leave the meeting
or, having been exhausted, want to do away with it altogether. To such
people the sermon seems to be overlong, which otherwise is brief enough.
And therefore it is appropriate for preachers to keep to a standard.
Singing. Likewise moderation is to be exercised
where singing is used in a meeting for worship. That song which they call
the Gregorian Chant has many foolish things in it; hence it is rightly
rejected by many of our churches. If there are churches which have a true
and proper sermon(9) but
no singing, they ought not to be condemned. For all churches do not have
the advantage of singing. And it is well known from testimonies of antiquity
that the custom of singing is very old in the Eastern Churches whereas
it was late when it was at length accepted in the West.
Canonical Hours. Antiquity knew nothing of canonical
hours, that is, prayers arranged for certain hours of the day, and sung
or recited by the Papists, as can be proved from their breviaries and by
many arguments. But they also have not a few absurdities, of which I say
nothing else; accordingly they are rightly omitted by churches which substitute
in their place things that are beneficial for the whole Church of God.
The Time Necessary for Worship. Although religion
is not bound to time, yet it cannot be cultivated and exercised without
a proper distribution and arrangement of time. Every Church, therefore,
chooses for itself a certain time for public prayers, and for the preaching
of the Gospel, and for the celebration of the sacraments; and no one is
permitted to overthrow this appointment of the Church at his own pleasure.
For unless some due time and leisure is given for the outward exercise
of religion, without doubt men would be drawn away from it by their own
affairs.
The Lord's Day. Hence we see that in the ancient
churches there were not only certain set hours in the week appointed for
meetings, but that also the Lord's Day itself, ever since the apostles'
time, was set aside for them and for a holy rest, a practice now rightly
preserved by our Churches for the sake of worship and love.
Superstition. In this connection we do not yield
to the Jewish observance and to superstitions. For we do not believe that
one day is any holier than another, or think that rest in itself is acceptable
to God. Moreover, we celebrate the Lord's Day and not the Sabbath as a
free observance.
The Festivals of Christ and the Saints. Moreover,
if in Christian liberty the churches religiously celebrate the memory of
the Lord's nativity, circumcision, passion, resurrection, and of his ascension
into heaven, and the sending of the Holy Spirit upon his disciples, we
approve of it highly. But we do not approve of feasts instituted for men
and for saints. Holy days have to do with the first Table of the Law and
belong to God alone. Finally, holy days which have been instituted for
the saints and which we have abolished, have much that is absurd and useless,
and are not to be tolerated. In the meantime, we confess that the remembrance
of saints, at a suitable time and place, is to be profitably commended
to the people in sermons, and the holy examples of the saints set forth
to be imitated by all.
Fasting. Now, the more seriously the Church of
Christ condemns surfeiting, drunkenness, and all kinds of lust and intemperance,
so much the more strongly does it commend to us Christian fasting. For
fasting is nothing else than the abstinence and moderation of the godly,
and a discipline, care and chastisement of our flesh undertaken as a necessity
for the time being, whereby we are humbled before God, and we deprive the
flesh of its fuel so that it may the more willingly and easily obey the
Spirit. Therefore, those who pay no attention to such things do not fast,
but imagine that they fast if they stuff their stomachs once a day, and
at a certain or prescribed time abstain from certain foods, thinking that
by having done this work they please God and do something good. Fasting
is an aid to the prayers of the saints and for all virtues. But as is seen
in the books of the prophets, the fast of the Jews who fasted from food
but not from wickedness did not please God.
Public and Private Fasting. Now there is a public
and a private fasting. In olden times they celebrated public fasts in calamitous
times and in the affliction of the Church. They abstained altogether from
food till the evening, and spent all that time in holy prayers, the worship
of God, and repentance. These differed little from mourning, and there
is frequent mention of them in the Prophets and especially by Joel in Ch.
2. Such a fast should be kept at this day, when the Church is in distress.
Private fasts are undertaken by each one of us, as he feels himself withdrawn
from the Spirit. For in this manner he withdraws the flesh from its fuel.
Characteristics of Fasting. All fasts ought to
proceed from a free and willing spirit, and from genuine humility, and
not feigned to gain the applause or favor of men, much less that a man
should wish to merit righteousness by them. But let every one fast to this
end, that he may deprive the flesh of its fuel in order that he may the
more zealously serve God.
