Luther and the Theology of the Cross

The Heidelberg Disputation

Disputatio Heidelbergae habita · Heidelberg, April 1518

Bro. Martin Luther, Master of Sacred Theology, will preside; Bro. Leonhard Beier, Master of Arts and Philosophy, will respond, before the Augustinians of this illustrious city of Heidelberg, in the customary place, on the sixth day before Calends of May 1518.

Theological Theses

Lacking confidence in ourselves entirely like that Spiritual counsel “Do not rely on your wisdom” [Prov. 3:5], humbly we offer to the judgment of everyone who may have wanted to be present these theological paradoxes, so that it will either thus appear whether they are well or badly elicited from St. Paul, the most elect vessel and organ of Christ, and then from St. Augustine, his most faithful interpreter.

1. The Law of God, the most salutary doctrine to life, is not able to advance man towards righteousness, but rather blocks.

2. Much less can works of man, often repeated often with the help of natural precepts, as it is said [by some], advance [towards justification].

3. While works of man are always splendid and seem good, nevertheless it is provable that they are mortal sins.

4. Works of God, while they are always unseemly and seem evil, nevertheless truly are immortal merits.

5. Works of man are not thus mortal sins (we speak of good works as they appear to be), as though they were crimes.

6. Works of God are not thus merits (we speak of those which occur through man), as though they were not sins.

7. Works of the righteous would be mortal sins if they were not feared as mortal sins by the righteous themselves in pious fear of God.

8. By much more are the works of man mortal sins, since they are done without fear in both pure and evil carelessness.

9. To say that works without Christ would certainly be dead but not mortal, seems a dangerous sending away of the fear of God.

10. On the contrary, it is difficult to know how it would be a dead work, and yet neither a harmful nor a mortal sin.

11. It is not possible to avoid arrogance and for true hope to be present, if the judgment of damnation is not feared in every work.

12. Then truly sins are venial before God, when they are feared by man to be mortal.

13. Free will, after the Fall [post peccatum], is a matter of title only, and while it does what is in itself, it sins mortally.

14. Free will after the Fall is able to do good in passive potency; truly it is always able to do evil in active potency.

15. Nor in an innocent state was free will able to stand by active potency, but passive potency, and still less to accomplish in accordance with good.

16. The man who thinks that he wants to arrive at grace by doing what is in him, adds sin to sin, so that he becomes twice guilty.

17. Nor is it that to speak thus gives cause of despairing, but of humbling, and to excite the zeal of searching for Christ’s grace.

18. It is certain that man is thoroughly required to despair concerning himself, so that he becomes suitable to catch the grace of Christ.

19. That person is unworthily called a theologian, who observes the invisible things of God understood through those things which have been made.

20. But [rather] he who understands the visible and back things of God seen through sufferings and the cross.

Signature passages, the lines readers know this work by, are set in a pale wash.

21. A theologian of glory calls bad good and good bad [Isa. 5:20], the theologian of the cross calls it what thing it is.

22. That wisdom which observes the invisible things of God as understood from works, entirely inflates, cuts off, and makes hard.

23. And the law works the wrath of God; it kills, curses, makes guilty, judges, and damns whatever is not in Christ.

24. Nevertheless, that wisdom is not bad nor is the law to be fled, but man without the theology of the cross badly squanders the best.

25. That one is not righteous who works much, but he who without work believes much in Christ.

26. The law says “do this”, and it is done never; grace says “believe in this”, and already all is done.

27. The work of Christ would correctly be called working [operans] and ours worked [operatum], and thus that worked [work] would please God by the grace of working work.

28. The love of God does not find but creates what is lovable; the love of man results from what is lovable to it.

Philosophical Theses

29. It is necessary that he first be well stupefied in Christ who wants to philosophize in Aristotle without danger.

30. Just as one does not use the evil of lust well if he is not married, so too no one philosophizes well if he is not foolish, that is, Christian.

31. It was easy for Aristotle to imagine that the world is eternal, when his opinion was the human soul is mortal.

32. After it was accepted that there are as many Substantial Forms as composite things, necessarily it also had to be accepted that there are so many materials.

33. Nothing necessarily comes about from something of the world, nevertheless, whatever happens naturally happens necessarily from the material.

