Confirmation in the Lutheran Church is a public profession of faith prepared for by long and careful instruction. In English, it is called "affirmation of baptism", and is a mature and public profession of the faith which "marks the completion of the congregation's program of confirmation ministry".[1]
Description
Confirmation is a public rite of the church, for which students have spent time in instruction, designed to help them identify with the life and mission of the Christian Church. The Rite of Confirmation provides an opportunity for the individual Christian, relying on God’s promise given in Holy Baptism, to make a personal public profession of the faith and a lifelong pledge of faithfulness to Christ. Confirmation teaches Baptized Christians who want to be Lutheran Martin Luther's doctrine on the The Ten Commandments, The Apostles' Creed, The Lord's Prayer, Holy Baptism, The Office of the Keys & Confession, and The Sacrament of the Eucharist. Students often begin taking catechism classes at about age twelve and are usually confirmed at age 14. Most Lutheran parishes instruct the very young [age 7 or 8] in understanding the Eucharist and then receive First Communion before beginning Confirmation classes several years later.
Luther's Small Catechism states:
Confirmation is a public rite of the Church preceded by a period of instruction designed to help baptized Christians identify with the life and mission of the Christian community. Note: Prior to admission to the Eucharist, it is necessary to be instructed in the Christian faith (1 Cor. 11:28). The rite of confirmation provides an opportunity for the individual Christian, relying on God's promise given in Holy Baptism, to make a personal public confession of the faith and a lifelong pledge of fidelity to Christ.[2]
Lutherans do not accept that only a bishop can confirm as is the custom in Anglican churches. Even in countries where Lutherans retained the Apostolic Succession such as Sweden, Finland, Norway, the Baltic countries, etc. a priest is allowed to confirmed.
Christian Questions with Their Answers
Once a student has been trained in the subjects listed above, in most Lutheran churches, the following words must be said for the person to be confirmed:[3]
Pastor: Do you believe that you are a sinner?
Person: Yes, I believe it. I am a sinner.
Pastor: How do you know this?Person: From the Ten Commandments, which I have not kept.
Pastor: Are you sorry for your sins?Person: Yes, I am sorry that I have sinned against God.
A woodcut depicting the confirmation of Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod youth.Pastor: What have you deserved from God because of your sins?
Person: His wrath and displeasure, temporal death, and eternal damnation.
Pastor: Do you hope to be saved?Person: Yes, that is my hope.
Pastor: In whom then do you trust?Person: In my dear Lord Jesus Christ.
Pastor: Who is Christ?Person: The Son of God, true God and man.
Pastor: How many Gods are there?Person: Only one, but there are three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Pastor: What has Christ done for you that you trust in Him?Person: He died for me and shed His blood for me on the cross for the forgiveness of sins.
Pastor: Did the Father also die for you?Person: He did not. The Father is God only, as is the Holy Spirit; but the Son is both true God and true man. He died for me and shed his blood for me.
Pastor: How do you know this?Person: From the holy Gospel, from the words instituting the Sacrament, and by His body and blood given me as a pledge in the Sacrament.
Pastor: What are the Words of Institution?Person: Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: "Take eat; this is My body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me." In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying: "Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."
Pastor: Do you believe, then, that the true body and blood of Christ are in the Sacrament?Person: Yes, I believe it.
Pastor: What convinces you to believe this?Person: The word of Christ: "Take, eat, this is My body;" and "drink of it, all of you, this is My blood."
Pastor: What should we do when we eat His body and drink His blood, and in this way receive His pledge?Person: We should remember and proclaim His death and the shedding of His blood, as He taught us: This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.
Pastor: Why should we remember and proclaim His death?Person: First, so that we may learn to believe that no creature could make satisfaction for our sins. Only Christ, true God and man, could do that. Second, so we may learn to be horrified by our sins, and to regard them as very serious. Third, so we may find joy and comfort in Christ alone, and through faith in Him be saved.
Pastor: What motivated Christ to die and make full payment for your sins?Person: His great love for His Father and for me and other sinners, as it is written in John 14; Romans 5; Galatians 2 and Ephesians 5.
Pastor: Finally, why do you wish to go to the Sacrament?Person: That I may learn to believe that Christ, out of great love, died for my sin, and also learn from Him to love God and my neighbor.
References
- ^ Lutheran Book of Worship - Ministers Desk Edition, p.324
- ^ An Explanation of Luther's Small Catechism, copyright 1991, Concordia Publishing House, question 306, page 241 (LCMS)
- ^ http://www.bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php#qanda Small Catechism
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