[38] Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; [39] and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.1
Justification is a divine act whereby an infinitely Holy God judicially declares a believing sinner to be righteous and acceptable before Him because Christ has borne the sinner’s sin on the cross and has become “to us . . . righteousness” (1 Cor. 1:30; Rom. 3:24). Justification springs from the fountain of God’s grace (Titus 3:4–5). It is operative as the result of the redemptive and propitiatory sacrifice of Christ, who has settled all the claims of the law (Rom. 3:24–25; 5:9). Justification is on the basis of faith and not by human merit or works (3:28–30; 4:5; 5:1; Gal. 2:16). In this marvelous operation of God the infinitely holy Judge judicially declares righteous the one who believes in Jesus (Rom. 8:31–34). A justified believer emerges from God’s great courtroom with a consciousness that another, his Substitute, has borne his guilt and that he stands without accusation before God (8:1, 33–34).3
Walking out into the fields one day, [Luther] was struck by lightning so as to fall to the ground, while a companion was killed by his side; and this affected him so sensibly, that, without communicating his purpose to any of his friends, he withdrew himself from the world, and retired into the order of the hermits of St. Augustine.4
Luther probed every resource of contemporary Catholicism for assuaging the anguish of a spirit alienated from God. He tried the way of good works and discovered that he could never do enough to save himself. He endeavored to avail himself of the merits of the saints and ended with a doubt, . . . sufficient to destroy his assurance. . . . He sought at the same time to explore other ways, and Catholicism had much more to offer. . . . This only was required of them, that they should confess all their wrongdoing and seek absolution. . . . [Luther] confessed frequently, often daily, and far as long as six hours on a single occasion. Ever sin in order to be absolved was to be confessed. Therefore the soul must be searched and the memory ransacked and the motives probed. As an aid the penitent ran through the seven deadly sins and the Ten Commandments. Luther would repeat a confession and, to be sure of including everything, would review his entire life until the confessor grew weary . . . Luther’s question was not whether his sins were big or little, but whether they had been confessed. . . . He learned from experience the cleverness of memory in protecting the ego, and he was frightened when after six hours of confessing he could still go out and think of something else which had eluded his most conscientious scrutiny. . . . So acute had Luther’s distress become that even the simplest of helps of religion failed to bring him heartsease. Not even prayer could quiet his tremors; for when he was on his knees, the Tempter would come and say, Dear fellow, what are you praying for? Just see how quite it is about you here. Do you think that God hears your prayer and pays any attention?5
Luther wrote,
My situation was that, although an impeccable monk, I stood before God as a sinner troubled in conscience and I had no confidence that my merit would assuage him. Therefore I did not love a just and angry God, but rather hated and murmured against him.6
Luther continues,
Night and day I pondered until I saw the connection between the justice of God and the statement that the just shall live by his faith. Then I grasped that the mercy of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise.7
Endnotes:
1. | Acts 13:38-39, NKJV |
2. | Literally: ten words. |
3. | Ref-0184, s.v. justification |
4. | Ref-1306, para. 9462 |
5. | Ref-1395, 40-41,43 |
6. | Ref-1395, 49 |
7. | Ref-1395, 49-50 |
Sources:
Acts 13:38-39 | Unless indicated otherwise, all Scripture references are from the New King James Version, copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. |
Ref-0184 | Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt, Basics of Biblical Hebrew (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 2001). See also [www.basicsofbiblicalhebrew.com], [www.oaksoft.com]. |
Ref-1306 | John Foxe, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs (1563). |
Ref-1395 | Roland H. Bainton, Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther (New York, NY: Penguing Books, 1977). ISBN:0-452-01146-9d. |