Copyright © 2026 Women of the ELCA. Reprint permission is granted for use in Women of the ELCA units, clusters/conferences and synodical women’s organizations provided each post is reproduced in its entirety. If you enjoy this resource, Donate Now.
Along with the Psalms, Martin Luther loved Paul’s epistle to the Romans. In Luther’s German translation of the Bible, he describes Romans as “truly the most important piece in the New Testament,” “purest Gospel” and “the daily bread of the soul.”
No doubt, Luther revered Romans largely due to its focus on the theology of justification by grace through faith. As Romans 3 describes, we receive “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe…[and] since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (vv. 22-24).
Paul offers the example of Abraham, one whose “faith was reckoned to him as righteousness” because of his trust in God’s promises. Paul points out that God’s promises to Abraham and Sarah came first – before any action on their part! Faith in God’s grace counts.
This message is excerpted from the Bible study “After certainty” by Meghan Johnston Aelabouni in the July/August 2024 Gather magazine. Today we commemorate Maximilian Kolbe, 1941; Kaj Munk, 1944; martyrs.