Wednesday 19 September 2007

Today we make a little movement to what Mannerma notes as "faith and the communication of attributes" in Luther's work.



The notion that Christians are partakers of the "divine nature" means that they are "filled with all the fullness of God." God's righteousness makes Christians righteous; God's "life lives in them"; God's love makes them love, and so forth. Luther calls this event by various names, one of which is "happy exchange." As regards the content of this event, however, the most accurate expression might be the "communication of attributes."

Luther notes it like this:

And so we are filled with "all the fullness of God." This phrase, which follows a Hebrew manner of speaking, means that we are filled in all the ways in which He fills [a person]. We are filled with God, and He pours into us all His gifts and grace and fills us with His Spirit, who make us courageous.



There's more...but I was caught up with this last line...."fills us with His Spirit, who makes us courageous." It takes courage to be able to see ourselves as ones who partake in this gift and take on these attributes of the divine gift giver. Most likely, I know I fall back from this kind of talk. I do that because I know that I am not like that. But that is not to be our focus...we are to focus on the one who gives the gift and whose attributes become our attributes. There is, remember, no getting to that point. It has arrived and it is. The gift we could give to one another is to keep tickling each other with this blessed truth so that we are always being made aware of its reality among us. "Filled with all the fullness of God"....that is a big notion...a bit truth. Then again, our God is not one who has ever been known for pulling back on God's love for God's people. If this is what we to be given, it will be free and it will be extravagant and it will be without qualification. This kind of talk about this reality is what is meant to make us courageous in all things.



Connection: Be courageous today....shall we!!



By your Spirit, O God, you take us when we are so weak and you are able to make a bold people. We do not anticipate it...but you make us bold so that we can face this day as your beloved and thus the world is made aware of your love - up close and real. Praise be to you. Amen.