Many people have considered Christian faith an easy thing; not a few have given it a place among the social virtues; and this they do, because they have not made proof of it experimentally, and have never tasted of what efficacy it is. For it is not possible for any man to write well about it, or to understand well what is rightly written, unless one has at one time or another experienced the courage which faith gives a man when trials oppress him. But he who has even a faint taste of it, can never write, speak, think, or hear about it sufficiently. For it is a living fountain, springing up unto eternal life, as Christ calls it in the 4th chapter of St. John [4:14].
Now, though I have no wealth of faith to boast of and know how scant my supply is, yet I hope that, after having been assailed by various temptations, I have attained some little drop of faith, and that I can speak of this matter, if not with more elegance, certainly with more solidity than those literal and too subtle disputants [scholastic theologians] who have previously discussed it, who have not even understood what they have written. That I may open, then, an easier way for the unlearned --for these alone I am trying to serve--I first lay down these two propositions, concerning the freedom and bondage of the spirit.
A Christian man is the most free lord of all, and subject to none; a Christian man is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to every one.
Although these statements appear contradictory, yet, when they are found to agree together, they will be found to serve our purpose beautifully . They are both the statements of Paul himself, who says: "Though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all" (1 Cor. ix. 19), and: "Owe no man anything, but to love one another." (Rom. xiii. 8.) Now love is by its own nature dutiful and obedient to the one who is loved. Thus even Christ, though Lord of all things, was yet made of a woman; made under the law; at once free and a servant; at once in the form of God and in the form of a servant.
Let us examine the subject on a deeper and less simple principle. Man is composed of a twofold nature, a spiritual and a bodily. As regards the spiritual nature, which they name the soul, he is called the spiritual, inward, new man; as regards the bodily nature, which they name the flesh, he is called the fleshly, outward, old man. The Apostle speaks of this: "Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is relieved day by day." (2 Cor. iv. 16.) The result of this diversity of our nature is, that in the Scriptures opposing statements are made concerning the same man; the fact being that in the same man , these two men are opposed to one another; the flesh lusting against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. (Gal. v. 17.)
We first approach the subject of the inward man, that we may see by what means a man becomes justified, free, and a true Christian; that is, a spiritual, new, and inward man. ...
What can it profit the soul, that the body should be in good condition, free, and full of life; that it should eat, drink, and act according to its pleasure; when even the most impious slaves of every kind of vice are prosperous in these matters ? Again, what harm can ill-health, bondage, hunger, thirst, or any other outward evil, do to the soul, when even the most pious of men, and the freest in the purity of their conscience are harassed by these things? Neither of these states of things has to do with the liberty or the slavery of the soul.
It does not profit the soul if the body is adorned with the sacred vestments of the priest, or dwells in holy places, or is occupied in sacred offices, or prays, fasts, and abstains from certain meats, or does whatever works can be done through the body and in the body. The righteousness and freedom of the soul require something very different, since the things I have spoken of can be done by any impious person, and only hypocrites are produced by devotion to these things. On the other hand, it will not at all injure the soul if the body should be clothed in secular dress, dwells in unconsecrated places, eats and drinks as others do, does not pray aloud, and leaves undone all these things which hypocrites can also do. …
One thing, and one alone, is necessary for Christian life, righteousness, and freedom; and that is the most holy word of God, the Gospel of Christ, as He says: "I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me shall not die eternally " (John xi. 25) ; and also (John viii. 36) "If the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed;" and (Matt. iv. 4), "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
Let us therefore hold it for certain and firmly established, that the soul can do without everything, except the word of God.... But, having the word, it is rich and wants for nothing; since that is the word of life, of truth, of light, of peace, of justification, of salvation, of joy, of freedom, of wisdom, of virtue, of grace, of glory, and of every good thing. ...
Again, there is no greater favor from Him than the sending forth of His word, as it is said: "He sent his Word and healed them, and delivered them." (Ps. cvii. 20.) Christ was sent for no other ministry than that of the Word, and the order of apostles, that of bishops, and that of the whole body of the clergy, have been called and instituted for no object but the ministry of the Word.
