What Does This Mean?

[Fifty-Eighth in a series of posts on Martin Luther’s Small Catechism] Encore Post: In the Lutheran faith of the Reformation, we have the Absolution*. Like nose-blindness by the baker in his kitchen, we don’t always hear it with great joy. The spoken words of forgiveness are the sweetest sound in the ears of a Christian.

* (This post was inspired by a comment from Rev. Bryan Wolfmueller at his presentation for the Lutheran Writer Round-Up at Faith Lutheran High School of Central Texas on 09 Feb 2024)

“What is confession?” Confession has two parts. First, that we confess our sins, and second, that we receive absolution, that is forgiveness, from the pastor as from God himself, not doubting, but firmly believing that by it our sins are forgiven before God in heaven. (SC 5.1)

For the Romanists (Roman Catholics, Eastern Rite Catholics, Western Rite Orthodox, and the like) absolution exists privately. The penitent must confess. Also, there’s an exchange rate. (Contrition + Penance = a Narrow Absolution) The absolution in this exchange is only available for the specific sins confessed and only if the penance is done correctly. It’s limited. It’s uncertain.

Evangelicals (Baptists, Reformed, Anabaptists, and the like) flatly reject verbal absolution. They’ll sometimes pop off, “only God can forgive sin.” This position doesn’t stand up against scripture as cited at the end of this article. They have strong preaching and teaching of forgiveness. But, there’s no actual delivery. Worse, there’s a limited forgiveness for the “saved.” The concept of “backsliding” and the practice of rebaptism flow from that limitation of God’s grace.

Episcopalians & Anglicans, who lean heavily towards Rome, have a thing like the public absolution. Their assurance of forgiveness is not an actual absolution. Without verbally forgiving sin, the certainty is taken away.

The Enthusiasts (Pentecostals, Holiness Churches, AME Churches, and the like) look inside themselves for assurance. Their certainty rests upon feeling forgiven and demonstrating a zeal in the faith. Without emotional zeal and a feeling of forgiveness, there’s only hopelessness or uncertainty. With the internal zeal, there’s just pride.

Progressive Christians (including many denominations, but encompassing the whole of the ELCA) live in a psycho-social theology. Internally, they’ll embrace a notion that I just have to “Forgive myself.” Externally, they’ll reject the details of God’s Law, citing unkindness, racism, or colonialism. For the progressive, there is a new Law with ever changing names (Political Correctness, Progressivism, Critical Theory, Wokeness, or whatever term comes next). Forgiveness for me, but not for thee. Or, I don’t even need forgiveness. Like the medieval saintly system, the New Law only accepts penance/atonement by you. Set things right by being an ally and fighting the close-minded Christians.

Naturally, the pagans (Muslims, Jews, Mormons, Polytheists, Spiritualists, and the like) don’t get it either. They are trying to balance the scales even harder. Only Christianity features a God who comes to us. Only in the Lutheran church do we find the absolution spoken for you. Pastor speaks as he is commanded in the stead and by the command of Jesus. Yes, a man can forgive sins.

Pastor doesn’t forgive by his own power, ability, or volition. He does it in the stead and by the command of God. He’s following orders given, like a servant does. “When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; If you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.’” (John 20:22-23) “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you lose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 18:18)

Pastors, faithful pastors, Lutheran pastors, forgive the sins of penitent sinners. It’s an inescapable demand of their office. God has given us this gift for our certainty, confidence, and comfort.

That’s forgiveness you can hear.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Jason M. Kaspar
Sole Pastor
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool
La Grange, TX

©2024 Jason Kaspar. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com

The Roman system of law was not much different from ours, kind of a cross between our Grand Jury, Indictment and trial system and a general court-supreme court model. A local court would take on most of the infractions, would look at the evidence when it comes to serious matters and return a charge for the Roman court where necessary. The gathering at the High Priest’s home was much like a grand jury, the Sanhedrin, meeting in the outer courts of the temple, the lower court that brought the formal charges and Pilate’s court the high tribunal.

