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.