Repent!

CONFESSION

“You Lutherans are just like the Roman Catholics.”

“What? Why do you say that?”

“Your pastors wear robes, baptize babies, and even think they can forgive sins.”

“Well, that’s true...”

“But when your pastors say in the worship service, ‘I forgive you all your sins,’ that’s blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins.”

“When I urge you to go to confession, I am simply urging you to be a Christian.”

This quote from Martin Luther’s “Brief Exhortation to Confession” (Concordia, p. 653) is not merely a phrase exhorting pious practice. Nor is it an exaggeration. Confession and Christianity are indeed so intimately entwined that they could be used almost synonymously. For Lutherans, the practice of Confession and Absolution as revealed in Scripture stands at the heart of Christian faith and life. Christian confession is not simply a historic practice of the Church or a pious ritual; it is a profound summary of the whole Christian faith.

In Confession and Absolution, the two great emphases of Christianity—man and woman as sinner and God, in Christ, as humanity’s Savior—are brought sharply and unmistakably into focus.

In Confession we humbly and sorrowfully admit all that we are: sinners in need of divine mercy.

In Absolution, we receive that which God so earnestly desires to give: forgiveness, consolation, and the firm assurance that the death and resurrection of His only Son have overcome our sin.

LUTHERAN FACTS

Given the central place of Confession and Absolution in Christianity, it is not surprising that these practices also stood at the heart of the Reformation. As a young monk plagued by the knowledge of his own sinfulness, Martin Luther went to private confession. But Luther found that confession, as practiced by the church of his day, proved as burdensome to the conscience as did the sin for which he sought forgiveness! As a result, Luther turned to God’s Word for help.

And in God’s Word, Luther found the glorious and consoling truth: that forgiveness is a free, unconditional gift, won by Jesus Christ on the cross and freely bestowed in His name.

Luther and his fellow reformers unceasingly proclaimed this good news of forgiveness from the pulpit, in private confession, and even in the home. This good news of Absolution—forgiveness for the sake of and in the name of Christ—remains central to the faith and life of the Lutheran Church because when a person is urged to confess his sin and to be absolved, he is simply urged to be a Christian.

The Lutheran emphasis on judging according to Scripture alone (sola scriptura) arose from opposition to the pope’s granting of indulgences, certificates that offered forgiveness of sins in exchange for money. This practice originally allowed people to offer financial support to the Crusades. Later, indulgences helped to fund the building of cathedrals and monasteries, as well as to defray the costs of corrupt church officials.

The Lutheran emphasis on judging according to Scripture alone (sola scriptura) arose from opposition to the pope’s granting of indulgences, certificates that offered forgiveness of sins in exchange for money. This practice originally allowed people to offer financial support to the Crusades. Later, indulgences helped to fund the building of cathedrals and monasteries, as well as to defray the costs of corrupt church officials.

Martin Luther saw this practice as unethical. He saw no basis in Scripture for the doctrine of purgatory and the granting of indulgences. In Scripture, Luther read how Jesus offers forgiveness freely. Luther’s Ninety-five Theses spoke to this issue and sparked the Reformation.

Even as he rejected indulgences and purgatory, neither Luther nor the other reformers did away with private confession of sins and Absolution. In fact, the Augsburg Confession and its Apology both mention how Lutherans maintain this practice.

COMPARISONS

Penance: A sacrament for the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholics. When someone repents, he must feel sorrow for sin, confess, and perform certain works to amend his life (“make satisfaction” for Roman Catholics).

When someone repents, he must feel sorrow for sin, confess, and perform certain works to amend his life (“make satisfaction” for Roman Catholics). The penitential system developed from the early Christian practice of counseling people after Confession and Absolution. For example, if a man stole a sheep, the pastor would counsel him to return the sheep.

Daily repentance: Lutherans teach that repentance is not an occasional action but should be part of daily Christian life and prayer.

