Therefore, when we speak of justifying faith, (fide justificante,) it includes first, the divine promises; secondly, that they offer grace freely and without our merit; thirdly, that the blood of Christ and his merits are the treasure which atones for our sins. The promises are received through faith; but as they offer grace without merit, all our worthiness and merit fall to the ground, and grace and boundless mercy alone are praised. The merit of Christ is the treasure; for that must indeed be a treasure and a noble pledge, which pays for the sins of the whole world. All the Scriptures, of the Old and New Testaments, when speaking of God and faith, often use the expressions—goodness, mercy; and in all their writings the holy Fathers teach, that we are saved by grace, goodness, and forgiveness.

Now whenever we find the word mercy in the Scriptures, or in the writings of the Fathers, we must remember, that it refers to faith, which embraces the promise of such mercy.

Again, whenever the Scriptures speak of faith, they mean the faith which is based upon grace alone. For faith does not justify us before God, as though it were in itself our work, and our own, but solely because it receives the grace; promised and offered without merit and presented out of the rich treasures of mercy. (Henkel Translation, p. 167).

From this it is easy to perceive the difference between faith, and the piety produced by the law. For faith is a divine worship and service, (latria,) in which we are the recipients of gifts; but the righteousness of the law is a worship which offers our works to God. Accordingly, God requires us to worship him through faith, that we may receive from him what he promises and offers. Faith, however, is not a mere historical knowledge, but a conviction which firmly cleaves to the divine promises, as Paul fully shows, when he says, Rom. 4:16: “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end of the promise might be sure to all the seed.” Here Paul so connects the two, that faith, &c., must follow promises; and again, reciprocally, where promises are given, God also requires faith.

But we can show even more plainly, what justifying faith is, by referring to our own Creed and Faith; for the Symbol says: I believe in the remission of sin. Hence it is not enough for us to know or believe that Christ was born, that he suffered and rose from the dead, but we must also believe the article which sets forth the final object of all this, namely, “I believe that my sins are forgiven me.” To this article all the rest must be referred, namely, that our sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake, and not on account of our merit. For why should God give Christ for our sins, if our merit could atone for them?  (Henkel Translation, p. 166-167).

What the faith is, which justifies us before God.

Our adversaries think, that faith consists in a knowledge of, or an acquaintance with, the history of Christ; hence they teach that we can believe, even when sunk in moral sin. Accordingly they neither know nor say anything of the true Christian faith, by which, Paul invariably says, we are justified before God. For those that are just and holy in the sight of God, are surely not in mortal sin. Therefore the faith, which justifies us before God, consists not only in a knowledge of the history of Christ, his birth, sufferings, &c., (for this even the devils have,) but it is the conviction, the fixed, firm confidence of our hearts, fully trusting in the promises of God, which, without our merit, offer us the remission of sin, grace, and full salvation, through Christ the Mediator. And that no one may suppose it to be a mere historical knowledge, I add that faith is the acceptance of this treasure with our whole heart, and this is not our own act, present or gift, our own work or preparation; but the heart must be assured and fully trust, that God presents and gives to us, and not we to him; that he pours out upon us the whole treasure of grace in Christ. (Henkel Translation, p. 166).

But if we are made just before God, solely through the grace and mercy promised in Christ, it follows, that we do not become just through our works. For what necessity would there be then for the glorious, divine promises, and how could Paul so highly praise grace and exalt it?

The Gospel therefore recommends, preaches, and applauds the righteousness which proceeds from faith in Christ and is not of the law. The law does not teach it; it is far superior to the righteousness of the law. For the law requires our works, and demands that we should be upright internally, at heart, and perfectly righteous.

But the divine promises offer to us, who are overcome by sin and death, help, grace, and reconciliation for Christ’s sake, which no man can obtain through works, but alone through faith in Christ. This faith offers or presents to the Lord God no works, no merit of its own, but builds upon pure grace only, and knows of no other consolation or trust, than the mercy promised in Christ. Now this faith alone, when each one believes individually that Christ is given for him, obtains remission of sins for Christ’s sake, and justifies us in the sight of God. (Henkel Translation, p. 165).

Let this suffice concerning the righteousness of reason, or of the self-righteousness, as taught by our opponents. When we shall come presently to speak of the piety and righteousness which are acceptable to God and proceed from faith, the subject will of itself lead to the quotation of more passages from the Scriptures, which will equally serve to overthrow the above-named errors of our adversaries.

Since no man is able, then, by his own strength to keep the law of God, and all under sin are doomed to eternal wrath and death, we cannot, through the law, be released from sin or become just in the sight of God; but remission of sins and righteousness are promised through Christ, who was given for us to atone for the sins of the world, and is the only Mediator and Redeemer. Now this promise is not: through Christ ye shall have grace, salvation, &c., if ye merit it; but through grace alone he offers the remission of sins, as Paul says, Rom. 11:6:“If the remission of sins be of works, then it is no more grace.” And in another place, Rom. 3:21:“But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifest;” that is, remission of sins is offered gratuitously, or without price.

Therefore it is not through our merit, that we are reconciled to God; for if depended upon our merit, and if reconciliation to God and remission of sin came of the law, then were all lost, and slightly indeed should we be united and reconciled to God. For we do not keep the law, nor have we power to keep it; consequently we should never obtain the promised grace and reconciliation.

