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The following reading from the CONCORDIA edition of the Book of Concord is for the Old Testament, Jeremiah 23:16-29 for the Pentecost 13, Proper 15, series C, August 18, 2013. It is from Augsburg Confesson, Article XXVIII, page 59. The Church must always be alert to the dangers from without and within. The most troublesome are the dangers of false prophets within the church. We deal with them on the basis of God's Word and not human authority. Click here for the reading formatted for the back of a standard CPH bulletin. Pastor Doug May
Paul says, "Our citizenship is in heaven" And, "The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds" Our teachers distinguish between the duties of these two authorities [state and church]. They command that both be honored and acknowledged as God's gifts and blessings. If bishops have any authority of the State, this is not because they are bishops. In other words, it is not by the Gospel's commission. It is an authority they have received from kings for the purpose of administering the civil affairs. This is another office, not the ministry of the Gospel. The bishops' civil authority must be distinguished from the Church's jurisdiction. The only authority that belongs to the bishops is what they have according to the Gospel. For they have been given the ministry of the Word and Sacraments. They have no other authority according to the Gospel than the authority to forgive sins, to judge doctrine, to reject doctrines contrary to the Gospel, and to exclude from the communion of the Church wicked people, whose wickedness is known. They cannot exclude people with human force, but simply by the Word. But when they teach or establish anything against the Gospel, then the congregations are forbidden by God's command to obey them. Beware of false prophets. (Matt. 7:15) (paragraphs 16-23)
These are excerpts from the Book of Concord.
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