God’s Alien or Strange Work through the Law
Eugene L. Boe
Focus
A believer is a person who lives in a faith relationship with God. Just how does this come about?
God meets us through His word. He performs two different acts through His word.
These two different acts constitute the content of the doctrine of Law and Gospel. We
will focus in this session on the Law and what God does through it. It is sometimes
called God’s alien and strange work. It is a work that serves the Gospel.
1. The Bible teaches that God localizes Himself for people to meet Him and hear
Him.
A. The omnipresence of God
B. The located presence of God
2. The Word and Sacraments are the means by which God localizes Himself for us
today.
3. The Word is a revelation of and an expression of God Himself.
A. His nature
B. His holiness
C. His will
D. His wrath
4. God does His work through His word(s).
A. The Word of God is designated as the instrument used by the Holy Spirit in which He is
present and active. God meets us through the Word. The Word, yes the words of Scripture,
is the located presence of God. The words gather up and transmit the God himself. God
performs two different acts by His Word. He slays and He makes alive. “The Word is the
wagon that the Holy Spirit travels in.” (Frederik Wisløff) “He (God) chose human language
as his tool for coming to be present among us, as the speaking God, God in communication
with us, God calling and gathering us through his Word as family.” (Robert Kolb, The
Christian Faith pp. 182-183)
1. John 8:31-32; 14:26; 16:13f; 17:18-21;
2. Gal. 3:1ff
3. Acts 10:44
4. I Corinthians 2:6-16
B. The Scriptures ascribe to the Word of God and the Holy Spirit the same effects therefore
teaching that they work together. Where the Word is there is the Spirit.
Comparing John 3:5; 16:8-11; II Corinthians 4:6; I Corinthians 12:3; Titus 3:5,6 on the one
hand with John 17:20; Acts 26:16-18; Romans 1:16,17; 10:17; II Thessalonians 2:14; I Peter
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1:22f; James 1:18, 21 on the other hand, shows that the Scriptures ascribe to the Word the
same effects as to the Spirit.
5. The functions that the Law performs.
In general we speak of three uses/functions of the Law:
1. The civil/political use which curbs;
2. The theological/spiritual use which convicts of sin;
3. The guiding use that teaches God’s will on how we should live as one of his
redeemed children.
All three of these uses go on simultaneously.
6. God’s Law work is everything that speaks about our sins, and God’s wrath, in
whatever way it happens.
a. The word law is used in a variety of ways in the Bible.
It is used to refer to the entire Old Testament (Ps. 1:2).
It is used to refer to the books of Moses (Luke 24:44).
It is used to refer to the civil law given to govern Israel (Deuteronomy).
It is used to refer to the ceremonial law of the old covenant (Leviticus).
It is used to refer to a principle as in Romans 7:21 (NASB).
It is used to refer to the moral law as summarized in the Ten Commandments
(Exodus, Romans).
b. In this point we are not speaking about the lexical meaning of the word law but
about the kind of work the words are doing.
7. The Holy Spirit through the Law brings us face to face with God's holiness, diagnoses
and reveals our true condition before God, and thereby works contrition.
A. In the Old Testament there are several passages that present God's confrontation of fallen
persons with the goal of producing repentance. The Law informs what I should be and do.
Amos 4:6-13; Hosea 4:1-5:15; Isaiah 6:1-5; Jeremiah 3;7-25; 13:20-27; 26:1-24
Psalm 119:120; Daniel 9:5
B. We see Jesus using the Law to bring sinners to knowledge of their true condition and their
need for Him as Savior. It reveals to me what it means to be rightly related to God.
John 4:16, 17; Matt. 9:12, 13
C. We see Peter's preaching in Acts 2:36 bringing people to contrition.
D. The Apostle Paul wrote about the work of the Law in bringing people to contrition. The Law
reveals inherited sin with all of its fruits, how deeply fallen and corrupt our nature is, and
that we have no true regard for God. The Law demands a complete
righteousness/rightness in our relationship to God. The Law does not raise for us a ladder
to heaven; it reveals to us the gulf that exists between God and us. It works to prevent us
from finding peace in our own improvement.
Rom. 3:9-20; 4:15; 5:20; 7:7
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E. The Law places us before the judgment and wrath of God.
8. The Scripture speaks about contrition (repentance in the narrow sense), the negative side
of conversion in a variety of ways.
A. Broken hearted, crushed, contrite
Psalm 34:18; 51:17
Isaiah 57:15
B. Humble
Isaiah 66:2
James 4:6-10
I Peter 5:5-6
C. Sorrow
II Cor. 7:10
D. "Cut to the heart", fear. The Law terrifies.
Acts 2:37; 16:29, 30
E. Repent
Mark 1:15. In this passage, being paired with faith, it can be translated be contrite or turn.
