When I first wrote something about the topic of
“sanctification” at the beginning of March (“Would Paul want pastors to preach
and teach about good works?”;
http://surburg.blogspot.com/2013/03/would-paul-want-pastors-to-preach-and.html),
I really had no idea about how much division was out there in the Lutheran
blogosphere regarding this topic.
I must
confess that I was completely unaware about Pastor Jordan Cooper’s very fine
blog “Just & Sinner” (
http://justandsinner.blogspot.com/2013/04/further-clarifications-on-sanctification.html)
in which he had already dealt extensively with these issues.
I have since learned that in many ways my
work complements his.
Pastor Jordan tends to
focus on the issue from the view of dogmatic theology, and he has already done
the heavy lifting in this area.
My work
focuses more on the exegesis of biblical texts and I have only marshaled
additional biblical evidence that addresses the topic.
In the course of reading what others have written on blogs,
and interacting with those authors on blogs and Facebook, I have come to
understand that there are real divisions.
To be sure some of these divisions have been caused by interlocutors
speaking past each other because each is concerned to maintain some distinct,
yet complementary focus. Some have been
caused by personalities involved in the discussion (those who are willing to
speak out on topic like this tend not to be wall flowers). But at the same time I have also become
convinced that there are also some very substantive and important disagreements
that find their source in correct and incorrect readings of Scripture and the
Lutheran Confessions.
It has become clear to me
that the discussion of this topic has now arrived at a stage where it is
producing more heat than light. I think
the time has come for people to take a break from public discussion in order to
think about and study the topic more in light of what has been said thus
far. I am going to do just that. Certainly I will revisit these topics again in
the future, but only at a later date and in a gradual way. Before taking a break I want to pull together
my observations about the differences that exist and
why they matter. I would also like to provide clarification on some
points where, perhaps, there has been misunderstanding.
I entered into this discussion because I kept seeing
language that spoke negatively about preaching that urged and taught Christians
to live in ways that reflect God’s will.
As someone whose post-seminary graduate work focused on Paul’s letters,
I found this particularly disturbing since this is the very thing that Paul
(and the New Testament for that matter) do all the time. In addition I kept hearing three linked
emphases: 1) People are utterly sinful 2) The law kills 3) There is only
Christ. The preaching task amounted to using the law to kill sinners by showing
them their sin so that in Christ they would receive forgiveness. Now this is certainly true. But it is not the only thing that is
true. In these discussions, I heard no
real place for the new man and no real recognition that the Holy Spirit actually
does something to us when he regenerates us. In addition, I did not hear a recognition
that the Law is also is a tool the Spirit uses to help the Christian – who is
both old man and new man at the same time – live in ways that reflect God’s
will.
Naturally since I have been speaking for the balance found
in the full biblical and Confessional view,
I have been emphasizing how God uses the Law to help Christians to live
in ways that are true to God’s will. I
have also emphasized the fact that through the work of the Spirit the new man is
able to live in this way. I have found
that this immediately causes a strong reaction from some people. Because of the background of errors about the
Law and works in Roman Catholic, Reformed and various versions of American
evangelical theology, there are those who hear the full biblical and
Confessional teaching as being a denial of Christ and the Gospel, and as being
simply another version of these false teachings.
So let me first say that what I have written deals with
matters that are a consequence and result of the Gospel and
justification. The Gospel and justification stand at the
center of what it is to be Lutheran. It
is only on account of Christ through the work of the Spirit that a Christian
can do anything that pleases God. The
Spirit creates and sustains faith through the Means of Grace. It is through the Means of Grace that we
receive forgiveness and our lives continually return to those Means of Grace
because that is where Christ is present for us. Everything in the Christian
life finds its source there and there can be no Christian life apart from
it.
A. Sanctification, new obedience and “sanctification”
I realize now that some of the disagreement has been caused
by confusion and concerns about nomenclature. Those with whom I have interacted
have made the excellent point that in the Scriptures (1 Cor 6:11) and in the
Confessions (such as the Small Catechism’s explanation to the Third
Article of the Creed) the primary manner in which the word “sanctification” is
used is to describe the way the Holy Spirit makes the believer holy in Christ
by creating and sustaining faith. Justification has been provided on account of
Christ. The Spirit applies this
justification to the individual through the Means of Grace and through this
work the believer stands forgiven and holy in Christ before God.
Now it is true that Scripture does use the word
“sanctification” to describe the holy life that results from regeneration and
faith (1 Thess 4:3). It is also true
that the Lutheran dogmatic tradition has used the term this way. However, because this is not the main way
that Scripture and the Confessions use the term, and because this is the term
used by other Christian for an incorrect understanding it is best not to use
the word to refer to Christian life that is produced by the Spirit in
Christ. Instead, “new obedience” is the
title given to this in Article VI of the Augsburg Confession and so it is a
better choice.
