(3) Interview Questions, Scripture and Confessions

Q1. Scripture & Confessions — Confessional subscription?

2 Timothy 3:16 — “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” FC Ep, Rule and Norm 1–2 — The prophetic and apostolic Scriptures are “the only rule and norm” by which all doctrines and teachers are judged; the Confessions are witnesses and explanations of the faith. REMEMBER: Scripture is the norming norm; the Confessions are the normed norm.

Q2. Scripture & Confessions — Authority of Holy Scripture?

2 Timothy 3:16–17 — “All Scripture is breathed out by God” and equips the man of God “for every good work.” 2 Peter 1:21 — Men “spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” FC Ep, Rule and Norm 1 — Scripture is “the only rule and norm” according to which all doctrines and teachers are evaluated. REMEMBER: Scripture is inspired by God and alone judges doctrine.

Q3. Scripture & Confessions — Sequence of AC Articles I–VI?

Ephesians 2:8–10 — “By grace you have been saved through faith…not a result of works,” yet we are “created in Christ Jesus for good works.” Romans 10:17 — “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” AC I–VI — God → Original Sin → Son of God → Justification → Ministry → New Obedience. REMEMBER: Christ saves → the Gospel delivers → faith receives → good works follow.

Q4. Scripture & Confessions — Faith in the Lord’s Supper?

Matthew 26:26, 28 — “This is my body…this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” 1 Corinthians 11:29 — “Anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.” SC, Sacrament of the Altar — “That person is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words: ‘Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.’” REMEMBER: Christ’s Word makes the Sacrament; faith receives its benefits.

Q5. Scripture & Confessions — Infant Baptism?

Acts 2:38–39 — “Repent and be baptized…for the forgiveness of your sins…For the promise is for you and for your children.” Mark 10:14 — “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” AC IX — Baptism is necessary for salvation, God’s grace is offered through it, and children should be baptized. REMEMBER: Children need Christ, Christ receives children, and Baptism gives God’s grace.

Q6. Scripture & Confessions — Predestination?

Ephesians 1:4–5 — God “chose us in him before the foundation of the world” and “predestined us for adoption…through Jesus Christ.” 1 Timothy 2:4 — God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” FC SD XI — Election is God’s gracious purpose in Christ for the salvation of His children and is to be considered in Christ and the Gospel. REMEMBER: Election is in Christ unto salvation—not a double predestination.

Q7. Scripture & Confessions — Law and Gospel?

Romans 3:20 — “Through the law comes knowledge of sin.” Romans 3:24 — Sinners “are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” FC SD V — The Law reproves sin and God’s wrath; the Gospel properly speaking teaches what the sinner should believe: that Christ has made satisfaction and obtained forgiveness. REMEMBER: Law exposes and condemns; Gospel announces and gives Christ’s forgiveness.

Q8. Scripture & Confessions — Justification by faith alone?

Romans 3:28 — “We hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” Romans 4:5 — To the one “who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.” AC IV — We cannot obtain forgiveness and righteousness by our merit or works but are justified freely for Christ’s sake through faith. REMEMBER: For Christ’s sake → through faith → apart from works.

Q9. Scripture & Confessions — Justification and sanctification?

Ephesians 2:8–10 — Salvation is “by grace…through faith…not a result of works,” but Christians are then “created in Christ Jesus for good works.” Galatians 5:22 — “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.” AC IV and VI — We are justified through faith apart from merit, and such faith is bound to bring forth good fruits. REMEMBER: Justification declares righteous; sanctification follows as the Spirit’s work in the justified.

Q10. Scripture & Confessions — Male pastoral office?

1 Timothy 2:12 — “I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man.” 1 Timothy 3:2 — An overseer is to be “the husband of one wife” and “able to teach.” AC XIV — “No one should publicly teach in the Church or administer the Sacraments without a rightly ordered call.” REMEMBER: The pastoral office is Christ’s public ministry exercised according to the apostolic mandate and a proper call.

Q11. Scripture & Confessions — Close(d) Communion?

1 Corinthians 10:16–17 — “The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?…Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body.” 1 Corinthians 11:29 — “Anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.” FC SD VII — Christ’s true body and blood are truly and substantially present, distributed, and received. REMEMBER: Communion receives Christ’s body and blood, confesses unity, and requires pastoral care.

Q12. Scripture & Confessions — Righteousness of God?

