Lessons in the Small Catechism of Dr. Martin Luther For the Senior Department of Lutheran Sunday-Schools and for General Use · George Mezger
LESSON 33.
The Third Article. The Holy Ghost Has Enlightened, Sanctified, And Kept Me In The True Faith. Which is the Third Article? _I believe in the Holy Ghost._ What does this mean? _I believe that the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith._ 1. The Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, and in doing so _He has also enlightened me with His gifts._ By calling me, He has kindled true faith in Christ in me, so that I know Christ and acknowledge Him to be my Savior, I believe and trust, rejoice and find comfort in Him alone for life and death. These are gifts of the Holy Ghost with which He enlightens every child of God: _true knowledge of Christ as his Redeemer, true faith in Him, peace with God, his Father, joy and comfort in all distress._ What wonderful gifts! How rich does the Holy Ghost make a child of God! _Do not forget to thank Him daily for the precious gifts He bestows upon you._
2. _"The Holy Ghost has sanctified me,"_ that is, _He has made me holy, and He does this every day, more and more._ He sanctifies me _"in the true faith."_ By His call the Holy Ghost has called forth in us true faith in our Lord. Through faith you have forgiveness of sins and are a child of God, with whom God, for Christ's sake, is well pleased. _But it is God's will that His children lead a holy life,_ flee and shun all sin, and live according to His commandments. _"This is the will of God, even your sanctification."_ 1 Thess. 4,3. Of ourselves we cannot do this, but the Holy Ghost comes to our aid. _He sanctifies us, He makes us holy._ Through faith He comes into our heart and dwells in us. _"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"_ 1 Cor. 3,16. And the Holy Ghost _works_ in us, the children of God. In His strength we begin _to hate the sins_ that we formerly loved, and to flee them. In His strength we begin _to fear and love God above all things, and to trust in Him._ We no longer serve the devil and our sins, but begin to serve our Lord who has redeemed us, and our Father in heaven.
3. True, we are not _perfectly holy,_ nor do we become so as long as we live here on earth. True children of God also must confess _that they daily sin much and deserve nothing but punishment._ But they are heartily sorry for this. They daily ask God's forgiveness for Christ's sake. And the Holy Ghost _daily_ gives them _new strength and power_ to fight and struggle against all temptations of the devil and the world and their own evil lusts. He daily gives them new strength to walk in godliness, to love God and their neighbor. Let us abide in Him, and we shall more and more overcome the devil, the world, and our sins, become more and more holy as our Lord and God is holy. _"He that abideth in Me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without Me ye can do nothing."_ John 15,5.
4. _"The Holy Ghost has kept me in the true faith,"_ so a child of God confesses. The Holy Ghost has already called and enlightened us and begun to sanctify us _in Holy Baptism._ There already He has brought us to Christ and has bestowed His precious gifts upon us. And to-day we still have the true faith; we believe in our Savior, and in Him we are children of God. _That is not our own merit, it is the work of the Holy Ghost in us._ He has worked in us by the Gospel, through our parents, through the Christian school and the church, and by the Gospel. He has kept us in the true faith. _"Ye are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation."_ 1 Pet. 1,5.--And He has promised in His Word _that He will keep us in this faith until our end. "He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."_ Phil. 1,6. 5. This is the work of the Holy Ghost in all true believers, and _He is willing to perform this work in every one who hears the Gospel._ God earnestly desires to save all men. _"God will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."_ 1 Tim. 2,4. Christ died for all men; He redeemed all lost and condemned sinners. The Gospel is a power of God unto salvation to all who read and hear it.--_And yet not all men are saved; most men are lost._ What is the cause of this? They are lost _by their own fault._ Most men will not be saved. They obstinately resist the Holy Ghost and the saving Gospel, and so they do not come to Christ, but are condemned. _"O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself, but in Me is thine help."_ Hos. 13,9.
1. _The Holy Ghost has enlightened me and bestowed on me His precious gifts, the right knowledge of Christ, true faith in Him._ 2. _He sanctifies me and makes me holy. He daily gives me strength to struggle against Satan, world, and sin, to overcome them and to lead a godly life, to love God and my neighbor._ 3. _He has, by the Gospel, kept me in the true faith until this day, and He has promised me that He will do so until the end._ 4. _This work the Holy Ghost desires to perform in all that hear the Gospel. Whosoever is lost is lost by his own fault._ _This is the will of God, even your sanctification._ 1 Thess. 4,3. _Ye are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation._ 1 Pet. 1,5. _He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ._ Phil. 1,6. _God will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth._ 1 Tim. 2,4.
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.