The Apology of the Augsburg ConfessionMelanchthon, Philipp
Religion
The Apology of the Augsburg Confession
Melanchthon, Philipp
Lutheran Church -- Catechisms
Paul clearly teaches this to the Colossians, 2,16.17: Let no man,
therefore, judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an
holy-day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days, which are a
shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. Likewise, v. 20
sqq.: If ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why,
as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances (touch
not; taste not; handle not; which are to perish with the using),
after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have,
indeed, a show of wisdom in will-worship and humility. For the
meaning is: Since righteousness of the heart is a spiritual matter,
quickening hearts, and it is evident that human traditions do not
quicken hearts and are not effects of the Holy Ghost, as are love to
one's neighbor, chastity, etc., and are not instruments through which
God moves hearts to believe, as are the divinely given Word and
Sacraments, but are usages with regard to matters that pertain in no
respect to the heart, which perish with the using, we must not
believe that they are necessary for righteousness before God. [They
are nothing eternal, hence, they do not procure eternal life, but are
an external bodily discipline, which does not change the heart.] And
to the same effect he says, Rom. 14, 17: The kingdom of God is not
meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.
But there is no need to cite many testimonies, since they are
everywhere obvious in the Scriptures, and in our Confession we have
brought together very many of them, in the latter articles. And the
point to be decided in this controversy must be repeated after a
while, namely, whether human traditions be acts of worship necessary
for righteousness before God. There we will discuss this matter more
fully.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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