Lent. The fast of Lent is attested by antiquity
but not at all in the writings of the apostles. Therefore it ought not,
and cannot, be imposed on the faithful. It is certain that formerly there
were various forms and customs of fasting. Hence, Irenaeus, a most ancient
writer, says: "Some think that a fast should be observed one day only,
others two days, but others more, and some forty days. This diversity in
keeping this fast did not first begin in our times, but long before us
by those, as I suppose, who did not simply keep to what had been delivered
to them from the beginning, but afterwards fell into another custom either
through negligence or ignorance" (Fragm. 3, ed. Stieren, I. 824 f.).
Moreover, Socrates, the historian says: "Because no ancient text is
found concerning this matter, I think the apostles left this to every man's
own judgment, that every one might do what is good without fear or constraint"
(Hist. ecclesiast. V.22, 40).
Choice of Food. Now concerning the choice of foods,
we think that in fasting all things should be denied to the flesh whereby
the flesh is made more insolent, and by which it is greatly pleased, and
by which it is inflamed with desire whether by fish or meat or spices or
delicacies and excellent wines. Moreover, we know that all the creatures
of God were made for the use of service of men. All things which God made
are good, and without distinction are to be used in the fear of God and
with proper moderation (Gen. 2:15 f.). For the apostle says: "To the
pure all things are pure" (Titus 1:15), and also: "Eat whatever
is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of
conscience" (I Cor. 10:25). The same apostle calls the doctrine of
those who teach to abstain from meats "the doctrine of demons";
for "God created foods to be received with thanksgiving by those who
believe and know this truth that everything created by God is good, and
nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving" (I
Tim. 4:1 ff.). The same apostle, in the epistle to the Colossians, reproves
those who want to acquire a reputation for holiness by excessive abstinence
(Col. 2:18 ff.).
Sects. Therefore we entirely disapprove of the
Tatians and the Encratites, and all the disciples of Eustathius, against
whom the Gangrian Synod was called.
Youth To Be Instructed in Godliness. The Lord
enjoined his ancient people to exercise the greatest care that young people,
even from infancy, be properly instructed. Moreover, he expressly commanded
in his law that they should teach them, and that the mysteries of the sacraments
should be explained. Now since it is well known from the writings of the
Evangelists and apostles that God has no less concern for the youth of
his new people, when he openly testifies and says: "Let the children
come to me; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven" (Mark 10:14),
the pastors of the churches act most wisely when they early and carefully
catechize the youth, laying the first grounds of faith, and faithfully
teaching the rudiments of our religion by expounding the Ten Commandments,
the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the doctrine of the sacraments,
with other such principles and chief heads of our religion. Here let the
Church show her faith and diligence in bringing the children to be catechized,
desirous and glad to have her children well instructed.
The Visitation of the Sick. Since men are never
exposed to more grievous temptations than when they are harassed by infirmities,
are sick and are weakened by diseases of both soul and body, surely it
is never more fitting for pastors of churches to watch more carefully for
the welfare of their flocks than in such diseases and infirmities. Therefore
let them visit the sick soon, and let them be called in good time by the
sick, if the circumstance itself would have required it. Let them comfort
and confirm them in the true faith, and then arm them against the dangerous
suggestions of Satan. They should also hold prayer for the sick in the
home and, if need be, prayers should also be made for the sick in the public
meeting; and they should see that they happily depart this life. We said
above that we do not approve of the Popish visitation of the sick with
extreme unction because it is absurd and is not approved by canonical Scriptures.
The Burial of Bodies. As the bodies of the
faithful are the temples of the Holy Spirit which we truly believe will
rise again at the Last Day, Scriptures command that they be honorably and
without superstition committed to the earth, and also that honorable mention
be made of those saints who have fallen asleep in the Lord, and that all
duties of familial piety be shown to those left behind, their widows and
orphans. We do not teach that any other care be taken for the dead. Therefore,
we greatly disapprove of the Cynics, who neglected the bodies of the dead
or most carelessly and disdainfully cast them into the earth, never saying
a good word about the deceased, or caring a bit about those whom they left
behind them.
