Full Text for Confessions 2- Volume 20 - Why doesn't Luther mention justification by faith in the Second Article of the Creed? (Video)

ROUGHLY EDITED COPY CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY EDUCATION NETWORK CUENET LUTHERAN CONFESSIONS 2-20 DR. ROBERT COLB 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. *** LC2-20 >> SAY, SOMETHING JUST OCCURRED TO ME. WE'VE CERTAINLY HEARD BY NOW THAT JUSTIFICATION IS THE DOCTRINE BY WHICH THE CHURCH STANDS OR FALLS. WE ALL KNOW HOW IMPORTANT A PROPER UNDERSTANDING OF JUSTIFICATION WAS TO LUTHER. SO WHY DOESN'T LUTHER MENTION JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH HERE? IT SEEMS LIKE IT WOULD BE A VERY LOGICAL PLACE TO INSERT THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION INTO THE CATECHISM. >>DR. ROBERT KOLB: IT SURE WOULD BE, NICK. AND IN A SENSE IT'S -- IF YOU'LL PARDON MY SAYING SO -- IT'S THERE BETWEEN THE LINES. THAT OF COURSE, DOESN'T HELP US VERY MUCH. I THINK THE WORD JUSTIFICATION IS NOT THERE BECAUSE LUTHER DIDN'T LIKE FANCY THEOLOGICAL TERMS, ESPECIALLY WHEN HE WAS PREACHING AND SPEAKING TO, FOR INSTANCE, IN THIS CASE THE CHILDREN OF GERMANY. SO HE TALKED ABOUT GOD'S JUSTIFYING ACTION, HIS REDEEMING. AND REDEEMING, AS I SAID, WAS A WORD THAT PEOPLE COULD UNDERSTAND EASILY. AND THE WORD FAITH OR THE PHRASE BY FAITH PROBABLY ISN'T IN THE CATECHISM BECAUSE LIKE CFW WALTHER, LUTHER THOUGHT YOU DIDN'T TALK ABOUT FAITH. YOU PREACHED GOD'S LOVE THAT CREATES FAITH. THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH, HOWEVER, PERMEATES THE ENTIRE CATECHISM. NOW, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION IN 20TH CENTURY THEOLOGICAL CIRCLES ABOUT WHAT JUSTIFICATION REALLY MEANS. AND FROM EARLY DEBATES IN LUTHER'S SCHOLARSHIP IN THE 1520S ABOUT WHETHER JUSTIFICATION WAS FORENSIC OR EFFECTIVE DOWN TO THE YEAR 1999 WHEN THE JOINT DECLARATION ON THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION BETWEEN THE LUTHERAN WORLD FEDERATION AND THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH WAS SIGNED, THERE WAS A GREAT DEAL OF DISCUSSION AMONG LUTHERANS AS TO WHAT EXACTLY JUSTIFICATION MEANT. LET ME JUST TAKE A MOMENT AND TALK ABOUT THE EARLY DEBATES IN THE SO-CALLED LUTHER RENAISSANCE IN GERMAN. THERE THE ISSUE WAS DOES LUTHER BELIEVE THAT WE ARE JUSTIFIED SIMPLY BY GOD'S SAYING SO BY HIS FORGIVING OUR SINS OR DOES LUTHER BELIEVE THAT JUSTIFICATION HAPPENS WHEN WE EFFECTIVELY ARE LIVING OUT THE JUSTIFIED LIFE? FORENSIC IS A WORD WE DON'T USE A LOT IN ENGLISH. YOU MAY REMEMBER THE OLD MOVIE OR THE OLD TELEVISION SERIES QUINCY. HE WAS IN FORENSIC MEDICINE. THAT IS THE MEDICINE OF THE COURTROOM. AND IN THE 16TH CENTURY LUTHER AND OTHER LUTHERANS USED THE CONCEPT OF FORENSIC JUSTIFICATION A GOOD