The need for creeds

Luz Maria and I traveled north to Barquisimeto for a pastor’s conference at Cristo es Amor (Christ is Love) Lutheran Church from June 25 to 26. It was privilege to celebrate the 495th anniversary of the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession with other pastors of our national church, the Lutheran Church of Venezuela.

Argénis Hernández, pastor of Ascension Lutheran Church in San Félix de Guayana, offered a meditation on Matthew 10:26-33 at the opening Matins service on June 25. I did the same for the appointed epistle, 1 Timothy 6:11-16, at Vespers.

The word “confession” is used in different ways. Perhaps most widely understood is the confession of sins. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”, 1 John 1:9. In the Lutheran church, confession of sin may be public or private. The dialogue of communal confession of sin by the congregation and absolution by the pastor as part of the Divine Service is of ancient origin. But Lutherans also retain the practice of private confession, either specific sins to a neighbor one has wronged, or sins that weigh particularly heavy on the heart to the pastor. Private confession is not a requirement, but a gift.

“Confession” as declaration of faith, or creed, is always understood as a public, not a private matter. (The word “creed” is derived from the Latin “credo” or “I believe”.) This is the essence of public worship, as shown in Nehemiah 8:1-12, the Old Testament lesson which was not read. Ezrah the priest publicly read from the books of Moses and all the people answered “Amen, Amen!”, while lifting up their hands. “And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.” God speaks to us in his infallible Scriptures, and we respond.Whether one says “I believe” or “we believe” does not matter, for what follows is not personal opinion, but an authoritative articulation of what the Scriptures say. An open proclamation of the truth and a steadfast defense of the truth, is demanded for every follower of Christ.

“Therefore whoever confesses me before men, him will I confess also before my Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven”, Matthew 10:33.

“Do the work of an evangelist”

St. Paul also tells his disciple in 2 Timothy 4, “But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” This served as the basis for another highlight of the pastor’s conference was a presentation by Carlos Ventura on “The Pastor as Evangelist”.The word εὐαγγελιστής (euaggelistés) is used in only two passages of the New Testament. Ephesians 4:11 sets evangelists among Christ’s gifts to His church: “And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers”.Apostles and prophets are those who received direct revelation from God. Because the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments contain all we need to know for salvation, there is no need for new revelation, therefore apostles and prophets do not exist in the contemporary church.

“Pastors and teachers” describes the regular ministry of publicly preaching the Word and administering the sacrament, which in all periods of the church has been and remained the same. The expression “teachers” probably refers chiefly to the public activity, while the other, “pastors,” to the application of the pastoral office to the individual members of the congregation. “Evangelists” is placed on the list in between apostles and prophets, and pastors and teachers.
In Acts 21:8, the title of evangelist is given to Philip, one of the original deacons of the church selected by the congregation at Jerusalem in Acts 6, but driven from the city by later persecution. Philip’s activities in Acts 8 are the only description given of “the work of an evangelist”.

He travels as an itinerant missionary, preaching and baptizing, performing miracles in Christ’s name, but under the authority of the apostles. Peter and John had to travel to Samaria to confirm the validity of Philip’s baptisms (Acts 8:14-17).

So what of Paul’s admonition to Timothy, a pastor and bishop, to do the work of an evangelist? We may conclude that even as the apostolic mission of the church continues without the apostles (Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:15-16; Lucas 24:47-48; Acts 1:8), the work of an evangelist is not limited to the pastoral office. For Acts 8:4 says all who fled Jerusalem “went everywhere announcing the good news” (literally, εὐαγγελιζόμενοι, euangelizomenoi, evangelizing). It is highly desirable for all members of a local congregation to share the Gospel with family, friends and co-workers, pray for them and invite them to church. But the pastor also has an important rose to play in evangelism, as a teacher, guide and planner of intentional strategies.

Pastor Carlos Ventura and his wife, Berkis, with Meduardo Aparismo, the youngest of the five children of Rafael and Sabrina Aparismo, one of the founding families of El Redentor Lutheran Church.

