Going on Seventeen

Book:  The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel
Lecture:  17
Selective Summary:
     Intro:  At the Marburg Colloquy, Luther told Zwingli, "Yours is a different spirit from ours."  He was speaking of the difference between his own childlike trust in the Bible and Zwingli's faith in human reason.  Lutherans believe that if doctrine is derived from a source other than the Bible, we have no sure foundation.  Churches who question the Word are "tossed about like the waves of the sea."
     Body:  Walther begins by giving us two examples of churches allowing human reason to determine their beliefs.  Other protestant churches condemned outward Lutheran resemblances to the Catholic church such as the robes worn by ministers.  This is calling a sin something that God does not regard as sinful.  They also argued with our practice of absolution, saying that in ordination we believed we were giving our ministers the power to forgive sin.  This is false.  Christ gave the Keys to the Church, and, like baptism, any Christian can use them.  We simply maintain organization and order by calling pastors to use them on our behalf.
     Walther then goes on to explain absolution with six key points.
1.  Jesus took on himself the world's sin.  Jn 1:29
2.  He earned forgiveness for us by his life and death.  II Cor. 5:21, Is. 53:5
3.  By raising Jesus from the dead, God placed his stamp of approval on the payment for our sins.
4.  Christ's command to preach the Gospel to all people includes the command to preach forgiveness of sins.
5.  It also includes the command to minister to individuals because forgiveness for all also means forgiveness for the individual.
6.  This commission applies to every Christian because it's not about what man must do; it's about what Christ has already done for us.
     To illustrate number six, Walther uses a parable.  The citizens of a country rebel and kill a king's son, but the son intercedes for them and convinces the king to pardon them.  The people were expecting execution, but the king sends out messengers to announce his pardon.  Some citizens live in places the messengers didn't come, but they are told the news by their friends.
     The citizens don't refuse to accept the pardon because the king doesn't announce it personally; they believe whoever tells them!  The king's forgiveness is a fact that is unaffected by who announces it.
    Walther then explains Catholic doctrine concerning absolution.  A priest is given power to forgive sins by his ordination and anointment with chism (oil).  In addition, all confessions must have three parts or they are invalid:  oral confession, heartfelt contrition (feeling bad for sin), and compensation for sin by performing a good work.  Later in the lecture, he states that Catholics believe contrition, confession, and satisfaction obtain grace; the Keys and absolution are only actions observed by the church.
     A short summary of the first half of the lecture.
Power for absolution comes from:  
     1) Christ's perfect reconciliation and redemption.
     2)  "The command...to preach the Gospel to all men, which means nothing else than to absolve all men, to assure them of the forgiveness of their sins."
     In the second half of the lecture, Walther examines confessions by Luther and other Christians concerning absolution.  Here are some highlights, most of them things I learned or more fully understood after reading the lecture.

• Absolution is the Word of God forgiving sins, not only because the words come from the Bible, but because the minister is following God's command to announce forgiveness.
• Absolution is the epitome (summary) of the Gospel.
• Absolution proclaims peace to me and is the true voice of the Gospel.
• We pray the fifth petition, not to earn forgiveness, but to remind us of the forgiveness that is ours and strengthen our faith.  That's also why we pray "Give us today our daily bread."  It leads us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.
• An interesting quote:  "The entire Papacy is built up on the teaching that grace is infused into men by some secret operation."  Grace can't be infused into us because it is the disposition of God outside of us; it can only be proclaimed to us.  That's why true comfort comes from the Word, not our feelings.
• In Matthew 9, Jesus' healing of a paralyzed man proved to the Pharisees his right to absolve people.  Verse 8 reads, "When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men."  The people in the crowd were likely saying something to this effect, and Matthew summarizes their praise.  Jesus doesn't correct them by saying, "No, God gave this power to me, not men."

My Lightbulb Moment:  "If we would only truly believe in absolution, with what joy would we attend church whenever it is pronounced!"