It was rediscovering the seminal truths of God’s inspired Word that brought about what we know today as the Protestant Reformation.
Martin Luther really struggled in his relationship to God, he viewed God as a holy and righteous Being who punishes sinners. The crisis in his faith caused him to search through the Scriptures to find out what the Bible actually taught about God.
Faith alone refers to justification which comes by grace through faith in Christ apart from any human works or endeavor.
Placing our faith in Christ alone not only saves us but is the very faith we are called to live by every day.
That is why the apostle Paul wrote:
…but that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for the just shall live by faith (Galatians 3:11).
Martin Luther was set free from fear and guilt when he finally understood the truth of the believer being justified by God.
We see this truth again:
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed – a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:16-17).
This passage in Romans is talking about “the good news.” God’s total plan of salvation for mankind is found in His special revelation to mankind.
Justification is a vital aspect of salvation - it is being acquitted of sin and guilt and being declared completely blameless before God.
Romans 8 says that because of sin all of creation was subjected to God’s curse and we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to this present time. Sin first entered into the world when Adam and Eve committed an act of disobedience and it had an effect on the rest of the human race.
“Sin came with a consequence”
Not some, not many, but ALL are in this category of falling short, missing the mark, aiming at the wrong target.
In Romans chapter 3 it says,
“No one is righteous - not even one person” [on this earth or throughout world history]. No one understands or is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.
People’s talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave, they are filled with lies, mouths full of cursing and bitterness, they rush to commit murder, destruction and misery always follow them and they don’t know where to find peace. They have no fear of God at all (Romans 3:10-18 NLT).
The cure was found in the Word of God; the cure was Christ.
Romans 3:23–28:
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard (v. 23). Yet God, in His grace, freely makes us right in His sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins (v. 24).
“For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin.”
This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past (v. 25). For he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus (v. 26).
Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God?
No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith (v. 27-28).
We are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.
In Romans 5:17-19 Paul explains how God took the sin of Adam and imputed it to the whole human race, then he took the sin of the whole world and imputed it to Christ on the cross. The cure would come at a great cost, which only Christ could provide.
The moment we place our faith in Christ’s perfect sacrifice, God imputes Christ’s righteousness payment for our sins to us. In that moment we are justified.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
“Justification means having all your sins and failures, your whole slate wiped completely clean by God. ”
Faith in Christ is what saves you, it is what justifies you before God. The knowledge of this justification gives you a clear conscious and access to a holy and just God.
What is the consequence of justification?
Peace with God both now and forever.
Conclusion
Saving faith is what brings us into a right relationship with God. But what transforms the Christian after he or she places their faith in Christ?
If we want to experience God’s victory in the areas of our lives where we are struggling, hurting, empty, immature, we need to study what the Word specifically says regarding that area of weakness. Internalize God’s truth, and by the power of the Spirit of God take steps of faith to live out the Truth, be obedient to it and watch the Lord direct and deliver you.
