Concerning Christian Liberty

M >> Martin Luther >> Concerning Christian Liberty


Here you will ask, "If all who are in the Church are priests, by what
character are those whom we now call priests to be distinguished from
the laity?" I reply, By the use of these words, "priest," "clergy,"
"spiritual person," "ecclesiastic," an injustice has been done, since
they have been transferred from the remaining body of Christians to
those few who are now, by hurtful custom, called ecclesiastics. For Holy
Scripture makes no distinction between them, except that those who are
now boastfully called popes, bishops, and lords, it calls ministers,
servants, and stewards, who are to serve the rest in the ministry of the
word, for teaching the faith of Christ and the liberty of believers. For
though it is true that we are all equally priests, yet we cannot, nor,
if we could, ought we all to, minister and teach publicly. Thus Paul
says, "Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ and
stewards of the mysteries of God" (1 Cor. iv. 1).

This bad system has now issued in such a pompous display of power and
such a terrible tyranny that no earthly government can be compared to
it, as if the laity were something else than Christians. Through this
perversion of things it has happened that the knowledge of Christian
grace, of faith, of liberty, and altogether of Christ, has utterly
perished, and has been succeeded by an intolerable bondage to human
works and laws; and, according to the Lamentations of Jeremiah, we have
become the slaves of the vilest men on earth, who abuse our misery to
all the disgraceful and ignominious purposes of their own will.

Returning to the subject which we had begun, I think it is made clear by
these considerations that it is not sufficient, nor a Christian course,
to preach the works, life, and words of Christ in a historic manner, as
facts which it suffices to know as an example how to frame our life, as
do those who are now held the best preachers, and much less so to keep
silence altogether on these things and to teach in their stead the laws
of men and the decrees of the Fathers. There are now not a few persons
who preach and read about Christ with the object of moving the human
affections to sympathise with Christ, to indignation against the Jews,
and other childish and womanish absurdities of that kind.

Now preaching ought to have the object of promoting faith in Him, so
that He may not only be Christ, but a Christ for you and for me, and
that what is said of Him, and what He is called, may work in us. And
this faith is produced and is maintained by preaching why Christ came,
what He has brought us and given to us, and to what profit and advantage
He is to be received. This is done when the Christian liberty which we
have from Christ Himself is rightly taught, and we are shown in what
manner all we Christians are kings and priests, and how we are lords of
all things, and may be confident that whatever we do in the presence of
God is pleasing and acceptable to Him.

Whose heart would not rejoice in its inmost core at hearing these
things? Whose heart, on receiving so great a consolation, would not
become sweet with the love of Christ, a love to which it can never
attain by any laws or works? Who can injure such a heart, or make it
afraid? If the consciousness of sin or the horror of death rush in upon
it, it is prepared to hope in the Lord, and is fearless of such evils,
and undisturbed, until it shall look down upon its enemies. For it
believes that the righteousness of Christ is its own, and that its sin
is no longer its own, but that of Christ; but, on account of its faith
in Christ, all its sin must needs be swallowed up from before the face
of the righteousness of Christ, as I have said above. It learns, too,
with the Apostle, to scoff at death and sin, and to say, "O death, where
is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin,
and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. xv. 55-57). For
death is swallowed up in victory, not only the victory of Christ, but
ours also, since by faith it becomes ours, and in it we too conquer.

Let it suffice to say this concerning the inner man and its liberty, and
concerning that righteousness of faith which needs neither laws nor
good works; nay, they are even hurtful to it, if any one pretends to be
justified by them.

And now let us turn to the other part: to the outward man. Here we shall
give an answer to all those who, taking offence at the word of faith and
at what I have asserted, say, "If faith does everything, and by itself
suffices for justification, why then are good works commanded? Are we
then to take our ease and do no works, content with faith?" Not so,
impious men, I reply; not so. That would indeed really be the case, if
we were thoroughly and completely inner and spiritual persons; but that
will not happen until the last day, when the dead shall be raised. As
long as we live in the flesh, we are but beginning and making advances
in that which shall be completed in a future life. On this account the
Apostle calls that which we have in this life the firstfruits of the
Spirit (Rom. viii. 23). In future we shall have the tenths, and the
fullness of the Spirit. To this part belongs the fact I have stated
before: that the Christian is the servant of all and subject to all. For
in that part in which he is free he does no works, but in that in which
he is a servant he does all works. Let us see on what principle this is
so.

