9/21/08 - Pentecost 19 - Ezekiel 18:1-4,25-32

REPENT!
- Contrition from the law
- Faith in the gospel

Is the word “repent” law or gospel? It is crucial to distinguish between law and gospel. And, of course, the law and the gospel are complete opposites: one has to do with the work of man, the other has to do with the work of Christ. So this is a very important question: Is the word “repent” law or gospel? I would imagine that most of you are thinking that it is law. And that’s partly right. The Word “repent” is actually both in the wide sense of the word. “Repent” is both law and gospel because there are two distinct parts to repentance according to Scripture: 1) contrition, which is sorrow over sin; and 2) faith, which is belief that those sins are forgiven. A Christian cannot repent without contrition and faith. Those two parts of repentance must remain separate, but they cannot exist without each other. True repentance must be made up of contrition and faith.
The reason we are getting a little deeper into repentance than we have before, is because our sermon text from Ezekiel 18 is all about repentance. In fact, the entire book of Ezekiel has a lot to do with repentance because he was preaching to a people that ultimately suffered the consequences of exile for falling away from the Lord. And so if we are going to understand Ezekiel’s words of repentance, we better know what repentance is! So do you remember? What are the two parts of repentance? Contrition and faith. Sorrow over sin and trust that sin is forgiven. And with this in mind listen again to the Lord’s words, “I will judge you, each one according to his ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!” Repent and live! Turn from sin and turn to the Lord. Take the law to heart and admit your sins. And take the gospel to heart and believe they are forgiven. Repent and live.
Does the word “repent” mean anything to you? And I ask that because I think repentance has really lost a little bit of its zing over the years. At least the contrition part has been dulled. Listen to how one of the great confessions of the Lutheran church, the Apology to the Augsburg Confession, describes contrition: “The true terror of conscience, which feels that God is angry with sin and grieves that it has sinned.” Is that how you would describe your heart when you hear the word “repent”? I can’t say it affects me in that way. The command to “Repent!” doesn’t hit people’s hearts anymore because when we hear “Repent!” we automatically think, “Well, he’s not talking to me.” And we think that way because for some reason we have associated repentance with only the “serious” sins, haven’t we? If you physically murder somebody, you better repent… If you have sexual relations with someone outside of marriage, you better repent… If you steal something, if you abuse someone, if you heartlessly ruin someone’s career, you better repent… Those “big” sins, those disgusting and gross and blatant sins are the sins we think need to be repented of. But not the little stuff we do. Not the minor every day mistakes that we commit. Sure, we sin, but it’s not that big a deal. It’s just an errant thought here and a misguided word there and a lazy attitude one day and a selfish act the next. Those things don’t warrant repentance, do they? Because “repent” is such a serious word. It’s as if we’ve done something horribly wrong! It’s as if we are rotten people that have offended and violated our Holy God! We’re not that bad. Nobody’s perfect, after all. And we are forgiven children of God, and so repentance is a little strong for people like us, isn’t it?
Now, I may be a little off, but I think that’s the way many of us view repentance, don’t we? And I say that because that is very close to my inner-thought process. I don’t think I would ever admit that to myself or say it out loud, but that’s the way I’ve treated repentance in my life: It’s only for the really awful sins that I’ve done. It’s only for the really awful sins in other people’s lives. But the things I do every day don’t seem to be harmful enough or bad enough to bother with repentance.
I wish that’s how the Lord really viewed sin, but it’s not. He doesn’t see any of my sins as harmless or inoffensive. He sees every sin as a blatant violation of his law. He sees every sin as rebellion against his authority. He sees every sin as damning. Because he says right here in Ezekiel 18, “The soul who sins is the one who will die.” Sin = death. Not just big sins. Not just horrible or unthinkable or disgusting sins. But the mistakes, the errors, the inappropriate thoughts, the unkind words, the selfish actions. Every sin = death. That’s the rule. And that rule cannot be broken. Because every sin is an offense to God. Every sin ruins the perfection he demands. Every sin that we commit demonstrates yet again that we have placed ourselves or somebody else or this world before God. And that is why the first part of repentance is contrition: “The true terror of conscience, which feels that God is angry with sin and grieves that it has sinned.” Understand God’s anger! Understand that sinners should be terrified in his presence and grieved about what they have done! He does not tolerate insubordination. He does not tolerate anything but 100% perfection. And we have sinned - horribly and often, blatantly and continually. That is repulsive to God. That angers God. Repent!
