Martin Luther's Writings

THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE
BY DOCTOR MARTIN L.A.W.

1. Forgiveness in the sacrament of penance is of two kinds: forgiveness of the punishment and forgiveness of the guilt. Concerning the first, the forgiveness of the punishment, or satisfaction, enough has been said in the treatise on indulgences which appeared some time ago. It is not very significant and is an immeasurably lesser thing than the forgiveness of guilt, which one might call a godly or heavenly indulgence, one that only God himself can grant from heaven.

2. The difference between these two types of forgiveness is this: the indulgence, or the forgiveness of punishment, does away with works and efforts of satisfaction that have been imposed and thus reconciles a person outwardly with the Christian Church. But the forgiveness of guilt, the heavenly indulgence, does away with the heart's fear and timidity before God; it makes the conscience glad and joyful within and reconciles man with God. And this is what true forgiveness of sins really means, that a person's sins no longer bite him or make him uneasy, but rather that the joyful confidence overcomes him that God has forgiven him his sins forever.

3. However a person who does not find within himself such a [glad] conscience and rejoice in his heart over God's grace, cannot be helped by any indulgence even though he were to buy all the letters of indulgence ever issued. For a person can be saved quite apart from any letters of indulgence, by death making satisfaction or paying for his sin. No one can be saved, however, without a joyful conscience and a glad heart toward God (that is, without the forgiveness of guilt). So it would be much better to buy no indulgences at all, than to forget this forgiveness of guilt or omit to practice it first and foremost every day.

4. For [attaining] such forgiveness of guilt and for calming the heart in the face of its sins, there are various ways and methods. Some think to accomplish this through letters of indulgence. They run to and fro, to Rome or to St. James, buying indulgences here and there. But this is mistaken and all in vain. Things thereby get much worse, for God himself must forgive sins and grant peace to the heart. Some put themselves out with many good works, even too much fasting and straining. Some have ruined their bodies and gone out of their minds, thinking by virtue of their works to do away with their sins and soothe their heart. Both of these types are defective in that they want to do good works before their sins are forgiven, whereas on the contrary, sins must be forgiven before good works can be done. For works do not drive out sin, but the driving out of sin leads to good works. For good works must be done with joyful heart and good conscience toward God, that is, out of the forgiveness of guilt.

5. The true way and the right method, without which there is no other, is that most worthy, gracious, and holy sacrament of penance, which God gave for the comfort of all sinners when he gave the keys to St. Peter in behalf of the whole Christian Church and, in Matthew 16[:19], said, "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." This holy, comforting, and gracious word of God must enter deeply into the heart of every Christian, where he may with great gratitude let it become part of him. For the sacrament of penance consists in this: forgiveness of sin, comfort and peace of conscience, besides joy and blessedness of heart over against all sins and terrors of conscience, as well as against all despair and assaults [anfechtung] by the gates of hell [Matt. 16:18].

6. Now there are three things in the holy sacrament of penance. The first is absolution. These are the words of the priest which show, tell, and proclaim to you that you are free and that your sins are forgiven you by God according to and by virtue of the above-quoted words of Christ to St. Peter. The second is grace, the forgiveness of sins, the peace and comfort of the conscience, as the words declare. This is why it is called a sacrament, a holy sign, because in it one hears the words externally that signify spiritual gifts within, gifts by which the heart is comforted and set at peace. The third is faith, which firmly believes that the absolution and words of the priest are true, by the power of Christ's words, "Whatever you loose… shall be loosed," etc. Everything, then, depends on this faith, which alone makes the sacraments accomplish that which they signify, and everything that the priest says come true. For as you believe, so it is done for you.

7 Without this faith all absolution and all sacraments are in vain and indeed do more harm than good. There is a common saying among the teachers that goes like this: Not the sacrament, but the faith that believes the sacrament is what removes sin. St. Augustine says this: The sacrament removes sin, not because it takes place, but because it is believed.8 For this reason in the sacrament one must studiously discern faith; and this we would now sketch out further.