Repentance the Fruit of Faith
who passed the leper would do the same. The true cause is the compassion in your heart.
Repentance the Fruit of Faith 32. Moreover, they claim that the Holy Scriptures attribute much to repentance, which we do not deny. However, we emphasize that repentance is the fruit of faith, and no one can truly repent of their sins unless they first believe. They also boast of many aspects of confession. But we distinguish between types of confession: one is separated from hope and faith, like Judas's confession that he had betrayed innocent blood. This type of confession is far from beneficial; it leads to despair and destruction. Alternatively, confession can be combined with faith and hope, as seen in David and Peter, where it is not the cause but the effect of justification, following faith, not preceding it.
The papists' practice of auricular confession is entirely superstitious, which we reject outright. They impose it as necessary for salvation and a cause for the forgiveness of sins, which they cannot substantiate with any scriptural evidence. They also misinterpret the Lord's Prayer, "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us," and "Forgive, and you will be forgiven," to claim that forgiving others is the cause of our sins being forgiven. This logic is flawed because if forgiveness of others truly earned remission of sins, then it would no longer be forgiveness, as you would have already paid the price.
Furthermore, when we ask for our sins to be forgiven, it's because God's grace has enabled us to forgive others, encouraging us to hope for greater blessings. This clause in the prayer doesn't indicate a causative factor but rather a comparison, though not a perfect one.
No one would want their sins forgiven by God exactly as they forgive others, as human forgiveness is often incomplete due to our inherent weaknesses. This comparison should be seen not in terms of remission but in terms of God's generosity in giving us the capacity to forgive, which He may also extend to forgiving our sins.
The phrase "Forgive, and it will be forgiven to you" is a directive and pertains to the law. It's crucial to note that the division between the law and the Gospel is not demarcated by the Old or New Testament since both contain Gospel promises and the law is expounded in the Gospel by Christ. This directive teaches us to forgive others, fulfilling the law's command to love God wholly and our neighbors as ourselves. Since perfect fulfillment of this command is beyond human capacity, we must rely on Christ for justification through faith, which then enables us to partially fulfill this command in a manner pleasing to God.
The appeal to Daniel's advice to the king, "To break off your sins by practicing righteousness and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed," may suggest that acts of charity can mitigate divine punishment. This does not imply that good works can atone for sins but acknowledges that God may reduce temporal suffering in response to acts of faith. Such phrases commonly appear in Scripture and align with our understanding that God rewards works that proceed from faith, particularly in moderating trials and punishments.
33. Furthermore, our opponents cite the first chapter of John: "God gave them power to become children of God." They argue that those who have received Christ, i.e., believed in Him, are not yet justified or regenerated but have merely received the potential to become children of God through works. Pighius, a notable champion for the
papists, places great confidence in this argument, mistakenly believing that having the power to obtain something means one does not yet possess it. This is not universally true, even among philosophers. For instance, when defining the soul, they describe it as the act of a naturally organized body with potential for life, suggesting the body has life potentially, even when it actually possesses life. Similarly, in John, "power" implies that believers are regenerated and become children of God not by their own ability but through God's spirit and grace. This power signifies a right or prerogative granted by faith to become, in actuality, children of God.
Cyril, interpreting this passage, says it denotes adoption and grace.
Pighius fails to see the contradiction in his argument. It's illogical to claim that someone can have life in themselves and not live. If believers receive Christ through faith, they must inherently possess righteousness, as Paul states in his first letter to the Corinthians that Christ is our wisdom, righteousness, and redemption.
Turning to servile fear, some argue it precedes charity and prepares us for justification. We respond that such fear, devoid of charity, is sinful. They claim Christ commanded this fear, referencing His words: "I will show you whom you should fear: fear Him who, after killing the body, has the power to throw the soul into hell." However, this fear, they argue, leads to justification, supported by Augustine's analogy in his exposition of 1 John: "Perfect love drives out fear," likening servile fear to a bristle pulling thread in shoemaking, drawing charity along with it.
This interpretation is flawed. First, the premise is incorrect; God does not command a fear devoid of charity and faith. Regarding
Augustine's comment, it's important to note that the "perfect love" in 1 John refers to God's love for us, not our love for God. John
discusses the confidence derived from understanding God's perfect love, which assures us of safety on Judgment Day. This perfect love, once recognized, eliminates fear because it precludes the fear of condemnation.
