Romans 3 19-28

Reformation

Romans 3:19-28

October 25, 2003

“My Goodness”

a. S.C. Sailer

Introduction: People often say, “My goodness!” as an exclamation and it is often said without thinking.   People assume they have some innate goodness of their own.  The Reformation was an attack on the “My Goodness” principle.  The date was October 31, 1517.  The place: the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany.  A priest by the name of Martin Luther nailed a sheet of ninety-five theses to the door of the Castle Church.

            The Ninety-five Theses were written in reaction to the arrival of a Roman Catholic monk named John Tetzel.  In Rome Pope Leo X wanted to finish the remarkable St.  Peter’s Cathedral.  To raise money for the project, he sent John Tetzel throughout Germany to sell indulgences.  Indulgences were supposed to spare people from punishment after death in an imaginary place called purgatory.  Members of the congregation where Luther was preaching bought these indulgences.  As they did so, they were buying into the “My Goodness” principle.  The members of the congregation believed that in buying indulgences they were actually buying forgiveness of sins.  This was a very good situation, they thought.  I buy these indulgences.  They help my standing before God!  My goodness!

            Pastor Martin Luther was very concerned.  He wrote ninety-five propositions—theses—on the question of forgiveness through indulgences.  Printers reproduced them, and copies spread from person to person, village to village.  The Reformation had begun! The principle rediscovered by the reformer Luther? Salvation by faith alone, is a free gift of God’s grace.  My goodness? No.  God’s goodness, his undeserved goodness is given to us in Jesus Christ!  This is what the protestant Reformation is all about - The Reformation Rediscovered God’s Goodness freely given to us in the place of our goodness, which is not so good at all.

I

The “My Goodness” principle lives on today.  The sign that it lives? Guilt.  Guilt and fear of death and hell compelled people to buy indulgences in the time of Luther.  Indulgences are still sold today but they are sold in different forms.  Bill was the father of two children who attended a Lutheran school.  Bill and his wife, Susan, were not Lutherans, but they thought highly of the school, so they decided to send their children there.  Bill and Susan were having marital problems so Bill went to his pastor.  His pastor said that if Bill’s faith were stronger, he would not be having these problems.  He told Bill that if he had enough faith, his problems would go away.  Do the right things Bill, he was told.  Bill tried.  Bill felt guilty for not spending more time with his wife.  And now he felt guilty because he didn’t have enough faith.  He spent more time and money on the children.  He tried to have more faith in Jesus, but the guilt remained because he never felt that he was doing enough. 

            St.  Paul, in his Letter to the Romans, notes that this is the way it will be and must be, according to the “My Goodness” principle.  Earlier in ch 3, Paul writes, “There is no one righteous, not even one” (v 10).  “There is no one who does good” (v 12).  “My Goodness”, it just doesn’t work.

II

What do we do?  What does work?  What we learn and experience is what Martin Luther learned and experienced on the basis of the Word of God.  It is what Luther wanted his parishioners to learn and experience too.  St.  Paul introduces God’s principle of grace in v 21 with two of the mightiest little words in the entire Bible: “but now.”

            “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.  This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.” (emphasis added).  It is not my goodness that counts; it’s Christ’s goodness.  It is not your goodness that matters.  All that matters is Christ’s goodness

            We return to the story of Bill.  Bill decided to visit the pastor at the Lutheran church that operated his children’s school.  Maybe this pastor would have some answers for him, some hope.  Bill recounted his struggles in his marriage and family life, with his finances, with his faith.  He said, “Pastor, I try, but I can’t seem to get rid of this load of guilt.  And my family life is getting no better, even though I’m trying to do the right things.  What’s God doing?  Where is he in my life?”

            The pastor led Bill to Romans and to the central teaching of God’s Word.  This same teaching became central in the teaching of Martin Luther and of the entire Reformation.  This teaching, this Good News, brought reformation—that is, faith and life reformed and renewed—to Bill.  It brings reformation and renewal to our lives again and again.  What teaching is this? It is the principle of Christ’s goodness and his good work for us.

            The pastor explained to Bill that we are commanded to be good, but we cannot because of the sin in us.  We are desperately in need help, God’s help.  His help is this: we are justified, that is made not guilty, by grace through faith.  This means that Christ, who was without sin, set things right between us and God by his good and sufficient sacrifice on the cross.  He died for us and then rose from the dead to prove that we are forgiven and that we are right with God.  It’s not about our goodness, but Christ’s goodness.  The pastor asked, “Bill, do you believe this?” He responded, “So, it’s not about me, but about what Jesus has done for me?”  “I’ve never heard it explained like that before.  Yes, I believe it!”  Bill felt as though a tremendous weight had been lifted from his shoulders – guilty no more.

III

The Reformation continues now as we, like Bill, trust that we are declared good and holy in God’s sight because of the saving work of Jesus Christ.  We know full well that we are not innocent and deserve not only to feel guilty but also to bear God’s punishment.  Yet God calls us innocent but our innocence is not our own it is Christ’s.  It has been given to us by God through faith.  How Jesus Christ lived has been counted as our life.  What Jesus Christ did, God counts as though we have done it.  What he suffered on the cross, God counts as though we have suffered it even to death.  As we believe that Christ took our place on the cross to suffer the eternal condemnation we deserve, our just God declares the sentence we do not deserve.  “Not guilty!” – Forgiveness, life and salvation are yours.”

            This is grace, undeserved love! There is no room for boasting, for mentioning our so called goodness.  God gets all the credit and thanks.  St.  Paul put it this way: “Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded.  On what principle?  On that of observing the law?  No, but on that of faith - For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.”   The good news here is that God declares you good, in fact, totally suitable for heaven, because of Jesus and his good work for you!

IV

Such a faith has a powerful impact on our living.  Martin Luther, in his introduction to his commentary on the Book of Romans (1552) wrote: Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that the believer would stake his life on it a thousand times over.  This knowledge of and confidence in God’s grace makes man glad and bold and happy in dealing with God and with all creatures.  And this is the work which the Holy Spirit performs in faith.  Because of it, without compulsion, a person is ready and glad to do good to everyone, to serve everyone, to suffer everything, out of love and praise to God who has shown him this grace.  Thus it is impossible to separate works from faith, quite as impossible as to separate heat and light from fire.  (LW 35:370)

            What about Bill?  He left the pastor’s office free from guilt.  The burden was lifted.  HE knew and understood that Jesus Christ had borne his burden of sin on the cross.  He was forgiven.  Because of Christ’s death and resurrection Bill knew where he stood with God.  God loved him.  This gave him peace and hope, even boldness to live life as a child of God.

            Bill also knew that his renewed relationship with God did not remove the difficulties of his life.  There was much work to do in improving his relationships with his wife and children.  He left the pastor’s office knowing that he would need God’s strength, given through his powerful Word and Spirit, given to him through the sacraments, to help him work things out in his family.  This, too, gave him peace and hope.  He was not left to his own devices.  He had God’s help.

Conclusion: And that’s the way it is for you.  You have God’s help.  Leave the “My Goodness” principle behind.  Trust another principle—God’s principle of salvation by God’s grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ our Savior.  Amen