#17 Art. IV “Justification” of the Apology of the Augsburg Confession.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).