No, God's Goodness

People often say, “My goodness!” as an exclamation. And often without thinking, people assume they have some innate goodness of their own. The Reformation was an attack on the “My Goodness” principle. The date was October 31, 1517. The place: the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. The action: a priest by the name of Martin Luther nailed a sheet of ninety-five theses to the door of the Castle Church.

The Ninety-five Theses were written in reaction to the arrival of a Roman Catholic monk named John Tetzel. In Rome Pope Leo X wanted to finish the remarkable St. Peter’s Cathedral. To raise money for the project, the Pope sent Tetzel throughout Germany to sell indulgences. Indulgences were supposed to spare people from the punishment after death in an imaginary place called purgatory. Members of the congregation where Luther was preaching bought these indulgences. As they did so, they were buying into the “My Goodness” principle. The members of the congregation believed that in buying indulgences they were actually buying forgiveness of sins. This was a very good situation, they thought. I buy these indulgences. They help my standing before God! My goodness!

Luther, the good pastor, was very concerned. He wrote ninety-five propositions—theses—on the question of forgiveness through indulgences. Printers reproduced them, and copies spread from person to person, village to village. The Reformation had begun! The principle rediscovered by the reformer Luther? Salvation by faith alone, a free gift of God’s grace. My goodness? No. God’s goodness, his undeserved goodness shown us in Christ Jesus! The Reformation rediscovered God’s goodness in place of My Goodness. But the “My Goodness” principle lives on today. The sign that it lives? Guilt.

Bill was the father of two children who attended a Lutheran school. Bill and his wife, Susan, were not Lutherans, but they thought highly of the school, so they decided to send their children there. Bill and Susan were having marital problems. Bill went to his pastor, who said that if Bill’s faith were stronger, he would not be having these problems. If you have enough faith, your problems will go away, and you will do the right things, he was told. Bill felt guilty for not spending more time with his wife. And now he felt guilty because he didn’t have enough faith. He spent more time and money on the children. He tried to have more faith in Jesus, but the guilt remained.

But our lesson from Romans today says this: But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for 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. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.” (vv 21–25a, author’s emphasis) The faith is not about my goodness, but Christ’s goodness.

Bill decided to visit the pastor at the Lutheran church that operated his children’s school. Maybe this pastor would have some answers for him, some hope. Bill recounted his struggles in his marriage and family life, with his finances, with his faith. “Pastor, I try, but I can’t seem to get rid of this load of guilt. And my family life is getting no better, even though I’m trying to do the right things. What’s God doing? Where is he in my life?”

The pastor led Bill to today’s passage from Romans and to the central teaching of God’s Word. This same teaching became central in the teaching of Martin Luther and of the entire Reformation. This teaching, this Good News, brought reformation—that is, faith and life reformed and renewed—to Bill. It brings reformation and renewal to our lives again and again. What teaching is this? It is the principle of Christ’s goodness and His good work for us.

The pastor explained to Bill that we are commanded to be good, but we cannot because of the sin in us. We need help, God’s help. His help is this: we are justified by grace through faith. This means that Christ, who was without sin, set things right between us and God by his good and sufficient sacrifice on the cross. He died for us and then rose from the dead to prove that we are forgiven and that we are right with God. It’s not about our goodness, but Christ’s goodness. “Bill, do you believe this?” the pastor asked. Bill felt as though a tremendous weight had been lifted. He responded, “So, it’s not about me, but about what Jesus has done for me?” “It’s not about you; it’s about Jesus.”

“I’ve never heard it explained like that before. Yes, I believe it!”

This is grace, undeserved love! There is no room for boasting, for citing the “My Goodness” principle here. God gets all the credit and thanks. St. Paul put it this way: “Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law” (vv 27–28). The good news here is that God declares you good, in fact, totally eligible for heaven, because of Jesus and his good work for you!

Bill knew that his renewed relationship with God did not remove the difficulties of his life. There was much work to do in improving his relationships with his wife and children. He left the pastor’s office knowing that he would need God’s strength, given through his powerful Word and Spirit, to help him work things out in his family. This, too, gave Bill peace and hope and boldness. He was not left to his own devices. He had God’s help.

And that’s the way it is for you. You have God’s help. Leave the “My Goodness” principle behind. Trust another principle—God’s principle: the principle of faith centered on Christ’s goodness for you, on His grace alone.