The Augsburg Confession is the confession of faith, which was submitted to His Imperial Majesty Charles V at the diet of Augsburg in the year 1530. This is one of the most important documents from the Lutheran reformation. Charles V had asked a number of Germans to explain their faith in the hope of bringing about religious and political unity in the Holy Roman Empire. The Augsburg Confession gives 21 basic articles of faith and seven articles that are listed as Disputer Articles Listing Abuses That Have been Corrected. The Apology of the Augsburg Confession was a response to the Catholic "Confutation of the Augsburg Confession" which was written to answer the Lutheran Augsburg Confession. Melanchthon wrote this as a defense of the original Confession, and a refutation of the Confutation that Emperor Charles V had commissioned.

However, as regards the rest of the Electors, Princes, and Estates, who constitute the other part, if no progress should be made, nor some result be attained by this treatment of the cause of religion after the manner in which Your Imperial Majesty has wisely held that it should be dealt with and treated namely, by such mutual presentation of writings and calm conferring together among ourselves, we at least leave with you a clear testimony, that we here in no wise are holding back from anything that could bring about Christian concord, -- such as could be effected with God and a good conscience, -- as also Your Imperial Majesty and, next, the other Electors and Estates of the Empire, and all who are moved by sincere love and zeal for religion, and who will give an impartial hearing to this matter, will graciously deign to take notice and to understand this from this Confession of ours and of our associates.

But it is easy for a Christian to judge concerning both modes, because both modes exclude Christ, and are therefore to be rejected. In the former, which teaches that our works are a propitiation for sin, the impiety is manifest. The latter mode contains much that is injurious. It does not teach that, when we are born again, we avail ourselves of Christ. It does not teach that justification is the remission of sins. It does not teach that we attain the remission of sins before we love but falsely represents that we rouse in ourselves the act of love, through which we merit remission of sins.