Concord Matters — Apology of the Augsburg Confession: Article 4. Justification #3

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The clear statement from the Augsburg Confession, “People are freely justified for Christ’s sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor and that their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake (AC, IV), still bring questions such as: “What about repentance? How do we obtain this faith? How does faith justify?” The Concordians address these questions by pointing to the means of grace and the work of the Holy Spirit. Faith only comes by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. This faith is not a “good start” or a catapult to greater things, but all that one needs for salvation is found in the trust of the full sufficiency of Christ’s cross and empty tomb. “What costly sacrifice, to cover human sin! Who but Christ Jesus had the right to enter in? His blood, sprinkled price, so we might be assured. That our inheritance in light has been secured.” LSB #564 st. 4.

Rev. Mark Bestul, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Elgin, IL joins Rev. Brady Finnern to continue our study of Justification.

Find your copy of the Book of Concord – Concordia Reader’s Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org.

Study the Lutheran Confession of Faith found in the Book of Concord with lively discussions led by host Rev. Brady Finnern, President of the LCMS Minnesota North District, and guest LCMS pastors. Join us as these Christ-confessing Concordians read through and discuss our Lutheran doctrine in the Book of Concord in order to gain a deeper understanding of our Lutheran faith and practical application for our vocations.