B. Regeneration by the Spirit and cooperation in new
obedience
The difference, however, runs far deeper and is more
significant than mere nomenclature. Both
sides in this discussion confess the divine monergism of justification (it is
only God’s work in Christ that justifies and not human actions). Both sides confess the divine monergism of
sanctification as defined above (it is only the Holy Spirit who works faith,
regenerates the individual and in so doing applies Christ’s saving work). But in discussions it has become clear that
there are many who then carry divine monergism into the new obedience of the
life a Christian now lives. They
only speak about what the Holy Spirit does in producing new obedience and do
not allow for any cooperation by the new man of the regenerated
believer. The individual Christian as
an individual is completely lost and is swallowed up by the work of the
Spirit (in fact in the discussion of new obedience those who speak in this way
use language that is similar to some forms of mysticism where the individual is
completely lost in God). Naturally this reveals that they have a very
different understanding about what regeneration is and means.
The problem is that this stands in contradiction to
Scripture, the Lutheran Confessions and the Lutheran dogmatic tradition. The Scriptures teach that the individual
Christian is both new man and old man at the same time (Rom 7:13-23; Gal
5:16-17; Col
3:5-15). In Christ through the work of
the Spirit the new man knows God’s will and lives according to it. Because they
are individuals in whom the old man still exists, this new life does not occur
perfectly and instead occurs in the midst of struggle and weakness. Naturally, the Lutheran Confessions also
present this view of Christians as old man and new man at the same time (for
example FC SD II.84-85; VI.6-8).
While it is true that we must always add all of the caveats
about how the presence of the old man impacts the individual Christian, this
does not change the fact that in regeneration the Spirit has actually done
something to the individual and brought about a change. Paul writes in Rom 7:22-23, “For I delight in
the law of God, according to my inner man (κατὰ τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον), but I see in my members
another law waging war against the law of my mind (τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ νοός μου) and making me captive to the
law of sin that dwells in my members.”
Paul goes on to say in Rom 8:5-6, “For those who are according to the
flesh think the things of the flesh (τὰ τῆς σαρκὸς φρονοῦσιν), but those who are
according to the Spirit think the things of the Spirit (τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος). For the mind of the flesh (τὸ γὰρ φρόνημα τῆς
σαρκὸς) is death, but the mind of the Spirit (τὸ δὲ φρόνημα τοῦ πνεύματος) is life and peace”
(Romans 8:5-6). The subject doing the thinking does not cease to be the
individual. Paul says that “they
think” (the φρονοῦσιν
of 8:5a must be supplied in 8:5b). Regenerated by the Spirit the new man now is
able to think in the ways of the Spirit, namely, the things that reflect God’s
will. True, it is only through the
continuing work of the Spirit that this is possible, because otherwise the old
man, the mind of the flesh will gain complete control as he does in the
non-Christian. Nevertheless, the existence of the individual as new man is not
lost. Regenerated, sustained and led by
the Spirit, the new man is able to begin to cooperate in the new
obedience that faith produces.
This is the position of the Lutheran Confessions. The Formula of Concord states: “Indeed, if
the faithful and elect children of God were perfectly renewed through the
indwelling Spirit in this life, so that in their nature and all their powers
they were completely free from sin, they would need no law and therefore no
prodding. Instead, they would do in
and of themselves, completely voluntarily, without any teaching,
admonition, exhortation, or prodding of the law, what they are obligated to do
according to God’s will, just as in and of themselves the sun, the moon and all
the stars follow unimpeded the regular course God gave them once and for all,
apart from any admonition, exhortation, impulse, coercion, or compulsion. The
holy angels perform their obedience completely and of their own free will”
(FC SD VI.6).
For this reason, when it comes to new obedience the Lutheran
Confessions say that the new man in the individual cooperates with the
Spirit in new obedience.
Justification is a result of divine monergism. Sanctification is a result of divine
monergism. But new obedience takes place
through synergism of the new man working with the Spirit. It is rather astonishing that there could be
any disagreement on this point since the Formula of Concord explicitly uses the word cooperation:
“On the one hand, it is correct to say that in conversion
God changes recalcitrant, unwilling people into willing people through the
drawing power of the Holy Spirit, and that after this conversion the reborn
human will is not idle (wiedergeborner Wille nicht m
üßig gehe) in
the daily exercise of repentance but cooperates (auch mitwirke)
in all the works of the Holy Spirit which he performs through us” (FC Ep
II.17).
“For when the Holy Spirit has effected and accomplished
new birth and conversion and
has altered and renewed (ae
ändert und erneuert)
the human will solely through his divine power and activity, then the
new human will is an instrument and tool of God the Holy Spirit, in that the
will not only accepts grace
but also cooperates (mitwirket)
with the Holy Spirit in the works that proceed from it” (FC Ep II.18).
“In follows from this, as has been said, that as soon as
the Holy Spirit has begun his work of rebirth and renewal in us through the
Word and the holy
sacraments, it is
certain that on the basis of the his power
we can and should be cooperating
with him (mitwirken k
önnen und sollen)
,
though still in great weakness.
