My Concern & Martin Luther on Sin and Grace

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin” (Romans 4:7-8ESV)

The reason I write this post is because I’m concern about sad news that I heard recently from two of my very trusted friends who are also concern by it in regard to a “strange doctrine” that is slowly but constantly spread within their Christian campus fellowship. The teaching that simply stated: because of God’s grace, there is no need for repentance and confession of sin since God had forgiven us already. This heretic teaching is very confusing and deadly wrong because it ignores totally on men’s responsibility (not work but response) in salvation, namely, to acknowledge their sin against our Holy God. Two basic truths that we should understand in the work of salvation are these: 1) God’s sovereignty over all things; and 2) men’s responsibly in all things. Here I quotes Martin Luther, the great Reformer to help us to understand this matter on sin and grace.

Martin Luther

During the academic year 1515-16, Luther delivered a course of lectures in Latin at the University of Wittenberg on Paul’s letter to the Romans. A copy of these lectures has survived, allowing insights into Luther’s theology at this early stage in his career. In the course of analyzing Romans 4:7, Luther opens up a discussion of the relation of sin and grace in the life of the believer. His basic argument is that sin and righteousness coexist in the existence of believers, so that they are at one and at the same time sinners and righteous people. He writes,

“Since the saints are always conscious of their sin, and seek righteousness from God in accordance with His mercy, they are always reckoned as righteous by God. Thus in their own eyes, and as a matter of fact, they are unrighteous. But God reckons them as righteous on account of their confession of their sin. In fact, they are sinners; however, they are righteous by the reckoning of a merciful God. Without knowing it, they are righteous; knowing it, they are unrighteous. They are sinner in fact, but righteous in hope…

It is like the case of man who is ill, who trusts the doctor who promises him a certain recovery and in the meantime obeys the doctor’s instructions, abstaining from what has been forbidden to him, in the hope of the promised recovery, so that he does not do anything to hinder this promised recovery… Now this man who is ill, is he healthy? The fact that he is a man who is both ill and healthy at the same time. As a matter of fact, he is ill; but he is healthy on account of the certain promise of the doctor, who he trusts and who reckons his as healthy already, because he is sure that he will cure him. Indeed, he has already begun to cure him, and no longer regards him as having terminal illness.

In the same way, our Samaritan, Christ, has brought this ill man to the inn to be cared for, and has begun to cure him, having promised him the most certain cure leading to eternal life (here he is using the story of Good Samaritan, Luke 10:25-36 to illustrate his point, not the interpretation of the text itself)… Now is this man perfectly righteous? No. But he is at one and the same time a sinner and a righteous person. He is a sinner in fact, but a righteous person by the sure reckoning and promise of God that he will continue to deliver him from sin until he has completely cure him. And so he is totally healthy in hope, but is a sinner in fact. He has beginning of righteousness, and so always continues more and more to seek it, while realizing that he is always unrighteous.”

[Source: Lectures on Romans (1515-16); in D. Martin Luthers Werke: Kritische Gesamtausgabe, vol. 56 (Weimar: Bohlau, 1938). 269.25-30; 272.3-21]

Martin Luther emphasized: “God reckons them as righteous on account of their confession of their sin”. Know this: we are saved by grace through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8). Faith is the only condition. Anything added become a work attached to the grace of God. Faith is the condition, and it is faith in Jesus Christ who alone can save. This is the grace of God. Period. But the fruit of faith, if the faith is genuine, then the internal conviction and external respond would be repentance and confession of sin. This is sure.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.