Justification in Confession - December 25, 2017 - Christmas Day - Text: Confession and Absolution

This year, in keeping with the celebration of the 500 anniversary of the Reformation, for the Advent through New Year’s Eve services we have been looking at the main emphasis of the Reformation, which is the authority of the Word of God and the article of the confessions on which the church stands or falls, the article on justification by grace through faith in Jesus alone. We have been looking at justification in the way of the six chief parts of Luther’s Small Catechism and prayerfully we have been connecting this justification to our Christmas, birth of Jesus celebration and our New Year’s celebration as well.

Today we tackle the joyous gift of the means of grace of confession and absolution. We will begin by talking about what we believe, teach and confess about confession and absolution and then we will connect this teaching with our celebration of the birth of our Savior as we today celebrate Jesus’ birth. As we get to confession and absolution first we want to look at what motivates us to confess. As Lutheran Christians we mark our distinctiveness in our proper distinction of Law and Gospel, rightly dividing Scripture into Law and Gospel and never mixing nor commingling Law and Gospel. As for the Law, when I was in confirmation the learning phrase that helped me was the S.O.S. of the Law and the Gospel. The S.O. S. of the Law is that the Law Shows our Sins. The Law is first and foremost God’s demand of perfection, we are demanded to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect.

Again, the Law shows our sins, that is what we learned when we talked about the Ten Commandments. The purpose of the commandments is to show us our sins. The commandments show our sin as they give us a rule which we cannot follow and they reflect back to us the fact that we have broken all the rules. Indeed, the Law shows us how sinful we truly are, especially when compared to the perfection of Jesus.

The Law must never be proclaimed by itself because this proclamation may lead to works righteousness, that is if we merely hear the Law we might actually think we can live by the Law and this living by the Law may lead us to believe we are good enough on our own to be saved. Indeed, as it is preached by some today, we may believe that our obedience to the Law can make us just and right in God’s eyes, rather than depending on God’s grace. The Pharisees, the teachers of the Law, even many Christian denominations today who do not understand this proper distinction between the Law and the Gospel pose to their members that they can be the people God want them to be, that they can be obedient, that they can be good enough, that they can do enough good to gain God’s favor. Indeed, if we could be the people God would have us to be we would have no need for Jesus.

If the Law proclaimed by itself does not lead to works righteousness, it could lead to despair. Upon hearing the Law and knowing that there is no way we can keep the Law we may simply despair and think there is no way we can be saved, thus we would simply resign ourselves to a life of sin and eternal condemnation.

Which brings us to the Gospel. As the S.O.S. of the Law Shows our Sin, the S.O. S. of the Gospel shows our Savior. The very heart of the Gospel is Jesus, just Jesus, and Jesus alone. As the Law points us to ourselves, the Gospel points us away from ourselves and to Jesus. The heart of the Gospel is that verse we call the Gospel in a nutshell, John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Indeed, the fulfillment of this sending of God’s Son, even God in flesh is what we are celebrating today.

The Gospel is the means through which the Holy Spirit works to give faith. Indeed, the Word of God is a Word with power, the power to do exactly what it says. The Holy Spirit works through the Word to give us faith, forgiveness and life. The Holy Spirit works through the Word to strengthen and keep us in faith and it does this by pointing to Jesus who has earned and won forgiveness for us. The Gospel is the means through which the Holy Spirit works to move us to repentance.

Which brings us to our topic of Confession and Absolution. As we say, Confession embraces two parts, the first part is that we confess our sins. Without the Law we would not know that we have sin, thus the Law shows us our sin. The Law does not motivate us to confess, because we might think we are good enough or there is no hope. The Gospel, the Word of God’s forgiveness moves us to confess so that we might be given forgiveness.

Which brings the second part of confession that is that we are absolved, forgiven. As we hear the Word of God, even as we hear the Pastor proclaim the Word of forgiveness either corporately or privately we know that we have exactly what the Word and what the Pastor says, forgiveness of sins. As we learn in the Office of the Keys, the absolution comes from God, through the mouth of the pastor.

What does this mean? I know I have used this illustration before in different Bible classes and even from the pulpit but it bears repeating to help us get a better understanding of the proper distinction of Law and Gospel and how it is the Gospel not the Law that motivates confession. There was a teacher who passed out new boxes of crayons to all her students. She told them to be careful in using the new crayons. She told them not to push to hard on the crayons lest they should break them. One student, little Ralphie pushed too hard and broke a crayon. A little later the teacher told the students to put any broken crayons on their desk. Little Ralphie, not wanting to get into trouble pushed the bottom half of the crayon in the box and put the top half on top so no one would know it was broken. The teacher then went around and collected the broken crayons and replaced them with new crayons. Little Ralphie, however, did not receive a new crayon since he did not confess he had broken his. Notice, no confession, means no absolution. As we respond in our service, “8If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9). Now, had the teacher announced before hand the words of Gospel, had she said, if you have broken a crayon place it on your desk and I will replace it with a new crayon, then little Ralphie would have confessed his broken crayon and received a new one.

It is the Gospel, not the Law, that moves us to confess. It is the knowledge that our sins have already been forgiven that motivates us to confess those sins, and all our sins. While the Law brings fear of wrath and condemnation, the Gospel gives solitude and comfort in sins forgiven.

As we said, with confession is absolution. Sins confessed, sins forgiven. Indeed, the sins which we have yet to commit have already been paid for by Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross. The very reason Jesus was born and the reason we today celebrate His birth is because He was born to save us from our sins, in other words He was born to die. That thought, that He was born to die  may not seem like such a pleasant thought as we are celebrating His birth, but knowing our sins are forgiven is a most assuring news.

And even more, we understand that with absolution is a change of heart, mind and behavior. In other words, knowing that our sins are forgiven we forgive others. Knowing that our sins are forgiven we live lives striving with God’s help to not sin so much. Oh, we still sin, but our desire is to not sin.

As we begin celebrating Christmas, which I would remind you we celebrate beginning today and for twelve days, as we celebrate Christmas we are reminded of Jesus’ forgiveness which is the Gospel message which stirs in us to repent so that we might be given forgiveness of sins, life and  and salvation.

Notice, once again, that we get it right, we get faith right, we get forgiveness right, we get salvation right, we get justification right when we point to Jesus, just Jesus. The Law and the Gospel, Confession and Absolution point us to Jesus, to His perfection, to His perfect birth, life, suffering, death and resurrection for us, in our place so that we have forgiveness of sins and with forgiveness is life and salvation. And our response is to give praise and glory to His Holy Name, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.