The Argument of the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Galatians

First of all it behooves that we speak of the Argument of this Epistle: that is to say, what matter Saint Paul here chiefly treats of. The Argument is this.

Saint Paul goes about to establish the doctrine of faith, grace, forgiveness of sins, or Christian righteousness, to the end that we may have a perfect knowledge and difference between Christian righteousness, and all other kinds of righteousness. For there be diverse sorts of righteousness. There is a political or civil righteousness, which emperors, princes of the world, philosophers and lawyers deal with. There is also a ceremonial righteousness, which the traditions of men do teach. This righteousness parents and schoolmasters may teach without danger, because they do not attribute to it any virtue to satisfy for sin, to please God, or to deserve grace: but they teach such ceremonies as are only necessary for the correction of manners, and certain observations concerning this life. Besides these, there is another righteousness, which is called the righteousness of the law, or of the ten commandments, which Moses teaches. This do we also teach after the doctrine of faith.

There is yet another righteousness, which is above all these: to wit, the righteousness of faith, or Christian righteousness, the which we must diligently discern from the other previously mentioned: for they are quite contrary to this righteousness, both because they flow out of the laws of emperors, the traditions of the Pope, and the commandments of God, and because they consist also in our works, and may be done by us either by our pure natural strength (as the sophists term it), or else by the gift of God. For these kinds of righteousness are also the gift of God, like as other good things are which we do enjoy.

But this most excellent righteousness, of faith I mean, (which God through Christ, without works imputes to us) is neither political, nor ceremonial, nor the righteousness of God's law, nor consists in works, but is clean contrary: that is to say, a mere passive righteousness, as the other above are active. For in this we work nothing, we render nothing to God: but only we receive and suffer another to work in us, that is to say, God. [reconstructed: Therefore] it seems good to me to call this righteousness of faith, or Christian righteousness, the passive righteousness.

This is a righteousness hidden in a mystery, which the world does not know, yea Christians themselves do not thoroughly understand it, and can hardly take hold of it in their temptations. Therefore it must be diligently taught and continually practiced. And whoever does not understand or apprehend this righteousness in afflictions and terrors of conscience, needs be overthrown. For there is no comfort of conscience so firm and so sure as this passive righteousness is.

But man's weakness and misery is so great, that in the terrors of conscience and danger of death, we behold nothing else but our works, our worthiness and the law: which when it shows to us our sin, by and by [reconstructed: our] evil life past comes to remembrance. Then the poor sinner with great anguish of spirit groans, and thus thinks with himself: Alas how desperately have I lived? Would to God I might live longer: Then would I amend my life. Thus man's reason can not restrain itself from the sight and beholding of this active or working righteousness, that is to say, her own righteousness: nor lift up her eyes to the beholding of the passive or Christian righteousness, but rests altogether in the active righteousness: So deeply is this evil rooted in us.

On the other side, Satan abusing the infirmity of our nature, does increase and aggravate these thoughts in us. Then can it not be but that the poor conscience must be more grievously troubled, confounded, and terrified. For it is impossible that the mind of man, of itself should conceive any comfort, or look up to grace only, in the feeling and horror of sin, or constantly reject all disputing and reasoning about works. For this is far above man's strength and capacity, yea, and above the law of God also. True it is, that of all things in the world, the law is most excellent: yet is it not able to quiet a troubled conscience, but increases terrors, and drives it to desperation. For by the law, sin is made beyond measure sinful (Romans 7:13).

Therefore the afflicted and troubled conscience has no remedy against desperation and eternal death, unless it take hold of the forgiveness of sins by grace, freely offered in Christ Jesus: that is to say, this passive righteousness of faith or Christian righteousness. Which if it can apprehend, then may it be at quiet, and boldly say: I seek not this active or working righteousness: although I know that I ought to have it, and to fulfill it. But be it so that I had it, and did fulfill it indeed: yet notwithstanding I can not trust to it, neither dare I set it against the judgment of God. Thus I abandon myself from all active righteousness, both of my own and of God's law, and embrace only that passive righteousness, which is the righteousness of grace, mercy, and forgiveness of sins: briefly I rest only upon that righteousness which is the righteousness of Christ and of the Holy Ghost.

