The Sacrament of Penance (Part 3)

Repentant Peter by El Greco

I can't believe it has been more than ten days since I posted anything from my readings in "The Sacrament of Penance," written by Martin Luther in 1519 A.D.  If you recall, I am exploring the question, "what is this faith?" as penned by the great German theologian in the aforementioned essay.  Here, as a reminder, is the quote that first struck me:

Everything, then, depends on faith, which alone makes the sacraments accomplish that which they signify, and everything that the priest says come true.  For as you believe, so it is done for you.  Without this faith all absolution and all sacraments are in vain and indeed do more harm than good.  There is a common saying among the teachers that goes like this:  Not the sacrament, but the faith that believes the sacrament is what removes sin.  St. Augustine says this:  The sacrament removes sin, not because it takes place, but because it is believed.  For this reason in the sacrament one must studiously discern faith...

I am attempting to faithfully accomplish that goal, again asking the question referenced above.  For this installment, I looked at paragraphs 5-6 of "The Sacrament of Penance," recalling always the lens through which Luther processes:  1) the comfort and consolation of the believer, and 2) his understanding of the keys of the kingdom as presented in Matthew 16:19:

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

5.  SUMMARY:  In paragraph four, Luther dealt with the fact that only God can accomplish the forgiveness of sin and the forgiveness of guilt.  But how does He do that?  Does He provide an earthly method whereby the believer can be assured and comforted that such forgiveness has taken place?  Yes, Luther says:

The true way and the right method, without which there is no other, is that most worthy, gracious, and holy sacrament of penance, which God gave for the comfort of all sinners when he gave the keys to St. Peter...

The theologian continues:

This holy, comforting, and gracious word of God must enter deeply into the heart of every Christian, where he may with great gratitude let it become part of him.

Then, Luther defines the sacrament of penance for us:

For the sacrament of penance consists in this:  forgiveness of sin, comfort and peace of conscience, besides joy and blessedness of heart over against all sins and terrors of conscience, as well as against all despair and assaults by the gates of hell.

My thoughts:  It is important to remember that what Luther is describing here is an earth-bound process that comforts the believer on a spiritual level.  The amends making that is described by the phrase "forgiveness of sin" has already been accomplished for us by the death and resurrection of Christ.  Our faith in Christ, in who He is and in what He did for us by dying and rising again, grabs hold of that forgiveness for us.  The comfort and peace of conscience is the forgiveness of guilt that has been mentioned in previous posts.  The joy and blessedness of heart should follow for us as we repeatedly (hopefully daily) recall the enormity of the sacrifice that was made on our behalf so that we can stand before God at peace and pure.

6.  SUMMARY.  Here, Luther breaks down the earth-bound process described in paragraph five even further by sharing this:

Now there are three things in the holy sacrament of penance.  The first is absolution.  These are the words of the priest which show, tell, and proclaim to you that you are free and that your sins are forgiven you by God...

The second is grace, the forgiveness of sins, the peace and comfort of the conscience, as the words declare.

The third is faith, which firmly believes that the absolution and words of the priest are true, by the power of Christ's words, "Whatever you loose...shall be loosed..."

Paragraph six also offers a description of Luther's understanding of a sacrament:

...a holy sign, because in it one hears the words [of God] externally that signify spiritual gifts within, gifts by which the heart is comforted and set at peace.

My thoughts:  Again, it is crucial to recall that Christ has already made amends for the sins you have committed.  Absolution, if you will, is a done deal.  The words of the priest referred to in this first part of the sacrament are merely a reminder to you of the incredible sacrificial gift that was given for you (Christ).  The second part of the sacrament, grace, has to do with that forgiveness of guilt concept that comforts and consoles the believer.  The third part, faith, is the activator of all because it believes in Christ and in what was done by Christ for the believer.  As Luther said, the sacrament is a physical externality that signifies a spiritual reality.

Located at the end of paragraph six are the words that set off this project:

Everything, then depends on this faith...

Stay tuned as I continue to explore.

The Sacrament of Penance (Part 2)

Repentant Peter by El Greco

A while ago, I started posting my notes from "The Sacrament of Penance" by Martin Luther, written in 1519.  Not too far into this essay, the famous theologian says the following:

Everything, then, depends on faith, which alone makes the sacraments accomplish that which they signify, and everything that the priest says come true.  For as you believe, so it is done for you.  Without this faith all absolution and all sacraments are in vain and indeed do more harm than good.  There is a common saying among the teachers that goes like this:  Not the sacraments, but the faith that believes the sacrament is what removes sin.  St. Augustine says this:  The sacrament removes sin, not because it takes place, but because it is believed.  For this reason in the sacrament one must studiously discern faith...

What I am exploring with these notes is the question:  what is this faith?  In looking at this question, it is important to remember two things:  1) for Luther, the comfort and consolation of the believer is paramount, and 2) a key passage relating to penance is Matthew 16:19:

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loos on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

In Part 1, I only looked at the first two paragraphs of "The Sacrament of Penance."  This time, I will be furnishing my notes on paragraphs three and four.

3.  SUMMARY.  At the end of paragraph two, Luther states the following about the joy that should overcome the believer at the realization that his sins are forgiven:

And this is what true forgiveness of sins really means, that a person's sins no longer bite him or make him uneasy, but rather that the joyful conscience overcomes him that God has forgiven him his sins forever.

