Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

To be Lutheran means to stand for a certain point of view or attitude concerning the central teaching of the church. To be Lutheran means to elevate the Gospel, the good news of God's great work of rescuing men from death for life, accomplished by the atoning work of Jesus Christ, imparted through the presence of the Holy Spirit. It was the Gospel which the Lutheran Reformation proclaimed in opposition to certain teachings and practices of the sixteenth century church which negated or obscured God's saving work. It was primarily because the Lutheran reformers felt some teachings of other reforming groups did not adequately present the Gospel that they remained distinct from them. To be Lutheran means to see the church's teachings in terms of the Gospel. -- A.C. Piepkorn, *The Sacred Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions* p. 195