Although, as I have said, inwardly, and according to the spirit, a man
is amply enough justified by faith, having all that he requires to have,
except that this very faith and abundance ought to increase from day
to day, even till the future life, still he remains in this mortal life
upon earth, in which it is necessary that he should rule his own body
and have intercourse with men. Here then works begin; here he must not
take his ease; here he must give heed to exercise his body by fastings,
watchings, labour, and other regular discipline, so that it may be
subdued to the spirit, and obey and conform itself to the inner man and
faith, and not rebel against them nor hinder them, as is its nature to
do if it is not kept under. For the inner man, being conformed to God
and created after the image of God through faith, rejoices and delights
itself in Christ, in whom such blessings have been conferred on it, and
hence has only this task before it: to serve God with joy and for nought
in free love.

But in doing this he comes into collision with that contrary will in
his own flesh, which is striving to serve the world and to seek its own
gratification. This the spirit of faith cannot and will not bear, but
applies itself with cheerfulness and zeal to keep it down and restrain
it, as Paul says, "I delight in the law of God after the inward man; but
I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and
bringing me into captivity to the law of sin" (Rom. vii. 22, 23), and
again, "I keep under my body, and bring it unto subjection, lest that
by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a
castaway" (1 Cor. ix. 27), and "They that are Christ's have crucified
the flesh, with the affections and lusts" (Gal. v. 24).

These works, however, must not be done with any notion that by them a
man can be justified before God--for faith, which alone is righteousness
before God, will not bear with this false notion--but solely with this
purpose: that the body may be brought into subjection, and be purified
from its evil lusts, so that our eyes may be turned only to purging away
those lusts. For when the soul has been cleansed by faith and made to
love God, it would have all things to be cleansed in like manner, and
especially its own body, so that all things might unite with it in the
love and praise of God. Thus it comes that, from the requirements of his
own body, a man cannot take his ease, but is compelled on its account
to do many good works, that he may bring it into subjection. Yet these
works are not the means of his justification before God; he does them
out of disinterested love to the service of God; looking to no other
end than to do what is well-pleasing to Him whom he desires to obey most
dutifully in all things.

On this principle every man may easily instruct himself in what measure,
and with what distinctions, he ought to chasten his own body. He will
fast, watch, and labour, just as much as he sees to suffice for keeping
down the wantonness and concupiscence of the body. But those who pretend
to be justified by works are looking, not to the mortification of their
lusts, but only to the works themselves; thinking that, if they can
accomplish as many works and as great ones as possible, all is well with
them, and they are justified. Sometimes they even injure their brain,
and extinguish nature, or at least make it useless. This is enormous
folly, and ignorance of Christian life and faith, when a man seeks,
without faith, to be justified and saved by works.

To make what we have said more easily understood, let us set it forth
under a figure. The works of a Christian man, who is justified and saved
by his faith out of the pure and unbought mercy of God, ought to be
regarded in the same light as would have been those of Adam and Eve in
paradise and of all their posterity if they had not sinned. Of them it
is said, "The Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden
to dress it and to keep it" (Gen. ii. 15). Now Adam had been created by
God just and righteous, so that he could not have needed to be justified
and made righteous by keeping the garden and working in it; but, that
he might not be unemployed, God gave him the business of keeping and
cultivating paradise. These would have indeed been works of perfect
freedom, being done for no object but that of pleasing God, and not in
order to obtain justification, which he already had to the full, and
which would have been innate in us all.

