The standard of good works.
Because man is not autonomous, but according to his whole being and acting under God, it belongs to the right quality of his works that he also lets God alone tell him which works he should do.139) Neither his own will140) nor the will of other men141) should determine his actions. Of all works that have human commandments as their standard, it is said, "In vain do they serve me, because they teach such doctrines as are nothing but commandments of men."142) Even good intention cannot replace the divine norm.143) The Scripture refers to the
139) Deut. 5:32: "Do as the Lord your God has commanded you, and do not turn aside to the right hand or to the left." Matt. 4:10: "You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him alone."
140) Col. 2:23: forbidden. Luther 1, 866 f. Deut. 15:39: "that you do not judge according to your heart's conceit, nor fornicate according to your eyes." XXX [HEBREW] with אַחֲרֵ֤י [HEBREW]: to follow, to follow after. Good is Lucas Osiander on this passage. Of the time of the judges it is said reprovingly Judges 17:6; 21:25: "Every man did that which seemed right to him."
141) Ezek. 20:18: "Ye shall not live after your fathers' commandments." Col. 2:16: "Let no one therefore make conscience of you," μὴ οὖν τις ὑμᾶς κρινέτω ἐν βρώσει κτλ.
142) Matt. 15:9; Mark. 7:7.
143) 1 Sam. 15:22; Jn. 16:2; Acts 26:9. 26:9. Brochmand takes it for granted that the good intention does not make any work that goes against the divine norm good; but that the evil intention makes any work that is outwardly normed by God's command
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setting aside of the divine norm as absolute apostasy from God and idolatry, because the situation is this: Whoever makes himself the norm of his works, thereby actually sets aside God as his Lord and master and makes himself his own god.144) And he who lets his actions be standardized by the commandments of other men, eo ipso puts these men in God's place. Also, according to the Scriptures, it includes a degradation of man if man becomes subject to man's commandments instead of God's commandments alone, because God created man to the honorable position that he should worship and serve God alone as his Lord.145) In the same way, man has been redeemed by the incarnate Son of God, so that he may again occupy the same honorable position, namely the position of a freeman to all the commandments of man.146) So powerfully does the Scripture inculcate throughout and in manifold ways that all the doings of man are to go along merely in God's will and command. To bring out this thought sharply, Luther argues ab impossidili thus: "If thou couldst make the whole world saved by one sermon, and hast not the command, let it alone; for thou shalt break the right Sabbath, and shall not please God." 147) Even the suffering should only take place according to God's will148) and not be a self-chosen one. The dogmatists express it something like this: Norma directrix, secundum quam bona opera praestanda et diiudicanda sunt, est verbum legis divinae, quod perfectissimam regudam iustitiae et sanctitatis divinae continet et tum facienda tum omittenda praescribit. [Google]149)
There is no objection to the fact that Scripture often and earnestly inculcates obedience to parents and worldly superiors. Of course, we should obey the commandments of our parents150) and of the
evil, as Matt. 6:1 ff. (System, univers. th., art. 25, c. 3, cas. 9, p. 258; in Baier III, 322.)
144) 1 Sam. 15:22. 23. Luther on Saul, who preferred to sacrifice rather than make God's commandment the norm of his actions (St. L. I, 866): "Scripture calls it very abominable sorcery, idolatry, and idol worship, if one does not hear God's Word or if one undertakes something without or against God's Word, which is truly said in an abominable manner, especially when one sees how common such things are in the world and are going on.
145) Matt. 4:10.
146) 1 Cor. 7:23: "You were bought dear (τιμής); do not become servants of men!"
147) St. L. III, 1090.<w:t>148) 1 Pet. 3:17.
149) Quenstedt II, 1387.<w:t>150) Eph. 6:1 ff; Col. 3:20.
