“Righteousness of God!” Gal. 3:11
It began with the posting of the 95 Theses on October 31, 1517.
Then four years later Luther was brought to trial at a city called Worms, to be given one more chance to admit he was wrong. If Luther would just admit he had gone too far, that his stinging criticism of the Roman Church and the Pope were off base, he would be forgiven. Then perhaps healing could begin.
Charles V, the Emperor of the Roman nation was in attendance as Luther was questioned by Johann Eck, the spokesman for the Pope. Eck’s questioned, “Do you recant, take back your false statements?”
Luther replied, “Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. Here I stand. May God help me. Amen”
“Bound by the Scriptures,” Luther departed from his trial. How would God lead now?
Question: Why was the Augsburg Confession written and why is it important?
Answer: The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V called on the Princes and Free Territories in Germany to explain their religious convictions in an attempt to restore religious and political unity in the Holy Roman Empire and rally support against the Turkish invasion. The Augsburg Confession was written as a confession of faith of the Lutheran Church. It is one of the most important documents of the Lutheran Reformation. The Augsburg Confession was written in both German and Latin and was presented by a number of German rulers and free-cities at the Diet of Augsburg on 25 June 1530 to Emperor Charles V.
