Of justification
of the poor sinner before God.
What is the main dispute in this article?
The chief controversy is about what moves God to forgive poor sinful man his sin, how he accepts him by grace and justifies him. That is to say, the question is what and which is the righteousness by which we are absolved of sin and considered righteous before the Old Face of God. According to the Jesuits, it is the righteousness by which we are justified by our own works and obedience. This is poured into us by God, that it may dwell and be in us. We Evangelicals, however, hold that man is justified and eternally saved through the righteousness of Jesus Christ, by grace, and taken by faith, and thus believe that our righteousness does not consist in us, but apart from us [i.e. “objective”], in the gracious forgiveness of sins and the saving merit of Jesus Christ.
How do you actually describe justification?
The justification of the sinner before God is a work not of man, but of God, who through his unfounded goodness, love, grace and mercy, in the merit of Jesus Christ, absolves all who believe in his
Son Jesus Christ from sin and its spiritual and eternal punishment, and thus imputes to them the righteousness of Jesus Christ through true faith.
What should I pay particular attention to in this description?
On these four things: First, that our justification is not the work of men, but of God alone. Second, that it comes from the grace, love, and mercy of God toward us. Third, that it is not earned through our merit, but through the merit of the Lord Jesus Christ, through his bitter suffering, death and resurrection. Fourth, that it is received, appropriated and applied to us solely through faith in Jesus Christ.
Prove it properly, piece by piece, from holy, divine scripture.
The first point, that justification is the work of God, is easy to prove. For it is a good gift: all good gifts, and all perfect gifts, come down from above, from the Father of lights. James 1 [:17] Wherefore Isaiah in chapter 45 [:21-22] saith thus, If I have not done it? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. Again [Isa. 45:25]: In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified. St. Paul to the Romans chapter 3 [:26]: That he alone may be just, and justify him that is of faith in Jesus. Romans 8 [:33]: Who will accuse the elect of God? God is here who justifies. To the Galatians, chapter 3 [:8]: The Scriptures have shown beforehand that God justifies the Gentiles through faith. In these testimonies, justification is clearly attributed to God, that it is his work.
Also a second proof.
Secondly, as to the grace, goodness, love and mercy of God, that the same is the source and fountain of our justification, I prove with the following testimonies:
In Romans 3 [:23-24]: They are all sinners, and lack the glory that they should have in God, and are justified by his grace without merit.
Ephesians 2 [:8-9]: By grace you have been saved, not of yourselves; it is the grace of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Titus 3 [:5]: But then appeared the kindness and the glory of God our Savior, not because of the works which we had done, but according to his mercy he saved us, etc. So that by his grace we might be justified and become heirs of eternal life, according to the hope that is surely true.
Ephesians 2 [:4]: God, who is rich in mercy, through his great love, so that when we were dead in sins, he loved us and made us alive together in Christ.
In the first epistle of John in the fourth chapter [:10]: In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us.
Romans 11 [:6]: If by grace, then is it no more of works.
From this we can see clearly enough how our salvation and blessedness come from the pure grace, love, goodness, and mercy of God.
How do you prove it thirdly?
Thirdly, it is easy to prove that our righteousness is based solely on the merit of Jesus Christ. For from him, through him, because of his death and merit, we receive forgiveness of sins, salvation and eternal life.
Isaiah 53 [:11]: My servant, the righteous, will justify many by his knowledge.
Item [:3]: By his wounds we have been healed.
Isaiah 61 [:10]: I rejoice in the Lord, and my heart is glad. For he has clothed me with garments of righteousness and with the robe of salvation.
Isaiah 63 [:1]: I am he who teaches righteousness, and I am a master to help. I tread the winepress alone, and there is no one among the nations with me.
Jeremiah 23 [:6]: This is his name, the Lord, our righteousness.
Matt. 1 [:21]: You will call him Jesus. For he will save his people from their sins.
John 1 [:29]: This is the Lamb of God who bears the sin of the world.
In the first chapter of the first epistle of John [:7]: The blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, cleanses us from all unremoved sins.
