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By Martin Luther
Finally, for the sake of those to whom nothing can be stated so
well but that they misunderstand and distort it, we must add a
word, in case they can understand even that. There are very many
persons who, when they hear of this liberty of faith, straightway
turn it into an occasion of license. They think that everything
is now lawful for them, and do not choose to show themselves free
men and Christians in any other way than by their contempt and
reprehension of ceremonies, of traditions, of human laws; as if
they were Christians merely because they refuse to fast on stated
days, or eat flesh when others fast, or omit the customary
prayers; scoffing at the precepts of men, but utterly passing
over all the rest that belongs to the Christian religion. On the
other hand, they are most pertinaciously resisted by those who
strive after salvation solely by their observance of and
reverence for ceremonies, as if they would be saved merely
because they fast on stated days, or abstain from flesh, or make
formal prayers; talking loudly of the precepts of the Church and
of the Fathers, and not caring a straw about those things which
belong to our genuine faith. Both these parties are plainly
culpable, in that, while they neglect matters which are of weight
and necessary for salvation, they contend noisily about such as
are without weight and not necessary.
How much more rightly does the Apostle Paul teach us to walk in
the middle path, condemning either extreme and saying, "Let not
him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him
which eateth not judge him that eateth" (Rom. xiv. 3)! You see
here how the Apostle blames those who, not from religious
feeling, but in mere contempt, neglect and rail at ceremonial
observances, and teaches them not to despise, since this
"knowledge puffeth up." Again, he teaches the pertinacious
upholders of these things not to judge their opponents. For
neither party observes towards the other that charity which
edifieth. In this matter we must listen to Scripture, which
teaches us to turn aside neither to the right hand nor to the
left, but to follow those right precepts of the Lord which
rejoice the heart. For just as a man is not righteous merely
because he serves and is devoted to works and ceremonial rites,
so neither will he be accounted righteous merely because he
neglects and despises them.
It is not from works that we are set free by the faith of Christ,
but from the belief in works, that is from foolishly presuming to
seek justification through works. Faith redeems our consciences,
makes them upright, and preserves them, since by it we recognise
the truth that justification does not depend on our works,
although good works neither can nor ought to be absent, just as
we cannot exist without food and drink and all the functions of
this mortal body. Still it is not on them that our justification
is based, but on faith; and yet they ought not on that account to
be despised or neglected. Thus in this world we are compelled by
the needs of this bodily life; but we are not hereby justified.
"My kingdom is not hence, nor of this world," says Christ; but He
does not say, "My kingdom is not here, nor in this world." Paul,
too, says, "Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the
flesh" (2 Cor. x. 3), and "The life which I now live in the flesh
I live by the faith of the Son of God" (Gal. ii. 20). Thus our
doings, life, and being, in works and ceremonies, are done from
the necessities of this life, and with the motive of governing
our bodies; but yet we are not justified by these things, but by
the faith of the Son of God.
The Christian must therefore walk in the middle path, and set
these two classes of men before his eyes. He may meet with
hardened and obstinate ceremonialists, who, like deaf adders,
refuse to listen to the truth of liberty, and cry up, enjoin, and
urge on us their ceremonies, as if they could justify us without
faith. Such were the Jews of old, who would not understand, that
they might act well. These men we must resist, do just the
contrary to what they do, and be bold to give them offence, lest
by this impious notion of theirs they should deceive many along
with themselves. Before the eyes of these men it is expedient to
eat flesh, to break fasts, and to do in behalf of the liberty of
faith things which they hold to be the greatest sins. We must say
of them, "Let them alone; they be blind leaders of the blind"
(Matt. xv. 14). In this way Paul also would not have Titus
circumcised, though these men urged it; and Christ defended the
Apostles, who had plucked ears of corn on the Sabbath day; and
many like instances.
Or else we may meet with simple-minded and ignorant persons, weak
in the faith, as the Apostle calls them, who are as yet unable to
apprehend that liberty of faith, even if willing to do so. These
we must spare, lest they should be offended. We must bear with
their infirmity, till they shall be more fully instructed. For
since these men do not act thus from hardened malice, but only
from weakness of faith, therefore, in order to avoid giving them
offence, we must keep fasts and do other things which they
consider necessary. This is required of us by charity, which
injures no one, but serves all men. It is not the fault of these
persons that they are weak, but that of their pastors, who by the
snares and weapons of their own traditions have brought them into
bondage and wounded their souls when they ought to have been set
free and healed by the teaching of faith and liberty. Thus the
Apostle says, "If meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no
flesh while the world standeth" (1 Cor. viii. 13); and again, "I
know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing
unclean of itself; but to him that esteemeth anything to be
unclean, to him it is unclean. It is evil for that man who eateth
with offence" (Rom. xiv. 14, 20).