This
occurs not on the basis of our fleshly, natural powers but on the basis of the
new powers and gifts which the Holy Spirit initiated in us in conversion, as
St. Paul specifically and earnestly admonished, that “as we work together with”
the Holy Spirit “we urge you not to accept the grace of God in vain” [2 Cor.
6:1]” (FC SD II.65).
“It has been sufficiently explained above how God makes
willing
people (Willige)
out of rebellious and unwilling people through the drawing power of the Holy
Spirit, and how after this conversion of the human
being the reborn will is
not idle (nicht m
üßig gehe)
in daily practice of repentance but
cooperates (mitwerke)
in all the works of Holy Spirit that he accomplishes through us” (FC SD
II.88).
The
Formula speaks in this way because, as we have seen above, the new man in the
regenerate person is able to live according to God’s will. The Formula says about believers, “This is
true also because they act in a God-pleasing way – not because of the coercion
of the law but because of the renewal of the Holy Spirit – without coercion,
from a willing heart insofar as they are reborn in their inner person. At the
same time they continually do battle against the old creature” (FC SD VI.23;
see also FC Ep. VI.7).
Now
there is no doubt that the new man is able to do this only because of the
Spirit’s regeneration and because of the continuing work of the Spirit in the
individual. It is also clear in the Confessions that it is the Spirit who leads
the new man in doing these things. The
Formula clarifies the language of “cooperation” by saying, “This should be
understood in no other way than that the converted do good to the extent that
God rules, leads, and guides them with his Holy Spirit. If God would withdraw his gracious hand from
such people, they could not for one moment remain obedient to God. If this passage were understood as if the
converted person cooperates alongside the Holy Spirit, the way two horses draw
a wagon together, this interpretation could not be tolerated without damaging
the divine truth” (FC SD II.66). It is also apparent in the Confessions that
this cooperation is necessary because of the continuing presence of the old man
(see FC SD VI.6 above). Nonetheless,
because of the change that Spirit has worked and sustains in the new man the
Confessions in unambiguous language say that the new man cooperates with the
Spirit.
Because
of these statements in the Book of Concord it should not surprise us to
learn that, the standard teaching throughout the Lutheran dogmatic tradition
maintains that new obedience occurs as a result of cooperation by the new man
with the work of the Spirit. It is synergistic. The following are a mere sample:
Chemnitz:
"But how can good works be done by us, when the devil stalks us with his
snares, the world is full of offenses, and sin itself dwells in our flesh?
First of all it is necessary that the person be reconciled
to God through faith for the sake of Christ.
For thus the Holy Spirit is given in reconciliation itself (Gl 3:2, 14; Tts
3::5-6); He purifies and renews hearts (Acts 15:8-9; Ps 51:10; Eph 4:23; Eze
36:26); He will kindle new affections in [your] heart, that it submit itself to
the Law and divine obedience (Ro 6:17; 7:22). For a tree must first be good,
before goof fruits come forth from it (Mt 7:18; 12:33). But after the Holy
Spirit has already begun in us that work of renewal, we also can and should add
our effort, by following the leadership of the Holy Spirit and mortifying the
works of the flesh through the Spirit (Rom 8:13; 12:2; 2 Ptr 1:5; 2 Ti
1:6). For through these exercises God wants to preserve and increase in us His
gifts by the grace, power, and help of the Holy Spirit (1 Co 15:10; Mt 25:21,
29)."
Gerhard: “In this way the question pertains to the reborn who, we do not deny,
are coworkers [συνέργους] with God in good works, because the will,
now freed from the yoke of sin, cooperates by virtue of new powers granted by
the Holy Spirit.”
Quenstedt: “The Holy Spirit
produces in man, without human concurrence, the power to produce good works an
the first act of sanctification;
but man concurs in the second act of
sanctification, or in the exercise and continuance of it, when once introduced
by the Holy Spirit … The regenerate man co-operates with God in the work of
sanctification, not by an equal action, but in subordination and dependence on
the Holy Spirit, because he works, not with native but with granted powers.”
Hollaz: “Good works are not
actions free from the necessity of obligation or duty, but are said to be
actions from the necessity of constraint (because they are not extorted by the
threats of punishment, or externally, and in appearance, performed contrary to
will), and of immutability (since the will is no longer determined to the
constant thought and preparation of evil, as before conversion;
but can
freely choose and do good works by supernatural strength, received from the
Holy Spirit; can likewise choose evil works by the remains of the flesh,
still adhering to it, since it is not determined to good as the angels are);
and
are performed by the regenerate, freed from the servitude of sin by the
Holy Spirit (John 8:36; Rom. 6:18; 2
Cor. 3:17”).”
Schmid: “Finally, it is a
work of God in man,
yet of such a nature that there is a free co-operation
on the part of man, who now in conversion has received new spiritual powers.”
Pieper: “Good works are
God’s work.
He is the
causa efficiens
of them.
While the new man of the Christian co-operates in performing them,
this co-operation is so completely subordinate to God’s operation that the Christian does the
good only so far and long as God works in and through him.”