So it is with the works of a believer. Being by his faith replaced
afresh in paradise and created anew, he does not need works for his
justification, but that he may not be idle, but may exercise his own
body and preserve it. His works are to be done freely, with the sole
object of pleasing God. Only we are not yet fully created anew in
perfect faith and love; these require to be increased, not, however,
through works, but through themselves.

A bishop, when he consecrates a church, confirms children, or performs
any other duty of his office, is not consecrated as bishop by these
works; nay, unless he had been previously consecrated as bishop, not one
of those works would have any validity; they would be foolish, childish,
and ridiculous. Thus a Christian, being consecrated by his faith, does
good works; but he is not by these works made a more sacred person, or
more a Christian. That is the effect of faith alone; nay, unless he were
previously a believer and a Christian, none of his works would have any
value at all; they would really be impious and damnable sins.

True, then, are these two sayings: "Good works do not make a good man,
but a good man does good works"; "Bad works do not make a bad man, but a
bad man does bad works." Thus it is always necessary that the substance
or person should be good before any good works can be done, and that
good works should follow and proceed from a good person. As Christ says,
"A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree
bring forth good fruit" (Matt. vii. 18). Now it is clear that the fruit
does not bear the tree, nor does the tree grow on the fruit; but, on the
contrary, the trees bear the fruit, and the fruit grows on the trees.

As then trees must exist before their fruit, and as the fruit does not
make the tree either good or bad, but on the contrary, a tree of either
kind produces fruit of the same kind, so must first the person of the
man be good or bad before he can do either a good or a bad work; and his
works do not make him bad or good, but he himself makes his works either
bad or good.

We may see the same thing in all handicrafts. A bad or good house does
not make a bad or good builder, but a good or bad builder makes a good
or bad house. And in general no work makes the workman such as it is
itself; but the workman makes the work such as he is himself. Such
is the case, too, with the works of men. Such as the man himself is,
whether in faith or in unbelief, such is his work: good if it be done
in faith; bad if in unbelief. But the converse is not true that, such as
the work is, such the man becomes in faith or in unbelief. For as works
do not make a believing man, so neither do they make a justified man;
but faith, as it makes a man a believer and justified, so also it makes
his works good.

Since then works justify no man, but a man must be justified before he
can do any good work, it is most evident that it is faith alone which,
by the mere mercy of God through Christ, and by means of His word,
can worthily and sufficiently justify and save the person; and that a
Christian man needs no work, no law, for his salvation; for by faith he
is free from all law, and in perfect freedom does gratuitously all that
he does, seeking nothing either of profit or of salvation--since by
the grace of God he is already saved and rich in all things through his
faith--but solely that which is well-pleasing to God.

So, too, no good work can profit an unbeliever to justification and
salvation; and, on the other hand, no evil work makes him an evil and
condemned person, but that unbelief, which makes the person and the tree
bad, makes his works evil and condemned. Wherefore, when any man is made
good or bad, this does not arise from his works, but from his faith or
unbelief, as the wise man says, "The beginning of sin is to fall away
from God"; that is, not to believe. Paul says, "He that cometh to God
must believe" (Heb. xi. 6); and Christ says the same thing: "Either make
the tree good and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and
his fruit corrupt" (Matt. xii. 33),--as much as to say, He who wishes to
have good fruit will begin with the tree, and plant a good one; even
so he who wishes to do good works must begin, not by working, but by
believing, since it is this which makes the person good. For nothing
makes the person good but faith, nor bad but unbelief.

It is certainly true that, in the sight of men, a man becomes good or
evil by his works; but here "becoming" means that it is thus shown and
recognised who is good or evil, as Christ says, "By their fruits ye
shall know them" (Matt. vii. 20). But all this stops at appearances and
externals; and in this matter very many deceive themselves, when they
presume to write and teach that we are to be justified by good works,
and meanwhile make no mention even of faith, walking in their own ways,
ever deceived and deceiving, going from bad to worse, blind leaders of
the blind, wearying themselves with many works, and yet never attaining
to true righteousness, of whom Paul says, "Having a form of godliness,
but denying the power thereof, ever learning and never able to come to
the knowledge of the truth" (2 Tim. iii. 5, 7).

