First we should point out the continual refrain, throughout the Confessions, of the inability of man's own will and powers, without the presence of the Holy Spirit, to fulfill the law:
The Augsburg Confession, Article XVIII, Of Free Will, reads: "1] Of Free Will they teach that man's will has some liberty to choose civil righteousness, and to work 2] things subject to reason. But it has no power, without the Holy Ghost, to work the righteousness of God, that is, spiritual righteousness; since the natural man 3] receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, 1 Cor. 2, 14; but this righteousness is wrought in the heart when the Holy Ghost is received 4] through the Word... They condemn the Pelagians and others, who teach that without the Holy Ghost, by the power of nature alone, we are able to love God above all things; also to do the commandments of God as touching "the substance of the act." For, although nature is able in a manner to do the outward work, 9] (for it is able to keep the hands from theft and murder,) yet it cannot produce the inward motions, such as the fear of God, trust in God, chastity, patience, etc."The Apology, Article IV, Of Justification, reads:
"Content with [civil righteousness], they think that they satisfy the Law of God. In the mean time they do not see the First Table which commands that we love God, that we declare as certain that God is angry with sin, that we truly fear God, that we declare as certain that God hears prayer. But the human heart without the Holy Ghost either in security despises God's judgment, or in punishment flees from, and 35] hates, God when He judges. Therefore it does not obey the First Table. Since, therefore, contempt of God, and doubt concerning the Word of God, and concerning the threats and promises, inhere in human nature, men truly sin, even when, without the Holy Ghost, they do virtuous works, because they do them with a wicked heart, according to Rom. 14, 23: Whatsoever is not of faith is sin. For such persons perform their works with contempt of God, just as Epicurus does not believe that God cares for him, or that he is regarded or heard by God. This contempt vitiates works seemingly virtuous, because God judges the heart."
The Apology, Article IV, Of Love and the Fulfilling of the Law, reads:
"These and similar sentences testify that the Law ought to be begun in us, and be kept by us more and more [that we are to keep the Law when we have been justified by faith, and thus increase more and more in the Spirit]. Moreover, we speak not of ceremonies, but of that Law which gives commandment concerning the movements of the heart, namely, the Decalog. 4] Because, indeed, faith brings the Holy Ghost, and produces in hearts a new life, it is necessary that it should produce spiritual movements in hearts. And what these movements are, the prophet, Jer. 31, 33 shows, when he says: I will put My Law into their inward parts, and write it in their hearts. Therefore, when we have been justified by faith and regenerated, we begin to fear and love God, to pray to Him, to expect from Him aid, to give thanks and praise Him, and to obey Him in afflictions. We begin also to love our neighbors, because our hearts have spiritual and holy movements [there is now, through the Spirit of Christ a new heart, mind, and spirit within]. 5] These things cannot occur until we have been justified by faith, and, regenerated, we receive the Holy Ghost: first, because the Law cannot 6] be kept without [the knowledge of] Christ; and likewise the Law cannot be kept without the Holy Ghost."
The refrain of these citations is: "without the Holy Ghost, without the Holy Ghost, etc." This phrase is to be found throughout the Confessions. It is usually written against the Romanists who claimed that civil righteousness, that is, the mere external action in accordance with the law, is considered true righteousness in the eyes of God. They are repeating the same complaint of Christ who says: "You are those justifying yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts; for the thing highly prized among men is a hateful thing before God" (Luke 16:15). They say, "sure, you are doing the acts, but what of your heart?"
This is why the Confessors bring up the first table and the "spiritual" or inner aspects of the law, that is, love of God, love of neighbor, etc. So the Apology says: "Since, therefore, contempt of God, and doubt concerning the Word of God, and concerning the threats and promises, inhere in human nature, men truly sin, even when, without the Holy Ghost, they do virtuous works, because they do them with a wicked heart...For such persons perform their works with contempt of God...This contempt vitiates works seemingly virtuous, because God judges the heart."
Some have argued that the writers of the Confessions are making a distinction between the two kinds of righteousness, that is, the imputed righteousness of Christ on account of faith, and civil righteousness with their use of the term "spiritual righteousness" (AC. XVIII; AP. XVIII). While they are making a distinction with civil righteousness, they are not making it in distinction with imputed righteousness. The Confessors define "spiritual righteousness" as "truly to fear God, truly to believe God, truly to be confident and hold that God regards us, hears us, forgives us, etc." (AP. XVIII) And even as "chastity, [and] patience." (AC. XVIII) If spiritual righteousness is synonymous with imputed righteousness then that means I am righteous and saved because I love, fear, and trust God. This is certainly not what the Confessors are trying to get across. The distinction being made is between civil righteousness and sanctification. One only need to read "Of Love and the Fulfilling of the Law" to realize that we are talking of much more than civil righteousness here.