Worship usually begins with Confession and Absolution. Lutherans expect people to repent before receiving the Lord’s Supper.

Crisis repentance: For many Protestants, repentance is something done once or only occasionally, when one experiences a spiritual crisis.

During the religious revivals of the 1800’s, many introduced the practice of an “altar call” by which people are encouraged to commit or recommit their lives to Christ.

REPENT!

With a convulsive motion, he tore away the ministerial band from before his breast. It was revealed!

—Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter

Hawthorne’s desperate character Rev. Dimmesdale spends his life hiding his sin of adultery. He abandons his love, Hester, to a life of shame while he pretends he has done nothing wrong. As a result, Dimmesdale dies young, revealing his sin only moments before his death.

“I’m sorry. I was wrong.” We rarely enjoy speaking these words. Nobody likes to admit being wrong or doing wrong. Even when we know it’s true, admitting blame and saying “I’m sorry” can humble us and make us feel uncomfortable. In fact, for some, confession means weakness. Saying “I’m sorry” means playing the sap.

We sometimes give excuses for not admitting a wrong or to get out of saying we are sorry. The admission of guilt or wrongdoing is difficult and so we avoid it because of pride, fear, or shame. Such feelings not only discourage us from admitting our faults to others, they can at times prevent us from honestly confessing our sin before God. This is hardly new.

Read .

Genesis 3:8–14 ESV

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.

Genesis 3:8 ESV

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

Lord God walking. When we read such passages, it is only natural for us to wonder what the prophets heard, saw, or felt in these encounters with God. These special appearances of God among human beings are called “theophanies,” which means “manifestations of God.” These theophanies try to describe for us what the prophets experienced in God’s presence. Theophanies remind us that God sustains His creation and that His personal, active participation in human history continued after the fall.Although God’s involvement with creation was often subtle (through nature, historic events, and people), God sometimes revealed Himself in a more personal way.

These special appearances of God among human beings are called “theophanies,” which means “manifestations of God.” These theophanies try to describe for us what the prophets experienced in God’s presence. Theophanies remind us that God sustains His creation and that His personal, active participation in human history continued after the fall.

Although God’s involvement with creation was often subtle (through nature, historic events, and people), God sometimes revealed Himself in a more personal way. cool of the day. Hbr indicates that it was the time of the day when the breeze blows, probably evening.

hid themselves. Just as covering themselves gave physical expression to their awareness of separation from each other, so their attempt to hide from God gives physical expression to their awareness of separation from Him (cf v 10, Adam’s response to God).

Genesis 3:9 ESV

But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

God called to the man. God addressed Adam. As the head and steward of God’s creation, Adam is responsible for what has happened, even though the woman was the first to disobey God’s command.

Where are you? Rhetorical, as with the questions God later asks of Adam (v 11) and Cain (4:9). God knows what has been done in secret.

This is hardly new. Read .

Genesis 3:10 ESV

And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

the sound of You. Sound of God walking in the garden (v 8; see p 39).

I was afraid … naked. His shame at being naked, not guilt because of his sin, moved Adam to hide. This revealed a consciousness of self as a being separated from God, which was new to human experience, parallel to the experience of separateness from each other that the man and woman experienced (v 7).

“And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed” ()

leads to

leads to

“But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ And he said, ‘I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself’” ().

What made Adam go from not knowing or caring that he was naked to feeling shame in his nakedness?

The answer is simple: sin. Our feelings of pride, fear, and shame not only prevent us from confessing our sins, they are themselves a result of sin and the sinfulness we have inherited from our first parents.

LIVING REPENTANCE

Read . John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus’ ministry of forgiveness. John’s central message can be summarized with the imperative “Repent!”

This exhortation, which John addressed to all Israel, called for a radical transformation of the entire person, a fundamental turnabout. To repent meant to be converted from unbelief to faith.

