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By Martin Luther
And now let us turn to the other part: to the
outward man. Here
we shall give an answer to all those who, taking offence at the
word of faith and at what I have asserted, say, "If faith does
everything, and by itself suffices for justification, why then
are good works commanded? Are we then to take our ease and do no
works, content with faith?" Not so, impious men, I reply; not so.
That would indeed really be the case, if we were thoroughly and
completely inner and spiritual persons; but that will not happen
until the last day, when the dead shall be raised. As long as we
live in the flesh, we are but beginning and making advances in
that which shall be completed in a future life. On this account
the Apostle calls that which we have in this life the firstfruits
of the Spirit (Rom. viii. 23). In future we shall have the
tenths, and the fullness of the Spirit. To this part belongs the
fact I have stated before: that the Christian is the servant of
all and subject to all. For in that part in which he is free he
does no works, but in that in which he is a servant he does all
works. Let us see on what principle this is so.
Although, as I have said, inwardly, and according to the spirit,
a man is amply enough justified by faith, having all that he
requires to have, except that this very faith and abundance ought
to increase from day to day, even till the future life, still he
remains in this mortal life upon earth, in which it is necessary
that he should rule his own body and have intercourse with men.
Here then works begin; here he must not take his ease; here he
must give heed to exercise his body by fastings, watchings,
labour, and other regular discipline, so that it may be subdued
to the spirit, and obey and conform itself to the inner man and
faith, and not rebel against them nor hinder them, as is its
nature to do if it is not kept under. For the inner man, being
conformed to God and created after the image of God through
faith, rejoices and delights itself in Christ, in whom such
blessings have been conferred on it, and hence has only this task
before it: to serve God with joy and for nought in free love.
But in doing this he comes into collision with that contrary will
in his own flesh, which is striving to serve the world and to
seek its own gratification. This the spirit of faith cannot and
will not bear, but applies itself with cheerfulness and zeal to
keep it down and restrain it, as Paul says, "I delight in the law
of God after the inward man; but I see another law in my members,
warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity
to the law of sin" (Rom. vii. 22, 23), and again, "I keep under
my body, and bring it unto subjection, lest that by any means,
when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway" (1
Cor. ix. 27), and "They that are Christ's have crucified the
flesh, with the affections and lusts" (Gal. v. 24).
These works, however, must not be done with any notion that by
them a man can be justified before God—for faith, which alone is
righteousness before God, will not bear with this false
notion--but solely with this purpose: that the body may be
brought into subjection, and be purified from its evil lusts, so
that our eyes may be turned only to purging away those lusts. For
when the soul has been cleansed by faith and made to love God, it
would have all things to be cleansed in like manner, and
especially its own body, so that all things might unite with it
in the love and praise of God. Thus it comes that, from the
requirements of his own body, a man cannot take his ease, but is
compelled on its account to do many good works, that he may bring
it into subjection. Yet these works are not the means of his
justification before God; he does them out of disinterested love
to the service of God; looking to no other end than to do what is
well-pleasing to Him whom he desires to obey most dutifully in
all things.
On this principle every man may easily instruct himself in what
measure, and with what distinctions, he ought to chasten his own
body. He will fast, watch, and labour, just as much as he sees to
suffice for keeping down the wantonness and concupiscence of the
body. But those who pretend to be justified by works are looking,
not to the mortification of their lusts, but only to the works
themselves; thinking that, if they can accomplish as many works
and as great ones as possible, all is well with them, and they
are justified. Sometimes they even injure their brain, and
extinguish nature, or at least make it useless. This is enormous
folly, and ignorance of Christian life and faith, when a man
seeks, without faith, to be justified and saved by works.