Like as the earth produces not rain, nor is able by her own strength, labor and effort to procure the same, but receives it of the mere gift of God from above: so this heavenly righteousness is given to us of God without our works or deservings. Look then how much the earth of itself is able to do in getting and procuring to itself seasonable showers of rain to make it fruitful: even so much and no more are we able to do by our own strength and works in winning this heavenly and eternal righteousness, and therefore shall never be able to attain to it, unless God himself by mere imputation and by his unspeakable gift does bestow it upon us. The greatest knowledge then and the greatest wisdom of Christians is, not to know the law, to be ignorant of works and of the whole active righteousness, especially when the conscience wrestles with the judgment of God. Like as on the contrary, among those which are not of the number of God's people, the greatest point of wisdom is, to know and earnestly to urge the law and the active righteousness.

But it is a thing very strange and unknown to the world, to teach Christians to learn to be ignorant of the law, and so to live before God, as if there were no law. For unless you are ignorant of the law, and are assuredly persuaded in your heart that there is now no law nor wrath of God: but altogether grace and mercy for Christ's sake, you cannot be saved: for by the law comes the knowledge of sin. Contrariwise, works and the keeping of the law must be so strictly required in the world, as if there were no promise or grace: and that because of the stubborn, proud, and hard-hearted, before whose eyes nothing must be set but the law, that they may be terrified and humbled. For the law is given to terrify and to kill such, and to exercise the old man: and both the word of grace and of wrath must be rightly divided, according to the saying of the Apostle in the second Epistle to Timothy, chapter 2, verse 15.

Here then is required a wise and faithful dispenser of the word of God, who can so moderate the law, that it may be kept within its bounds. He who teaches that men are justified before God by the observance of the law, passes the bounds of the law, and confounds these two kinds of righteousness, active and passive, and is but a poor logician, for he does not rightly divide. Contrariwise, he who sets forth the law and works to the old man, and the promise of forgiveness of sins and God's mercy to the new man, divides the word well. For the flesh or the old man must be coupled with the law and works: the spirit or new man must be joined with the promise of God and his mercy. Therefore, when I see a man who is bruised enough already, oppressed with the law, terrified with sin, and thirsting for comfort, it is time that I should remove out of his sight the law and active righteousness, and that I should set before him by the Gospel the Christian and passive righteousness: which, excluding Moses with his law, offers the promise made in Christ, who came for the afflicted, and for sinners. Here is man raised up again, and he conceives good hope: neither is he any longer under the law, but under grace. How not under the law? According to the new man, to whom the law does not pertain. For the law has its bounds only until Christ, as Paul says afterward: The law continues until Christ: who being come, Moses ceases with his law, Circumcision, the Sacrifices, the Sabbaths, indeed, and all the Prophets.

This is our divinity: whereby we teach how to put a difference between these two kinds of righteousness, active and passive: to the end that manners and faith, works and grace, policy and religion, should not be confounded or taken one for the other. Both are necessary: but both must be kept within their bounds. Christian righteousness pertains to the new man, and the righteousness of the law pertains to the old man, who is born of flesh and blood. Upon this old man, as upon an ass, there must be laid a burden that may press him down: and he must not enjoy the freedom of the spirit or grace, unless he first puts on the new man by faith in Christ, (which nevertheless is not fully done in this life): then may he enjoy the kingdom and inestimable gift of grace.

This I say to the end that no man should think we reject or forbid good works, as the Papists do most falsely slander us, neither understanding what they themselves say, nor what we teach. They know nothing but the righteousness of the law, and yet they will judge of that doctrine which is far above the law: of which it is impossible that the carnal man should be able to judge. Therefore they must needs be offended: for they can see no higher than the law. Whatever then is above the law, is to them a great offense. But we imagine, as it were, two worlds: the one heavenly, and the other earthly. In these we place these two kinds of righteousness, being separate the one far from the other. The righteousness of the law is earthly and has to do with earthly things, and by it we do good works. But as the earth brings not forth fruit unless first it be watered and made fruitful from above: even so by the righteousness of the law in doing many things we do nothing, and in fulfilling of the law we fulfill it not, unless first, without any merit or work of ours, we are made righteous by the Christian righteousness, which has nothing to do with the righteousness of the law or the earthly and active righteousness. But this righteousness is heavenly: which (as is said) we have not of ourselves, but receive it from heaven: which we do not work, but which by grace is wrought in us, and apprehended by faith: whereby we mount up above all laws and works. Therefore, as we have borne (as Saint Paul says) the image of the earthly Adam: so let us bear the image of the heavenly, which is the new man in a new world, where there is no law, no sin, no remorse of conscience, no death, but perfect joy, righteousness, grace, peace, life, salvation and glory.

