The good works of the heathen.
In the foregoing, the question of what to think of the good works of the heathen has already been answered. The question has caused much disputation. By the good works of the heathen or of unbelievers in general, one understands such actions that, seen from the external work (materia), are done according to the standard of the divine law, which still stands in the hearts of men after the Fall.173) That there are such works is attested in the words Rom. 2:14: φύσει τα τον νόμον ποιονοιν [“The Gentiles do by nature the things contained in the Law.”]. Luther also emphasizes that such
169) Rom. 12:1.
170) Dietrich, Catechism, St. Louis Edition, Fr. 142: "Good works are actions done by those born again through the Holy Spirit, out of true faith, according to God's commandment and law, for God's glory alone and to show our guilty gratitude."
171) Walch XIX, 1225 f. [St. L. XIX, 1003].
172) St. L. VII, 1862. Luther (X, 407): "Cursed and damned is all life that is lived and sought for its own benefit and good. Cursed are all works that do not walk in love." — The exposition of the Formula of Concord, that only Christians serve God willingly: 643, 16. 17. [Trigl. 967, Sol. Decl., VI, 16-17 🔗] So especially often the Apology: Non diligimus, nisi certo statuant corda, quod donata sit nobis remissio peccatorum; 107, 110 [Trigl. 153, IV, 110 🔗]; 109, 1 ff. etc. [157, III, 1 ff. 🔗]
173) Rom. 2:15; 1:32.
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works, viewed in terms of outward action, for example, feed the hungry, clothing the naked, helping the afflicted, working diligently and with perseverance in one's calling or trade, etc., are quite similar to the works of a Christian, indeed, they surpass them in reputation. What is to be thought of these works? It is not a doctrine leading to right clarity to say, for instance, "The good works of the unregenerate are rightly called sin, but not in themselves and absolutely." The better way of teaching is when, with the Lutheran Confessions, we refer the good works of the heathen and those of the Christians to the two entirely different areas to which they actually belong. The good works of the heathen belong to the field of civil righteousness (iustitia civilis) or the world kingdom. In this field we praise them as highly as the Confession does, adding — also with the Confession — that God rewards such works also in this world with temporal goods.175) After all, God also wants the world kingdoms, namely as scaffolding for the construction of his church. And inasmuch as civil righteousness is the mainstay of the world kingdoms, God also rewards the works of civil righteousness with temporal rewards. This is the glory and value of the good works of the unbelievers in the civil sphere. But if we ask about their value in the spiritual sphere or in the sphere of the Christian church, they are to be called sin not merely secundum quid, but absolutely and without qualification, because Scripture says without any qualification that the heathen are dead in sins,176) alienated from the life that is of God,177) living without hope and without God in the world,178) going to mute idols,
174) St. L. II, 461 ff. Luther cites Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Scipio, "who are known to have done greater deeds than any Christian ever did; for you will not easily find such strength in war, such patience, and how they endured all kinds of misfortune and hardship in any kings among Christians; nor even among the kings of the people of Israel, as in David and the others.
175) Apology 91, 24 [Trigl. 127, IV, 24 🔗]: "In this life and in worldly nature nothing is ever better than honesty and virtue, as Aristotle says that neither the morning star nor the evening star is more lovely and beautiful than respectability and righteousness, as God also rewards such virtue with bodily gifts. So also Luther (II, 472).
176) Eph. 2:1. <w:t>177) Eph. 4:18.<w:t>178) Eph. 2:12.
