Augsburg Confession, Article XII: Repentance

Our churches teach that there is forgiveness of sins for those who have fallen after Baptism whenever they are converted. The Church ought to impart Absolution to those who return

to repentance.

Now, strictly speaking, repentance consists of two parts. One part is contrition, that is, terrors striking the conscience

through the the knowledge of sin. The other part is faith, which is born of the gospel or the absolution and believes

that for Christ’s sake, sins are forgiven. It comforts the conscience and delivers it from terror. Then good works are

bound to follow, which are the fruit of repentance.

Our churches condemn the Anabaptists, who deny that those who have once been justified can lose the Holy Spirit. They

also condemn those who argue some may reach such a state of perfection in this life that they cannot sin.

The Novatians also are condemned, who would not absolve those who had fallen after Baptism, though they returned to

repentance.

Our churches also reject those who do not teach that forgiveness of sins comes through faith, but command us to

merit grace through satisfactions of our own.

They also reject those who teach that it is necessary to perform works of satisfaction, commanded by Church law, in

order to remit eternal punishment or the punishment of purgatory.

Procedure• Whenpromptedtakeacoupleofminutestosiftthroughandevaluatetheartifactsdisplayed.

• Selecttheonethatisthemost“INDISPENSABLEorvital.”Thenjotdownyourrationaleforwhy

thisisso.• Youwillhavethreeminutestocompletethistask.

שובה משבה ישראל נאם־יהוה

יד אני נאם־יהוה י־חס יל פני בכם כ לוא־אפ

א אטור לעולם ל

REPENTANCE INDISPENSABLE!

ARTIFACT#1

theLORDdeclaresIsrael backslidingreturn

theLORDdeclaresIamgraciousforonyoumyfaceIwillnotcausetofall

foreverIwillbeangrynot backsliding

Jeremiah3:12

ARTIFACT#2

WisconsinLutheranSeminary

ARTIFACT#3

ἀλλʼ ἐὰν µὴ µετανοῆτε πάντες ὡσαύτως ἀπολεῖσθε.

ARTIFACT#4

butifnotyouarerepentingalllikewiseyouwillperish

Luke13:5

ARTIFACT#5

REPENTANCE:KNOWIT!

“Now,strictlyspeaking,repentanceconsistsoftwoparts.Onepartiscontrition,thatis,terrorsstrikingtheconsciencethroughtheknowledgeofsin.Theotherpartisfaith,whichisbornofthegospelortheabsolutionandbelievesthatfor

Christ’ssake,sinsareforgiven.Itcomfortstheconscienceanddeliversitfromterror.Thengoodworksareboundtofollow,

whicharethefruitofrepentance.”

TASK:BadDefinitions/Gooddefinition• Readthroughthepassageabovetohelpyougetafeelfortheconfessorsunderstandingof

repentance.

• Inthespacebelowwritedownsomepoordefinitionsofrepentancewhichyouhaveheardpeoplespeakinyourministryorlife.

• Inthespacebelowwritedownyourowndefinitionofrepentancein5wordsorless.

Baddefinitions:Gooddefinition:

Discussthefollowingstatements.Shouldwekeepthemordeletethem?Youdetermine. Repentanceisbothabadfeelingandagoodfeeling. Contritionbyitselfisnotrepentance.

Sincecontritionisterrorsmitingtheconscience,weshouldbeabletoseeasignofcontrition

Thegoalofrepentanceistochangepeople’sbehavior. Repentanceissynonymouswithconversion. Goodworksarethethirdpartofrepentance. Faithgivestheforgivenessofsins. Godforgivesyouwhenyousayyou’resorry.

REPENTANCE:SOURCEIT! TASK:ReviewsomeScripturesthatteachrepentance.

• ReadthroughthefollowingScriptureversesandidentifythemasteachingeithercontrition,faith,orboth—repentance.

• Writea“C”forcontrition.Writean“F”forfaith.Writean“R”

forrepentance(both).

• Youhave5minutestocompletethistask.Bereadytoshareyourfindings.

1John1:9 Ifweconfessoursins,heisfaithfulandjustandwillforgiveusoursinsandpurifyusfromallunrighteousness.Luke22:61-62TheLordturnedandlookedstraightatPeter.ThenPeterrememberedthewordtheLordhadspokentohim:“Beforetheroostercrowstoday,youwilldisownmethreetimes.”62Andhewentoutsideandweptbitterly.Genesis15:6AbrambelievedtheLord,andhecreditedittohimasrighteousness.Acts16:31Theyreplied,“BelieveintheLordJesus,andyouwillbesaved—youandyourhousehold.”Matthew27:5SoJudasthrewthemoneyintothetempleandleft.Thenhewentawayandhangedhimself.Matthew4:17FromthattimeonJesusbegantopreach,"Repent,forthekingdomofheavenhascomenear."

Psalm32:3-4WhenIkeptsilent,myboneswastedawaythroughmygroaningalldaylong.

4Fordayandnightyourhandwasheavyonme;mystrengthwassappedasintheheatofsummer.

Acts2:38Peterreplied,“Repentandbebaptized,everyoneofyou,inthenameofJesusChristfortheforgivenessofyoursins.AndyouwillreceivethegiftoftheHolySpirit.Matthew18:15"Ifyourbrotherorsistersins,goandpointouttheirfault,justbetweenthetwoofyou.

REPENTANCE:APPLYIT!

