Christ Alone

Augsburg Confession Article XIII

Here’s the link to Article XIII: https://bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession/use-of-the-sacraments/

Essentially, there are three points in this article:

1. When we receive the sacraments, it is indeed a public testimony of faith. However, the sacraments are much more than that. They are a gift of grace from God to us, and they have been given to us in order to awaken and confirm faith.

Baptism: When you are baptized, the world sees and knows that you are now a Christian. It’s a “mark of profession among men.” But beyond this, baptism is God’s gift to us. It unites us with Christ (Galatians 3:27; Romans 6:4), cleanses from sin (Acts 2:38-39), gives rebirth and renewal (John 3:3-5; Titus 3:4-7), and makes us part of the church (1 Corinthians 12:12-13).

Holy Communion: Every time you walk to the front of the church to receive the bread and wine, you declare to the church that you believe in Jesus. It’s a “mark of profession among men.” But it’s more than that. Holy Communion is a “participation” in Christ’s body and blood (1 Corinthians 10:16-17). The words “this is my body” and “this is my blood” (Mark 14:22-24) should be taken at face value. Jesus is really present in the sacrament.

2. The benefits bestowed in the sacraments are received by faith. A person can be baptized externally, but if they do not believe the gospel, they will be condemned (Mark 16:16). Likewise, a person who eats the Lord’s Supper “unworthily” does so to to their own harm (1 Corinthians 11:27-29).

3. Therefore, the outward act of receiving a sacrament does not in itself justify a person: faith in Christ is necessary. This reminds us of how important it is to continue instructing baptized people in the faith (see Matthew 28:19).

A few other comments:

– Some Christians raise the question: what if I didn’t believe at the time I got baptized, but I do believe now? Should I get rebaptized? The answer is no. God’s work in baptism was effective then and it’s still effective. Repent of your unbelief and trust in him.

– Private Confession and Absolution is another resource that’s available to us. In fact, Lutherans occasionally speak of Confession and Absolution as a third sacrament. Melanchthon does so in his defense of the Augsburg Confession (https://bookofconcord.org/defense/of-the-number-and-use-of-sacraments/). However, Confession and Absolution lacks an outward visible sign. Hence, we more often think of it as a personalized application of the gospel.

Christ Alone

Augsburg Confession Article X

Here is the link to Article X: https://bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession/of-the-lords-supper/

This article is so short that I’ll reproduce the entire text here:

“Of the Supper of the Lord they teach that the Body and Blood of Christ are truly present, and are distributed to those who eat the Supper of the Lord; and they reject those that teach otherwise.”

In other words, the bread and wine of Holy Communion are not mere symbols. Jesus did not say “this symbolizes my body and blood.” He said “this is my body and blood.”

Further, we read in 1 Corinthians 10:16 that the “cup of thanksgiving” and the “bread” are a “participation” (koinonia) in the body and blood of Christ. Hence, we affirm that his true body and blood are present in, with, and under the bread and wine.

We believe that when the words of institution are joined to the physical elements, they become a sacrament — that is a vehicle for God’s grace — through which we receive forgiveness (Matthew 26:28).

We believe that all who receive the sacrament receive Christ’s true body and blood. However, a person who receives it “in an unworthy manner” does so to their own detriment (1 Corinthians 11:27-29).

It is important, then, that we only offer this sacrament to baptized believers. This custom goes back to the early church.

At our congregation, when baptized children begin to show interest in receiving communion, I first meet with them as a pastor to make sure that they have a basic understanding of their own sinfulness, their need for salvation through Jesus, and the meaning of Holy Communion.