Those who wish to argue that there is no cooperation by the
new man in new obedience need to be candid in acknowledging that they are
proposing a reading of the Lutheran Confessions that contradicts the Lutheran
dogmatic tradition. The great burden of
proof falls on them because they are advancing a reading that contradicts the
plain statements of the Confessions themselves, and of the way Lutherans have
historically read them.
C. Growth and increase in new obedience
In the discussion about new obedience, I have called
attention to texts in Paul that speak of both the wish that Christians will
increase in new obedience and also the fact that Christians have indeed done
this. This has drawn a reaction, both
from those who hold the new position about new obedience/”sanctification” mentioned
above, and also by those who believe and teach the Lutheran teaching as
expressed in the Confessions and understood in the Lutheran dogmatic tradition.
The place to begin when considering this is Scripture which
contains verses that explicitly indicate that an increase in new obedience is a
goal in Christian life and that this also does in fact occur. As I have described in an earlier post
(“Mark's thoughts: Paul and love - evidence for deepening and growth in
sanctification”; http://surburg.blogspot.com/2013/04/marks-thoughts-paul-and-love-evidence.html)
this is particularly evident in Paul’s discussion of love. For Paul is it axiomatic that love is the
fulfillment of the law. He says this in
both Romans 13:8-10 and Galatians 5:13-14 (naturally this goes back to our
Lord, Matthew 22:34-40). It
is not surprising then that Paul focuses upon love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
where he writes words that any Lutheran recognizes to be Law – they are saying
what we must do. We find that Paul
understands “love” to be not merely an emotion but instead an activity –
activity directed primarily toward others.
Yet because of what Paul believes about what it means to be
“in Christ” and to have the Holy Spirit at work in the individual, he
explicitly expresses the expectation and wish that Christians will increase
in love. Based on what Paul says
about love in Romans 13:8-10 and Galatians 5:13-14, this will therefore also be
an increase in the fulfillment of the Law.
Paul writes in Philippians 1:9-10:
“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more (ἵνα ἡ ἀγάπη ὑμῶν ἔτι μᾶλλον καὶ μᾶλλον περισσεύῃ), with knowledge and
all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and
blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that
comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9-11
ESV).
Paul’s prayer is that the Philippians will increase in love and this is
linked to the desire that they be filled with “the fruit of righteousness”
(meaning either “righteous fruit” or “the fruit which is righteousness”; cf.
Galatians 5:22-23 and the fruit of the Spirit). We note also that this is
described as occurring “through Jesus Christ” which grounds this increase in
Jesus Christ and his saving work. We
have clear evidence in this text that Paul’s hope is that Christians will
increase in love, and so naturally this should be ours as well.
In a similar manner, Paul writes in Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12:
“Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone
to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another
(Περὶ δὲ τῆς
φιλαδελφίας οὐ χρείαν ἔχετε γράφειν ὑμῖν, αὐτοὶ γὰρ ὑμεῖς θεοδίδακτοί ἐστε εἰς
τὸ ἀγαπᾶν ἀλλήλους), for that indeed is what you are doing to all
the brothers throughout Macedonia (καὶ γὰρ ποιεῖτε αὐτὸ εἰς πάντας τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς [τοὺς] ἐν ὅλῃ
τῇ Μακεδονίᾳ). But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more (περισσεύειν μᾶλλον),
and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with
your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before
outsiders and be dependent on no one.
(1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 ESV)
In this text Paul affirms that the Thessalonians are loving
one another and the Christians in Macedonia, and he then expresses
the desire that they do so more and more – that there be an increase in this
manner of life. Here again we have clear evidence
in this text that Paul’s hope is that Christians will increase in love, and so
naturally this should be ours as well.
Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13:
“Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to
you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and
for all, as we do for you (ὑμᾶς δὲ ὁ κύριος πλεονάσαι καὶ
περισσεύσαι τῇ ἀγάπῃ εἰς ἀλλήλους καὶ εἰς πάντας, καθάπερ καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς ὑμᾶς), so that he may establish
your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of
our Lord Jesus with all his saints” (1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 ESV).
Again, this is explicit textual evidence for Paul’s hope that Christians
increase in love (Paul’s desire for them expressed with an optative of
wish). More importantly for our
discussion, not only does Paul express the wish that this increase will happen
for the Thessalonians, but he also states that it is true for him, Silvanus
and Timothy. It is not a hypothetical
possibility or wishful thinking, but something that is true for Paul and his
companions.
Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians 1:3-4:
“We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right,
because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for
one another is increasing (ὅτι ὑπεραυξάνει ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν καὶ
πλεονάζει ἡ ἀγάπη ἑνὸς ἑκάστου πάντων ὑμῶν εἰς ἀλλήλους). Therefore we
ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and
faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring” (2
Thessalonians 1:3-4 ESV).
In this text Paul not only speaks about increasing love, he also asserts
that this is true of the Thessalonians. This is occurring among them
and it is something that Paul can even boast about in the Churches of God.
