Chapter 21 [XIII.]—The Law of Works and the Law of Faith.

The law, then, of deeds, that is, the law of works, whereby this boasting is not excluded, and the law of faith, by which it is excluded, differ from each other; and this difference it is worth our while to consider, if so be we are able to observe and discern it. Hastily, indeed, one might say that the law of works lay in Judaism, and the law of faith in Christianity; forasmuch as circumcision and the other works prescribed by the law are just those which the Christian system no longer retains. But there is a fallacy in this distinction, the greatness of which I have for some time been endeavoring to expose; and to such as are acute in appreciating distinctions, especially to yourself and those like you, I have possibly succeeded in my effort. Since, however, the subject is an important one, it will not be unsuitable, if with a view to its illustration, we linger over the many testimonies which again and again meet our view. Now, the apostle says that that law by which no man is justified,84    Rom. iii. 20. entered in that the offence might abound,85    Rom. v. 20. and yet in order to save it from the aspersions of the ignorant and the accusations of the impious, he defends this very law in such words as these: “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin but by the law: for I had not known concupiscence, except the law had said, Thou shall not covet. But sin, taking occasion, wrought, by the commandment, in me all manner of concupiscence.”86    Rom. vii. 7, 8. He says also: “The law indeed is holy, and the commandment is holy, and just, and good; but sin, that it might appear sin, worked death in me by that which is good.”87    Rom. vii. 12, 13. It is therefore the very letter that kills which says, “Thou shalt not covet,” and it is of this that he speaks in a passage which I have before referred to: “By the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ upon all them that believe; for there is no difference: seeing that all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God: being justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare His righteousness at this time; that He might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”88    Rom. iii. 20–26. And then he adds the passage which is now under consideration: “Where, then, is your boasting? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay; but by the law of faith.”89    Rom. iii. 27. And so it is the very law of works itself which says, “Thou shalt not covet;” because thereby comes the knowledge of sin. Now I wish to know, if anybody will dare to tell me, whether the law of faith does not say to us, “Thou shalt not covet”? For if it does not say so to us, what reason is there why we, who are placed under it, should not sin in safety and with impunity? Indeed, this is just what those people thought the apostle meant, of whom he writes: “Even as some affirm that we say, Let us do evil, that good may come; whose damnation is just.”90    Rom. iii. 8. If, on the contrary, it too says to us, “Thou shall not covet” (even as numerous passages in the gospels and epistles so often testify and urge), then why is not this law also called the law of works? For it by no means follows that, because it retains not the “works” of the ancient sacraments,—even circumcision and the other ceremonies,—it therefore has no “works” in its own sacraments, which are adapted to the present age; unless, indeed, the question was about sacramental works, when mention was made of the law, just because by it is the knowledge of sin, and therefore nobody is justified by it, so that it is not by it that boasting is excluded, but by the law of faith, whereby the just man lives. But is there not by it too the knowledge of sin, when even it says, “Thou shall not covet?”

Chapter 22.—No Man Justified by Works.

What the difference between them is, I will briefly explain. What the law of works enjoins by menace, that the law of faith secures by faith. The one says, “Thou shalt not covet;”91    Ex. xx. 17. the other says, “When I perceived that nobody could be continent, except God gave it to him; and that this was the very point of wisdom, to know whose gift she was; I approached unto the Lord, and I besought Him.”92    Wisdom viii. 21. This indeed is the very wisdom which is called piety, in which is worshipped “the Father of lights, from whom is every best giving and perfect gift.”93    Jas. i. 17. This worship, however, consists in the sacrifice of praise and giving of thanks, so that the worshipper of God boasts not in himself, but in Him.94    2 Cor. x. 17. Accordingly, by the law of works, God says to us, Do what I command thee; but by the law of faith we say to God, Give me what Thou commandest. Now this is the reason why the law gives its command,—to admonish us what faith ought to do, that is, that he to whom the command is given, if he is as yet unable to perform it, may know what to ask for; but if he has at once the ability, and complies with the command, he ought also to be aware from whose gift the ability comes. “For we have received not the spirit of this world,” says again that most constant preacher of grace, “but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.”95    1 Cor. ii. 12. What, however, “is the spirit of this world,” but the spirit of pride? By it their foolish heart is darkened, who, although knowing God, glorified Him not as God, by giving Him thanks.96    Rom. i. 21. Moreover, it is really by this same spirit that they too are deceived, who, while ignorant of the righteousness of God, and wishing to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to God’s righteousness.97    Rom. x. 3. It appears to me, therefore, that he is much more “a child of faith” who has learned from what source to hope for what he has not yet, than he who attributes to himself whatever he has; although, no doubt, to both of these must be preferred the man who both has, and at the same time knows from whom he has it, if nevertheless he does not believe himself to be what he has not yet attained to. Let him not fall into the mistake of the Pharisee, who, while thanking God for what he possessed, yet failed to ask for any further gift, just as if he stood in want of nothing for the increase or perfection of his righteousness.98    Luke xviii. 11, 12. Now, having duly considered and weighed all these circumstances and testimonies, we conclude that a man is not justified by the precepts of a holy life, but by faith in Jesus Christ,—in a word, not by the law of works, but by the law of faith; not by the letter, but by the spirit; not by the merits of deeds, but by free grace.

CAPUT XIII.

