Gerhard and Walther

Thy body, Thy blood, and all that Thou hadst, even Thine own self, Thou didst give for my salvation, and shall death then deprive me of that which was purchased with so costly a ransom? Thou art my righteousness, O Lord Jesus; my sins shall not avail against Thee. Thou art the Resurrection and the Life, death shall not prevail against Thee; Thou art God, Satan shall not prevail against Thee.—Johann Gerhard, Sacred Meditation V.

There are many others who regard not going to church as a great sin, but they do not attend services to hear God’s Word for the salvation of their souls, but only to perform what they think is a work for God. They imagine that if they have merely gone to Church they have completely kept the Sabbath.—C. F. W. Walther, God Grant It!, p. 753.