Why? Do we then do nothing? Do we work nothing for the obtaining of this righteousness? I answer: nothing at all. For this is perfect righteousness, to do nothing, to hear nothing, to know nothing of the law, or of works: but to know and to believe this only, that Christ is gone to the Father, and is not now seen: that he sits in heaven at the right hand of his Father, not as a judge, but made to us of God, wisdom, righteousness, holiness and redemption: briefly, that he is our high Priest, interceding for us, and reigning over us and in us by grace. In this heavenly righteousness, sin can have no place: for there is no law, and where no law is, there can be no transgression.

Since sin has no place here, there can be no anguish of conscience, no fear, no heaviness. Therefore Saint John says: he that is born of God cannot sin. But if there is any fear or grief of conscience, it is a sign that this righteousness is withdrawn, that grace is hidden and out of sight, and that Christ is darkened and not to be seen. But where Christ is truly seen in deed, there must be full and perfect joy in the Lord, with peace of conscience, which most certainly thinks: Although I am a sinner by the law, and under the condemnation of the law, yet I do not despair, yet I do not die because Christ lives, who is both my righteousness and my everlasting life. In that righteousness and life I have no sin, no fear, no sting of conscience, no care of death. I am indeed a sinner as touching this present life, and the righteousness thereof, as the child of Adam: where the law accuses me, death reigns over me, and at length will devour me. But I have another righteousness and life above this life, which is Christ the Son of God, who knows no sin nor death, but is righteousness and eternal life: by whom, this my body being dead and brought into dust, shall be raised up again, and delivered from the bondage of the law and sin, and shall be sanctified together with the spirit.

So both these continue while we live here. The flesh is accused, exercised with temptations, oppressed with heaviness and sorrow, bruised by this active righteousness of the law: but the spirit reigns, rejoices, and is saved by this passive and Christian righteousness, because it knows that it has a Lord in heaven at the right hand of his Father, who has abolished the law, sin, death, and has trodden under his feet all evils, led them captive, and triumphed over them in himself. (Colossians 2:15)

Saint Paul therefore in this Epistle diligently goes about to instruct us, to comfort us, to hold us in the perfect knowledge of this most excellent and Christian righteousness. For if the article of Justification is once lost, then all true Christian doctrine is lost. And as many as are in the world who hold not this doctrine are either Jews, Turks, Papists, or heretics. For between the righteousness of the law and the Christian righteousness, there is no middle ground. He then who strays from this Christian righteousness must fall into the righteousness of the law: that is to say, when he has lost Christ, he must fall into the confidence of his own works.

Therefore we so often repeat, and so earnestly set forth this doctrine of Faith or Christian righteousness, that by this means it may be kept in continual exercise, and may be plainly discerned from the active righteousness of the law. Otherwise we shall never be able to hold the true divinity (for by this one doctrine the Church is built, and in this it consists) but by and by we shall either become Canonists, observers of Ceremonies, observers of the law, or Papists, and Christ so darkened that none in the Church shall be either rightly taught or comforted. Therefore, if we will be teachers and leaders of others, it behooves us to have great care of these matters, and to mark well this distinction between the righteousness of the law and the righteousness of Christ. And this distinction is easy to utter in words: but in use and experience it is very hard, though it be never so diligently exercised and practiced, for in the hour of death, or in other agonies of the conscience, these two sorts of righteousness encounter more nearly together than you would wish or desire. Therefore I admonish you, especially such as shall become instructors and guides of consciences, and also every one apart, that you exercise yourselves continually by study, by reading, by meditation of the word, and by prayer, that in the time of temptation you may be able to instruct and comfort both your own consciences and others, and to bring them from the law to grace, from the active and working righteousness to the passive and received righteousness: and to conclude, from Moses to Christ. For the devil is accustomed in affliction, and in the conflict of conscience, by the law to make us afraid, and to lay against us the conscience of sin, our wicked life past, the wrath and judgment of God, hell and eternal death, that by this means he may drive us to desperation, make us bondslaves to himself, and pluck us from Christ. Furthermore, he is accustomed to set against us those places of the gospel, wherein Christ himself requires works of us, and with plain words threatens damnation to those who do not do them. Now, if here we are not able to judge between these two kinds of righteousness: if we do not take hold of Christ by faith sitting at the right hand of God, who makes intercession to the Father for us miserable sinners, then we are under the law and not under grace, and Christ is no more a Savior but a lawgiver: so that now there remains no more salvation, but certain desperation and everlasting death except repentance follow.