“OurchurchesteachthatthereisforgivenessofsinsforthosewhohavefallenafterBaptismwhenevertheyareconverted.The

ChurchoughttoimpartAbsolutiontothosewhoreturntorepentance.

TASK:SeetheNORMANORMATA.• Reviewthepassagesbelowastheyfunctionasthenormanormans.

• After“A”belowwritedownhoweachsentenceofthepassageaboveisruledbythe

rule.

• Thenreflectonyourcongregationallifeandministry.After“B”belowprovidethreespecificexamplesofhowyouaspastororyourcongregationputstheconfessionalpassageaboveintopractice.Bereadytoshare.

• Youhavefiveminutes.

1Corinthians10:12So,ifyouthinkarestandingfirm,becarefulthatyoudon’tfall.Galatians5:4YouwhoaretryingtobejustifiedbythelawhavebeenalienatedfromChrist,youhavefallenawayfromgrace.1Timothy1:19Holdingontofaithandagoodconscience,whichsomehaverejectedandsohavesufferedshipwreckwithregardtothefaith.1John1:9 Ifweconfessoursins,heisfaithfulandjustandwillforgiveusoursinsandpurifyusfromallunrighteousness.Revelation2:5,16Considerhowfaryouhavefallen!Repentanddothethingsyoudidatfirst. A B

REPENTANCE:DEFENDIT!

“OurchurchescondemntheAnabaptists,whodenythatthosewhohaveoncebeenjustifiedcanlosetheHolySpirit.Theyalsocondemnthosewhoarguesomemayreachsuchastateofperfectioninthislife

thattheycannotsin.

TheNovatiansalsoarecondemned,whowouldnotabsolvethosewhohadfallenafterBaptism,thoughtheyreturnedtorepentance.

Ourchurchesalsorejectthosewhodonotteachthatforgivenessofsinscomesthroughfaith,butcommandustomeritgracethroughsatisfactionsof

ourown.

Theyalsorejectthosewhoteachthatitisnecessarytoperformworksofsatisfaction,commandedbyChurchlaw,inordertoremiteternalpunishment

orthepunishmentofpurgatory.”

AnabaptistsAgroupwhosenamemeans“tobebaptizedagain.”TheystartedasfollowersofLutherbutcametobelievethattheHolySpiritdidnotworkthroughinfantbaptism,soadultsneededtobaptizedagain.TheyalsotaughtthattheHolySpiritwouldcometomandirectly,withoutuseofWordandsacrament.

PerfectionistsTheyteachthatitispossibleforsomeinthislifetobecomeabsolutelypureandholy

NovatiansFollowersofNovatus,whorefusedtoallowChristianswhohaddeniedtheirfaith(inthecaseofdeath)tore-enterthechurch,eveniftheyrepented.TheywereespeciallystronginRomeinthethirdcentury.

RomeTheyteachthatrepentanceconsistsofthreeparts:contritionoftheheart,confessionofthemouth,andsatisfactionofwork.Allthreeparts,especiallythethird,havemeritoriouspower.*attrition–notreallycontrition,butyouknowyoushouldbesorry,butyou’renot.Thepersonwithattritionstill“getscredit.”

TASK:Knowtheoppositioninordertodefendthetruth• Reviewthedefinitions(previouspage)ofthosegroupsthattheConfessionshighlightas

rejectingtheBiblicalteachingofrepentance.

• Cobbletogetheralistofpresentdaychurchgroupsthatstillabidebytheerrorsdefinedonthepreviouspage.Jotdownthesegroupbelow.Bereadytoshareyourfindingswiththegroup.

• Youhavefiveminutes.

PRESENT-DAYANABAPTISTS?PRESENT-DAYNOVATIANS?PRESENT-DAYPERFECTIONISTS?PRESENT-DAYROME?JotdownathoughtortwoabouthowthesegroupsCONFUSElawandgospel:ANABAPTISTS:NOVATIANS:PERFECTIONISTS:ROME:

REPENTANCE:LIVEIT!

WhenourLordandMasterJesusChristsaid,``Repent''(Mt4:17),hewilledtheentirelifeofbelieverstobeoneof

repentance.–MartinLuther,Thesis#1

ItmeansthattheOldAdaminusshouldbydailycontritionandrepentancebedrownedanddiewithallsinsandevildesires,andthatanewmanshoulddailyemergeandarisetolivebeforeGodintruerighteousnessandholinessforever.–MartinLuther,SmallCatechism,Baptism,Part4

Takeaminutetowritedownhowyoumightplantoputtheaboveencouragementintopracticeinfuturedays.Bereadytoshare.

ClosingPrayer:CW#302 Lord,toyouImakeconfession:Ihavesinnedandgoneastray; Ihavemultipliedtransgression,chosenformyselfmyway. Ledbyyoutoseemyerrors.Lord,Itrembleatyourterrors. Yet,thoughconscience’voiceappallme,Father,Iwillseekyourface. ThoughyourchildIdarenotcallme,yetreceivemetoyourgrace. Donotformysinsforsakeme;donotletyourwratho’ertakeme. ForyourSonhassufferedforme,giv’nhimselftorescueme, Diedtosavemeandrestoreme,reconciledandsetmefree. Jesus’crossalonecanvanquishthesedarkfearsandsoothethisanguish. Lord,onyouIcastmyburden—sinkitinthedepthsbelow! Letmeknowyourgraciouspardon;washme,makemewhiteassnow. LetyourSpiritleavemenever,makemeonlyyoursforever.Amen.

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