UNIT VII - Conversion & Sanctification - The Work of the Holy Spirit
The Natural Condition of Man
Conversion - The Work of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Ghost Works Through the Means of
Grace
Faith
Sanctification - the Work of the Holy Spirit
The Causes of Sanctification
Saint and Sinner at the Same Time
Preservation in the Faith
Why Some and Not Others
"I believe that I cannot by my own thinking or choosing believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to Him. But the Holy Ghost has called me by the gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church He daily and fully forgives all sins to me and all believers. On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead; and He will give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true." (M. Luther, The Small Catechism, 1529)
No human being can by his own reason or strength decide to believe in Jesus Christ. "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." (I Corinthians 2:14) Natural man is, even at his best, spiritually blind, dead, and hostile to the things of God for his salvation. (cf. II Corinthians 4:1-4; Ephesians 2:1-5; Romans 5:6-10) There is no dormant spiritual strength or energy that might be roused to produce the spark of faith. By himself, man is spiritually helpless and hopeless.
Nonetheless, just as it is not natural for men to admit that they are sinners who deserve eternal punishment from God so it is not natural for them to believe that they can be saved only by what Christ has done for them. The Lutheran Confessions call this deadly delusion "the opinion of the Law", an instinctive inclination to spurn the grace of God and depend upon man's own efforts instead. (cf. Apology to the Augsburg Confession, IV, 146) It is this attitude of work righteousness that is really at the heart of man's enmity against God. Scripture firmly rejects "synergism" (man working with God for his own salvation) in every form. By nature, sinful man is incapable of accepting Jesus. "No one can say, 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit." (I Corinthians 12:3; cf. also Genesis 8:21; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 7:14,18,22-23; 8:7; Galatians 5:17).
"Free will by its own natural powers can do nothing for man's conversion, righteousness, peace, and salvation, cannot co-operate, and cannot obey, believe, and give assent when the Holy Spirit offers the grace of God and salvation through the Gospel. On the contrary, because of the wicked and obstinate disposition with which he was born, he defiantly resists God and His will unless the Holy Spirit illuminates and rules him. For this reason the Holy Scriptures compare the hearts of unregenerated man to a hard stone (Ezekial 26:26; Jeremiah 5:3), which resists rather than yields in any way to human touch, or to an unhewn timber (Hosea 6:5), or to a wild, unbroken animal (Psalm 73:22)." (Formula of Concord, SD,II,18-19)
Faith is a free gift of God. Man comes to faith through the work of God the Holy Ghost.
"Holy Scriptures ascribe conversion, faith in Christ, regeneration, renewal, and everything that belongs to its real beginning and completion in no way to the human powers of the natural free will, be it entirely, or one half, or the least and tiniest part, but altogether and alone to the divine operation and the Holy Spirit." (Formula of Concord, SD,II, 25)
Conversion - The Work of the Holy Spirit
The Bible contains many different terms which describe that work of the Holy Spirit by which He changes the spiritually blind, dead, and resisting unbeliever into a believing child of God. Once again, the variety of terminology serves to highlight different dimensions of what God does to bring men to faith and enriches our understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit.
1. Conversion - God's action in turning the sinner away from sin and unbelief to faith and new life in Christ. "You were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." (I Peter 2:25; cf. also Psalm 51:13; Jeremiah 31:18; Acts 3:19; 11:21; 15:3)
2. Regeneration - God's action in causing the unbeliever to be "born again" to faith and new life in Christ. "You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring Word of God." (I Peter 1:23; cf. also John 3:3-6; Titus 3:5)
NOTE: Every believer in Jesus Christ is "born again". Contrary to the notion widespread among pentecostals today, to be "born again" means to come to faith and does not refer to some later spiritual experience which separates Christians into two different categories.
3. Quickening - God's actionf in making a believer out of an unbeliever raises him from death to life. "When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ." (Colossians 2:13; cf. also Ephesians 2:4,5; I John 3:14)
4. Enlightenment - God's action in removing the spiritual blindness of natural man by bringing him to faith in Christ Jesus. "I am sending you to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive the forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me." (Acts 26:18; cf. also Isaiah 9:2; John 1:14; 8:12; 2 Corinthians 4:6; I Peter 2:9)
The Holy Ghost Works Through the Means of Grace
The Bible teaches that the Holy Ghost uses the means which God has established to create faith in the hearts of men. Instead of working immediately and directly, which would leave us dependent on purely subjective experience, God has chosen to convey the blessings of the redemption which Christ has won for us through the Gospel in Word and Sacrament. We call these channels which convey God's undeserved love to us the Means of Grace.