Acts 20: 21 "In repentance" being paired with faith can be translated "in contrition."
Note: Repent does not describe the process of changing or turning, but rather refers to the
resultant condition that was different from what it was before.
F. Fear
Genesis 3:10
G. Knowledge of my broken relationship with God that leads to the confession (confessing) of
this to God.
Rom. 3:20
Psalm 32:5 a.b.
Joel 2:14
I John 1:9
Psalm 51:3, 4
Isaiah 59:12, 13
9. According to the Scriptures repentance is an indispensable condition for receiving
salvation, for entering into the fellowship with God through Jesus Christ. This is so because
it is only the repentant person who is givable to (that is, will receive Jesus),
A. Note the following
Matt. 3:2, 8
Luke 13:3; 15:18; 18:13; 24:7
Acts 2:38; 3:19; 17:30; 26:20, 21
B. The Bible also uses the term humble to speak of this givable ness.
Psalm 18:27; 149:4
Prov. 3:34
James 4:6
I Peter 5:5
Matt. 18:1-6
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10. The repentance worked by the Holy Spirit is personal and thus God's encounter with
the person involves the entire personality. Even though the Scriptures do not make clear
distinctions concerning the various aspects of the personality there is however, evidence, which
indicates that repentance involves the whole person.
A. God dealing with the mind, i.e. how a person thinks
Job 42:5-6
Psalm 51:3-4
Rom. 3:20
Isaiah 6:10
Luke 15
B. God dealing with the emotions, i.e. how a person feels.
II Cor. 7:10
Luke 22:60-62
Isaiah 57:15
Acts 2:37
C. God dealing with the will.
Psalm 32:5; Luke 15:18
11. The intensity of the various aspects of contrition may vary according to the individual.
A. Contrition involves the realization of one's need of the forgiveness of sins and is therefore
God's work of preparing the way for Jesus. The contrition needs to be just great enough to
drive one to Jesus.
Fredrick Wisløff has spoken to this question. "Jesus said: 'Come unto me, all ye that labor
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest'(Matt. 11:28). The only condition Jesus
mentions here is: To come. Neither faith nor contrition is mentioned. And yet we know
that both are there. Faith is contained in this: That I come; contrition in this, that I am
weary under the burden of sin." (I Believe In The Holy Spirit, p. 26.)
B. See also: Luke 15:17-19
Ps. 32:3-5b
Acts 2:37; 16:30
12. The repentance worked by the Holy Spirit is not the basis for the forgiveness of our sins.
A. God does not forgive sins because people are sorry or repentant. This would make
repentance the basis for forgiveness. Our sorrow does not earn forgiveness.
Eph. 2:8, 9; Rom. 3:20-28
B. God forgives freely by grace because of what Christ has done. Contrition causes us to
realize that we need Jesus and that He alone saves us.
See the above verses.
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13. The Holy Spirit continues to reveal to the believer his/her sins and their constant need of
Jesus therefore contrition (repentance) is a daily and a lifelong experience.
A. Note the following passages in particular.
I John 1:5-2:2
Romans 7:7-25
Phil. 2:12
John 15
B. In the case of the child who was brought into fellowship with Jesus through baptism, the
Holy Spirit will reveal through the Word to this child his/her sin and sinfulness. This work
of the Holy Spirit corresponds to the child's development as a person. The answer of
repentance is a yes to what God reveals. The Holy Spirit will also through the Word reveal
Jesus, the One who saved them in baptism (I Peter 3:21) and as the one who forgives their
sins as they believe in Him. Of course it is possible for the child to resist and say no to this
work of the Holy Spirit and turn away from Jesus as their Savior. Such a turning away is a
great tragedy! (See the section on faith for the Scripture that deal with whether or not faith
can be lost.) The baptized child is to live in the truth of I John 1:5-2:2.
Discussion Questions
1. What are the implications of the above truths for the following areas?
A. For our salvation
B. For our communion/fellowship with God
C. For our assurance of salvation
D. For our preaching
E. For our personal witness
F. For pastoral care
2. What aspect of this material would you like to explore more?
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Smaldcald Articles 1537 Martin Luther
III. Repentance
1 This function of the law is retained and taught by the New Testament. So Paul says in Rom.
1:18, "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
wickedness of men." and in Rom. 3:19, 20, "The whole world may be held
accountable to God, for no human being will be justified in his sight." Christ also says
in John 16:8, "The Holy Spirit will convince the world of sin."