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how they are led,179) what they sacrifice, not to God but to the devils.180) Therefore, we sharply distinguish between the world kingdom and the Christian church with the Lutheran Confessions. In the world kingdom, the good works of the heathen are good; in the realm of the Christian church, they are sin. Thus throughout the Lutheran Confessions;181) and one must wonder that in the Christian Church another doctrine was and is allowed to dare to come to light. The Apology presents the matter clearly and sharply from Scripture: "If one is carnally minded against God, then truly the best good works are unclean and sinful, which an Adam's child may always do. Again: If the flesh cannot be subject to God's law, then a man also truly sins, even if he does noble, beautiful, precious good works, which the world esteems great. The adversaries only see the commandments on the other tablet of Moses, which also addresses outward respectability, which reason understands better, and want to think that they are keeping God's law with such outward good works. But they do not look at the first tablet, which commands us to love God sincerely, not to waver or doubt that God is angry because of sin, to fear God sincerely, to trust in our hearts that God is not far away, that He hears our prayer, etc. Now, before we are born again by the Holy Spirit, we are all of Adam in such a way that our heart certainly despises God's wrath, judgment and forbearance, is hateful and hostile to His judgment and rebuke. If then all the children of Adam are born in such great sins that we all of a kind despise God, doubting His Word, promise and forbearance, then truly our best good works, which we do before we are born again by the Holy Spirit, must be sinful and condemned works in the sight of God, even if they are beautiful in the sight of the world, for they proceed from an evil, ungodly, unclean heart, as Paul says Rom. 14:23: 'Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.' For all such saints of works do works without faith, despising God in their hearts and believing as little that God would take care of them, as
179) 1 Cor. 12:2.<w:t>180) 1 Cor. 10:20.
181) A.C., art. 18 [Trigl 51, Augsb. Conf, XVIII 🔗]; Apol. 89, 16 [124, Apol., IV, 16 🔗]; 589, 7 [883, F. C., Sol. Decl., II, 7 🔗]; 594, 26 [891, ibid., 26 🔗]; 602, 59 - 603, 61 [905, ibid., 59, 61 🔗]; 608, 85. [913, ibid., 85 🔗] The quotations of the Formula of Concord in the 2nd article from the earlier confessional writings and from Luther: 595, 28 ff. [Trigl. 893, ibid., 28 ff. 🔗]
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Epicurus believed. The contempt of God inwardly must ever make the works obscene and sinful, even if they are beautiful before men; for God searches the hearts." In this truth, that all works done before faith are sin before God, it is founded that the transition from the world kingdom to the Christian church, that is, conversion, does not take place with human cooperation, but is in solidum a work of grace on God's part. The Formula of Concord expresses this in Luther's words: "Because outside of Christ death and sin are our masters and the devil is our god and prince, there can be no strength nor power, no wit nor understanding, so that we could send or strive for righteousness and life. 182)
False doctrines of the good works of unbelievers are all those who in any way ascribe to man a cooperation in obtaining the grace of God and salvation, and thus actually deny that all works done before faith are sin. Here belong the Pelagians, Semipelagians, and Synergists of old and new times and of all shades. In order to keep the foundation of its doctrine of works intact, the papal church curses all who teach that all works before justification are really (vere) sin.183) Positive newer theologians also deny that all works done without faith in Christ are sin before God. Hofmann assumes that the heathen may attain justification on the Last Day on the basis of the works they have done according to the testimony of conscience.184) That all Unitarians ascribe good works to the heathen is only consistent, since they themselves stand extra ecclesiam and do not want to deny the predicate "good" to their own works.185)
182) F.C. 598, 43 [Trigl. 897, F. C., Sol. Decl., II, 43 🔗].
183) Tridentinum, sess. VI, can. 7: Si quis dixerit, opera omnia, quae ante iustificationem fiunt, quacumque ratione facta sint, vere esse peccata vel odium Dei mereri — anathema sit. [Google]
184) Schriftbeweis I, 470 f.; cf. Baier II, 230.
185) So the Socinian Valentin Schmalz in visp. 6. de bonis operibus against Wolfgang Franz: Certum est hominem etiam non-renatum, natura et ratione duce, bona opera praestare, licet non ita perfecte quemadmodum is, qui renatus est, nec etiam ita perfecta, nec Deo etiam ita accepta, quemadmodum ea sunt, quae quis amore Christi facit. [Google] Cf. Schneckenburger, Small Church Parties, p. 56.
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