A New Understanding
Martin Luther was troubled by the age-old question, “How do I know when I have done enough good things in my life for God to save me?” His religious actions as a monk (saying prayers, going to Communion, going on pilgrimages, doing penance and making confession of all the sins he could think of) did not bring him any peace of mind.
But, something significant happened as Luther lectured on the Psalms, Romans and Galatians. As Luther studied in the bible in the original languages of Greek (for the New Testament) and Hebrew (for the Old Testament), he came to a “new” understanding of Jesus and salvation.
It happened as he studied the word “righteousness.” “Righteousness” (a correct relationship with God) was not only something that God demanded of us like a judge. But rather, it was also something that God gave as a “gift” to those who had faith in Jesus Christ. As Saint Paul said in Romans 1:16-17, “the righteous shall live by faith.”
This meant that it was not Luther's religious behavior which saved him before God, but rather it was his “faith,” or trust in Jesus Christ. It was like the difference between trying to push a car up a hill by yourself AND putting the fuel in the car to let it take you up the hill. It was the difference between trying to do it yourself or believing that the death of Jesus had already done everything necessary for you.
A Changed Man & A New View of God
Luther's relationship to God was completely changed by this discovery. Rather than seeing Jesus as a stern and demanding end-time judge, he pictured Jesus as the loving and crucified savior. And there was nothing threatening about Jesus on the cross. It was simply Jesus giving his life for us.
Luther came to see what his father-confessor, his pastor, John von Staupitz once told him. The salvation that he wanted from a faraway God was already very near and waiting for him through the crucified Jesus.
Much later in his life, Luther said that when he made this discovery it was like the gates of heaven opened and he entered paradise itself.
The bottom line, Luther discovered, is that we are saved by grace through faith for Christ's sake
“Grace” means that God does it all “for free,” gratis, without any work or effort on our part. God doesn't make us pay for it. It is a gift.
“Faith” means we take God at God's word. We trust God's promise.
And “for Christ's sake” means it happens because of Christ's death upon the cross and his resurrection which followed. Jesus does the work of saving, not us. He is more of a “Savior” than a “judge.”