| Christian Writings: Written by or Recommended by Christian Friends |
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| Martin 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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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 blasphemously, certainly murmuring 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.
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 blasphemously, certainly murmuring 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.