"Sanctify them by the truth; Your Word is truth." (John 17:17)
"Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ." (Romans 10:17)
"You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring Word of God." (I Peter 1:23)
"He saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit." (Titus 3:5)
"He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'" (Matthew 26:27-28)
"Through the Word and the Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Ghost is given, who works faith where and when it pleases God, in them that hear the Gospel." (Augsburg Confession, V, 1530)
"God does not wish to deal with us otherwise than through His spoken Word and the Sacraments." (Smalkald Articles, VIII, 10, 1536)
Knowledge: To Know the True God As Revealed In His Word
"Faith comes through hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of Christ."
Romans 10:17)
Acceptance: To Accept the Bible as the Word of God
"You accepted it not as the word of men but as it actually is, the Word of God." (I Thessalonians
2:13)
Trust: To Trust in God with the Firm Confidence that all of His Promises Will
Be Fulfilled For Me
"I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted
to Him for that day." (2 Timothy 1:12)
"We believe, teach, and confess, that faith is not a mere knowledge of the stories about Christ, but the kind of gift of God by which, in the Word of the Gospel, we recognize Christ aright as our Redeemer and trust in Him, so that solely because of His obedience, by grace, we have forgiveness of sins, are regarded as holy and righteous by God the Father, and shall be saved eternally." (Formula of Concord, Epitome, III, 4, 1577)
SANCTIFICATION THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The term "sanctification" (Latin - "to make holy") refers to the spiritual growth of the believer which follows upon justification. This process of renewal is the work of God the Holy Spirit through which the Christian is restored, step by step, in the image of God, righteousness of life, and holiness of conduct. While justification takes place outside of man as God declares him to be righteous for Christ's sake, sanctification is divine action within man, Christ in us, as by faith we become participants in the death and resurrection of our Lord. Christ's action in me (Sanctification) is the necessary result of Christ's action for me (Justification). The two are inseparably connected to one another.
"Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to do this more and more...It is God's will that you should be holy...For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you His Holy Spirit." (I Thessalonians 4: 1,3,7-8)
"May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it." (I Thessalonians 5: 23-24)
"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10)
"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." (Galatians 6: 7-10)
"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such a faith save him?...In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action is dead...Show me your faith without deeds and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that and shudder...As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." (James 2: 14, 17-19, 26)
"Our churches teach that this faith is bound to bring forth good fruits and that it is necessary to do the good works commanded by God. We must do so because it is God's will and not because we rely on such works to merit justification before God, for forgiveness of sins and justification are apprehended by faith, as Christ Himself also testifies, 'When you have done all these things say, 'We are unworthy servants' (Luke 17:10)." (Augsburg Confession, VI)
God who creates faith also produces sanctification by His infinite power. "For it is God who works in you both to will and to act according to His good purpose." (Philippians 2:13) (cf. also I Thessalonians 5:23-24; Ephesians 2:10) God must make the unwilling willing. He must give the strength and power to conquer sin. When a Christian fights against temptation, when with his heart he confesses his sin with sorrow, when he rejoices in Jesus Christ and in gratitude to his Savior wishes to glorify the Savior's name, when the Christian is moved to help his neighbor, to be forgiving - it is God who works these things in him. The Holy Spirit, promised to believers as a precious gift by the Savior, teaches them and brings to their remembrance the words of Christ (John 14:26); guides them into all truth and glorifies Christ (John 16:13,14); and, fills them with His gifts (I Corinthians 12:7-11). As the Spirit of prayer (Zechariah 12:10) He teaches believers to pray (Romans 8:15,26). As the Spirit of adoption He strengthens their confidence that they are children of God (Romans 8:16). As the Spirit, not of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7) He strengthens them in their daily battle against their flesh (Galations 5:16-18, 22) and works in them righteousness, peace, and joy (Romans 14:17). As the Spirit of the God of hope (Romans 15:13) he enables them to abound in hope through His power (Romans 15:13).
