9. Protestant Teachings Concerning Justification, Taken from the Formula of Concord

The book that is the source of the following statements is called the Formula of Concord; it was written by people who endorsed the Augsburg Confession. Because I will be giving the page numbers from which these statements were taken, I should mention that what I am citing is the Leipzig edition of 1756.

97. It is very different with the tenets or teachings of the new church, though. All of them are essential elements. Heaven and the church are present in each one of them. The goal toward which they aim is for us to be in the Lord and for the Lord to be in us, according to his own words in John 14:20; 15:4, 5, 6. Simply put, the [true] Christian church is this type of partnership with the Lord.

From the mere handful of points just made, we can clearly see the meaning of the Lord’s words:

The one who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new”; and said to me, “Write, because these words are true and faithful.” (Revelation 21:5)