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 h