DEAL. NOW, ONE OF THEM, A MAN WHO WAS BRANDED A HERETIC BY HIS FELLOW LUTHERANS, ANDREW SOSANDER (PHONETIC) SAID FORENSIC JUSTIFICATION IS JUST A SHELL GAME. IF GOD JUST SAYS WE ARE RIGHTEOUS BUT WE STILL ARE SINNERS, THEN GOD IS A LIAR. SO HE REJECTED FORENSIC JUSTIFICATION. AS YOU'LL HEAR WHEN WE GET TO THE FORMULA OF CONQUERED ARTICLE 3, THE FORMULA OF CONQUERED REJECTED SOSANDER. BUT SOSANDER'S PROBLEM IS A PROBLEM CONNECTED WITH A FALSE UNDERSTANDING OF WORDS. LUTHER UNDERSTOOD FORENSIC JUSTIFICATION. HE DIDN'T USE THAT PRECISE TERM ALL THAT OFTEN. BUT HE UNDERSTOOD THE JUSTIFYING WORD OF GOD AS A RECREATIVE WORD OF GOD THAT MEANS THE WORD OF GOD THAT ESTABLISHES REALITY. AND SO THE LUTHER SCHOLAR AND LUTHER SYSTEMATICIAN GEARHARDT FERNIE (PHONETIC), HAS SAID THAT THE MORE FORENSIC, THE MORE WORD ORIENTED YOUR DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION IS, THE MORE EFFECTIVE IT IS. THAT IS, THE MORE YOU WILL SEE THE FRUITS OF FAITH IN LIFE AND ACTION. LET ME BACK UP JUST A LITTLE BIT AND TALK ABOUT THE MEANING OF THE WORD FERTIGAN (PHONETIC). THAT IS TO JUSTIFY IN LUTHER'S GERMAN. IT'S VERY MUCH PARALLEL IF YOU LOOK IN THE GREEK DICTIONARY TO THE WORK DYCHIAO AND IT'S USE IN FIRST CENTURY GREEK. TO JUSTIFY COULD MEAN TO PRONOUNCE RIGHTEOUS OR TO PRONOUNCE INNOCENT IN A COURTROOM. THOUGH EVEN THERE WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT FOR LEGAL THEORISTS, WHETHER YOU'RE GUILTY OR NOT GUILTY IN FACT, YOU BECOME INNOCENT IF THE JUDGE PRONOUNCES YOU INNOCENT. YOU HAVE ALL OF THE RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES OF A NORMAL CITIZEN. THE JUDGE THROUGH HIS WORD CREATES A KIND OF REALITY. BUT GOD DOES CREATE REALITY. IT'S NOT A KIND OF REALITY. IT IS FUNDAMENTAL REALITY WHEN GOD MAKES HIS PRONOUNCEMENT. NOW, LUTHER ALSO UNDERSTOOD THE WORD FERTIGAN AND PAUL UNDERSTOOD DYCHIAO. IF YOU LOOK IT UP IN THE DICTIONARY ONE OF THE MEANINGS OF THE WORD, TO JUSTIFY IS TO DO JUSTICE TO, TO GIVE SOMEONE WHAT THEY DESERVE. WELL, LET'S THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MOMENT. DO SINNERS GET WHAT THEY DESERVE WHEN GOD JUSTIFIES THEM? IF YOU'RE LIKE ALL THE REST OF MY STUDENTS, YOU'LL SAY, "OH, NO. WE DON'T GET WHAT WE DESERVE. WE GET MERCY." BUT ONE OF THE CLEAREST PICTURES OF GOD'S JUSTIFYING ACTION IN OUR LIVES COMES IN ROMANS 6, PARALLEL WITH COLOSSIANS 2 WHERE PAUL SAYS THE SINNER HAS DONE THE DEATH. THE SINS ARE BURIED IN CHRIST'S TOMB. WE CEASE TO EXIST IN GOD'S SIGHT. WHEN HIS WORD JUSTIFIES US AND WHEN IT RAISES US UP THEN AS SINNERS WHO HAVE BEEN BURIED, IT RAISES US UP NO LONGER AS SINNERS BUT AS HIS RISEN CHILDREN. NOW, THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT ACTIVE JUSTIFICATION FOR LUTHER CANNOT BE SEPARATED FROM THE