Theology On Tap- Episode 1-06: As if the Gates of Heaven had been flung open! - a podcast by Theology On Tap

In this episode the Theology on Tap crew discusses that moment that the Gospel of Jesus became real to Martin Luther, so pour yourself a cold beer, warm cup of milk, hot tea or a bottle of water and enjoy this conversation.

Righteous, Righteousness, just, justice, justified are all usually the same word

Leviticus 19:15 ““You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.

Luke 10:29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Romans 1:17  For in [the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Habakkuk 2:4,  “Behold, [the Babylonian King’s] soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.

Luther’s Works 34 pages 325-338 Preface to the Complete Edition of Latin Writings written in 1545, describing the events and circumstances of his early days as professor.

I was once a monk and a most enthusiastic papist… drunk and submerged in the pope’s dogmas … I [defended them] in seriousness, as one who in dread of the last day, nevertheless, from the depth of my heart, I wanted to be saved.

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 [God] was placated by my satisfaction. I did not love, yes, I hated the righteous God who punishes sinners, and I 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 fierce and troubled conscience. Nevertheless, I beat persistently upon Paul …  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, in Romans 1:17 namely, "In [the gospel] 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 its gates…. That place in Paul Rom 1:17 was truly the gate to paradise.

With that, Luther came to love the word “righteousness of God” with as much zeal as he had previously hated it.

And he saw comforting analogies to the “Righteousness of God” in phrases like

Power of God, wisdom of God, strength of God, salvation of God.

So, some say that the Reformation didn’t actually begin with the posting of the 95 theses but with this discovery.

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