Confirmation instruction imparts the basic teachings of the Lutheran faith and provides the knowledge necessary for growth toward Christian maturity. The classes lay a foundation upon which the Confirmand will build for a lifetime.
At Lord of Life, Confirmation instruction is taught in a combined class for 7th and 8th grades. Pastor and the DCE teach the class. Confirmation instruction is a two-year process.
Confirmation is not commanded in Scripture. Nor are there directives for confirmation in the Bible. It is a church rite, something that developed historically in the life of the church.
Confirmation is not a sacrament. Christ did not institute it, nor do we have any promise of God attached to it.
Lutherans have never had a consistent confirmation practice. In fact, only in the last century or two has confirmation become a nearly universal practice among Lutherans.
Martin Luther did not use a rite of confirmation because he wanted to avoid any suggestion that confirmation was a sacrament. He wanted to distance himself from the Roman Catholic practice. Luther placed his focus on the careful instruction of the youth in the basic teachings of the Bible. He regularly examined those who wished to commune to see if they had the proper Christian knowledge and understanding to partake of Christ’s body and blood.
Nevertheless Lutherans began practicing a rite of confirmation even during Luther’s lifetime. The great Reformer did not object to it so long as people recognized that it was neither a sacrament commanded by God nor necessary to be observed.
Some Lutheran practices that developed over the centuries were positive. Others showed a misunderstanding of biblical truth. Some Lutheran rites implied that the Holy Spirit was given in confirmation through the laying on of hands. These rites implied that confirmation conferred membership in the church. But we know that the Holy Spirit comes only through the means of grace, the gospel in Word and sacraments. No human rite can impart the Holy Spirit. People become members of the Christian church by faith through the sacrament of Baptism.
Others looked at confirmation as a renewal of the baptismal covenant. They implied that baptism was somehow incomplete. But we know that the covenant God made with us at baptism is good for all time. It does not need to be renewed by God and cannot be renewed by us.
Still others viewed confirmation as a rite of passage, a kind of coming-of-age ceremony. Because of this understanding of confirmation some began to think of confirmation as graduation. Being confirmed meant that they had no more need for formal religious training. This attitude often led to a neglect of Bible study and the falling away from the Lutheran faith.
For many Lutherans confirmation has a much more positive purpose. Confirmation is intended to give those who have received basic instruction in the truths of God’s Word the opportunity publicly to confess their faith before the church. The rite informs the congregation that these catechumens have sufficient scriptural understanding and spiritual maturity to partake of the Lord’s Supper. The congregation prays that the Holy Spirit will preserve the confirmands in faith to the end of their days and invites them to partake of the Lord’s Supper. White gowns, corsages, confirmation mementos, presents, and dinners are fine customs so long as they do not detract from the scriptural message or give the impression of a graduation service.
The importance of confirmation does not lie in the rite itself. The focus must always be on the means of grace. The ceremony is intended to remind everyone what God has done in baptism. He has given us spiritual life and made us his children. The ceremony stresses the importance of Christian instruction and continuing in God’s Word. It points to the glorious gift our Savior gives us in his Supper. It reminds us that he gives us his very body and blood to assure us of his forgiveness and to strengthen our faith.
Confirmation is meaningless if viewed apart from the instruction in God’s truth given in preparation for the rite. This instruction imparts the basic teachings of Christianity and provides the knowledge necessary for growth toward Christian maturity. Catechism class lays a foundation upon which the Christian will build for a lifetime. We dare never imply that confirmation is graduation or that confirmation means that a person has no need to continue to grow in Christian knowledge.
God has commanded us to instruct children and adults in His truth. He has not commanded us to have a rite like confirmation. The rite is valuable only so long as people understand its purpose and recognize the importance of continued instruction and participation in worship and the Lord’s Supper. But when confirmation is understood and practiced properly, it can be very meaningful.
Source: Prof. John M. Brenner Northwestern Lutheran Magazine, Feb. 1998