Let us then diligently learn to judge between these two kinds of righteousness, that we may know how far we ought to obey the law. Now, we have said before, that the law in a Christian ought not to pass his bounds, but ought to have dominion only upon the flesh, which is in subjection to it and remains under the same. When it is thus, the law is kept within his bounds. But if it shall presume to creep into your conscience and there seek to reign, see you play the cunning logician, and make true division. Give no more to the law than is convenient: but say you: O law, you would climb up into the kingdom of my conscience and there reign and reprove it of sin, and would take from me the joy of my heart which I have by faith in Christ, and drive me to desperation, that I might be without all hope and utterly perish. This you do besides your office, keep yourself within your bounds, and exercise your power upon the flesh: but touch not my conscience, for I am baptized, and by the gospel am called to the partaking of righteousness and of everlasting life, to the kingdom of Christ, wherein my conscience is at rest, where no law is, but altogether forgiveness of sins, peace, quietness, joy, health and everlasting life. Trouble me not in these matters, for I will not suffer you so intolerable a tyrant and cruel tormentor to reign in my conscience: for it is the seat and temple of Christ the Son of God, who is the King of righteousness and peace, and my most sweet Savior and Mediator: he shall keep my conscience joyful and quiet in the sound and pure doctrine of the gospel and in the knowledge of this Christian and heavenly righteousness.

When I have this righteousness reigning in my heart, I descend from heaven as the rain making fruitful the earth: that is to say, I come forth into another kingdom, and I do good works how and whenever occasion is offered. If I be a minister of the word, I preach, I comfort the broken-hearted, I administer the sacraments. If I be a householder, I govern my house and my family, I bring up my children in the knowledge and fear of God. If I be a magistrate, the charge that is given me from above I diligently execute. If I be a servant, I do my master's business faithfully. To conclude, whoever he be that is assuredly persuaded that Christ is his righteousness, he does not only cheerfully and gladly work well in his vocation, but also submits himself through love to the magistrates and to their laws, yes though they be severe, sharp, and cruel, and (if necessity does so require) to all manner of burdens and dangers of this present life, because he knows that this is the will of God, and that this obedience is acceptable to him. Thus far as concerning the argument of this Epistle, which Saint Paul has taken in hand to treat of, taking occasion of false teachers which had darkened this righteousness of faith among the Galatians, against whom he commends his authority and office.

We must first speak of the argument of this epistle — that is, what subject Saint Paul is chiefly treating. The argument is this.

Saint Paul works to establish the doctrine of faith, grace, forgiveness of sins, and Christian righteousness, so that we may have a clear and thorough understanding of the difference between Christian righteousness and all other kinds of righteousness. There are several kinds of righteousness. There is a political or civil righteousness, which emperors, worldly rulers, philosophers, and lawyers deal with. There is also a ceremonial righteousness, which is taught by human traditions. This ceremonial righteousness parents and teachers may safely teach, because they do not claim it has any power to pay for sin, to please God, or to earn grace — they teach such customs only as are useful for shaping behavior and maintaining order in this life. Besides these, there is the righteousness of the law, or of the Ten Commandments, which Moses teaches. We teach this kind of righteousness as well, in its proper place after the doctrine of faith.

There is yet another righteousness above all these: the righteousness of faith, or Christian righteousness, which we must carefully distinguish from the others just mentioned. These other forms of righteousness are completely opposite to Christian righteousness — they flow from the laws of emperors, the traditions of the pope, and the commandments of God, and they all consist in our own works, accomplished either by our natural ability (as the scholastic theologians call it) or by God's enabling gift. For these forms of righteousness are also gifts of God, like the other good things we enjoy.

But this most excellent righteousness — the righteousness of faith — which God imputes to us through Christ apart from works, is neither political, nor ceremonial, nor the righteousness of God's law, nor does it consist in works. It is the direct opposite of all these: it is a purely passive righteousness, while all the others are active. In this righteousness we do nothing, we contribute nothing to God — we only receive, and allow Another to work in us, namely God. This is why I prefer to call the righteousness of faith, or Christian righteousness, the passive righteousness.

