I hated that word “righteousness of God,” which, according to the use and custom of all the teachers, I had been taught to understand philosophically
regarding the formal or active righteousness, as they called it, with which God is righteous and punishes the unrighteous sinner.
Though I lived as a monk without reproach, I felt that I was a sinner before God with an extremely disturbed conscience. I could not believe that He
was placated by my satisfaction. I did not love, yes, I hated the righteous God who punishes sinners, and secretly, if not plasphemously, certainly
murmering greatly, I was angry with God, and said, “As if, indeed, it is not enough, that miserable sinners, eternally lost through original sin, are
crushed by every kind of calamity by the Law of the Decalogue, without having God add pain to pain by the Gospel and also by the Gospel
threatening us with His righteousness and wrath!” Thus I raged with a fierce and troubled conscience. Nevertheless, I beat importunately upon Paul
at that place, most ardently desiring to know what St. Paul wanted.
At last, by the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I gave heed to the context of the word, 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.
Thereupon I ran through the Scriptures from memory. I also found in other terms an analogy, as, the work of God, that is, what God does in us, the
power of God, with which He makes us strong, the wisdom of God, with which He makes us wise, the strength of God, the salvation of God, the glory
of God.
And I extolled my sweetest word with a love as great as the hatred with which I had before hated the word, “righteousness of God.” Thus that place
in Paul was for me truly the gate to paradise. Later I read Augustine’s The Spirit and the Letter, where contrary to hope I found that he, too,
interpreted God’s righteousness in a similar way, as the righteousness with which God clothes us when He justifies us. Although this was heretofore
said imperfectly and he did not explain all things concerning imputation clearly, it nevertheless was pleasing that God’s righteousness with which we
are justified was taught. Armed more fully with these thoughts, I began a second time to interpret the Psalter.
regarding the formal or active righteousness, as they called it, with which God is righteous and punishes the unrighteous sinner.
Though I lived as a monk without reproach, I felt that I was a sinner before God with an extremely disturbed conscience. I could not believe that He
was placated by my satisfaction. I did not love, yes, I hated the righteous God who punishes sinners, and secretly, if not plasphemously, certainly
murmering greatly, I was angry with God, and said, “As if, indeed, it is not enough, that miserable sinners, eternally lost through original sin, are
crushed by every kind of calamity by the Law of the Decalogue, without having God add pain to pain by the Gospel and also by the Gospel
threatening us with His righteousness and wrath!” Thus I raged with a fierce and troubled conscience. Nevertheless, I beat importunately upon Paul
at that place, most ardently desiring to know what St. Paul wanted.
At last, by the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I gave heed to the context of the word, 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.
Thereupon I ran through the Scriptures from memory. I also found in other terms an analogy, as, the work of God, that is, what God does in us, the
power of God, with which He makes us strong, the wisdom of God, with which He makes us wise, the strength of God, the salvation of God, the glory
of God.
And I extolled my sweetest word with a love as great as the hatred with which I had before hated the word, “righteousness of God.” Thus that place
in Paul was for me truly the gate to paradise. Later I read Augustine’s The Spirit and the Letter, where contrary to hope I found that he, too,
interpreted God’s righteousness in a similar way, as the righteousness with which God clothes us when He justifies us. Although this was heretofore
said imperfectly and he did not explain all things concerning imputation clearly, it nevertheless was pleasing that God’s righteousness with which we
are justified was taught. Armed more fully with these thoughts, I began a second time to interpret the Psalter.
| Christian Writings: Written by or Recommended by Christian Friends |
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| Luther on “the Righteousness of God” from his Preface to the publication of his Latin writings received from Pastor Don Baron |
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