In a recent Bible class discussing the church's practice of preparing children for the rite of confirmation, one of the members of the class expressed the opinion that it was still important for children to have the content of the catechism committed to memory in the catechetical regime. This mother and teacher has children who will be subject to this kind of instruction in a few years so she is serious about this. It will affect her family. After expressing this opinion, she said that to me, "I agree with you, Pastor." To which I quipped: "Of course you do." Although I was joking and I was seeking a discussion about something that is truly a matter of indifference, that is, the specific details of how children should be catechized, my quip does illustrate what some people think of harmony. People (including me!) think that there is harmony when others agree with them and that there is disharmony when others disagree with them. They are their own standard of rightness.

God, our heavenly Father, holds a different standard of rightness. He declares all human opinion to be faulty. We are all equally wrong when we depend on our human reason. The only correct standard in matters of theology and in the faith of Christ, is God's holy Word. About this we have no right to compromise. The slightest compromise here will hurt the whole. Luther uses a slightly obscure Latin proverb to illustrate this inviolability of the Christian teaching: "Reputation, faith, and the eye cannot stand being played with." Luther means that the faith will be irreparably damaged. It would be something like: a poke in the eye could cause you to go blind or one small lie could destroy your reputation. Thus the faith damaged is the faith destroyed; like a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.