This is a righteousness hidden in mystery, which the world does not know. Even Christians themselves do not fully understand it and can barely hold on to it when they are tested. Therefore it must be diligently taught and constantly put into practice. Whoever fails to grasp this righteousness in times of affliction and terror of conscience will inevitably fall into despair. For there is no comfort for the conscience so firm and sure as this passive righteousness.

But human weakness and misery are so great that in moments of terror of conscience and nearness to death, we see nothing but our own works, our own worthiness, and the law. When the law shows us our sin, the memory of our past evil life rushes back. Then the poor sinner groans in great anguish of spirit and thinks: "How desperately I have lived! If only God would give me more time — then I would amend my life." Human reason cannot stop itself from looking at this active, working righteousness — its own righteousness — and cannot lift its eyes to behold the passive, Christian righteousness. It rests entirely in the active righteousness. So deeply is this tendency rooted in us.

On the other side, Satan takes advantage of our natural weakness and increases and intensifies these thoughts within us. The poor conscience then cannot avoid being more deeply troubled, confused, and terrified. For it is impossible for the human mind on its own to find any comfort or to look up to grace alone when it is overwhelmed by the horror of sin, or to consistently set aside all reasoning about works. This is far beyond human strength and capacity — indeed, it is beyond even the law of God. The law is the most excellent thing in all the world, and yet it cannot bring peace to a troubled conscience. Instead, it multiplies terror and drives the conscience toward despair. For by the law, sin becomes exceedingly sinful (Romans 7:13).

Therefore, the afflicted and troubled conscience has no escape from despair and eternal death unless it lays hold of the forgiveness of sins by grace, freely offered in Christ Jesus — that is, this passive righteousness of faith, or Christian righteousness. If it can grasp this, then it may find peace and boldly say: "I am not looking for this active, working righteousness — though I know I ought to have it and fulfill it. Even if I had it and fulfilled it perfectly, I still could not trust in it or dare set it against the judgment of God." So I abandon all active righteousness — both my own and that of God's law — and embrace only this passive righteousness: the righteousness of grace, mercy, and forgiveness of sins. In short, I rest solely on the righteousness of Christ and of the Holy Spirit.

Just as the earth does not produce rain and is unable by its own strength, labor, or effort to obtain it — but receives it as a free gift from God above — so this heavenly righteousness is given to us by God without our works or deserving. The earth can do nothing on its own to secure the seasonable rains that make it fruitful — and we can do exactly that much, and no more, by our own strength and works to obtain this heavenly and eternal righteousness. We will never attain it unless God Himself bestows it on us by free imputation and by His unspeakable gift. Therefore the highest knowledge and greatest wisdom for Christians is not to know the law, to be done with works and all active righteousness — especially when the conscience is wrestling with the judgment of God. In contrast, among those who are not of God's people, the greatest point of wisdom is to know and to press the law and active righteousness earnestly.

It is something very strange and unknown to the world to teach Christians to be done with the law and to live before God as if there were no law. But unless you have set the law aside and are firmly persuaded in your heart that there is now no law and no wrath of God — but only grace and mercy through Christ — you cannot be saved, because it is by the law that sin comes to be known. On the other hand, works and the keeping of the law must be strictly required in the world as if there were no promise or grace — because of the stubborn, proud, and hard-hearted, before whose eyes nothing must be set but the law, so that they may be terrified and humbled. For the law is given to terrify and put to death the old man. Both the word of grace and the word of wrath must be rightly divided, according to what the apostle says in 2 Timothy 2:15.

What is needed here is a wise and faithful steward of God's word — one who can handle the law with such skill that it stays within its proper bounds. Whoever teaches that people are justified before God by observing the law has overstepped the law's bounds and confused these two kinds of righteousness — active and passive — and is a poor logician, because he does not rightly divide. In contrast, whoever applies the law and works to the old man, and the promise of forgiveness and God's mercy to the new man, handles the word well. The flesh, or old man, belongs with the law and works; the spirit, or new man, belongs with God's promise and His mercy. So when I see a person who is already crushed, oppressed by the law, terrified by sin, and longing for comfort, it is time to remove the law and active righteousness from before them and to set before them, through the Gospel, the Christian and passive righteousness. This righteousness, setting aside Moses and the law, offers the promise made in Christ, who came for the afflicted and for sinners. Here the person is lifted up again and conceives fresh hope. He is no longer under the law but under grace. How is he not under the law? In terms of the new man, the law does not apply. For the law only extends as far as Christ, as Paul says later: "The law lasts until Christ" — and once Christ has come, Moses ceases with his law, circumcision, the sacrifices, the sabbaths, and indeed all the prophets.

