ROUGHLY EDITED COPY CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY EDUCATION NETWORK CUENET LUTHERAN CONFESSIONS 2-21 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. *** LC2-21 >> LUTHER WRITES TOWARD THE END OF HIS EXPLANATION "HE HAS DONE ALL THIS IN ORDER THAT I MAY BELONG TO HIM, LIVE UNDER HIM IN HIS KINGDOM AND SERVE HIM IN ETERNAL RIGHTEOUSNESS." HELP ME UNDERSTAND THIS, IF YOU WOULD. WHAT IS THE END RESULT OF ALL THAT CHRIST HAS DONE FOR ME? WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BELONG TO HIM? >>DR. ROBERT KOLB: I JUST LOVE THE WAY THAT LUTHER BRINGS THE SECOND ARTICLE TO A CLOSE, JOSH. THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN OUR WORLD WHO DON'T FEEL THEY BELONG ANYWHERE OR WHO DON'T FEEL THEY FIT IN, THAT THEY ARE COMFORTABLE ANYWHERE. AND TO KNOW THAT WE HAVE A HEAVENLY FATHER ON WHOSE LAP WE CAN PLOP OURSELVES DOWN -- BETTER YET THAT WE HAVE A HEAVENLY FATHER THAT JUST COMES WITH HIS ARMS AND GRABS US AND CUDDLES ON HIS LAP IS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CHRISTIAN. PEOPLE WHO ARE DISCOURAGED, DOWN HEARTED, WHO ARE LONELY, AMERICANS LIKE TO SAY WHO ARE LOW IN SELF ESTEEM, PEOPLE WHOSE LIVES ARE RAGGED AND JAGGED AND COMING APART IN ALL SORTS OF WAYS NEED TO HEAR THAT GOD HAS A HUMAN FACE IN JESUS OF NAZARETH AND THEY NEED TO HEAR THAT THAT HUMAN FACE WENT TO THE CROSS AND FINALLY UTTERED THE WORDS "IT IS FINISHED." A HUMAN FACE ALSO THAT CAME BACK FROM THE DEAD TO PRESENT IT'S HUMAN HANDS AND SIDE TO THE DISCIPLES. WITH THAT MESSAGE, WHETHER PEOPLE HAVE BEEN CHRISTIANS FOR 12, 13 YEARS THEY HAVE LIVED ON EARTH BEFORE THEY ENCOUNTER LUTHER'S CATECHISM OR WHETHER THEY HAVE LIVED 50 OR 60 OR 70 YEARS BEFORE THEY ENCOUNTER YOUR INSTRUCTING THEM WITH THESE WORDS, THOSE WORDS -- THIS PERSON MAKES LITERALLY ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD. "THAT I MAY BE HIS OWN" WAS THE TRANSLATION I LEARNED. WE USED "THAT I MAY BELONG TO HIM" SO THAT PEOPLE IN OUR DAY AND AGE COULD UNDERSTAND THAT JESUS CHRIST HAS INDEED TAKEN US OUT OF SATAN'S TERRITORY. HAS RECLAIMED US FROM OUR FALSE CLAIMS UPON OURSELVES. HAS JUST SORT OF SET THE WORLD ASIDE AND SAID, "THIS ONE IS MINE." SO THAT WE HAVE A PLACE WHERE WE BELONG. SO THAT WE HAVE A PERSON TO WHOM WE BELONG. SO THAT WE HAVE A NEW LIFE THAT BELONGS TO US IN WHAT JESUS CHRIST DID BY LAYING HIS LIFE DOWN AND BY CLAIMING IT AGAIN FOR US. THAT TERM "FOR US," IS IMPORTANT, THOUGH IT ONLY OCCURS ONES IN THE NICENE CREED AND ONCE IN THE ATHANESIAN CREED. THE TERM FOR US IS SO IMPORTANT OR FOR YOU. WE CAN TELL PEOPLE AND WE CAN ADDRESS THEM DIRECTLY. WE ARE CALLED REALLY TO MAKE THE CONVERSATION, THE I/YOU CONVERSATION BETWEEN GOD AND OTHER PEOPLE, ACTUALLY FUNCTION. "AND SO THAT I MAY BELONG TO HIM" IS I THINK A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THE WAY WE CATECHIZE TODAY. "SO THAT I MIGHT LIVE UNDER HIS KINGDOM." WE ARE SO THANKFUL THAT WE ARE CITIZENS OF