And in chapter 2 [:2]: Jesus Christ is the propitiation for our sin, not only for ours, but also for the whole world.
Romans 5 [:19]: Just as through one man's disobedience many of them became sinners, so through one man's obedience many of them will be justified.
Romans 5 [:1]: Now that we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand.
Romans 4 [:25]: Christ was delivered up because of our sins and rose again because of our righteousness.
Romans 10 [:4]: Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes in him.
In the first epistle to the Corinthians at the beginning [:30-31]: Christ was made for us by God, for wisdom and for righteousness and for sanctification and for redemption, so that, as it is written: Whoever boasts, let him boast in the Lord.
John 10 [:28]: I give them eternal life.
2 Corinthians 5 [:21]. God made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that we might attain to the righteousness that is before God.
In the Apostolic Histories, chapter 4 [Acts 4:12]: There is salvation in no other, nor is there any other name given to men whereby we must be saved than the name of Jesus.
And in chapter 10 [:43]: All the prophets testify to this Jesus, that through his name all who believe in him shall receive forgiveness of sins.
And in sum, we are left with the one foundation of our salvation, of which St. Paul writes in the first epistle to the Corinthians on the 3rd [:11]: No one can lay any other foundation except the one that has been laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Philip. 3 [:8]: I have counted it all dung, that I might gain Christ only, and be found in him; that I might not have my righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Jesus Christ.
Do not all these passages speak of Jesus, do they not all say that Christ is our righteousness, our reconciliation, that in him we have salvation and eternal life? That he is the only reason for our eternal salvation?
Yes, it's no different. Now move on to the fourth piece.
Fourth, that the righteousness which is before God is imputed to us through faith alone, and that through faith alone we become capable of and partakers of the righteousness which comes from God's grace and is merited for us through Christ Jesus, we prove from the unanimous voice of all Holy Scripture.
In the 15th chapter of the first book of Moses [:6]: Abraham believed in God and this was counted to him for righteousness.
Habakkuk on the other [:4]: The righteous will live by his faith.
John 1 [:12]: As many as received him (Jesus), to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.
John 3 [:16]: God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 20 [:31]: These signs are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Matthew 9 [:29]: May it be done to you according to your faith.
Again [:22]: Be of good cheer, my daughter, your faith has helped you.
Matthew 15 [:28]: O woman, your faith is great, let it be done to you as you wish.
In the apostolic histories on 3 [Acts 3:15]: You killed the Prince of Life, whom God raised from the dead; we are witnesses of this. And through faith in his name he has confirmed his name in this one whom you see and know, and faith through him has given him health in your sight.
In chapter 13 [:38-39]: Be it known unto you therefore, brethren, that forgiveness of sins is preached unto you by
this (Jesus), and of all that by which ye could not be justified in the law of Moses. But he that believeth on him is righteous.
In the 16th chapter, the jailer asks Paul and Silam [Acts 16:30-31]: "Sirs, what shall I do to be saved? St. Paul and Silas said: Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you and your household will be saved.
In the epistle to the Romans in chapter 1 [:17]: In the gospel is revealed the righteousness that is before God, which is by faith in faith. As it is written: The just shall live by faith.
Chapter 3 [:21-22 ]: Now the righteousness that is before God is revealed and testified to by the law and the prophets, without the intervention of the law. But I speak of such righteousness before God as comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe.
Again [:28]: So then we hold that a man is justified without the work of the law, through faith alone.
To Romans 4 [:4-5]: To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
In the second chapter of the epistle to the Galatians [:16]: Knowing that a man is not justified by the work of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ, we also believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the work of the law, for by the work of the law no flesh is justified.
The third chapter contains the following testimonies [:6-8 ]: Just as Abraham believed God and it was credited to him for righteousness, so now you know that those who have faith are the children of Abraham. Now the Scripture has already shown that God justifies the Gentiles through faith.
Again [:11]: The righteous will live by his faith.
Again [:22]: The Scriptures have divided all things under sin, that the promise might come through faith in Jesus Christ.
