Confessing Before Kings
Psalm 119:46 Then I will speak of your testimonies before kings, and I will not be put to shame.
There was great religious division in Germany between the Lutherans and the Roman Catholics. The lands controlled by the Emperor were divided among Lutherans and Catholics. They disagreed with each other and did not get along together. Charles V, the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, called for a meeting between the Pope’s theologians and the Lutheran reformers because he wanted to put this “silly” religious disagreement behind him, so he could get on with the important matter of the day – uniting the empire for a military battle against the Muslim Turks.
Charles called a diet – a meeting – in the German city of Augsburg. The night before the Lutherans were to present their confession of faith, Charles and his brother Ferdinand, the King of Austria, met privately with the Lutheran princes. They ordered the Lutheran princes to forbid any Lutheran preaching in Augsburg during the meeting. They also commanded the Lutherans to attend the Corpus Christi – the Body of Christ – festival the next day with the Emperor.
George, Margrave of Brandenburg, spoke boldly for the Lutherans. He refused to concede to Charles’ demands, saying, “Before I let anyone take from me the Word of God and ask me to deny my God, I will kneel and let them strike off my head.”
The Emperor was clearly taken aback by George’s boldness. Charles sputtered in broken German, “Not cut off head, dear prince. Not cut off head.” (Introduction to the Augsburg Confession, Book of Concord, p. 25).
On June 25, 1530, a group of faithful Lutheran princes and electors met in Augsburg, Germany, to present the confession of their faith to the Emperor. This was a time in the Roman Catholic Church when the Papacy was a superpower, and dissent was handled at the stake or at the rack. All the efforts of reform by previous reformers had fallen on deaf ears or resulted in death. But, by the grace of God, this Lutheran Reformation was turning out differently.
The Emperor and the Pope had the power to arrest and kill anyone who disagreed with them. The Lutherans decided there was only one thing to do – confess. These were not theologians that were standing before the Emperor. They were courageous Lutheran laymen – like yourselves. They confessed their faith and told the Emperor and the Roman Church what they believed, taught, and confessed. They relied on the promise of God’s Word, as contained in Psalm 119:46, “Then I will speak of your testimonies before kings, and I will not be put to shame.” The Augsburg Confession was presented as a statement of biblical truth and a proposal for true unity in the Christian faith. It has never been withdrawn or found in error.
This confession caused a stir as soon as it was read. The Bishop of Augsburg, who was faithful to the Pope and in whose palace it was read, said that it was all true and could not be denied. One of the princes who was loyal to the Pope asked the Pope’s head theologian if it could be refuted. Dr. Eck replied: “I can’t refute it using only Scripture.” The prince was stunned and asked: “Do you mean to say that these Lutherans sit inside Scripture, and we outside?”
All of us – pastors and people – are to make bold confessions of our faith. Faith alone makes us Christians. Confession alone marks us as Christians. St. Paul describes the relationship between believing and confessing, “Certainly, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and it is with the mouth that a person confesses, resulting in salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).
Jesus also says, “Everyone who confesses me before others, I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32). Jesus is talking about confessing our faith. Our confession of sins may be private, but there is no such thing as a private confession of faith. Our confession of the Christian faith is public for the whole world to see. Jesus says: “For nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing is secret that will not be made known and come to light” (Luke 8:17).
God does not call us to proclaim something as fragile as our opinions or ideas before the world. He calls us to proclaim the powerful, living, and enduring Word of God. God called the universe into existence through his Word. Christ is the Word made flesh. The Holy Spirit works faith through the Word. This is the Word that has the power to break down the barriers of unbelief, to forgive the sinner of his or her sins, to give spiritual life to those marked with the power of death, and to even grant physical life to those who had died.
By God’s grace, this is the Word you have in your pews, the Word you have in your Bibles at home, the Word you sing in hymns, and the Word you have memorized in your head and in your heart. This is the Word you are called upon to confess with your mouth.
What the Lord tells us in the shadows we are to shout from the housetops. Have you noticed how quick we are to weigh in on a sports team or restaurant or brand name? Have you noticed how easily we argue our position in politics? If we will speak up for a mere opinion, why will we not speak up for the truth that endures forever? God did not mean us to shout behind the closed doors of the church only to whisper in fear when we head back out into the world. Actually, it’s just the opposite. Before the Lord we whisper in awe of his love but outside the House of the Lord our voices cannot be silenced for the cause is too marvelous and the good news too great.
