Full Text for Confessions 2- Volume 23 - What does Luther mean when he says the Holy Spirit sanctifies us? (Video)

ROUGHLY EDITED COPY CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY EDUCATION NETWORK CUENET LUTHERAN CONFESSIONS 2-23 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. *** LC2-23 >> WHAT DID LUTHER MEAN WHEN HE SAID THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT SANCTIFIES US? I THOUGHT SANIFICATION WAS SOMETHING WE DO. OUR GOOD WORKS, THE STUFF WE DO EVERY DAY TO TRY TO BE A GOOD PERSON. OUR RESPONSE AND THE RESULT OF OUR FAITH. AREN'T THEY? ISN'T THAT SANIFICATION? >>DR. ROBERT KOLB: YES, IT IS, JOSH. AND THE -- IN THE WAY WE OFTEN TALK. THE WORD SANIFICATION HAS A VARIETY OF MEANINGS ALREADY IN THE SCRIPTURE IT'S USED IN DIFFERENT WAYS. AND IT'S VERY INTERESTING THAT LUTHER DOES USE THE VERB TO SANCTIFY WITH THE HOLY SHIRT AS A ITS SUBJECT IN THE SMALL CATECHISM EVEN THOUGH YOU AND I THINK NORMALLY IN OUR NORTH AMERICAN RELIGIOUS CULTURE THINK OF SANIFICATION AS THE RESULT OF GOD'S JUSTIFICATION. IT'S THE RESULT, AS YOU SAY, JOSH, OF WHAT CHRIST HAS DONE AS THE BENEFITS THAT HE WON FOR US ON THE CROSS COME TO FRUITION IN OUR FAITH. AND THAT'S WHY IT'S SO INTERESTING TO NOTE HOW LUTHER TALKS ABOUT WHAT WE DO AND HOW WE ACT IN THE -- IN THE SMALL CATECHISM. THE LINES, FOR INSTANCE, I AM TO THANK AND PRAISE, SERVE AND OBEY GOD ARE NOT PART OF THE THIRD ARTICLE OF WHERE WE TALK ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT. THAT SIMPLY DESCRIBES OUR HUMANITY AS GOD CREATED US THAT I MAY BELONG TO HIM AND LIVE UNDER HIM IN HIS KINGDOM AND SERVE HIM, THAT'S DIRECTLY AS WE'VE JUST SAID A RESULT OF THE SECOND ARTICLE OF WHAT CHRIST HAS DONE FOR US. THE THIRD ARTICLE TALKS REALLY SIMPLY ABOUT THE ACTIVITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND WHAT IT DOES TO OUR IDENTITY AS A CHILD OF GOD. THE WHOLE OUTFLOW FROM THAT IN OUR DAILY LIVES IS TREATED IN THE REST OF THE CATECHISM WE MIGHT SAY. WE MIGHT SAY THAT THE THIRD ARTICLE IS AN OPEN-ENDED ARTICLE THAT BEGINS BY DISCUSSING PRAYER AND THEN TALKS ABOUT OUR LIFE IN AND THROUGH THE WORD OF GOD ESPECIALLY IN THE SACRAMENTS. AND FINALLY THEN MOVES ONTO THE LAST TWO SECTIONS OF THE CATECHISM, THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR DAILY DEVOTIONS AND THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR FULFILLING OUR CHRISTIAN CALLINGS. SO IN THE THIRD ARTICLE LUTHER HIMSELF TACKLES THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. AND TALKS ABOUT WHAT HE DOES FOR US. YOU KNOW, JOSH, IT'S OFTEN SAID YOU LUTHERANS DON'T HAVE A DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. THAT'S OF COURSE NOT TRUE AT ALL, LUTHER HAD A VERY RICH AND EXPANSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND HIS ROLE IN OUR LIVES, PARTICULARLY IN HIS GIVING US THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS, REESTABLISHING OUR IDENTITY AS CHILDREN OF GOD THROUGH THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS AND THEN ALSO IN LEADING US INTO THE LIFE OF SANCTIFICATION THAT CORRESPONDS TO THE USAGE OF THE WORD THAT YOU AND I ARE PROBABLY MOST FAMILIAR WITH. *** 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. ***