34. If Aristotle would have known the absolute power of God, he still would have claimed that it is impossible for material to stand alone.

35. According to Aristotle there is no infinite regarding act, yet, regarding potency and material, there are as many as there are composites among things.

36. Aristotle wrongly blames and ridicules the better philosophy of Platonic Ideas.

37. The imitation of numbers in things is ingeniously asserted by Pythagorus, but more ingenious is the participation of Ideas by Plato.

38. The disputation of Aristotle against that One of Parmenides strikes (let there be pardon for a Christian) like a fight of air [1 Cor. 9:26].

39. If Anaxagoras posited infinity regarding form, as it seems, he was the best of the philosophers, even with resistant Aristotle.

40. Privation, material, form, the movable, the immovable, act, potency, etc. seem to be the same in the view of Aristotle.

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Luther’s Proofs

Luther supplied a proof for each of the twenty-eight theological theses. They are given here in full, in the order he argued them.

1. The Law of God, the most salutary doctrine to life, is not able to advance man towards righteousness, but rather blocks.

…lies open through the Apostle at Romans 3[:21]: “The righteousness of God is manifest without the Law.” Which St. Augustine expounds in his book On the Spirit and the Letter: “Without Law; truly without help.” And Rom. 5[:20]: “The Law entered secretly, so that it multiplied sin.” And 7[:9]: “When the commandment came, sin lived again.” From where in chapter 8[:2] he called the Law the law of death and the law of sin. In fact, in 2 Cor. 3[:6], “the letter kills,” which St. Augustine throughout the whole book On the Spirit and the Letter understands as regarding whichever law you choose, and, moreover, the holiest one of God.

2. Much less can works of man, often repeated often with the help of natural precepts, as it is said [by some], advance [towards justification].

Since the holy, immaculate, true, just, etc. Law of God is given to man by God as a help beyond his natural strengths so that he lights up and moves toward good, and yet the opposite happens, so that one becomes more evil; how can those forsaken to their strengths, without such help, be advanced toward good? He does even less good out of his own self who does not do good by the help of another. Whence the Apostle at Rom. 3[:1-12]: “ ‘All men are corrupt and unhelpful, who neither know nor seek God, but all turn away,’ says God.”

3. While works of man are always splendid and seem good, nevertheless it is provable that they are mortal sins.

Works of man seem splendid, but are disgusting on the inside, as Christ says about the Pharisees in Matt. 23[:27]. For they seem to oneself and others good and good-looking; But it is God who does not judge according to appearance, but searches the kidneys and the heart. [Ps. 7:9] But without grace and faith it is impossible for a clean heart to be had. Acts 15: “He cleanses their hearts by faith.”

And so the thesis is proven: If works of righteous men are sins, as the seventh thesis says, much more are those of men not yet righteous. But the just on account of their works say: Do not enter into judgment with your servant, Lord, because everyone living will not be justified in your sight. Similarly the Apostle in Gal. 3[:10]: “They who are of works of the Law are under a curse.” But works of men are works of the Law, And a curse is not imputed to venial sins; therefore they are mortal. Third, Rom. 2[:21]: “You who teach not to steal, do you steal?” Which St. Augustine expounds: certainly by guilty consciences they are thieves, even if in the forum they were to judge and reveal other thieves.

4. Works of God, while they are always unseemly and seem evil, nevertheless truly are immortal merits.

That the works of God are deformed lies open by Isa. 53: “He is not grand or beautiful”, And 1 Sam. 2: “The Lord kills and vivifies, leads down to the infernos and restores.” [2:6] This is thus understood, that the Lord humbles and terrifies us by the Law and vision of our sin, so that we appear to be before the eye of men as we appear before ourselves, nothing, stupid, bad, in fact, truly as we are. As far as we recognize and confess this, nothing in us is stately or beautiful, but we live in the shelter of God (that is, in naked confidence in his mercy) holding in us the response of sin, foolishness, death, and hell, Like that of the Apostle at 2 Cor. 6: “Just like sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; just like dead, and, behold, we live.” [6:9-10] And it is this, which Isaiah in ch. 28[:21] calls foreign works of God, so that he might perform his work (that is, he humbles us in ourselves, making desperate, so that he would exalt in his mercy, making hopeful); thus Hab. 3[:2], “When you are enraged, remember mercy.” Therefore, such a man is displeasing himself in all of his works, none are pretty, but he only sees his deformity. Moreover, on the contrary, he does publicly what seems stupid and deformed to others.

