The heart is cleansed by hearing what Christ has done. We are freed from the power of sin by hearing promises. We cannot return to Christ through effort or sorrow, but through the vigilant hearing of the gospel, the Word proclaimed. The hearing of the gospel is the place where Christ offers Himself to us again. Hearing is the place where we behold the face of Christ and are given the miracle of repentance and faith. A repentance that is part of the gift of the gospel and not a condition of it.
