ROUGHLY EDITED COPY
CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY EDUCATION NETWORK
CUENET
LUTHERAN CONFESSIONS 2-20
DR. ROBERT COLB
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LC2-20
> SAY, SOMETHING JUST OCCURRED TO ME. WE'VE CERTAINLY HEARD
BY NOW THAT JUSTIFICATION IS THE DOCTRINE BY WHICH THE CHURCH
STANDS OR FALLS. WE ALL KNOW HOW IMPORTANT A PROPER
UNDERSTANDING OF JUSTIFICATION WAS TO LUTHER.
SO WHY DOESN'T LUTHER MENTION JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH HERE?
IT SEEMS LIKE IT WOULD BE A VERY LOGICAL PLACE TO INSERT THE
DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION INTO THE CATECHISM.
>DR. ROBERT KOLB: IT SURE WOULD BE, NICK. AND IN A SENSE
IT'S -- IF YOU'LL PARDON MY SAYING SO -- IT'S THERE BETWEEN THE
LINES. THAT OF COURSE, DOESN'T HELP US VERY MUCH. I THINK THE
WORD JUSTIFICATION IS NOT THERE BECAUSE LUTHER DIDN'T LIKE FANCY
THEOLOGICAL TERMS, ESPECIALLY WHEN HE WAS PREACHING AND SPEAKING
TO, FOR INSTANCE, IN THIS CASE THE CHILDREN OF GERMANY.
SO HE TALKED ABOUT GOD'S JUSTIFYING ACTION, HIS REDEEMING.
AND REDEEMING, AS I SAID, WAS A WORD THAT PEOPLE COULD UNDERSTAND
EASILY. AND THE WORD FAITH OR THE PHRASE BY FAITH PROBABLY ISN'T
IN THE CATECHISM BECAUSE LIKE CFW WALTHER, LUTHER THOUGHT YOU
DIDN'T TALK ABOUT FAITH. YOU PREACHED GOD'S LOVE THAT CREATES
FAITH.
THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH, HOWEVER,
PERMEATES THE ENTIRE CATECHISM. NOW, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF
DISCUSSION IN 20TH CENTURY THEOLOGICAL CIRCLES ABOUT WHAT
JUSTIFICATION REALLY MEANS. AND FROM EARLY DEBATES IN LUTHER'S
SCHOLARSHIP IN THE 1520S ABOUT WHETHER JUSTIFICATION WAS FORENSIC
OR EFFECTIVE DOWN TO THE YEAR 1999 WHEN THE JOINT DECLARATION ON
THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION BETWEEN THE LUTHERAN WORLD
FEDERATION AND THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH WAS SIGNED, THERE WAS A
GREAT DEAL OF DISCUSSION AMONG LUTHERANS AS TO WHAT EXACTLY
JUSTIFICATION MEANT.
LET ME JUST TAKE A MOMENT AND TALK ABOUT THE EARLY DEBATES
IN THE SO-CALLED LUTHER RENAISSANCE IN GERMAN. THERE THE ISSUE
WAS DOES LUTHER BELIEVE THAT WE ARE JUSTIFIED SIMPLY BY GOD'S
SAYING SO BY HIS FORGIVING OUR SINS OR DOES LUTHER BELIEVE THAT
JUSTIFICATION HAPPENS WHEN WE EFFECTIVELY ARE LIVING OUT THE
JUSTIFIED LIFE?
FORENSIC IS A WORD WE DON'T USE A LOT IN ENGLISH. YOU MAY
REMEMBER THE OLD MOVIE OR THE OLD TELEVISION SERIES QUINCY. HE
WAS IN FORENSIC MEDICINE. THAT IS THE MEDICINE OF THE COURTROOM.
AND IN THE 16TH CENTURY LUTHER AND OTHER LUTHERANS USED THE
CONCEPT OF FORENSIC JUSTIFICATION A GOOD DEAL.