If we remember what Chemnitz writes: "We speak of spiritual powers or activities because in Rom. 7:14 the Law is described as "spiritual." That is, it is not content with certain outward, civil activities which the unregenerate flesh can perform. Rather, the Law demands such impulses and activities as cannot be accomplished without the working of the Holy Spirit. These the flesh cannot perform, for the flesh hinders the Holy Spirit in his work, not only by evil desires (Rom. 7:8), but also by the wisdom of the flesh (Rom. 8:7). Frequently when we speak of spiritual impulses, we think of the knowledge, fear, faith, and love of God. For it is characteristic of these affections that they cannot be produced by the flesh. However, in the case of other virtues, such as temperance, chastity, bravery, freedom, etc., the distinction is not so clear; even human reason has such virtues. But we must distinguish on the basis of causes and goals. For example, the chastity of Joseph had a different cause from that of Scipio."Therefore in sanctification we talk not only of the external work, but, even more importantly, of the heart that these are done in. This can especially be seen in "Of Love and the Fulfilling of the Law." Also we talk of the inner fruits of the Spirit such as fear, love, and trust of God.
The consistent testimony of the Confessions tells us that man is not able to attain these things without the Holy Spirit.
The reverse logic of the constant refrain: "Without the Holy Ghost, without the Holy Ghost, etc." is that with the Holy Spirit, we can (at least to a certain extent).
The question for us, now, is to determine how this happens. To answer this we need to turn to Solid Declaration, Article II, Concerning the Free Will or Human Powers. There are a couple of key passages on this topic:"When, however, people have been converted and thus have been enlightened, and the will has been renewed, then such people desire the good (insofar as they are born anew and are new creatures) and "delight in the law in the inmost self" (Rom. 7[:22]). From that point on people do good only to the extent that and as long as the Holy Spirit impels them. As Paul says, "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God" [Rom. 8:14]. This leading of the Holy Spirit is not coactio (or, a compulsion), but rather the converted person does the good spontaneously, as David says. After your victory "your people will offer themselves willingly" [Ps. 110:3]. At the same time there remains also in the reborn what Paul described in Romans 7[:22-23, 25]: "For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members," and, "So then, with my mind I am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh I am a slave to the law of sin." Likewise, Galatians 5[:17]: "What the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want."
"It 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 his power we can and should be cooperating with him, 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...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 this passage were to be understood as if the converted person cooperates alongside the Holy Spirit, in the way two horses draw a wagon together, this interpretation could not be tolerated without damaging the divine truth." (Kolb Wengert, SD, Art. II, Pars. 63-66)
Likewise in paragraph 88 we read: "It has been sufficiently explained above how God makes willing people 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 in the daily practice of repentance but cooperates in all the works of the Holy Spirit that he accomplishes through us."
Both of these passages state that, with our will, we cooperate with the Holy Spirit. The Latin, co-operate, means to "work with." In the Greek, even, this would be where we get our "synergy," that is, a compound of sun- with and ergon- work. But how are we to understand this terminology? We are told that we should not think of this as if "two horses draw a wagon together." Ok, so it is not equal pulling? The Holy Spirit does most of the work? This, though, is still not what the Formulators are saying. There are a couple of key lines that will help us; these are: "People do good only to the extent that...the Holy Spirit impels them;" and, "It is certain that on the basis of his power we can and should be cooperating with him;" and, "[The will] cooperates in all the works of the Holy Spirit that he accomplishes through us."
From these passages we can say that: "[They are] the works of the Holy Spirit that he accomplishes through us;" "[We cooperate] on the basis of his power;" "[And] only to the extent that...the Holy Spirit impels." This means that essentially sanctification is the Holy Spirit's work that he accomplishes through us, and our cooperation is based on his power and gift, not our natural powers, and we are sanctified only to the extent that God rules, leads, and guides.
Our cooperation is based of the Spirit's power and gift, not of ourselves. There is often a sense in many people's minds that sanctification is a restoration of ourselves, through the Spirit's work, so that, more and
more, we can do the good. Against this we must affirm, we are sanctified only insofar as we live in the gracious work of the Holy Spirit; we lack sanctification insofar as we rely on our own will and abilities. The now departed William Lazareth writes in Christians in Society: Luther, the Bible, and Social Ethics that, "Our growth is by way of God’s grace and not by our works; we grow theonomously more and more (and not autonomously less and less) in our total dependence on God’s unmerited favor." (201) And, "The more we grow, the more dependent we become on the gifts granted by the ethical governance of the indwelling Holy Spirit, who always accompanies the church’s holy Word and blessed sacraments." (211) This is very important to note. We therefore need to think of cooperation in a very different way.
