To Christians, nothing is more important than clearly confessing and bearing witness to the truths of God's Word, which reveals the glorious Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That is what the Book of Concord is all about. This edition of the Lutheran Confessions instructs, inspires, and educates all who use it and help them learn what it means to be, and to remain, a genuinely confessing Lutheran Christian. Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions offers helpful introductions, insightful notes and annotations, as well as tools and guides to aid reading and comprehension. This second edition offers several significant improvements: - An expanded timeline and general index - Enhanced page layout features and design elements - New essays in the introduction that provide an overview of the textual issues and history of the Lutheran Confessions - A summary of the nature and meaning of the Church's commitment to the Lutheran Confessions - 115 black and white and 31 full-color plates illuminating the text of the Confessions.