_What Is Justifying Faith?_
The adversaries feign that faith is only a knowledge of the history,
and therefore teach that it can coexist with mortal sin. Hence they
say nothing concerning faith, by which Paul so frequently says that
men are justified, because those who are accounted righteous before
God do not live in mortal sin. But that faith which justifies is not
merely a knowledge of history, [not merely this, that I know the
stories of Christ's birth, suffering, etc. (that even the devils know,
)] but it is to assent to the promise of God, in which for Christ's
sake, the remission of sins and justification are freely offered.
[It is the certainty or the certain trust in the heart, when, with my
whole heart, I regard the promises of God as certain and true,
through which there are offered me, without my merit, the forgiveness
of sins, grace, and all salvation, through Christ the Mediator.] And
that no one may suppose that it is mere knowledge we will add further:
it is to wish and to receive the offered promise of the remission of
sins and of justification. [Faith is that my whole heart takes to
itself this treasure. It is not my doing, not my presenting or
giving, not my work or preparation, but that a heart comforts itself,
and is perfectly confident with respect to this, namely, that God
makes a present and gift to us, and not we to Him, that He sheds upon
us every treasure of grace in Christ.]
And the difference between this faith and the righteousness of the
Law can be easily discerned. Faith is the _latreia_ [divine service],
which receives the benefits offered by God; the righteousness of the
Law is the _latreia_ [divine service] which offers to God our merits.
By faith God wishes to be worshiped in this way, that we receive
from Him those things which He promises and offers.
Now, that faith signifies, not only a knowledge of the history, but
such faith as assents to the promise, Paul plainly testifies when he
says, Rom. 4, 16: Therefore it is of faith, to the end the promise
might be sure. For he judges that the promise cannot be received
unless by faith. Wherefore he puts them together as things that
belong to one another, and connects promise and faith. [There Paul
fastens and binds together these two, thus: Wherever there is a
promise faith is required and conversely, wherever faith is required
there must be a promise.] Although it will be easy to decide what
faith is if we consider the Creed where this article certainly stands:
The forgiveness of sins. Therefore it is not enough to believe that
Christ was born, suffered, was raised again, unless we add also this
article, which is the purpose of the history: The forgiveness of sins.
To this article the rest must be referred, namely, that for
Christ's sake, and not for the sake of our merits, forgiveness of
sins is given us. For what need was there that Christ was given for
our sins if for our sins our merits can make satisfaction?
As often, therefore, as we speak of justifying faith, we must keep in
mind that these three objects concur: the promise, and that, too,
gratuitous, and the merits of Christ, as the price and propitiation.
The promise is received by faith; the "gratuitous" excludes our
merits, and signifies that the benefit is offered only through mercy;
the merits of Christ are the price, because there must be a certain
propitiation for our sins. Scripture frequently implores mercy, and
the holy Fathers often say that we are saved by mercy. As often,
therefore, as mention is made of mercy, we must keep in mind that
faith is there required, which receives the promise of mercy. And,
again, as often as we speak of faith, we wish an object to be
understood, namely, the promised mercy. For faith justifies and
saves, not on the ground that it is a work in itself worthy, but only
because it receives the promised mercy.
And throughout the prophets and the psalms this worship, this
_latreia_, is highly praised, although the Law does not teach the
gratuitous remission of sins. But the Fathers knew the promise
concerning Christ that God for Christ's sake wished to remit sins.
Therefore, since they understood that Christ would be the price for
our sins, they knew that our works are not a price for so great a
matter [could not pay so great a debt]. Accordingly, they received
gratuitous mercy and remission of sins by faith, just as the saints
in the New Testament. Here belong those frequent repetitions
concerning mercy and faith, in the psalms and the prophets, as this,
Ps. 130, 3 sq.: If Thou Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who
shall stand? Here David confesses his sins and does not recount his
merits. He adds; But there is forgiveness with Thee. Here he
comforts himself by his trust in God's mercy, and he cites the
promise: My soul doth wait and in His Word do I hope, i.e., because
Thou hast promised the remission of sins, I am sustained by this Thy
promise. Therefore the fathers also were justified, not by the Law
but by the promise and faith. And it is amazing that the adversaries
extenuate faith to such a degree, although they see that it is
everywhere praised as an eminent service, as in Ps. 50, 15: Call upon
Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee. Thus God wishes
Himself to be known, thus He wishes Himself to be worshiped, that
from Him we receive benefits, and receive them, too, because of His
mercy, and not because of our merits. This is the richest
consolation in all afflictions [physical or spiritual, in life or in
death as all godly persons know]. And such consolations the
adversaries abolish when they extenuate and disparage faith, and
teach only that by means of works and merits men treat with God [that
we treat with God, the great Majesty, by means of our miserable,
beggarly works and merits].