Thesis twelve of Walther’s Law and Gospel says that you are not rightly distinguishing Law and Gospel in the Word of God if you teach that the reason our sins are forgiven is because we both believe and are contrite. Now, this might seem a bit confusing. In fact, it seems to go against what we believe, what we seem to practice. But let’s explore it.
Repentance, contrition is obviously very important through the Scriptures. Jesus, Peter, Paul all tell us to repent and believe the Gospel. To repent means to feel sorrow for your sins, confess your sins, and to seek not to do them again. This is absolutely necessary in the life of the believer. You must repent of your sins; it’s the natural flow of the Christian life. However, just because you’re sorry for your sins, don’t think this is the reason you are forgiven. The reason you are forgiven is because the faith that has been granted to you grasps on to the promises of God and the forgiveness of sins through the death of Christ.
The reason for this is because when someone becomes contrite, it is solely because the Law has convicted them. Repentance is brought on by the Law, but forgiveness by the Gospel. Repentance cannot be brought by the Gospel, forgiveness is nowhere found in the Law. Moreover, contrition can be had without faith. Anyone can lament over their sins, but, without faith, it becomes to them a torture for there is no relief from their suffering. However, no one may have forgiveness without faith. Contrition can be separate from faith, forgiveness is dependent on faith.
Interestingly, however, even the desire to come to Jesus, the faith to believe, shows contrition. It shows that you know who you are, a sinner in need a Savior, and that shows that you are contrite already. Contriteness is not an emotion you must feel but a state of being. That’s why the proper distinction between law and Gospel is so important, otherwise you may have someone who is contrite but doesn’t know it despairing over their lack of sorrow. It’s not to say that we shouldn’t feel sorrow, but if we are concerned over our lack of it, or we are instead focused on the grace given to us by Christ, we must be confident that contrition is there.
This is why we must say that belief and contriteness are not both the reason we are forgiven. Contrition happens in such a way that, without faith, there is never a chance of forgiveness. And faith sometimes brings about contrition because it imbues honesty about one’s sinful condition, even without lamenting over sin. We should daily repent of our sins. This is contrition following faith. This makes it, not a work of man, but a work of God in man, that by the power of the Holy Spirit, we may perceive our own faults and actions and seek to be more like Jesus. This might mean that you are consistently repenting of a sin, even a single sin that you committed once upon a time. And it’s true that the Lord has cast that sin from you as far as the east is from the west, and yet it’s fresh in your heart. This is not a bad or evil thing; this is you repenting before God for what you have done, it is a sacrifice, if you will, that you are bringing before the Lord and He is pleased. He does not save you through this repentance–He does that through faith–yet He sees His Word is working in you by faith and that is good.
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