A pioneer pastor

This month El Redentor (Redeemer) Lutheran Church of San Antonio de Capayacuar, Monagas state, will celebrate its 70th anniversary. During our spare moments in Barquisimeto, its current pastor, Carlos Ventura, talked with me about Heinrich Zeuch, its first pastor, installed in 1955. Zeuch was ordained as a deacon in Germany.  During World War II, his home in Berlin was destroyed by Allied bombing, leaving his family without a place to live. After the war, the Zeuchs arrived in Venezuela in refugees on an Italian ship, thanks to Gerhard Zeuch, Heinrich's son, who already had a job as an agronomist on a tobacco plantation. After many struggles and difficulties, they settled in San Antonio. At that time, San Antonio did not have electricity, a hospital or paved roads. Heinrich taught adult Bible classes and vacation Bible schools in the area, and was colloquized as Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod missionary before being called to serve El Redentor. San Antonio de Maturín became for many years in the center of a growing Lutheran presence in the state of Monagas and the southern zone of Sucre state.

Wind, rain and a wild ride

We returned from Barquisimeto on Friday. Day after day of heavy rains and strong winds in northwestern Venezuela made the rivers overflow, the dams explode, landslides and closed roads. The government quickly declared an emergency state in the mountain states of Trujillo, Tachira and Mérida, and eight of the 12 municipalities in the state of Barinas. In the afternoon Wednesday, June 25, 2025, the intense rainfall affected the state of Portuguesa, leaving the overflow of several rivers and the flooding of communities near the road that leads to the city of Guanare. Flooding of the Ospino River and overflow of a dam caused the collapse of the La Trinidad bridge on the José Antonio Páez highway, between Barquisimeto and Barinas. A detour around the collapsed bridge took us on a wild ride on a old, two-lane road as heavy traffic continued to flow as if on four lanes and roadside crews removed debris. We are now high and dry on our hilltop, but we ask you to please pray for those left homeless and otherwise affected by the inclement weather (200,000 families in Barinas state alone).

Making the good confession

Remembering the Reformation

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Sunday, June 25, was the date of the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession in 1530, so we celebrated it as a minor festival of the church. The appointed Gospel (Matthew 10:26-33) and epistle (1 Timothy 6:11-16) readings both were very timely, given the state of the world today.

It also was an opportunity to draw a connection between Venezuela and the Reformation. Before he was Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V was Carlos I, King of Spain. He was the grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella, the power couple who financed the voyages of Christopher Columbus, including the third voyage in 1498 when Columbus made landfall in what is now Venezuela. In his quest to become emperor, Charles gained the financial support of the Welzers, a rich family of bankers who lived in, wait for it, Augsburg, Germany. As a reward, the Welzers were given charge of the colony of Venezuela, where they ruled from the city of Maracaibo from 1528 to 1546. They profited from gold mining and the production of sugar cane. The mines were worked by laborers from Germany, the plantations, unfortunately, by native American and African slaves. Although there is no evidence that the Welzers ever involved themselves with the Lutheran Reformation, they were unpopular with Spanish colonists already living in Venezuela, and were accused of being Lutherans in secret.

Studying the Augsburg Confession.

By the way, there is an excellent Spanish-language miniseries about the life of Charles V that Luz Maria and I watched on Venezuelan television, “Carlos, Rey Emperador”. It portrays Martin Luther in a surprisingly sympathetic light. But perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of the miniseries was seeing the historical panorama as the action shifted from Hernan Cortes conquering the Aztecs in the name of Spain to the diets of Worms and Augsburg to the the army of the Turks gathering on the eastern edge of the Holy Roman Empire.

With that historical background, it was easy to draw a comparison between the Diet of Augsburg in 1530 and “the good confession” of our Lord before Pontius Pilate, an example that St. Paul tells Timothy and every believer to be willing to emulate (1 Timothy 6:13). Although he was nominally a Christian ruler, Charles V was no more interested than Pilate was in the saving truth of the Gospel. Pilate wanted to avoid an insurrection of the Jews that would have gotten him in trouble with the emperor Tiberius. Charles wanted Europe to maintain a united front against the Turkish threat. But as Pilate was used by God to accomplish Christ’s victory over sin, death and the devil, Charles, because of his fear of internal conflict, gave the signers of the Augsburg Confession a platform to declare their faith to the world. In fact, they insisted the confession be read loud enough for those outside the council chamber to hear. In this, they followed the Lord’s command:

Carlos, Rey Emperador.

