The Church

What do we mean by “Church” or “church”? When we use this term (or these terms, when writing permits distinguishing them with the capital letter), we really mean a handful of distinct things — it is important to keep these clear. In today’s episode, we go over the Church (universal), the church (institutional), and the church (local, congregational). For the Christian, there is great comfort in recognizing the reality of the Church, even when the churches may be in disarray.

“In short, according to Lutheran teaching, it is faith in the Gospel which in every case establishes membership in the Christian Church. To him who believes the Gospel, membership in the Christian Church may not be denied; of him who rejects the Gospel, membership in the Christian Church may not be asserted. Excommunication pronounced against true believers does not deprive them of membership in the Church.”
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics

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Show Notes

• Augsburg Confession:
  • Art. VII: Of the Church
  • Art. VIII: What the Church Is
• Apology of the Augsburg Confession:
  • Art. VII & VIII: Of the Church
• Smalcald Articles:
  • Part III, Art. XII

See Also

• Apology of the Augsburg Confession:
  • Art. XV: Of Human Traditions in the Church
• Formula of Concord: Solid Declaration:
  • Art. X

Further Reading

• Christian Dogmatics by Francis Pieper:
  • Vol. I
  • Vol. II
  • Vol. III
  • Index (you do not need this volume, but it is nice to have)
  • These volumes can be found online as PDFs.
• Church and Office by C. F. W. Walther
  • This volume may not be available online as a PDF.

Parental Warnings

None.

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