The key difference between the penitent and the impenitent is not good works. It is Spirit-wrought new life and Spirit-wrought true faith in Christ. There is an order to the Reformed confession of the faith. The Holy Spirit is the Lord and Giver of life. He gives new life to his elect, and with new life he gives faith, and through faith he creates a mystical union between the believer and the risen Christ and out of that new life, true faith, and union come the fruits of sanctity and good works. That order is reflected not only in our confessional documents but also in our liturgical materials.

The medievals had a saying: the law of praying is the law of believing (lex orandi,lex credendi). By it they meant to say that what we do in worship affects our theology. If you want to change the theology of the future change the liturgy today. Church history bears witness to the truth of this maxim. Today we were looking at Athanasius’ little treatise on the Psalter in which he commends the singing of psalms for, among other things, public worship. We also looked at the language of the 1563 Heidelberg liturgy and particularly the confession of sin and the absolution (declaration of pardon). As we considered them I was struck by their relevance to the current discussions over sanctification.

Heavenly Father, eternal and merciful God; we acknowledge and confess before your divine Majesty that we are poor miserable sinners, conceived and born in sin and corruption, prone to all evil, and unfit for any good. By our sinful life, we have continually transgressed your holy commandments, provoked your wrath against us and incurred your just judgment to eternal death.

But, O Lord, we repent in sorrow that we have thus offended you, we condemn our iniquities, and ourselves and implore you mercifully to help us in our wretchedness and misery.

Have mercy upon us, therefore, 0 most gracious God and Father, and pardon all our sins, for the sake of the holy suffering of your dear Son; Jesus Christ our Lord. And condescend to grant to us, henceforth, the grace of your Holy Spirit, that He may teach: us heartily to know our unrighteousness, and make us so to abhor ourselves, that sin may be slain in us, and we may arise to newness of life. Thus shall we produce the perfect fruits of holiness and righteousness with which, for Christ’s sake, You are well pleased.

This is the confession of sin made by the minister on behalf of the congregation and the subsequent prayer for forgiveness (pardon). The old Reformed made no pretense of achieving perfection in this life. The confession of sin is as bracing in its honesty as it is in its brevity. It does not go on at length but it makes illustrates the theology ofHeidelberg 60 when he says, “I have grievously sinned against all the commandments of God, and have never kept any of them, and am still prone always to all evil….” Even in a state of grace, in though we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit we remain corrupt in all our faculties, desires, and actions. This is the lament of the Christian in Romans 7. We are not what we would be. We are not what we should be. We are not what we shall be.

These are also the words of a penitent believer.

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