By Scott Jones

While our primary source of truth is the Bible, the inspired Word of God, it is sometimes helpful to read commentaries, catechisms, and confessions penned by men and women of faith. Works from the past are especially helpful since they are unpolluted by the influence of modern culture. One such work is The Magdeburg Confession of 1550. The Church in Magdeburg faced tyranny and persecution and their application of Biblical truth to their situation is instructive for the believer in the United States in the 21st century. It offers both a theological and a practical approach to civil and political engagement in the face of persecution.

Historical Context

The Magdeburg Confession was written in 1550 by Pastor Nicholas von Amsdorf and the pastors of Magdeburg, Germany. In 1550 Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire was seeking to eradicate the Reformation begun by Martin Luther. While in this instance Roman Catholics were oppressing Protestants, it is important to note that oppression is not the exclusive property of Rome. The colonists who came to the colonies prior to the American Revolution included Protestants fleeing persecution by both Catholics and other Protestants, Catholics fleeing persecution by Protestants, and Jews fleeing persecution by Christians of various denominations. 

The pastors of Magdeburg, under the leadership of Nicholas von Amsdorf, wrote The Magdeburg Confession to defend their defiance of Charles V. They state that they had no choice but to put the glory of God before the glory of men. (Amsdorf 1550)

Principal Articles of Christian Doctrine

In the first major section of The Magdeburg Confession, the pastors present seven principal articles of Christian doctrine which form the basis of their faith. They do not attempt to defend these articles, but simply recite what had previously been taught by Martin Luther. The seven doctrines are:

1. Of God and the distinction of the persons.

2. Of creation. Of the cause of sin, and the chief kinds of sin.

3. Of the Law.

4. Of the Gospel and Justification.

5. Of the Sacraments.

6. Of the Church and its ministers, and of the power of the Church and its ministers.

7. Of polity and economy, and of the power of each. 

They arranged them in this order because all knowledge about God is either knowledge of His nature or of His will, disclosed either in the creation or in His revealed Word. (Amsdorf 1550)

Concerning Resistance

In the second section, the pastors of Magdeburg use three arguments to prove from scripture that a Christian magistrate has the duty to defend his citizens against a superior magistrate who is using force to compel them to reject true Christian doctrine and to accept idolatry. (Amsdorf 1550) Since this section repeatedly refers to the magistrate, it seems helpful to define this term. Webster defines a magistrate as A public civil officer, invested with the executive government or some branch of it. While kings and presidents are the highest magistrates, the term also extends to subordinates, such as governors, mayors, justices of the peace, and others. (Webster 1828)

The First Argument – From Definition 

According to Romans 13, the magistrate is an ordinance of God to promote good and to be a terror to evil. Nevertheless, when a magistrate promotes evil and punishes good, he ceases to be an ordinance of God, and becomes an ordinance of the devil. Anyone who resists such a magistrate is resisting the ordinance of the devil and is not disobedient to God. In the case of lower magistrates, they remain obligated to God to promote good and to punish evil, and thus are obligated to resist their superiors when they become ordinances of the devil.  

Nevertheless, the pastors state that when the offense stems from the common weakness of man, or only affects a few people, Christians should seek to bear it. Only when the offense will cause the citizens to commit sin, should they resist or defy the superior magistrate. The example provided is the Hebrew midwives in Exodus who resisted Pharaoh’s order to kill the Hebrew boys. Finally, when the superior magistrate seeks to force the lesser magistrates and the people to sin, persecuting them by force of arms, then the magistrate must curb this “insanity” by whatever means at their disposal to prevent the extermination of the true worship of God. (Amsdorf 1550)

The Second Argument – Render to Caesar…

The Second Argument stems from Luke 20:25  “And He said to them, Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 

Thus, the things that belong to God are not to be rendered to Caesar, so when a person refuses to obey a superior magistrate because to do so would violate a duty to God, that person commits no crime. Examples include Daniel (Daniel 6:22) and Peter (Acts 5:29). The pastors go on to argue that God does not allow Caesar to ascribe to himself things that are not his by either divine or civil law. The example provided is Naboth (1 Kings 21).  Caesar and his subjects both must submit to God, according to His Word, and Caesar has an obligation to restrain those who do otherwise. (Amsdorf 1550)

The Third Argument – Are Magistrates Inviolable?

The pastors introduce the Third Argument with this rhetorical question: If God wanted superior magistrates who have become tyrants to be inviolable because of his [sic] ordinance and commandment, how many impious and absurd things would follow from this? (Amsdorf 1550) This would mean that God orders men to honor evil and to assist with evil works if the governing authority so orders. This is contrary to the nature of God. Indeed, because of the sin nature, it is easy for men to use power and authority granted by God for good to commit evil. The devil will inevitably lead such men into sin.  

