Preface to the Complete
Edition of Luther’s Latin Writings
Wittenberg, 1545
I
had indeed been captivated with an extraordinary ardor for understanding Paul
in the Epistle to the Romans. But up till then it was not the cold blood about
the heart, but a single word in Chapter 1 [:17], "In it the righteousness
of God is revealed," that had stood in my way. For 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 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. 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.
—Luther’s Works,
American Edition, Vol. 34
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