Faith and works

• Luther's awareness


  God's holiness and his own imperfection
• Justification


  How could Luther become so holy to experience oneness with God
• Luther's attempts


  1. Penitential path: confession of sin with a priest announcing forgiveness

  2. Mystical path: an experience of surrender to God
• Luther was still afraid of God's judgement and felt any mystical experience wouldn't last
• Luther hated God for creating a situation where there wasn't a bridge to become holy and have fellowship with God
• Luther's confessor and supervisor recommended him to become a teacher of the Bible to find answers
• Luther's breakthrough


  When he read Romans, which said righteousness or holiness come to humanity from God through faith, God provides the bridge not us
• Sola fide (faith alone)


  Keeping the law could never save someone, this approach opposed anyone saying one must keep the law to know God, one only needs to have faith