ROUGHLY EDITED COPY CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY EDUCATION NETWORK CUENET LUTHERAN CONFESSIONS 2-26-27 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. *** LC2-26-27 >> LUTHER SPENDS QUITE A FEW WORDS TALKING ABOUT THE CHURCH IN HIS EXPLANATION OF THE THIRD ARTICLE. WHY? IS THERE SOMETHING HERE THAT CAN BE OF PARTICULAR HELP TO US AS WE WORK WITHIN OUR OWN CONGREGATIONS? >>DR. ROBERT KOLB: IN THE LIGHT OF AMERICAN INDIVIDUALISM, I THINK THIS POINT IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT, DAVID. WE THINK OF OURSELVES, FIRST OF ALL, AS INDIVIDUALS. AND I THINK THAT'S BIBLICAL. IN FIRST CORINTHIANS 15 PAUL IS ACTUALLY DOING A HIT ON THE GNOSTICS WHO THOUGHT WE WOULD LOSE OUR INDIVIDUALITY AND SORT OF BE ABSORBED OUT OF OUR BODIES. OUR SPIRIT OR SOUL WOULD BE ABSORBED OUT OF OUR BODIES INTO THE GREAT SPIRIT OR SOUL IN THE SKY. THAT'S NOT A TECHNICAL GNOSTIC TERM. SO THE FACT THAT WE ARE INDIVIDUALLY CHILDREN OF GOD IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. BUT IN AMERICA WHERE WE REALLY HAVE ENOUGH MONEY I THINK TO THINK THAT WE CAN GET ALONG ON OUR OWN, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE REMEMBER THAT RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE HUMAN STORY GOD SAID "HEY, IT'S NOT GOOD THAT ADAM BE ALONE." AND HE CREATED US, GENESIS 2:18, FOR HUMAN COMMUNITY. AND SO WHEN GOD RESTORES US TO THE FULLEST OF OUR HUMANITY THROUGH THE GIFT OF FAITH THROUGH HIM, WHEN HE MAKES US THE WAY ADAM AND EVE WERE IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN BY LEADING US TO CENTER OUR LIVES AND TRUST IN HIM AND ORIENT OUR WHOLE LIVES TO TRUST IN HIM, THEN HE ALSO REMINDS US IN THE WORD OF SMALL CATECHISM THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT KEEPS THIS WHOLE CHRISTIAN CHURCH ON EARTH WITH JESUS IN ONE COMMON TRUE FAITH. IN ONE COMMON ORIENTATION GIVEN TO US IN OUR BAPTISMS, PRACTICED IN OUR FAITH TOWARD THE ONE LORD THAT RULES OUR LIVES. AND SO DAVID, AS YOU WORK WITH THE MEMBERS OF YOUR CONGREGATION, I THINK IT'S A CONTINUAL BATTLE IN OUR PARTICULAR NORTH AMERICAN CULTURE TO REMIND THEM THAT THEY DON'T JUST COME INTO THIS WORLD AS INDIVIDUALS. THEY COME INTO THIS WORLD IN A WONDERFUL TAPESTRY OF HUMANITY. THE WARP AND WOOF IS CAREFULLY LAID BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. AND IN OUR CONGREGATIONS WE HAVE A SPECIAL PART OF THE FAMILY OF GOD. AND WE LIVE THERE. WE LIVE TOGETHER SO THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT CAN THROUGH ONE ANOTHER BRING THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS. MY -- BRING FORGIVENESS OF SINS AND TO ME AND TO ALL BELIEVERS. AND IT IS CLEAR THAT I AS AN INDIVIDUAL ON THE LAST DAY THEN WILL BE RAISED UP IN THE COMPANY OF ALL OF THE SAINTS. THIS EMPHASIS IN LUTHER'S CATECHISM, ESPECIALLY IN THE LARGE CATECHISM, AS WELL, PAVES THE WAY FOR US TO HELP PEOPLE LEARN TO AID AND ASSIST ONE ANOTHER BY SHARING THE WORD OF GOD WITH ONE ANOTHER. BY SHARING OTHER THINGS, THEIR TIME AND TALENTS AND TREASURES WITH ONE ANOTHER IN THE LOCAL CONGREGATION. BUT LUTHER ALSO KNEW THAT INDIVIDUALS AND INDIVIDUAL CONGREGATIONS ARE PART OF THE MUCH LARGER CHURCH. AND WE ARE LINKED TOGETHER IN THE MISSION TO WHICH GOD CALLS US TO BRING LIGHT AND SALT TO THE WORLD. TO BRIDGE THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL TO THE WORLD. THE CHURCH IS BORN IN THE ACTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ON PENTECOST AS THROUGH PETER'S WORDS THE PEOPLE WHO WERE BROUGHT TO FAITH ARE THEN SENT INTO THE WORLD BACK TO THEIR HOME COUNTRIES, BACK TO THEIR NEIGHBORS IN THEIR OWN HOMES SO THAT THEY MIGHT SHARE THE WORD OF GOD. AND THAT'S OF COURSE PACKING A LOT INTO JUST A FEW WORDS FROM LUTHER'S SMALL CATECHISM. BUT AS WE READ OTHER WORKS OF HIS, WE KNOW THAT THAT'S THE CONTEXT IN WHICH HE WROTE THIS BRIEF SUMMARY FOR THE CHILDREN OF GERMANY AND FOR ALL OF US IN SUBSEQUENT LUTHERAN HISTORY. