This week’s devotions are based on Week 1 of Unlikely Heroes – A Monk (CLICK HERE)
Luther was just operating with the truth the church was teaching him. Jesus was the Savior who gave him an opportunity to overcome the temporal punishment his sin deserved. They taught a purgatory to which an individual would go for long periods of time and endure suffering until the pope or church would declare them justified and free to go to heaven.
He believed this and with every ounce of his strength tried to obtain a righteousness of his own to avoid the judgment of a righteous God.
When people don’t have access to the truth, they have to believe those that claim to be distributors of the truth. In Luther’s day, the church led by the pope was the source of truth. What they said was to be believed and lived. For the few that had objected, they were excommunicated at best, executed at worst.
Until the Gospel wins and exposes the lies of Satan (even within the church) and leads a soul to see the truth.
For Luther, it was in the tower of the monastery in Wittenberg. As a professor of theology, he had the privilege to have access to a Bible. Due to the expensive nature of books, only the academia had access to a copy of the BIble. Luther took advantage of it.
As he was reading Romans 1:16-17, God opened his eyes and heart to see and believe something he never had heard before.
The righteousness that God demanded is the righteousness that God gives.
Romans 1:16 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 righteous will live by faith.”
The Spirt of God opened the heart of Luther to receive this truth. God GAVE him the very righteousness he demanded. Rightly so, his soul was unburdened with the weight of guilt and the prospect of never-ending suffering. The message of Jesus Christ, the Gospel, the message of grace revealed God’s truth to Luther’s heart.
Our souls yearn for the same thing. Without the truth of grace, our hearts are burdened by guilt, by a hopelessness, by a searching for truth, but never finding it.
But when the Gospel wins in our hearts…
God’s truth prevails over human lies.
God’s grace prevails over human effort.
God’s love prevails over selfish focus.
When the Gospel wins, we experience freedom to live a life that is identified by our place in God’s family with a purpose to serve God’s mission. When the Gospel wins, our lives take on a focus of learning and sharing the Gospel with others who are burdened by the weight of sin and guilt.
When the Gospel wins, we know the biggest problem we could ever face has been defeated. When the Gospel wins, we have a hope and peace that transcend all human promises. When the Gospel wins, our hearts are set free to live in the confidence of faith and the conviction of God’s truth.
Enjoy living as a winner today!
Apply: How would you finish the phrase, “When the Gospel wins in my heart, … “
Prayer: Lord God, thank you for revealing your truth to my soul. Spirit of God thank you for leading my heart to believe the Gospel and find the freedom it gives. Son of God, thank you for taking on my unrighteousness and giving me your righteousness. AMEN.