Fruit and repentance (Luthers #3 of 95)

3. Yet its meaning is not restricted to repentance in one's heart; for such repentance is null unless it produces outward signs in various mortifications of the flesh.


Luther had some serious concerns about the lack of repentance inside the church, not just from the congregation, but from the very priests leading the flock!  There were (and still are) the activity of confession in the Roman church.  While there isn't necessarily anything wrong with the idea behind confession in and of itself, what really drove Luther was the lack of a sincerity of sorrow for sin, and the severe lack of fruit that follows a life of repentance.  Considering Luther had issues with the epistle of James (he called it an 'epistle of straw'), it's rather humourous that the scripture which supports #3 on his list is from James.  It reads "14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith obut does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 pIf a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 qand one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good2 is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead."


The concept of a 'carnal Christian' is one that doesn't stand up to scripture.  Our lives must have some fruit which is the evidence of our faith.  Our works do not save us, but a life of faith without any fruit is "cut off and thrown into the fire." (John 15:6).  We must kill our sin, not just deny it.  The mortifications of the flesh which Luther describes is true repentance where we turn away from our sin and stop living a life that cannot be distinguished from the rest of the lost world.  Does this mean that we live in a convent?  That we destroy fun in life?  That we follow a bunch of rules (called moral-deism)?  Absolutely not.  It's not our clothes, our appearance, our rule-following (don't drink, smoke, chew, or date girls that do) that makes us holy, but who we become in Christ that makes us holy.  Do we love God's law (His 10 commandments)?  Do we love His Word?  His people?  His enemies?  This is what makes us holy, and it plays out in our everyday lives and shows as 'fruit'.


How well is your growth?


Dr. Oz Lorentzen will be preaching the Word on Sunday.  Come join us at 10 for coffee, 10:30 for the service.  Spray Lakes Sawmills Family Rec. Centre, Cochrane.