“With one bolt of lightning, he hurls together both ‹those selling and those buying works›. He says: ‘Repent!’ [Matthew 3:2]. Now one group imagines, ‘Why, we have repented!’ The other says, ‘We need no repentance’ ” (SA III III 30-4.3.3.31).

As he prepared the way for the Lord, John preached repentance (),

Matthew 3:2 ESV

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

exhorted his audience to produce fruit in keeping with repentance (),

Matthew 3:8 ESV

Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.

The Pharisees and Sadducees wanted John to baptize them without having repented and confessed their sins. Their works should give evidence of sincere repentance (cf Lk 3:10–14). “Confession, too, cannot be false, uncertain, or fragmentary. A person who confesses that everything in him is nothing but sin includes all sins, excludes none, forgets none. Neither can the satisfaction be uncertain, because it is not our uncertain, sinful work. Rather, it is the suffering and blood of the innocent Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (SA III III 37–38).

and be baptized for repentance ().

and exhorted his audience to produce fruit in keeping with repentance ().

Matthew 3:11 ESV

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Anticipating Jesus’ declaration that the Son of Man did “not come to call the righteous but sinners” (), John’s ministry impressed upon people that they were indeed sinners and in need of repentance. Those who did not reject John’s message willingly, repented and confessed their sins ().

What does Jesus Himself have to say about repentance? “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” ().

And from : “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” ().

Jesus begins His ministry with the theme previously proclaimed by John. Without mincing words, Jesus declares that repentance is a matter of life or death, a matter of heaven or hell! Or, put another way, repentance is a matter of Law and Gospel. Those who ignore the Law’s call to repent will suffer the full penalty of the Law’s condemnation. Those hearing the call to repent, however, find refuge from its accusation and condemnation in the Gospel ‘s promise of forgiveness.

Both John the Baptist and Jesus speak with a sense of urgency. The opening chapters of Paul’s letter to the church at Rome build one of Scripture’s most damning arguments. Paul’s discussion of man’s sinfulness culminates in chapter three, where he concludes on the basis of many Old Testament passages that, without exception, all people are sinful.

“None is righteous” (),

Romans 3:10 ESV

as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;

“all have turned aside”, “no one does good” ().

Romans 3:12 ESV

All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

He further explains that we are in no position to change our sinful status. Attempts to “do good” or to follow the law are of no avail. On the contrary, Paul explains that

“through the law comes knowledge of sin” ().

On the contrary, Paul explains that “through the law comes knowledge of sin” ().

Romans 3:20 ESV

For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Why is repentance such a pressing need?

When we see that we have broken God’s Law and we cannot make amends, repentance and God’s mercy are our only refuge.

Although Scripture often emphasizes human sinfulness and demands repentance, it also assures us that those who confess their sin find mercy. In Proverbs we read: “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy” ().

Proverbs 28:13 ESV

Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

The words of the apostle John, which find familiar expression in the church’s liturgy, are especially comforting: “If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” ().

1 John 1:8–9 ESV

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The Psalms make clear that people not only commit actual sins, but they are also burdened with the guilt of original sin. David confesses in that, being sinful from conception, his sin is always before him. He also acknowledges in that man’s sinfulness is so great that many faults must remain hidden and indiscernible. That is, they remain hidden to those whose faults they are; God is, of course, aware of all our transgressions.

Just as Scripture notes different forms and forums for the confession of sin, Luther’s Small Catechism (Concordia, p. 341) distinguishes between confession made before God and before one’s pastor.

In David sings: “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.”

The apostle James exhorts: “Confess your sins to one another” ().

And Luke records that many in the city of Ephesus confessed their sin openly and publicly before the church ().

God has not limited our opportunities for confession to particular times, places, or people.

