Romans 1:16–21 (NKJV)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel… For in it the righteousness of God is revealed” (16-17).
This very verse has special importance for us as Lutherans because of how important it was for Luther himself. It was this very place in Scripture that God used to make the Gospel clear in Luther’s own young mind. In what has come to be known as Luther’s “tower experience” of 1519, the struggle with this verse became a turning point for his understanding of the Gospel itself and indeed all of scripture. Luther later recorded the conclusion of this struggle:
At last, by the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I gave heed to the context of the words, namely, “In it the righteousness of God is revealed, as it is written, ‘He who through faith is righteous shall live.’” There I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives by a gift of God, namely by faith. And this is the meaning: the righteousness of God is revealed by the gospel, namely, the passive righteousness with which merciful God justifies us by faith, as it is written, “He who through faith is righteous shall live.” Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates. There a totally other face of the entire Scripture showed itself to me (AE 34:337).
In another place Luther recorded that it was this particular verse that helped him to learn to distinguish between Moses and Christ, between law and gospel. The result? Luther says, “But when I discovered the proper distinction—namely, that the law is one thing and the gospel is another—I made myself free” (AE 54:442).
We pray: O God, you reveal your almighty power chiefly by showing mercy and compassion. Pour out your grace on us that we pursue your promises and enjoy your heavenly blessings; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