For thus Paul concludes, Rom. 4:14:“For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect.” Now, were the promise founded upon our merit and the law, it would follow, since we cannot keep the law, that the promise would be vain. (Henkel Translation, p. 164-165).

Finally, it is extremely foolish and improper, on the part of our adversaries, to contend that even those, who deserve eternal wrath, obtain forgiveness of sin through love, or actum elicitum dilectionis, self-selected works of love; whereas it is clearly impossible to love God until the heart has taken hold of the remission of sins through faith.

For the heart, filled with anxiety, and truly feeling the wrath of God, can never love him, until he gives it relief and comfort, and assures it of his grace. For while he terrifies and assails us, as if he would cast us off in eternal wrath, into everlasting death, our poor, feeble nature must lose all courage and hope, and tremble before the great anger, which terrifies, and punishes so fearfully; and it cannot feel a spark of love, until God himself comforts and relieves it.

The idle and inexperienced may indeed devise for themselves a dream of love; hence they contend so frivolously, that one who is guilty even of mortal sin, can yet love God above all things; for they have never fully realized what a burden sin is, or how great a torment it is to feel the wrath of God.

But pious hearts that have experienced this, in real strife against Satan, and in real distress of conscience, know well that such words and thoughts are nothing but fancies and dreams. Paul, Rom. 4:15, says: “The law worketh wrath.” He does not say that men obtain remission of their sins through the law; for the law always accuses the conscience and terrifies.

The law, therefore, justifies no one in the sight of God; for an alarmed conscience flees from God and his judgments. Hence those are in error, who would merit the remission of their sins by their works, or the law. (Henkel Translation, p. 163-164).

Our adversaries consider only the commandments of the second table of Moses which treats of external honesty, a virtue which human reason more readily comprehends; and they imagine, that by these external good works they keep God’s law. But they do not consider the first table which requires us to love God with our whole heart, firmly to believe that God is wroth on account of sin, sincerely to fear God, and to be fully assured that God is near us and hears our prayer, &c.

Now we are all so constituted from Adam, previous to our being born again through the Holy Ghost, that our hearts, in their security, despise God’s wrath, judgment, and threats, and hate and oppose his judgments and penalties. Now if all the children of Adam are born so deeply in sin, that we naturally despise God, and doubt his Word, his promises, and his threats; then indeed must the best of our good works, performed previous to our being born anew through the Holy Ghost, be sinful and condemned in God’s sight, although to the world they may appear lovely; for they proceed out of a bad, ungodly, and impure heart; as Paul says, Rom 14:23; “Whatsoever is not of faith, is sin.” For all such self-righteous men perform works without faith, despise God in their hearts, and believe as little as Epicurus, that God takes care of them. Their contempt of God within, must necessarily make their works impure and sinful, although they may appear beautiful before men; for God searches the heart. (Henkel Translation, p. 163).

Now if it be necessary to be born again of the Holy Ghost, our good works or our own merit will not justify us before God; nor can we keep or fulfil the law. Again, Rom. 3:53: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” that is, they are wanting in the wisdom and righteousness which avail in the sight of God, and through which they rightly know, honor, and praise him. Again, Rom. 8:7–8: “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”

These passages of Scripture are so exceedingly clear and plain, that they require no very keen intellect to understand them; we need only to read them and properly examine the plain words. As Augustine says on this subject: “If human reason and being carnal minded constitute enmity against God, then, without the Holy Ghost, no man can love God with his whole heart. Again, if to be carnal minded is enmity against God, then indeed are even the best works of the children of Adam impure and sinful; for if the flesh cannot be obedient to the law of God, then in truth does a man commit sin, even when performing noble, lovely, and excellent works, which the world highly esteems.” (Henkel Translation, p. 162-163).

It is likewise false and untrue, that a man can become righteous and pious before God by his own works and by external piety.

It is unfounded and false, that human reason is able of itself to love God above all things, to keep his commandments, to fear him, to be assured that he hears our prayers, to thank and obey him in afflictions, and in other things enjoined in his law, such as, not to covet the goods of others, &c. For all this, human reason is not able to accomplish, although it can in some degree produce an honorable life externally, and perform good works.

To say that those are without sin, who keep God’s commandments externally only, without the Spirit and grace in their hearts, is also untrue and deceptive, and a blasphemy against Christ.

This conclusion is attested, not only by the holy Scriptures, but also by the ancient Fathers. Augustine treats of this subject largely, in contending against the Pelagians, that grace is not given on account of our own merits. And in his book on Nature and Grace, (de Natura et Gratia,) he says: “If our natural strength is sufficient, by freewill, both to teach us how to live, and how to live aright, then Christ died in vain.”

Why should I not here exclaim with Paul, Gal. 5:4, Rom. 10:3–4? yea, I may justly exclaim with him: “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law: ye are fallen from grace.” “For they, being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” For as Christ is the end of the law, so also is Christ the saviour of corrupted nature. Again, John 8:36: “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

Therefore we cannot become free from our sins, or merit their remission, through reason or good works. Again, it is written, John 3:5: “Except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (Henkel Translation, p. 162).