To be Lutheran means to be Evangelical and Confessional.
Lutheran is Evangelical
A Lutheran church is an evangelical (“gospel“) church.
The Bible defines “the gospel” in two places:
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it isthe power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Romans 1:16
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
1 Corinthians 15:1-5
To be a Lutheran church means for this gospel to be central and of first and upmost importance. Here is how Martin Luther explained this emphasis in the Smalcald Articles, which were in many ways his last will and testament:
The first and chief article is this:
[1] Jesus Christ, our God and Lord, died for our sins and was raised again for our justification (Romans 4:24–25).
[2] He alone is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29), and God has laid upon Him the iniquities of us all (Isaiah 53:6).
[3] All have sinned and are justified freely, without their own works or merits, by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, in His blood (Romans 3:23–25).
[4] This is necessary to believe. This cannot be otherwise acquired or grasped by any work, law, or merit. Therefore, it is clear and certain that this faith alone justifies us. As St. Paul says:
For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. (Romans 3:28)
That He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. [Romans 3:26]
[5] Nothing of this article can be yielded or surrendered, even though heaven and earth and everything else falls [Mark 13:31].
For there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)
And with His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)
Upon this article everything that we teach and practice depends, in opposition to the pope, the devil, and the whole world. Therefore, we must be certain and not doubt this doctrine. Otherwise, all is lost, and the pope, the devil, and all adversaries win the victory and the right over us.
Lutheran is Confessional
To be Confessional means to believe that the Bible is the source of our doctrine, and the Lutheran Confessions are a faithful summary of what the Bible says.
—> Find out more about the Bible.
The Lutheran Confessions are:
- The Small Catechism (1529)
- The Large Catechism (1529)
- The Unaltered Augsburg Confession (1530)
- The Apology (Defense) of the Augsburg Confession (1531)
- The Smalcald Articles (1536)
- The Formula of Concord (1577)
These Lutheran Confessions collected together are called the Book of Concord.
All those who preach, teach or lead in the Biblical Lutheran Church of the UK are required to affirm that we believe, teach, and confess the Lutheran Confessions as a faithful summary of the Bible’s doctrine, but not as a source of doctrine alongside the Bible.
—> You can read the Book of Concord here.
Within the Lutheran Confessions, the Small Catechism is an essential introduction to the basics of Christian belief and practice.
All those who are received as communicant members in the Biblical Lutheran Church of the UK and so take a full part in the life of the church, which includes sharing in the bread and wine of communion, are required to affirm that we believe, teach, and confess the Small Catechism as a faithful summary of the Bible’s doctrine, but not as a source of doctrine alongside the Bible.