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Lutheran Life 13 But we are not responsible for a person's rejection of the Holy Spirit. Creating faith in a person is not with- in our power or control. In his explanation of the Third Article of the Apostles' Creed, Luther explains that it is the Holy Spirit who calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies, and keeps us in the one true faith. What is within our control is following God's call to be faithful witnesses of His work in our lives. Our job is tell- ing others who Jesus is to us. Still, it's hard to make sense of why some people believe and others do not. While we don't have the understand- ing and perspective of God to answer this question, we can cling to the truths of God's promises and love shown to us in Jesus. Remember, God's perfect love displayed for us in our lives is our confidence and motivation for telling others about who He is. Yes, God's love is our confidence and motivation: our confidence that He knows what is best for His creation and our motivation to honor Him with our lives by speaking, with all gentleness and respect, of the hope we have in Him. w Scripture: ESV® Catechism quotation is from Luther's Small Catechism, copyright © 1986 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved. I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. Experience the Small Catechism through stunning illustrations alongside Luther's profound teachings. With three major sections—full Small Catechism text, 2017 Synod explanation, and appendix—the Visual Catechism is a beautiful way to learn Luther's teachings through text and visuals. Find this title and more from this magazine at cph.org/llresources LUTHER'S SMALL CATECHISM WITH EXPLANATION—2017 VISUAL EDITION

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