Even if we accept the common interpretation that it's our love for God, Augustine's words do not universally apply. While God may use fear to lead some to justification, not all who experience this fear find faith and charity, as seen in Cain and Judas. Such fear, though sinful, can be considered beneficial not through its merit but because God chooses to use it for our salvation. As charity grows, it further dispels fear, not only servile but also the fear of damnation among the justified. This ongoing doubt about eternal punishment, a result of incomplete faith and charity, illustrates our continual struggle with fear throughout our earthly lives.
34. They also seize on this saying and object against us: "Ask, and you shall receive; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." But they should remember that prayers arise from faith and adhere to it solely; for otherwise, they cannot be heard.
However, I wonder why they neglected to mention: "Whatever you ask in faith, you will receive." For by these words, it is clear that whatever is granted to those who ask is given to faith.
Additionally, they cite a verse from Luke: "Give alms, and everything will be clean for you." Yet this phrase can be interpreted in three ways, none of which support their argument. The first interpretation suggests that the phrase was a rebuke, as if Christ were saying to the Pharisees, "You give alms and think that immediately makes everything clean for you," which is incorrect. We must first cleanse the internal aspects.
Another interpretation, followed by Augustine in his "Enchiridion to Laurentius," addresses some who believed that giving alms alone would save them, even if they continued to sin. They clung to these words of Christ for justification. Augustine responds that Christ's words refer to genuine and commendable alms, as described in Ecclesiasticus 30: "Have compassion on your soul and please God."
Therefore, you should begin true alms with yourself, showing compassion to yourself by turning to God and abstaining from sin, and then extend your compassion to others.
The third interpretation, which I find most relevant, occurred when Christ dined with the Pharisees and began to eat with unwashed hands, causing offence. Christ rebuked their focus on external cleanliness while neglecting their internal state, their minds. He first urged them to purify their hearts, achievable through faith as stated in Acts: "Purifying their hearts by faith." Regarding external matters, he added, "Give alms, and so all things will be clean for you." As Theodorus Beza, a learned and discerning scholar, has astutely noted in his annotations, Christ did not speak of all forms of cleanliness but specifically related to food. He imparted a dual mandate: avoid eating anything acquired through theft or deceit and allocate a portion from within, that is, from what is contained in the dishes, for the poor. This act cleanses and sanctifies whatever remains.
However, there is nothing in this that advances our adversaries' views.
35. There are those who believe they can establish their error through the ministry of the keys, thinking that through these keys men are absolved from their sins. However, they misunderstand what these keys are that Christ entrusted to His church. The preaching of the word of God, concerning the remission of sins obtained through Christ, is the sole key to opening the kingdom of
heaven. If the listener of the word also adds true faith and fully assents to these words, then the second key comes into play. With these two keys, the kingdom of heaven is opened, and forgiveness of sins is obtained. Thus, Christ, in sending out his apostles, said, "Go and preach the Gospel," then he added, "Whoever believes will be saved." By these few words, he defined the keys he delivered to the church, which involve no work as they claim. It's all about the faith of the hearers and the word of God that is preached.
But how can we finally refute this constantly repeated claim, "Many sins are forgiven her because she loved much"? If the passage is carefully considered, it is not difficult to do. We must recognize that some reasons are drawn from causes and some from effects. Christ later clarifies the cause of salvation when he says to the woman,
"Your faith has saved you." However, since that faith was hidden within her and invisible to those present, Christ uses a parable to show that those who receive more, love more. He demonstrated that this woman received a great gift (justification) through her actions: she washed his feet with her tears, dried them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them. The absence of such actions by the Pharisee strongly suggests he had not received a similar gift.
They also quote from Romans, "Not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified." Paul, reproving the Jews for boasting about the law yet living contrary to it, meant nothing else than that if righteousness were to be obtained through the law, merely having or hearing it is insufficient—it must be fully enacted. We never denied that a person could be justified by the law if they could completely fulfill it. However, as this is impossible, we assert that righteousness cannot be expected through the law alone.