The Augsburg confessors put Psalm 119:46 at the front of their confession, “I will speak of your testimonies before kings, and I will not be put to shame.” That verse sums up their attitude. With the power of the Pope and the Emperor lined up against the Lutherans, the consequences for their confession could be severe. But the conviction of God’s Word was stronger than the fear of earthly powers. In the face of real risk, the confessors of Augsburg spoke up for what they knew to be the truth.
The rulers of this sinful world may disagree about a myriad of things … but they find themselves united on one point – they oppose God’s rule. “The kings of the earth take a stand, and the rulers join together against the Lord and against his Anointed One” (Psalms 2:2). God’s people must stand up to rulers who stand against the Anointed One and those whom he anoints with the water of Baptism.
Christians must remember that we will suffer for our faith in this world (John 16:33). We are like sheep being led to the slaughter. God promises the godly eternal joys and blessings (1 Corinthians 2). God promises the godless with eternal condemnations and wailings (Matthew 8:12).
Christ testified to Pilate, “My Kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). That means our kingdom is not of this world, either. We are not called to be Christians to have good days in this life – for as Christians we are but strangers here. We are guests who are citizens of the Kingdom to come. We patiently suffer in this world waiting for the world to come.
The Reformer Martin Luther expected hatred from people – particularly when it became clear that he and the Roman Catholic Church were not only on a different page but in a different book. He expected to die a martyr’s death because he had taken on the church and its false teachers. That’s why he resisted getting married for so long. He didn’t want his wife to be made a widow
or future children to be fatherless. But even though Luther knew he might die at any moment after being branded a heretic by the Pope and an outlaw by the Emperor, he would not remain silent. In fact, on one occasion, Luther received a note from a man who urged him not to go to a meeting in Augsburg to which Luther’s enemies had invited him. What was Luther’s response? “Even in Augsburg, in the middle of his enemies, Christ reigns.” Luther expected hatred from the enemies of the gospel; even more than that, he expected help from his gracious Lord.
Moses and the prophets, the apostles and early Christians, Luther and his fellow reformers, knew that Jesus’ words would come true, “All men will hate you because of me” (Luke 21:17). We as twenty-first century Christians and modern-age reformers certainly do not go looking for trouble – enough trouble will find us. It has been said that where Christ builds a church, the devil builds a chapel. Wherever the gospel is proclaimed, Satan must attack. Wherever we soldiers of Christ lift high the cross, Satan’s minions inflict pain and pressure. Wherever Christ reigns as King, this world’s prince still scowls.
We may not fear beheading, loss of property, imprisonment, or death, like other Christians in centuries past or Christians suffering presently around the world. We don’t fear a den of lions or a fiery furnace, but persecution abounds when we’re faithful to the Word. We lose relationships because of a Biblical belief that honors the sanctity of marriage. We lose promotions because of worship priorities. We lose friendships because we won’t join in sinful talking or walking. Jesus says we will lose family relationships because of our connection to him, “I came to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household” (Matthew 10:35-36).
Don’t be fooled into faintheartedness. Don’t be coerced into cowardice. Don’t be scared into silence. As you allow the Holy Spirit to reform your former sinful way of life, expect derision and insults. As you work with God’s Word to reform the world, expect hatred and persecution.
Also expect help from your gracious Lord, the Shepherd of helpless and hapless sheep. Even as we stand on trial for our beliefs, we are witnesses to our enemies. Even as we are arrested and persecuted, the Holy Spirit is giving us the boldness to speak clearly. Luther concludes his Battle Hymn of the Reformation: “And do what they will – hate, steal, hurt or kill – though all may be gone, our victory is won; the kingdom’s ours forever!” Even as we face the hatred of men, we are comforted and encouraged with the knowledge that a life free from all suffering and pain awaits us.
There is nothing to fear. Yes, there will be kings, emperors, and popes who will join together against the Lord. But St. John also assures us that these kings, rulers, and governing authorities “will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them, because he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings” (Revelation 17:14). So, have no fear. Boldly confess Christ before kings. Put into practice the words of the psalmist, “I will speak of your testimonies before kings, and I will not be put to shame.” Amen.
Now to the King eternal, to the immortal, invisible, only God, be honor and glory forever and ever (1 Timothy 1:17). Amen.