1. Can those who have relapsed after baptism again become partakers of the grace of God?

The Novatians long ago denied that those who had fallen after baptism could be restored to grace. Our church differs from such, and teaches, that those who have sinned after baptism, can at any time, provided they repent, obtain forgiveness of sins, and that absolution shall not be denied them by the church.

2. Do the Holy Scriptures also teach thus?

Yes; for this is the real object of the Gospel, to proclaim to the penitent the grace of God and the gratuitous forgiveness of sins, and this not merely once, but as often as a poor sinner heartily repents of his sins. Thus saith the Lord, Ezek. 18:30, 32: “Repent and turn yourselves from all your transgressions, so iniquity shall not be your ruin. For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, — wherefore turn yourselves and live ye.”

Thus the Saviour intrusts the office of the keys to the apostles and ministers of the church, Matt. 18:18, saying, “Whosesoever sins ye remit they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained.” John 20:23. Accordingly, he speaks not only of those who are not yet regenerate, but also of those who have fallen after baptism. Thus Peter, who was filled with repentance and sorrow, because of his denial of the Lord, and Thomas, who repented of his unbelief, received grace and the forgiveness of sins.

3. What is repentance?

Repentance or conversion to God is the contrition of the heart because of our sin, and the trust which assuredly promises to itself the forgiveness of sins, reconciliation, justification, and quickening for Christ’s sake, combined with the firm resolve to begin a new obedience.

4. Of how many parts does repentance consist?

Of two; namely, contrition because of sin, and faith.

5. Is not the new obedience a part of repentance?

The new obedience or good works follow genuine penitence, sorrow, and faith. They do not therefore constitute a part of repentance, but are rather its fruits and effects.

6. What do you understand by contrition or penitence and sorrow?

“We say, that contrition or true penitence is this, when the conscience is affrighted, and begins to feel its sin and the great anger of God at sin, and sorrows that it has sinned.”

7. Can you prove this from Holy Scripture?

Yes; for Holy Scripture speaks of these terrors of conscience. Ps. 38:4. “For mine iniquities are gone over mine head, as an heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.” Ps. 6:3. “O Lord, heal me: for my bones are vexed. My soul is also sore vexed.” And Hezekiah, Is. 38:13. “As a lion, so will he break all my bones.”

8. What do you understand faith to be?

Nothing else than the firm confidence, that all our sins are forgiven us, through and on account of the merit of Christ, freely, and without any merit of our own.

9. Whence must true contrition arise?

The preceding article shows this: namely, from the law alone, whose sum and office it is to reprove of sin. “For by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Rom. 3:20. “The law worketh wrath.” Rom. 4:15. “Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law.” Rom. 7:7.

10. Does contrition merit anything?

The Papists indeed maintain that men merit grace by such pains and terrors, if they still love God. But this is false and erroneous; for how are men to love God amid such great terrors, whilst they are experiencing the terrible and unspeakable wrath of God? Nay more, these terrors are so far from meriting grace, that they will rather bring men to despair, if they remain alone, as is proved by the history of Saul and Judas.

11. What then is needed besides contrition, if the latter is to prove salutary?

The other part of repentance is required, namely, faith in Christ. For in such terrors the Gospel of Christ must be held up, in which forgiveness of sins is graciously promised through Christ.

Hence contrite hearts must believe that their sins are graciously forgiven for Christ’s sake. This faith raises up the contrite, strengthens and animates them, according to the Word: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Rom. 5:1. This faith obtains the forgiveness of sins; this faith justifies before God.

12. How many parts do the Papists assign to repentance?

These three: contrition of heart, confession of the lips, and satisfaction by works, with this comfort and assurance, that when a person, truly contrite, confesses and performs satisfaction, he thereby merits forgiveness, and pays a full ransom before God.

13. What do you think of these three parts?

I am of the opinion, that they, at least as they are explained by the Papists, are not founded on Holy Scripture, and that it is impossible, yea, even wicked, to observe them.

14. What kind of contrition do the Papists exact?

In the first place, such as sorrows not only in general over all sins, but which is afflicted in particular at every individual sin, and in such a manner that a man does not receive forgiveness of every sin for which he has not experienced contrition. In the second place, they fancy that if a person cannot have such contrition, he must at least experience attrition, that is, semi-contrition, or the beginning of contrition.

Finally, if any one should say that he cannot experience such contrition, they ask him if he does not wish for it; if he reply in the affirmative, they regard this as contrition, and forgive his sins, because of this good work.

15. What is your opinion of this Romish contrition?

I hold such a contrition to be a manufactured and invented notion, arising out of one’s own powers, without faith, without the knowledge of Christ, that is, pure hypocrisy, which cannot destroy the lust of sin.

16. What is the nature of the oral confession, which the Papists demand?

The Papists formerly demanded, and even now demand such a confession as this: Every individual was required to recount all his sins; but those which he had forgotten were forgiven him, on the condition that he would confess them, when they occurred to him.

17. Is there any defect in this confession?

Yes; for in the first place it is an impossibility. Who can remember all the sins committed in a single week, to say nothing of a whole year, in such a way, as to be able to enumerate them singly and in order? Quite different is the prayer of David: “Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults.”

Secondly. This confession was nought else than a great torture of the consciences of men, which were bound, inasmuch as they were persuaded, that without this exact enumeration no forgiveness of sins could be obtained.

In the third place, such a confession led men to despair; for they imagined that the above confession, the complete confession of sins, was necessary to salvation. But, because the human mind could never be certain whether it had confessed every sin or not, it was forced thus to despair of its salvation. Their final invention was that it was meritorious; the franker and more sincere the confession, and the greater the shame manifested before the priest, the more complete would be the satisfaction for the sin.

18. Do you then reject all oral confession?

Not in the least. I rather believe that confession must be retained in the church on account of private absolution, which is the word of God, announcing to those who seriously confess their sins, the forgiveness of the same in accordance with the divine injunction.

19. But what confession do you consider necessary?

I certainly do not look upon such as necessary which requires the enumeration of every sin, for such is not only impossible, but also burdens the conscience; but I regard that as necessary which is made before God immediately or directly, like the one made by David, Ps. 32:5, “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin;” or mediately, that is, either publicly before the whole congregation, or privately before a minister of the church, before whom confession is made either in general of all sins, or specially of one sin, should the stings of conscience render such a confession necessary.

20. What therefore is such confession?

It is nothing else than a contrition, in which those feeling the wrath of God confess that God is justly angry, and cannot be reconciled by our works; and at the same time seek mercy and forgiveness of sins for Christ’s sake.

21. What is to be thought of private absolution?

That it is the command of God that we are to have confidence in such an absolution, and firmly to believe that we are as truly reconciled to God as if we had heard a voice from heaven to this effect.

22. What do you state concerning the third part of Romish repentance?

Precisely the same as concerning Romish auricular confession, namely, that the legal satisfactions which are imposed by the priests for the atonement of sins are not by divine right, and therefore not at all necessary. For this doctrine must above all things be maintained and remain, that we obtain the forgiveness of sins by faith on account of Christ, not by our works, whether past, present, or future.