The Care of the Dead. On the other hand, we do
not approve of those who are overly and absurdly attentive to the deceased;
who, like the heathen, bewail their dead (although we do not blame that
moderate mourning which the apostle permits in I Thess. 4:13, judging it
to be inhuman not to grieve at all); and who sacrifice for the dead, and
mumble certain prayers for pay, in order by such ceremonies to deliver
their loved ones from the torments in which they are immersed by death,
and then think they are able to liberate them by such incantations.
The State of the Soul Departed from the Body.
For we believe that the faithful, after bodily death, go directly to Christ,
and, therefore, do not need the eulogies and prayers of the living for
the dead and their services. Likewise we believe that unbelievers are immediately
cast into hell from which no exit is opened for the wicked by any services
of the living.
Purgatory. But what some teach concerning the
fire of purgatory is opposed to the Christian faith, namely, "I believe
in the forgiveness of sins, and the life everlasting," and to the
perfect purgation through Christ, and to these words of Christ our Lord:
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him
who sent me, has eternal life; he shall not come into judgment, but has
passed from death to life" (John 5:24). Again: "He who has bathed
does not need to wash, except for his feet, but he is clean all over, and
you are clean" (John 13:10).
The Apparition of Spirits. Now what is related
of the spirits or souls of the dead sometimes appearing to those who are
alive, and begging certain duties of them whereby they may be set free,
we count those apparitions among the laughingstocks, crafts, and deceptions
of the devil, who, as he can transform himself into an angel of light,
so he strikes either to overthrow the true faith or to call it into doubt.
In the Old Testament the Lord forbade the seeking of the truth from the
dead, and any sort of commerce with spirits (Deut. 18:11). Indeed, as evangelical
truth declares, the glutton, being in torment, is denied a return to his
brethren, as the divine oracle declares in the words: "They have Moses
and the prophets; let them hear them. If they hear not Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead"
(Luke 16:29 ff.).
Ceremonies and Rites. Unto the ancient people
were given at one time certain ceremonies, as a kind of instruction for
those who were kept under the law, as under a schoolmaster or tutor. But
when Christ, the Deliverer, came and the law was abolished, we who believe
are no more under the law (Rom. 6:14), and the ceremonies have disappeared;
hence the apostles did not want to retain or to restore them in Christ's
Church to such a degree that they openly testified that they did not wish
to impose any burden upon the Church. Therefore, we would seem to be bringing
in and restoring Judaism if we were to increase ceremonies and rites in
Christ's Church according to the custom in the ancient Church. Hence, we
by no means approve of the opinion of those who think that the Church of
Christ must be held in check by many different rites, as if by some kind
of training. For if the apostles did not want to impose upon Christian
people ceremonies or rites which were appointed by God, who, I pray, in
his right mind would obtrude upon them the inventions devised by man? The
more the mass of rites is increased in the Church, the more is detracted
not only from Christian liberty, but also from Christ, and from faith in
him, as long as the people seek those things in ceremonies which they should
seek in the only Son of God, Jesus Christ, through faith. Wherefore a few
moderate and simple rites, that are not contrary to the Word of God, are
sufficient for the godly.
Diversity of Rites. If different rites are found
in churches, no one should think for this reason the churches disagree.
Socrates says: "It would be impossible to put together in writing
all the rites of churches throughout cities and countries. No religion
observes the same rites, even though it embraces the same doctrine concerning
them. For those who are of the same faith disagree among themselves about
rites" (Hist. ecclesiast. V.22, 30, 62). This much says Socrates.
And we, today, having in our churches different rites in the celebration
of the Lord's Supper and in some other things, nevertheless do not disagree
in doctrine and faith; nor is the unity and fellowship of our churches
thereby rent asunder. For the churches have always used their liberty in
such rites, as being things indifferent. We also do the same thing today.
Things Indifferent. But at the same time we admonish
men to be on guard lest they reckon among things indifferent what are in
fact not indifferent, as some are wont to regard the mass and the use of
images in places of worship as things indifferent. "Indifferent,"
wrote Jerome to Augustine, "is that which is neither good nor bad,
so that, whether you do it or not, you are neither just nor unjust."
