The visit of Pope Francis to Sweden earlier this week started the year of commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation (usually reckoned to have commenced on 31st October 2017). Luther was the subject of his visit to the leaders of the Lutheran Church in the Swedish city of Lund.
So who was this Luther who faced down the might of the Catholic Church of his day? What drove him to attempt to right the corruption? But first he had to sort out his relationship, or lack of it, with God.
Luther’s personal problems came to a head when he read in the Bible that God requires righteousness. Luther saw no possibility of him ever pleasing this righteous God. It was at his first mass, as an Augustinian Monk, he felt utterly unworthy and realised that instead of loving this God he hated him. It seemed as if there was nothing he could do to span the gulf between this righteous God, who punished sin, and Luther, the sinner, who had tried all the Church had on offer to rid himself of his sin, including holy orders.
Luther had understood that this longed for righteousness was something which he had to achieve by his own efforts. The breakthrough came when he realised that the righteousness which St Paul refers to and which God requires is not something which you earn but comes from Jesus Christ whose righteousness it is. It is given as a gift to be received by faith. It is imputed to the repentant sinner who is then declared righteous in God’s sight (Philippians Chapter 3 verses 7-10).
Jesus accomplished all this on the cross. Not only is there forgiveness to cancel our guilt – this would leave us saved but naked. But the righteousness of our Saviour is imputed to us, it is our covering, so that we are robed appropriately as the redeemed people of God.
Thus our acceptance before a thrice holy God is totally dependent upon the work of the Saviour, Jesus Christ. St Paul puts it simply “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe” (Romans Chapter 3 verse 22).
When it all came together for Luther he said, “Here I felt I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates”. His conscience was no longer troubled. As he later said “My conscience is captive to the Word of God”. And that word was the light to his path (Psalm 119 verse 105).