The following three excerpts are beautiful gospel truths that were revealed to Martin Luther through the grace of Jesus Christ. They not only ended up rocking his theological universe, but also the rest of the world around 1500 AD. They are recorded in a wonderful historical and gospel-centered introduction to the Reformation in the book titled The Unquenchable Flame: Discovering the Heart of the Reformation by Michael Reeves...
"For some time, the answer eluded him. Then, in 1519, when he was looking again at the issues of confession and repentance, it struck him that, after the sinner had confessed, the priest would pronounce God's promise of forgiveness. It was a whole new way of looking at things for Luther: now, the question was, would the sinner trust God's promise? And with that, everything changed. Now he saw that forgiveness is not dependent on how certain the sinner is that he has been truly contrite; forgiveness comes simply be receiving the promise of God. Thus the sinner's hope is found, not in himself, but outside himself, in God's word of promise."
"Luther saw that the sinner, on accepting Christ's promise in the gospel, is simultaneously a sinner at heart and righteous by status. What has happened is the 'joyful exchange' in which all that she has (her sin) she gives to him, and all that he has (his righteousness, blessedness, life and glory) he gives to her. Thus she can confidently display 'her sins in the face of death and hell and say, "If I have sinned, yet my Christ, in whom I believe, has not sinned, and all his is mine and all mine is his".'"
"Faith, thought Luther, is not some inner resource we must summon up; if it were, it would by his definition be sin! For him, the question 'Have I got enough faith?' completely misunderstands what faith is, by looking to and so relying on itself, rather than Christ. Faith is a passive thing, simply accepting, receiving, believing Christ - taking God seriously in what he promises in the gospel."
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