An Introduction or Preface of Dr. Martin Luther into the Second General Epistle of Saint Peter

Saint Peter perceiving and foreseeing that the true and pure doctrine of Faith should after his days be corrupted, obscured, and dimmed, writes this Epistle: wherein he meets with two errors at once, arising out of the false understanding of this doctrine of Faith; and gives most profitable lessons of either part: to wit, first, that no man ascribe any such strength or force to Works, as that they should be any way able to justify us before God, for that is the effect of Faith only. Again, that no man should think that Faith can be without good works. For we can no sooner preach of Faith — how that it alone, without the help of any of our good works, makes us just and acceptable before God — but straightway some are ready to bark against us, saying that then it is needless and pointless for any man to do any good deeds: and this we know by daily experience is the common speech and saying. On the other side, when we urge and teach good works and praise them, then Faith falls and loses much of her dignity. So that we see it to be a very hard matter in this behalf to keep a right mean, specially where there is want of diligent and faithful preachers.

Now the Lord teaches us that we should attribute all our justification before God to a sincere Faith in Christ Jesus. But when we have thus soundly preached and inculcated this infallible doctrine of Faith, we must also teach that good works must needs ensue. Because we may not at any hand (so long as we be in this life) be idle, without doing some work. All this does Saint Peter in this Epistle pursue and discourse upon at large: meeting with those, who perhaps out of his former Epistle had [reconstructed: founded] themselves in a false opinion, and mistaken his meaning: in thinking Faith to be sufficient, although there be no good works at all. And upon this point is the first chapter of this Epistle specially written: wherein he teaches and wills the godly to approve and declare the certainty of their Faith by their good works.

The second chapter is against those who extoll works only, and throw down Faith. And therefore he warns us beforehand of false teachers and seducers, who by new doctrines of their own device should darken and abolish this assurance, which each one ought firmly to have of Faith: for he saw what detestable juggling, apostasy, [reconstructed: and] departing away from the Faith would be in the world, which even then had begun: as Saint Paul says (2 Thessalonians 2), "The Mystery of Iniquity does already work."

In the third, he plainly describes and sets out the impiety of those that make a mockery and jest of the word of God: and shows that in the latter days the people, through [reconstructed: unbelief] and lack of fear of the judgment of the last day, shall be even as Epicureans, wholly given to the flesh.

This Epistle therefore is written to forewarn us, to show our Faith by our works: but yet not so, that we should have any confidence or trust in our works, or think them any whit, or in any respect, meritorious, or of any avail toward our salvation.