Living by Faith

On this date in 1517, Martin Luther posted his “95 Theses” on the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church. His goal was to stimulate a debate at Wittenberg University, where he was a professor. Initially, there was little response, but gradually people began to realize how revolutionary Luther’s ideas were.

The course that led to this radical act began in 1510, after Luther was sent on a mission to Rome. There he was greatly disturbed to see how corruption and false doctrines had crept into the church. He saw an unbalanced focus on working to get rewards.

As a result, Luther began an intense study of the Bible. He saw how even in the Old Testament, the Bible taught that “the just shall live by his faith.” This changed his life and began a revolution in the Church.

In May 1515, Luther began a year of lectures based on the book of Romans. He affirmed that “the first and chief article” of our faith is “that Jesus Christ, our God and Lord, died for our sins, and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:25). He declared that Jesus alone is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29), and that God laid on Him the iniquities for every person (Isaiah 53:6).

Luther reminded his listeners that the Bible said “all have sinned and are justified without merit” (Romans 3:23). We are not saved according to our own works or merits; rather, we must depend on the grace of God.

These proclamations about faith began the Reformation. It was a revolution founded on faith. Now we must remember that these principles still are true! We are saved only by grace, through faith. We cannot be confident in ourselves or in anything we do.

Today, renew your faith in God. Seek to live by faith, always trusting in Him and His Word!