However, that deformity is made in us either with God flogging us or with us accusing ourselves, As that passage in 1 Cor. 11[:31]: “If we were to judge ourselves, certainly we would not be judged by God.” This is what Deut. 32[:36] [states]: “The Lord will judge his people and will beg pardon for his servants.” And thus, the deformed works which God works in us, that is, those humble and reverent ones, are indeed, immortal, because humility and fear of God are merit entire.

5. Works of man are not thus mortal sins (we speak of good works as they appear to be), as though they were crimes.

For crimes are those which also are able to be blamed before the eyes of men, such as adultery, theft, murder, slander, etc. But mortal sins are those which appear good and on the inside are nevertheless the fruit of an evil root and an evil tree. Augustine, book 4, Against Julian.

6. Works of God are not thus merits (we speak of those which occur through man), as though they were not sins.

Ecclesiastes 7 [:20]: “There is not a righteous one on earth who does good and does not sin.” However, here it is said by others [JEROME] that the righteous one does indeed sin, but not when he does good. To them it is responded: “If the verse wanted this judgment, why overflow with words?” Or does the Holy Spirit delight in excessive talking and nonsense? For that sense would have been expressed more than enough thus: “There is not a righteous one on the earth who does not sin”; so why add ‘who does good’ as if another were righteous who does bad? For one does not do good unless he is righteous. But where he speaks concerning sin outside of good deeds, he thus speaks: “Seven times a day the righteous one falls.” [Prov. 24:16] Here he does not say: “Seven times a day the righteous one falls when he does good.” For this is a comparison: It is as if one cuts with a chewed-up and jagged ax, although the worker is a good carpenter, nevertheless, he makes bad and troublesome, and even deformed cuts. Thus is God working through us, &c.

7. Works of the righteous would be mortal sins if they were not feared as mortal sins by the righteous themselves in pious fear of God.

… lies open from the fourth thesis; because to trust in work, to which one owes fear, is to give glory to oneself and to snatch it from God, to whom fear is owed in all work. However, this is totally perverse, namely, to please oneself and to enjoy oneself in one’s works, and to worship oneself as an idol. However, one does everything in this way who is untroubled and without fear of God. For if one were to have feared, one would not be carefree, and therefore would not please oneself, but would please himself in God.

Second, out of that saying of the Psalmist [143:2]: “Do not enter into judgment with your servant,” and Ps. 32[:5]: “I said I will confess against myself my injustice to the Lord etc.” However, it lies open that these are not venial sins because they say on behalf of venial sins there is no necessary confession and repentance. Therefore, if they are mortal sins and all of the saints pray on behalf of them, as it is said in the same place, then the works of the saints are mortal sins. But the works of the saints are good works, wherefore they are not meritorious to them if [they are] not of fear of humble confession.

Third, from the Lord’s Prayer: “send away from us our debts.” [Matt. 6:12] This is the prayer of the saints, therefore their debts are good works, on behalf of which they pray. But that they would be mortal sins lies open from the following: “If you all do not send away the sins of man, neither will your Father of heaven send away from you all your sins.” [Matt. 6:15] Look, these are such that they would be condemned and not remitted, unless they truly pray this prayer and remit others.

Fourth, Rev. 21[:27]: “Nothing polluted will enter into the kingdom of heaven.” But every impediment to the entrance of the kingdom is mortal sin (or, mortal sin must be defined otherwise), however, venial sin impedes because it pollutes the soul and does not remain in the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, &c.

8. By much more are the works of man mortal sins, since they are done without fear in both pure and evil carelessness.

This inevitable logical consequence lies open from the preceding. For where there is not fear, there is no humility, where there is no humility, there is arrogance: [and] there is the wrath and judgment of God: For God opposes the arrogant, on the contrary, were pride to quit, there would be no sin anywhere.

9. To say that works without Christ would certainly be dead but not mortal, seems a dangerous sending away of the fear of God.

