It Is Enough: The Heart of Lutheran Identity

There is some discussion today in the LCMS on maintaining our “Lutheran Identity.” I believe there will be some resolutions calling for the LCMS to double down on maintaining our “Lutheran Identity.” 

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for being a Lutheran in the LCMS. Yet, I think we should be careful in this conversation. It could quickly become legalistic. We could start to measure our Lutheran-ness based on things other than Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions, the Word of God rightly handled, and the Sacraments rightly distributed to comfort broken sinners. 

What will we say to distinguish ourselves that hasn’t already been said in the Book of Concord? It is enough. 

The Lutheran Confessions—namely the Augsburg Confession and the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, article 24, regarding The Mass—write a lot about ex opere operato (ceremonies or rites made holy by the mere act of doing or observing them). 

“Ceremonies should be observed both so that people may learn the Scriptures and so that, admonished by the Word, they might experience faith and fear and finally even pray. For these are the purposes of the ceremonies.” (p. 258 Book of Concord, Article XXIV, The Mass)

“The holy Fathers did not institute a single tradition for the purpose of meriting the forgiveness of sins or righteousness; they instituted them for the sake of good order in the church and for the sake of tranquility…(for) although the holy Fathers had rites and traditions, they still did not maintain that these things were useful or necessary for justification. They did not obscure the glory and work of Christ. Instead, they taught that we are justified by faith on account of Christ and not on account of these human acts of worship.” (p. 225-226, Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article XV: Human Traditions in the Church) 

I—along with others—am concerned that the conversation on “Lutheran Identity” will quickly move toward external rites and rituals that display our Lutheran-ness. This should not need to be said, but Jesus never defined true worship as anything other than “worshipping in Spirit and in truth” (John 4). He didn’t leave us a manual or hymnal with the right rituals on display. Neither did Paul or the Apostles. There is no mandate in Scripture on what should define our liturgical rites. 

At the same time, I love our liturgy. I love it because it points me to Christ. I love it because it leads me to confess sins of omission and commission and receive the forgiveness of sins on account of faith in Christ. I love singing the praises of the Triune God. I love the reading of Scripture and the proclamation of the Word in the sermon. I love the Prayers of the Church, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Creed. I love the Kyrie, Collect, Nunc Dimittis, and Santus. It is not a normal practice in our congregation, but I love a little incense, the preacher’s hands in the ancient orans position, and kneeling at the rail to receive the very body and blood of Christ. 

I’m a liturgical Lutheran. I also love the new modern worship songs being written by The Songwriter’s Initiative for LCMS congregations. 

You probably love many of these similar Lutheran traditions in your local LCMS congregation. Praise Jesus! 

Let us be careful to not mandate what God’s Word has not mandated to mark ourselves as “more orthodox Lutheran” from those who share the same confession but have slightly different liturgical rituals. This is the pharisaical path. Isn’t agreeing on the need for the Word of God to be rightly preached and the Sacrament’s rightly administered enough? The reformers thought so. I pray we do as well. 

It is enough.

uniteleadership.org

---