Romans 3:21–22 — “The righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law…the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.” Philippians 3:9 — Paul desires a righteousness “not having a righteousness of my own…but that which comes through faith in Christ.” Ap IV — Justifying righteousness is receiving the mercy promised for Christ’s sake through faith. REMEMBER: Not my righteousness—Christ’s righteousness received through faith.

Q13. Scripture & Confessions — Person of Christ?

John 1:1, 14 — “The Word was God,” and “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Colossians 2:9 — “In him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” AC III — The divine and human natures are united in the one person Christ, true God and true man. REMEMBER: One person → two natures → true God and true man.

Q14. Scripture & Confessions — Ecumenical creeds and condemned errors?

John 1:1, 14 — “The Word was God” and “the Word became flesh.” Matthew 28:19 — Baptize “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Nicene Creed — Christ is “begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father.” Athanasian Creed — We worship “one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity.” REMEMBER: The Creeds protect the Trinity and the full deity and humanity of Christ.

Q15. Scripture & Confessions — Creation?

Genesis 1:1 — “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:27 — “Male and female he created them.” SC, First Article — God “has made me and all creatures” and still preserves His creation out of fatherly divine goodness and mercy. REMEMBER: God creates, preserves, and gives His good created order.

Q16. Scripture & Confessions — Trinity?

Deuteronomy 6:4 — “The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” Matthew 28:19 — Baptize “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” AC I — There is one divine essence, eternal and without division, yet three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. REMEMBER: One divine essence → three distinct persons.

Q17. Scripture & Confessions — Aim of the Smalcald Articles?

1 Corinthians 2:2 — “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” Galatians 1:8 — Even if an angel preaches “a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.” SA II I — The chief article is that Jesus Christ died and was raised for our justification, and nothing in this article can be yielded or surrendered. REMEMBER: Luther prepared a nonnegotiable confession centered on Christ and justification.

Q18. Scripture & Confessions — Gospel?

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 — “Christ died for our sins…he was buried…he was raised on the third day.” Romans 1:16 — The Gospel “is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” FC SD V — The Gospel properly speaking is the proclamation that Christ has made satisfaction for sins and obtained forgiveness without our merit. REMEMBER: The Gospel tells what Christ has done and gives what Christ has won.

Q19. Scripture & Confessions — Millennialism?

John 18:36 — Jesus says, “My kingdom is not of this world.” John 5:28–29 — The dead will hear Christ’s voice and come out, some “to the resurrection of life” and others “to the resurrection of judgment.” AC XVII — Christ will return to judge, raise the dead, give eternal life to believers, and condemn the ungodly; Jewish opinions about an earthly kingdom before the resurrection are condemned. REMEMBER: One return → resurrection → judgment; no earthly millennium.

Q20. Scripture & Confessions — Two governments/two kingdoms?

Romans 13:1 — “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God.” John 18:36 — “My kingdom is not of this world.” AC XXVIII — Church and civil authority must not be confused: the Church exercises the Keys through the Gospel, while civil government deals with temporal matters. REMEMBER: Civil authority preserves outward order; the Church gives Christ’s gifts through Word and Sacrament.

Q21. Scripture & Confessions — One holy Christian Church?

Ephesians 4:4–5 — “There is one body and one Spirit…one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” Matthew 16:18 — “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” AC VII — The Church is “the congregation of saints” in which the Gospel is purely taught and the Sacraments are correctly administered. REMEMBER: One Church gathered around Christ’s Gospel and Sacraments.

Q22. Scripture & Confessions — Original sin?

Psalm 51:5 — “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” Romans 5:12 — “Sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin.” AC II — All people born according to nature are born with sin, that is, without fear of God, without trust in God, and with concupiscence. REMEMBER: Born sinful → without fear and trust in God → under sin and death.

Q23. Scripture & Confessions — Freedom of the will?

1 Corinthians 2:14 — “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God…he is not able to understand them.” John 6:44 — “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” AC XVIII — Human will has some freedom in civil righteousness but cannot produce spiritual righteousness without the Holy Spirit. REMEMBER: Some freedom in earthly things; no power to convert ourselves.

Q24. Scripture & Confessions — Office of the Keys?

John 20:22–23 — “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness… it is withheld.” Matthew 18:18 — “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” SC, Office of the Keys — Christ gives His Church the special authority to forgive repentant sinners and withhold forgiveness from the unrepentant. REMEMBER: Loose the repentant; bind the unrepentant.

Q25. Scripture & Confessions — Authority in the Church?

