How Can We Be “Together One”?

by Timothy Teuscher

By the time you read this, we will have held our synod convention under the theme “Together One,” based on Ephesians 4:4-6 where St. Paul addresses the unity of the body of Christ whether it be within our congregation or our synod. One significant resolution related to this theme is to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the presentation of the Augsburg Confession in 2030.

Why is that important? The missionary pastor and founding member of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, Friedrich Wyneken (synod president from 1850-1864) answers that in a sermon he preached at the opening service of the 1855 convention, based on 1 Corinthians 1:10 and entitled: “How Can the Synod Remain United?” That topic remains as relevant today as it was 171 years ago. Here are a few snippets from his sermon:

“First, we must be careful to see that we always speak in the same way. To be sure, there is a great diversity of revelations in the Old and New Testaments and of their presentation and application. Yet a similarity in expression and in manner of speaking bears witness to us that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the simple, heavenly, one, and eternal truth for our salvation. The old evil foe, however, waltzes around, smuggling his lies into the church under biblical expressions, tearing the correct meaning from the hearts of believers. This requires opposing the false meaning with expressions true to God’s Word. And when these expressions were formulated into Confessions, the church held itself to them. The truth that was acknowledged and asserted in these Confessions was taught, preached, upheld, and fixed in the heart.”

“In matters of the faith and doctrine, the church thus speaks in a unified manner. Through this conformity of speech, she conquers externally as the world opposes this witness of her victorious truth. And through unified language she is strengthened internally. Her weak, young, and simple are protected in the ranks of the faithful. By it, the company of God is held together. Thus the apostle, when he admonishes unity, emphasizes the importance above all that believers have a single, uniformed manner of speaking.”

“This is the first thing we have to note, if we would remain unified. None of us whom the Lord has placed as shepherds and watchmen in His flock should, under any circumstance, allow himself to be led away from the churchly, established, common manner of speaking, as we find it in our Confessions. Moreover, let us be diligent and zealous in studying them ever more thoroughly in order to lift up the rich treasure of their understanding. And let us place before our congregations the heavenly food and drink contained in the platters and goblets of our Confessions. In doing so, we will avoid a chief cause of division; and with God’s help, also bring our congregations to a ripe, full, healthy and well-grounded understanding of the truth and who will then be able to fight the good fight of faith and crush the devil.”

“Therefore we hold fast to our Confession, as to our very source of life; for not only our inner life will benefit, but the right unity will also be advanced among us. For then we will in Christ Jesus hold fast to each other in one mind, one and the same understanding, and one and the same manner of speaking. And the God of peace will build us up and make us a blessing, and we will praise Him forever.”

“May the Lord help each of us to remain in the faith and the speech of our spiritual fathers for the sake of this lovely and blessed unity. May we, with them and with one another, always speak the same way so that our unified and secure garden not suffer discord and the beauty of the garden’s fragrance and fruits be destroyed.”

“But this will only happen as we give heed to the second part of the apostolic admonition, and see that we hold fast to one another in one understanding and one way of thinking. So of the believers at the time of the apostles we read: ‘The full number of those who believed were of one heart and one mind’ (Acts 4:32).”

“This should move our hearts to pay close attention to the enemies of this unity, external and internal. For we have the devil against us, the world around us, and the flesh upon us whereby the bond of peace and of unity is sunk. Only by daily repentance do we shed the old man and his works and put on the new man; and one mind and true unity can thus be preserved among us.”

“Moreover, we do so and thus stand together because we cannot let go of the one truth that we have together acknowledged, believed, and confessed as it is in the Confessions of the Lutheran Church. These Confessions bear witness to the truth clearly, plainly, and powerfully on the basis of the Holy Scriptures, against all the desires of Satan, to the whole world.”

“Therefore we hold fast to our Confession, as to our very source of life; for not only our inner life will benefit, but the right unity will also be advanced among us. For then we will in Christ Jesus hold fast to each other in one mind, one and the same understanding, and one and the same manner of speaking. And the God of peace will build us up and make us a blessing, and we will praise Him forever.”

Quotations from: At Home in the House of My Fathers. Ed. Matthew C. Harrison. Concordia Publishing House.

Rev. Dr. Timothy Teuscher is President of Lutheran Church–Canada.

Print this article