At the end of October every year, Lutherans all over the world celebrate Reformation Day. In protestant reverie, they think gratefully of the first time they heard of salvation by grace through faith in Christ and faith alone, grace alone, and Scripture alone. Beyond this, a great number of Lutherans would struggle to explain what it is that makes the Lutheran faith distinctive. I studied the Lutheran Confessions at Concordia University Chicago and Concordia Theological Seminary. Yet I wonder just how much exposure the average lay Lutheran has to the teachings of the Lutheran tradition.
The Lutheran Confessions—Today?
Given the general trend in our society away from Christianity, some would argue that the last thing we need is to be particular about our tradition’s teachings and practice. They say it is time to leave behind divisive rules and come together in a more general brand of the Christian faith. In his book Faithfully Formed: The Lutheran Confessions in Daily Life, Andy Wright argues the exact opposite: that, in fact, the Lutheran Confessions are exactly what is needed now. His book encourages us to hold fast to our Lutheran identity, and it offers a manageable introduction to the Lutheran Confessions for laypeople.
One daunting challenge facing Christians today is the secular trend toward everyone trying to fit God into whatever identity and nature they want. Wright states,
“The devil, the world, and our fallen flesh want a god who is moldable on the one hand and unknowable on the other.” (P. 14)
This perspective is appealing in that the sinner can formulate God to be by nature sympathetic to his or her own needs and in agreement with spiritual and political points of view. Unfortunately, because of the nature of our fallen state, we often think about God, forgiveness, and eternal life without including Jesus Christ. But in truth, God—as He reveals Himself in the Bible—is unchanging. He is eternally the God of love, who comforts us with the sure promise of salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ.
To represent Christ in today’s secular age, Christians must grasp that unbelievers have a fundamentally different worldview than do believers. As God’s children, possessing forgiveness of sins and life eternal in heaven, we understand and, albeit sometimes begrudgingly, accept what Wright states: “Our thinking as Christians begins with us dying to ourselves and to the world” (p. 17). Imagine the desperate anxiety of the unbelieving mind. To exclude Jesus is to live in the terror of this life’s looming brevity and to cling to the hope that whatever god there is happens to be in a merciful mood when death comes. Christians have the best answer for the emptiness of this secular viewpoint: that Jesus brings life today and for eternity.
Wright notes,
“Everything in our lives is about Christ. Every good thing we have comes to us because of Christ and His life lived for us, died for us, and risen for us.” (P. 25).
Confessing Jesus Christ in a Secular Age
In the course of my ministry, I have often counseled on the importance of confessing Jesus Christ specifically, and not merely God. Among Christians, even across denominations, there is a common understanding that God includes our Savior, Jesus Christ. We can’t assume this among unbelievers. Technically speaking, there is no salvation in “God.” Without Jesus Christ and the cross, we meet God in wrath and judgment. What is more, other religions believe in “God.” This secular age needs to hear about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and what He has done on the cross to provide forgiveness and everlasting life.
While this secular age certainly offers blatant rudeness to Christ that is obnoxious and confrontational, most of the devil’s best (or worst) work occurs through subtle, but harmful, misunderstandings. For the unbeliever, the concept of sin is far too vexing to be accepted. Unbelievers offer misleading substitutions for sin, calling it an error, a mistake, or being human. This is how a secular world manages the reality of evil. Wright asserts,
“One way our old human nature likes to operate is to either seek to redefine sin or take the edge off of sin so that it seems to be less deadly.” (P. 68)
This attitude accommodates the idea that one can define God according to personal taste. Sin and hell are terrifying, especially to a worldview that excludes grace in Christ. Naturally, the unbelieving world defines sin to match a god who would certainly overlook or forgive errors, mistakes, and fallen humanity.
Changing the Human Heart through God’s Word
The Bible and the Lutheran Confessions accurately expose the reality of the sinful, unconverted state. Not only are unbelievers incapable of finding Jesus through reason or effort, but they are also entirely opposed to the idea. Without Jesus, we can’t know the true God, and so we spurn God. Whatever philosophical objections the lost may have from generation to generation, this remains the root cause. Only the Word of God can change the human heart. Wright states, “The task of giving answer, then, comes from a grounded, orthodox confession of God’s Word” (p. 134). Ultimately, engaging a secular age requires exposing individuals to the means of grace: the Word, Holy Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper.
While there are many valid strategies Christians can use to meet, reason with, and invite unbelievers and the unchurched, the final goal must be the introduction of Jesus Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit. We may find the secular world to be increasingly daunting, but the eternal unchanging Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ is ever our inspiration, strength, and comfort.
Quotations in this blog are taken from Faithfully Formed: The Lutheran Confessions in Daily Life, © 2024 Andy Wright, published by Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.
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