The Apology of the Augsburg Confession

Outline

• The outline for the Apology, or “defense,” of the Augsburg Confession has two sets of numbers. Neither set is fully in order because of the way Melanchthon responded to the issues presented by the Pontifical Confutation (see introduction above).
• The numbers on the left generally correspond with the articles of the Augsburg Confession. However, note that there is no Article VI, XXV, or XXVI in the Apology, since similar articles were treated together. (The article on “New Obedience” was treated with the article on “Justification”; the article on “Confession” was treated with the article on “Repentance”; and the article on “The Distinction of Meats” was treated with the article on the “The Mass.”)
• The numbers on the right, in parentheses, show which articles were disputed by the Pontifical Confutation. The section on “Confession and Satisfaction” is marked in some editions as Article VI.

• Greeting
• Art. I: Of God
• Art. II: Of Original Sin
• Art. III: Of Christ
• Art. IV (II): Of Justification
  • What Is Justifying Faith
  • We Obtain Forgiveness of Sins by Faith Alone in Christ
  • Scripture Affirms This Teaching
  • The Church Fathers Affirm This Teaching
  • The Adversaries Reject This Teaching
• Art. V (III): Of Love and the Fulfilling of the Law
  • No One Can Keep the Law Perfectly
  • Church Fathers and St. Paul Affirm Justification through Faith
  • Reply to the Adversaries’ Arguments
  • Passages the Adversaries Misuse
  • The Adversaries’ Teaching Based on Reason and the Law
  • Results of the Adversaries’ Teaching
  • Salvation Is by God’s Mercy
  • The Adversaries’ Other Arguments
  • Conclusion
• Art. VII & VIII: Of the Church
• Art. IX: Of Baptism
• Art. X: Of the Holy Supper
• Art. XI: Of Confession
• Art. XIIa (V): Of Repentance
  • Two Parts of Repentance
  • Scriptural Proofs
  • Forgiveness of Sins Received by Faith
  • Faith and Repentance
• Art. XIIb (VI): Of Confession and Satisfaction
  • Misuses of Scripture
  • Additional False Teachings
  • True Repentance Produces Good Works
• Art. XIII (VIII): Of the Number and Use of the Sacraments
• Art. XIV: Of Ecclesiastical Order
• Art. XV (VIII): Of Human Traditions in the Church
• Art. XVI: Of Political Order
• Art. XVII: Of Christ’s Return to Judgment
• Art. XVIII: Of Free Will
• Art. XIX: Of the Cause of Sin
• Art. XX: Of Good Works
• Art. XXI (IX): Of the Invocation of Saints
• Art. XXII (X): Of Both Kinds in the Lord’s Supper
• Art. XXIII (XI): Of the Marriage of Priests)
  • Arguments for the Marriage of Priests
  • Conclusion
• Art. XXIV (XII): Of the Mass
  • What Is a Sacrifice, the Kinds of Sacrifice
  • What the Fathers Through about Sacrifice
  • The Use of the Sacrament, the Sacrifice
  • The Term Mass
  • The Mass for the Dead
• Art. XXVII (XIII): Of Monastic Vows
• Art. XXVIII (XIV): Of Ecclesiastical Power
• The End