I recently had the privilege of speaking at a conference on Martin Luther. I am not a “Martin Luther scholar” by any stretch of the imagination. In any event, I am posting a copy of my notes for the three sessions that I did. So the next three posts all relate to Luther and the Reformation.
Introduction: When thinking of Martin Luther, one cannot help but learn some lessons about the holiness of God from his life and writings. Remember throughout this day that our focus is Godward. Luther is human. God used him in great ways. We give God thanks for Luther. We worship God. Luther helps us with our worship in the area of God’s holiness, for sure.
Martin Luther made a vow on July 2, 1505. He was 21 years old. He had completed his Master of Arts degree in January of 1505. He received some further specialized study in the law. He excelled as a student. As he was caught in a violent thunderstorm, believing that God had unleashed this thunder and lightning to judge him (we might say that Luther was nearly literally scared to death),he called out to St. Anne, “Help me, St. Anne, and I will become a monk.” Thus, he entered the monastery and was ordained in 1507.
We want to take off from here and look at three aspects of Luther’s life and writings that help us appreciate the holiness of God. Then, we want to quickly look at some Biblical lessons for us today.
I. Three Aspects of Luther’s Life and Teachings That Concern the Holiness of God
A. Anfechtung
1. This German word refers to an inner struggle; for Luther it meant that his soul was filled with anxieties and unrest; it was evident the day of the thunderstorm; however, it did not stop there!
2. In the monastery, Luther could not find salvation for his soul, only despair; he could not find it in prayers, fastings, good works, nothing; he was required to go to confession and Luther would go daily; he drove his confessor crazy as he spent hours each day confessing his sins (one day apparently for six hours confessing the sins he committed in the previous 24 hours)!
Luther was considered an abnormal person; even an abnormal monk! Luther was struggling with the holiness of God—the holiness which today means very little to most people—I would dare to say even to many believers!
Now let’s fast forward; Luther was transferred to the monastery at Wittenberg; furthered his Biblical education; eventually is appointed to the faculty at Wittenberg to teach theology; he is beginning to see sin now as something more than simply things we do—he is beginning to think of sin as something that arises from our nature; this in turn starts him thinking (with the help of earlier saints like Augustine) about how salvation really works; it is now 1517; Luther’s ideas are not fully formed yet when along comes indulgence pedaling!
B. Indulgences and Cheap Grace
1. Indulgences (and I am giving you a very brief snippet here) were pardon not from the guilt of sin but from the temporal penalty; however to raise money for the Pope’s building improvements at St. Peter’s Basilica, they were being sold and the impression was certainly given that with the sale came complete forgiveness of sins or full absolution; one could buy indulgences for oneself or for dead relatives who were suffering in purgatory
2. The person pedaling these indulgences was a man named Tetzel who had coined this famous jingle (yes, jingles were apparently used for marketing even then): “Every time a coin in the coffer rings, A soul from purgatory it springs”
3. So on October 31, 1517, Luther nailed the famous Ninety-Five Theses on the church door in Wittenberg challenging this kind of indulgence pedaling
4. Keep in mind that this was not the main thrust of the Reformation in terms of Luther—that would be justification by faith alone; that comes later; though the Ninety-Five Theses mark the beginning of the Reformation, the real issue is not the issue at that time! at this time, Luther was actually still a believer in indulgences and purgatory! What Luther was angry about was the “cheap grace” that could by God’s forgiveness without repentance from sin!
The first of the Theses: When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said “Repent,” he intended that the entire life of believers should be repentance.
How different this is than today when the gospel is simply the answer for our loneliness our low self-esteem and our insignificance
No! Christ’s cross is about sin; deep, wicked, rebellion against God that arises from our wicked, God-rejecting hearts!
God’s holiness demands His wrath—and it was poured out upon Christ
Finally, let’s fast forward to that time when Luther’s Anfechtung is satisfied in a real way; Now, there is some historical debate on when this happens; some say that it could have happened even before the Ninety-Five Theses; but many put it after in 1518; but here is the key to the Reformation—Luther’s discovery of Justification
C. Justification by Faith
1. Luther had a problem with a holy God because he knew full well he was a sinful man; he also knew that God was a righteous God who punished sinners; thus, he “raged with a fierce and troubled conscience”
He also said that he hated this righteous God who punished sinners; he had all of these feelings because he believed that to achieve salvation, God required our righteousness—even if it was through God’s help—we certainly had to earn or merit salvation based on our performance
2. The breakthrough came when Luther, through the study of Romans, Galatians, Hebrews, and the Psalms came to realize that the righteousness that Paul refers to and that God requires is not earned; it is something that Christ accomplishes for us and gives us as a gift through faith
Luther’s anger toward God was replaced by love and the important Reformation plank of sola fide (faith alone) was born
The idea of justification is that God declares us righteous on the basis of what Christ did; we stand in Christ; His righteousness is counted as ours; we are not simply given a new start—we are seen as righteous; Christ, in His obedience, secures for us all the blessings of God’s kingdom; Christ in His atonement, secures for us complete pardon for all of our sins
This is the standing of every believer before God; not based on our performance—based on Christ’s; we don’t earn God’s blessings, Christ has already earned them
Performance righteousness for Luther left him trembling continually before a holy God; others, think that their performance is pretty good and they will be all right—however both the “good” and the bad fall greatly short of the standard
II. Lessons for Us Today Concerning God’s Holiness
A. We Must Not Lose the View of God’s Transcendence (Deuteronomy 32:39)
1. Transcendence will be plank one (of two) in our look at God’s holiness
2. God’s Transcendence is God’s apartness. The Bible begins with a God who is separate from and the cause of everything else. In simply terms, God is the sole eternal being who has created everything else (Genesis 1:1). Paul explains this in his message to the Athenians in Acts 17:24,25: “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” In these verses, the emphasis is on God’s independence. He is the ultimate source or giver of all things. Yet, He needs nothing Himself! As the Scriptures progress, it is clear that this creator God is almighty, far above His creation, unsurpassed in His glory and greatness, sovereign over His creation, holy, independent, and without need of His creation (Genesis 17:1; Exodus 15:11; Deuteronomy 32:39; Isaiah 40:18). This means that God can do as He pleases with His creation and is not answerable to it (Isaiah 55:8,9; Psalm 115:3; Romans 9:20; 11:33-36). God existed in eternity in the fullness of His glorious Triune being (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) without need of the world He brought into existence. He brought it into existence to accomplish His perfect and glorious purposes. We exist in His world! The Bible is about His story—His purposes. God is transcendent.
B. We Must Not Lose the View of God’s Moral Character (Luke 18:19)
1. This is the second plank of God’s holiness
2. God’s moral character involves the perfection of His moral attributes: he is perfect love, goodness, and righteousness
C. Where Does This Leave Us?
1. In light of God’s transcendence and goodness, God should be honored, worshipped, glorified, praised, loved, and obeyed—how are we doing?
2. Some of our tendencies as believers in our man-centered culture:
a. We are deserving little sinners
We put God on trial—wait a minute, He is the judge! We are on trial! And we are guilty big sinners (see Isaiah 59:1,2)
b. We trivialize God using Him to find out satisfaction in the world and not in Him
c. We are not amazed at His grace in Jesus Christ (Luke 7:47)
Conclusion: Luther trembled before the righteous, holy God. Our fear, after conversion, does not need to be a servile fear (a fear of dread). Because we have been justified, we should certainly discover a reverential fear of awe and amazement. We should also discover a joy and fulfillment in Him. His holiness does not diminish. As we know Him more and more, we joy in magnifying His name. We see more and more the splendor of His holiness. (Psalm 29:2 – Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.)
