The Reformation and the Means of Grace

What is your favorite book of the Bible? If you asked Luther that question, my guess is that he would probably choose St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, or at the very least, it would be in his top two. I say this because of what he says about this beautiful letter:
“This epistle is really the chief part of the New Testament, and is truly the purest gospel. It is worthy not only that every Christian should know it word for word, by heart, but also that he should occupy himself with it every day, as the daily bread of the soul. We can never read it or ponder over it too much; for the more we deal with it, the more precious it becomes and the better it tastes” (Luther’s Works, AE, Vol. 35, p. 380).
As sweet as the book of Romans is, there are some parts of it that don’t taste so good. In fact, we might even describe them as bitter. For example, listen to this: All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
This verse leaves a bad taste in our mouths because it begins with the condemning word “all.” If you are a human being, then you are a sinful human being. Because we are all sinful we all “fall short of the glory of God.” Picture a chasm, a chasm so deep that you can’t see the bottom. You are on one side and on the other side is God. No matter how hard you work, no matter how hard you try, it is impossible for you to reach the other side. Because you are a sinner, your punishment under sin is inevitable. You will fail. You will fall short. You will die—forever.
It is fundamental to the Christian faith to recognize that you are a sinner, that you can’t get rid of your sin, that you can’t make up for your sin, that you deserve to die because of your sin. When you come to grips with the fact that you are helpless, when you realize that your situation is hopeless, that is when God comes to you. God comes to you, not with threats of punishment, but with a promise of hope.
Martin Luther tried to reach God by living up to God’s perfect standard. He dedicated his life to God. He even beat his body to appease God, but no matter how much he did, it was never enough. Day and night, his conscience tormented him until he discovered in the Holy Scriptures that the righteousness God demands is the righteousness that God gives.
God comes to you, not with threats of punishment, but with a promise of hope. In His spoken or written Word, in the handful of water applied along with His Word, through the simple elements of bread and wine connected to His Word, the Holy Spirit comes to us and gives us that amazing, undeserved love of a God who sent His only Son to sacrifice His life so that all may live.
Paul puts the promise this way: 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 (Romans 8:23-24). It is amazing how a word that is so condemning in one verse can be so inviting in the verse that follows. All have sinned, every single one of us has fallen short. All are justified, every single one of us has been redeemed by Christ’s blood.
This Reformation season, as we once again celebrate the blessings of hope, faith, and true understanding of God’s love through his servant Martin Luther, may we remember also the means by which we receive those blessings: Word and Sacraments, the Means of Grace.
Erich J. Hoeft is pastor of First Shell Rock Lutheran Church and Somber Evangelical Lutheran Church of Northwood, Iowa; Lake Mills Lutheran Church and Lime Creek Lutheran Church of Lake Mills, Iowa; and Immanuel Lutheran Church of Riceville, Iowa.