What Does It Mean To Be A Lutheran?

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Drive through almost any town in America, and you may see a church with the name Lutheran on the sign. But what will you find if you walk through the doors?  It depends.  

In one church, you may find a service that looks and sounds almost the same as a Baptist or generic evangelical church: praise bands, decision language, little mention of Baptism, little sense of the Sacrament, no reverence, and a sermon that could have been preached in almost any generic Methodist or Baptist church in town.

In another church, you may find a congregation that still bears the name Lutheran, but the central message has shifted. The cross of Christ may be spoken of, but it is surrounded by the language of activism, political causes, identity movements, rainbow banners, and the latest social concerns.

In another church, you may find the same confusion dressed in Republican colors. The church begins to sound like an extension of Fox News. The pulpit echoes the outrage of the week, political opponents become the chief enemies, and saving America begins to overshadow the proclamation of Christ crucified for sinners.

And in another church, you may find a church that is culturally Lutheran more than confessionally Lutheran. It may be proud of its German roots, Scandinavian heritage, old recipes, festivals, buildings, customs, and family names. Now, to be clear, we thank God for our ancestors. But being Lutheran is not ultimately about being German, Norwegian, Swedish, or Midwestern. It is not about potlucks, lutefisk, last names, or a particular German heritage. Again, many of these things are fine gifts, but they are not what makes the Lutheran Church Lutheran.

So, this begs the question this Reformation Sunday:

“What does it mean to be a Lutheran?”

Yes,

“What does it mean to be a Lutheran?”

To answer this, we must ask ourselves: what was so important in the 1500s that the Lutheran Reformers were ready to die for? In other words, what was so important that the Lutheran Reformers were willing to lose their positions, their livelihoods, their safety, and even their lives rather than surrender? Surely, it was more than a preferred style of music. Surely, it was more than advancing a social cause or promoting a political agenda. Surely, it was more than preserving German heritage or keeping lutefisk on the table. And surely, it was more than trying to get their way with Rome—as though the Reformation were some spiritual adolescent temper tantrum.

You see, we have the answer to what they were willing to die for. The answer is in the Book of Concord. Yes, the Book of Concord is a collection of confessions, catechisms, and other statements of faith that clearly set forth what Lutherans believe, teach, and confess. And get this: the Book of Concord also helps us clearly understand what we must continue to uphold in our own day and age. You see, the calendar changes. The faces change. The slogans change. But the Lutheran Church is still under assault. The devil still lies. The world still demands that the Church accommodate its desires. And our sinful flesh still wants a religion in which we can justify ourselves.

So, what were the Reformers willing to die for? And why does it still matter to us? What does it mean to be Lutheran—right here, right now, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church?

First, to be Lutheran is to confess that Holy Scripture is the final authority for doctrine and life. That is right: the Church is bound to the prophetic and apostolic Scriptures because they are the Word of God. And so, to be a faithful Lutheran today, we do not place the authority of modern man above the Word of God, nor do we allow ancient traditions, as great and beautiful as many of them are, to have authority over the Holy Scriptures. This means that the Church does not get to edit God’s Word to make it more acceptable to the culture. It also means that traditions stand beneath the Word. For example, the Church Fathers, the Reformers, pastors, synods, councils, theologians, customs, district presidents, and especially the pope must all be judged by the Word of God. The buck stops with the Holy Scriptures.

Second, to be a faithful Lutheran today, we reject every teaching that makes mankind a partner in his own salvation, whether this teaching comes from the Roman Catholic Church or an American megachurch—or, heaven forbid, one of our own pulpits. You see, you and I are justified by grace through faith in Christ alone. This means that salvation is not a holy partnership where you do your best, and God does the rest. Instead, the Gospel is the announcement that Christ solely has died for the ungodly—that Christ has been raised from the dead for the world’s justification. And so, to be justified by grace through faith is not to place your hope in your repentance, your devotion, your morals, your decision, your heritage, your emotions, your good works, your love, or your progress. Your hope is in Christ, crucified and risen for sinners. Period! We Lutherans proudly and boldly say,

“The Gospel is not about us; it is about the Christ who died and rose - for us.”

Third, to be a faithful Lutheran today, we reject any preaching that turns the Gospel into a new Law, and we reject preaching that silences the Law to make sinners comfortable. For example, if a Lutheran church cannot preach the Ten Commandments—if it cannot speak clearly about sin, whether that sin is popular in the world or tolerated in the congregation —well… it has no business having the name Lutheran or the word Christian on its signage. The Law must diagnose the problem of sin. A preacher who will not preach the Law is not being loving; instead, the preacher is leaving sinners asleep in death.

Likewise, preachers and churches that change the Gospel into good advice have no business having the name Lutheran or Christian on their signage as well. The Gospel is not, 

“Do better, try harder, be nicer, or be more committed.” 

The Gospel makes no demands. The Gospel does not give you principles for successful living. The Gospel is, 

“Your sins are forgiven in Christ.”

Therefore, to be a faithful Lutheran today, Law and Gospel must be taught, confessed, and preached—not confusing them but distinguishing them.

Fourth, to be a faithful Lutheran today, we reject the idea that the Christian faith is some inward emotional experience or a private journey. Listen up, this is important. The Lord God does not announce the Gospel—"your sins are forgiven in Christ”—and then turn you and me inward to our feelings, emotions, or spiritual experiences to figure out if we have truly received the forgiveness accomplished at Mount Calvary. No! The Lord God locates and gives forgiveness to us from the outside. That is correct: the Lord God delivers forgiveness, life, and salvation to you and me through His Word and Sacraments so that you and I may have something concrete and firm to cling to.

Listen up again; this is so important that your life depends on it! Our Divine Services here at St. Paul’s are not designed to drum up emotion in you. They are not designed to whip you into moral shape to earn God’s approval. The Divine Service—the liturgy—is all aimed at delivering to you the finished work of Christ through the external Word and Sacraments. In other words, Baptism is not your personal testimony to God; it is God’s gracious work for you, claiming you and marking you as one redeemed. Furthermore, the Lord’s Supper is not a mere internal remembrance of an absent Christ; it is the true body and blood of Christ, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins. And finally, absolution is not a mindful wish or a religious encouragement; it is Christ’s own forgiveness spoken into your ears for peace of conscience. Mark this: we come to the Divine Service to receive something that we cannot conjure from inside of ourselves.  We come to receive the benefits of Christ’s cross and resurrection delivered to us in the Word and Sacraments.

Now, speaking briefly of the Divine Service and liturgy—to be a faithful Lutheran does not mean we reject the historic catholic Church. Keep in mind that the word catholic with a small “c” means universal. It refers to the whole Christian Church gathered by Christ around the Word and Sacraments on every continent and in every age.

So, what makes us Lutheran is not that we reject the catholic Church.  We are not Catholic light. Instead, what makes us Lutheran is that we confess the catholic faith, purified of error by the Gospel. That is to say, the Reformers did not want to create a new church. They wanted to reject errors in the Roman Catholic Church. They did not want independence; they wanted reform.

Hear this: We did not leave the catholic faith—we are the Catholic Church purified by the Gospel. The Roman Catholic Church departed from the historic Catholic faith.

So, dear friends, what makes us Lutheran? God’s Word governs us. Christ alone saves us. The Law exposes our sin. The Gospel forgives it. And through His Word and Sacraments, Christ delivers what He won upon the cross—for you.

That was worth dying for because Christ and His promises are what we can die trusting.

Happy Reformation! 

In the name of Jesus. Amen.