THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
The Third Article of the Apostles Creed reads as follows:
I believe in the Holy Spirit; the holy Christian church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
Martin Luther in his “Small Catechism” in reference to the Third Article writes,
“What does this mean?
I believe that I cannot by my own understanding or effort believe in Jesus Christ my Lord, or come to him. But the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, and sanctified and kept me in true faith.
In the same way he calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keep it united with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.
In this Christian church day after day he fully forgives my sins and the sins of all believers. On the last day he will raise me and all the dead and give me and all believers in Christ eternal life.
THIS IS MOST CERTAINLY TRUE.”
If nothing else sets us apart from all the others who claim the name of “Christian” this statement by Luther certainly does. The so called Christian world is run amok with the notion of free will. That is, that we are responsible for our relationship with God. That somehow we “have to do something” in order to be connected with God. OR we have to do something in order to maintain our relationship to God. The idea that God does it ALL is deeply offensive to something deep within us.
These words of Luther drive to that something deep within us and confronts and kills it. Luther’s words take EVERYTHING AWAY FROM US and turns around and GIVES US EVERYTHING. That something deep within us that is so offended is “the old Adam” or “the old Eve.”
God has two works he performs on each one of us. One is called his “alien work” and the second is called his proper work. The ALIEN WORK is to bring the full force of the Law of God down on us so that we are judged and condemned as the worst of sinners. The Holy Spirit works through his Law to kill us, to put that old Adam and old Eve to DEATH. Romans 7 is a remarkable description of that work through the Law to kill. “Sin, seeking opportunity through the Law, seduced me and through the commandment killed me” Paul writes.
The second work of God is his PROPER WORK and that is the declaration of the Gospel. It is the announcement of forgiveness and new life in Christ. Paul put so well in Galatians chapter 2:19-20, where he writes, “I through the Law died to the Law that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ, I don’t live any longer. IT is CHRIST who lives in me!”
To have to do anything is a LAW and it means we are still alive and able. To be severed from the Law means we are dead and unable to do anything. Therefore the life in us is another’s, CHRIST HIMSELF.
Luther’s statement beginning with “What does this mean?” takes everything away from us and then declares the HOLY SPIRIT works everything in us. He is the mediator of the presence of Christ within us as our new life. For without the mediation of the Holy Spirit Christ would be one to be imitated by us. Then we would rise up and seek to make Christ real in our life and conduct. As a consequence, we would then be thinking and acting as if we are still alive!
The Holy Spirit mediates Christ in us so that He is one to whom we are being conformed. All this is being done to us because we are DEAD and can do NOTHING.
II Corinthians chapter 3 is a remarkable description of this by Paul where he writes, “Now where the Spirit of the Lord is there is FREEDOM. And we all with unveiled faces reflecting as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are BEING transfigured into HIS IMAGE from one degree of glory to another and ALL this comes from the LORD who is the SPIRIT!”
©Richard J. Smith