Here again is explicit biblical evidence that an increase of love (new
obedience) does occur among Christians.
However, “love” is not the only way this is expressed. Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8:
“Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord
Jesus (ἐρωτῶμεν ὑμᾶς καὶ
παρακαλοῦμεν ἐν κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ), that as you received from us how you
ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing (καθὼς καὶ περιπατεῖτε), that you do so more and
more (ἵνα περισσεύητε μᾶλλον).
For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is
the will of God, your sanctification (τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ, ὁ ἁγιασμὸς ὑμῶν):
that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to
control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the
Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in
this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you
beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but
in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who
gives his Holy Spirit to you.”
(1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 ESV)
This is an important text for several reasons. First, Paul expresses that the Thessalonians are
walking in the way they should and that this is pleasing to God. Naturally this does not mean they are perfect
but it shows that those in Christ are able to live in ways that Scripture is
willing to describe as the very thing they should be doing. Second, we must note that Paul exhorts them to
do this more and more. This shows
that it is entirely Scriptural to tell Christians that they should strive to
live in God pleasing ways. Finally, we
must observe that the life that is going to increase is described as sanctification,
where the content of this word is explained by means of behaviors that they are
and are not to do.
Finally, 2 Peter 1:5-8 says:
“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement (ἐπιχορηγήσατε)
your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with
self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with
godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with
love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing (ταῦτα γὰρ ὑμῖν ὑπάρχοντα καὶ πλεονάζοντα), they
keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord
Jesus Christ.”
(2 Peter 1:5-8 ESV)
In this text, Peter commands Christians to be growing in the
qualities of new obedience in light of what God has done for them (1:3-4,
9). There is the explicit expectation
that Christians will not only have these qualities such as love, but also that
they will be increasing in them.
Because the Scriptures explicitly speak of increase in new
obedience, the Confessions do as well.
An obvious example to begin with is Apology IV.136 which states, “We
openly confess, therefore, that the keeping of the law must begin in us and
then increase more and more (quod necesse sit inchoari in nobis et subinde
magis magisque fieri legem). And we
include both simultaneously, namely the inner spiritual impulse and the outward
good works.”
Statements like this are not rare in the Confessions. For example:
“Besides, we have sufficiently
shown above that we maintain that good works must necessarily follow
faith. For we do not abolish the law,
Paul says [Rom. 3:31], but we establish it, because when we receive the Holy
Spirit by faith the fulfillment of the law necessarily follows, through
which love, patience, chastity, and other fruits of the Spirit continually grow”
(Ap. XX.15) (emphasis mine).
“The Holy Spirit will remain with
the holy community or Christian people until the Last Day. Through it he
gathers us, using it to teach and preach the Word. By it he creates and
increases holiness, causing it daily to grow and become strong in faith and
in its fruits, which the Spirit produces” (LC II.53) (emphasis mine).
“Consequently, nothing is so
necessary as to call upon God incessantly and to drum into his ears our prayer
that he may give, preserve and increase in us faith and fulfillment of the Ten
Commandments and remove all that stands in our way and hinders us in this
regard” (LC III.2) (emphasis mine).
“Now, when we enter Christ’s
kingdom, this corruption must daily decrease so that the longer we live
the more gentle, patient, and meek we become, and the more we break away from
greed, hatred, envy and pride” (IV.67) (emphasis mine).
“The Holy Spirit will remain with
the holy community or Christian people until the Last Day. Through it he
gathers us, using it to teach and preach the Word. By it he creates and
increases holiness, causing it daily to grow and become strong in faith and
in its fruits, which the Spirit produces….”
In these words the catechism makes no mention whatsoever of our free
will or our contribution but ascribes everything to the Holy Spirit, namely,
that through the ministry of preaching he brings us into the Christian
community, in which he sanctifies us and brings about in us a daily increase
in faith and good works” (FC SD II.37-38) (emphasis mine).
“Although those born anew come even
in this life to the point that they desire the good and delight in it and
even do good deeds and grow in practicing them, this is not (as we
mentioned above) a product of our own will or power; but the Holy Spirit, as
Paul says himself, ‘is at work in us to will and work’ (Phil. 2[:13])” (FC SD
II.39) (emphasis mine).
When we consider texts like these in the Scriptures and
Confessions, we must bear several things in mind. First, they are the result of
justification by grace through faith apart from works, and sanctification
through the work of the Spirit. Because God has justified and sanctified
Christians, they now live in new obedience.
It is faith active in love (Gal 5:6) through the work of the Spirit and
it has nothing to do with merit for salvation.
Second, these are not statements that lead to despair
because they are spoken to Christians whose daily life is focused on Christ
and the ways that he is present for us with forgiveness through his Means of
Grace. When there is failure and
sin, we return to the Word, to Holy Baptism, to Holy Absolution and to the
Sacrament of the Altar. Christ and the Means of Grace are what make growth and
increase possible and they provide forgiveness when we fail.
