Because Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18 (WEB)
Have you ever had something just nagging at you, but you couldn’t put your finger on it? You knew it was something important, but what? How could you not know?
Then, somehow you realized what was troubling you. Now that you could identify the issue, you could address it. Even if the problem was distressing, at least you knew what it was. That was half the battle.
In 1507, something similar happened to the Augustinian monk: Martin Luther. I know you recall that name. He was the great, and even now, often controversially viewed, theologian behind the Protestant Reformation.
In our devotion today, we will see how the Spirit of God transformed Martin’s life. This is a wonderful view of how the Spirit works to tug at hearts that are irresistibly drawn to grace.
Martin Luther was groomed for the law. But his fear of death and facing God at judgment led him to seminary, and he became a monk. He thought he knew where he stood with God. But the mysterious nagging became a demand for answers at some point and would not let him rest.
What was it that was troubling him? Simply, how could he know he was truly redeemed by Christ? Hebrews 4:12
Where is the True path to salvation?
Suddenly, it seemed strange that Christ died on the cross for sinners, but His death alone wasn’t enough for salvation. How could that be?
During this time in Church history, the Catholic church taught that good deeds and money, called indulgences, were necessary for eternal security. Essentially, that meant redemption required human effort and cost.
You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed. 2 Corinthians 11:4 NLT
Martin could not accept that. He began to realize that the Holy Spirit was speaking to his heart. Although most people did not have access to the scriptures back then, Martin Luther did. He read voraciously.
Luther believed that reading scripture and listening to the Spirit of God would help him find the answers he sought. And do you know what? He was right. That is always the right response when we have faith questions.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word[a] of God; Ephesians 6:17 (WEB)
Eventually, Martin Luther accepted Christ as his Savior by faith, through the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Through the Word of God, Martin learned about grace (Ephesians 2:8) and justification (Romans 5). There is no need to pay for indulgences from any man. Grace is free.
Martin Luther became the champion of the Protestant Reformation, translated the Bible into the German language so that the common man could read the scripture, and became a thorn in the flesh to the wicked men who used religion to enrich the church, at the expense of his fellow countrymen and others, worldwide.
Now, this study is not an exposé on the Catholic Church nor a condemnation of Catholics. Many genuine believers of that denomination are born again because they know the Savior who Martin knew—Jesus. Salvation is given to sinners by grace alone, fully paid by Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.
Conversely, I believe many in the Protestant faith claim to know Christ but are lost. Why? Because many think that believing in Jesus is enough. If a person doesn’t confess Him as their Savior and commit their life to Him, they are not saved. The Bible tells us that even demons believe. (James 2:19)
Religion and denomination do not provide salvation, nor is redemption found in living morally or keeping all of the commandments—an impossibility only Jesus accomplished. And this brings us back to Martin Luther’s initial dilemma.
“…if I am saved by keeping the law, Christ died without cause.”
“I don’t reject the grace of God. For if righteousness is through the law, then Christ died for nothing!” Galatians 2:21 (WEB)
Here is the Gospel:
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” Romans 10:8-11 (NKJV)
Share the Good News in your world!
Isaiah 52:7
World English Bible (WEB)
by Public Domain. The name “World English Bible” is trademarked.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Getting the Seed out of the basket and into hungry hearts. Matthew 13 