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But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the law and the prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood – to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished. – Romans 3:21-25 Sunday past was observed as Reformation Sunday. It commemorates the posting of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses on the castle church door at Wittenburg Germany. This took place on October 31, 1517, on the eve of All Saints Day. Luther was concerned that the church was going in the wrong direction, especially with regards to salvation. At the time, the Church Catholic was teaching that God’s forgiveness of sins could be purchased with money, or through the purchase of indulgence. The intention of Luther’s Theses or grievances was to steer the church back to God’s word. Instead, he was eventually brought up on charges, labeled a heretic, and excommunicated from the Church Catholic. This was the beginning of the Reformation. In the above text, the apostle reminds us that we “… all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” In other words, our righteousness is a gift from a gracious and generous God. This gift came through Jesus Christ our Lord and savior, “whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.” Jesus endured the wrath of God on the cross at Calvary, on our behalf. Therefore, we who have fallen short of the glory of God, are justified by faith in Jesus Christ. It is not our goodness that brings us to salvation. It is Jesus’ work in his death and resurrection that saves us. It is not what the pastor, or the leaders in the church do or have done. No, it is not what you have done. It is all because of what Jesus the Christ did. In initiating the Reformation, Luther helped the church to see God’s love for his creation. Yes, we serve a gracious God, who only wants good for us. We cannot do anything to warrant his love or his grace. He gives it all to us freely. That is the point of the Reformation. Jesus Christ is the answer. Scripture tells us in Isaiah 64:6: “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” Our work does not save us. It does not matter how good we think we are. No matter how good we think we are, we fall short. We do not meet God’s standard. That is why we need Jesus. When we place our faith in Jesus our Savior, God, declares us righteous. Yes, “we are justified by faith.” That is from God’s word, the benchmark of life and faith. What do we mean by justification? Simply put, to justify means to declare righteous, make one right with God. Justification is God’s declaration that all who receive Christ Jesus as their Lord and savior to be righteous. God does this, not because we are so good, but because he loves us so much. Yes! God loves us so much, that he gave up his most precious possession, his son, to save sinful man. Even though we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, we are justified freely by his grace. In Jesus Christ, we are declared righteous. Amen. • Reverend Samuel M. Boodle, pastor at the Lutheran Church of Nassau, 119 John F. Kennedy Drive, can be reached at P.O. Box N 4794, Nassau, Bahamas; or telephone 426-9084; website: www.nassaulutheranchurch.org.