21. Lex operum et lex fidei. Lex ergo factorum, id est, operum, per quam non excluditur illa gloriatio, et lex fidei, per quam excluditur, quo inter se differant, operae pretium est considerare: si tamen valemus advertere atque discernere. Cito enim quisque dixerit legem operum esse in Judaismo, legem autem fidei in Christianismo, propterea quia circumcisio caeteraque opera talia legis sunt, quae Christiana jam disciplina non servat: sed quantum fallat ista discretio, jam diu quidem est ut molimur ostendere, et acutis ad dignoscendum, tibique potissimum ac talibus fortasse jam ostendimus: verumtamen quoniam res magna est, non incongruenter in ea manifestanda pluribus etiam atque etiam testimoniis immoramur. Ipsam enim dicit legem ex qua nemo justificatur, quam dicit subintrasse ut abundaret delictum (Rom. V, 20), quam tamen ne quisquam ob hoc imperitus argueret et sacrilegus accusaret, defendit eam, dicens: «Quid ergo dicemus? Lex peccatum est? Absit: sed peccatum non cognovi nisi per legem: nam concupiscentiam nesciebam nisi lex diceret, Non concupisces. Occasione itaque accepta, peccatum per mandatum operatum est in me omnem concupiscentiam.» Dicit etiam, «Lex quidem sancta, et mandatum sanctum et justum et bonum; sed peccatum ut appareat peccatum, per bonum mihi operatum est mortem» (Id. VII, 7-13). Ipsa est ergo littera occidens, quae dicit, «Non concupisces:» de qua item dicit quod paulo ante commemoravi, «Per legem enim cognitio peccati. Nunc autem sine lege justitia Dei manifestata est, testificata per Legem et Prophetas, justitia autem Dei per fidem Jesu Christi in omnes qui credunt: non enim est distinctio. Omnes enim peccaverunt, et egent gloria Dei: justificati gratis per gratiam ipsius, per redemptionem quae est in Christo Jesu; quem proposuit Deus propitiatorium per fidem in sanguine ipsius, ad ostensionem justitiae ejus, propter propositum praecedentium peccatorum in Dei patientia, ad ostendendam justitiam ipsius in hoc tempore, ut sit justus et justificans eum qui ex fide est Jesu.» Deinde subinfert unde nunc agimus: «Ubi est ergo gloriatio tua? Exclusa est. Per quam legem? factorum? Non, sed per legem fidei» (Id. III, 20; 27). Lex ergo ista factorum ipsa est quae dicit, Non concupisces: quia per illam cognitio peccati est. Volo igitur scire, si quis mihi dicere audeat, utrum lex fidei non dicat, Non concupisces. Si enim non dicit, quid causae est cur non in ea positi securi atque 0214 impune peccemus? Hoc enim et illi putaverunt Apostolum dicere, de quibus ait: Et sicut dicunt nos quidam dicere, faciamus mala, ut veniant bona, quorum judicium justum est (Rom. III, 8). Si autem dicit etiam ipsa, Non concupisces; sicut tam multa praecepta evangelica et apostolica testificari et clamare non cessant: quare lex factorum etiam ipsa non dicitur? Neque enim quia non habet opera veterum sacramentorum, circumcisionis videlicet atque caeterorum, ideo non sunt opera quae habet in sacramentis suis huic tempori congruis; aut vero de operibus sacramentorum quaestio fuit, quando mentio legis ob hoc fiebat, quia per ipsam cognitio peccati est, et ideo ex ea nemo justificatur: unde non per illam exclusa est gloriatio, sed per legem fidei, ex qua justus vivit. Sed numquid et per istam non fit cognitio peccati, cum et ipsa dicat, Non concupisces?

22. Quid igitur interest, breviter dicam. Quod operum lex minando imperat, hoc fidei lex credendo impetrat. Illa dicit, Non concupisces (Exod. XX, 17); ista dicit, Cum scirem quia nemo esse potest continens nisi Deus det, et hoc ipsum erat sapientiae, scire cujus esset hoc donum; adii Dominum, et deprecatus sum (Sap. VIII, 21). Ipsa est illa sapientia quae pietas vocatur, qua colitur Pater luminum, a quo est omne datum optimum, et omne donum perfectum (Jacobi I, 17). Colitur autem sacrificio laudis actionisque gratiarum, ut cultor ejus non in se ipso, sed in illo glorietur (II Cor. X, 17). Ac per hoc lege operum dicit Deus, Fac quod jubeo: lege fidei dicitur Deo, Da quod jubes. Ideo enim jubet lex, ut admoneat quod faciat fides; id est, ut cui jubetur, si nondum potest, sciat quid petat: si autem continuo potest, et obedienter facit, debet etiam scire quo donante possit. Non enim spiritum hujus mundi accepimus, ait idem ipse constantissimus gratiae praedicator; sed spiritum qui ex Deo est, ut sciamus quae a Deo donata sunt nobis (I Cor. II, 12). Quis est autem spiritus mundi hujus, nisi superbiae spiritus? Quo cor insipiens obscuratum est eorum, qui cognitum Deum non ut Deum gratias agendo glorificaverunt: nec alio spiritu decipiuntur etiam illi, qui ignorantes Dei justitiam et suam justitiam volentes constituere, justitiae Dei non sunt subjecti. Unde mihi videtur magis esse fidei filius, qui novit a quo speret quod nondum habet, quam qui sibi tribuit id quod habet: quamvis utrique horum praeferendus sit, qui et habet et novit a quo habet; si tamen non se credat esse quod nondum est; ne incidat in vitium illius pharisaei, qui quanquam Deo gratias ageret ex iis quae habebat, nihil tamen petebat dari sibi, tanquam nihilo indigeret ad augendam perficiendamve justitiam (Luc. XVIII, 11, 12). His igitur consideratis pertractatisque pro viribus quas Dominus donare dignatur, colligimus non 0215 justificari hominem praeceptis bonae vitae nisi per fidem Jesu Christi, hoc est, non lege operum, sed fidei; non littera, sed spiritu; non factorum meritis, sed gratuita gratia.