genuine Christian work and faith.”  In his Preface to Romans, Luther meets a somewhat different objection to faith:  Christians, after they have begun to believe, still discover sin in themselves, and on account of this imagine that faith alone cannot save them.  There must be something done in addition to believing to insure their salvation.  In replying to this scruple, Luther has given a classical description of the quality and power of faith.  This description serves to blast the Catholic charge that Luther’s easy way of justifying the sinner leads to increased sinning.  Luther says:  “Faith is not the human notion and dream which some regard as faith.  When they observe that no improvement of life nor any good works flow from faith even where people hear and talk much about faith, they fall into this error that they declare:  faith is not sufficient, you must do works if you wish to become godly and be saved.  The reason is, these people, when they hear the Gospel, hurriedly formulate by their own powers a thought in their heart which asserts:  I believe.  This thought they regard as genuine faith.  However, as their faith is but a human figment and idea that never reaches the bottom of the heart, it is inert and effects no improvement.  Genuine faith, however, is a divine work in us by which we are changed and born anew of God. (John 1, 13.) It slays the old Adam, and makes us entirely new men in our heart, mind, ideas, and all our powers.  It brings us the Holy Spirit.  Oh, this faith is a lively, active, busy, mighty thing!  It is impossible for faith not to be active without ceasing.  Faith does not ask whether good works are to be done, but before the question has been asked, it has accomplished good works; yea, it is always engaged in doing good works.  Whoever does not do such good works is void of faith; he gropes and mopes about, looking for faith and good works, but knows neither what faith nor what good works are, though he may prate and babble ever so much about faith and good works.”

There has never been a time when the Gospel and the grace of God have not been wrested to wicked purposes by insincere men, hypocrites, and bold spirits.  For this reason God has instructed Christians:  “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.” (Matt. 7, 6.) The danger of misapplied grace is a present-day danger in every evangelical community.  Earnest Christian ministers and laymen strive with this misapplication wherever they discover it.  Can they do any more?

Rome will say:  Why do you not do as we do in our Church?  We do not preach the Gospel in such a reckless fashion, we make men work for their salvation.  Rome would abolish or considerably limit the preaching of free and abundant grace to the sinner.  We recoil from this suggestion because it makes the entire work of Christ of none effect, and wipes out the grandest portions of our Bible.  If every abuse of something that is good must be stopped by abolishing the proper use, then let us give up eating because some make gluttons of themselves; drinking, because some are drunkards; wearing clothes, because there is much vanity in dresses; marriage, because some marriages are shamefully conducted, etc., etc.