The fault with indulgences lies not only in who it is that forgives sin, but in what this forgiveness costs. God’s gracious forgiveness is a gift.
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Going to church, doing good works, being president of Council, having perfect attendance, teaching Sunday School, and even knowing all three of the ecumenical creeds by heart mean nothing without faith.
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The Lutherans however, confessed that everything hinges on Christ. He bore our sin on the cross so that we would be made “the righteousness of God.”
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We have to admit that our sins are great in number, that they have gone over our heads as if if we were drowning in our iniquities. Who could confess such a volume of transgressions?
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So today, we ought to be teaching our people that God forgives sins for Christ’s sake, not because we perform certain rituals.
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The power of the keys binds things in heaven, not just on earth. When a “door” is unlocked or locked on earth in the name of Christ, it is done in heaven too.
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So we confess that our holiness, our works of contrition, is insufficient for the remission of sins, while faith in Christ merits forgiveness of sin...
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It is not enough to be sorry for our sin. Nor is it enough to do good. For we cannot assist ourselves. Instead, we must avail ourselves of the mercy of God in Christ Jesus.
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Although we should certainly “fear, love, and trust God” (Small Catechism), these things, including the fear of God (attrition), do not earn grace.
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You cannot reason or work your way into God’s grace. God’s grace is a free gift, something that is given by him for you.
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Since the consequence of sin is death, it is no wonder there is the felt need to confess all sins. Perhaps, we might imagine, if we could confess them all, we might overcome death.
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We confess that we are in bondage to sin, that we cannot free ourselves, and that Christ alone has redeemed us from sin.
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The first step in repentance is being contrite. God does not desire sacrifices from us, in order to appease him.
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There is nothing confusing about the gospel when it is heard with the ears of faith. We confess that Christ has killed our sinful old nature through his own death on the cross.
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Our anxieties about sin may be managed on the surface with words and semantics, but when the test is applied in the heart, these matters turn out differently.
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Look to the Word. What is written? How far does God say that he hurls our offenses? “As far as the east is from the west,” is how far he removes our sins from us.
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The power of the keys is the clear charge of Christ to preach the gospel, to remit and retain sins, and to administer the sacraments.
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Around the time of the Reformation, there was endless quibbling in the church about how and when things happened.
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Peace is only found in the grace of God. This is why Peter says, “May grace and peace be multiplied to you.” Who does this math?
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The doctrine of faith is no small matter, for true repentance depends upon faith. Repentance needs faith to believe that God is so merciful toward us that our sins have been forgiven for Christ’s sake.
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What are we to do but to turn again and again to Christ? The heart of this turning, this repentance, is faith. We believe that in turning from our sins to Christ, those sins are blotted out.
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God creates clean hearts within us. This happens when we are first, stricken in our consciences, and then, have faith that God will forgive us and make us righteous for Christ’s sake.
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Confession must lead to Christ — not to more and more confession. Christ is the focus, not ourselves. Therefore forgiveness must be the outcome of confession, not the tyranny of a guilty conscience.
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Only a foolish or crazed person would undertake the task of counting the hairs on his head. There are too many to count.
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The imposition of rules and regulations will change no heart. The Holy Spirit changes hearts. The crucified Christ draws people near.
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Our focus should be Christ, not our sins. One can spend so much time in introspection and the endless recounting of sin that Christ is lost in the shuffle.
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Confession precedes Holy Communion. We are to earnestly confess our sins and hear the words of absolution before receiving Christ.
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As Christ is known to us in the breaking of the bread, the early Church assembled to know Christ in his Supper, the Apostles’ teaching, prayer, and fellowship.
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