Luke 10:16 — “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me.” John 20:23 — “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them.” Treatise 60–61 — The Gospel assigns to those who preside over churches the command to teach the Gospel, forgive sins, and administer the Sacraments. REMEMBER: Pastoral authority is Christ’s authority exercised through His Word—not worldly coercion.

Q26. Scripture & Confessions — Order of the six chief parts?

Romans 3:20 — “Through the law comes knowledge of sin.” Romans 10:17 — “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” SC, Six Chief Parts — Commandments → Creed → Lord’s Prayer → Baptism → Confession/Keys → Sacrament of the Altar. REMEMBER: Law exposes need → Creed gives the Savior → prayer seeks His gifts → Means of Grace deliver them.

Q27. Scripture & Confessions — Private confession and absolution?

John 20:23 — “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them.” James 5:16 — “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another.” AC XXV — Confession has not been abolished; the people are carefully taught about the comfort of Absolution and how highly it should be valued. REMEMBER: Confession exists for Absolution—Christ’s forgiveness spoken personally.

Q28. Scripture & Confessions — Repentance?

Acts 2:37–38 — The hearers were “cut to the heart,” and Peter told them, “Repent and be baptized…for the forgiveness of your sins.” Mark 1:15 — “Repent and believe in the gospel.” AC XII — Repentance consists of contrition, which terrifies the conscience through knowledge of sin, and faith, which believes sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake. REMEMBER: Contrition + faith; fruits follow.

Q29. Scripture & Confessions — Faith?

Romans 10:17 — “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Ephesians 2:8 — “By grace you have been saved through faith… it is the gift of God.” Ap IV — Faith is not merely historical knowledge but trust in God’s promise that sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake. REMEMBER: Faith is Spirit-created trust in Christ’s promise.

Q30. Scripture & Confessions — Adiaphora?

Romans 14:5 — “One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike.” Colossians 2:16 — “Let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival.” FC SD X — Ceremonies neither commanded nor forbidden by God are in themselves neither worship nor a necessary part of worship. REMEMBER: Neither commanded nor forbidden—unless the confession of the Gospel is at stake.

Q31. Scripture & Confessions — Immanent and economic Trinity?

John 1:1–2 — “The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” John 15:26 — The Spirit “proceeds from the Father” and is sent by the Son. Nicene Creed — The Son is eternally begotten of the Father, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. REMEMBER: Immanent = God eternally in Himself; economic = the Triune God revealed in His works for us.

Q32. Scripture & Confessions — Third use of the Law?

Romans 7:22 — “I delight in the law of God, in my inner being.” Psalm 119:105 — “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” FC SD VI — The Law is a sure rule according to which believers can regulate and direct their whole life. REMEMBER: The Law does not justify Christians; it guides the regenerate.

Q33. Scripture & Confessions — Doctrine and practice?

1 Timothy 4:16 — “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this.” Matthew 28:20 — Jesus commands His Church to teach disciples “to observe all that I have commanded you.” AC VII — The Church is recognized where the Gospel is purely taught and the Sacraments rightly administered. REMEMBER: What the Church believes determines what the Church teaches and does.

Q34. Scripture & Confessions — Synergism?

Ephesians 2:1, 5 — We “were dead in the trespasses” but God “made us alive together with Christ.” John 6:44 — “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” FC SD II — Conversion is the Holy Spirit’s work through the Word; before conversion the human will does not cooperate in producing faith. REMEMBER: Dead people do not cooperate in being made alive—conversion is God’s work.

Q35. Scripture & Confessions — Gift character of the Lord’s Supper?

Matthew 26:28 — “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Hebrews 10:14 — “By a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” AC XXIV — Christ’s sacrifice occurred once and is sufficient for the sins of the whole world; the Mass does not merit forgiveness by the act of offering it. REMEMBER: Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice is given to us in the Sacrament—not repeated by us.

Q36. Scripture & Confessions — Eschatological errors of AC XVII?

Matthew 25:46 — “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” John 5:28–29 — All in the tombs will hear Christ’s voice and come out to resurrection. AC XVII — Christ will return, raise all the dead, give eternal life to believers, and condemn the ungodly and devils without end; universalism and an earthly millennium are rejected. REMEMBER: One return → one resurrection → judgment → eternal life or eternal condemnation.

Q37. Scripture & Confessions — Theology of the cross?

1 Corinthians 1:23–24 — “We preach Christ crucified…Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 — “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Heidelberg Disputation 20 — A theologian deserves to be called a theologian who comprehends the visible and manifest things of God seen through suffering and the cross. REMEMBER: God’s glory is recognized where He reveals it—in Christ crucified.