But in this work of sanctification the Christian also plays a part. In conversion, man experiences the working of God in a completely passive way. In sanctification God calls the believer to play an active role, using the gifts and abilities conferred upon him by the Holy Spirit. Thus Scripture urges God's people to "grow in grace" making the best possible use of the gifts which He has given.
"As God's fellow workers, we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain." (2 Corinthians 6:1)
"Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." (2 Corinthians 7:1)
"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed - not only in my presence, not now much more in my absence - continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling." (Philippians 2:12)
"Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you." (1 Timothy 4:14)
"Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen." (2 Peter 3:18)
"From this it follows that as soon as the Holy Spirit has initiated His work of regeneration and renewal in us through the Word and the holy sacraments, it is certain that we can and must co-operate by the power of the Holy Spirit, even though we still do so in great weakness. Such co-operation does not proceed from our carnal and natural powers, but from the new powers and gifts which the Holy Spirit has begun in us in conversion, as St. Paul expressly and earnestly reminds us, 'Working together with Him, then, we entreat you not to accept the grace of God in vain.' (1 Corinthians 6:1) This is to be understood in no other way than that the converted man does good, as much and as long as God rules him through His Holy Spirit, guides and leads him, but if God should withdraw His gracious hand man could not remain in obedience to God for one moment. But if this were to be understood as though the converted man co-operates alongside the Holy Spirit, the way two horses draw a wagon together, such a view could by no means be conceded without detriment to the divine truth." (Formula of Concord, SD, II, 65,66)
Saint And Sinner At The Same Time
(Simul Justus Et Peccator)
Sanctification is progressive but never perfect. The Christian is a saint, clothed with the righteousness of Christ, whose righteousness, or perfect obedience, is imputed to him by faith. But at the same time, he remains a sinner, though his sin is covered through forgiveness in Christ. The sinful nature, with which all men are conceived and born, is not done away with when a person is born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Its guilt is forgiven, but the "Old Adam" remains, always attempting to drag us back into the old way of sin. The conflict between that which we have become in Christ ("New Man") and that which we are by nature ("Old Adam") is the daily reality of the Christian life.
"I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate, I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do, this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. In my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ, our Lord!" (Romans 7:15-25)
"I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)
"The sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other." (Galatians 5:17)
"He who stands firm to the end will be saved." (Matthew 10:22)
The Bible plainly teaches that it is possible for a believer to fall away from the faith (apostasy). A persistent pattern of willful, deliberate sin will destroy a faith relationship with the Lord. The effect of impenitent sin on the spiritual life of the believer is cumulative. If sin is allowed to dominate the heart is "hardened" and repentance becomes all the more difficult. The further one departs from Christ the more difficult it is to return. (cf. Romans 1:18-32; Ephesians 4:17-32) The Law in Scripture sternly warns those who are complacent and self-righteous to repent lest they forfeit salvation.
"Those on the rock are those who receive the Word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away." (Luke 8:13)
"My dear children for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you." (Galatians 4:19)
"You may fight the good fight of faith, holding on to a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme." (1 Timothy 1:19-20)
"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction." (Galatians 6:7)
"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed - not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence - continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling." (Philippians 2:12)
"So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall." (1 Corinthians 10:12)
"It is therefore necessary to know and to teach that when holy people, aside from the fact that they still possess and feel original sin and daily repent and strive against it, fall into open sin (as David fell into adultery, murder, and blasphemy), faith and the Spirit have departed from them. This is so because the Holy Spirit does not permit sin to rule and gain the upper hand in such a way that sin is committed, but the Holy Spirit represses and restrains it so that it does not do what it wishes. If sin does what it wishes, the Holy Spirit and faith are not present, for St. John says, 'No one born of God commits sin; he cannot sin.' Yet, it is also true, as the same St. John writes, 'If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." Smalkald Articles,III,III,43-44)
"Our churches condemn the Anabaptists who deny that those who have once been justified can lose the Holy Spirit, and also those who contend that some may attain such perfection in this life that they cannot sin." Augsburg Confession,XII,7)
"It is very necessary that this gospel be preached to those in our day who know the gospel, to me and others like me, who can teach and train all the world and consider themselves very close to God, as having entirely devoured God's Spirit, with feathers and bones...For this judgement strikes at what lies deepest in the heart of man, the spiritual self-conceit, which in poverty, disgrace, and misfortune - and just because of this - regards itself as first...It reaches very high and strikes very fine people; yes, it terrifies the most eminent saints, for Christ is here addressing this warning to his apostles. We see how fear has here gripped the greatest saints, and how many have here fallen from their high spiritual estate...They fell because of the vicious, insidious deception by which they became secure and thought; We have become so close to God that there is no longer any danger...Behold how Saul fell! How he allowed David to fall! How Peter had to fall! How several disciples of Paul fell!" (M. Luther, Kirchen Postille, 1543. St. Louis Edition, Vol. XI, Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis
In contrast to the stern warnings of the Law, the Biblical Gospel assures the humble believer that his salvation is sure because it rests solely upon the promises of God. The God who has called us to faith and who accomplishes His work of sanctification within us also keeps and preserves us in the true faith to life everlasting. Hence the security of our salvation does not depend upon the intensity of our faith, the frequency of our good works, or the holiness of our lives. The salvation of the Christian is certain because it depends on the grace and power of God alone!
