Concerning Repentance – part 43
Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Scripture Text: Genesis 3:6–8
Series: Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
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From the Confessions: The Defense of the Augsburg Confession
The lives of the saints also reveal these two parts. After his sin, Adam was reprimanded and became terrified. This was contrition. Afterward God promised grace, and spoke of a future seed which would destroy the kingdom of the devil, death, and sin. Here God offered the forgiveness of sins. These are the chief parts. Though punishment is added afterward, this punishment does not merit the forgiveness of sin. We shall deal with this kind of punishment later.
Pulling It Together: After we take the tantalizing fruit of sin, a frightening self-consciousness overwhelms us. All we want to do is cover our sin and hide from God. This terror is contrition; and it is not enough. Hiding from God does not deal with sin. Furthermore, we cannot cover our own sin. Our attempts to do so, wither like day-old fig leaves. Only God can cover our sin, as he did in the garden. But we need something more permanent than animal skins (Genesis 3:21). We must be covered in the permanence of Christ’s own skin (Romans 3:14; Gal 3:27). This covering in grace is the second, needful part of repentance. Without faith in the forgiving grace of God, we remain in terror and hiding.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for giving me faith in your Son who has destroyed sin and death forever. Amen
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Author
Rev. Dr. Mark E. Ryman has served as Pastor for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Salisbury, NC, since 2021. Previously, Pastor Ryman served congregations in North Carolina and Ohio, as well as a call to specialized ministry with Sola Publishing.
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