Pilate was an able, competent and experienced Prefect — a military governor — who had ruled Palestine mostly successfully for over thirty years. The Jewish people were notoriously unruly, requiring occasionally violent suppression from time to time. There were a few incidents where the leaders of the Jews set traps for him, resulting in reprimands from Rome.

When the Sanhedrin came with Jesus, he knew immediately that it was for envy that they charged him. He first tried to shift it back to them, only to be told that only he could judge Jesus, because Jesus was worthy of death. He next sent him to Herod, who was hoping Jesus would entertain him, but Jesus didn’t play along. So, it was back to Pilate.

After questioning Jesus, and hearing from his wife that she had been warned in a dream, Pilate was convinced that Jesus was innocent. So, Pilate offered to release a revolutionary, Barabbas, to them or Jesus. They shouted for Barabbas.

Pilate was still ready to release Jesus, repeating he found Jesus innocent. When, however, the Sanhedrin threatened to report him to Caesar, he gave in and allowed Jesus to be crucified.

He washed his hands, saying he would have nothing to do with it. That really did not work. Every Sunday, we confess Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate.

We are tempted to blame him, seeing he killed a man he knew to be innocent to save his skin. We are tempted to blame the Jewish leaders, for it was they who accused Jesus and assumed responsibility for his death.

But in the end, it was not Pilate, not the Jewish leaders, but Jesus, who is responsible for his death. He told Pilate as much when he said Pilate would have no authority if it wasn’t given to him. It is why he became a man in the womb of the Virgin Mary in the first place. It was he who bowed to his Father’s will, knowing full well he would bear the sins of the whole world to the cross.

Why would Jesus be condemned to die, then? It is because of my sins, because of your sins and the sins of all God’s children. He loved us before the creation of the world, was not willing to be parted from us for all eternity. Someone had to die and only God was innocent enough and man mortal enough to do it. So, he came, the Lamb of God, to take away the sins of the world. He set his face towards Jerusalem and went to his death, for you and for me. So, in this Lent, and always, when we are tempted to downplay our sins, God invites us to consider the cost, repent of them and receive from Jesus the forgiveness he earned for us that first Good Friday.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

©2025 Robert E. Smith. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@msn.com

Encore Post: Our evangelical brothers and sisters in Christ are all about making a decision for Christ. They will often ask, “Have you accepted Jesus as your personal Savior?” Such a question sounds strange to Lutherans, along with the similar question, “are you born again?” The reason is Lutherans believe these are really the wrong questions. Why? Because Jesus sought us, found us, saved us by his suffering and death, accepted us in baptism and gave new birth in it by water and the Holy Spirit. So, yes, thank you, I am born again, but no, I did not accept Jesus as my personal Savior. He accepted me and made me God’s child and his brother. There is nothing more personal than that.

I once was asked by someone if I could study all the Bible passages with him that talk about accepting Jesus as Savior. My answer was no, because there are no such passages. In fact, if you go through the Bible looking for people who were lost and sought God, you will find very few. Think about it for a moment: God made Adam and Eve. When they sinned, he came and found them. He went to Noah and told him to build the ark. He found Abraham and told him to leave home, promising to give him a son. He came to Jacob when the patriarch ran away and wrestled with him. He called to Samuel in the night. He sent Samuel to find and anoint David. Almost every book of the words of the prophets begins with: “and the word of God came to…” We don’t seek God, he seeks us out.

Why is this? We were dead in our sins. (Ephesians 2:1-3) As the saying goes, “Dead men tell no tales.” As Martin Luther says it, “I cannot by my own reason or strength, believe in my Lord Jesus Christ or come to him.” (Small Catechism 2.3) Because he loved us, he is gracious to us. He was moved in Christ Jesus to become one of us, live a perfect life for us, take our sins upon himself and die on the cross for us. It is by this grace we are saved, through his gift to us of faith.

In a sense, we can talk about decision theology, then. God decided to save us. He is our personal savior, because he made it so. We will live with him forever because of this. We can rest in the peace this brings, confident that he will remove every sin from us one day, the day he calls us forth from our graves and dries every tear in our eyes.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

©2019 Robert E. Smith. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com