If you were to look up the word “repent” in a normal dictionary, this is where it would stop. The definition of repent would stop at contrition. The dictionary I have at my desk at home reads, “1) to feel sorry for a sin… 2) to feel such regret over a sin as to changes one’s mind.” But that’s it. Nothing else. And although that’s the start of repentance that is not true Christian repentance in full. Because if it were, if sorrow over sin was all that was needed, Judas Iscariot would be saved. Judas, the one that betrayed Jesus was sorry for his sin. He regretted that he had handed his Savior over to the enemy. The gospel writer Matthew tells us that when Judas “saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. ‘I have sinned,’ he said, ‘for I have betrayed innocent blood’” (Matthew 27:3-4). Judas was sorry for what he had done. He was so sorry, in fact, that he hung himself. Judas was filled with contrition. But he was not filled with faith. He knew he had sinned. He was devastated that he had gone against his Lord. But he did not believe that his sins were forgiven. And so he never did repent. Faith is an essential part of Christian repentance. Following contrition, following a realization and sorrow over sin, faith must be present to believe that sin is wiped away.
That’s why repentance is both law and gospel. Contrition is worked in a heart by the law and faith is worked in the heart by the gospel. Without faith you would have nothing with which to cling to Christ and his cross. You would have nothing to comfort you or give you peace. We would all end up dying in despair like Judas if we were not given the gift of faith to grasp God’s promises. It’s a pity that Judas killed himself at all - but especially that particular morning. Because it was Friday morning - Good Friday morning. And that very afternoon Jesus died on the cross as the payment for his sins and ours. That event is what faith holds on to. That sacrifice of our God is what makes our forgiveness sure. And Judas missed it! He missed it by only a few hours! He never saw the culmination of God’s love on Calvary. He didn’t have a chance to witness the mercy and the power of the cross. He missed out because he didn’t have what we have: faith. And so he didn’t see Jesus as we see him: as our Savior. And he didn’t receive what we have received: forgiveness. The contrition of Judas was good. But that was not repentance. So copy Judas’ contrition. But copy Peter’s faith.
Remember Peter, too, fell into an ugly sin the same night Judas did. He denied that he knew who his Savior was even though Jesus warned him it would happen beforehand. And when Peter realized he had sinned, Scripture says that he ran outside and wept. Peter was filled with contrition. But Peter didn’t stop at contrition. He truly repented because he truly believed that even his worst sins were completely forgiven by Jesus’ blood on the cross. And Peter was forgiven. Peter became one of the leaders of the early Christian church after Jesus’ ascension into heaven. Peter became a missionary to thousands of people. Peter is the one who later wrote, “Cast all your anxieties on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Peter is the one who later reminded us, “[Jesus] himself bore our sins in his body on the tree… by his wounds we are healed” (1 Peter 2:24). Peter is the one who later encouraged all Christians, “[The Lord] is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Peter knew all about repentance because he knew all about sin. Peter knew what Christ had done for him and for all people on the cross. He was thankful for the repentance that was worked in his heart. And he rejoiced in the fact that God has a short memory.
The Lord knows all things, of course. He never technically forgets anything. But when we use that phrase to compliment someone and say that “He has a short memory,” that means that the person doesn’t worry about past mistakes anymore. He puts it out of his mind and he moves on. That’s what the Lord does with us. He has a short memory when it comes to our sins. Because when we repent of the sins that we commit, he no longer “remembers” them in a way. He puts them out of his mind and does not hold them against us any longer. The prophet Ezekiel describes this merciful attitude of the Lord in this way, “If a wicked man… considers all the offenses he has committed and turns away from them, he will surely live; he will not die.” It doesn’t matter to the Lord how many sins you have committed in the past. It doesn’t matter to the Lord how awful your sins have been in the past. It doesn’t matter to the Lord what kind of person you were in the past. His forgiveness covers everything. God’s forgiveness is the best insurance you can have. It covers everything you’ve done in the past, everything that is ongoing right now, and everything that might occur in the future. God’s forgiveness is comprehensive coverage. Everything is included under his policy. And the best part about it is: it’s absolutely free and it never expires. That is what faith believes whenever you repent. That is what comforts you. That is what gives you peace. Faith in God’s forgiveness is what makes repentance “repentance.”
But I want to make sure something is absolutely clear: You are forgiven not because of repentance, but because of Christ. God’s tells you to “Repent!” - but you cannot actually do it yourself. Because the contrition of repentance can only be worked by God through the law, and the faith of repentance can only be worked by God through the gospel. If you confess your sins and are sorry for them - that means God has moved your heart by his law to do so. And if you believe that your sins are forgiven - that means the Lord has moved your heart by the gospel to do so. And so repentance is the work of God through you. Isn’t that incredible! God tells us to do something and then he works in our hearts through the law and the gospel to get it done! His grace is amazing! His love is something far beyond any adjective I could try to use to describe it. And we clearly see Christ’s unexplainable love in repentance.
I will admit: Repentance is not the easiest concept in Scripture to understand. But understand this: every time you sin the Lord calls you to repentance. To contrition and to faith. To sorrow and to your Savior. To confession and to the cross. The Lords calls you there and the Lord forgives you there. Repentance is for you because repentance is a mark of a Christian. And repentance is the mark of God’s love.
Amen.

“Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen! - Romans 11:33,36