In this sense Augustine also has written much, in opposition to the Pelagians, and in his work : Of the Spirit and Letter (de Spiritu et Litera) he says : “The law, with its righteousness, is set before us, in order that he, who keeps it, may live by it, and that all, when they know their infirmity, may come to God, who alone justifies, not through their own strength, nor the letter of the law, which we cannot fulfil, but through faith. No one can do a truly good work, unless he first be righteous and godly ; but righteousness is attained through faith alone.” Here he plainly says that God, who alone blesses and sanctifies us, is reconciled through faith, and that faith makes us pious and just in the sight of God.

Again, immediately afterwards : “The law works fear, but through faith we hope and trust in God. From those who fear the penalty, grace is concealed. In this fear, when a man is in anxiety, &c., through faith he must flee to the mercy of God, that He may give what he has commanded in the law, and grant his grace.” Thus he teaches, that by the law the heart is terrified, and through faith consoled again. (Henkel Translation, p. 177-178).

And in the writings of the Fathers we find many similar declarations. Thus Ambrose writes to Irenaeus : “But the whole world is therefore subject to God, subdued by the law ; for, by the commandments of the law, we are all accused ; but by the works of the law, no one is justified. Through the law sin is made known to us, but guilt is removed by faith. It appears, indeed, as if the law had done harm, by including all under sin ; but Christ the Lord has come, and remitted our sins which we could not avoid ; and has blotted out the hand-writing, by the shedding of his blood. This is what Paul says to the Romans, 5:20 : ‘The law entered, that the offence might abound ; but where sin abounded, grace did much more abound’ through Jesus. For, inasmuch as the whole world is guilty, he has taken away the sins of the whole world ; as John testifies, John 1:29 : ‘Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.’ Therefore no one should boast of his works, because no one is justified by his own deeds ; but he that is just, is made so in baptism, in Christ, since he became justified. For it is faith that releases us, through the blood of Christ, and blessed is he, whose sins are forgiven him, and to whom grace is come.”

These plain words of Ambrose evidently coincide with our doctrine. He says that works do not justify us, and that faith redeems us through the blood of Christ. All the high-titled Sententiaries, (some are styled angelici, others subtiles, others again irrefragabiles, this is, doctors who are infallible,) together with all their works, throw less light on the meaning of Paul, than this single paragraph from Ambrose. (Henkel Translation, p. 177).

Acts 4:11–12, “This is the stone which was set at naught of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” We cannot, however, believe on the name of Christ, except by hearing his merit preached, and by embracing it. By faith in the name of Christ, therefore, and not by confidence in our own works, are we saved. For the word, name, here signifies the cause through and for which salvation comes. Therefore, the praise and confession of the name of Christ, signifies trust in him, who alone is called, who is Christ, being the cause of our salvation and the treasure by which we are redeemed. Acts 15:9, “He purified their hearts by faith.” Hence the faith, spoken of by the Apostles, is not a mere historical knowledge, but a powerful and vigorous operation of the Holy Ghost, which changes the heart. Hab. 2:4, “The just shall live by his faith.” Here we are told in the first place, that the just are made just by faith, if they believe that God is merciful through Christ; and secondly, that faith produces life. Faith alone gives peace and joy to the heart and conscience, and eternal life, which begins here on earth.

Isa. 53:11, “By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many.” Now what is the knowledge of Christ, but a sense of his benefits and his promises, which he preached and made known to the world ? To have a knowledge of these benefits is, to believe truly in Christ, to believe that God will certainly give what he has promised through Christ. But the Scriptures abound with such declarations and testimony. They treat of both, the law of God and his promises. Now the promises speak of the forgiveness of sins and the reconciliation of God through Christ. (Henkel Translation, p. 176-177).

Again, chapter 5:1, “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”—that is, our consciences have joy and peace before God. Rom. 10:10, “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness.” Here he calls faith the righteousness of the heart. Gal. 2:16, “We have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law.” Eph. 2:8, “For by grace are ye saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.” John 1:12–13, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 3:14–15, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish.” John 3:17, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned.” Acts 13:38–39, “Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him, all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.”

How could he have been more explicit in regard to the kingdom of Christ and justification? He says in plain terms, that the law can justify no man; therefore righteousness is accounted to us through Christ, if we believe that God is gracious unto us through him.  (Henkel Translation, p. 175-176).

Let no one, however, suppose, that Paul’s declaration—“Man is justified by faith alone”—was made inadvertently; for he teaches this doctrine at length in the fourth chapter to the Romans, verses 4 and 5, and repeats it in all his epistles. In the fourth chapter he says, “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt; but to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” It is evident, from these words, that faith is the same thing that he calls the righteousness of God; and he adds, that it is reckoned of grace, and that it could not be counted to us of grace, if works or merit had any thing to do with it. For this reason, undoubtedly, he excludes all works and all merit, not only Jewish ceremonies, but all other good works also; for if we were justified before God by these works, faith would not be counted to us for righteousness without works, as Paul explicitly says. And he adds, “We say that Abraham’s faith was counted unto him for righteousness.”  (Henkel Translation, p. 175).

