Chapter Xii: Corruptions In The Doctrine Of Repentance
returning the thirty pieces of silver and confessing his wrongdoing, went and hanged himself.
Chapter XII:
CORRUPTIONS IN THE DOCTRINE OF REPENTANCE
The ancient doctrine of repentance, which is a crucial aspect of religion, has been corrupted by the present-day Roman Church.
There are six specific corruptions:
First, they declare that repentance or penance is a sacrament, which is not possible because it lacks an outward sign. Some argue that the words spoken by the priest in absolution serve as the sign, but that cannot be true since a sign must not only be audible but also visible.
Second, they assert that a sinner possesses a natural disposition within them, which, when awakened by God's grace, allows them to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in their own repentance. However, in reality, all our repentance is entirely attributed to God's grace. The soul of a person is not merely weak but spiritually dead in sin, and therefore, it cannot prepare itself for repentance any more than a lifeless body in a grave can prepare itself for resurrection.
The third corruption is the belief that contrition in repentance must be sufficient. This is an impossible task because sin greatly offends the majesty of God, and no amount of mourning can ever be enough.
The fourth corruption is the notion that contrition merits the forgiveness of sins. Such a belief diminishes the all-sufficient merits of Christ.
The fifth corruption is the requirement that a repentant person must confess all their sins, along with every detail and circumstance, to
their own priest or a designated representative in order to receive pardon. This type of confession is a mere invention of human imagination. Firstly, there is no command or example of it in Scripture. Secondly, individuals like David and others have repented and received forgiveness of their sins without confessing each sin in detail to another person.
The final corruption is the belief that a sinner must satisfy God through their works and sufferings for the temporal punishment of their sins. This is a blatant blasphemy. The Scriptures mention no satisfaction other than that of Christ's, and if His satisfaction is sufficient, then ours is unnecessary. If ours is necessary, then His is imperfect. Papists argue that both can coexist, claiming that Christ's satisfaction is like an unapplied plaster in a box, and human satisfaction serves as a means to apply it by preparing us to receive it.
This is flawed reasoning, for even in common sense, Christ's satisfaction must first be applied to the individual before any works
(which they call satisfactions) can be acceptable to God.
In conclusion, the Roman doctrine of repentance leads straight to hell. When a sinner is taught that they must have sufficient sorrow for their sin without being able to believe in the specific remission of their own sins, they will fall into despair without finding true comfort in God's mercy. Hence, we have observed that Papists, in the hour of death, gladly abandon the illusion of human satisfactions and rely solely on the obedience of Christ for their justification.
Praise be to God.