NOW, ONE OF THEM, A MAN WHO WAS BRANDED A HERETIC BY HIS
FELLOW LUTHERANS, ANDREW SOSANDER (PHONETIC) SAID FORENSIC
JUSTIFICATION IS JUST A SHELL GAME. IF GOD JUST SAYS WE ARE
RIGHTEOUS BUT WE STILL ARE SINNERS, THEN GOD IS A LIAR. SO HE
REJECTED FORENSIC JUSTIFICATION. AS YOU'LL HEAR WHEN WE GET TO
THE FORMULA OF CONQUERED ARTICLE 3, THE FORMULA OF CONQUERED
REJECTED SOSANDER.
BUT SOSANDER'S PROBLEM IS A PROBLEM CONNECTED WITH A FALSE
UNDERSTANDING OF WORDS. LUTHER UNDERSTOOD FORENSIC
JUSTIFICATION. HE DIDN'T USE THAT PRECISE TERM ALL THAT OFTEN.
BUT HE UNDERSTOOD THE JUSTIFYING WORD OF GOD AS A RECREATIVE WORD
OF GOD THAT MEANS THE WORD OF GOD THAT ESTABLISHES REALITY.
AND SO THE LUTHER SCHOLAR AND LUTHER SYSTEMATICIAN
GEARHARDT FERNIE (PHONETIC), HAS SAID THAT THE MORE FORENSIC, THE
MORE WORD ORIENTED YOUR DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION IS, THE MORE
EFFECTIVE IT IS. THAT IS, THE MORE YOU WILL SEE THE FRUITS OF
FAITH IN LIFE AND ACTION.
LET ME BACK UP JUST A LITTLE BIT AND TALK ABOUT THE
MEANING OF THE WORD FERTIGAN (PHONETIC). THAT IS TO JUSTIFY IN
LUTHER'S GERMAN. IT'S VERY MUCH PARALLEL IF YOU LOOK IN THE
GREEK DICTIONARY TO THE WORK DYCHIAO AND IT'S USE IN FIRST
CENTURY GREEK.
TO JUSTIFY COULD MEAN TO PRONOUNCE RIGHTEOUS OR TO
PRONOUNCE INNOCENT IN A COURTROOM. THOUGH EVEN THERE WE HAVE TO
REMEMBER THAT FOR LEGAL THEORISTS, WHETHER YOU'RE GUILTY OR NOT
GUILTY IN FACT, YOU BECOME INNOCENT IF THE JUDGE PRONOUNCES YOU
INNOCENT. YOU HAVE ALL OF THE RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES OF A NORMAL
CITIZEN. THE JUDGE THROUGH HIS WORD CREATES A KIND OF REALITY.
BUT GOD DOES CREATE REALITY. IT'S NOT A KIND OF REALITY.
IT IS FUNDAMENTAL REALITY WHEN GOD MAKES HIS PRONOUNCEMENT. NOW,
LUTHER ALSO UNDERSTOOD THE WORD FERTIGAN AND PAUL UNDERSTOOD
DYCHIAO. IF YOU LOOK IT UP IN THE DICTIONARY ONE OF THE MEANINGS
OF THE WORD, TO JUSTIFY IS TO DO JUSTICE TO, TO GIVE SOMEONE WHAT
THEY DESERVE.
WELL, LET'S THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MOMENT. DO SINNERS GET
WHAT THEY DESERVE WHEN GOD JUSTIFIES THEM?
IF YOU'RE LIKE ALL THE REST OF MY STUDENTS, YOU'LL SAY,
"OH, NO. WE DON'T GET WHAT WE DESERVE. WE GET MERCY." BUT ONE
OF THE CLEAREST PICTURES OF GOD'S JUSTIFYING ACTION IN OUR LIVES
COMES IN ROMANS 6, PARALLEL WITH COLOSSIANS 2 WHERE PAUL SAYS THE
SINNER HAS DONE THE DEATH. THE SINS ARE BURIED IN CHRIST'S TOMB.
WE CEASE TO EXIST IN GOD'S SIGHT. WHEN HIS WORD JUSTIFIES US AND
WHEN IT RAISES US UP THEN AS SINNERS WHO HAVE BEEN BURIED, IT
RAISES US UP NO LONGER AS SINNERS BUT AS HIS RISEN CHILDREN.