“What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:27-28)

Lord God, heavenly Father, You preserved the teaching of the apostolic Church through the confession of the true faith at Augsburg. Continue to cast the bright beams of Your light upon Your Church that we, being instructed by the doctrine of the blessed apostles, may walk in the light of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen (Treasury of Daily Prayer).

Holy Spirit banner.

A new parament from Peru

We are very pleased with the gift of a new banner for our sanctuary from Luz Maria’s daughter, Yepci. Since we put out the red paraments on Sunday (consistent with Reformation Sunday) as a sign of the Holy Spirit’s continuing guidance and protection of the church, it arrived at just the right moment. Yepci taught in our preschool for many years before leaving Venezuela with her three children in 2018. She and her son, Elias Montoya, painted the symbols of the Holy Trinity on the stained glass above our altar. (Elias was the first child baptized at our mission on June 25, 2005.)

We are thankful that she found another home and another congregation in Lima, Peru, where Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod World Missions is active in serving local congregations. Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod involvement in Peru began in 1997 with flood relief and medical care. In August 2007, an 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck south of Lima killing more than 500 people, injuring more than 1,000 and destroying more 34,410 homes, according to news reports. LCMS missionaries traveled to Lima, Lucumo and Lunahuan two weeks after the earthquake to evaluate how they could respond to the people in need. Missionaries handed out Bibles, food and personal hygiene products, and they got approval from the local government authorities to work there.

Yepci and her children attend the congregation in the Los Olivos District of Lima, where there are other Venezuelan expatriates. Her daughter, Oriana Montoya, is one of seven deaconess students mentored by missionary deaconess Caitlin Ramirez.

Close of school year.

Close of 2022/2023 school year

On June 29 we marked the end of the 2022/2023 school year with gifts and games for the children. This was the year in which COVID-19 restrictions were lifted for educational institutions in Venezuela. Yet many schools remained closed because of a public teacher’s strike over inadequate wages. We were able to keep our preschool open, thanks be to God and the patrons of our mission, with many opportunities to proclaim the Gospel to the children and their families.

Face to face for the first time since 2019

 

It has been a month of seminars about the Augsburg Confession for Venezuelan deaconesses in training. Luz Maria, who has already been formally commissioned as a deaconess by the Lutheran Church of Venezuela, has mentored 40 women entirely online for the past two years, under the supervision of Pastor Eliezer Mendoza, director of the Juan de Frias Theological Institute and using course content provided by Concordia Seminary El Reformador in the Dominican Republic. The seminars, the first in-person classes since the COVID-19 crisis began in 2020, were held in three locations across Venezuela. Graduation from the current cycle of deaconess formation is scheduled in June.

Pastor Mendoza led the seminars at all locations. The first seminar was held from February 24 to 26 at La Ascensión (Ascension) Lutheran Church in San Felix de Guayana for women from the southeastern zone of the national church. The second seminar was from March 3 to 5 at Cristo Rey (Christ the King) Lutheran Church in Maturín for women from the eastern zone.

Luz Maria traveled with women from the western cities of Barinas and Barquisimeto to attend the third seminar in Caracas from March 10 to 12. There were two other deaconesses in attendance, Ginnatriz de Mendoza (Pastor Eliezer’s wife) from Barquisimeto, and Elsy de Machado from Caracas.

With Elsy and Pastor Abel Garcia, who was then director of the Juan de Frias Institute, Luz Maria attended the first Latin American deaconess conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, April 30 to May 4, 2009. Together, Luz Maria and I attended another deaconess conference in the Dominican Republic in 2016, along with Elsy, and Pastor Eliezer and Ginnatriz.

The deaconess candidates already have initiated practical service projects. Most have to do with Christian education, such as teaching Sunday school or after-school tutoring. Others are visiting the sick and the elderly confined to rest homes.

From rags to rag dolls

After Luz Maria returned from  Caracas, her mother, Carmen, and sister, Rosaura, visited our preschool and presented a seminar on the making of rag dolls for the children and their representatives on March 14.