This is our theology: to distinguish clearly between these two kinds of righteousness, active and passive, so that conduct and faith, works and grace, civil life and religion are not confused or mixed together. Both are necessary, but both must be kept within their proper bounds. Christian righteousness belongs to the new man, and the righteousness of the law belongs to the old man, who is born of flesh and blood. The old man is like a donkey that must bear a burden pressing him down. He must not enjoy the freedom of the spirit or of grace unless he first puts on the new man by faith in Christ — which, however, is never fully accomplished in this life. Then he may enjoy the kingdom and the immeasurable gift of grace.

I say this so that no one should think we reject or forbid good works, as the papists falsely slander us — understanding neither what they themselves say nor what we teach. They know nothing but the righteousness of the law, yet they presume to judge a doctrine that far surpasses the law — and no natural person is capable of judging it rightly. They must inevitably be offended, for they cannot see beyond the law. Whatever lies above the law is a great offense to them. But we think of two worlds, as it were: one heavenly, and one earthly. In these we place the two kinds of righteousness, keeping them entirely separate from each other. The righteousness of the law is earthly and deals with earthly things, and by it we do good works. But just as the earth does not yield fruit unless it is first watered and made fruitful from above, so by the righteousness of the law, in doing many things we accomplish nothing, and in fulfilling the law we do not truly fulfill it — unless we are first, without any merit or work of our own, made righteous by Christian righteousness, which has nothing to do with the righteousness of the law or earthly, active righteousness. Christian righteousness is heavenly: we do not have it from ourselves but receive it from heaven. We do not produce it by working — it is worked in us by grace and received by faith, by which we rise above all laws and works. Therefore, as we have borne the image of the earthly Adam (as Saint Paul says), so let us bear the image of the heavenly one — the new man in a new world where there is no law, no sin, no guilt of conscience, no death, but perfect joy, righteousness, grace, peace, life, salvation, and glory.

But then, do we do nothing? Do we contribute nothing toward obtaining this righteousness? I answer: nothing at all. For this is the perfect righteousness — to do nothing, hear nothing, know nothing of the law or of works, but to know and believe only this: that Christ has gone to the Father and is no longer seen; that He sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven — not as a judge, but as the One God has made for us wisdom, righteousness, holiness, and redemption; in short, that He is our great High Priest, interceding for us, and reigning over us and within us by grace. In this heavenly righteousness sin has no place, because there is no law, and where there is no law there can be no transgression.

Since sin has no place in this righteousness, there can be no anguish of conscience, no fear, no heaviness of spirit. This is why Saint John says: "He who is born of God does not sin." But if there is any fear or grief of conscience, it is a sign that this righteousness has been withdrawn, that grace is hidden from view, and that Christ is obscured and not truly seen. But where Christ is truly seen, there must be full and perfect joy in the Lord, with peace of conscience — peace that says with confidence: "Although I am a sinner by the law, and under the law's condemnation, I do not despair, I do not die, because Christ lives, who is both my righteousness and my everlasting life. In that righteousness and life, I have no sin, no fear, no sting of conscience, no dread of death. I am indeed a sinner in this present life, and in the righteousness of this life, as a child of Adam — where the law accuses me, death reigns over me, and will at last swallow me. But I have another righteousness and life above this life, which is Christ the Son of God, who knows no sin or death, but is righteousness and eternal life. Through Him my body, though dead and turned to dust, will be raised up again, freed from the bondage of law and sin, and sanctified together with my spirit."

So both of these continue as long as we live here. The flesh is accused, tried by temptations, weighed down by heaviness and sorrow, crushed by the active righteousness of the law. But the spirit reigns, rejoices, and is saved by this passive and Christian righteousness, knowing that it has a Lord in heaven at the right hand of the Father — who has abolished the law, sin, and death, has trampled all evils underfoot, led them captive, and triumphed over them in Himself (Colossians 2:15).

