Who ought to repent?
Who ought to repent?
§ 137. Let that suffice in regard to the parts of Papist repentance. Finally, let us return to the doctrine of true and salutary repentance which was begun above [§§ 33–61]. We have said that this repentance included contrition and faith in Christ, which new obedience follows. So it is asked: who ought to repent? Bellarmine (De poenit., bk. 1, ch. 9, prop. 4) writes: “Repentance is not a matter for all people but only for sinners, for God has not appointed repentance for the just, as we read in the Prayer of Manasseh. Also, the Lord says in Luke 15[:7]: ‘The just do not need repentance.’ ”
We, however, say that the message of repentance after the fall is universal and pertains to all people. This is demonstrated by the [following] clear testimonies of Scripture. (I) All of those testimonies in which repentance is commanded to be preached without any distinction. “Thus it was necessary that the Christ should suffer and rise again and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:[46–]47). “God announces to men that all people everywhere should repent (πᾶσι πανταχοῦ μετανοεῖν παραγγέλλει), because He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in equity” (Acts 17:30–31). Here three signs of universality occur.
(II) Testimonies of Scripture in which Christ and the saints performed the very act of calling all people to repentance: “Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near’ ” (Matt. 4:17; Mark 1:14–15). The preaching of John the Baptist was the same (Matt. 3:2; Mark 1:4), as was that of the apostles (Acts 2:38, etc.).
(III) Testimonies of Scripture in which all people are said to be sinners before God. Therefore surely repentance is necessary for all. “No one is innocent before God” (Exod. 34:7). “There is no man who does not sin” (1 Kings 8:46; 2 Chron. 6:36; Eccl. 7:[20]). “What is man, that he can be clean? Or he that is born of a woman, that he may be justified? Behold, God placed no stability in His holy ones, and the heavens are unclean in His sight. How much more abominable and contemptible is man, who drinks iniquity like water!” (Job 15:14–16). “Every saint shall pray unto You for the forgiveness of sin” (Ps. 32:6). “If You decided to impute sins, who shall stand it?” (Ps. 130:3). “Enter not into judgment with Your servant, for no man living will be justified before You” (Ps. 143:2). “Who can say, ‘I am clean in my heart; I am cleansed from sin’?” (Prov. 20:9). “There is no distinction, for all are sinners and lack the glory of God” (Rom. 3:[22–]23). “Through one man sin entered into the world” (Rom. 5:12). “If we say we have no sin, we are liars” (1 John 1:10). “We all stumble in many things [πολλὰ πταίομεν ἅπαντες]” (James 3:2). This is the confession of all the saints from the beginning of the world and their common voice: “Lord, forgive us our debts” [Matt. 6:12]. Briefly, “every sinner repents daily because he sins every day, not by committing crimes but by not doing the Law.”12 “For he lives in his opposing flesh until he dies, until his entire flesh perishes both bodily and spiritually.” “ Therefore contrition begins in the penitent, but it never stops throughout his entire life until death,” as Luther writes ([Latin ed.,] vol. 1, fol. 14).13