WELCOME RELIEF

Although confessing one’s sins can be an uncomfortable experience, God does not intend it to be a burdensome task. Quite the opposite! Some people feel that confession provides relief because it allows us to “get things off our chest.” While this reason is understandable, we must also recognize that unless someone else bears our sin, we are not rid of it. The Gospel proclaims that our sin has in fact been placed on someone else: Christ, who conquered sin on the cross. Knowing that Christ has borne our sins emboldens us to confess our faults. Confession provides welcome relief because with it comes Absolution—complete forgiveness:[1]

“Confession consists of two parts. The first is our work and act, when I lament my sin and desire comfort and restoration for my soul. The second is a work that God does, when he absolves me of my sins through the Word placed on the lips of another person. This is the surpassingly grand and noble thing that makes confession so wonderful and comforting.”

Kolb, R., Wengert, T. J., & Arand, C. P. (2000). The Book of Concord: the confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (p. 478). Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.

The Divine Service provides the opportunity for corporate and public confession of sin. This is beneficial, especially in the context of worship. As we come to worship, we enter the house of the almighty God. As we call on His name, we also realize that we are, on the basis of our own merits, entirely unworthy to stand in His presence. In fact, the only thing we bring to God in worship is our sin. With such a realization comes the desire to confess our sin and to hear God’s reassuring word of Absolution. We desire to hear that He Himself wants us as His forgiven children to worship in His presence. If the Divine Service includes the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, we also take seriously Paul’s admonition to examine ourselves before communing ().

1 Corinthians 11:28 ESV

Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

Part of this examination includes recognizing and repenting of our sin.

FACING THE MIRROR

Just as a morning look in the mirror reveals our outward flaws, a look into God’s Word reveals our flaws in thought, word, and deed. We may hate to say, “I was wrong,” but God’s Law shows just how wrong, how sinful, we are. The good news, however, is that God responds to our confession of “I was wrong” by declaring clearly and surely: “You are forgiven.”

In his famous Ninety-five Theses, Martin Luther wrote,

“When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent’ [], He willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance” (AE 31:25).

Confession or repentance is to be part of daily Christian life. In the Lord’s Prayer, we say, “Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” ().

Although few will go to church or seek their pastor daily for Confession and Absolution, we can cultivate the habit of confession before God as part of our private devotion and prayer. One simple way of doing this includes reflecting on the Ten Commandments and their catechetical explanations. Likewise, recitation of the Lord’s Prayer includes asking that God “forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.”

We can also daily express our thanks to God for hearing our confession and forgiving our sin. Our thanksgiving for forgiveness takes place as we remember the forgiveness Jesus won for us on the cross. In our Baptism, God washed away all guilt and punishment due for our transgressions. As forgiveness in the name of the triune God covers all sin, we also daily remember our Baptism and daily live our lives in the righteousness and purity God has granted. For this reason, Luther’s Small Catechism encourages Christians to make the sign of the holy cross and say, “In the name of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” at morning and evening prayer (Concordia, p. 344). These words and sign remind us of our Baptism and the forgiveness and new life God gave us there. For this we offer our humble thanks and praise to God.

“In the name of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” at morning and evening prayer (Concordia, p. 344).

These words and sign remind us of our Baptism and the forgiveness and new life God gave us there. For this we offer our humble thanks and praise to God.

POINT TO REMEMBER

Penance: A sacrament for the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholics. When someone repents, he must feel sorrow for sin, confess, and perform certain works to amend his life (“make satisfaction” for Roman Catholics). The penitential system developed from the early Christian practice of counseling people after Confession and Absolution. For example, if a man stole a sheep, the pastor would counsel him to return the sheep.

Daily repentance: Lutherans teach that repentance is not an occasional action but should be part of daily Christian life and prayer. Worship usually begins with Confession and Absolution. Lutherans expect people to repent before receiving the Lord’s Supper.

Crisis repentance: For many Protestants, repentance is something done once or only occasionally, when one experiences a spiritual crisis. During the religious revivals of the 1800s, many introduced the practice of an “altar call” by which people are encouraged to commit or recommit their lives to Christ.

POINT TO REMEMBER

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

[1] See “Brief Exhortation to Confession”: Concordia, pp. 649-53.