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worldly superiors,151) if they do not contradict God's commandments,152) be subject to them. But in doing so, we do not fall from God's commandments to man's commandments, because God has made the commandments of parents and worldly superiors His own commandments in those things that do not contradict His commandments. Thus, the rule remains intact that only God's will or God is the standard of good works. Yes, Scripture often and forcefully inculcates this as well: If human commandments want to impose themselves as the norm for our actions, it is part of sanctification and good works not to be subject to these commandments.153) Of course, here again the question arises, which was dealt with especially in the doctrine of sin and the law of God, how the will of God, which is the norm of all men's works until the Last Day, can be known with certainty. Briefly summarized, the answer is: The will of God is not known for sure from the natural conscience, because there is an erring conscience after the fall;154) also not from the law of Moses, because it contains separate regulations for the Jews,155) also not from special commandments, which only concerned individual persons, for example Abraham,156); also not from so-called commandments of the church, because the church cannot command anything beyond God's Word.157) The norm of good works is known for sure only from the Holy Scriptures. From the Scriptures we also recognize which commandments contained in the Scriptures had only temporary validity, and which bind all men at all times and in all places.158)
Just as, on the one hand, it is to be noted that the commandments of men are to be rejected as the norm of good works, and the works done according to this norm are judged: "In vain do they serve me, because they teach such doctrines, which are nothing but the commandments of men,"159) so, on the other hand, it is to be taught with great diligence in the Christian church,
151) Rom. 13:1 ff; 1 Pet. 2:13-14.<w:t>152) Acts 5:29.
153) Acts 5:29; 1 Cor. 7:23; 1 Tim. 4:1 ff.; Matt. 10:37.
154) Jn. 16:2; Acts 26:9 ff.
155) Deut. 11; Deut. 15:32 ff, compare with Col. 2:16-17.
156) Gen. 22:1 ff. Luther I, 1232 f.
157) Matt. 23:8. Luther I, 867: "The church is of no concern to us in this case; … She is a disciple of Christ, and although she teaches, she teaches nothing except what she is commanded to teach by Christ."
158) Luther III, 1083 ff.<w:t>159) Matt. 15:9; Mark. 7:7.
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that whatever Christians do according to God's will is good and great, whether it has any standing before men or not. No one and nothing is good in itself. Only God is good in Himself. "No one is good except the one God." 160) Everything created and what belongs to what is created is only good dependenter a Deo, that is, insofar as it corresponds to the will of God. The idea that something is good independently of God belongs to the realm of dualism, that is, atheism. As self-evident as this is, so often it is forgotten. It is forgotten in philosophy and philosophizing theology, which puts "the idea of good" apart from and above God. It is forgotten in theology in particular when it gives the predicate "good" to human works that do not have their norm in God's command and will. But this also includes the positive side, that everything that is actually done according to God's will and order is eo ipso ennobled, no matter whether it is highly praised by men or deeply despised. Here the dictum "In His Majesty's Service" comes to its proper and full meaning. To this the apostle reminds the Christian servants (δοΰλοι) in reference to the seemingly lowly works of their servanthood, when he writes: "Let it seem to you that ye serve the Lord, and not men." 161) Therefore, all Christians "Against Satan" can and should be spiritually proud of all the works of their divine ordered calling.162)
This truth, that the works of a Christian must be standardized by God's commandment and order and thereby receive their nobility, has been powerfully taught again by Luther from the Scriptures. Luther not only put the Gospel back on the lampstand, but also showed again from God's Word the right form of a Christian life. The Pope had made a caricature out of the Christian life with his commandments of men. Luther should also speak about this in some detail in this book of Dogmatics. He says in his sermon "Of Our Blessed Hope"163): " We have heard many times what good works are,
160) Matt. 19:17.
161) Eph. 6:5-8; Col. 3:22-24. Luther (I, 527): "Here one should not look at what is said or commanded, but at who is the one who commands it. … Whoever looks at the one who commands considers that to be the greatest, even what appears to be the least." (Luther in Gr. Cat. 403, 91-93 [Trigl. 607, 3d Com., 91—93 🔗].)
162) Luther I, 867.<w:t xml:space="preserve">163) On Tit. 2:13. St. L. IX, 952 ff.