Therefore in this epistle Saint Paul diligently works to instruct us, to comfort us, and to keep us in a thorough knowledge of this most excellent Christian righteousness. For if the article of justification is once lost, all true Christian doctrine is lost with it. Everyone in the world who does not hold this doctrine is either a Jew, a Muslim, a papist, or a heretic. There is no middle ground between the righteousness of the law and Christian righteousness. Whoever departs from Christian righteousness must fall into the righteousness of the law — that is, having lost Christ, he must fall back on confidence in his own works.

This is why we repeat and so earnestly set forth this doctrine of faith, or Christian righteousness — so that it may be kept in constant exercise and plainly distinguished from the active righteousness of the law. Otherwise we will never be able to hold true theology — for the church is built on this one doctrine and exists within it — but will quickly become canonists, observers of ceremonies, observers of the law, or papists, and Christ will be so obscured that no one in the church is either rightly taught or comforted. Therefore, if we are to be teachers and leaders of others, we must take great care with these matters and mark well this distinction between the righteousness of the law and the righteousness of Christ. This distinction is easy enough to express in words, but very hard to maintain in practice and experience — however diligently it may be practiced — because in the hour of death or in other agonies of conscience, these two kinds of righteousness press in against each other more closely than you would wish. Therefore I urge you — especially those who will become instructors and guides of consciences, but also every individual — to exercise yourselves continually through study, reading, meditation on the word, and prayer, so that when temptation comes you may be able to instruct and comfort both your own conscience and the consciences of others, and to lead them from the law to grace, from active and working righteousness to passive and received righteousness — in short, from Moses to Christ. For the devil's habit in times of affliction and conflict of conscience is to use the law to frighten us and to hold before us the consciousness of sin, our wicked past, the wrath and judgment of God, hell and eternal death, so that by this means he may drive us to desperation, make us his slaves, and tear us away from Christ. He is also in the habit of setting before us those passages of the Gospel where Christ Himself requires works and plainly threatens damnation on those who do not do them. If at this point we cannot distinguish between the two kinds of righteousness — if we do not lay hold of Christ by faith as He sits at the right hand of God, interceding to the Father for us miserable sinners — then we are under the law and not under grace, and Christ is no longer a Savior but a lawgiver. Then there remains nothing but desperation and everlasting death, unless repentance follows.

Let us therefore carefully learn to distinguish between these two kinds of righteousness, so that we may know how far we ought to obey the law. As we said earlier, the law in a Christian must not exceed its proper bounds — it must have authority only over the flesh, which is subject to it and remains under it. When that is the case, the law is kept within its limits. But if it presumes to creep into your conscience and tries to reign there, be a skilled reasoner and make the right distinction. Give the law no more than what properly belongs to it. Say to it: "O law, you are trying to climb into the kingdom of my conscience and reign there and convict it of sin, and you want to take from me the joy that I have by faith in Christ and drive me to desperation, so that I would be utterly without hope and perish. This you are doing beyond your proper function. Stay within your limits and exercise your authority over the flesh — but do not touch my conscience. For I am baptized, and by the Gospel I have been called to share in righteousness and everlasting life, in the kingdom of Christ, where my conscience finds rest — where there is no law, but only forgiveness of sins, peace, quiet, joy, health, and everlasting life. Do not trouble me in these things. I will not suffer you, so intolerable a tyrant and cruel tormentor, to reign in my conscience. For my conscience is the seat and temple of Christ the Son of God, who is the King of righteousness and peace, and my most gracious Savior and Mediator. He will keep my conscience joyful and at peace in the sound and pure doctrine of the Gospel and in the knowledge of this Christian and heavenly righteousness."

When I have this righteousness reigning in my heart, I come down from heaven like rain making the earth fruitful. That is, I step out into another realm and do good works whenever and wherever the occasion arises. If I am a minister of the word, I preach, I comfort the brokenhearted, I administer the sacraments. If I am a head of a household, I govern my home and family and raise my children in the knowledge and fear of God. If I am a magistrate, I diligently carry out the duties entrusted to me. If I am a servant, I faithfully attend to my master's business. In short, whoever is firmly persuaded that Christ is his righteousness not only cheerfully and gladly works well in his calling, but also willingly submits out of love to rulers and to their laws — even when those laws are severe, strict, and harsh — and, if necessity requires it, to all kinds of burdens and dangers of this present life, knowing that this is God's will and that this obedience is pleasing to Him. So much for the argument of this epistle, which Saint Paul undertook to address, taking as his occasion the false teachers who had darkened this righteousness of faith among the Galatians — and against whom he defends his authority and office.