(ta-304) 2 This, then, is the thunderbolt by means of which God with one blow destroys both
open sinners and false saints. He allows no one to justify himself. He drives all
together into terror and despair. This is the hammer of which Jeremiah speaks, "Is not
my word like a hammer which breaks the rock in pieces?" (Jer. 23:29). This is not
activa contritio (artificial remorse), but passiva contritio (true sorrow of the heart,
suffering, and pain of death).
(tr-481) 3 This is what the beginning of true repentance is like. Here man must hear
such a judgment as this: "You are all of no account. Whether you are manifest sinners
or saints,* you must all become other than you now are and do otherwise than you
now do, no matter who you are and no matter how great, wise, mighty, and holy you
may think yourselves. Here no one is godly," etc.
4 To this office of the law the New Testament immediately adds the consoling
promise of grace in the Gospel. This is to be believed, as Christ says in Mark 1:15,
"Repent and believe in the Gospel," which is to say, "Become different, do otherwise,
and believe my promise." 5 John, who preceded Christ, is called a preacher of
repentance — but for the remission of sins. That is, John was to accuse them all and
convince them that they were sinners in order that they might know how they stood
before God and recognize themselves as lost men. In this way they were to be
prepared to receive grace from the Lord and to expect and accept from him the
forgiveness of sins. 6 Christ himself says this in Luke 24:47, "Repentance and the
forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations."
7 But where the law exercises its office alone, without the addition of the Gospel,
there is only death and hell, and man must despair like Saul and Judas.* 8 As St. Paul
says,* the law slays through sin. Moreover, the Gospel offers consolation and
forgiveness in more ways than one, for with God there is plenteous redemption (as Ps.
130:7 puts it) from the dreadful captivity to sin, and this comes to us through the
Word, the sacraments, and the like, as we shall hear.*
9 Now we must compare the false repentance of the sophists* with true repentance so
that both may be better understood.
The False Repentance of the Papists
10 It was impossible for them to teach correctly about repentance because they did not
know what sin really is. For, as stated above,* (ta-305) they did not have the right
teaching concerning original sin but asserted that the natural powers of man have
remained whole and uncorrupted, that reason is capable of right understanding and the
will is capable of acting accordingly, and that God will assuredly grant his grace to the
man who does as much as he can according to his free will.
11 From this it follows that people did penance only for actual sins, such as wicked
thoughts to which they consented (for evil impulses, lust, and inclinations they did not
consider sin), wicked words, and wicked works which man with his free will might
well have avoided. 12 Such repentance the sophists divided into three parts —
contrition, confession, and satisfaction — with the added consolation that a man who
properly repents, confesses, and makes satisfaction has merited forgiveness and has
paid for his sins before God. (tr-483) In their teaching of penance the sophists thus
instructed the people to place their confidence in their own works. 13 Hence the
expression in the pulpit when the general confession was recited to the people:
"Prolong my life, Lord God, until I make satisfaction for my sins and amend my
life."*
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14 There was no mention here of Christ or of faith. Rather, men hoped by their own
works to overcome and blot out their sins before God. With this intention we, too,
became priests and monks, that we might set ourselves against sin.
15 As for contrition, this was the situation: Since nobody could recall all his sins
(especially those committed during the course of a whole year),* the following
loophole was resorted to, namely, that when a hidden sin was afterwards remembered,
it had also to be repented of, confessed, etc., but meanwhile the sinner was
commended to the grace of God. 16 Moreover, since nobody knew how much
contrition he had to muster in order to avail before God, this consolation was offered:
If anybody could not be contrite (that is, really repentant), he should at least be attrite
(which I might call half-way or partially repentant). They understood neither of these
terms, and to this day they are as far from comprehending their meaning as I am.
Nevertheless, such attrition was reckoned as a substitute for contrition when people
went to confession. 17 And when somebody said that he was unable to repent or be
sorry for his sin (which might have been committed, let us say, in whoredom, revenge,
or the like), such a person was asked if he did not wish or desire to be repentant. If he
said Yes (for who but the devil himself would want to say No?) it was accounted as
contrition and, on the basis of this good work of his, (ta-306) his sin was forgiven.
Here the example of St. Bernard, etc. was cited.*
18 Here we see how blind reason gropes about in matters which pertain to God,
seeking consolation in its own works, according to its own inventions, without being
able to consider Christ and faith. If we examine this in the light, we see that such
contrition is an artificial and imaginary idea evolved by man's own powers without
faith and without knowledge of Christ. A poor sinner who reflected on his lust or
revenge in this fashion would sooner have laughed than wept, unless perchance he was
really smitten by the law or vainly vexed with a sorrowful spirit by the devil. Apart
from cases like this, such repentance surely was pure hypocrisy. It did not extinguish
the lust for sin. The person involved was obliged to grieve, but he would rather have
sinned if he had been free to do so.