Faith
How a single sentence from Augustine freed Luther from guilt
Faith Facts
- Martin Luther struggled deeply with guilt over his own sin and the righteousness demanded by God.
- A passage from Augustine’s writings revealed to Luther that righteousness is received by faith, not earned.
- This discovery became the spark that ignited the Protestant Reformation.
Martin Luther carried a heavy burden. The young monk knew the standard of God’s holiness and saw clearly that he fell short.
Every sermon on divine justice only deepened his dread. He could not produce the righteousness the law required, and he feared the God who demanded it.
Then he read these words from Augustine: “The righteousness of God is that by which we are justified, not that by which God is righteous.”
The sentence struck like lightning. Luther saw that the righteousness he lacked had already been provided in Christ and was received by faith alone.
This truth set him free from the torment of guilt. It also set Europe on fire with the Reformation that followed.
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