These are the true seven principal parts of the great holy possession whereby the Holy Spirit effects in us a daily sanctification and vivification in Christ, according to the first table of Moses. By this we obey it, albeit never as perfectly as Christ. But we constantly strive to attain the goal, under his redemption or remission of sin, until we too shall one day become perfectly holy and no longer stand in need of forgiveness. Everything is directed toward that goal. I would even call these seven parts the seven sacraments, but since that term has been misused by the papists and is used in a different sense in Scripture, I shall let them stand as the seven principal parts of Christian sanctification or the seven holy possessions of the church.
- The Holy Word of God
- The Holy Sacrament of Baptism
- The Holy Sacrament of the Altar
- The Office of the Keys
- The Ministers Who Administer
- Prayer, Praise and Thanksgiving
- The Sacred Cross of Affliction
(Luther’s Works, v.41, p.165-166)
Picture: The Victorious Savior Window