FACT THAT THE RISEN CHILDREN OF GOD WALK IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS AS PAUL SAID IN ROMANS 6. WE ARE RAISED OR REALLY AS PAUL DEVELOPS IN THE WHOLE REST OF THE BOOK OF COLOSSIANS. IF YOU NOTICE COLOSSIANS 2:11 TO 15 IS A KIND OF CENTER POINT OF THE BOOK AND THE REST OF THE BOOK REALLY CAN BE READ AS A DESCRIPTION OF THE STRUGGLES AND THE LIFE OF THE CHRISTIAN TO LIVE AS THAT PERSON. IN CHAPTER 3, VERSE 1 AS THE PERSON WHO HAS BEEN RAISED IN FAITH TO LIVE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. SO JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH MEANS TO LIVE WITH THIS TRUST IN GOD AS THE VERY CENTER POINT AND WE CAN SAY THE MOTOR OF OUR DAILY LIVES. TO LIVE BY FAITH MEANS TO LIVE TRUSTING THE GOD WHO HAS GIVEN US THIS IDENTITY AS CHILDREN OF GOD. IT MEANS TO TRUST THE FACT THAT WE ARE HIS CHILDREN AND THAT WE HAVE THE GIFTS OF GOD THAT IT TAKES TO LIVE OUT THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. SATAN LIKES TO ATTACK US AT THAT POINT VERY OFTEN BY COMING TO US TO SAY, "WELL, IT'S NICE THAT YOU'VE GOT YOUR TICKET TO HEAVEN. IT WAS VERY KIND OF JESUS TO DIE FOR YOU. BUT JUST LOOK AT YOURSELF. YOU'RE OBVIOUSLY STILL A SINNER. YOU CAN'T DO THE WILL OF GOD. SO JUST RELAX SINCE YOU'VE GOT YOUR TICKET TO HEAVEN ANYWAY." OR HE MAY COME AT US AND SAY, "YOU ARE SO SINFUL GOD COULDN'T HAVE MEANT YOU WITH THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS. JUST FORGET ABOUT IT AND LIVE THE KIND OF LIFE I'M DESCRIBING." NOW, WE CAN TELL SATAN NO, WE ARE LIVING BY FAITH. WE ARE LIVING IN THE CONVICTION THAT GOD HAS ENABLED US AND EMPOWERS US TO BE HIS CHILDREN AND TO REFLECT HIS IMAGE IN THE LAW, INTO THE LIVES OF THOSE AROUND US, IN OUR OWN LIFE. SO EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T FIND THE TERM JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH IN THE CATECHISM, WE SEE THAT WHAT LUTHER IS WORKING AT IN HIS PRESENTATION OF JESUS CHRIST AS THE LORD WHO HAS REDEEMED US WITH HIS HOLY PRECIOUS BLOOD SO WE MAY BELONG TO HIM AND LIVE IN HIS KINGDOM UNDER HIS RULE THAT IS AND SERVE HIM IN EVERLASTING RIGHTEOUSNESS AND THIS SENSE OF BLESSEDNESS, THAT'S A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE JUSTIFIED BY FAITH. THAT IS TO BE RETURNED TO RIGHTEOUSNESS. IT MEANS THAT WE ARE RETURNED TO THE RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT GOD GIVES WITHOUT ANY MERIT OR WORTHINESS, WITHOUT ANY CONDITION AT ALL IN US. BUT THAT RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT GOD GIVES US IN RELATIONSHIP TO HIM IS ON OUR SIDE. TRUST THAT THEN CANNOT HELP BUT BUBBLE OVER INTO THE WORKS OF LOVE THAT FULFILL GOD'S PLAN FOR THE SHAPE OF HUMAN LIVING. *** 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. ***