Righteousness from God by Faith

After months of excruciating torment over his sins, the Roman Catholic priest Martin Luther finally was able to grasp the meaning of
Rom. 1:17: it was not his own religious good works that qualified him for entrance into Christ's kingdom, but the grace of God that bestowed on him righteousness from God. In a second of time, Luther was changed from a condemned sinner to a justified man in the eyes of God. Faith in Christ was the means by which a sinner received justification. Human works would not suffice; only Christ's mercy and power could change a person's status from guilty sinner to one clothed with Christ's righteousness. Such is the happy status of all whom Christ calls to himself.