Concord Matters from KFUO Radio

Article XIV of the Augsburg Confession is very short, and yet remains a point of contention. What is the benefit of having a properly Called pastor in the Church, and how do we understand the role of pastors in the Church? How has the church formed, Called, and Ordained pastors throughout the centuries?Rev. Kyle Mietzner, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Anchorage, Alaska, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss order in the Church in Article XIV in the Augsburg Confession.Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

In Article XIII, the Lutheran confessors are concerned about the Roman Catholic understanding that the Sacraments are beneficial just by doing them. So, how do Lutherans speak of the proper use of the the Sacraments? What do the Lutheran confessors mean when they say that the Sacraments were instituted to awaken and confirm faith in those who use them? Is the improper use of the Sacraments harmful? How does our confession of this article affect our practice and use of the Sacraments in our churches still today?Rev. Tim Sims, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church & School in Chester, IL, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss the use of Sacraments in Article XIII in the Augsburg Confession.Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

What is “true repentance”? Learn about what follows repentance, what it means to be sorrowful over sin, and why this article speaks of good works as “the fruit of repentance”. Also, hear about the (false) teachings that once you’re baptized you cannot sin anymore (“once saved always saved”) and if you sin after baptism you cannot be forgiven, and why these teachings are so destructive to the Gospel teaching of repentance. Lastly, learn whether the errors the confessors addressed in the teaching of repentance are still around today.Rev. Jacob Dandy, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church and School in Terra Bella, California, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss repentance in Article XII of the Augsburg Confession.Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

We turn to Article XI on Confession. The Lutheran confessors condemn what the Roman Catholic practice of confession had become, yet why do the confessors urge the private confession and absolution should be retained in the churches? Also hear discussion on the reactions most people have when urged to go to confession, misconceptions about the practice, and why it's important for God's people. What benefits of private confession and absolution should encourage us to make this a practice in our Christian life? Should the Lutheran church return to the practice of private confession?Rev. Mark Birkholz, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Naperville, IL, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss confession in Article XI of the Augsburg Confession.Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

As Lutherans, we seem to have a lot to say about the Lord's Supper, but Article X in the Augsburg Confession is relatively short. What is our Lutheran focus in this doctrine, and why is "real presence" so important to us? Are Lutherans closer in agreement to the Roman Catholics or the other groups coming out of the Reformation? What are the various ways that Sacramentarians deny what we — and thus Scripture and the historic Church — teach regarding the Lord's Supper, and what is the "threat" to the faith in what they teach?Rev. Dr. Ryan Tinetti, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Arcadia, Michigan, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss the Lord's Supper in Article X of the Augsburg Confession.Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

What is the Lutheran confession of Baptism? Learn about what the confessors mean by "baptism is necessary for salvation," why the confessors don't just reject but rather "condemn" the Anabaptist's teaching on Baptism, why we baptize infants, and where we see contemporary situations that show how our Lutheran confession of the great treasure of Baptism is still relevant and important today.Rev. Matthew Zickler, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Western Springs, IL, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss Baptism in Article IX of the Augsburg Confession.Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

What makes the Church? Learn about the unity of the Church, including what is necessary and not necessary for unity, and how the Lutheran doctrine of the Church Gospel-centered. Also hear about how the Holy Spirit works even through evil and faithless people, why this is a good thing to know when we talk about the work of the Church, and why the Roman Catholics rejected the Lutheran doctrine confessed about the Church and what the Church is.Rev. Peter Ill, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Milstadt, IL, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss the Church and what the Church is in Articles VII and VIII of the Augsburg Confession.Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.Text of the hymn “The Church's One Foundation” Samuel J. Stone, Public domain. Recording from “Hymns For All Saints: Adoration Praise Comfort” © 2004 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission.

What is faith, and what is the relationship of faith and good works? Learn what "new" means in regards to obedience, whether good works are necessary for the Christian, and what we mean when we say that good works are "bound to happen". Also, hear about how true worship is a good work, why it's wrong to "rely on good works," and how you might tell the difference between relying on works and just doing them.Rev. Michael Schuermann, pastor of University Lutheran Church in Champaign, IL joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss the New Obedience in Article VI of the Augsburg Confession.Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

We move on to Article V of the Augsburg Confession, on The Ministry. What is ministry, and how is it properly defined and understood? Also hear discussion on whether we sometimes have poor practices in the Church because of a poor understanding of what "the ministry" is, what God gives and produces through the ministry, and the relationship between the means of grace and the office of the ministry.Rev. Jacob Hercamp, pastor of St. Peter Lutheran Church in La Grange, MO, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss the Ministry in Article V of the Augsburg Confession.Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

We come to Article VI of the Augsburg Confession on Justification, the article by which the church stands or falls. Why is this article so critical? Also, learn the differences between the Lutheran and Roman Catholic concepts of "the grace of God" and the doctrine of justification, what we believe about justification and who does the work, and the implications of this article on justification for how we will read the rest of the Augsburg Confession.Rev. Charles Henrickson, pastor of St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Bonne Terre & Grace Lutheran Church in DeSoto, Missouri, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss Article IV of the Augsburg Confession.Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.