07 June 2007

Handy Comparison Chart

Another gift from Jacobs:

Regeneration: An act. Of God alone. Internal. Instantaneous. Equal. Perfect. From death. Gives faith. Quickens man.

Justification: An act. Of God alone. External. Instantaneous, but constantly repeated. Equal. Perfect. From guilt. Pardon and title to heaven. Reconciles God.

Sanctification: A process. God and man. Internal-external. Gradual. Unequal. Partial in this life. From defilement. Holiness. Restores God's image.
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6 comments:

  1. LPC7:49 PM

    Pr. Will,

    Keep them coming, this is concise to be put in my pocket.


    Lito

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  2. Anonymous12:12 PM

    "Title to heaven"?? Do Lutherans actually feel themselves entitled to heaven, then??

    Anastasia

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  3. William Weedon12:37 PM

    Anastasia,

    To have the title to something is a far cry from feeling entitled to something. We know that we are NOT entitled to heaven by our own actions - just the opposite, of course. And yet:

    "Thou it was who didst bring us from non-existence into being, and when we had fallen away, didst raise us up again, and didst not cease to do all things for us until thou hadst brought us back to heaven, and hadst endowed us with the kingdom which is to come." (Anaphora, St. John Chrysostom)

    Same thing being spoken of.

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  4. Anonymous7:48 PM

    Pastor Weedon,
    Do you think that the definition for sanctification is a complete one?

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  5. William Weedon7:53 PM

    Larry,

    As complete as an outline could be, I guess. But his chapter on sanctification is outstanding! He fleshes the whole thing out there a bit more.

    But I'm curious what you thought was missing that needed to be said?

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  6. Anonymous8:44 PM

    Pastor Weedon,
    When I first became a Lutheran and was taught the meaning of sanctification, I understood it as a process, something that was on going, never complete in this life. Later that definition was criticized and the aspect of sanctification's completeness was stressed, that we are perfectly sanctified in Christ. The ongoing "process" either denied or down played. So I guess sometimes I have trouble understanding where to draw the distinction. The summary you quoted seems to emphasize the first definition I was taught.
    Hope that's clear.
    Larry

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