Unknown He tries to find peace He tries to find peace Luther tried to win God’s favor by praying and fasting often. He whipped himself and lived in a cell that had no heat. He slept very little and recited many prayers. He tried to think of every sin he had committed so that he could do penance2 for them all, but that did not make him feel any better. He did not know that a sinner can only be saved through faith in Jesus Christ. He did not know about the love of God. Rather, whenever he heard about God, he was afraid. Luther’s trust was not in the Savior, but in saints and angels, good works, doing penance, and paying for his own sins. Luther, along with other Roman Catholics, had been taught that God was so holy that He could only be approached through the saints. No one had told him that the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ alone can satisfy God’s justice. The monks with whom Luther lived knew even less than he did. They were more interested in his physical labor than in his spiritual welfare. They made him stand watch at the gates, sweep the church, help in the kitchen, and clean the rooms. When he finished his chores, they often said to him, “Go with your bag into the town.” That meant he had to beg for food for the monks living in the monastery. For these monks, living in a monastery meant observing a religion based on a long list of do’s and don’ts. They did not understand that serving God is a matter of the heart. Most monks and other clergy members of the Roman Catholic Church did not think much about their souls. They obeyed the rules because it was required of them by the church. But most often, their obedience was done out of a sense of duty. In addition, it is sad to say that most of the clergy lived a wicked life, even though they professed to serve God. They seemed pious during religious ceremonies, but their lifestyles were full of sin and injustice. Luther, however, was different. The Holy Spirit would not allow him to be like the others. For that reason, he could find no peace in the monastery and its rituals. “What will deliver me from my sins and make me holy?” he sighed. “How shall I make peace with a just God? How shall I appear before Him?” He could find no answers. Some of the other monks thought he was foolish, but some were sympathetic. One old monk in particular pitied Luther. When Luther did not come out of his cell for a whole day, this monk became concerned. Knowing his love of music, the monk took some of the choir boys and knocked at the door of Luther’s cell. When there was no response, he became alarmed and broke open the door. There was Luther, unconscious on the floor. They tried to arouse him but could not. So the monk asked the boys to sing. Finally Luther regained consciousness. As much as he tried, he simply could not find peace! After he had been in the monastery for some time, Luther came across another copy of the Bible. He could not take it to his cell because it was chained to the wall. Anytime he could slip away unnoticed, however, he would read this precious book and even memorize long passages.