Using scraps of clothing to make an inexpensive children’s toy is a practice known around the world. Rag dolls, or muñecas de trapo, have a long tradition in Venezuela. Before Spanish colonization, indigenous peoples made dolls not only from corn husks, cattails and other plants, but also used animal skins, such as those of rabbits and alpacas, bird feathers, tree bark and roots. The dolls were not simply gifts; they taught children survival skills through play. The Spaniards brought European fabrics and forms of dress, and dolls began to be made with the hands, legs, chest and face made of papier-mâché or ceramics. Rag dolls today allow the reuse of old shirts and clothes and often are used to decorate the home as well as for children’s play.

Luz Maria’s mother is 92 years old and active for her age. She likes to tell the story of how she made a doll to the exact, and exacting, specifications of an Italian tourist. Luz Maria and I try to visit her once a week, though this was difficult when COVID-19 restrictions on travel were tighter.

Preparing for Holy Week

Although many cities in Venezuela permitted Carnaval parades this year (see my last newsletter), we decided to postpone our Palm Sunday procession in the street one more time. The sanctuary still will be adorned with palms (this is easy when you have palm trees on the patio). Preschool devotions have had a Lenten theme, for this fifth week in Lent we previewed Holy Week for the children and prepared them to celebrate both the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus.

We pray: Lord, bring us close to Your cross that we might know how You loved us and gave Yourself for us. As we follow you from Gethsemane to Calvary, do not let us follow afar off, lest we deny You. Help us watch and pray with You that we may not fall into temptation. Lord Jesus, through it all help us hear in Your prayer the single purpose for which You endured pain and death: Father, forgive them, for they know what they do. Amen.

(Lutheran Book of Prayer, Concordia Publishing House, 1970)

Liturgy: The Card Game

When I was a boy, I enjoyed playing an educational card game called “Authors”. The deck of cards consisted of eleven sets of four cards each representing the works of eleven famous authors. The object of the game was to form complete sets of the four cards comprising the works of a particular author. I remember another such card game called “Famous Movie Monsters”, which was just as much fun, although not so high-brow.

Luz Maria has developed a set of cards for the historic Lutheran liturgy. The object is to answer correctly as many questions as you can. Her daughter, Charli, provided the graphic design, while the text on each card was taken, with the author's permission, from an explanation of the liturgy (in Spanish) by Edmund Mielke, former missionary to Venezuela and now the pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, Brandon, Manitoba. Luz Maria and Charli have put together 10 sets of these cards with the intention of selling them for a nominal fee at the national convention of SOLUDAVE (Sociedad Luterana de Damas Venezolanas), the Venezuelan Lutheran women's organization. Luz Maria hopes the card game will be used as a tool for teaching the history and importance of the liturgy in all of the member congregations of the Lutheran Church of Venezuela.

Rev. Mielke entitled his treatise “Oficio Divino” (Divine Office). English-speaking Lutherans perhaps more often use the expression “Divine Service” in reference to what the Augsburg Confession continues to call “the Mass.” According to Article XXIV of the Augsburg Confession, “Falsely are our churches accused of abolishing the Mass; for the Mass is retained among us, and celebrated with the highest reverence.”

The term “Mass” is derived from the Latin word for dismissal. In the early Christian church, it was customary, after the preaching, or “service of the Word”, to dismiss all who were not baptized members of the church and then celebrate the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. Thus, in the western half of the Roman Empire, where Latin was adopted as the liturgical language, the “mass” or dismissal of the unbaptized, at first signified the beginning of the sacramental service. Later it came to mean the entire service.

What is called “the Mass” in the tradition of the western European church is called the “Divine Liturgy” in the Greek Orthodox churches of eastern Europe and Asia. “Liturgy” comes from the Greek λειτουργια (“leitourgia”). This is a compound word combining “leitos” or public, with “ergon”, which means work or action. Leitourgia originally meant something provided as a service for the public by a benefactor of the ruling class. In Spanish, “oficio” can mean “official function” or “ministry” (the word for what we usually mean by “office” in English is “oficina”.) In fact, the word “leitourgia” occurs in the New Testament, where it is usually translated into English as “service” or “ministry” (Luke 1:23, 2 Corinthians 9:12, Philippians 2:17, 30, and Hebrews 8:6, 9:21). In Luke 1:23, Zachariah goes home when "the days of his liturgy” (αι ημεραι της λειτουργιας αυτου), or service in the Temple, are over.

