‘A Royal Priesthood’
Laypeople have a right and responsibility to speak the Gospel and Word of God, forgive sins, judge doctrine.
Matthew Harrison
The Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison is president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.
‘Decently and in Order’: The Pastoral Office and the Priesthood of All Believers
Martin Luther and our Lutheran Confessions recognize that there are two very significant aspects of the office of the pastor. One is from above, and the other is from below.
‘Abounding in the Word’: Looking Forward
If you’ve been around as long as me, you’ll note we have enjoyed great, even dramatic improvement in the Synod’s life of doctrine and practice.
‘I Delivered to You What I Also Received’: Tradition and the Gospel
Tradition is a good thing, provided it does not contradict the Gospel and the Word of God, which is, after all, itself divine tradition.
The Gospel Leads to Churches
The mission of the church is this: to proclaim the Gospel of free forgiveness of sin by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
The Kingdom of Heaven Suffers Violence
By grace, through faith, only by Christ, we are reckoned somebody.
Our Bodies: Created Good, Redeemed for Eternity
People often ask what heaven will be like. We know what it will be like. We’ll be like Jesus, body and soul. And we’ll enjoy a flesh-and-blood eternity.
Lutherans and the Lord’s Supper: Holding to the Words of Christ
According to Luther and our Lutheran confession, the Lord’s Supper is the Gospel: “Given and shed for you.”
Suffering Produces Endurance
We believe that God works profound blessings through suffering, even when those blessings may not be at all evident to us.
Very God of Very God: The Nicene Creed’s Faithful Testimony
The creedal statements about Christ in our Nicene Creed express the clear truth about Jesus. He is God in the flesh.
Most Righteous God, Most Kind Father: Gerhard on the Gravity of Sin and the Mercy of God
God takes your sin very seriously, that it would be forgiven in Christ. The more seriously we take our sin, the more we cling to Christ, our Savior.
A Kingdom Not of This World: The Church Is Both Hidden and Manifest
We know where the kingdom of God is on this earth: where the Word of God is preached and Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are administered.