Luther wrote in the Large Catechism saying, "Meanwhile, since holiness has begun and is growing daily, we await the time when our flesh will be put to death, will be buried with all its uncleanness, and will come fourth gloriously and will arise to complete and perfect holiness in a new, eternal life. Now we are only halfway pure and holy. The Holy Spirit must continue to work in us through the Word, daily granting forgiveness until we attain to that life where there will be no more forgiveness. In that life are only perfectly pure and holy people, full of goodness and righteousness, completely freed from sin, death, and all evil, living in new, immortal, and glorified bodies" (Large Catechism II.57-58).  Think about this. You and I are baptized, we trust in Jesus, we believe His words that after we die in this world we will live with Him, and the Father and the Holy Spirit forever in heaven. We are His children, and we have the desire and the will to live a good life by walking in the 10 commandments. We wake up in the morning, wanting to live perfectly, love everyone around us, be patient, slow to anger, not lust, covet, hate, or lie. Like losing weight, we daily desire to shed the pounds of selfishness and wickedness off of us. But, like losing weight, those pounds don't come off like we would like them to, and the scale reveals to us that we've packed on a few more. We desire to shed our sins off of us, but then the law comes and reveals to us all the sin we have adopted, and as we go through this life all we see is a bigger number for our transgressions.

This is why Jesus instituted and mandated the Office of the Holy Ministry, to preach forgiveness in the life of His Bride, the Church. As Luther said, "Forgiveness is needed constantly, for although God's grace has been won by Christ, and holiness has been wrought by the Holy Spirit through God's Word in the unity of the Christian Church, yet because we are encumbered with our flesh we are never without sin." We daily desire to shed off the sin that weighs us down, but the devil, world, and Old Adam have other ideas. The Spirit wars against the flesh, with the flesh preventing us from doing the things we desire and want to do. Because we fail, because in ourselves we despair of God's declaration of us as righteous and the Holy Spirit's work to sanctify us, Jesus sends pastors to announce forgiveness and declare us righteous and holy anew. Doubting our sanctification is a very tempting thing, because we look at ourselves rather than Jesus' Word to determine our present holiness. God did not create us to impress Him with our pure thoughts or mighty selfless deeds. No. God created us to redeem us and sanctify us. He does the work of making us presentable, but more than that, acceptable and perfect in His sight. So, when you doubt your sanctification, your holiness, do not look to yourself or your works, but instead look to Jesus and His forgiveness. Look to Jesus in your time of doubt, rather than despair in your lack of righteousness.

Peace be with you. May the devil be silenced, the world be hushed, and the Old Adam drowned anew so that you hear only the voice of your Savior Jesus who says, "I forgive you. Be at peace, for you were created for the very purpose to be loved by Me," Amen.

Jesus' Sheepdog,

Pastor Hull