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Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483 to Hans and Margaretta Luther. Luther's father was a miner who rose from poverty to a position of prominence in the community. In school, Luther learned grammar, logic, rhetoric, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. The students would sing from the book of Psalms, and there was a great deal of emphasis on memorizing Scripture.
Later in life, he received the equivalent of a four–year bachelor's degree and then a master's degree. Luther's father wanted him to become a lawyer, but in order to find peace with God, Luther became a monk. As a monk, Luther would try to purge himself of sin and the guilt that it brings. He would beat himself with a whip. He would go without food or drink or sleep. He would torture himself without blankets every night. Luther said to his father superior, John Stauptiz, “I am uncertain as to whether I have done enough, been sorry enough, worked hard enough, or punished myself enough to be free from my sin.” Father Staupitz encouraged Luther to move on with his studies and to join the priesthood. Luther agreed. He thought that, as a priest, he could please God with greater and more glorious works.
But Luther's inner conflict grew, always believing that he was unworthy to have anything to do with a holy God. Father Staupitz was still concerned about Luther the priest and noticed that things were not getting better. Luther said to Father Staupitz, “I am locked in the prison of my own weakness. There are four walls around me. I can feel them. Can I be free from sin? No, sin clings to my flesh; Is there a day of judgment? Yes, and I fear that day because of my sin. Is God indifferent to sin? No, because God is holy and just, and I am a sinner. Must I be dammed? Yes, because of my sin. You see, Father Staupitz, there are four walls and no way out. I am trying to rid myself of sin. I am trying to take salvation into my own hands. But I cannot.”
Dearly beloved, it is true. God is holy and just. He hates sin and insists on strict and perfect obedience. He will not share with idols the love and honor we owe Him. Romans 3:26, from our Epistle lesson for today, says that God is “just”. His Ten Commandments remain the same. He doesn't soften any of them. He doesn't lower His standards just because we're sinners. He doesn't grade on a curve. James 2:10 says: “Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”
Are there four walls around us? Yes! On one wall it says: “Can we be free from sin?” No, it clings to our flesh. Romans 3:23, from our Epistle lesson for today, says: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Another wall says, “Is there a day of judgment?” The answer is “Yes.” We should fear God's wrath. Another wall says: “Is God indifferent to sin?” The answer is “No.” Sin is sin. The fourth wall says: “Must I be dammed?” The answer is “Yes, because of our sin against God and against one another.” In John 8:34, our Holy Gospel for today, Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.” Do you commit sin? Just as the Jews denied that they were every in bondage to slavery, so also, we want to deny our sin. The other day a person came in off the street asking for help. I listen to their story and ended up giving this person $20 dollars. Before this person left, I wanted to talk about Jesus. But first I asked, “Am I, even as a pastor, sinful?” This person said “No.” I said, “Unfortunately, I have inherited Adam and Eve's fallen nature. Even the Apostle Paul admits that the things he should do he does not find himself doing.” Then I asked, “Are you sinful?” The person said, “No.” I went on to talk about our sinful nature and the grace of God in Christ Jesus.
I think that the church today should preach the law in all of its sternness. After hearing the preaching of the law, we should all say, “In and of myself, I am dammed and there is no way out.” But the church should also preach the sweet Gospel of the forgiveness of sins found only in Christ.
In order to find peace with God, Luther went on and earned the title “Doctor of Theology” from the University of Wittenberg. There, he assumed daily lecturing duties, along with pastoral duties of two nearby churches. He taught the book of Romans, the Psalms, Galatians, and the letter to the Hebrews. During these years, Luther came to understand the Gospel's free gift of God's righteousness. Luther learned that sinners are justified freely on account of Christ. Faith says “Amen” to what God has done for us in Christ Jesus. The pieces came together.
Romans 3:21, our Epistle lesson, reads, “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Luther said to his class, “You see, I had been taught that ‘God's righteousness’ needed to be earned through pious thoughts, words, and actions — something I knew I was unable to do. For the longest time, I have hated that phrase ‘the righteousness of God.’ But I have come to realize that God's righteousness was something that God freely offered to me, through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.”