Because thus men have become carefree and, through this, arrogant, which is dangerous. Because thus the glory owed to Him is continually scattered away from God, although one should hurry in all his zeal, so that — the sooner the better — he returns to Him His glory. Therefore Scripture advises that “you are not to delay being converted to the Lord.” For if he offends who steals glory, how much more does that one offend who prolongs running off with items and makes himself untroubled in this! But he who is not in Christ or recedes from Him, runs off with glory from Him, as is well known.

10. On the contrary, it is difficult to know how it would be a dead work, and yet neither a harmful nor a mortal sin.

I prove: Because Scripture does not have such a way of speaking about dead things, with respect to which [way] something would not be mortal which would yet be dead. On the contrary, neither does grammar, which says that ‘dead’ is more than ‘mortal’. For the grammarians themselves call that which kills a mortal work, indeed, [they call] a dead work not one that has been killed, but one that is not alive. But that which is not alive displeases God, as it is written in Prov. 15: “The sacrifices of the impious are abominations.” [Prov. 15:8] Second, it is altogether necessary that the will do something concerning such an act of death, namely, either loving or hating it. It cannot have hated [a dead work] since it is evil. It loves therefore, [and] loves a dead thing. And thus in that [act] itself it elicits an evil act of the will against God, whom it should love and glorify in this and in all work.

11. It is not possible to avoid arrogance and for true hope to be present, if the judgment of damnation is not feared in every work.

… lies open previously from the fourth thesis, because it is impossible to trust in God, unless hope is given up in all creatures and one knows that nothing is able to be useful to oneself short of God. But since there is no one who has this pure trust, as we spoke of above, and thus we trust in the creature a certain amount, it lies open that on account of the dirtiness in all things the judgment of God must be feared. And thus arrogance is avoided not in work, but in affection, that is, it displeases us to still be in the confidence of the creature.

12. Then truly sins are venial before God, when they are feared by man to be mortal.

… lies open from that which has been said, because as much as we accuse ourselves, so much does God excuse, like that one: “Speak your iniquities so that you will be justified” [Isa. 43:26, LXX] and that one: “Incline not my heart in the words of the wicked towards explaining excuses in sin.” [Ps. 141:4]

13. Free will, after the Fall [post peccatum], is a matter of title only, and while it does what is in itself, it sins mortally.

The first part lies open, because free will is a captive and slave to sin, not that it may be nothing, but that it would not be free except for evil. John 8[:34, 36]: “He who sins is a slave of sin. If the Son has freed you all, truly you all are free.” From this Augustine says in the book On the Spirit and the Letter: “Free will without grace is not strong except towards sin.” And in the second book of Against Julian: “You all call it free; on the contrary, the will is enslaved &c.” And in innumerable other places.

The second part lies open from what was said above and that [verse] in Hos. 13: “Your destruction is from you, Israel; only from me is your help.” [Hos. 13:9]

14. Free will after the Fall is able to do good in passive potency; truly it is always able to do evil in active potency.

… because while he lives the dead man is able to do something in accordance with life only passively, and even, in truth, in accordance with death actively. However, free will is dead, as signified by those dead ones whom the Lord has awoken, as the holy doctors say. In addition, St. Augustine proves this same thesis against the Pelagians in various locations.

15. Nor in an innocent state was free will able to stand by active potency, but passive potency, and still less to accomplish in accordance with good.

The Master of the Sentences 4 in book 2, distinction 24, chapter 1, putting forth Augustine, thus speaks: By these testimonies it is clearly demonstrated that man accepted uprightness and a good will in creation and the help by which he was able to stand; otherwise, it would seem that he had fallen not by his own fault. He speaks concerning active power, which is openly against Augustine in the book De Correptione et Gratia, where Augustine speaks thus: “He had received the to-be-able-to, if he were to will to, but did not have the to-will-to, by which he would be able to.” By “the to-be-able-to” passive power is meant, and meant by “the to-will-to, by which he would have been able to” is active power.

However, the second part is sufficiently open from the Master in the same distinction.

16. The man who thinks that he wants to arrive at grace by doing what is in him, adds sin to sin, so that he becomes twice guilty.

