Martin Luther and the book of Romans

Because Martin Luther was so greatly influenced by the book of Romans, you might say the book influenced the Lutheran denomination.

Martin Luther was a pious monk who had no peace in his soul. He desperately wanted to please God and be accepted by Him. But, the harder he tried, the more elusive the salvation of his soul became. He found himself drawing away from God.

Then he began to study the book of Romans and in chapter 1 verse 17 he read something that made a light bulb go off in his head:

“For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed — a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."

He realized that the righteousness he had been trying so hard to earn on his own was freely given by God to all who would receive it. It was by faith, taking God at His word. Not by striving to do good works, but by resting in Christ’s finished work.
Luther did this and said he felt himself to be reborn and to have entered Paradise.

Later he called Romans, “the chief part of the New Testament and the very purest gospel.”