Brought to life by the gospel

On October 31 each year, Protestants recall the anniversary of the Reformation - a movement that began in 1517 to reclaim the life and joy and hope of the gospel within the church.   Students in my Modern West class read a biography of Martin Luther, which highlights not only his personal history but the main themes of the Reformation movement.   As a Reformation thought for this blog, I'd like to share another essay from one of my students, reflecting on Luther's experience ... and her own.

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The Powerful Prison of Penance

by Grace Williams

“I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” ~ Galatians 2:21

            Could you imagine living in a world where everything was up to you?  As Christians, we know full well that God has already done everything for us to secure our salvation. But what if this truth was not set in stone?  If achieving eternal life was based even in the slightest on our adherence to the law, the Bible spells out a very terrifying message: All persons have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  If this is true, how then could we possibly do anything to make ourselves pure in God’s eyes? 

This is the question that tormented Martin Luther’s each and every waking moment during the years before he nailed up his famous 95 Theses.  Luther had been raised under the law-driven doctrine of the medieval Roman Church, and his spiritual state fully exemplified the dangers of excluding the gospel in one’s worship life.  He was constantly surrounded by church officials ordering him to repent of his sins, and tearful confessions were a daily ordeal.  Every time Luther committed even the “smallest” of sins, he would be overcome with grief and shame and go running to a priest to beg for assurance of forgiveness.  Often, he would even physically punish himself or go days without eating, in order to show penance for what he had done, in hopes that God would have mercy on his soul.  The worst part of it all--the pain, the torment, and the utter humiliation--was that he never knew if the measures he was taking were enough.

Most of us can’t even imagine living in a state of constant fear that our repentance isn’t enough.  While many may find it next to impossible to relate to Martin Luther, I have witnessed firsthand how powerful of a prison penance can be--and how the gospel changes everything!

When I was very little, I had severe Tourettes and OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).  Today it has toned down quite a bit, and I have learned to cope with it and accept it as part of who I am.  It is just one of the many blessings God has given me to make me unique.  But I did not always see it this way.  In fact, it used to make my life a bit miserable.  Part of having OCD and Tourettes is that your mind is miswired to fixate itself on things that bother your conscience.  For instance, if you are brought up taught that “stupid” (for a mild example) is a bad word, you will be more inclined to have that word inadvertently cross your mind.  You can imagine as a Christian how fixated you could become on the bad sins you had committed!  I used to go through periods of time where I was so overcome by sins that I could not get out of my head that I was literally praying nonstop throughout the entire day.  (And I assure you, this is, sadly, no exaggeration!)  Some nights I would stay up hours on end, asking God why I was so sinful and begging that he would forgive me for all the terrible things I had committed that day.  I knew that Jesus had saved me ... but I had also been taught that we should repent of all of our sins, and I was completely overwhelmed!  Finally, one night, I broke down in front of my parents. That is when God swooped in with his life-saving gospel!

Looking back on it, I realize now how foolish it was for me to doubt God’s forgiveness and mercy.  For a long time I wondered how God could possibly use that chapter of my life for my good--aside from me having A LOT of one-on-one time with him in the early hours of the morning.  It wasn’t until recently that I realized why he allowed me to carry that cross for so long.  Thanks to my experiences, I can relate to those who are burdened down by sin, and I can offer them the reassurance that God’s love covers over even a multitude of sins.  I understand better than ever how the law, without gospel, is meaningless!  Without gospel, we are slaves to sin and penance.  We cannot earn our way into Gods arms, nor can we atone for the good we have failed to do.  The gospel is truly the life-giving message that people so desperately need to hear!  That is why Luther’s work and the Reformation are so vital to Lutherans today.  God help us never to lose sight of the gospel, so that in confident faith we may proudly proclaim, “That no one is justified by the law before God is evident; for, the righteous person shall live by faith” (Galatians 3:11). 

The law is a prison … but the gospel is the power of God for salvation, to everyone who believes!

A word to your conscience

At the end of this month, the Lutheran church will observe the festival of the Reformation, giving thanks for a strong re-emphasis on the gospel of full and free forgiveness in Christ.  Students in my Modern West class recently were reading a biography of Martin Luther, which highlighted not only his personal history but the main themes of the Reformation movement.   I'd like to share here an essay that captured an important point about a Christian's conscience.

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The Committed Conscience

by Monica Rehberger

      In many respects, Martin Luther was like any other man in 16th century.  He was raised as a peasant, had a fairly common education, and held to the Roman Catholic faith.  But Martin Luther was driven by a very active conscience: sensitive, guilty, and always accusing. He could not silence the continuous reminder that God was the wrathful judge, and he the sinner that could never make amends. However, Luther’s active conscience guided his words and actions throughout his whole life.

      Once Martin Luther left law studies to become a monk, he sought to quiet his dark thoughts with a rigorous life of hardship, including physically punishing himself. But it was to no avail; he still realized that the thoughts which came every second tainted his soul with sin. Confession only reinforced this idea for Luther. While he was in the very act of repenting, he would remember another sin or have a wayward thought, demanding more confession and penance. The vicious cycle would occur over and over again within Luther’s conscience, compounding desperation and despair, until he was filled with doubt and hatred for God. Even into his teaching years, Luther suffered from heavy self-accusation.

      However, once Martin Luther realized the true grace of God—as a result of study in the Word of God—his conscience was set free. He now knew that God did not expect atonement of sins to come from people themselves; rather it was a full and free gift, paid for by Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. Because Luther’s mind was now released by that good news, he wished to help others with their burden of sin, primarily as a pastor caring for his flock. Luther did this in several ways. He told monks not strive for complete purity, because they would never achieve it and were focusing only on themselves. He comforted dying Christians that, despite their many sins, God would not abandon them, but would bring them home to heaven. He also encouraged all to take comfort and joy in one another when they were assailed with doubt and fear. In all these ways, Luther looked out for the peoples’ consciences throughout his pastoral ministry.

      Martin Luther also addressed issues of the conscience as a theologian. After all, at the Diet of Worms his pinnacle “famous” moment was when he publicly and directly stated the relationship between his will and Scripture: “My conscience is captive to the Word of God—then I cannot and will not recant, because it is neither safe nor wise to act against conscience.” Earlier than this, Luther had also written a book, On the Freedom of a Christian, in which he explained practical applications for a Christian’s life.  Each person could do what they wished, in keeping with God’s Word, without their conscience being bound to a certain practice or ideal – but at the same time were conscience-bound to act in love toward their neighbors, sharing the love of Christ.  Later during the Heidelberg Disputation, Luther highlighted the idea that every person’s natural will is completely tainted by sin; if one’s mind is saying that he is doing right for himself, then he is in the wrong and just adding sin to more sin. Only through grace can one do good works.

      Each person’s conscience is a gift from God, a form of the natural law written on the heart. Martin Luther had a conscience that drove him to seek the truth in Scripture, and then share that with others, whether by preaching, teaching, writing, or singing. Luther described the conscience as being of utmost importance in a life of faith.   It is this that Satan most fiercely attacks, but amidst this struggle of faith one always may look to Christ for forgiveness. This was Luther’s comfort in life, and is the comfort that believers today can use in soothing their troubled minds. God has completely wiped away all of our sins.  Because of grace in Jesus, we live now with unburdened consciences, and we will live forever in freedom in his presence.