Because this lies open from what has been said: while one does what is in himself, he sins and searches for himself in everything. But if through sin he should think himself to become worthy or suitable for grace, now he adds arrogance to presumption and believes sin not to be sin and evil not to be evil, which is too large a sin. Thus Jere. 2: “My people sin a double sin, they forsook me, the fountain of life, and dug themselves broken cisterns, which are not strong enough to hold water.” That is, through sin they are far from me, and nevertheless presume to do good from themselves.

Then you say: “Well, what shall we do? Shall we be empty in leisure because we do nothing except sin? I respond: No, but fall down prostrate due to these heard things and pray for grace and transfer your hope to Christ, in whom there is our salvation, life, and resurrection. Because for this reason we are taught these things, for this reason the Law makes sin well-known, so that by experienced sin grace is sought and obtained. Thus to the humble he gives grace [I Pet. 5:5], and he who is humbled is exalted [Matt. 23:12]. The Law humbles, grace exalts. The Law works fear and wrath; grace: hope and mercy. For through the Law is knowledge of sin [Rom. 3:20], however, through knowledge of sin is humility, through humility grace is acquired. Thus a work alien to God, nevertheless leads into a work of his very own: he makes a sinner, until he makes one righteous.

17. Nor is it that to speak thus gives cause of despairing, but of humbling, and to excite the zeal of searching for Christ’s grace.

… lies open from what has been said, since according to the Gospel [Mark 10:14, 16] the kingdom of heaven was given to the little ones and the humble, and Christ loves them. However, they are not able to be humble ones who do not understand themselves to be damnable and stinking sinners. It lies open that not desperation, but hope is rather proclaimed when it is proclaimed that we are sinners. For that proclamation of sin is preparation toward grace or, rather, recognition of sin and faith in such a proclamation. Then a desire for grace rises up, when acquaintance with sin is born. Then the sick one seeks the doctor, when he understands the calamity of his illness. And so, just as it is not a cause of desperation or of giving death, when the danger of his death is told to the sick one, but rather it is to provoke him toward the cure of the doctor of that which is to be lamented, so too to say that we are nothing and always sin, when we do what is in us, is not to make desperate (unless they are stupid) but anxious toward the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

18. It is certain that man is thoroughly required to despair concerning himself, so that he becomes suitable to catch the grace of Christ.

For the Law wills this [outcome], so that man despairs concerning himself, until it leads him down to hell and makes him a pauper and shows him to be a sinner in all of his works, as Rom. 2 and 3[:9] do, when the Apostle says: “We charge that all are under sin.” [Rom. 3:9] However, he who does what is in him believes himself to do something good, does not seem to himself to be altogether nothing, nor does he despair concerning his powers, on the contrary, he greatly presumes that by his powers he is pressing on toward grace.

19. That person is unworthily called a theologian, who observes the invisible things of God understood through those things which have been made.

… lies open by those who were such, and, nevertheless, by the Apostle in Rom. 1 are called fools. Since, of old the invisible things of God are divinity, wisdom, justice, goodness, etc. all these acquainted things do not make one worthy or wise.

20. But [rather] he who understands the visible and back things of God seen through sufferings and the cross.

The back and visible things of God are opposed to the invisible, that is, humanity, weakness, foolishness, just as Paul in 1 Cor. 1[:25] calls them [the visible things] the weakness and foolishness of God. For because humans wasted the knowledge of God by works, God wanted in turn to be known from passions and to condemn that invisible wisdom through visible wisdom, so that thus those who did not honor God manifested from works, would honor him hidden in passions, just as he says in 1 Cor. 1[:21]: “Because in the wisdom of God the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God to make believing ones saved through the foolishness of proclamation.” Thus now it is not enough and not even useful to anyone, who is acquainted with God in glory and majesty, unless he should be acquainted with the same in the humility and ignominy of the cross. Thus he [God] destroys the wisdom of the wise etc. just as Isaiah [45:15] says: “Truly you are a hidden God.”

So Jn. 14[:8] when Philip was speaking like the theology of glory: “Show us the Father.” Soon Christ drew him back in and led his flighty thought of searching for God elsewhere back to Himself, saying: “Philip, he who sees me, also sees my Father.” [John 14:9] Therefore in Christ crucified is true theology and acquaintance with God. And Jn. 10: “No one comes to the Father except through me.” [14:6] “I am the door &c.” [10:9]

21. A theologian of glory calls bad good and good bad [Isa. 5:20], the theologian of the cross calls it what thing it is.

