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Commentary for Part II: the Creed
The history of Christian theology, and in particular, the dogma of the Trinity, is replete with exceedingly obscure disputes about God's nature. Luther avoids this tedium by talking about the three persons of God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) as actions:
Creation, Redemption, Sanctification.
God the Creator is also God the Sustainer: Luther doesn’t waste much words on any distant past act of “creation”. The believer is instead encouraged to remember God’s current and present role, providing for and sustaining the believer’s existence.Cf. George Berkeley,Baruch Spinoza.
Likewise, following a perfunctory statement that Jesus is both God and human, Luther proceeds directly to doctrine that the believer is a lost and condemned person, whose life and freedom was “redeemed”, that is, purchased by Jesus’ blood. Compare this to some of the lengthier creeds, such as the Athanasian Creed, which devote considerable verbiage to the fine points of Trinitarian dogma but give short shrift to the practical meaning of it all for the believer.
Finally, Luther has the believer memorize the role of the
Holy Spirit as “Sanctifier”, teaching, enlightening, forgiving sins on an ongoing basis, and adding that it will be through the Holy Spirit that all are raised from the dead to have eternal life. Not one word is devoted to how the Holy Spirit “proceeds” from the Father and/or Son (that is, the problem of the
filioque which divided
Catholic from
Orthodox in the
Great Schism). Instead, the believer is reminded that the believer himself is not “holy” and does not have the power to become “holy”, except through God in the person of the Holy Spirit.
Note: the following text was translated in 1994 for Project Wittenberg by Robert E. Smith (Concordia Theological Seminary) and is in the public domain.
Project Wittenberg publishes basic Lutheran writings on the Web: http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/wittenberg/wittenberg-home.html
II.
THE CREED
The Creed: The Simple Way a Father Should Present it to His Household
I. The First Article: On Creation
I believe in God the Almighty Father, Creator of Heaven and Earth.
Q. What does this mean?
A. I believe that God created me, along with all creatures. He gave to me: body and soul, eyes, ears and all the other parts of my body, my mind and all my senses and preserves them as well. He gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and land, wife and children, fields, animals and all I own. Every day He abundantly provides everything I need to nourish this body and life. He protects me against all danger, shields and defends me from all evil. He does all this because of His pure, fatherly and divine goodness and His mercy, not because I've earned it or deserved it. For all of this, I must thank Him, praise Him, serve Him and obey Him. Yes, this is true!
II. The Second Article: On Redemption
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried, descended to Hell, on the third day rose again from the dead, ascended to Heaven and sat down at the right hand of God the Almighty Father. From there He will come to judge the living and the dead.
Q. What does this mean?
A. I believe that Jesus Christ is truly God, born of the Father in eternity and also truly man, born of the Virgin Mary. He is my Lord! He redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, bought and won me from all sins, death and the authority of the Devil. It did not cost Him gold or silver, but His holy, precious blood, His innocent body -- His death! Because of this, I am His very own, will live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him righteously, innocently and blessedly forever, just as He is risen from death, lives and reigns forever. Yes, this is true!
III. The Third Article: On Becoming Holy
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the community of the saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and an everlasting life. Amen.
Q. What does this mean?
A. I believe that I cannot come to my Lord Jesus Christ by my own intellegence or power. But the Holy Spirit calls me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, made me holy and kept me in the true faith, just as He calls, gathers together, enlightens and makes holy the whole Church on earth and keeps it with Jesus in the one, true faith. In this Church, He generously forgives each day every sin committed by me and by every believer. On the last day, He will raise me and all the dead from the grave. He will give eternal life to me and to all who believe in Christ. Yes, this is true!
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