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since through baptism and the gospel we have come to the light and knowledge that we know what good works are, which was not known in the papacy. Before the Gospel came. So they sermonized that good works were those that we ourselves devised and mentioned out of our own devotion, such as: one went to St. James, the other to another pilgrimage; the former gave the monks into the monastery and had many masses said; the latter put up little wax candles, fasted on bread and water and prayed so many rosaries, etc. But now come the Gospel. Let us preach, then, that good works are not those which we choose of our own accord, but which God has commanded; as when each one does what God has commanded him to do in his position here on earth. A servant does good works when he fears God, believes in Christ, and enters into the obedience of his master. First he is justified before God through faith in Christ; then he walks by faith, leads a godly life, keeps himself temperate and chaste, serves his neighbor, mucks out the stall, gives food to the horses, etc. When he enters into such works, he does better works than any Carthusian. For since he is baptized, believes in Christ, and waits in certain hope for eternal life, he goes forth, is obedient to his Lord, and knows what he does in his calling, that it may please God. Therefore, what he does in his profession is good and precious. It does not seem that they are great, excellent works when he rides in the field, leads in the mill, etc.; but because God's command and order is there, such works, however small they may seem, cannot be and are called anything but vain good works and services of God. So also a maidservant does good works when she does her calling in faith and does what the wife calls for, when she sweeps the house, does the dishes and cooks in the kitchen, and so on. Although such works do not seem like the works of a Carthusian who has a mask around him and opens people's mouths, they are much better and more precious works in the sight of God than those of a Carthusian who wears a hard shirt, keeps his early hours, gets up at night and sings for five hours, does not eat flesh, and so on. For though these are bright and shining works in the sight of the world, yet they have no commandment and order of God; how then can they be good works that please God? Likewise, if a citizen or farmer helps his neighbor, serves him in any way he can, warns him when he sees
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that he might suffer harm to his body, wife, child, servants, livestock and goods, he helps him. Where he is in need of his help, etc., such works do not seem to be, but nevertheless they are good and precious works. When worldly authorities rebuke the wicked and protect the pious, when the subjects are subject and obedient to their authorities and do so in faith in Christ and in hope of eternal life, these are good works, even though they do not shine or appear to reason. For what God does on earth through His Christians and saints shall not shine nor appear before the world, but shall be black, despised and condemned by the devil and the world. Again, what the devil does through his hypocrites and false saints shall shine and gleam, so that all the world opens its mouth and noses and marvels at it, as if it were a good, precious thing, when it is all devilish deceit and lies. If one consults reason, the works of a servant, a maid, a lord, a woman, a mayor and a judge are mean, small works compared to that of a Carthusian who watches, fasts, prays, and does not eat flesh; but if one consults the counsel of God, the works of all the Carthusians and monks, if they are all melted into one heap, are not so good as the works of a few poor maidservants who are placed in God's kingdom through baptism, believe in Christ, and wait in faith for the blessed hope. These two matters St. Paul wanted to preserve in Christianity: the knowledge of our Savior Jesus Christ and the knowledge of our commanded office, so that we can learn to recognize our Christian status correctly, namely, first, that we are called through baptism and the gospel to be heirs of eternal life, for which reason we should also wait for the saved hope and appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. Secondly, because we have now become Christians and heirs of the kingdom of heaven, that all things which we do by faith in our calling and state are good and precious works indeed; wherefore we also ought to be diligent to do good works. And these two matters we should learn well. The first matter, of blessed hope, we must have for that life, that we may know where we are to abide when that life is ended. The other matters, of good works, we must have for this life, so that we may
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know how we should conduct ourselves in our state and office. Therefore, since we have heard what our saved hope is, for which we should wait, we should now also learn what good works are, namely, those that are done by faith, in our commanded office, according to God's commandment and Word. Although such works do not shine before reason, they are precious in the sight of God, and no Carthusian or monk is worthy to see and know them. So, I am a pastor, that is my office; now, if I believe in Christ and wait for the saved hope and go after it, wait for my preaching and do my office, even though my work is of little repute, I do not want to be with all the monks and nuns and with all their works that they do in the monastery. And so, through baptism and through faith in Christ, I have my knowledge of that life, and through the Word of God, a report for this present life, how I should conduct myself in it. So also a wife is a living saint, if she believes in Christ, waits for the blessed hope and appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, and goes after it and does out of it what is the duty of a wife. For our works, which we do in our commanded office, though they be counted base and small works of the world, are precious in the sight of God, if they be done through faith in Christ, and in the hope of eternal life. But, as I said, the world is not worthy to see and recognize a single good work. For as reason knows nothing of the blessed hope of eternal life, neither does it understand what good works are. Thus it thinks: This maid milks the cows, this farmer plows the field: these are all common, small works, which also the heathen do; how then can they be good works? But this one becomes a monk, that one becomes a nun, looks sour, wears a cap, wears a hair shirt: these are special works that other people do not do; therefore they must be good works. This is how reason thinks. Thus one comes from the knowledge of both the blessed hope and good works." Explanations of the same content can be found in all of Luther's writings.164)
164) Especially also in his lectures on Genesis, where he describes the apparently minor works of the patriarchs: I, 526 ff; 762; 1161 ff; 1179 ff: 1310 f.; 1479 f.; II, 704; 847 ff; 1742 f. Some chief places from other writings: III, 1086 ff; IX, 1205 ff; XIII, 2216 ff; XII, 568 ff. 892 ff. Luther says about the consolation
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