Third, these texts lead to a recognition that, yes, it is
possible to see growth and increase in new obedience. It does happen and it can be seen. We see it in the lives of other Christians
and in our own lives. If we are inclined
to say that no we don’t, then we need to listen to what Scriptures says does
happen. This is linked to a robust
view of regeneration which believes that the Spirit actually does something to
the believer. There is the expectation among
some Lutherans that growth in new obedience will never be seen because of our
sinful condition. This contradicts the
text of Scripture. I would also argue
that it contradicts our own experience as we observe the lives of others and
ourselves. We do see failures and
regression. But we also see growth and
deepening as we continue to grow in faith toward Christ.
Fourth, striving to grow in new obedience is a good thing.
It is what Scripture tells us to do and is what the Holy Spirit wants us to do. As stated above in the second point, this
does not lead to despair because it is lived as part of a life that is daily
centered on Christ and his Means of Grace.
Fifth, this new obedience takes place in the setting of
vocation. The fruits of the Spirit and
work of love occur in ordinary and unimpressive ways. Yet in these very acts of service, sacrifice
and compassion we see the new obedience at work.
Finally, language about growth and increase does not mean
that it is constant and uninterrupted. As
Paul indicates there is struggle and the old man remains a powerful opponent
(Galatians 5:16-17; Romans 7:13-25). The
Formula acknowledges in the same article where it has just said that Christians
“do good deeds and grow in practicing them” (FC SD II.39): “Because in this
life we receive only the first fruits of the Spirit and our rebirth is not
complete but rather only begun in us, the struggle and battle of the flesh
against the Spirit continues even in the elect and truly reborn. For one can detect not only a great
difference among Christians – one is weak, another strong in the Spirit – but
within each Christian who is at one moment resolute in the Spirit and at
another fearful and afraid, at one moment ardent in love, strong in faith and
hope, and at another cold and weak” (FC SD II.68). It may even be that as the Christians grow in
faith they become more perceptive of their sin and so while new obedience is
growing they perceive the exact opposite in themselves. In the face of these
kinds of situations, Scripture affirms what is really happening – a truth that
may in fact seem contrary to the perceptions of the individual Christian.
D. Law and Gospel
A fundamental problem for some Lutherans in thinking about
new obedience is that the dialectic of Law and Gospel takes an extreme form and
is imposed on texts in such a way that the only movement acknowledged in
every text is from the Law showing people their sin to the Gospel giving
them forgiveness. I mentioned earlier
that I have often heard three linked emphases: 1) People are utterly sinful 2)
The law kills 3) There is only Christ.
This threefold emphasis is then summarized by the concept “Law and
Gospel” which is then imposed on every text.
Every text is approached with the assumption that the readers/hearers
are being addressed as sinners.
In every text, the law kills the sinner by showing the sinner his or her
own sin. Then the Gospel gives forgiveness to the now repentant sinner.
The problem is that exegetically, not every text moves in this
specific way – in fact many do not.
Such
an exegetical approach often contradicts the movement and logic of the text
itself. Titus chapters 2 and 3 provide an excellent illustration of this (I
have provided a more extended discussion of these chapters in “Would Paul want
pastors to preach and teach about good works?”;
http://surburg.blogspot.com/2013/03/would-paul-want-pastors-to-preach-and.html).
Titus is to set in order the newly founded
churches on Crete by placing pastors (1:5).
In the letter, Paul then provides instruction about what Titus and the
pastors on Crete are to preach and teach.
Within
the section 2:1-10, Paul describes how
different groups of Christians are to live. He wants this to be preached and
taught to the new Christians.
Paul proceeds to
give the reason why the Cretan Christians should live in this way – it is
because of the Gospel. He introduces
2:11-14 with the word “for” (γὰρ in Greek) as he explicitly
introduces the reason and says: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing
salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly
passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present
age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God
and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all
lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are
zealous for good works.” They are to
live this way because of what God has done for them in Christ.
After drawing the section 2:1-15 to a close with the
inclusio at 2:15 (“speak these things”; cf. 2:1 “speak that which is fitting
for sound teaching”), Paul then returns to the topic of living the Christian
life in 3:1-2. This time he frames the
discussion in terms of general instructions about living as a Christian in
society by referring to being submissive to rulers. Like 2:6-10 and 2:11-14, in 3:3-8 Paul again
provides the reason that Christians are to act in manner described in
3:1-2. The reason (introduced by “for’ [γάρ
in Greek]) is the Gospel, and specifically the Gospel as it has been received in baptism. Paul says that Christians were once sinful
and lost in every way (3:3). Then he
goes on to say, “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior
appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but
according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the
Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the
hope of eternal life” (3:4-7).
Throughout the letter as Paul has given instructions
to Titus about what he and the pastors on Crete are to teach the people, he has
repeatedly emphasized good works and Christian conduct (2:6-10, 12, 14;
3:1-2). Yet now he makes clear that we
have not been saved on the basis of
works that we have done in righteousness (3:5).
