For this evening’s lecture, Dr. Walther opened up by discussing the Marburg Colloquy. He covered how at this colloquy there was almost brotherly and churchly fellowship between Luther and Zwingli. But the movement was brought to a halt at the discussion of the doctrine of the Lord’s Supper. Zwingli believed there was only a spiritual presence between Christ and His Supper. Then, in response to that, Luther said to Zwingli, “Yours is a different spirit from ours.” Then Walther details how Zwingli responds to all that. Later, Walther covers the characteristic mark of our Church, which is unquestioned submission to the divine word. Then Walther covers the six doctrinal bases on which the Lutheran, that is, the Biblical practice of absolution rests.
“1. Christ, the Son of God, took upon Himself by imputation all sins of every sinner, counting them as His own. Accordingly, John the Baptist, pointing to Christ, says: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1, 29.
2. By His life in abject poverty, by His suffering, crucifixion, and death, Christ has wiped out the record of the world’s sin and procured remission of all sins. No man living, from Adam to the last human being that will be born, is excepted from this plan. For St. Paul writes, 2 Cor. 5, 21 “God hath made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” Even Isaiah, chap. 53, 5: “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.” And even in an Old Testament prophecy still earlier than that of Isaiah we hear the Messiah wail: “I restored that which I took not away.” Ps. 69, 4.
3. By raising His Son Jesus Christ from the dead, God the Father confirmed, and put the stamp of approval on, the work of reconciliation and redemption which Christ finished on the cross. For by the resurrection of Christ He has, in the presence of heaven and earth, angels and men, declared: “As My Son has cried on the cross, ‘It is finished,’ so do I announce, It is finished indeed! Ye sinners are redeemed. Forgiveness of sins is prepared for everybody; it is ready; it must not first be acquired by you.”
4. By His command to preach the Gospel to every creature, Christ commanded at the same time to preach forgiveness of sins to all men, hence to bring to them the glad tidings: “All that is necessary for your salvation has been accomplished. When asking, What must we do to be saved? do but remember that all has been done. There is nothing more to do. You are only to believe all that has been done for you, and you will be relieved.”
5. Christ did not only issue a general command to His apostles and their successors in office to preach the Gospel, hence the forgiveness of sin, but to minister to each individual who desires it this comfort: “You are reconciled to God.” For if forgiveness of sins has been procured for all, it has been procured for each individual. If I may offer it to all, I may offer it to each individual. Not only may I do this, I am ordered to do it. If I fail to do it, I am a servant of Moses and not a servant of Christ.
Now that forgiveness of sin has been procured, as stated, not only has a minister a special commission to proclaim it, but every Christian, male or female, adult or child, is commissioned to do this. Even a child’s absolution is just as certain as the absolution of St. Peter, yea, as the absolution of Christ would be, were He again to stand visibly before men and say: “Thy sins are forgiven thee.” There is no difference; for, mark you! it is not a question of what man must do, but what has been done by Christ.”
Then Walther covers The Romanists turn the Absolution, which is pure Gospel, into Law by making certain demands upon the penitent. He also covers the three demands; 1. confessio oris (oral confession); 2. contritio cordis (heartfelt contrition); 3. satisfactio operis (compensation for wrong done by the performance of some good work). In the first place, there must be full, or plenary, confession. In the opinion of the papists any omission in confession renders the entire confession and absolution invalid and ineffectual. In the second place, the person making confession must feel a perfect contrition and heartfelt remorse, otherwise the keys will fail to open heaven to him. In the third place, the person confessing must render the satisfaction prescribed by the priest.
Later, Walther made a good point which was, “A true Lutheran relies on God’s Word and is unconcerned even though the whole world were to ridicule and despise him for it.”
In his conclusion, Walther made a very good closing point which was, “There is but one Savior; a person who does not trust Him completely to bring him into heaven alone, verily, will not enter heaven. For Jesus Christ alone is the Door to heaven.”
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