The Purpose of the Book of Concord in the Lutheran Church

What is the Purpose of the Book of Concord in the Lutheran Church

from: http://cyberbrethren.com/2011/03/26/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-book-of-concord-in-the-lutheran-church/


Martin Chemnitz, a key theologian and developer for the Book of Concord.



The true church is gathered not around Scripture, but around the rightly understood, the purely and correctly interpreted Bible. It is the task of the church’s confession to express the right understanding of Scripture which the Church has reached. Thus pastors are helped to proclaim only the pure doctrine, and congregations are protected against the whims of the preacher and the misinterpretation of Scripture. In this sense the church’s confession is servant of the Word.

From Church and Confession (1941), English translation by Norman Nagel in We Confess: Jesus Christ (Concordia Publishing House, 1984) p. 84. Thanks for Pastor Mark Henderson for posting this.