Scripture informs us that God always punishes wicked men. Sometimes he punishes them by other wicked men, but ordinarily He does so through those who are chosen by Him to administer justice. God has shared his own honor with magistrates for the defense and honor of good. Thus, it is the duty of the pious magistrate to defend the whole Church against unjust persecution. 

Examples of this action include the Maccabees, Jehu (2 Kings 9-10), Jehoiada (2 Kings 11), and the people’s resistance against Saul in the matter of Jonathan (1 Samuel 14). The pastors also cite a secular example, the Roman emperor, Trajan, who said: Use this sword against my enemies, if I give righteous commands, but if I give unrighteous commands, use it against me. (Amsdorf 1550)

The Exhortation

The Exhortation begins with an analysis of the history of persecution. They note how quickly the crowd’s attitude toward Jesus went from “Hosanna” to “Crucify Him”. They also consider those who persecute the Church knowingly and willfully, as well as those who unknowingly persecute the same. The pastors assert that they do not know which is the greater crime. Consequently, those who “go along to get along” with Caesar in his persecutions bear just as much guilt as Caesar.  

Personal Responsibility

The pastors willingly chose to resist the Emperor for the sake of the gospel, even if it was to cost them their lives: Let the tyrants rave all the more, that they may fill up their measure the more quickly, and that we may now see this, even if by God’s will we ourselves cannot be rescued, so that by our forewarnings we may save other good men who can be saved outside our city, and so that we may leave the seed of the Word to our posterity for eternal life. (Amsdorf 1550) They further assert that no one would escape the Emperor without denial or persecution of Christ. They consider it the pious duty of all Christians to personally resist participation in the persecution of the Gospel, Christ, and His members. In so doing Christians may use any means that does not violate the law of God. Christians can use these things rightly and with a good conscience, just like all other political ordinances that are not at odds with the Word of God. (Amsdorf 1550)

Corporate Responsibility 

Not only do pious men have a personal responsibility to oppose persecution themselves, but they also have a responsibility to assist their brothers in Christ that are suffering persecution. 

In this instance, they invoke Proverbs 24:11-12:  Deliver those who are being taken away to death, And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back.  If you say, “See, we did not know this,” Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work? 

They conclude that our duty as Christians is not simply to forego participating in the oppression of other believers in Christ, but our duty includes coming to aid the persecuted, lest they be overwhelmed unjustly. For an example, the pastors cite the followers of Saul who although they refused Saul’s order to kill the priests of Nob, they failed to stop Doeg the Edomite from slaying the priests. They argue that those that fail to aid the persecuted are just as guilty of murder as those who carry out the act. (Amsdorf 1550)

Corporate responsibility has three components:   

1. Intercession. The body has an obligation to pray for its members being persecuted. (James 5) 

2. Supplication with superiors. Believers should appeal to superior magistrates on behalf of their oppressed brothers in Christ. (1 John 3:16) 

3. Preservation of the body. When supplication fails, then it is the duty of Christians to put forth the same effort to defend their persecuted brethren, as the enemy is making to destroy them.  

Passivity is not an option when a part of the body suffers persecution. You do not think that this struggle concerns you, and therefore, for the sake of your peace and pleasures, you watch it idly. (Amsdorf 1550) When one part suffers, the whole body suffers. Lastly the pastors express their confidence in God’s ability to deliver, but even if he should not, they are His and the eternal weight of glory exceeds transitory affliction.  (Amsdorf 1550)

A Call to Action 

Despite being written in 1550, the work of The Magdeburg Confession is relevant to Christians today. These godly men knew their Bible and wrestled with difficult issues to arrive at their conclusions. We can learn much both from their conclusions and from the process they followed. Increasingly, Christianity is being oppressed by government entities at all levels. It is not sufficient to sit back and invoke, “but Romans 13” out of context to justify inaction. 

As the oppression becomes intolerable, leading people into sin, Christians must take personal and corporate action to resist the ordinances of the devil: 

1. The local church should resist attempts at religious oppression by every nonviolent means possible. Simple defiance, lawsuits, media campaigns, and political activism are examples. 

2. Churches should come to the aid of other local churches who are being oppressed. This may include sending aid, helping with lawsuits, filing amicus briefs, or assisting in campaigns against the offending officials. 

Wake up, Church! Passivity will lead us to avoid our duty to God and to one another. 

Works Cited

Amsdorf, Nicholas. 1550. The Magdeburg Confession. Edited by Matthew Colvin. Magdeburg.

Webster, Noah. 1828. American Dictionary of the English Language. New York, NY: S. Converse.

Author’s Note: The Magdeburg Confession was originally written in Latin and until recently was only available in Latin or German. The version used by this author was translated from the original Latin by Matthew Colvin under the sponsorship of Pastor Matt Trewhella in 2012. This book is available from Pastor Trewhella at https://defytyrants.com/store/?model_number=2398487 

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