He then who does not wish to go astray, with these blind ones, must look
further than to the works of the law or the doctrine of works; nay,
must turn away his sight from works, and look to the person, and to the
manner in which it may be justified. Now it is justified and saved, not
by works or laws, but by the word of God--that is, by the promise of His
grace--so that the glory may be to the Divine majesty, which has saved
us who believe, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but
according to His mercy, by the word of His grace.

From all this it is easy to perceive on what principle good works are
to be cast aside or embraced, and by what rule all teachings put forth
concerning works are to be understood. For if works are brought forward
as grounds of justification, and are done under the false persuasion
that we can pretend to be justified by them, they lay on us the yoke
of necessity, and extinguish liberty along with faith, and by this very
addition to their use they become no longer good, but really worthy of
condemnation. For such works are not free, but blaspheme the grace of
God, to which alone it belongs to justify and save through faith. Works
cannot accomplish this, and yet, with impious presumption, through
our folly, they take it on themselves to do so; and thus break in with
violence upon the office and glory of grace.

We do not then reject good works; nay, we embrace them and teach them in
the highest degree. It is not on their own account that we condemn them,
but on account of this impious addition to them and the perverse notion
of seeking justification by them. These things cause them to be only
good in outward show, but in reality not good, since by them men are
deceived and deceive others, like ravening wolves in sheep's clothing.

Now this leviathan, this perverted notion about works, is invincible
when sincere faith is wanting. For those sanctified doers of works
cannot but hold it till faith, which destroys it, comes and reigns in
the heart. Nature cannot expel it by her own power; nay, cannot even see
it for what it is, but considers it as a most holy will. And when
custom steps in besides, and strengthens this pravity of nature, as has
happened by means of impious teachers, then the evil is incurable, and
leads astray multitudes to irreparable ruin. Therefore, though it is
good to preach and write about penitence, confession, and satisfaction,
yet if we stop there, and do not go on to teach faith, such teaching
is without doubt deceitful and devilish. For Christ, speaking by His
servant John, not only said, "Repent ye," but added, "for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand" (Matt. iii. 2).

For not one word of God only, but both, should be preached; new and old
things should be brought out of the treasury, as well the voice of
the law as the word of grace. The voice of the law should be brought
forward, that men may be terrified and brought to a knowledge of their
sins, and thence be converted to penitence and to a better manner of
life. But we must not stop here; that would be to wound only and not to
bind up, to strike and not to heal, to kill and not to make alive, to
bring down to hell and not to bring back, to humble and not to exalt.
Therefore the word of grace and of the promised remission of sin must
also be preached, in order to teach and set up faith, since without
that word contrition, penitence, and all other duties, are performed and
taught in vain.

There still remain, it is true, preachers of repentance and grace, but
they do not explain the law and the promises of God to such an end, and
in such a spirit, that men may learn whence repentance and grace are to
come. For repentance comes from the law of God, but faith or grace
from the promises of God, as it is said, "Faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God" (Rom. x. 17), whence it comes that a man,
when humbled and brought to the knowledge of himself by the threatenings
and terrors of the law, is consoled and raised up by faith in the Divine
promise. Thus "weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the
morning" (Psalm xxx. 5). Thus much we say concerning works in general,
and also concerning those which the Christian practises with regard to
his own body.

Lastly, we will speak also of those works which he performs towards his
neighbour. For man does not live for himself alone in this mortal body,
in order to work on its account, but also for all men on earth; nay, he
lives only for others, and not for himself. For it is to this end that
he brings his own body into subjection, that he may be able to serve
others more sincerely and more freely, as Paul says, "None of us liveth
to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live
unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord" (Rom. xiv. 7,
8). Thus it is impossible that he should take his ease in this life, and
not work for the good of his neighbours, since he must needs speak, act,
and converse among men, just as Christ was made in the likeness of men
and found in fashion as a man, and had His conversation among men.

