A confessional Lutheran synod

As Christians, we confess our faith when we state publicly what we believe. Early Christians confessed their faith boldly in the face of fierce opposition and even persecution. After Jesus’ ascension, Peter stood courageously before the religious leaders who were telling him to keep quiet and simply said, “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20).

Photo Mark Schroeder wearing green vest with cross — WELS President Mark Schroeder

In the early centuries of the Christian church, confessions—also called creeds—were written to summarize the truth of the Scriptures in opposition to those who were distorting or misunderstanding biblical truth. The three ecumenical creeds—Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian—include truths that have been held and confessed by Christians since the time of the apostles.

When Martin Luther began his reforming work, he didn’t intend to begin a new church; he wanted to reform the church by returning its teachings to reflect the teachings of the Bible. When that proved to be impossible, Lutherans soon saw the need to state clearly what they believed. So Luther and others wrote what have come to be known as the Lutheran Confessions.

Some of these confessions, such as Luther’s Large and Small Catechism, are summaries of Christian doctrine for instructional purposes. Others, such as the Augsburg Confession and its Apology, the Smalcald Articles, and the Formula of Concord, state clearly the scriptural teachings of the Lutheran church in contrast to the false teachings of other churches at the time.

Our Wisconsin Synod is a confessional Lutheran church. Every pastor and teacher in our synod publicly vows to remain faithful, without reservation, to the teachings of Scripture as summarized in the three ecumenical creeds and the six Lutheran Confessions. New confirmands do the same. We do this because we believe the confessions to be accurate and faithful summaries of scriptural truths.

What makes a Lutheran synod truly confessional?

It draws its teachings from the inspired and inerrant Word of God alone.
It believes that the truth of God’s Word, as revealed in the Scriptures and summarized in the confessions, does not change. It does not adjust its doctrine because of changes in society or judgments of human reason.
It stands on the Bible’s foundational teaching that we are saved by God’s grace alone, through faith in Christ alone. It recognizes that the blessings of faith come only by the Holy Spirit’s working through the means of grace, the gospel proclaimed in God’s Word and sacraments.
It understands and applies the clear distinction between law and gospel. A confessional Lutheran church proclaims God’s law in all its stark bluntness and God’s gospel in all its amazing beauty.
It values the rich heritage of doctrine and worship that God has preserved through the wisdom, courage, and creativity of those who have gone before us.
It celebrates the freedom God has given us in the gospel. It is careful to avoid any hint of legalism that imposes rules where God himself has not. It also avoids misusing the freedom we have. A confessional Lutheran church recognizes that often the most faithful exercise of Christian freedom is willingly choosing not to exercise that freedom out of love and concern for others.

Not every Lutheran church body today is a confessional Lutheran church. Some have chosen not to be; others claim to be confessional, but their teachings and practices do not reflect it. By God’s grace, WELS is still a confessional Lutheran church. It’s who we are. It is, by God’s grace, what we will remain.

Learn more about the Lutheran Confessions at wels.net/lutheran-confessions.

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