Now if we could obtain remission of sin by works, which are not embraced in the Jewish ceremonies, and thus merit righteousness, what need would there be of Christ and his promises? Everything that Paul said in various places concerning the promises, would be overthrown at once. He would be in error, when writing to the Ephesians 2:8–9, “For by grace are ye saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; not of works.”

Again, in the Epistle to the Romans, chap. 4:1–6, Paul alleged of Abraham and David:—They had received a commandment from God concerning circumcision. Now if any works justify before God, then the works, which God had commanded at that time, must also have justified.

But Augustine clearly maintains, that Paul is speaking of the whole law; and he argues at length, in his work concerning the spirit and the letter, (de Spiritu et Litera,) when he finally says, “Having now weighed and treated this subject, according to the strength which God has given us, we arrive at the conclusion, that no man is justified by the precepts enjoining a good life, but by faith in Jesus Christ.”  (Henkel Translation, p. 174-175).

We shall now cite passages which clearly state, that by faith we are made pious and righteous—not that our faith is a work so precious and pure, but solely because by faith, and by no other means, we receive the mercy offered.

In the Epistle to the Romans, Paul treats particularly of the manner in which we are justified before God; and arrives at the conclusion, that all those who believe that God is merciful to them through Christ, are justified before God by faith, without merit. And this forcible conclusion, this proposition, in which is comprehended the main subject of the whole epistle, yea, of all the Scriptures, he lays down clearly and unequivocally in the third chapter to the Romans and the 28th verse, “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”

Our adversaries here contend, that Paul excluded only the Jewish ceremonies, not other virtuous works. Paul, however, does not speak of ceremonies only, but properly and assuredly of all other works, and of the whole law, or Ten Commandments. For in the 7th verse of the 7th chapter he afterwards quotes the passage from the Decalogue, “Thou shalt not covet.”

(Henkel Translation, p. 174).

No one on earth will ever be able to devise, invent, or contrive anything, by which this argument alone, if there were no other, can be overthrown. Nor will the pious and conscientious Christian by any means permit himself to be led away from the position, that we receive remission of sins by faith alone, for the sake of Christ’s merits. For in this they have a sure, firm, and eternal consolation against sin and the devil, death and hell; while everything else rests on a sandy foundation, and is insufficient in the hour of temptation.

Now, as we obtain remission of sin, and receive the Holy Ghost, through faith only, faith alone justifies us in the sight of God. For those who are reconciled to God, are righteous in his sight, and are his children; not on account of their purity, but because of God’s mercy, if they accept and embrace it through faith. Therefore, the Scriptures testify, that we are justified before God by faith. (Henkel Translation, p. 174).

Fourthly, remission of sin is promised for Christ’s sake. Therefore, no one can obtain it, unless by faith alone. For no one can take hold of the promise or participate in it, except through faith only. Rom. 4:16, “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure.” Precisely as if he should say, that if our salvation and righteousness depended on our own merit, the promise of God would yet be uncertain and useless to us; for we could never know it with certainty, when our merits would suffice. The pious heart and Christian conscience know this full well, and would not for a thousand worlds that our salvation depended upon ourselves.

Paul agrees with this view, Gal. 3:22, “The Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.” Here Paul casts aside all our merit; for he says we are all worthy of death, and concluded under sin; he calls to mind the divine promise, by which alone we can obtain the forgiveness of sin; and further adds how we become participants of the promise, namely, by faith. This argument, drawn by Paul from the very nature of the divine promise, namely, that as God’s promise is certain and must remain sure, (as it will not fail to do,) remission of sin cannot proceed from our merit; else it would be uncertain, and we could not know when our merits would suffice; yes, I say, this argument, this foundation, is a firm rock; it is almost the strongest in the whole of Paul’s writings, and is very often repeated and quoted in all the epistles. (Henkel Translation, p. 173-174).

Secondly, it is certain that sins are remitted, for the sake of the Propitiator Christ, Rom. 3:25, “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation” or Conciliator; and it is expressly added—“through faith.” Accordingly we can avail ourselves of the Conciliator’s worth, by embracing the promises of mercy through faith, and setting it up against the wrath and judgment of God. And the same is written in Heb. 4:14-15, We have a High Priest Christ, &c. Let us go to him with joyfulness. The Apostle tells us to approach God, not relying on our own works, but trusting in the High Priest Christ. He therefore clearly requires faith. (Henkel Translation, p. 172-3, † literally “habit of love” toward God).

Thirdly, Peter says, Acts 10:43, “To him give all the Prophets witness, that through his name, whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” How could Peter have expressed himself more clearly? He says, we receive remission of sin through his name; that is, we receive it through him not through our merit, not through our repentance (or attrition,) not through our love, not by our own service of God, not by our human ordinances or works; and he adds—if we believe in him. He therefore requires faith to exist in the heart. For that reason he says: “To him give all the Prophets witness.” This, it seems to me, is truly appealing to the Christian of universal church; for if all the holy Prophets bear witness, their decision and testimony are truly glorious, grand, excellent, and forcible; but of this passage we shall speak more hereafter. (Henkel Translation, p. 172-173).