AMERICA. WE MAY HAVE ALL KINDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE TAX SYSTEM, ABOUT THE FEDERAL POLICY, ABOUT ANY NUMBER OF THINGS IN AMERICAN CULTURE THAT INCREASINGLY WE FIND TO FRET OVER. BUT WE'RE PRETTY HAPPY WE'RE AMERICANS. WE'RE PRETTY HAPPY WE LIVE UNDER THE PROTECTION OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT. WELL, WE ALSO HAVE A SOURCE OF UNENDING JOY AND A SENSE OF DEEP AND ABIDING PEACE THAT JESUS CHRIST HAS COME TO BE OUR LORD. THAT MEANS THE LORD OF OUR LIVES. THE ONE WHO DEFENDS AND PROTECTS US. THE ONE WHO DEMANDS OF US, TOO. BUT THE ONE WHO SIMPLY RULES, GUIDES, STEADIES, UPHOLD, DOES ALL OF THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THIS PHRASE TO LIVE UNDER HIM, THAT IS UNDER HIS RULE OR IN HIS KINGDOM. AND TO BE A TRUE HUMAN BEING MEANS TO ACCEPT THE RESPONSIBILITIES THAT GOD HAS GIVEN US. GOD IS INDEED RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING IN THIS UNIVERSE. HE IS THE LORD AND MASTER, THE CREATOR. BUT IN THE MYSTERY OF WHATEVER IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN, WHATEVER IT MEANS, THIS LITTLE PHRASE TO BE IN HIS IMAGE, THE BIBLE DOESN'T REALLY GIVE US MUCH DETAIL ON THAT. SO CHRISTIANS SPECULATE IN ALL SORTS OF DIRECTIONS. BUT WHATEVER IT MEANS, IT MEANS THAT WE ALSO HAVE FULL AND TOTAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE SPHERE OF LIFE WHICH HE HAS GIVEN TO US. I SUPPOSE YOU COULD SAY TALKING ABOUT GOD'S TOTAL RESPONSIBILITY IS TALKING ABOUT THE GOSPEL IN A KIND OF BROAD SENSE PERHAPS. BUT TALKING ABOUT HIS RESPONSIBILITY AS CREATOR ISN'T GOSPEL IN THE NARROW SENSE OF THE TERM. THAT'S THE WORK OF JESUS CHRIST AND THE HOLY SPIRIT BRINGING US THE BENEFITS OF CHRIST. BUT GOD'S GOOD NEWS FOR US TALKS ABOUT HIS RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALL THINGS. BUT LUTHER IS ALSO VERY CLEAR THAT GOD HOLDS US RESPONSIBLE AS HIS CREATURES. AND SO IT'S NOT JUST A MATTER OF BELONGING TO HIM AND SERVING AND LIVING IN HIS KINGDOM. BUT WE ALSO SERVE HIM IN NOT JUST TEMPORAL RIGHTEOUSNESS, INNOCENCE AND BLESSEDNESS, WE ARE MADE HIS CHILDREN ETERNALLY ALREADY. AND IN THAT NEW IDENTITY WE HAVE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS, INNOCENCE AND BLESSEDNESS OF ETERNITY, WE ARE ALREADY HERE AND NOW SERVING HIM. BECAUSE AS WE'VE JUST SAID, HE HAS FREED US FROM ALL OUR ENEMIES. AND HE HAS FREED US FOR THAT KIND OF HUMAN LIVING. AND THAT'S GOT TO BE, JOSH, THE SOURCE OF UNENDING JOY FOR US. THE FACT THAT OUT OF THESE SINNERS GOD HAS COME TO CHOOSE YOU AND ME TO BE HIS VERY OWN. THAT HE HAS SELECTED US OUT OF THIS WHOLE MASS OF SINFUL HUMANITY TO BE HIS PRECIOUS CHILDREN AND TO SIT ON HIS LAP. THAT IS SUCH A WONDERFUL BLESSING WE CAN HARDLY BELIEVE IT. AND WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THAT, THE THRUST THAT RESPONDS TO THAT IS CERTAINLY GOING TO BLOSSOM INTO A LIFE OF THE FRUITS OF FAITH. *** 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. ***