Yet a Christian has need of none of these things for justification and
salvation, but in all his works he ought to entertain this view and look
only to this object--that he may serve and be useful to others in all
that he does; having nothing before his eyes but the necessities and the
advantage of his neighbour. Thus the Apostle commands us to work with
our own hands, that we may have to give to those that need. He might
have said, that we may support ourselves; but he tells us to give to
those that need. It is the part of a Christian to take care of his own
body for the very purpose that, by its soundness and well-being, he may
be enabled to labour, and to acquire and preserve property, for the aid
of those who are in want, that thus the stronger member may serve the
weaker member, and we may be children of God, thoughtful and busy one
for another, bearing one another's burdens, and so fulfilling the law of
Christ.

Here is the truly Christian life, here is faith really working by love,
when a man applies himself with joy and love to the works of that freest
servitude in which he serves others voluntarily and for nought, himself
abundantly satisfied in the fulness and riches of his own faith.

Thus, when Paul had taught the Philippians how they had been made
rich by that faith in Christ in which they had obtained all things,
he teaches them further in these words: "If there be therefore any
consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of
the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfil ye my joy, that ye be
like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let
nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind
let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his
own things, but every man also on the things of others" (Phil. ii. 1-4).

In this we see clearly that the Apostle lays down this rule for a
Christian life: that all our works should be directed to the advantage
of others, since every Christian has such abundance through his faith
that all his other works and his whole life remain over and above
wherewith to serve and benefit his neighbour of spontaneous goodwill.

To this end he brings forward Christ as an example, saying, "Let this
mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form
of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of
no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made
in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled
Himself, and became obedient unto death" (Phil. ii. 5-8). This most
wholesome saying of the Apostle has been darkened to us by men who,
totally misunderstanding the expressions "form of God," "form of a
servant," "fashion," "likeness of men," have transferred them to the
natures of Godhead and manhood. Paul's meaning is this: Christ, when He
was full of the form of God and abounded in all good things, so that He
had no need of works or sufferings to be just and saved--for all these
things He had from the very beginning--yet was not puffed up with these
things, and did not raise Himself above us and arrogate to Himself power
over us, though He might lawfully have done so, but, on the contrary,
so acted in labouring, working, suffering, and dying, as to be like the
rest of men, and no otherwise than a man in fashion and in conduct, as
if He were in want of all things and had nothing of the form of God; and
yet all this He did for our sakes, that He might serve us, and that all
the works He should do under that form of a servant might become ours.

Thus a Christian, like Christ his Head, being full and in abundance
through his faith, ought to be content with this form of God, obtained
by faith; except that, as I have said, he ought to increase this faith
till it be perfected. For this faith is his life, justification, and
salvation, preserving his person itself and making it pleasing to God,
and bestowing on him all that Christ has, as I have said above, and
as Paul affirms: "The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the
faith of the Son of God" (Gal. ii. 20). Though he is thus free from all
works, yet he ought to empty himself of this liberty, take on him the
form of a servant, be made in the likeness of men, be found in fashion
as a man, serve, help, and in every way act towards his neighbour as he
sees that God through Christ has acted and is acting towards him.
All this he should do freely, and with regard to nothing but the good
pleasure of God, and he should reason thus:--

Lo! my God, without merit on my part, of His pure and free mercy, has
given to me, an unworthy, condemned, and contemptible creature all the
riches of justification and salvation in Christ, so that I no longer
am in want of anything, except of faith to believe that this is so.
For such a Father, then, who has overwhelmed me with these inestimable
riches of His, why should I not freely, cheerfully, and with my whole
heart, and from voluntary zeal, do all that I know will be pleasing to
Him and acceptable in His sight? I will therefore give myself as a sort
of Christ, to my neighbour, as Christ has given Himself to me; and will
do nothing in this life except what I see will be needful, advantageous,
and wholesome for my neighbour, since by faith I abound in all good
things in Christ.