good tree is recognized by its fruit, it produces good our own unholiness, as He washes away our sin at fruit because it is a good tree. We receive holiness the same time. What He begins there He carries on from God as He shares His own with us. Satan and the throughout our lives as He continually renews us in our other angels who rebelled against God became evil and life in Christ, as He deepens us in its truth through the so acted accordingly because they cut themselves off Word and continues to wash away our sins in absolution. from sharing in God’s He confirms us in our holiness. The good baptismal reality as holy angels who continue children of God every to gaze on the face of time He unites us to the Father are holy and Christ at the altar, as He act accordingly because draws us there to receive they continue to share in Christ anew in His body His holiness. and blood. Here lies the answer In all of these ways to the question of why I the Holy Spirit is at receive the Holy Spirit wo r k t o ke e p u s i n more than one time in faith—that is, to keep us my life. Some will ask, connected to Jesus. The “If I received Him at early Lutherans were Baptism do I need to clear on the truth, that receive Him again at not only does the Holy Confirmation or for Spirit create faith where that matter week by and when He pleases, week or even daily as but He and He alone He comes to me with sustains it in us also. The God’s Word?” The Holy beautiful thing about our Spirit comes to us over salvation is that God and over again to share does it all from A to God’s holiness with us— Z. Nothing, absolutely to keep us holy. Like a Detail from “The New Jerusalem” (Melk Abbey, Austria): Johann Michael nothing, is left in this piece of metal held in Rottmayr, c. 1716. (Image credit: Uoaei1, Wikicommons). poor miserable sinner’s a flame—as long as the hands. What I do will metal remains in the flame it shares in the fire’s heat always end and fail but what God does endures forever. and light. Remove it from the flame though and it will This truth is one that I must keep in mind as a pastor cool down, losing both the heat and light of the fire. and encourage others to remember when it comes to The heat and light will linger for a time but kept away the faith of others, whether it’s reaching out to the from the flame long enough it will go dark and grow unchurched or restoring the wandering and lost. This cold. This is what happens with God’s holiness in us is the Holy Spirit’s work and so we must look to Him, when we are deceived into thinking that we can get by and Him alone, to be at work in and through us to do without the Word of God. what He wills when and where it pleases Him. The Holy Spirit makes us holy by connecting us to Jesus. He clothes us with Christ in Baptism so that Rev. Kurt Reinhardt is pastor of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church Christ’s holiness becomes our holiness. He takes away in Kurtzville, Ontario.
Spirit of my Faithful God 1. O Spirit of my faithful God Come dwell within me by the Word; For sin has left my heart so flawed, I cannot choose Christ for my Lord. 2. O Spirit of the Holy One Come purge me with your cleansing fire, Lest I remain a wrath-doomed son, Beset by sin’s unbound desire.
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THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN March/April 2019
3. O Spirit of the Lord of Life Come breathe in me your living breath, Or gasping out my final strife I’ll close my eyes in endless death. 4. O Spirit of the One in Three Come bear me to the Father’s heart, That in Your love-filled unity By grace in Christ I share a part. Rev. Reinhardt