In the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament read by people who did not know Hebrew in New Testament times ) the word “leitourgia” (and nouns and verbs derived from it) is used to translate verses describing the ritual service of the temple (Numbers 4:24; Joel 1:9, 2:17). In Hebrews 8:6, the high priest of the New Covenant (Jesus) performs a better kind of “liturgy” than that of the Old Testament priests and Levites (νυνι δε διαφορωτερας τετυχεν λειτουργιας, οσῳ και κρειττονος εστιν διαθηκης μεσιτης, ητις επι κρειττοσιν επαγγελιαις νενομοθετηται) by sacrificing Himself once and for all time for the sins of the whole human race, and by continuing to act as Mediator between God and man. For this reason, propitiary sacrifices of animals have been eliminated from the worship of the New Covenant (because Christ's sacrifice on the cross covers all sin), as have the ceremonial/ritual purity laws which had to be obeyed before anyone could enter the Temple and participate in the Old Testament rites (because we enter the presence of God made holy by the blood of Christ).

Christ also instituted certain means for His salvation to be made known to the world and for the strengthening of the faith of those who believe. First the public proclamation of the Gospel to the ends of the earth and instruction in the doctrines of the faith (John 20:21-23, Matthew 28:19-20), and the sacraments of baptism (Matthew 28:19-20) and the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23-24).

By “Divine Service,” “Divine Liturgy” or “Divine Office”, we mean the public preaching of the Word, which Christ Himself instituted for the benefit of believers and those who have yet to believe, and the administration of the sacraments, baptism for the receiving of people into the household of faith, and Holy Communion for the strengthening of faith in those who believe.

Article V of the Augsburg Confession states, "To obtain such faith, God instituted the preaching office to give Gospel and Sacraments. Through these, as through means, he gives the Holy Spirit, who works faith, when and where He pleases, in those who hear the Gospel.” Likewise Article XXIII of the Augsburg Confession says, “the sacraments were ordained, not only to be marks of profession among men, but rather to be signs and testimonies of the will of God toward us, instituted to awaken and confirm faith in those who use them. Wherefore we must so use the sacraments that faith be added to believe the promises which are offered and set forth through the sacraments.”

The service of the Word and sacraments is central to Christian worship. Although the New Testament gives no detailed description of early Christian worship, several other things are associated with the ministry of Word and sacrament: prayer (1 Timothy 2:8), singing of hymns (Ephesians 5:19). Scripture readings (James 1:22) and offerings of thanksgiving (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). Put all of these components together and a certain structure emerges. Thus we define Christian worship as God delivering the gifts of His grace, the forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life to those who repent and believe, through the means of Word and sacrament, the grateful response of His people with prayer and praise. This basic structure, or “liturgy”, has stood the test of time. We see it in the earliest full descriptions of the church's worship, such as the writings of Justin Martyr or the Didache. Because this structure is based directly the teachings of the Holy Scriptures, it is not negotiable and may not be set aside.

There are elements of the historic liturgy that we have inherited from the church of past centuries that are neither expressly commanded or forbidden by Holy Scripture. These are called “adiaphora”, from a Greek word that often is translated as “indifferent matters.” Many people think that to say something is an adiaphoron is to say it's purely a matter of personal preference, but this is not so. If something is commanded or forbidden by Scripture, then one is faced with a simple black versus white proposition. To refuse to do what God commands in Scripture, or to do what Scripture forbids is to defy the will of God, pure and simple. With adiaphora, however, there may be shades of gray. To accept or reject an adiaphoron may depend on the historical or cultural context in which one finds oneself.

For example, early in the 20th Century, many German Lutheran congregations in the United States adopted the custom of placing a United States flag on one side of the chancel and a “Christian flag” (a red cross on a blue field against a white background) on the other. This was because in the years preceding, during and following World War I, there was a great deal of prejudice and animosity toward German-speaking immigrants. The German Lutherans wanted to show that they were both devout Christians and loyal citizens who recognized the United States of America as “one nation under God.” Nowadays this practice strikes some people as blurring the proper distinction between church and state, and identifying Christianity too closely with “the American way of life.” Who is right? To display the banners of church and state in this way may have made sense in a certain time and place, but may not be considered appropriate in a more global era. That is the nature of adiaphora.