Q38. Scripture & Confessions — Descent into hell?

1 Peter 3:18–19 — Christ was “made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison.” Colossians 2:15 — Christ “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them.” FC SD IX — Christ descended to hell after burial, conquered the devil, destroyed hell’s power, and took from the devil all his might. REMEMBER: Descent = victory, not further suffering.

Q39. Scripture & Confessions — Christ’s ascension?

Ephesians 4:10 — Christ “ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.” Matthew 28:20 — “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” FC SD VIII — Christ exercises His divine majesty also according to His assumed human nature and can be present wherever He wills. REMEMBER: The ascended God-man is not imprisoned in a distant heaven.

Q40. Scripture & Confessions — Atonement in Luther’s Second Article?

1 Peter 1:18–19 — You were redeemed “not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ.” Isaiah 53:5 — “He was pierced for our transgressions…with his wounds we are healed.” SC, Second Article — Christ “has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person…not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death.” REMEMBER: Christ redeemed me with His blood so that I may be His own.

Q41. Scripture & Confessions — Created male and female?

Genesis 1:27 — “Male and female he created them.” Matthew 19:4–5 — Jesus says the Creator “made them male and female” and joins this creation to marriage. SC, First Article — God has made me and my body and still takes care of them. REMEMBER: Our embodied sex belongs to God’s good creation, not merely personal choice.

Q42. Scripture & Confessions — Husband and wife?

Ephesians 5:25 — “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” Ephesians 5:22 — “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.” SC, Table of Duties — Husbands are directed to honor and care for their wives, and wives are directed to their vocation toward their husbands. REMEMBER: One flesh and equal before God; sacrificial headship and willing submission within distinct vocations.

Q43. Scripture & Confessions — Homosexual thoughts, words, and acts?

Matthew 5:28 — “Everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Romans 1:26–27 — Paul identifies same-sex sexual relations as contrary to God’s created order. SC, Sixth Commandment — We should lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do, and husband and wife should love and honor each other. REMEMBER: The Sixth Commandment governs thought, word, and deed; sexual union belongs within male-female marriage.

Q44. Scripture & Confessions — Theology of prayer?

Matthew 7:7 — “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find.” Matthew 6:9 — “Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven.” SC, Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer — God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and we His true children, so that we may ask Him boldly and confidently. REMEMBER: God commands prayer, promises to hear, and invites us as His children.

Q45. Scripture & Confessions — Baptismal regeneration?

Titus 3:5 — “He saved us…by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” 1 Peter 3:21 — “Baptism…now saves you…through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” SC, Baptism — Baptism “works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this.” REMEMBER: Baptism saves because God acts through His Word and water.

Q46. Scripture & Confessions — Sacramental union?

Matthew 26:26, 28 — “This is my body…this is my blood of the covenant.” 1 Corinthians 10:16 — “The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” AC X — “The body and blood of Christ are truly present and are distributed to those who eat the Lord’s Supper.” REMEMBER: True body and blood → truly present → distributed and received with bread and wine.

Q47. Scripture & Confessions — Theological significance of the liturgy?

Acts 2:42 — “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” Colossians 3:16 — “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” AC XXIV — The Lutherans did not abolish the Mass but retained it reverently, while teaching the people concerning the Sacrament’s proper use. REMEMBER: God serves through Word and Sacrament; His people respond in faith, prayer, praise, and thanksgiving.

Q48. Scripture & Confessions — Third Article and mission?

Romans 10:17 — “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 12:3 — “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit.” SC, Third Article — “I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel.” REMEMBER: We proclaim the Gospel; the Holy Spirit creates faith through it.

Q49. Scripture & Confessions — Enthusiasm?

Romans 10:17 — “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” John 17:20 — Jesus speaks of those “who will believe in me through their word.” SA III VIII — God gives no one His Spirit or grace except through or with the preceding external Word; Luther rejects the enthusiasts who seek the Spirit apart from the Word. REMEMBER: No Spirit apart from the external Word and Means of Grace.

Q50. Scripture & Confessions — Office of the Holy Ministry?

John 20:21–23 — “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you…If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them.” Matthew 28:19–20 — “Go therefore and make disciples…baptizing them…and teaching them.” AC V — God instituted the ministry of teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments so that we may obtain justifying faith; AC XIV adds that no one should publicly teach or administer the Sacraments without a rightly ordered call. REMEMBER: Christ institutes and sends the ministry → preach → baptize → teach → forgive → administer the Sacraments.