But you will ask:--"What is this Word, and by what means is it to be used, since there are so many words of God?" I answer, the Apostle Paul (Rom. i.) explains what it is, namely, the Gospel of God, concerning His Son, incarnate, suffering, risen, and glorified through the Spirit, the sanctifier. To preach Christ is to feed the soul, to justify it, to set it free, and to save it, if it believes the preaching. For faith alone, and the efficacious use of the word of God, bring salvation. "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." (Rom. x. 9.) And again: "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth" (Rom. x. 4); and "The just shall live by faith." (Rom. i. 17.) For the word of God cannot be received and honored by any works, but by faith alone. Hence it is clear that, as the soul needs the Word of God alone for life and righteousness, so it is justified by faith alone and not by any works. For if it could be justified by any other means, it would have no need of the Word, nor consequently of faith…..
But you ask how it can be the fact that faith alone justifies, and affords without works so great a treasure of good things, when so many works, ceremonies, and laws are prescribed to us in the Scriptures. I answer: before all things bear in mind what I have said, that faith alone without works justifies, sets free, and saves….
The whole Scripture of God is divided into two parts, commandments and promises. The commandments certainly teach what is good, but what they teach is not done as soon as they are taught. For they show us what we ought to do, but do not give us the power to do it. They were intended to teach man to know himself, that through them he may recognize his inability to do good and may despair of his own strength. For this reason the commandments are called the Old Testament. [Note: this is Luther’s “first purpose of the Law,” despair of one's ability to save oneself.]
For example: "thou shalt not covet," is a precept by which we are all convicted of sin; since no man can help coveting, whatever efforts to the contrary he may make. In order therefore that he may fulfill the commandment, and not covet, he is constrained to despair of himself and to seek elsewhere and through another the help which he cannot find in himself; as it is said: "O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help." (Hosea xiii. 9.) Now what is done by this one commandment, is done by all; for all are equally impossible of fulfillment by us.
When a man has been taught his own helplessness through the commandments and become anxious by what means he may satisfy the law--for the law must be satisfied, so that no jot or tittle of it may pass away; otherwise he must be hopelessly condemned--then, being truly humbled and brought to nothing in his own eyes, he finds in himself no resource for justification and salvation.
Then comes in that other part of Scripture, the promises of God, which declare the glory of God, and say: "If you wish to fulfill the law, and, as the law requires, not to covet, believe in Christ, in whom are promised to you grace, righteousness, peace and liberty." If you believe, you will have all these things, and shall be without them, if you do not believe. For what is impossible for you by all the works of the law, which are many and yet useless, you will accomplish quickly and easily through faith. For God the Father has made everything to depend on faith, so that whoever has it, has all things, and he who has it not, has nothing. "God consigned all men to disobedience, that He might have mercy upon all." (Rom. xi. 32.) So the promises of God give that which the commandments require and fulfill what the law commands; so that all things may be God’s alone, both the commandments and their fulfillment. He alone commands. He alone also fulfils. Hence the promises of God belong to the New Testament; they are the New Testament.
Now since these promises of God are words of holiness, truth, righteousness, liberty, and peace, and are full of universal goodness; the soul, which cleaves to them with a firm faith, is so united to them, absorbed by them, that it not only partakes in, but is penetrated and saturated by, all their virtue. For if the touch of Christ was healing, how much more does that most tender spiritual touch, nay, absorption of the word, communicate to the soul all that belongs to the word. In this way, therefore, the soul, through faith alone, [110] without works, is by the word of God justified, sanctified, endued with truth, peace, and liberty, and filled full with every good thing, and is truly made the child of God; as it is said: "To those that believed in his name, he gave the power to become sons of God." (John i. 12.)
From all this it is easy to understand why faith has such great power, and why no good works, nor even all good works put together, can compare with it; since no work can cleave to the word of God, or be in the soul. Faith alone and the Word reign in it; and such as is the word, such is the soul made by it; just as iron exposed to fire glows like fire, on account of its union with the fire. It is clear then that to a Christian man his faith suffices for everything, and that he has no need of works for justification. But if he has no need of works, neither has he need of the law; and, if he has no need of the law, he is certainly free from the law, and the saying is true: "The law is not made for a righteous man." (1 Tim. i. 9.) This is that Christian freedom, our faith, the effect of which is, not that we should be careless or lead a bad life, but that no one should need the law or works for righteousness and salvation. ….