The Lutheran approach to such matters is a variation of the principle, “If it works, don't fix it.” If some practice has become part of the common heritage of the church, does not contradict Scripture, serves a useful purpose and does not create misunderstandings, it should by all means be preserved as ṕart of our worship.

Martin Lutheran published his “Formula Missae” (Latin Mass) in 1523. In his introduction to it, he wrote:

“We therefore first assert: It is not now nor ever has been our intention to abolish the liturgical service of God completely, but rather to purify the one that is now in use from the wretched accretions which corrupt it and to point out an evangelical use.”

So we say along with the Apology (Defense) of the Augsburg Confession, Articles VII and VIII: 33, “...we believe that the true unity of the Church is not injured by dissimilar rites instituted by men; although it is pleasing to us that, for the sake of tranquillity [unity and good order], universal rites be observed, just as also in the churches we willingly observe the order of the Mass, the Lord’s Day, and other more eminent festival days. And with a very grateful mind we embrace the profitable and ancient ordinances, especially since they contain a discipline by which it is profitable to educate and train the people and those who are ignorant.”

Truth and freedom, church and state

In 1821, James Madison, fourth president of the United States of America and also noted for being instrumental in the drafting of the U.S. Constitution and as the key champion and author of the Bill of Rights, wrote to F.L. Schaefer:

James Madison, Hamilton's major collaborator, later President of the United States and "Father of the Constitution" (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“I have received, with your letter of November 19th, the copy of your address at the ceremonial of laying of the corner-stone of St. Matthew's Church in New York. It is a pleasing and persuasive example of pious zeal, united with pure benevolence, and of cordial attachment to a particular creed, untinctured by sectarian illiberality. It illustrates the excellence of a system which, by a due distinction, to which the genius and courage of Luther led the way, between what is due to Caesar and what is due to God, promotes the discharge of both obligations.”

Indeed there is a Scriptural basis forseparation of , or more precisely, distinction between church and state that Luther championed, although something like this happy balance would become a reality before the American Revolution. He spoke of “the two kingdoms”, one of law and one of grace. By this he meant that God had instituted both the church and civil government, but for different purposes and had given them different types of authority. All lawful forms of authority have been established by God. As Jesus said to Pontius Pilate: ‘You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above’ (John 19:11).

The government has the right of the sword , that is, to use force of arms to maintain order in this fallen world , according to the Law of God. The government has jurisdiction over the exterior acts of men , and can punish them for evil deeds (Genesis 9:6 ; Exodus 21:14). . The government has no jurisdiction over the souls of men , ie can not demand confessions of faith or decide matters of faith.

The two classical texts that deal with the God-given authority of the state are Romans 13:1-5 and 1 Peter 2:13,14. When Paul then in Romans 13:1 says: ‘There is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God’, he is stating that secular government has been established by God.

Earthly authority also include parents (Ephesians 6:1-4) as well as others in positions of responsibility. When Luther explains the fourth commandment in his Large Catechism he says that the primary locus of authority resides with parents, and that all other human authority derives from that.

Revelation 13 presents a situation that is the exact opposite of Romans 13. The unlawful authority of the demonic state is most evident in the absolute claims made on body and soul by the satanic forces behind totalitarian regimes. Here the church must refuse obedience, in line with Peter’s principle in Acts 5:29, even if that means martyrdom, for obedience here would amount to idolatry. Obedience to all forms of human government is never absolute but always limited and conditional. If it means disobedience to God, our allegiance to God must come first.

According to Article XVI of the Augsburg Confession, “All government and all established rule and laws were instituted by God for the sake of good order, and that Christians may without sin occupy civil offices and engage in all manner of civil affairs’ (such as serving as soldiers, buying and selling,

taking oaths where required, owning property, getting married etc). The article also states that ‘the gospel does not overthrow civil authority, the state, and marriage but requires that all these be kept as true divine orders’ (sometimes called orders of creation), unless to do so would mean disobeying God.

The mission of the church is to proclaim the message of God's grace . It has no right to punish exterior actions with the sword, or command faith. Nor can it teach doctrines contrary to the teachings of the Holy Scriptures. It can only proclaim the forgiveness of sins to those who repent or God's condemnation to those who do not repent .

