Full Text for Confessions 2- Volume 12 - How do the Commandments show us our need for God? (Video)

ROUGHLY EDITED COPY CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY EDUCATION NETWORK CUENET LUTHERAN CONFESSIONS 2-12 DR. ROBERT KOLB CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY: CAPTION FIRST, INC. P.O. BOX 1024 LOMBARD, IL 60148 800-825-5234 *** THIS TEXT IS BEING PROVIDED IN A ROUGH DRAFT FORMAT. COMMUNICATION ACCESS REALTIME TRANSLATION (CART) IS PROVIDED IN ORDER TO FACILITATE COMMUNICATION ACCESSIBILITY AND MAY NOT BE A TOTALLY VERBATIM RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS. *** LC2-12 >> OKAY. I THINK I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU WERE SAYING. BUT HOW DO THE COMMANDMENTS HELP ME TO SEE MY NEED FOR GOD? DO YOU MEAN WE NEED GOD FOR SALVATION OR WE NEED GOD IN A MORE PERSONAL WAY? DO THE COMMANDMENTS CAUSE US TO PERCEIVE GOD AS A SOVEREIGN KING OR LOVING PARENT? >>DR. ROBERT KOLB: AN EXCELLENT QUESTION, DAVID. AND IN A SENSE IT'S ONE OF THOSE YES OR NO SITUATIONS THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. INDEED, THE COMMANDMENTS PRESENT GOD AS THE LOVING CREATOR WHO HAS A PLAN FOR OUR LIVES. WHEN AS SINNERS WE COME UP AGAINST THE COMMANDMENTS, THEN THAT LOVING CREATOR TURNS INTO AN ANGRY PARENT, AN ANGRY JUDGE, SOMEONE WHO BECAUSE HE LOVES US SO MUCH IS DISAPPOINTED THAT WE ARE RUINING OUR OWN LIVES. IT'S NOT JUST THAT WE ARE NOT MEETING HIS EXPECTATIONS. IT IS THAT WE ARE NOT FULFILLING THE PLAN THAT HE HAS FOR CREATURES HE LOVES AND WANTS TO ENJOY THE FULLNESS OF THEIR HUMANITY. SO ACCORDING TO LUTHER'S EXPLANATIONS, THERE ARE A COUPLE OF THINGS FOR US TO NOTICE ABOUT HOW GOD'S LAW ACTUALLY WORKS IN OUR LIVES. LET'S JUST TAKE THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT, FOR INSTANCE. YOU ARE NOT TO KILL. LUTHER SAYS, "WHAT IS THIS?" SCHOLARS SAY THAT HE FORMULATED THE QUESTION "WHAT IS THIS?" BECAUSE IN 1529 HE HAD A THREE-YEAR-OLD CRAWLING AROUND ON HIS LAP WHO WAS SAYING "WHAT IS THIS? WHAT IS THAT? WHAT IS THIS? WHAT IS THAT?" SO THAT IS THE QUESTION LUTHER WANTED TO ANSWER. AND THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT LIKE ALL OTHER COMMANDMENTS BEGINS WITH A REFERENCE BACK TO THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. WE ARE TO FEAR AND LOVE GOD. I DON'T KNOW WHY TRUST ISN'T INCLUDED HERE. FOR BREVITY SAKE, PERHAPS. TRUST EMBRACES BOTH THE FEAR AND THE LOVE. WE ARE TO FEAR AND LOVE GOD. SO THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT REMINDS US IF WE ARE NOT FEARING AND LOVING GOD, IT'S NO WONDER THINGS ARE GOING WRONG IN OUR WORLD. WE ARE TO FEAR AND LOVE GOD SO THAT WE DON'T ENDANGER OR HARM THE LIVES OF OUR NEIGHBORS. WE CAN READ THAT AS TALKING ABOUT THE ACCUSING FORCE OF THE LAW. OR WE CAN READ IT AS SOMETHING THAT REMINDS US OF SINS OF COMMISSION, THE THINGS WE DO AGAINST GOD'S LOVE. BUT WE ARE ALSO TO FEAR AND LOVE GOD SO THAT WE MAY HELP AND SUPPORT OUR NEIGHBORS IN ALL OF LIFE'S NEEDS. AND THAT CAN BE READ AS SINS OF OMISSION, WHEN WE FAIL TO HELP OUR NEIGHBORS. OR IT CAN BE READ AS A THIRD SO-CALLED GUIDING USE OF THE LAW THAT HELPS US UNDERSTAND THE THINGS WE ARE TO DO. AND IF WE LOOK AT THE LARGE CATECHISM, THE FIRST COMMENTARY THAT LUTHER WROTE, THE SMALL CATECHISM'S TEXT, WE ACTUALLY GET SUPPORT FOR BOTH OF THOSE INTERPRETATIONS. SO SOMETIMES WHEN