The Augsburg Confession: The confession of faith, which was submitted to His Imperial Majesty Charles V at the diet of Augsburg in the year 1530Melanchthon, Philipp
Religion
The Augsburg Confession: The confession of faith, which was submitted to His Imperial Majesty Charles V at the diet of Augsburg in the year 1530
Melanchthon, Philipp
Lutheran Church -- Doctrines; Theology, Doctrinal
It is proper that the churches should keep such ordinances for the sake
of love and tranquillity, so far that one do not offend another, that
all things be done in the churches in order, and without confusion, 1
Cor. 14, 40; comp. Phil. 2, 14; but so that consciences be not burdened
to think that they are necessary to salvation, or to judge that they sin
when they break them without offense to others; as no one will say that
a woman sins who goes out in public with her head uncovered provided
only that no offense be given.
Of this kind is the observance of the Lord's Day, Easter, Pentecost, and
like holy-days and rites. For those who judge that by the authority of
the Church the observance of the Lord's Day instead of the Sabbath-day
was ordained as a thing necessary, do greatly err. Scripture has
abrogated the Sabbath-day; for it teaches that, since the Gospel has
been revealed, all the ceremonies of Moses can be omitted. And yet,
because it was necessary to appoint a certain day, that the people
might know when they ought to come together, it appears that the Church
designated the Lord's Day for this purpose; and this day seems to have
been chosen all the more for this additional reason, that men might have
an example of Christian liberty, and might know that the keeping neither
of the Sabbath nor of any other day is necessary. There are monstrous
disputations concerning the changing of the law, the ceremonies of the
new law, the changing of the Sabbath-day, which all have sprung from the
false belief that there must needs be in the Church a service like to
the Levitical, and that Christ had given commission to the Apostles and
bishops to devise new ceremonies as necessary to salvation. These errors
crept into the Church when the righteousness of faith was not taught
clearly enough. Some dispute that the keeping of the Lord's Day is not
indeed of divine right, but in a manner so. They prescribe concerning
holy-days, how far it is lawful to work. What else are such disputations
than snares of consciences? For although they endeavor to modify the
traditions, yet the mitigation can never be perceived as long as the
opinion remains that they are necessary, which must needs remain where
the righteousness of faith and Christian liberty are not known.
The Apostles commanded Acts 15, 20 to abstain from blood. Who does
now observe it? And yet they that do it not sin not; for not even the
Apostles themselves wanted to burden consciences with such bondage; but
they forbade it for a time, to avoid offense. For in this decree we must
perpetually consider what the aim of the Gospel is.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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