The 7 Abuses: What the Reformation Actually Objected To

When people think of the Reformation, they often think of abstract theology — justification, grace, faith. But the second part of the Augsburg Confession is about something more concrete: specific practices in the church that the Lutherans had changed, and why. These seven articles on abuses reveal that the Reformation was not just a theological revolution but a pastoral one.

Article XXII: Communion in Both Kinds

The first abuse addressed is the withholding of the cup from the laity. In medieval practice, the congregation received only the bread; only the priest drank from the cup. The Lutherans restored communion in both kinds — bread and wine — to all communicants, arguing this was the clear practice of the New Testament and the early church.

Article XXIII: The Marriage of Priests

The Confession defends the right of clergy to marry. Enforced celibacy, Melanchthon argued, was a human tradition without scriptural basis, and its requirement had led to widespread scandal and sin. The Lutherans permitted — and encouraged — clergy to marry, following what they saw as the clear teaching of St. Paul.

Articles XXIV–XXVI: The Mass, Confession, and Food Laws

Article XXIV addresses the mass. The Lutherans did not abolish it — they reformed it. They rejected the idea that the mass is a sacrifice that merits grace, but retained the Lord's Supper as a gift, with preaching in the vernacular and congregational participation. Article XXV concerns private confession, which the Lutherans retained but freed from the requirement to enumerate every sin. Article XXVI addresses the use of food laws and fasting as meritorious works.

Articles XXVII–XXVIII: Monastic Vows and Episcopal Power

Article XXVII addresses monastic vows. The Lutherans rejected the idea that monastic life is a higher spiritual state than ordinary Christian life in the world. Vows that bind people to something beyond what Scripture requires are not binding on the conscience. Article XXVIII — the longest article — addresses the power of bishops. The Confession distinguishes sharply between spiritual authority (preaching and sacraments) and civil authority, and denies that bishops have the right to bind consciences with human laws.

Reform, Not Revolution

What strikes the reader of these seven articles is their moderation. The Lutherans were not trying to destroy the church — they were trying to remove specific abuses that had developed over centuries. They appealed not to novelty but to Scripture and early church practice. The Reformation, as the Augsburg Confession presents it, was a reform from within the tradition, not a departure from it.