… lies open because while one does not know Christ, one does not know God hidden in passions; therefore that one prefers works to passions and glory to the cross, power to weakness, wisdom to foolishness, and, universally, good to bad. Such are those which the Apostle calls enemies to the cross of Christ. [Phil. 3:18] Because, certainly they hate the cross and passions; truly they love work and their glory; thus, moreover, they call the good of the cross bad and they call the bad of work good. But God is not to be found except in passions and the cross, as was already said. Therefore, friends of the cross say that the cross is good and works are bad, because through the cross works are destroyed and Adam is crucified, who was more edified through works. For it is impossible, that one not be blown up by his good works, who is not first emptied and demolished by passions and evils, until one knows that oneself is nothing and one’s works are not one’s but God’s.

22. That wisdom which observes the invisible things of God as understood from works, entirely inflates, cuts off, and makes hard.

This already has been said; because they who do not know and hate the cross necessarily treasure the opposite, namely wisdom, glory, and power &c. Therefore by such love they become further blinded and hardened. For it is impossible, that desire should be satiated by the acquisitions of these which it longs for. For just as the love of money waxes as much as money itself waxes, so too with dropsy of the soul, where the more it drinks, the more it thirsts, as the Poet [says]: “The more gulped down, the more water is thirsted for.” Thus in Eccl. ch. 1: “the eye is not filled with vision nor the ear with hearing.” [1:8] So with all things in greed.

Wherefore the inquisition for knowledge is not satiated with the acquisition of wisdom, but is further inflamed. Thus desire for glory is not satiated by the acquisition of glory; neither is the desire for lordship satiated by potency and authority; nor is the desire for praise satiated by praise &c. As Christ in Jn. 4 shows, saying: “The one who drinks this water will thirst again.” [Jn. 4:13] Therefore the remedy stands firm, as it is not procured in filling up, but in extinguishing, that is, as the one who wants to become wise does not seek wisdom by advancing, but should become a fool by falling back into seeking foolishness. Similarly, the one who wants to become powerful, glorious, delighted, [and] well-fed in all things, should rather flee than seek power, glory, delight, and satiety in all things. This is that wisdom which is folly to the world.

23. And the law works the wrath of God; it kills, curses, makes guilty, judges, and damns whatever is not in Christ.

Thus Gal. 3: “Christ liberated us from the curse of the Law.” [3:13] And the same: “The ones who are according to works of the Law, are under a curse.” [3:10] And Rom. 4: “The Law works wrath.” [4:15] And Rom. 7: “That which was toward life, was discovered to be toward death for me.” [7:10] Rom. 2: “The ones who sinned within the Law will be accused by the Law” [2:12] Therefore, the one who glories in the Law just as a wise and learned one, glories in one’s confusion, in one’s curse, in God’s wrath, and in death, as to that one in Rom. 2 “Do you boast in the Law?” [2:23]

24. Nevertheless, that wisdom is not bad nor is the law to be fled, but man without the theology of the cross badly squanders the best.

Because the Law is holy [Rom. 7:12] and every gift of God good [1 Tim. 4:4], [and] every created thing good (powerfully put in Gen. 1[:31]). But, just as was said above, the one who is not yet destroyed, driven back toward nothing through the cross and passion, bestows works and wisdom on oneself, moreover, not to God, and thus wastes the gifts of God and pollutes them.

Truly, the one who is emptied by passions, now does not work, but knows that God works and does all in him. Therefore, whether one works or not, it is the same to him, that one neither glories if he works, nor gets mixed up if God does not work in him: he understands that it is enough, if he suffers and is destroyed through the cross, so that he is annihilated further. But this is what Christ said in Jn. 3[:7]: “It is necessary you all be born again.” If one is to be born again, then one needs to first die and be lifted up with the Son of Man: to die, I say, that is, to feel death at hand.