Nor are we only kings and the freest of all men, but also priests for ever, a dignity far higher than kingship, because by that priesthood we are worthy to appear before God, to pray for others, and to teach one another mutually the things which are of God. For these are the duties of priests, and they cannot possibly be permitted to any unbeliever. Christ has obtained for us this favor, if we believe in Him, that, just as we are His brethren, and co-heirs and fellow kings with Him, so we should be also fellow priests with Him, venture with confidence through the spirit of faith, to come into the presence of God, and cry "Abba, Father! " and to pray for one another, and to do all things which we see done and figured in the visible and corporeal office of priesthood…. [Note: Luther on “priesthood of all believers.”]
Here you will ask: "If all who are in the Church are priests by what character are those, whom we now call priests, to be distinguished from the laity? " I reply: By the use of these words, "priest," "clergy," "spiritual person," "ecclesiastic," an injustice has been done, since they have been transferred from the remaining body of Christians to those few, who are now, by a hurtful custom, called ecclesiastics. For Holy Scripture makes no distinction between them, except that those, who are now boastfully called popes, bishops, and lords, it calls ministers, servants, and stewards, who are to serve the rest in the ministry of the Word, for teaching the faith of Christ and the liberty of believers. For though it is true that we are all equally priests, yet we cannot, nor should we all minister and teach publicly. Thus Paul says "Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God." (1 Cor. iv. 1.)… [Note: some called as ministers, others not.]
Returning to the subject which we had begun, I think it is made clear by these considerations that it is not sufficient, nor a Christian course, to preach the works, life, and words of Christ in a historic manner, as facts which it suffices to know as an example how to frame our life; as do those who are now held the best preachers: and much less so, to keep silence altogether on these and to teach in their stead the laws of men and the decrees of the Fathers. ...
Now preaching ought to have the object of promoting, faith in Him, so that He may not only be Christ, but a Christ for you and for me, and that what is said of Him, and what He is called, may work in us. And this faith is produced and is maintained by preaching why Christ came, what He has brought us and given to us, and to what profit and advantage He is to be received. This is done, when the Christian liberty which we have from Christ Himself is rightly taught, and we are shown in what manner all we Christians are kings and priests, and how we are lords of all things, and may be confident that whatever we do in the presence of God is pleasing and acceptable to Him. Whose heart would not rejoice in its inmost core at hearing [118] these things? Whose heart, on receiving so great a consolation, would not become sweet with the love of Christ, a love to which it can never attain by any laws or works? Who can injure such a heart, or make it afraid? If the consciousness of sin, or the horror of death, rush in upon it, it is prepared to hope in the Lord, and is fearless of such evils, and undisturbed, until it shall look down upon its enemies. For it believes that the righteousness of Christ is its own, and that its sin is no longer its own, but that of Christ, for, on account of its faith in Christ, all its sin must needs be swallowed up from before the face of the righteousness of Christ, as I have said above. It learns too, with the Apostle, to scoff at death and sin, and to say: "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. xv. 55-57.) For death is swallowed up in victory; not only the victory of Christ, but ours also; since by faith it becomes ours, and in it we too conquer.
Let it suffice to say this concerning the inner man, his liberty, and righteousness of faith. He needs neither laws nor good works, but is injured by them if he believes he is justified or saved by them.
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?" I reply: “Not so, you wicked men, not so.” That would be the case, if we were thoroughly and completely inner and spiritual persons; but that will not happen until the last day, the day of the Resurrection of the dead. As long as we live in the flesh, we are only beginning to make some progress which will be completed in the future life. On this account the Apostle calls that which we have in this life, the first-fruits 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….
In doing these works, however, we must not
think that a man is justified before God by them, for faith, which alone is
righteousness before God, cannot endure this erroneous opinion. We must,
however, realize that these works reduce the body to subjection and purify
it of its evil lusts, and our whole purpose is to be directly only toward
the driving out of 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 in 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 dutifully in all things….
[Note: This is the second purpose of the law, for Luther, to subdue the
flesh.]
The following statements are therefore true: 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. 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. …
Since, then, works justify no man, but a man must be justified before he can do any good work, it is 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 be is free from all law, and in perfect freedom does freely 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. …
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 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 never attaining to true righteousness; of whom Paul says: "Having a form of godliness, but denying its power; ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." (2 Tim. iii. 5, 7.) …
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 they are trained and confirmed in this view by the practice of all earthly lawgivers, the soul can never, of her own power, free herself from this bondage to works, and come to a recognition of the freedom of faith.
We have therefore need to pray that God will make us 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. This happened of old in the case of the prophets and apostles; and now again as blind and impious pontiffs, with their flatterers, do 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.
Source: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/luther-freedomchristian.html