Again [:24-26]: The law was our tutor in Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under the disciplinarian, for you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Oh, dear Christians, open your eyes and see how brightly, how clearly, how explicitly the Scriptures testify that we are justified by faith in Jesus Christ. In these testimonies of works, they do not mention by one word that they are to justify us, but rather rejects them and cuts off all power of justification from them [Matthew 13:9]. Let him who has eyes to see, let him see; let him who has ears to hear, let him hear.
I feel and grasp that your teaching is founded in God's Word. But how can I sufficiently demonstrate that we are not justified and saved by our works?
Just as we have now heard how faith is the only means by which we appropriate to ourselves the power of the merit of Jesus Christ and justification. Now the merit of works is not such a means, because it is entirely separated. But for the sake of more certainty I will add some immovable reasons to prove that we are not justified and saved by our works.
And first of all, the clear examples show this. Speaking of Abraham, St. Paul says to the Romans, chapter 4 [:1-3], What then do we say of our father Abraham, that he was found after the flesh? This is what we say: If Abraham is righteous by works, he has glory, but not before God. But what do the Scriptures say? Abraham believed God, and this was counted to him for righteousness.
Furthermore, he says of David thus [:6-7]: According to which manner also David saith, that salvation is of man only, to whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
St. Paul says of himself that he is not saved by his good works, but by faith in Christ.
In the first epistle to the Corinthians in chapter 4 [:4]: I am conscious of nothing, but in this I am not justified.
Galat. 5 [:4]: You have lost Christ, who would be justified by the law and have fallen from grace.
In the epistle to the Philippians in chapter 3 he writes [:8-10]: What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ's sake, because I counted all things loss for the exalted knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for which I counted all things loss and counted them dung, that I might gain Christ and be found in him, not having my righteousness which is by the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, that is, the righteousness which is imputed by God to faith, to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings.
Therefore he says in the epistle to the Galatians in chapter 2 [:15-16]: Although we are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles, yet because we know that a man is not justified by the work of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, we also believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the work of the law; for by the work of the law no flesh is justified.
So Christ forgave the sin of a man who had broken his sin without any previous good works. Matth. 9 [:2-17].
The publican also went into his house justified before the Pharisee, without the merit of good works, for he was a great sinner. Luc. 18 [:14].
The thief on the cross became righteous and an heir of eternal paradise even without all his previous merits. Luc. 23 [:32-43].
I want to ask something about Abraham: if he was justified without works, why does James say in the 2nd chapter that he was justified by works when he sacrificed Isaac on the altar?
That Abraham was saved by faith and not by works is attested by Moses in the first book, chapter 15 [:1-21], and by St. Paul to the Romans in chapter 4 [:3, 22]. As far as James's word is concerned, one could well answer that the old teachers of the Church from many hundreds of years ago held this book to be suspect, which is why it is not a canonical book. But this time I will answer in another way: St. James does not speak of justification before God,
but of justification before men, how one should prove himself, that the world also may know him to be righteous. James says that faith must prove itself by works, as did Abraham, who was justified before God by faith. But that men should also see his faith, God tempted him, and Abraham obeyed and would sacrifice his son Isaac, so that all the world might accept his faith before God. That this is St. James's opinion, he himself proves in the preceding words [2:18]: Show me your faith with your works, and I will also show you my faith with my works. Here we see clearly that St. James speaks of the demonstration of faith, and that is what he means by being justified, namely, from effect & sight [ex effectu & conspectu] before the world, which sees from the fruits what kind of tree there is.
Now proceed to the other reasons, that you may prove that man is not justified by works.
Scripture says this in plain and clear words, as many passages have already been introduced. As to Romans 3 [:21-31]: The righteousness that is before God is revealed without the work of the law. Again [:28]: So we hold that a man is justified without the works of the law through faith alone.
Romans 4 [:5]: But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Galatians chapter 2 [:16]: We know that a man is not justified by the works of the law.
Again [:16]: That we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the work of the law, for by the work of the law no man is justified.
Ephesians chapter 2 [:8]: By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works.
