ROMANS 1:17

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from

faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

You probably haven’t heard for the Scala Sancta. It is a staircase that contains 28 marble steps in Rome, Italy. Martin Luther, the famous Christian Reformer, sat at the bottom of these steps in the 1500’s. His charge was to prove his faithfulness by climbing as many steps as he could…on his knees. I don’t know how many steps he climbed that day. I do know that he decided to stop.

You see, Luther lived his life in constant fear. He thought, no matter how much he did, that he was still doomed to hell. No amount of good deeds were enough to make him feel that Christ was near. Luther was fortunate, he had started to read Paul’s letter to the Romans.

The Apostle Paul lived his life under the same motto of do. He had the best education, studied with the best rabbi, and was a mover and shaker in Judaism. When he ran into Christ on the road to Damascus, Jesus took His sight. Later the words of the prophet Habakkuk came to mind. The righteous shall live by faith.

What Jesus has accomplished on the Cross is meant to free us. Jesus replaced our desire to do with His done. This is why He tells us, “It is finished.” The way we feel Jesus’ work is by having faith in Him. I trust Him for all. He is mighty to save my soul and He is mighty to redeem my life daily. He is sufficient in all things. There is no amount of work I can do to make Jesus love me more. That is why the righteous live by faith.