I'VE HEARD THE READING OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS IN A WORSHIP SERVICE, FOR INSTANCE, IT SEEMS TO ME IT WAS ALL ACCUSATION. IT WAS ALL SAYING, "YOU HAVE COMMITTED THESE THINGS. YOU HAVE OMITTED THESE THINGS. AND YOU ARE A SINNER." BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, SOMETIMES WHEN I'VE TAUGHT THE TABLE OF DUTIES OR THE TABLE OF CHRISTIAN CALLINGS AT THE END OF CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTION AND HAVE GONE BACK TO THE CATECHISM, GOING BACK TO THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF THE CATECHISM, IT'S BEEN VERY HELPFUL TO READ THIS AS GUIDANCE, AS GOD'S PLAN FOR HUMAN LIFE. AND SO I THINK WE HAVE SOME FLEXIBILITY IN READING THE COMMANDMENTS IN THAT WAY. THE OTHER THING THAT WE NEED TO NOTICE ABOUT THE WAY IN WHICH LUTHER ACTUALLY PHRASES THE COMMANDMENTS IS THAT BY BEGINNING WITH "YOU ARE TO FEAR AND LOVE GOD," WE ARE ACTUALLY REMINDING PEOPLE NO MATTER WHAT SINS WE DISCUSS, NO MATTER WHAT HUMAN PERFORMANCE WE DISCUSS, WE ARE REMINDING PEOPLE THAT WE NEED THE GRACE OF GOD FOR OUR BASIC CHRISTIAN IDENTITY. WE NEED TO REMIND OURSELVES AND OUR PEOPLE WHOM WE ARE INSTRUCTING THAT NO HUMAN PERFORMANCE CAN BE LOOKED AT, NO HUMAN DEEDS, WORDS, THOUGHTS CAN BE LOOKED AT APART FROM THE FRAMEWORK OF FEARING, LOVING AND TRUSTING IN GOD ABOVE ALL THINGS. AND I THINK THAT MEANS FOR EVANGELISTIC PURPOSES. AND I WOULD INCLUDE BASIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION OF THOSE WHO ARE SEEKING THE FAITH OR ARE INQUIRERS IN OUR CLASSES. WE NEED TO REMIND THEM THAT WHAT IS FUNDAMENTALLY WRONG WITH THEIR LIVES IS THEY DON'T KNOW YAHWEH, JESUS CHRIST, FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT AS THEIR GOD. AND THAT CAN COME ABOUT WHEN THEY LOOK AT THEIR DAILY LIVES. NOT ONLY BY RECOGNIZING THEY ARE PERPETRATORS OF EVIL. WE DON'T HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THEY ARE FEELING GUILT. THE PROBLEM WITH YOUR LIFE IS THAT YOU DON'T FEAR AND LOVE GOD ALSO IS REFLECTED IN THE FACT THAT WE ARE VICTIMS OF OTHER PEOPLE'S SINS. THAT OTHER PEOPLE PERPETRATE EVIL AGAINST US AND WE CAN'T DEFEND OURSELVES. THAT TELLS ME, ALSO, THAT SOMETHING IS LACKING IN MY LIFE. AND SO ALTHOUGH THE CONVERSATION WILL ALWAYS FINALLY BRING CHRISTIANS IN THEIR DAILY LIVES TO THE CONVICTION THAT WE ARE GUILTY, WE STAND GUILTY BEFORE GOD, THE WAY LUTHER EXPRESSES THE CATECHETICAL TRUTH IN HIS EXPLANATIONS OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS IN THE SMALL CATECHISM LEADS US TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO PEOPLE WHO ARE STILL STUCK AT THE LEVEL OF "I'M A VICTIM." WE CAN TALK TO THEM ABOUT THE FRIEND, THE CREATOR, WHO COMES AS JESUS CHRIST TO BEFRIEND THEM IN THE MIDST OF THEIR VICTIMIZATION. WE CAN TALK ABOUT THE SAVIOR WHO HAS COME AS THE RISEN LORD TO LIBERATE US ALL FROM SIN AND EVIL. AND WITH THAT CONVICTION IN FOCUS, WE CAN THEN GO ON TO TALK ABOUT THE GUILT AND THE SHAME THAT LIES UNDERNEATH THE SURFACE OF US ALL BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE BROKEN GOD'S COMMANDS FOR OUR LIVES. *** THIS TEXT IS BEING PROVIDED IN A ROUGH DRAFT FORMAT. COMMUNICATION ACCESS REALTIME TRANSLATION (CART) IS PROVIDED IN ORDER TO FACILITATE COMMUNICATION ACCESSIBILITY AND MAY NOT BE A TOTALLY VERBATIM RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS. ***