NOW, THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT ACTIVE JUSTIFICATION FOR
LUTHER CANNOT BE SEPARATED FROM THE FACT THAT THE RISEN CHILDREN
OF GOD WALK IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS AS PAUL SAID IN ROMANS 6.
WE ARE RAISED OR REALLY AS PAUL DEVELOPS IN THE WHOLE REST OF THE
BOOK OF COLOSSIANS. IF YOU NOTICE COLOSSIANS 2:11 TO 15 IS A
KIND OF CENTER POINT OF THE BOOK AND THE REST OF THE BOOK REALLY
CAN BE READ AS A DESCRIPTION OF THE STRUGGLES AND THE LIFE OF THE
CHRISTIAN TO LIVE AS THAT PERSON. IN CHAPTER 3, VERSE 1 AS THE
PERSON WHO HAS BEEN RAISED IN FAITH TO LIVE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.
SO JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH MEANS TO LIVE WITH THIS TRUST IN
GOD AS THE VERY CENTER POINT AND WE CAN SAY THE MOTOR OF OUR
DAILY LIVES. TO LIVE BY FAITH MEANS TO LIVE TRUSTING THE GOD WHO
HAS GIVEN US THIS IDENTITY AS CHILDREN OF GOD. IT MEANS TO TRUST
THE FACT THAT WE ARE HIS CHILDREN AND THAT WE HAVE THE GIFTS OF
GOD THAT IT TAKES TO LIVE OUT THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.
SATAN LIKES TO ATTACK US AT THAT POINT VERY OFTEN BY
COMING TO US TO SAY, "WELL, IT'S NICE THAT YOU'VE GOT YOUR TICKET
TO HEAVEN. IT WAS VERY KIND OF JESUS TO DIE FOR YOU. BUT JUST
LOOK AT YOURSELF. YOU'RE OBVIOUSLY STILL A SINNER. YOU CAN'T DO
THE WILL OF GOD. SO JUST RELAX SINCE YOU'VE GOT YOUR TICKET TO
HEAVEN ANYWAY." OR HE MAY COME AT US AND SAY, "YOU ARE SO SINFUL
GOD COULDN'T HAVE MEANT YOU WITH THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS. JUST
FORGET ABOUT IT AND LIVE THE KIND OF LIFE I'M DESCRIBING."
NOW, WE CAN TELL SATAN NO, WE ARE LIVING BY FAITH. WE ARE
LIVING IN THE CONVICTION THAT GOD HAS ENABLED US AND EMPOWERS US
TO BE HIS CHILDREN AND TO REFLECT HIS IMAGE IN THE LAW, INTO THE
LIVES OF THOSE AROUND US, IN OUR OWN LIFE.
SO EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T FIND THE TERM JUSTIFICATION BY
FAITH IN THE CATECHISM, WE SEE THAT WHAT LUTHER IS WORKING AT IN
HIS PRESENTATION OF JESUS CHRIST AS THE LORD WHO HAS REDEEMED US
WITH HIS HOLY PRECIOUS BLOOD SO WE MAY BELONG TO HIM AND LIVE IN
HIS KINGDOM UNDER HIS RULE THAT IS AND SERVE HIM IN EVERLASTING
RIGHTEOUSNESS AND THIS SENSE OF BLESSEDNESS, THAT'S A COMPLETE
DESCRIPTION OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE JUSTIFIED BY FAITH.
THAT IS TO BE RETURNED TO RIGHTEOUSNESS. IT MEANS THAT WE
ARE RETURNED TO THE RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT GOD GIVES WITHOUT ANY
MERIT OR WORTHINESS, WITHOUT ANY CONDITION AT ALL IN US. BUT
THAT RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT GOD GIVES US IN RELATIONSHIP TO HIM IS ON
OUR SIDE. TRUST THAT THEN CANNOT HELP BUT BUBBLE OVER INTO THE
WORKS OF LOVE THAT FULFILL GOD'S PLAN FOR THE SHAPE OF HUMAN
LIVING.
***
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.
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