Titus chapter 3 [:5]: It is not for the works of righteousness that we have done that he saves us.
And how can we be saved by the merit of our works, because we are saved by grace, as has been shown many times above? Therefore St. Paul concludes in
the Epistle to the Romans in the 11th chapter thus [:6]: If it is by grace, it is not merit of works, otherwise grace would not be grace. But if it is from the merit of works, then grace is nothing, otherwise merit would not be merit, as Augustine also says: Gratia Dei non esset gratia vilo modo, si non daretur gratis omni modo, that is: God's grace is by no means grace, if it is not always given by pure grace.
According to this, Scripture testifies that if we were to be saved by works, Christ would have died in vain. So Paul says to the Galatians on 2 [:21]: If righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.
Furthermore, salvation cannot be ascribed to works, because without this we are obliged to praise God with good works, Matt. 5, and yet finally receive no other testimony from Christ than this, of which he says, Luke 17 [:10]: If you have done all that is commanded you, say, we are useless servants, we have done what we were obliged to do.
Beyond this our works cannot merit salvation, because they are wholly imperfect, wholly impure and defiled. For even if we consider our righteousness, that is, our best works, they are still like an unclean garment, which must not be called honorable, as Isaiah says in 64 [:6]: Omnes justitiae nostrae, sicut pannus menstruatae. We are all like the unclean, and all our righteousness is like an unclean garment. The holy apostle Paul says to the Philippians in chapter 3 [:8]: For the sake of Christ he considered all his good works to be harm and filth.
Why then is eternal life called a Merces or reward, if we are not saved by works?
The word reward, merces, is used in two ways in Scripture: first, for a due reward, since there is a right proportion between the merit and the reward. Of this there is no doubt. Secondly, the word merces is also used for a gracious gift from God, which he gives us out of pure grace, without consideration of our services. As in the 15th chapter of Genesis,
God says to Abraham [:1]: I am your shield and your very great reward. Then it is certain that it was not the merit of a mere man who earned God himself as a reward in heaven. And if Abraham had merited the whole world, God would still not have been his reward because of his merit, because God is infinite, but all human activity is finite. Thus in the 127th Psalm this word merces is also written: Ecce haereditas Domini filii sunt, & merces fructus ventris. That is why Luther rightly said: Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is a gift. Here the word merces, which otherwise means a reward, is rightly interpreted as a gift; for children are not a deserved reward of the parents because of their good works, but a pure gift of grace, otherwise it would have to follow that the Jews, Turks and other ungodly people also have such good works, so that they deserve this blessing of the Lord, no sensible person would say that.
In the 40th chapter of the prophet Isaiah it says this about the future of the Lord Messiah [:10]: Behold, the Lord, the Lord is coming mightily, and his arm will reign; behold, his reward is with him. That is, he brings with him many gifts of grace, which he will distribute as forgiveness of sins, righteousness and eternal salvation. In the 31st chapter of the prophet Jeremiah, we also see that God promises those in Jerusalem his gracious help and will deliver them from all evil, saying [:16]: Leave your crying and weeping and the tears of your eyes, for your work will be rewarded. What good works, what merit were there? Nothing everywhere, but evil deeds and sin. Nevertheless, God said he would reward their work, that is, he would look upon them with the eyes of mercy. Just as in the above-mentioned passages the word merces, reward, is used for an undeserved reward, for a gift of grace, so when eternal life is called a reward, it must also mean an undeserved gracious reward, which comes from pure grace, not from the merit of works, because eternal life is a gift of grace. In Romans 6, as has so far been irrefutably proven.
St. Paul says in the first epistle to the Corinthians in chapter 13 [:2]: If he had all faith and did not have love, he would be nothing.
It does not follow from this that love saves and not faith. For St. Paul is not talking about faith that saves, but about miraculous faith, through which it could move mountains. This faith is useless if it is without and against love. Judas had such faith, but it did not help him because he did not have love. Many in that day will praise their miraculous faith and say [:22]: Lord, did we not testify in your name? Did we not cast out devils in your name? Did we not do many deeds in your name? But Christ will answer: I have never known you; depart from me, you evildoers.
