Commemoration Martin Luther, Renewer of Society, February 18

Commemoration February 18

Martin Luther, Renewer of Society, d. 1546

Reflection

We are perhaps somewhat familiar with Martin Luther and his reforms to the church, so I will turn to Luther himself in his Preface to the Complete Edition of Luther's Latin Writings, 1545:

I had indeed been captivated with an extraordinary ardor for understanding Paul in the Epistle to the Romans. But up till then it was not the cold blood about the heart, but a single word in    chapter 1 [:17], “In it the righteousness of God,” which . . . I had been taught to understand philosophically . . . With which God is righteous and punished the unrighteous sinner.

Though I lived as a monk without reproach, I felt I was a sinner before God with an extremely disturbed conscience. . . . I did not love, I hated the righteousness of God who punishes sinners . . . Thus I raged with a fierce and troubled conscience. . . . At last, by the mercy of God . . . I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives by a gift of God, namely, by faith. . . . “He who through faith is righteous shall live.” Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates. . . .

And I extolled my sweet work with a love as great as the hatred with which I had before hated the word “righteousness of God.” Thus that place in Paul was for me truly that gate to Paradise.

Prayer

Gracious God, Thank you for revealing your grace to your servant, Martin Luther. Reveal that same grace to us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.