Instead, it is on the basis of God’s mercy that he has saved us through
baptism – a washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit (3:5). The
saving action of God in Christ is the reason that the Christians on Crete are now to live in this way.
It’s important to recognize that this preaching and
teaching on Crete is not going to be directed
at unbelievers. Instead is directed at baptized
Christians (3:5). Paul wants this
preaching and teaching done, not in order to convict people of their sin.
Instead his goal is that Christians will live in these ways. In fact, Paul wants them to live in these
ways in order to achieve another purpose. He wants believers to do it
because Christian conduct impacts how the Gospel is perceived and
received. Young women need to live the
ways taught by Titus so “that the word of God may not be reviled [literally “blasphemed]”
(2:5). Titus is to serve as a model of
this conduct “so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to
say about us” (2:8). Slaves are to act
in this way “so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our
Savior” (2:10).
Paul’s own statements exhorting Christians to live in
ways that reflect God’s will such as Romans 12-13, Galatians 5-6, Ephesians 4-6
and Colossians 3-4 all function in the same way as the instruction he gives to
Titus about preaching and teaching. They
are written to Christians and provide instruction about life that results from
God’s salvation in Christ through the work of the Spirit.
Lutherans have frequently treated the text of these chapters
as if their perlecutionary intent is
to convict people of their sin (second use of the Law). However in the context of the Paul’s letters
their goal is in fact to have Christians live in the ways described. It is certainly often the case that sinners
hear these texts and the result is
that they are convicted of their sin.
However, we should not identify this as Paul’s primary purpose in texts like these. So for
example, when Paul writes, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this
is right” (Ephesians 6:1 ESV), his goal is not to make children realize that
they break the Fourth Commandment. It is
instead to lead Christian children to obey their parents because of what Christ
has done for them.
E. Third use of the Law – the Law does help Christians to
live according to God’s will
Everything thing we have discussed thus far comes together
in the question of how pastors should address Christians in their preaching and
teaching. Should pastors exhort and
encourage Christians to engage in the life of new obedience – to live according
to God’s will? The answer of Paul and
the New Testament as a whole is clearly yes.
I do not know any Lutherans who would explicitly answer “no”
to this question. The problem is that in
the way they talk about the Law some Lutherans precede to do this very
thing. This occurs in at least three
distinct, yet similar ways. First, (as
mentioned above) for some Lutherans the Law is exclusively a negative entity –
the law kills. True, it serves an
important purpose in dealing with the sinner, but its role remains entirely negative. By contrast, Christ and the Gospel are of
course the ultimate positive things.
This is the true focus of the Christian life. For this reason any
language that exhorts and encourages Christians to live according to God’s will
is rejected. It is regarded as the
foolish act of “running to Mt. Sinai” when instead the Christian needs more
Christ. We are told that they “need more Jesus,” not more Law.
Second, some Lutherans comment that only the Holy Spirit can
determine how the Law is going to be applied to the individual. The pastor’s effort to decide whether a word
of Law is intended to convict sin (second use of the law) or lead to new
obedience (third use of the law) is irrelevant.
Only the Holy Spirit can determine this. At the end of the day Law is
Law, and pastors dare not leave their hearers with the Law.
Finally, because it is through the Gospel that the Holy
Spirit regenerates and then supports the new man in faith and the new obedience
it produces (Galatians 5:6), it is commonly said that if you want people to
live in new obedience, you need to give them more Gospel - not Law. After all, the Law kills and it can’t give
life. Only the Gospel does this and so
only the Gospel can produce the life of new obedience.
All three of these approaches contain the truth that the
Gospel in the Means of Grace is the only instrument the Holy Spirit uses to
regenerate the individual. It is true
that the Gospel is the only means by which the Spirit sustains faith and works new
obedience in the Christian. It is also
true that it is only through the Gospel as the individual is in Christ that
person can do anything that God considers to be god.
Both sides of the discussion believe this. And it is for this reason that both sides
have a theology that is squarely focused on Christ and his Means of Grace. We disingenuously create straw men to knock
down if we think otherwise. The
difference between the two positions is not to be found in the value placed on
the Gospel and the means by which the Spirit delivers forgiveness and
strengthens faith.
The difference is found in the fact that the traditional
Lutheran view sees the Law as having a positive role in working new
obedience. The Christian is new man
and old man at the same time. The new
man needs no instruction. As the Formula says, if “in their nature and all
their powers they were completely free from sin they would need no law” (FC SD
VI.6). However, the Christian still has
the old man who hinders the new man and fights against him. The Formula comments, “Since, however,
believers in this life are not perfectly, wholly, completive vel
consummative [completely or entirely] renewed – even though their sin is
completely covered by the perfect obedience of Christ so that this sin is not
reckoned to them as damning, and even though the killing of the old creature
and the renewal of their minds in the Spirit has begun – nonetheless, the old
creature still continues to hang on in their nature and all of its inward and
outward power” (FC SD VI.7).