Galatians 5 says that faith is active through love.
It is certainly active through love, for every good tree bears good fruit. But it does not follow that therefore love with faith makes us blessed, for faith is considered differently: For one thing, as it justifies before God. There it is considered without all works, united and alone in that it grasps Jesus Christ. On the other hand, how it benefits the neighbor, how it shows itself, and there faith is not found without works, but in conjunction, together, where faith is, there love is also.
But because they are so undivided and united, must love indeed also with faith justify?
This does not follow. The heat of the sun cannot be separated from the brightness of the sun, but is together, but the brightness of the sun does not heat, the heat of the sun does not shine, but the brightness shines, the heat heats. So also, although faith and love are together, it is not love that makes righteous, but each has its own effectum, its own quality. Faith believes and justifies, love loves. And just as love alone loves, so faith alone believes in Christ Jesus and alone saves without love.
Why did Luther add the word alone, Rom. 3 [:28], since it is not in the Greek text?
Luther did not do this out of sacrilege, but for very important reasons. 1. He has hereby declared the emphasio,
the emphasis of the Greek language. For what the Greeks say by εαν μη, the Germans rightly say as alone, as all who are acquainted with the Greek and German languages must testify. 2. Therefore also the Syrian interpreter in Paul's passage to the Romans chapter 4 put the word Balchud, alone, but then, that not with works but by faith alone. Is Syrus supposed to have committed a knave's trick? By no means. Well, Luther, more blessedly, did not commit a knave's play either. 3. About which it is elsewhere clearly stated, Mark 5 [:36], Luke 8 [:50]. tantum crede, only believe. What is that but: If thou hast faith alone. And although someone would say that it is spoken of an obiecto fidei externo, yet to such a one it is to be answered that if the Lord God will have faith alone, and not our own worthiness for bodily things: How much more will he have faith for things pertaining to eternal salvation, which is not based on our own good works, holiness and righteousness, but solely on God's pure grace and mercy and on the merit of Jesus Christ, as the right foundation that can stand, as Col. 1 says: Based on faith & stable (In fide fundati & stabiles]. To this also belongs the example of the thief on the cross, who is justified. But what does he have? Nothing, but solely faith in Christ, solam fidem in Christ. And could boast of no good work by which he could have attained salvation.
4. Thus we also see the use of Scripture, which has used and placed this word alone in the same way. When Moses says in Deuteronomy 6 [:13] that thou shalt serve God, Christ repeats in Matthew 4 thus [:10]: Thou shalt serve him alone. This example is particularly worthy of note. Mark 13 [:32] is in the Greek text: But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, ει μη ό πάτηρ but the Father. Luther did not give it according to the words, but according to the phrasi and emphasi, the emphasis and quality of the Greek language: The Father alone, for it is as much as if the little word μόνος alone had been there, as can be clearly seen from Matthew, who quotes this very passage in the 24th chapter thus [:36]: But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not even the angels which are in heaven, μη ό πατης μου μόνος nisi Pater meus solus,
but my Father alone. The little word μόνος, solus, alone, is clearly there and yet means no more than it does in Mark, although Mark does not explicitly use the word μόνος, solus, alone.
5. Why did the papists in their papal Bible recognize this right in their 20th chapter of the 2nd book of Chronicles [:12]? We know not what we ought to do, but alone our eyes behold thee. There the word alone in the Hebrew text is not sound, yet the papal Latin Bible has it, solum, precisely because the Hebrew values do not reject such a little word solum, but imply it.
For this reason our adversaries may not, with good reason and conscience, reproach Luther, because he translates it in such a way as the nature and characteristics of the language require, of which true Germans can and should judge, but not the Welsh, Spanish, French or the like. Whoever wishes to have a fuller account of this should, for God's sake, read the splendid, beautiful, detailed letter of the chosen man of God, which he wrote concerning this word, printed in the fifth part of his books at Jena, fol. 140, 141, 142, 143, which I will faithfully add from word by word at the end [p. 142 ff.]. Where a papist will refute this letter with reason, we will give way and say that the blessed Luther is wrong, but this will not happen, God willing, until there are 31 days in February. In the meantime, we persevere in the opinion that we are justified by faith and not by works, so that we may be assured of the salvation of our souls. As St. Paul writes to the Romans in chapter 4 [:16]: Therefore righteousness must come by faith, that it may be by grace, and that the promise may remain sure to all the seed.