Dearly beloved, Luther was right. The sinner is declared righteous by God's grace alone. Grace is a loving attitude of God toward us sinners even though we don't deserve it. We do not contribute anything at all toward our salvation. We do not gain God's favor by doing good works. Grace is not something poured or “infused” into us which enables us to love God and merit salvation. Grace is not something good that God sees in us, nor is it a quality or a virtue in our soul. Grace and works are clearly mutually exclusive. Justification is by grace and not by works. We are not saved on the basis of our own efforts. Romans 11:6 says, “And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.” Ephesians 1:7 says, “In [Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.” God gets all the credit and glory.
We are declared righteous because of what Christ did upon the cross. God has declared the whole world to be righteous on account of Christ, who by his death made satisfaction for our sins. God forgives sin because of the righteous and perfect obedience of Jesus. This is why God can justify the ungodly.
God does not forgive our sin because we become more and more sinless. God does not forgive sin because we complete the salvation which He began in us. If our salvation was based on our own righteousness, we would never know whether we've done enough.
Nothing inside of us and nothing we do can merit the verdict of justification. But Christ most certainly does merit that verdict. We are justified because of Christ alone. Therefore, our salvation is certain, solid, and complete. Romans 5:19 says, “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” We are declared righteous on account of Christ.
This free gift of salvation is applied to us sinners through faith alone. We are justified through faith, apart from any merit or works of the law. Faith is the instrument or the means by which justification comes to the sinner. Faith embraces what Christ has done for the sinner. Faith rests secure in the truth of the gospel. Faith has as its object Christ alone.
Christ paid for the sins of the whole world, but this does not mean that everyone will benefit from it. The lack of faith causes damnation. Only those who believe receive the forgiveness of sins. Ephesians 2:8–9 says, ”For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.” Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
One day, Luther noticed that some members of his church had stopped attending worship. When he confronted them, they showed him a letter of indulgence they had purchased. Some reasoned that, because of their purchase, they didn't need to repent of their sins. In fact, they could sin more. Others struggled not knowing whether they had purchased enough forgiveness for the sins they had committed.
Luther was appalled. So, he wrote a series of 95 theses. On October 31, 1517, he posted them on the door of the Wittenberg Castle. He wanted all to see them the next day as they went to worship. His intention was to correct errors in the doctrine of the church. He was concerned about doctrine and the truth of the Gospel. Within two weeks,his 95 these were known throughout all of Germany. And within one month, they were known throughout Europe. A reformation of the church began.
The very first thesis reads, “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent’, he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” Thesis number 36 reads, “Any truly repentant Christian has a right to full remission of penalty and guilt, even without indulgence letters.” Thesis number 62 reads, “The true treasure of the church is the most holy Gospel of the glory and grace of God.”
It is true that, as sinners, we should continually live a life of repentance, confessing our sin and seeking the mercy of God in Christ Jesus. It is also true that faith trusts in the forgiveness of sins that Christ earned upon the cross for us sinners. As a result of God's love and mercy toward us, it freely flows through us to the neighbor.
So, there are four walls around us. Can we be free from sin? No, but Christ paid for our sin by His righteous death upon the cross. We are free. John 8:36, our Holy Gospel for today says, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Jesus set us free from the curse of sin, therefore, you are free indeed. Another wall says: “Is there a day of judgment?” The answer is “Yes”, but on judgement day Christ will be our redeemer. He will say, “Come you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom of God prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Another wall says: “Is God indifferent to sin?” The answer is “No.” Sin is sin. God is just. But Romans 3:26 goes on to say that God is also the “justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” God is not only holy, but He also solved our problem by the death of His own Son. Romans 3:24 says that all “are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” The fourth wall says, “Must I be dammed?” The answer is “Yes”, but Christ has redeemed us from damnation by His righteous death upon the cross.
Therefore, dearly beloved, you are free from sin and death on account of Christ, but you are also free to love God and the neighbor, not in order to be saved, but out of thankfulness for the love and mercy of God in Christ Jesus.
When you were baptized, you were baptized into the death and resurrection of Christ. You are even now a baptized lamb dearly loved by God. This morning, the blessings of the cross and resurrection continue to come to you from this altar. Christ gives His body and blood — forgiveness that you can touch and taste.
Just before Luther died, his son asked him if he believed in Jesus as his Savior from sin. Luther's last word was a simple, “Yes!” And so, the faith by which the great reformer lived was also the faith by which he died.
When you will walk through the valley of the shadow of death, there is nothing to fear, because Christ died and rose again for you. You can rest secure in the certainity that Christ opened heaven for you. Amen.
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