Thesis ten of Walther’s Law and Gospel says that you are not rightly distinguishing Law and Gospel in the Word of God if you preach that “dead” faith can justify and save in the sight of God–while that believer is still living in mortal sins. In the same way, do not preach that faith justifies and saves those unrepentant people because of the love and renewal it produces in them. Perhaps an easier way to say all that is that you cannot serve two masters. Either you will love sin or you will love the Lord. Intellectual knowledge is not enough; good works in Christ follow faith, and this includes the attempt to grow in holiness. This can and should be a worrisome token for us to consider today.
This does not mean that if you sin, you are outside of the Lord’s grace and are an unbeliever. Each of us also has our pet sins, and in moments of weakness submit to the temptation. This is not what we are talking about. Here, we are looking at one who has been called to repentance of their sin, and from a point of proud disobedience choose to reject the call of the Gospel. We can all, likely, think of the big sins that might fit into this category, but this also falls down in our seeking of recognition, being lovers of pride, thinking too much of ourselves, putting our needs before others. We should constantly be attempting to shed the trappings of this world so that we may love God and put our neighbors before ourselves.
It is true that, through repeated sin, salvation and the Holy Spirit can be lost. It is true also that in great sins rising from a persistently calloused heart, salvation can be lost in a moment, such as David with Uriah and Bathsheba. Salvation, which is a free gift of God, can be walked away from. The Scriptures call it shipwrecking your faith. Yet, I would say, if you find yourself sorry for your sins, if you are repenting of them, then you are not yet in danger. Those who shipwreck the faith are those who disregard the Lord’s commands, who care nothing for them, who let their pleasure be their God. David did this, letting his lust for Bathsheba guide his actions and away from God. Yet, in hearing the Word of God, the seed of faith planted in him sprang to life, and gave rise to his repentance and one of the greatest psalms ever, Psalm 51, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!”
Sins that suddenly overtake us, these are indeed sinful, but God in His mercy forgives you. He is not angry with you; He does not strip you of your eternal life. You still have faith, and faith, and a good conscience, given you in your Baptism, go hand-in-hand. We must, however, be careful to take the grace that God shows us in our sins and apply it to those who persist in theirs. The death of Christ and the forgiveness of sins is indeed for them, but because they love their sin instead of their Jesus, they shall not have it.
In a way, it is good if this scares you. It should scare you. We should be afraid of holding on to a sin so tightly that we can no longer even touch our Lord. Yet, even in these moments of fear, faith is evident. One who has no faith cares not for the accusations of the Law. They seek only after the approval of man, and, sadly, they often obtain it, even in our own churches. They may be wonderful and stately and beautiful and fight for that which is good and appreciated and beloved and they still have no faith, for they reject the Lord’s call to holiness through His forgiveness of sins. People such as this have lost their justification and need to continue to hear the Law of God preached that they may repent and find the forgiveness of Christ once again.
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