To make what we have said more easily understood, let us set it
forth under a figure. The works of a Christian man, who is
justified and saved by his faith out of the pure and unbought
mercy of God, ought to be regarded in the same light as would
have been those of Adam and Eve in paradise and of all their
posterity if they had not sinned. Of them it is said, "The Lord
God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it
and to keep it" (Gen. ii. 15). Now Adam had been created by God
just and righteous, so that he could not have needed to be
justified and made righteous by keeping the garden and working in
it; but, that he might not be unemployed, God gave him the
business of keeping and cultivating paradise. These would have
indeed been works of perfect freedom, being done for no object
but that of pleasing God, and not in order to obtain
justification, which he already had to the full, and which would
have been innate in us all.
So it is with the works of a believer. Being by his faith
replaced afresh in paradise and created anew, he does not need
works for his justification, but that he may not be idle, but may
exercise his own body and preserve it. His works are to be done
freely, with the sole object of pleasing God. Only we are not yet
fully created anew in perfect faith and love; these require to be
increased, not, however, through works, but through themselves.
A bishop, when he consecrates a church, confirms children, or
performs any other duty of his office, is not consecrated as
bishop by these works; nay, unless he had been previously
consecrated as bishop, not one of those works would have any
validity; they would be foolish, childish, and ridiculous. Thus a
Christian, being consecrated by his faith, does good works; but
he is not by these works made a more sacred person, or more a
Christian. That is the effect of faith alone; nay, unless he were
previously a believer and a Christian, none of his works would
have any value at all; they would really be impious and damnable
sins.
True, then, are these two sayings: "Good works do not make a good
man, but a good man does good works"; "Bad works do not make a
bad man, but a bad man does bad works." Thus it is always
necessary that the substance or person should be good before any
good works can be done, and that good works should follow and
proceed from a good person. As Christ says, "A good tree cannot
bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth
good fruit" (Matt. vii. 18). Now it is clear that the fruit does
not bear the tree, nor does the tree grow on the fruit; but, on
the contrary, the trees bear the fruit, and the fruit grows on
the trees.
As then trees must exist before their fruit, and as the fruit
does not make the tree either good or bad, but on the contrary, a
tree of either kind produces fruit of the same kind, so must
first the person of the man be good or bad before he can do
either a good or a bad work; and his works do not make him bad or
good, but he himself makes his works either bad or good.
We may see the same thing in all handicrafts. A bad or good house
does not make a bad or good builder, but a good or bad builder
makes a good or bad house. And in general no work makes the
workman such as it is itself; but the workman makes the work such
as he is himself. Such is the case, too, with the works of men.
Such as the man himself is, whether in faith or in unbelief, such
is his work: good if it be done in faith; bad if in unbelief. But
the converse is not true that, such as the work is, such the man
becomes in faith or in unbelief. For as works do not make a
believing man, so neither do they make a justified man; but
faith, as it makes a man a believer and justified, so also it
makes his works good.
Since then works justify no man, but a man must be justified
before he can do any good work, it is most evident that it is
faith alone which, by the mere mercy of God through Christ, and
by means of His word, can worthily and sufficiently justify and
save the person; and that a Christian man needs no work, no law,
for his salvation; for by faith he is free from all law, and in
perfect freedom does gratuitously all that he does, seeking
nothing either of profit or of salvation--since by the grace of
God he is already saved and rich in all things through his
faith--but solely that which is well-pleasing to God.
So, too, no good work can profit an unbeliever to justification
and salvation; and, on the other hand, no evil work makes him an
evil and condemned person, but that unbelief, which makes the
person and the tree bad, makes his works evil and condemned.
Wherefore, when any man is made good or bad, this does not arise
from his works, but from his faith or unbelief, as the wise man
says, "The beginning of sin is to fall away from God"; that is,
not to believe. Paul says, "He that cometh to God must believe"
(Heb. xi. 6); and Christ says the same thing: "Either make the
tree good and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and
his fruit corrupt" (Matt. xii. 33),--as much as to say, He who
wishes to have good fruit will begin with the tree, and plant a
good one; even so he who wishes to do good works must begin, not
by working, but by believing, since it is this which makes the
person good. For nothing makes the person good but faith, nor bad
but unbelief.
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