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By Martin Luther
It is certainly true that, in the sight of men, a man becomes
good or evil by his works; but here "becoming" means that it is
thus shown and recognized who is good or evil, as Christ says,
"By their fruits ye shall know them" (Matt. vii. 20). But all
this stops at appearances and externals; and in this matter very
many deceive themselves, when they presume to write and teach
that we are to be justified by good works, and meanwhile make no
mention even of faith, walking in their own ways, ever deceived
and deceiving, going from bad to worse, blind leaders of the
blind, wearying themselves with many works, and yet never
attaining to true righteousness, of whom Paul says, "Having a
form of godliness, but denying the power thereof, ever learning
and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Tim.
iii. 5, 7).
He then who does not wish to go astray, with these blind ones,
must look further than to the works of the law or the doctrine of
works; nay, must turn away his sight from works, and look to the
person, and to the manner in which it may be justified. Now it is
justified and saved, not by works or laws, but by the word of
God--that is, by the promise of His grace--so that the glory may
be to the Divine majesty, which has saved us who believe, not by
works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His
mercy, by the word of His grace.
From all this it is easy to perceive on what principle good works
are to be cast aside or embraced, and by what rule all teachings
put forth concerning works are to be understood. For if works are
brought forward as grounds of justification, and are done under
the false persuasion that we can pretend to be justified by them,
they lay on us the yoke of necessity, and extinguish liberty
along with faith, and by this very addition to their use they
become no longer good, but really worthy of condemnation. For
such works are not free, but blaspheme the grace of God, to which
alone it belongs to justify and save through faith. Works cannot
accomplish this, and yet, with impious presumption, through our
folly, they take it on themselves to do so; and thus break in
with violence upon the office and glory of grace.
We do not then reject good works; nay, we embrace them and teach
them in the highest degree. It is not on their own account that
we condemn them, but on account of this impious addition to them
and the perverse notion of seeking justification by them. These
things cause them to be only good in outward show, but in reality
not good, since by them men are deceived and deceive others, like
ravening wolves in sheep's clothing.
Now this leviathan, this perverted notion about works, is
invincible when sincere faith is wanting. For those sanctified
doers of works cannot but hold it till faith, which destroys it,
comes and reigns in the heart. Nature cannot expel it by her own
power; nay, cannot even see it for what it is, but considers it
as a most holy will. And when custom steps in besides, and
strengthens this pravity of nature, as has happened by means of
impious teachers, then the evil is incurable, and leads astray
multitudes to irreparable ruin. Therefore, though it is good to
preach and write about penitence, confession, and satisfaction,
yet if we stop there, and do not go on to teach faith, such
teaching is without doubt deceitful and devilish. For Christ,
speaking by His servant John, not only said, "Repent ye," but
added, "for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. iii. 2).
For not one word of God only, but both, should be preached; new
and old things should be brought out of the treasury, as well the
voice of the law as the word of grace. The voice of the law
should be brought forward, that men may be terrified and brought
to a knowledge of their sins, and thence be converted to
penitence and to a better manner of life. But we must not stop
here; that would be to wound only and not to bind up, to strike
and not to heal, to kill and not to make alive, to bring down to
hell and not to bring back, to humble and not to exalt. Therefore
the word of grace and of the promised remission of sin must also
be preached, in order to teach and set up faith, since without
that word contrition, penitence, and all other duties, are
performed and taught in vain.
There still remain, it is true, preachers of repentance and
grace, but they do not explain the law and the promises of God to
such an end, and in such a spirit, that men may learn whence
repentance and grace are to come. For repentance comes from the
law of God, but faith or grace from the promises of God, as it is
said, "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God"
(Rom. x. 17), whence it comes that a man, when humbled and
brought to the knowledge of himself by the threatenings and
terrors of the law, is consoled and raised up by faith in the
Divine promise. Thus "weeping may endure for a night, but joy
cometh in the morning" (Psalm xxx. 5). Thus much we say
concerning works in general, and also concerning those which the
Christian practices with regard to his own body.
Lastly, we will speak also of those works which he performs
towards his neighbor. For man does not live for himself alone in
this mortal body, in order to work on its account, but also for
all men on earth; nay, he lives only for others, and not for
himself. For it is to this end that he brings his own body into
subjection, that he may be able to serve others more sincerely
and more freely, as Paul says, "None of us liveth to himself, and
no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the
Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord" (Rom. xiv. 7, 8).
Thus it is impossible that he should take his ease in this life,
and not work for the good of his neighbors, since he must needs
speak, act, and converse among men, just as Christ was made in
the likeness of men and found in fashion as a man, and had His
conversation among men.
Yet a Christian has need of none of these things for
justification and salvation, but in all his works he ought to
entertain this view and look only to this object--that he may
serve and be useful to others in all that he does; having nothing
before his eyes but the necessities and the advantage of his
neighbor. Thus the Apostle commands us to work with our own
hands, that we may have to give to those that need. He might have
said, that we may support ourselves; but he tells us to give to
those that need. It is the part of a Christian to take care of
his own body for the very purpose that, by its soundness and
well-being, he may be enabled to labor, and to acquire and
preserve property, for the aid of those who are in want, that
thus the stronger member may serve the weaker member, and we may
be children of God, thoughtful and busy one for another, bearing
one another's burdens, and so fulfilling the law of Christ.
Here is the truly Christian life, here is faith really working by
love, when a man applies himself with joy and love to the works
of that freest servitude in which he serves others voluntarily
and for nought, himself abundantly satisfied in the fullness and
riches of his own faith.
Thus, when Paul had taught the Philippians how they had been made
rich by that faith in Christ in which they had obtained all
things, he teaches them further in these words: "If there be
therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if
any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill
ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of
one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or
vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better
than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every
man also on the things of others" (Phil. ii. 1-4).
In this we see clearly that the Apostle lays down this rule for a
Christian life: that all our works should be directed to the
advantage of others, since every Christian has such abundance
through his faith that all his other works and his whole life
remain over and above wherewith to serve and benefit his neighbor of spontaneous goodwill.
To this end he brings forward Christ as an example, saying, "Let
this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being
in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God,
but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of
a servant, and was made in the likeness of men; and being found
in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto
death" (Phil. ii. 5-8). This most wholesome saying of the Apostle
has been darkened to us by men who, totally misunderstanding the
expressions "form of God," "form of a servant," "fashion,"
"likeness of men," have transferred them to the natures of
Godhead and manhood. Paul's meaning is this: Christ, when He was
full of the form of God and abounded in all good things, so that
He had no need of works or sufferings to be just and saved--for
all these things He had from the very beginning--yet was not
puffed up with these things, and did not raise Himself above us
and arrogate to Himself power over us, though He might lawfully
have done so, but, on the contrary, so acted in laboring,
working, suffering, and dying, as to be like the rest of men, and
no otherwise than a man in fashion and in conduct, as if He were
in want of all things and had nothing of the form of God; and yet
all this He did for our sakes, that He might serve us, and that
all the works He should do under that form of a servant might
become ours.
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