25. That one is not righteous who works much, but he who without work believes much in Christ.

Because the righteousness of God is not acquired from acts frequently repeated, as Aristotle taught, but is poured in through faith. “For the righteous live by faith” (Rom. 1) and [chapter] 10: “It is believed by the heart towards righteousness.” [10:10] Whence I want that phrase “without work” to be understood thus: It is not that the righteous one works nothing, but that his works do not produce his righteous, but rather his righteousness produces works. For grace and faith are poured in without our work, from which in-pouring works follow. So it is said in Rom. 3: “Every man will not be justified from works of the Law.” [3:20] And Rom. 3: “For we hold that men are justified through faith without works of the Law,” [3:28] that is, works can do nothing toward justification. Then, for that reason, one knows that works, which one produces from such faith, are not his but of God. Therefore, one does not seek to have himself be justified or glorified through these, but seeks God: to him his justification from Christian faith is sufficient, that is, that Christ may be his wisdom, righteousness, &c. as it is said in 1 Cor. 1[:30], that he himself truly may be Christ’s service or instrument.

26. The law says “do this”, and it is done never; grace says “believe in this”, and already all is done.

The first claim lies open through the Apostle and his interpreter St. Augustine in many places, and above it was sufficiently said, that the Law rather works wrath and keeps all under a curse. The second claim lies open from the same, because faith justifies, and the Law (says St. Augustine) reigns, what faith obtains [N.B. play on words]. For Christ is thus in us through faith, or rather, he is one with us. Yet, Christ is righteous and fulfills all the commandments of God, whereby we also fulfill all things through him himself, while he is made ours through faith.

27. The work of Christ would correctly be called working [operans] and ours worked [operatum], and thus that worked [work] would please God by the grace of working work.

Because, while Christ dwells in us through faith, he stirs us to works through that living faith in his works. For the works, which he himself does, are fulfillments of God’s commands given to us through faith, which when we consider them, we are moved toward imitation of them. Therefore, the Apostle says: “Be imitators of God, just as beloved sons.” [Eph. 5:1] Whence works of mercy are aroused toward his works, by which he saved us, As St. Gregory says: “Each work of Christ is our instruction, or rather propulsion.” If his act is in us, it lives through faith, for he vigorously entices like that verse: “Take me after you, we run toward the scent of your oils.” [Song of Sol. 1:4, 3] [Search Luther’s commentary for his further thoughts on this]

28. The love of God does not find but creates what is lovable; the love of man results from what is lovable to it.

The second part lies open and is of every philosopher and theologian, because the cause of love is the object assuming, like Aristotle, that all potency of the spirit is passive and is material and acts in receiving, so that thus he testifies that even his philosophy is contrary to theology, as long as it seeks in all things those which are its and accepts rather than gives good. The first part lies open, because the love of God which lives in man, cherishes sinners, evil ones, fools, and the frail, so that he makes them righteous, good, wise, robust, and thus the love of God both rather pours forth and grants good. For, therefore, sinners are good-looking because they are cherished; they are not cherished, because they are good-looking. Therefore, the love of man flees from sinners and evil ones. So Christ: “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” [Matt. 9:13] And that is the love of the cross born of the cross, which transfers itself to where it does not find good which it might enjoy, but where it joins good together with the evil and destitute. For “to give is more blessed than to receive,” says the Apostle. [Acts 20:35] Whence Ps. 41: “Blessed is he who realizes the destitute and poor;” [Ps. 41:1] yet, intellect is not able to be by nature that object which is nothing, that is, the poor or the destitute, but those things of essence: the concrete and the good. Therefore it exposes according to appearance, accepts the character of men, and judges according to that which lies open.

Luther’s Closing Word

These theses were discussed and also disputed by me, so that I would show, first, that the Sophists of all the schools have strayed far and wide from Aristotle’s opinion and also plainly imported their dreams into Aristotle’s books whom they did not understand. Then, so that I would show that, if we should hold his understanding as entirely as how I have delivered here, nevertheless entirely nothing helpful can be had from the very man himself, not only for theology or Holy Scripture, but, yes, even for his own natural philosophy. For does it help the knowledge of things any, if you should be able to cajolingly dupe and banter about material, form, motion, finity, and time with words conceived and prescribed by Aristotle?

The forty theses and Luther’s proofs are reproduced from Luther’s Works: The Freely Given Edition (trans. Luke Smith), released into the public domain under CC0. Historical and theological framing prepared and set for the web by Reformed Dogmatika.