2015 Convention Essay: “Engaging One Another with Jesus’ Teachings”

What does your church believe? What makes you different from other churches? Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32). Engaging one another with Jesus’ teachings requires that we regularly review what Scripture teaches. The pamphlet We Believe, Teach, and Confess will serve as a resource to see the unity of the saving message and answers to those outside our fellowship.
Refreshing Our Understanding of Confessional Lutheran Doctrine.
God and His Word: We confess that the Scriptures are inspired by God and are without error. Therefore, they are true in all that they report. With Scripture as the only sure and certain authority of what is believed, taught, and confessed, there is to be no hesitation in holding to it and proclaiming it. Only in the Bible do we learn about the almighty, eternal, and triune Savior God. God’s Word alone establishes articles of the Christian faith.
Knowing and Professing the Truth: The Christian faith is based on the facts revealed by God to mankind in His holy Word and not on fiction. It is true for every generation.
Creation and Fall: Since God is the source of truth, we confess that the universe was created in six days without sin. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s clear command, the perfect, pristine creation of God was lost. Then God promised to send the Savior.
Christ’s Person and Our Justification: God’s promised Christ is the antidote to the poison of sin, which man ingested by his own free will. The work of Jesus Christ accomplished salvation for the world. By raising Jesus from the dead, God justified the whole world. Sinners receive that work of Jesus through faith in Him.
The Means of Grace: The victory over sin won by Christ needs to be distributed to sinners. The heavenly delivery system, God’s Word and Sacraments, is the means through which the Holy Spirit distributes forgiveness, life, and salvation to sinners. The Gospel is the giving instrument that creates faith, Baptism distributes Christ’s salvation, and the Lord’s Supper provides Christ’s body and blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.
Conversion, Good Works, and Prayer: Our conversion from sinner to saint is entirely the work of the one true Triune God. The evidence of this conversion or change in man’s heart is seen in good works. Good works are expressions of thanks to God for His mercy and grace provided in Christ Jesus. Prayer is powerful because of who commands it and who answers it—the Lord God of heaven.
God’s Election of Grace: Like other doctrines in Scripture (the Trinity, real presence, justification, etc.), the doctrine of election defies human logic and reason. “Why are some saved?” It is only by the grace of God. “Why are some not saved?” It is their own fault. Since God alone is responsible for saving us from hell and damnation, and He does everything perfectly, we take comfort in the teaching of election.
Church and Ministry: All who believe in Christ Jesus as the Savior, confessing Him by word and deed, are members of God’s Church. This Church is one, holy, Christian, universal, militant, and invisible. The Means of Grace are the “marks of the church” because these means indicate to us where the one, invisible church of Jesus can be found. To carry out the work of the church, God has instituted the office of the public ministry—calling qualified men to publicly administer Word and Sacraments and calling people to serve in the teaching ministry.
Last Things: Scripture clearly teaches that the soul will either go to hell or heaven at death. Jesus’ return will mark the division of unbelievers from believers. Since eternity is at stake for souls, it is vital that we remain faithful to the teachings of God’s Word.
Church Fellowship: Practicing church fellowship is joining in activities with others whereby we confess our common Christian faith—pulpit fellowship of confessional pastors, Lord’s Supper fellowship of those who confess the truth, and prayer fellowship of like-minded believers.
Church and State: Christians have the responsibility to obey the established government by serving as law‐abiding citizens and praying for its leadership, recognizing that God gives government its authority for the benefit of society. Should the government command us to do sinful things, Peter proclaims: “We must obey God rather than men!” (Acts 5:29).
Human Life and Sexuality: In the matter of human life, abortion, and other efforts to shorten life, laws in our country have been instituted that allow such sinful actions. God’s Word directs what we believe, teach, and confess regarding the sanctity of life and His will in regard to marriage.
Lutheran Confessions: What we believe is anchored in the hope of heaven, earned by Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. The Lutheran Confessions serve as a filing cabinet that categorizes the teachings of Jesus for us to have and use when others ask us about specific teachings in the Bible.
The Unity of the Saving Message Revealed in Scripture
The Lutheran Confessions are not additions to the Bible that supplement what God reveals in the Bible. The Confessions do not contain more complete truths, as if the Bible is somehow inadequate to teach the way of salvation.
The unity of Scripture lies in the fact that the Holy Spirit is the divine author of everything written in the Bible, because all of Scripture is “God‐breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16). The authority of God always remains the same despite the many worldly changes that take place in every generation. Engaging others with Jesus’ teachings will always be honest and trustworthy because the Word of God is always honest and trustworthy.
Engaging One Another with Jesus’ Teachings When Challenges Arise
God’s Word reveals much for us to know, especially when opportunities arise to answer those who challenge what God’s Word teaches or to answer those who ask out of ignorance.
Each of the doctrine paragraphs listed above has elicited challenging questions from the unbelieving world. It is important for God’s children to know God’s Word so that they can answer those challenges with His truths.
Conclusion
When Jesus engaged others with His teachings, He knew their motives for approaching Him. Even to those who came with evil intentions, Jesus spoke His Word out of love for their souls. Peter directs Christians to be ready to answer questions when they arise, and then adds this instruction, “But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander” (1 Peter 3:15–16).
The sinful world in which we live provides many opportunities each day to confess what we believe, teach, and confess from Scripture. Holding to these teachings in our lives requires regular hearing, reading, and digesting of God’s Word.
Everything in the Bible is united around Christ Jesus—who He is and what He has done to save the world from death and hell. These truths provide us courage and certainty when opportunities arise for us to answer questions and challenges to what we believe, teach, and confess. For when we answer the questions and challenges with God’s Word, we will engage others with Jesus’ teachings.
The convention essay by the Rev. Jonathan Madson, Okauchee, Wisconsin, was redacted by the editor.