But God Used It
In 1517, you could buy a certificate that promised to release a loved one from purgatory. The St. Peter's Indulgence, as it was called, was authorized by Pope Leo X. The traveling preachers who sold them said the revenue went to rebuilding St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Secretly, it also repaid the loan the archbishop took out to buy his office. In Thesis 82, Luther asked why the pope doesn't empty purgatory because he loves the souls that are there, rather than to raise money for a church? No matter how noble it sounded, building a church didn't justify taking advantage of the poor.
Paul has just argued that our unfaithfulness does not veto God's faithfulness (Romans 3:1-4). Even when we lie, God is true. In Psalm 51:4, King David says, "you are right when you pass sentence; you are blameless when you judge." This confession acknowledges both his sin and God's righteousness in judging him. But in Romans 3, Paul engages with someone who reverses the logic. They say, "My sin shows that you are just. That's a good outcome, so you should not judge me." Instead of confessing sin, they use this argument to avoid being judged for sin. Paul calls this kind of thinking nonsense. A lie is a lie. Sin is sin. It's a "human argument," looking at life from our perspective instead of God's. It's false because if God cannot justly punish people whose sin reveals his justice, then he cannot justly punish anyone, and our sin would prevent God from being God. We would have turned God's righteousness into a reason God cannot be righteous. Every attempt to justify our sin becomes another way of saying, “God is not God.” Still, some people wanted to discredit Paul. Since he taught that God justifies the ungodly, they told people that Paul said, "Let us do what is evil so that good may come." To put it another way, "Let's be ungodly to glorify God." Paul has shown why they are wrong, and now he states that their condemnation is deserved. Whether it is God's Law or God's Gospel, we can turn what God has given us into a permission slip to sin. The indulgence preachers sold forgiveness as a way to skip the need for repentance. But God's righteousness goes the other way. Through Jesus, he forgives us and enables us to be truly godly.
Why is it good news that nothing we do can prevent God from judging sin?
When have you justified something wrong by pointing to the good it did?
How do we distinguish between celebrating God's forgiveness and using it to justify our sin?
What's one wrong you've defended by pointing to the good outcomes it had? Tell God, "I'm sorry. Your judgment on my sin is just. Thank you for your forgiveness. Now, please give me the strength to go and make it right." Then go to the person you hurt and try to repair the damage.
Sources:
Martin Luther's 95 Theses: Thesis 82, Confessional Christianity.
Martin Luther: Priest, Heretic, Outlaw, Library of Congress Research Guides.