Don't Doubt Christ's Forgiveness

To this day this is the way to obtain the forgiveness of sins. A servant of the church or some other Christian tells you: God is not angry with you; only see to it that you are not angry with Him. For the sake of His Son, Jesus Christ, He has forgiven you all your sins. When you hear this promise, you should believe it with all your might and should rather let yourself be torn apart than doubt it. For if you doubt, the absolution will not help you at all, although God with all His angels were to pronounce the absolution over you personally. For where faith is lacking, our Lord God is called a liar, as though what He is promising us were not true and He had no intention of keeping and redeeming the promise. May the good God graciously guard us against such unbelief and sin.

Source: Quoted in Ewald M. Plass, What Luther Says, A Practical In-home Theology for the Active Christian. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House. 1959 Edition, 10th Printing (1994), p. 7