Here, Luther says that if the believer does not experience such joy over God's grace, no amount of making amends will help because the believer is missing the forgiveness of guilt.  He then issues a reminder to practice the forgiveness of guilt "first and foremost every day."

My thoughts.  In this paragraph, Luther also strongly states the following:

No one can be saved, however, without a joyful conscience and a glad heart toward God (that is, the forgiveness of guilt).

Does this mean, then, that the forgiveness of guilt is part and parcel of repentance?  Are the forgiveness of guilt and true repentance one and the same?  It seems to me to be so.  Logically, that would follow, especially since he admonishes the believer to practice it daily.

4.  SUMMARY.  The forgiveness of sin and the forgiveness of guilt can only be accomplished by God.  Neither good works nor, as in Luther's day, the purchase of indulgences can deliver absolution or peace.  Good works flow out of the forgiveness of guilt, that joyful heart that believers have toward God because Christ has made amends for them.

My thoughts.  So, there is an order to this.  First, by faith, I believe that the death and resurrection of Christ makes amends for my sins.  The result of my understanding that is a joyful heart and a glad conscience, two conditions that then motivate me to perform good works.  Sins must be forgiven before works can be produced.

The Sacrament of Penance (Part 1)

The Repentant Peter by El Greco

Last year, in a fit of curiosity and as part of a self-paced Teaching Company course, I purchased a copy of Luther's Works, Volume 35:  Word and Sacrament I.  Distracted by other life events, I hadn't really read much of it until recently.  A few days ago, I started looking at "The Sacrament of Penance," written in 1519.  Wow, what an education for a cradle Lutheran!  I never knew, for example, that Luther considered penance to be a sacrament.  Apparently, he did, although he eventually abandoned the idea in favor of just Baptism and Communion, the two sacraments that are used in the Lutheran Church today.  Frankly, whether or not Luther thought of penance as a sacrament isn't of much concern to me as a layperson.  What he had to say about faith as regards sacrament really hit home and made sense to me.

Everything, then depends on faith, which alone makes the sacraments accomplish that which they signify, and everything that the priest says come true.  For as you believe, so it is done for you.  Without this faith all absolution and all sacraments are in vain and indeed do more harm than good.  There is a common saying among the teachers that goes like this:  Not the sacrament, but the faith that believes the sacrament is what removes sin.  St. Augustine says this:  The sacrament removes sin, not because it takes place, but because it is believed.  For this reason in the sacrament one must studiously discern faith.

But what is this faith?  Is it, as it sounds in the above passage, faith in the actual act of the penitential rite itself?  Or is it something else?  To explore this question, allow me to share my notes from "The Sacrament of Penance" to see how I think Luther answered this question of faith.  The numbers correspond to the paragraph numbers in my copy of "The Sacrament of Penance."  These notes will be posted a few paragraphs at a time, so a final summation of the answer to the question --- What is this faith that Luther is taking about in the above quote? --- will not be available for awhile.  My hope is that you will explore with me until the last posting.

Let's begin, remembering two things:  1) for Luther, the comfort and consolation of the believer is paramount, and 2) a key passage relating to penance is Matthew 16:19:

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

1.  SUMMARY.  Two types of forgiveness are contained within the sacrament of penance:  the forgiveness of the punishment (i.e., someone makes amends for a wrong that was committed) and forgiveness of the guilt.  In this particular section, Luther does not elaborate on what he means by forgiveness of the punishment, except to say that he has said enough about it in previous writings and it "is not very significant and is an immeasurably lesser thing than the forgiveness of guilt."  That, Luther says, can only be granted by God.

My thoughts.  The dictionary defines forgiveness as setting aside, or not imparting.  So, according to Luther, the practical, earthly consequences of sin can be set aside, or forgiven, by any believer on earth?  That is the implication of the statement," ...the forgiveness of guilt, which one might call a godly or heavenly indulgence, one that only God himself can grant from heaven."  This makes sense given that, for Luther, every believer possesses the keys of the kingdom (i.e., the authority to grant forgiveness of sin).  Any believer, then, can say to any other believer, "You are forgiven.  Making amends for your sin is not necessary because Christ has already done that."

2.  SUMMARY.  The forgiveness of the punishment (or the making amends for sin) eliminates works, efforts at satisfaction that will reconcile a believer outwardly to the Church.  Forgiveness of guilt eliminates our fear before God.  It makes the conscience joyful.  It reconciles man inwardly with God.  To quote Luther:

And this is what true forgiveness of sins really means, that a person's sins no longer bite him or make him uneasy, but rather that the joyful confidence overcomes him that God has forgiven him his sins forever.

My thoughts.  Here, Luther sounds as if no earthly, reconciling action is necessary between the party who was wronged and the party who did the harm.  For example, if I gossiped about a fellow sister in Christ, I wouldn't need to go to her and say, "I'm sorry."  That is not what he means.  Understood in the context of the Catholic sacrament of penance, Luther is saying that no good work needs to be assigned by the priest and completed by the believer in order for forgiveness to be granted.  That type of reconciling action was already completed by Christ.

As I said at the beginning, no summations or conclusions will be offered until I get through the entire essay.  It is 21 paragraphs long, so it could take me awhile.  Check back for more of my notes.  Comment if you wish.  Discussion is welcome.