Saturday, April 11, 2015
Luke 24:46-47 He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."
THE PREACHING OF THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS
We should preach also forgiveness of sins in his name. This signifies nothing else than that the Gospel should be preached, which declares unto all the world that in Christ the sins of all the world are swallowed up, and that he suffered death to put away sin from us, and arose to devour it and blot it out.
This then is preaching the forgiveness of sins in his name, that we do not point only to confession, or to a certain hour; for we must act in view of the fact that it deals not with our works but with the whole person. Even when we begin to believe, our sin and infirmity are always present so that there is nothing pure in us, and we are indeed worthy of condemnation. But now forgiveness is so great and powerful, that God not only forgives the former sins you have committed but "looks through his fingers" and forgives the sins you will yet commit. He will not condemn us for our daily infirmities, but forgives all, [through] our faith in him ...
By absolution you are absolved and declared free from sin, that is, you are put into that state, where there is forgiveness of sin that never ends ...
-- Martin Luther
(Hendrickson Publishers: Through the Year with Martin Luther, 370-371:36, 38-39)
