This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. -- Romans 3:22-24.
It is said that after the attack of 9/11, the recovery workers at Ground Zero were asking for meaning and purpose during their thankless labor. Where was God in the midst of the horror? Two days later, the rescue workers found two steel beams in the midst of the wreckage, fused together in the form of a cross.
That cross became a potent symbol of hope for the rescue workers dragging bodies and human remains from the rubble. A priest working with the rescuers, said, "You saw that cross and you knew that God never abandoned us."
Last Sunday we celebrated Reformation Sunday. It has been 494 years since the Reformation. Martin Luther, a young Catholic monk had to be reminded to look to the cross for hope.
Luther agonized over his inability to live a perfect life. He wanted to love and serve God completely. However, the more he tried, the more restless he became.
Eventually he concluded that God was an angry God. This caused him to confide in his confessor and spiritual guide. His confessor told him, "God is not angry with you, but you are angry with God." He urged Luther to look to the cross.
In his attempt to be holy, Luther thought he could please God through his good works. He was so obsessed with saving himself, through his good works, he could not see the cross. After much restlessness, he came to realize that his own efforts would never please God.
There was never enough in him to make the slightest contribution to his own salvation. Luther's dilemma was no different from that which many in the medieval church faced or that which we face in 2011. Like him, instead of looking to the cross, we constantly believe that we can save ourselves.
The apostle tells us in the above text that righteousness comes from God through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. We have to look to the cross for our salvation. When we see Jesus and rely upon him for our redemption, then and only then can we find peace and salvation.
Unfortunately, Luther did not realize this until he read and studied Romans 1:17. For in the gospel, righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The Righteous will live by faith.
Luther subsequently found relief in this text. He realized that his righteousness was a gift from God through Jesus Christ. He had been trying to do what had already been done for him on the cross at Calvary. Christ made him free. He makes us free. Through the blood of the Lamb, Luther found peace.
He came to understand that his God is a righteous God. He is a merciful God, and a gracious God. Luther suddenly realized that God was not angry. Finally, he saw a personable, loving, kind and generous God.
In celebrating Reformation Sunday, we do so, not because Luther stood up to the Pope and the papal authority. We do not celebrate because Luther started a new church. We celebrate because Luther, through the working of the Holy Spirit, who gave him the faith to trust in God, refocused our attention to God's word. We fall short of the glory of God. We don't really make the grade.
Even though we are unworthy, the Holy Spirit brings us to faith. Our salvation is in the Word of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Like Luther, the recovery workers at Ground Zero were asking for answers and found them in the cross. The cross has answers for us. No one can change or take away the victory won for us at Calvary.
That comes from the mouth of God. It's ours for salvation. It is the greatest gift known to mankind. Look to the cross for your salvation. Amen.
Rev. Samuel M. Boodle, pastor at The Lutheran Church of Nassau, can be reached at P.O. Box N 4794, Nassau, Bahamas, or telephone: 323-4107. E-mail: lutheranchurch@coralwave.com; Website: www.Nassaulutheranchurch.org.
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