Therefore, when things indifferent are wrested to the confession of faith,
they cease to be free; as Paul shows that it is lawful for a man to eat
flesh if someone does not remind him that it was offered to idols, for
then it is unlawful, because he who eats it seems to approve idolatry by
eating it (I Cor. 8:9 ff.; 10:25 ff.).
The Possessions of the Church and Their Proper
Use. The Church of Christ possesses riches through the munificence
of princes and the liberality of the faithful who have given their means
to the Church. For the Church has need of such resources and from ancient
time has had resources for the maintenance of things necessary for the
Church. Now the true use of the Church's wealth was, and is now, to maintain
teaching in schools and in religious meetings, along with all the worship,
rites, and buildings of the Church; finally, to maintain teachers, scholars,
and ministers, with other necessary things, and especially for the succor
and relief of the poor. MANAGEMENT. Moreover, God-fearing and wise men,
noted for the management of domestic affairs, should be chosen to administer
properly the Church's possessions.
The Misuse of the Church's Possessions. But if
through misfortune or through the audacity, ignorance or avarice of some
persons the Church's wealth is abused, it is to be restored to a sacred
use by godly and wise men. For neither is an abuse, which is the greatest
sacrilege, to be winked at. Therefore, we teach that schools and institutions
which have been corrupted in doctrine, worship and morals must be reformed,
and that the relief of the poor must be arranged dutifully, wisely, and
in good faith.
Single People. Those who have the gift of celibacy
from heaven, so that from the heart or with their whole soul are pure and
continent and are not aflame with passion, let them serve the Lord in that
calling, as long as they feel endued with that divine gift; and let them
not lift up themselves above others, but let them serve the Lord continuously
in simplicity and humility (I Cor. 7:7 ff.). For such are more apt to attend
to divine things than those who are distracted with the private affairs
of a family. But if, again, the gift be taken away, and they feel a continual
burning, let them call to mind the words of the apostle: "It is better
to marry than to be aflame" (I Cor. 7:9).
Marriage. For marriage (which is the medicine
of incontinency, and continency itself) was instituted by the Lord God
himself, who blessed it most bountifully, and willed man and woman to cleave
one to the other inseparably, and to live together in complete love and
concord (Matt. 19:4 ff). Whereupon we know that the apostle said: "Let
marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be unded"
(Heb. 13:4). And again: "If a girl marries, she does not sin"
(I Cor. 7:28).THE SECTS. We therefore condemn polygamy, and those who condemn
second marriages.
How Marriages Are To Be Contracted. We teach that
marriages are to be lawfully contracted in the fear of the Lord, and not
against the laws which forbid certain degrees of consanguinity, lest the
marriages should be incestuous. Let marriages be made with consent of the
parents, or of those who take the place of parents, and above all for that
purpose for which the Lord instituted marriages. Moreover, let them be
kept holy with the utmost faithfulness, piety, love and purity of those
joined together. Therefore let them guard against quarrels, dissensions,
lust and adultery.
Matrimonial Forum. Let lawful courts be established
in the Church, and holy judges who may care for marriages, and may repress
all unchastity and shamefulness, and before whom matrimonial disputes may
be settled.
The Rearing of Children. Children are to be brought
up by the parents in the fear of the Lord; and parents are to provide for
their children, remembering the saying of the apostle: "If anyone
does not provide for his relatives, he has disowned the faith and is worse
than an unbeliever" (I Tim. 5:8). But especially they should teach
their children honest trades or professions by which they may support themselves.
They should keep them from idleness and in all these things instill in
them true faith in God, lest through a lack of confidence or too much security
or filthy greed they become dissolute and achieve no success.
And it is most certain that those works which are done
by parents in true faith by way of domestic duties and the management of
their households are in God's sight holy and truly good works. They are
no less pleasing to God than prayers, fasting and almsgiving. For thus
the apostle has taught in his epistles, especially in those to Timothy
and Titus. And with the same apostle we account the doctrine of those who
forbid marriage or openly castigate or indirectly discredit it, as if it
were not holy and pure, among the doctrine of demons.
We also detest an impure single life, the secret and
open lusts and fornications of hypocrites pretending to be continent when
they are the most incontinent of all. All these God will judge. We do not
disapprove of riches or rich men, if they be godly and use their riches
well. But we reject the sect of the Apostolicals, etc.(10)
The Magistracy Is from God. Magistracy of every
kind is instituted by God himself for the peace and tranquillity of the
human race, and thus it should have the chief place in the world. If the
magistrate is opposed to the Church, he can hinder and disturb it very
much; but if he is a friend and even a member of the Church, he is a most
useful and excellent member of it, who is able to benefit it greatly, and
to assist it best of all.
