Another single citation week. Not quite as dramatic a game changer as last week’s since citation, but a good reminder nevertheless. It’s always worth going back to the fundamentals.

2 Corinthians 6:1-13

As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain.
— 2 Corinthians 6:1

Verse 1 is quoted in Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Article 2: Free Will (FC, SD 2.66), intentionally replacing the pronoun in the opening phrase with “the Holy Spirit.” The point being made is “that the converted do good to the extent that God rules, leads, and guides them with his Holy Spirit.” Anything good we do, even when we believe, is because of the Holy Spirit.

A footnote to this quote tells us there was apparently some argument about this because of the way Melanchthon used this passage.

TheoThru

The presence of the Holy Spirit is what makes the time acceptable and what makes the day salvific. The presence of the Holy Spirit shows us that God listens to us and helps us. When we feel like Job, the Holy Spirit is present. When we are tossed about in a storm, the Holy Spirit is present. The acceptable time and day of salvation are not based on how we feel or the quality of our reasoning, but the presence of the Spirit, who gives us the saving faith.