The Church's Confession and Our Christian Witness

Abstract

This essay, originally presented to the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church in Zwickau, Germany (1991), explores the vital connection between the church’s doctrinal confession and the believer’s personal witness. Blechschmidt emphasizes that Christian faith arises solely from the proclamation of God’s Word and that confession and mission are inseparable. Drawing from Scripture and Lutheran confessional writings, he defends the necessity of doctrinal clarity for effective evangelism and warns against compromising truth for broader appeal. The essay addresses challenges to confessional integrity, critiques unionism, and outlines practical aspects of witnessing—rooted in love, humility, and reliance on the Word. Blechschmidt encourages believers to stand firm in faith while remaining flexible in outreach, adapting to new opportunities without sacrificing theological conviction. The essay concludes with a pastoral reminder that the power of witness lies not in human skill but in God’s Word and grace. Abstract generated by Microsoft Copilot (GPT-4)