I realize that you hold that man should be assured of his salvation through his faith and not doubt.
Yes, I believe it is for the following reasons. Why are believers sealed with the Holy Spirit in their hearts? Of course, that they may remain firm, strong and immovable in the faith until the day of redemption. Ephesians 1 and 4, 2 Corinthians 1 Why are the holy sacraments used? Certainly for the strengthening of our faith,
for the assurance of our souls' salvation and blessedness. Hence the sacrament of circumcision is called a seal of the righteousness of faith, Romans 4 [:11]. Baptism a covenant of a good conscience with God, 1 Peter 3 [:21]. Why does Christ, in instituting the Most Holy Supper, say that the blood is given to us and shed for us for the remission of sins? Matthew 26 [:27-28]. Why did God forbid doubt in Scripture, even to the point of making God a liar, who promised to be our gracious God and Father? This is why Christ says in Matthew 14 [:31]: You of little faith, why do you doubt? Christ rebukes unbelief and doubt in John 4 when he says [:48]: Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe. Matthew 6 [:26]: O ye of little faith, behold the fowls of the air. James 1 [:6-8]: Let him who prays not doubt, for he who doubts is like the wave of the sea driven and blown by the wind. Let not such a man think that he will receive anything from the Lord. A doubter is unstable in all his ways. In 1 John 5 it says [:10]: He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony with him. But he that believeth not the Son maketh him a liar. But that faith casts out all doubt is evident from the passage in Hebrews 11, where it says [:1]: Faith is a certain assurance of things hoped for, and not a doubting of things not seen. Against which words of the holy apostle no sophistry can do anything, therefore the believing Paul triumphs thus to the Romans in the 8th chapter [:38-39]: I am sure that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities nor powers, neither things present nor things to come, neither height nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In the first epistle of John, chapter 3 [:14]: We know that we have come from death to life. There is no doubt everywhere.
David, Psalm 27 [:1]: The Lord is my light and my salvation, of whom shall I be afraid? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?
Job is sure of his faith in chapter 19 [:25]: I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will raise me up again from the earth, and in my flesh I will see him.
1 John 3 [:2]: We know that we are children of God, and that when he shall appear we shall be like him, and shall see him as he is.
But is it not presumptuousness and spiritual arrogance?
Whoever therefore relies on his own works, on his own strength, is presumptuous and proud. But he who boldly against all the gates of hell relies on God's Word, on His promise, on the Holy Spirit, on the merit of Jesus Christ, is not presumptuous, but has faith and joy in the Spirit (Ephesians 3), which bears witness to our spirit that we are children of God. Romans 8 [:16] With this joy we can be humble and do all our works in faith, keeping ourselves from sinning, having God before our eyes and serving him with childlike fear and trembling. Psalm 2 [:11-12] If we do this, we have no cause to waver in our faith, but rather to be strengthened.
What is all this for?
It serves that we may know how to be eternally saved, and that we may beware of the errors of our adversaries, who pretend that we shall be justified and saved by our own stinking, unclean, imperfect works, who teach that we should doubt to the end whether we shall go to God or to the devil, to heaven or to hell. For the sake of which error everyone should beware of the papacy. You may misrepresent and embellish this doctrine as much as you like, but it is still against God and expressly punishes God with lies, as reported above.
Let this much be said from some sacred Scriptures about this highly important article for the time being, for it is not necessary to refute all the objections of the opponents. The simple-minded follow the advice of Luther, who says: Even if he could not refute all objections (although he has refuted them all), he would not consider the adversaries (sophistry) so worthy that he would therefore abandon the bright, clear truth, which is irrefutable and irrefutably contained in so many passages and places of Holy Scripture.
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