Christians do not move past the “sinner” category in this life. Matt Harrison reminded us of this well when he said that we had elected another sinner. Luther directed us to this when in the 95 Theses he wrote that our Lord intended the entire life of the believer to be one of repentance; for what else do we repent besides our sinfulness? Sin is a threat, a danger to our salvation. Yet sin is not merely actual behavior, but the evilness of us as people.
This evil is inherent to our body and blood. It is an uncleanness which stains all that we do. I think that you can speak of two kinds of good behind a signature: (1) the person who gives the signature is good, and (2) the signature is composed of elegant script. Now we hold signatures to be valuable when they derive from the former sort of value. Few would complain of having a ‘messy’ signature of a great figure. In the same way, nobody would really treasure a well-written signature from an insignificant person. Now our good works are like the latter: they are completely insignificant, because of who we are, as sinners.
This situation seems to present a duality that is paradoxical and frustrating at times to our wills. On the one hand, for example, St. John tells us to avoid sinning and tells us that the commandments are easy to do. On the other hand, he tells us, “if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves.” And, “if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father.” What is being distinguished here is actual sin and concupiscence.
Now actual sins are revealed by the Law, and there are a variety of ways of speaking about this. By the letter, one may strive to obey the Law. But St. Paul says that he is a Jew who is one inwardly and not outwardly. The difficulty lies in the condition whereby we seek through outward works to redeem ourselves from our inward sin. This is the most basic element at work in the omnipresent works righteousness of which we should have learned so much. And yet if we have not learned that we are sinners, we have not fully learned it.
The world wants to think that we are not sinners, but rather we are fallen creatures capable of much good. Yet what is this capability but the utmost testimony to sin? If I were incapable of good that I do not do, how else would it become obvious how deep and utter my sinfulness were? I would then have the excuse that all my failures belong to the accident of lacking the capacity. But we lack the capacity in the fallen will which we would otherwise have the power of God’s created wisdom to perform.
Accordingly, at the root of our lives is the concept that we are worthless servants and bonded to Christ. This is not to say that we freely perform good works, for our freedom is nothing but the freedom to actualize our inner sinfulness. Yet, we do have a freedom, at the same time, a freedom with respect to actual sins. This differentiation lies at the heart of the doctrine of sin, and yet it has faded from our attention. No matter how many times I honor my father and mother or gladly hear and learn the Word of God, this sinful concupiscence which carries with it the threat of eternal perdition does not depart. No matter how many refrains I sing and good deeds I do, I am always subject to the threat that my sinfulness may overwhelm me and lead me to rebellion against God again.
Because of this condition, we are in a position to eagerly desire and want to do good deeds even though we are not saved by them. It happens from a kind of panic about one’s own fallenness, not out of a self-composed will to action. One thoroughly abandons confidence in the self and flees to Christ. This is the position that we have even when we receive forgiveness of sins, which never transforms a sinner into a non-sinner but only promises everlasting life in Christ and promises that our sins will not be held against us. These are the difficulties and paradoxes that start to arise when we contemplate our sinfulness, but it is clear that God has had mercy on us and has given his Son to bear our sins. He is faithful in what he promises and in him we can have peace.
Christus Victor 