Faith, faith, faith… Try not to confuse Melanchthon and George Michael.

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16

Verses 4 thru 8 are cited twice in the Formula of Concord, each time as the first part of a pair: Genesis 17:4-8, 19-21. The first citation is the Epitome, Article 12: Other Factions, Intolerable Teachings in the Church 6 (FC, Ep 12.8). The second citation is in the Solid Declaration, Article 12: Other Factions, Erroneous Articles of the Anabaptists 4 (FC, SD 12.13). In each case, the concern is the false teaching that a child born to Christian parents does not need to be baptized because the child was born to Christian parents. The Anabaptists used this line of thought to eschew infant baptism. Those who followed Luther saw the flaw in this logic. It comes out in verses 19-21. Ishmael was blessed by God, but God’s covenant with Abraham continued through Isaac because Isaac believed God. The shared faith is what matters, as we shall see next.

Romans 4:13-25

If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void.
— Romans 4:14

Verse 14 is quoted in the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article 4: Justification, which we’ll see a fair bit of this week. This quote (AP 4.42) reinforces the argument against us having to do something to gain access to God’s grace. God’s promises are not something we can or have earned. God makes them as a truly free gift. If there was some law we had to follow, it would not be a gift because we could never earn it!

For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.
— Romans 4:15

Verse 15 is partly quoted four times in The Book of Concord. Each time, the quote is, “the law brings wrath.”

The first three quotes are in the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article 4: Justification. The first quote is just a little earlier from where we were before (AP 4.38) as Melanchthon turns to verse 15 to remind us that “the law always accuses and terrifies consciences” (AP 4.38). Rather than striving for salvation by first loving God, Melanchthon reminds us that without the Spirit, we cannot love God. The saving faith that is the forgiveness of sins is the only way we can love God. Otherwise we see only God’s law accusing us.

Melanchthon goes into a bit more depth on this with the second quote of verse 15 (AP 4.319A). Here he directly confronts the Roman teaching of Jesus’ death giving us access to the divine treasury of grace, from which we get grace through our good works. Melanchthon asks the question asked by troubled consciences that undoes this line of thought, “When will they be sure that they have a gracious God?” In other words, if getting grace is all up to your works, when can you be sure you have merited enough grace to cover your sin, much less gained access to the treasury of grace? The law will always tell us we have not done enough.

Melanchthon provides the response to this a little later with the third quote of verse 15 (AP 4.88). He quotes Chrysostom’s question, presented as an argument against the reformers by Rome, “How do we become sure that our sins are forgiven?” Melanchthon’s response is through faith. The Lutheran argument is that the Holy Spirit gives birth to faith that believes God forgives our sins because of Jesus and thus live a different life, as opposed to the Roman argument of having to live a different life to know that your sins are forgiven. The Lutheran way trusts God’s promises. The Roman way leaves us in doubt.

The final quote of this part of verse 15 in the Smalcald Articles, Part 3, Article 2: Concerning the Law (SA 3.2) unpacks the meaning of the phrase, “the law brings wrath.” Melanchthon’s point here is that the law’s primary role is to show us how much we have sinned, but it does not answer the question of what to do about it—that comes from God’s promises. So without the Spirit and someone declaring God’s promises, the law causes us to grumble against God because we don’t know where to go to flee God’s wrath. Thus, the law brings wrath because without the good news of Jesus it causes us to sin even more.

For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us…
— Romans 4:16

Verse 16 is cited six times in The Book of Concord, mostly in the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, but not entirely, and of those in the Apology, a surprising number not in Article 4.

The first citation of verse 16 is a partial quote in the Apology, Article 4: Justification (AP 4.50). (I said surprisingly few, not none.) In this section of the Apology, Melanchthon is beginning to unpack what justifying faith is. This is the first biblical citation in this section, and leads to the direct answer that justifying faith is “that on account of Christ and not on account of our merits, the forgiveness of sins is given to us” (AP 4.51).

Melanchthon comes back to verse 16 a little later in the same article (AP 4.84) to drive home the point that God’s promises cannot depend on our merits or works because then they cannot be guaranteed. The promises stops being a promise and becomes a reward. God’s promises can only be “received” by faith because faith is what makes a promise a promise—be it from God or anyone.

Melanchthon cites verse 16 a little later in Article 12: Repentance (AP 12.61) as he’s trying to undo the idea that absolution (the forgiveness of sins) is different than confession (naming your sins). His response is to wonder how this even works. What’s the point of naming your sins if you’re not going to be forgiven? Since the forgiveness of sins is a promise that can only be received by faith, and faith is what moves us to name our sins, confession and absolution can’t be two different things but part of the same faith by which the Spirit moves us to repent.

Melanchthon doubles down on this when he cites verse 16 a little later in the same article (AP 12.81) to show that faith comes before any chance we have of fulfilling the law. Faith is how we experience God’s love. Faith is how our sins are forgiven. Faith is the starting point of the Christian life, no it’s goal.

In the final Apology citation of verse 16 in Article 20: Good Works (AP 20.10), Melanchthon returns one more time to the idea that if our works are how we are forgiven, then forgiveness is never guaranteed. But faith in God’s promise, a faith that is itself a gift from the Spirt, shows the birth place of Christian confidence.

Verse 16 is cites for the last time in the Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Article 3: Righteousness (FC, SD 3.7) as one of the examples of Paul using exclusive clauses to show how God’s grace, faith, and forgiveness are not dependent on our works or merit. In verse 16, the phrase, “may rest on grace,” is such a phrase.

…who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.
— Romans 4:25

Verse 25 is quoted twice. First as a quote in Smalcad Articles, Part 1, Article 1 (SA 2.1.1) as the beginning of direct statement of faith about Jesus using quotes from scripture. This is reiterated in the second quote in the Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Article 5: Law and Gospel (FC, SD 5.22) as a clear declaration of the good news of God in Christ.

TheoThru

The Lenten focus in cycle B on the covenants of the Hebrew scriptures really comes into focus this week with the interplay between Genesis 17 and Romans 4. While the passage quoted in Romans 4 comes from Genesis 15, the reiterated covenant in Genesis 17 still shows the central role of faith. And of course Romans 4 provides the central argument for Apology 4 but also repentance. If it’s not clear yet that the Lutheran approach to Lent is the faith that justifies, follow the connections between faith, forgiveness, and repentance. It all begins with faith, which is itself God’s gift.