"In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade - kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:3-5)
"And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. To Him be the power forever and ever. Amen." (1 Peter 5:10-11)
"Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6)
"He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ is faithful." (1 Corinthians 1:9)
"But the Lord is faithful and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one." (2 Thessalonians 3:3)
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all of creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)
The doctrine of preservation in the faith as it is taught in Holy Scripture appears to present us with a contradiction. Those passages which warn against falling from the faith are difficult to harmonize with the texts that assure us that God will preserve us in the faith. The Biblical dialectic of Law and Gospel reflected in the doctrine of preservation in the faith is to some extent an indication of the on-going tension between saint and sinner (cf. p.83) which exists in the life of every Christian.
"Thus the Christian must learn to live in constant tension between these two. When he begins to lean over to the left, toward pride and presumption and confidence in the strength of his faith, and to trust in his own character, then the warnings against apostasy, the Savior's 'Watch and pray lest ye enter into temptation,' pushes him upright once more. But usually man, even the Christian man, whose heart is never fully what it ought to be, begins then to lean over to the right - he becomes afraid and begins to doubt that he will ever make it to the gates of the heavenly city. Once again the Savior comes and stands on the other side to support him and to push him upright with his promise, 'Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God' (Isaiah 41:10). And he knows that when his pilgrimage comes to an end, 'all the trumpets' will be blowing 'for him on the other side'." (Siegbert Becker, The Foolishness of God. Milwaukee: 1982, Northwestern Publishing House. Used By Permission)
Although reason cannot comprehend, by faith we accept both God's warnings and His promises as completely true. In a choice between that which is reasonable and that which is Biblical, the Christian will always choose to stand upon the solid rock of God's inspired Word.
Why are some people saved while others are damned? ("Cur alii, alii non?") This perplexing question has troubled Christian thinkers for many centuries. It has aptly been called the "cross of the theologians" ("crux theologorum"). The itch to answer the "cross of the theologians" has led many astray. We must be content with what Scripture says, bowing in humble adoration before the superior wisdom of God (Romans 11:33). The pertinent Scriptural principles may be summarized as follows:
1. There is no difference among men. All are sinners who have fallen far
short of the glory of God and deserve only death and damnation.
"Just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way
death came to all men, because all sinned." (Romans 5:12; cf. 8;7; Ephesians 2:3; Psalm
51:5)
2. God desires the salvation of every human being. There is no difference in His
attitude toward men.
"This is good and pleases God our Savior who wants all men to be saved and to come to
the knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:3-4; cf. John 3:16)
3. All those who are saved were chosen for salvation by God, given faith as a free
gift of His grace, and preserved in that faith by the power of the Holy Spirit.
"But join me in suffering for the Gospel by the power of God, who has saved us and
called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of His own
purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time."
(1 Timothy 1:8-9; cf. Romans 8:28-30; Ephesians 1:11-14; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17)
4. Whoever is lost is damned by his own fault because he has rejected the
truth and spurned God's salvation.
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how
often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her
wings, but you were not willing." (Matthew 23:37; cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12; Acts
7:51; Hosea 13:9)
"But whenever something in the discussion of this subject soars too high and goes beyond these limits we must with Paul place our finger on our lips and say, 'Who are you, a man, to answer back to God?'" (Formula of Concord,SD,XI,63)