I was thinking about the 500 year anniversary of the reformation (October 31, 1517) and happened upon this great resource that guides us through the Bible basics that caused this great change in the Church. The full article is at https://lutheranreformation.org, below are some points that jumped out at me.
Jesus Christ, our God and Lord, died for our sins and was raised again for our justification (Romans 4:24–25). He alone is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29), and God has laid upon Him the iniquities of us all (Isaiah 53:6). All have sinned and are justified freely, without their own works or merits, by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, in His blood (Romans 3:23–25)
Salvation or justification comes wholly from God and becomes man’s wholly by reception. The Scriptures do not require man to pay any kind of penalty, in part or whole. God’s sheep only trust God alone to justify (cf. Romans 4:5).
A troubled conscience does not need moral instruction or lessons in Christian ethics but the forgiveness of sins.