Article XXVIII of the Augsburg Confession makes it clear that ecclesiastical and civil power are not to be confused. The church should not interfere with civil government or try to tell civil rulers how they should govern. For Christ says that his kingdom is ‘not of this world’ (John 18:33,36), and when asked to settle a legal dispute he replied: ‘Who made me judge or an arbiter between you?’ (Luke 12:14).

When the church and the government recognize their own positions , when there is a balance between them with respect for human rights , this situation is according to the design of God and is a blessing for all. For the concept of human rights is based on the biblical perspective. First, each human being is a creature of God, who has value in God's eyes no matter their condition in life . Second, although all are sinners , Christ died for all, to give us another chance to live as children of God. The new life in Christ is a gift from God in His mercy. So, salvation belongs to the kingdom of grace, not the realm of law.

This view of the proper roles of church and state influenced James Madison and other framers of the U.S. Constitution. For this reason, Luther often is hailed as a champion of human rights and particularly the individual conscience, first for his posting of the 95 Theses on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg, Germany, on Oct. 31, 1517, and later for his heroic stand before the Diet of Worms in 1521.

When diet ordered Luther to recant his criticisms of the teachings of the church of Rome, Luther answered , "Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason , for I can believe neither pope nor councils alone, since it is evident that they have been wrong several times and contradicted themselves , I consider myself convicted by the testimony of Holy Scripture, which is my foundation , my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I can not and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe . Here I am , I can not do otherwise, so help me God . Amen . "

But what Luther defended at the Diet of Worms was not simply his personal liberty of conscience or a political ideal, but something much more: absolute and objective truth revealed by God Himself in the person of Jesus Christ.

This is why John 8:31-36 is the appointed Gospel reading for Reformation Day. “And ye shall know the truth , and the truth shall make you free . " What is the truth of which Jesus speaks ? The Greek philosophers used the Greek word , αληθεια , which translates as the word truth , to designate the absolute reality . Not something attainable through human reason , but only by some transcendental means, such as divine revelation . Knowing the truth would mean an encounter with the divine, mystical contemplation of the glory of God.

The meaning of tthis truth could also be interpreted within the Hebrew context, the word , אֱמֶת , which means faithfulness to God's plan or purpose . We could say the revelation of the glory of God , the truth is that God so loved the world that he sent his only Son to save it. The truth is that the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin . Jesus Christ is not only a great prophet, not only the Messiah promised to the Jews. He is the Son of God made flesh . The truth that will set us free is not an abstract concept , not any political, economic or scientific truth, but what God has revealed about our salvation in Christ.

For nationalist groups among the Jews , freedom consisted only of recognizing God as King of kings . Nationalists , or zealots, were ready to fight to the death to defend their freedom to serve only the Lord, the God of Israel. Other Jews thought they were free , regardless of the dominion of the Roman conquerors . Outwardly ruled by the Romans, but inwardly they were free because they did not worship the idols of the Romans but the true God. Sadly , by human nature no one can love God as He deserves , or his neighbor as himself. No one , except Jesus Christ can fulfill the law perfectly , so no one can be truly free by their own efforts.

"Jesus answered them , Verily , verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. " Jesus made clear that he was not talking about political slavery , but spiritual slavery . Many believe themselves to be free when in fact they are enslaved in many parts of their lives. That's why we need to examine our lives in the light of the gospel. Many conflicts arise in our lives and in our communities because we have been enslaved by vain philosophies , the desire to be accepted , prejudices , misplaced loyalties and more .

" So if the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed. " Jesus' statements about freedom have been interpreted to mean that all the truth has a liberating character . Citing this text, it is said that philosophical, scientific or political truths have the power to grant freedom to humans. These truths can give us some measure of freedom in certain areas of human life , but they can not give us the freedom of which Jesus speaks.

None of these truths can free humans from the need to stand before the throne of God and give an account of their deeds . However, he who has come to know the truth of the gospel has been delivered from eternal death and the power of the devil . The new birth by the Holy Spirit is for all men, in any country and at any stage of life.

Related articles

• "A Reformation in Catechesis" (Sermon on John 8:31-36, by Pr. Charles Henrickson) (steadfastlutherans.org)