What were Martin Luther's beliefs about our relationship with God?

Answer 1

Martin Luther shared with all evangelical Christians the belief that man's relationship with God has been broken by sin. The reality of sin -- the violation of God's commandments, together with an innate proclivity toward rebellion against His will -- means that man is separated from his Maker and that this separation is, from man's perspective, permanent and irreparable. But Luther came to understand that, from God's perspective, salvation from sin and its consequences and penalties, plus the restoration of relationship, is possible. Luther learned that God is all-powerful as well as loving, merciful and kind, so God was both willing and able to bring this salvation and restored relationship. But God is also perfectly holy and just, so the penalty for sin must be paid. The penalty for sin against the eternal God is eternal death, or separation from God and His goodness forever as well as the experience of never-ending turmoil and agony. Luther recognized that here was a dilemma. How does an infinitely holy and perfectly just God properly punish sin and yet show mercy to the sinner through forgiveness? And how can a hopelessly sinful and rebellious man become right with God? The answer is that God came to earth in the form of the man, Jesus, lived a perfect and sinless life and then offered Himself to death as a sacrifice to pay for man's sin. With the death of Jesus as payment for the sins of mankind, and with His resurrection as the promise of eternal life beyond the grave, man could regain his lost relationship with his Creator and, through Christ, now his heavenly Father. Luther learned and then taught that this salvation and restored relationship, together with a new power to resist and overcome sin, could not be gained through any religious efforts on the part of sinful man, but only through faith, trust and confident belief in the love and mercy of God as revealed in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.