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH, DR. KOLB. BUT LET ME ASK, IS THIS ALL WE ARE TO UNDERSTAND FROM THE THIRD ARTICLE OF THE CREED? >>DR. ROBERT KOLB: WELL, OF COURSE, DAVID, LUTHER WAS BOUND TO THE TEXT OF THE CREED. HE WAS EXPLAINING THE CREED. THIS IS REALLY ALL ABOUT THE CREED, FIRST OF ALL, NOT LUTHER'S EXPLANATION. SO HE GOES ON INDEED. AS WE LOOK PARTICULARLY I THINK AT THE -- AT THE LARGE CATECHISM, WE SEE HOW LUTHER SAYS, FOR INSTANCE, IT IS THE OFFICE OR THE FUNCTION OF THE -- AND THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TO BEGIN AND DAILY TO INCREASE THE HOLINESS OF THE CHURCH BY FORGIVING SINS WITHIN THE BODY OF CHRIST. SO LUTHER PICKS UP ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THE WORDS "THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS" IN THE CREED. THAT'S WHERE THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION IN A SENSE REALLY COMES THROUGH. EARLIER WE TALKED ABOUT WHY THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION IS NOT HERE IN THE TEXT. AND IT'S STILL NOT HERE IN THE TEXT OF THE THIRD ARTICLE, THE TERM JUSTIFICATION. BUT LUTHER UNDERSTANDS THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS AS THAT WHICH RESTORES US TO RIGHTEOUSNESS IN GOD'S SIGHT. TAKING AWAY OUR SINS DOESN'T LEAVE US IN SOME NEUTRAL POSITION. WE DON'T MOVE FROM SINNER TO STAND SOMEWHERE BETWEEN GOD AND SATAN. NO, THERE ARE ONLY TWO POSSIBILITIES. WITH SINS FORGIVEN WE HAVE BECOME THOSE HUMAN BEINGS WHO ARE TRUSTING IN OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. AND WE CAN LIVE THE KIND OF LIFE THAT WE DESIGNATE AS A HOLY LIFE. AND THEN LUTHER GOES ON TO TALK ABOUT THE RESURRECTION AS IT'S SAID IN THE GERMAN CREED OF THE FLESH. AND HE POINTS OUT THAT FLESH IS A WORD FOR MEAT AND THAT GERMANS DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT CORRECTLY THOUGH THEY STILL USE THE TERM IN THAT WAY 400 YEARS LATER. IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO NOTICE THAT LUTHER'S CATECHISM FOCUSES ON DAILY LIFE IN THIS WORLD. ESPECIALLY AS IT MOVES TOWARD DAILY DEVOTIONS AND OUR DAILY EXERCISE OF OUR CALLING TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER IN OUR HOMES AND JOBS AND OUR COMMUNITY AND CONGREGATION. BUT LUTHER'S FAITH IS IN A GOD WHO RAISES FROM THE DEAD. LUTHER'S FAITH IS IN A GOD WHO DOES NOT LEAVE US SIMPLY HERE ON EARTH BUT ASSURES US OF THE HOPE OF HEAVEN. LUTHER'S FAITH IS A FAITH THAT LOOKS TO THE LAST DAY WHEN ALL THE PEOPLE ON EARTH WHOM GOD HAS CHOSEN TO BE HIS OWN, TO WHOM HE HAS GIVEN THIS RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HIM AND US, A RELATIONSHIP OF TRUST AND FAITH ON OUR PART. THAT'S WHERE THE CREED FINALLY LANDS. THAT'S TO WHICH THE CREED AIMS. THE COMPLETION OF THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS IN THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD. AND THAT IS OUR HOPE. THAT IS OUR FAITH. THAT WHILE GOD IS WITH US HERE ON EARTH AND HE IS WITH US AS FULLY AS HE EVER WILL BE, WE WILL BE ABLE TO ENJOY THE FULLNESS OF HIS PRESENCE FIRST WHEN WE GET TO HEAVEN. AND SO LUTHER'S BRINGING THE THIRD ARTICLE TO ITS CONCLUSION IS REALLY A SHOUT OF TRIUMPH THAT COMES FROM THE EXPERIENCE OF THE CROSS, THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING LAID IN CHRIST'S TOMB AS BAPTIZED SINNERS. BUT WE DON'T REMAIN THERE. WE DON'T LOSE OUR IDENTITY. WE HAVE IDENTITY RESTORED AS CHILDREN OF GOD. AND CHILDREN OF GOD WHO WILL LIVE WITH HIM FOREVER. *** 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. ***