The Duty of the Magistrate. The chief duty of
the magistrate is to secure and preserve peace and public tranquillity.
Doubtless he will never do this more successfully than when he is truly
God-fearing and religious; that is to say, when, according to the example
of the most holy kings and princes of the people of the Lord, he promotes
the preaching of the truth and sincere faith, roots out lies and all superstition,
together with all impiety and idolatry, and defends the Church of God.
We certainly teach that the care of religion belongs especially to the
holy magistrate.
Let him, therefore, hold the Word of God in his hands,
and take care lest anything contrary to it is taught. Likewise let him
govern the people entrusted to him by God with good laws made according
to the Word of God, and let him keep them in discipline, duty and obedience.
Let him exercise judgment by judging uprightly. Let him not respect any
man's person or accept bribes. Let him protect widows, orphans and the
afflicted. Let him punish and even banish criminals, impostors and barbarians.
For he does not bear the sword in vain (Rom. 13:4).
Therefore, let him draw this sword of God against all
malefactors, seditious persons, thieves, murderers, oppressors, blasphemers,
perjured persons, and all those whom God has commanded him to punish and
even to execute. Let him suppress stubborn heretics (who are truly heretics),
who do not cease to blaspheme the majesty of God and to trouble, and even
to destroy the Church of God.
War. And if it is necessary to preserve the safety
of the people by war, let him wage war in the name of God; provided he
has first sought peace by all means possible, and cannot save his people
in any other way except by war. And when the magistrate does these things
in faith, he serves God by those very works which are truly good, and receives
a blessing from the Lord.
We condemn the Anabaptists, who, when they deny that
a Christian may hold the office of a magistrate, deny also that a man may
be justly put to death by the magistrate, or that the magistrate may wage
war, or that oaths are to be rendered to a magistrate, and such like things.
The Duty of Subjects. For as God wants to effect
the safety of his people by the magistrate, whom he has given to the world
to be, as it were, a father, so all subjects are commanded to acknowledge
this favor of God in the magistrate. Therefore let them honor and reverence
the magistrate as the minister of God; let them love him, favor him, and
pray for him as their father; and let them obey all his just and fair commands.
Finally, let them pay all customs and taxes, and all other such dues faithfully
and willingly. And if the public safety of the country and justice require
it, and the magistrate of necessity wages war, let them even lay down their
life and pour out their blood for the public safety and that of the magistrate.
And let them do this in the name of God willingly, bravely and cheerfully.
For he who opposes the magistrate provokes the severe wrath of God against
himself.
Sects and Seditions. We, therefore, condemn all
who are contemptuous of the magistrate--rebels, enemies of the state, seditious
villains, finally, all who openly or craftily refuse to perform whatever
duties they owe.
We beseech God, our most merciful Father in heaven, that
he will bless the rulers of the people, and us, and his whole people, through
Jesus Christ, our only Lord and Savior; to whom be praise and glory and
thanksgiving, for all ages. Amen.
Notes:
1. Reprinted from Reformed Confessions of the 16th Century by Arthur C. Cochrane. � Copyright 1966 W. L. Jenkins. The Westminster Press.
2. Ad imaginem et simultudinem Dei.
3. Etenim voluntas, non noluntas dicitur.
4. The edition of 1568 reads: "whether they are elected from eternity?"
5. The so-called Athanasian Creed was not written by Athanasius but dates from the ninth century. It is so called the "Quicunque" from the opening word of the Latin text.
6. The original manuscript has "Christ" instead of "Spirit."
7. The Latin reads: "by the faith of the Son of God."
8. Ordinarunt pastores, atque doctores.
9. The Latin has orationem which has been rendered as "prayer." But from the context it would seem that the word should be given its usual classical meaning of a "speech."
10. The Apostolicals were followers of a religious fanatic, Gherardo Segarelli, of Parma, who in the thirteenth century wanted to restore the poverty of the apostolic life.
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Last Updated: 10/5/96