St. Paul often seperates sanctification into "willing" and "working" (correlated to Article II's title "Free Will" and "Human Power."). Martin Chemnitz' own writing as well as the Formula of Concord, whom he was a co-author, draw on this concept of Paul. We read from Paul: "For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work for the sake of His good pleasure." (Php. 2:13) Likewise we read from him: "So, then, it is not of the one willing, nor of the one running, but of the One showing mercy, of God." (Rom. 9:16) Or, a little easier to read from the ESV: "So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy." Another example of splitting sanctification in this manner: "But now also finish the doing of it, so that even as there was the eagerness in the willing, so also the finishing, giving out of what you have." (2 Cor. 8:11) Or Romans 7:18: "For I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwells no good. For to will is present to me, but to work out the good I do not find."Article II, in connection with this, reads: "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 was 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])." (Par. 39)
Martin Chemnitz writes in his Loci Theologici, Locus 6: "It is correctly stated that there are three causes of good works: (1) the Word of God, (2) the Holy Spirit, (3) the will of man, if only this latter is correctly and properly understood. For the human will does not cooperate in such a way as if of its own powers it aided spiritual activities, as if in a good character these three causes worked together, namely, natural impulses, teaching, and exercise. "
Augustine has put it best: "It is certain that it is we that will when we will; but it is He who makes us will what is good…It is certain that it is we that act when we act; but it is He who makes us act, by applying efficacious powers to our will, who has said, “I will make you to walk in my statutes, and to observe my judgments, and to do them." (“On Grace and Free Will,” in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church; vol. 5, 457.)Therefore it becomes clear that, that which "cooperates," that is, the "willing" and "doing," are themselves the product of the gracious work of the Holy Spirit. Or in the words of the Solid Declaration: "[Our cooperation] occurs not on the basis of our fleshy, natural powers but on the basis of the new powers and gifts which the Holy Spirit initiated in us in conversion." (Par. 65)
As was stated above, growth in sanctification is a greater and greater move away from "our fleshy, natural powers" into a greater reliance on the gracious work of the Holy Spirit; this, even, or more appropriately, no more evident than in our lives in heaven.
With all of this understood, there are two errors in the Lutheran Church in the interpretation of this. One over-emphasizes the work of the Spirit to the point that they feel that any concerted effort at living sanctified lives is a reliance on "our fleshy, natural powers" and thus hypocricy. They are of the opinion: "If the Holy Spirit desires to sanctify, he surely will, and certainly without my efforts." The other group under-estimates the role of the Holy Spirit so that they do not daily rely on the Holy Spirit's work through his Word, and sacraments, namely, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and absolution. They go about their daily business, relying on their own natural abilities to order and shape their life with little thought to what the Lord might desire for them.
The one group become mere puppits in the hands of God in sanctification; the other group ignore God's desire to sanctify, and become the autonomous shapers of their "ethical" life.
The Confessions reject both of these positions. The Formulators write:
"The critical question concerns de causa efficiente (that is, who accomplishes these things and comes by them), so this teaching states the following: Because the natural powers of the human being cannot do anything or help in any, God comes to us first, out of his immeasurable goodness and mercy. He causes his holy gospel to be preached, through which the Holy Spirit desires to effect and accomplish this conversion and renwal in us. Through the proclamation of his Word and meditation upon it he ignites faith and other God-pleasing virtues in us so that they are the gifts and the activities of the Holy Spirit alone. Moreover, this doctrine points us to the means through which the Holy Spirit will to begin this conversion and effect it. It also reminds us how these same gifts are retained, strenghtened, and increased, and it admonishes us not to let God's grace have no effect in us, but to exercise ourselves diligently in considering what a grevious sin it is to impede and resist the working of the Holy Spirit." (71-72)
The Formulators reject both of these errors saying the Holy Spirit is our "efficient cause," that sanctification is the gift and activity "of the Holy Spirit alone." But, they also tell us that we "can and should" cooperate and dedicate ourselves to the Holy Spirit's work of sanctification. (65) They tell us the need to dedicate ourselves to relying on God's Word and Sacraments to strengthen and increase the gifts and work of the Spirit. And admonish us "not to let God's grace have no effect in us," and remind us "what a grevious sin it is to impede and resist the working of the Holy Spirit."
Unfortunately, both of these errors are prevalent in the LC-MS. May we take these words seriously and remind ourselves of "what a grevious sin it is to impede and resist the working of the Holy Spirit."
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