14 Trinity – Wednesday
This weeks devotions: Sunday – Monday – Tuesday
Daily Devotional Materials
Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity
– Wednesday –
Devotion
Connected directly with the Office of the Keys is Confession. Confession embraces two parts. One is that we confess our sins. We are poor, miserable sinners, and remain such unto our dying hour. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” We should repent of our sins and confess them with heart and mouth. This is the first part of Confession. The term “Confession” clearly indicates this. The other part is that we receive absolution, or forgiveness, from the pastor (or from whomever is hearing our confession) as from God Himself. We should in no wise doubt, but firmly believe that by it our sins are forgiven before God in heaven. For if we penitently confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, as He has promised in His Word. And in Confession, God does this through the confessor (the one who hears the confession and pronounces the absolution). To be sure, if a hypocrite comes to Confession and only with his mouth confesses his sins, but at heart is impenitent, he does not receive forgiveness of sins; for, not having faith, he naturally does not accept the grace of God, though it is offered to him, too, in absolution. What a salutary act of worship Confession is! There children of God come to their heavenly Father and penitently confess their sins, and implore grace for Christ’s sake; and the heavenly Father most mercifully and kindly forgives them all their sins. Do not hesitate to confess your sins, dear Christian! You may use the following confessional prayer (the General Confession as found in our Hymnal and Catechism), and be certain that it has been granted.
PRAYER. – O Almighty God, merciful Father, I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto Thee all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended Thee and justly deserved Thy temporal and eternal punishment. But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, and I pray Thee, of Thy boundless mercy and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and merciful to me, a poor sinful being. Amen.
Bible Reading
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth... 6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Additional Material
- FAITH – Article from The Orthodox Lutheran – December 1953
- Source materials used for these Daily Devotions