As new man, the Christian is able to live according to God’s
will, freely and joyously. The Formula
states, “This is also true because they act in a God-pleasing way – not because
of the coercion of the law but because of the renewal of the Holy Spirit – without
coercion, from a willing heart insofar as they are reborn in their inner
person. At the same time they
continually do battle against the old creature” (FC SD VI.23).
The presence of the old man is the reason that the Law is
needed in order to help the Christian live in new obedience. Now before
proceeding, let me emphasize that we are talking about a Christian. The setting in which the Christian lives is
that of the Gospel as it is received in the Means of Grace. Any analysis of what will now be said
about the Law that loses sight of this fact has missed the key point
altogether.
Because the baptized Christian still has the old man, that
old man needs to be repressed and subdued so that the new man can live in ways
that reflect God’s will. The Law is the
instrument God has given to do this. The
Solid Declarations observes, “Therefore, in this life, because of the desires
of the flesh, the faithful, elect, reborn children of God need not only the
law’s daily instruction and admonition, its warning and threatening. Often they also need its punishments, so
that they may be incited by them and follow God’s Spirit, as it is written,
‘It is good for me that I was humbled, so that I might learn your statutes’
[Ps. 119:71]” (FC SD VI.9) (emphasis mine). Or as the Epitome puts it,
“Likewise, it is necessary so that the old creature not act according to its
own will but instead be compelled against its own will, not only
through admonition and threats of the law but also with punishments and
plagues, to follow the Spirit and let itself be made captive (1 Cor. 9[:27]; Rom. 6[:12]; Gal.
6[:14]; Ps. 119[:1]; Heb. 13[:21]” (FC Ep VI.4) (emphasis mine). The proper function of the law is reproof and
so, “The Holy Spirit admonishes them to do these works, and where because of
the flesh they are lazy, indolent, and recalcitrant, he reproves them through
the law” (FC SD VI.12). Through the Law
the Spirit also prevents the old man from creating his own good works and
focuses the Christian on the life of service in vocation (FC Ep VI.4).
And so in reply to the first and third opinions noted above,
the answer must be given that when dealing with a Christian who lives
in the setting of the Means of Grace the exhortation of the Law is a good
thing. It is God’s instrument that
suppresses the old man so that the new man and all that it means to be in
Christ can manifest itself in life. When
dealing with the Christian in this situation (the Christian who lives
life grounded in the Means of Grace) it is not true that the only thing they
need in order to live in new obedience is “more Gospel.” Instead, because they still have the old man,
the Christian will also need the suppressing power of the Law.
It is critical when considering the previous statement, that
we recognize there is a difference between confessional Lutheran application of
the Law for new obedience, and that of other Christian traditions like American
evangelicalism. The Lutheran third use
of the law has the Gospel and the Means of Grace as its foundation. This is the source of the new man and the
means by which he is sustained. The Law
is applied in order to suppress the old man, thereby assisting the new man in
his struggle. This is very different
from holding out the Law as the means to holiness which a person now
achieves by their own power, will and struggles.
In answer to the second opinion, it must of course be
granted that only the Holy Spirit determines how the Law will actually be
applied to the individual. Yet this does
remove the fact that the speaker or writer knows the goal he intends to achieve
in the hearer or reader. The intent of
the speaker is not in question, and when that intent is modeled on what
Scripture does, one can scarcely question it. When Paul writes, Husbands, love
your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians
5:25 ESV), there is no question about what Paul’s intent is. He wants husbands to live their wives in a
sacrificial manner. If it is acceptable for the apostle to speak this way to
Christians, then it must be acceptable for pastors today to speak this way
too. More than that, if Paul spoke this
way, then pastors should speak this way as well. If a particular understanding of Lutheran
theology makes one hesitant to do this (or worse yet causes a person to be
opposed to it), then that theology must be reexamined because it does not
correspond to Scripture and what the Lutheran Confessions teach.
And so as I conclude, I have returned to the point at which
I entered into this discussion. Paul and the New Testament provide frequent
exhortation, encouragement and teaching about living in new obedience. If the arguments for the new Lutheran
understanding of new obedience/“sanctification” are correct, then the writers
of Scripture really don’t know what they are doing. Their practice contradicts the very things
the new understanding asserts. On the
contrary, Scripture instead provides the model for the way we are to preach and
teach, and therefore exhortation to new obedience will be part of Lutheran
preaching and teaching Because it is
found in Scripture, this is also the position of the Lutheran Confessions. As the Epitome says, “For particularly in
these last time it is no less necessary to admonish the people to Christian
discipline and good works and to remind them how necessary it is that they
practice good works as a demonstration of faith and their gratitude to God than
it is to admonish them that works not be mingled with the article of
justification” (FC Ep IV.18).
Martin Chemnitz, Ministry, Word and Sacraments: An Enchiridion (tr. Luther Poellot; St. Louis: Concordia Publishing
House, 1981), para. 199; pg. 101
(emphasis mine).