Thus, though we ought boldly to resist those teachers of
tradition, and though the laws of the pontiffs, by which they
make aggressions on the people of God, deserve sharp reproof, yet
we must spare the timid crowd, who are held captive by the laws
of those impious tyrants, till they are set free. Fight
vigorously against the wolves, but on behalf of the sheep, not
against the sheep. And this you may do by inveighing against the
laws and lawgivers, and yet at the same time observing these laws
with the weak, lest they be offended, until they shall themselves
recognise the tyranny, and understand their own liberty. If you
wish to use your liberty, do it secretly, as Paul says, "Hast
thou faith? have it to thyself before God" (Rom. xiv. 22). But
take care not to use it in the presence of the weak. On the other
hand, in the presence of tyrants and obstinate opposers, use your
liberty in their despite, and with the utmost pertinacity, that
they too may understand that they are tyrants, and their laws
useless for justification, nay that they had no right to
establish such laws.
Since then we cannot live in this world without ceremonies and
works, since the hot and inexperienced period of youth has need
of being restrained and protected by such bonds, and since every
one is bound to keep under his own body by attention to these
things, therefore the minister of Christ must be prudent and
faithful in so ruling and teaching the people of Christ, in all
these matters, that no root of bitterness may spring up among
them, and so many be defiled, as Paul warned the Hebrews; that
is, that they may not lose the faith, and begin to be defiled by
a belief in works as the means of justification. This is a thing
which easily happens, and defiles very many, unless faith be
constantly inculcated along with works. It is impossible to avoid
this evil, when faith is passed over in silence, and only the
ordinances of men are taught, as has been done hitherto by the
pestilent, impious, and soul-destroying traditions of our
pontiffs and opinions of our theologians. An infinite number of
souls have been drawn down to hell by these snares, so that you
may recognise the work of antichrist.
In brief, as poverty is imperilled amid riches, honesty amid
business, humility amid honors, abstinence amid feasting, purity
amid pleasures, so is justification by faith imperilled among
ceremonies. Solomon says, "Can a man take fire in his bosom, and
his clothes not be burned?" (Prov. vi. 27). And yet as we must
live among riches, business, honors, pleasures, feastings, so
must we among ceremonies, that is among perils. Just as infant
boys have the greatest need of being cherished in the bosoms and
by the care of girls, that they may not die, and yet, when they
are grown, there is peril to their salvation in living among
girls, so inexperienced and fervid young men require to be kept
in and restrained by the barriers of ceremonies, even were they
of iron, lest their weak minds should rush headlong into vice.
And yet it would be death to them to persevere in believing that
they can be justified by these things. They must rather be taught
that they have been thus imprisoned, not with the purpose of
their being justified or gaining merit in this way, but in order
that they might avoid wrong-doing, and be more easily instructed
in that righteousness which is by faith, a thing which the
headlong character of youth would not bear unless it were put
under restraint.
Hence in the Christian life ceremonies are to be no otherwise
looked upon than as builders and workmen look upon those
preparations for building or working which are not made with any
view of being permanent or anything in themselves, but only
because without them there could be no building and no work. When
the structure is completed, they are laid aside. Here you see
that we do not contemn these preparations, but set the highest
value on them; a belief in them we do contemn, because no one
thinks that they constitute a real and permanent structure. If
any one were so manifestly out of his senses as to have no other
object in life but that of setting up these preparations with all
possible expense, diligence, and perseverance, while he never
thought of the structure itself, but pleased himself and made his
boast of these useless preparations and props, should we not all
pity his madness and think that, at the cost thus thrown away,
some great building might have been raised?
Thus, too, we do not contemn works and ceremonies--nay, we set
the highest value on them; but we contemn the belief in works,
which no one should consider to constitute true righteousness, as
do those hypocrites who employ and throw away their whole life in
the pursuit of works, and yet never attain to that for the sake
of which the works are done. As the Apostle says, they are "ever
learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2
Tim. iii. 7). They appear to wish to build, they make
preparations, and yet they never do build; and thus they continue
in a show of godliness, but never attain to its power.
Meanwhile they please themselves with this zealous pursuit, and
even dare to judge all others, whom they do not see adorned with
such a glittering display of works; while, if they had been
imbued with faith, they might have done great things for their
own and others' salvation, at the same cost which they now waste
in abuse of the gifts of God. But since human nature and natural
reason, as they call it, are naturally superstitious, and quick
to believe that justification can be attained by any laws or
works proposed to them, and since nature is also exercised and
confirmed in the same view by the practice of all earthly
lawgivers, she can never of her own power free herself from this
bondage to works, and come to a recognition of the liberty of
faith.
We have therefore need to pray that God will lead us and make us
taught of God, that is, ready to learn from God; and will
Himself, as He has promised, write His law in our hearts;
otherwise there is no hope for us. For unless He himself teach us
inwardly this wisdom hidden in a mystery, nature cannot but
condemn it and judge it to be heretical. She takes offence at it,
and it seems folly to her, just as we see that it happened of old
in the case of the prophets and Apostles, and just as blind and
impious pontiffs, with their flatterers, do now in my case and
that of those who are like me, upon whom, together with
ourselves, may God at length have mercy, and lift up the light of
His countenance upon them, that we may know His way upon earth
and His saving health among all nations, who is blessed for
evermore.
Amen.
In the year of the Lord MDXX.
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