What Does it Mean to be Lutheran?
John 8: 31-36
Reformation Day (Observed)
Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ amen. The sermon text for Reformation Day (observed) is the Gospel reading John 8. As we gather together to celebrate the Reformation we have to ask an important question. What does it mean to be Lutheran? The name Lutheran is not actually one that we chose. At the time of the Reformation the Roman church called the reformers Lutheran as an insult. What they were saying is that the Lutherans followed Martin Luther rather than the teachings of Scripture. This of course is not the case, but the name stuck. That’s okay. We will wear it proudly. We are Lutherans. But what does that mean? What does it mean to be Lutheran?
It means this. First and foremost we are Christians. Don’t buy into the idea that the Lutheran church began in 1517 when Martin Luther posted the 95 theses or in 1530 when the Augsburg Confession was read in front of the Emperor Charles the fifth. Our roots run much deeper. Open up the Book of Concord and you will not only find the writings of the 16th century, but you will also find the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed, believed by all Christians since the earliest centuries. Our church goes all the way back to the early church, confessing the same thing as they did. Our church stands on the Word of God, the Bible. The Holy Spirit inspired the apostles and the prophets to write down His Word. We hold to the New Testament that reveals to us the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We also turn to the Old Testament. Isaiah believed in Jesus and foretold His virgin birth and prophesied His death as the payment for our sins. Moses also spoke the Lord’s words, and his telling of the Passover gave us a picture of a lamb slain for our sins, blood that cleanses us and saves us from death. But we go back further still, to Abraham, to Noah, and to Adam and Eve, our first parents. They all believed in the one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They all embraced the God who would send His Son for our salvation.
All this is to say, Lutheranism is not some Jonny-come-lately. Luther did not ignite the reformation to destroy the church. He came to reform it, to call home the people of God back to what God has always taught. That is what teachers of the church do. They call us back to God, and back to the truth. “Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful” (Joel 2:13). That is our message. Luther was simply living and preaching the words of Jesus, who said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Luther came to reform, to rebuild, to call us back home, to read the Scriptures, and to embrace the truth. To trust in the Lord Jesus for He alone is the way, the truth, and the life.
What does it mean to be Lutheran? It means to always to go back to the Bible, for it is the ultimate authority. No, the authority of the church does not depend on any one man or governance. The authority of the church depends on the Word of God, to which we must always go. That is why as Lutherans we dive into the Word of God and meditate upon it. We read it, mark it, learn it, and inwardly digest it. And the creeds we confess, we confess because they are in accordance with the Scriptures. As Lutherans we hold to Scripture alone which means that our final authority is the Word of God. To be Lutheran means that we read the Lutheran confessions where the Word of God is clearly taught and false doctrine refuted. We also sing rich hymns that teach the faith, confess Christ, and proclaim what God has done for us.
What does it mean to be Lutheran? It means to be set free from the bondage of Satan, free from the fear of death, free to love the Lord who first loved us. It means that we can go to sleep at night knowing that our sins have been forgiven. It means that our conscience is clean. It means that our dept of sin has been paid. “The truth will set you free.” The truth is this. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus we have been rescued from sin and death, made right with God, and brought into His eternal kingdom. It is the truth that we have been set free by Jesus. We have been set free to live in God’s grace now and forever.
What does it mean to be Lutheran? It means to embrace the truth. “You will know the truth.” Yet, there are those who say that it is impossible to know the truth. We do indeed live in a fallen world that can be very confusing. There are many different denominations within Christianity. There are also many religions around the world. Not only that but there are many secular ideologies and philosophies. We also get bombarded with thousands of messages from the media, radio, TV, and online. Yet, through all the commotion and confusion the truth has been revealed to us.
The truth that has been revealed to us is glorious. We marvel that the one true God is the Triune God. We marvel at the Incarnation and the fact that Jesus, the Son of God, is both God and Man. Most of all we are humbled and filled with gratitude that God loved us so much that He sent His Son into the world to die on the cross and to rise on the third day to bring about our eternal salvation. As Lutherans we hold to grace alone. We are saved only by God’s grace and not on any merit and worthiness in ourselves. The Reformation began with the simple truth that our salvation is the work of Christ, and Christ alone. A person upon death should be left with the no uncertainty, for Christ has paid the full price of our salvation. There is no need for us to justify ourselves, for Christ is our righteousness. For us He has lived the perfect life; for us He has shed His blood and died.
What does it mean to be Lutheran? We are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We baptize, we receive the body and blood of Christ in the Lord’s Supper, we teach believe and confess the full council of God. These are no small things, for the truth is not like a laundry list. Doctrine is like a body, with all the parts working together. For example, why do we baptize babies? Well, that fits with the truth that Christ died for all people. Fits in with the truth of original sin, that we are all born with it. Fits in with the truth that salvation comes from Christ and that faith is a gift. No person could believe in Jesus if it was not for the Holy Spirit working through the means that God Himself as established which is Word and Sacrament. It is just one example showing that all the Biblical doctrines are connected together and it all comes from the Word of God. Recall what Jesus said. “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples.”
It is good that we are celebrating the Reformation. We have so much to be thankful for. In Christ, all is well. We are forgiven, restored, and brought into God’s kingdom. We have peace with God, a sure and certain hope, and everlasting joy. Our sin has been taken away, and our rest is in Christ. May the Lord continue to bless you now and forever through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.