# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Juni 1855_S169
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

How Are Truly Lutheran Congregations Founded, etc. 169

just as all these teachings, in part indirectly, are falsified by this teaching, so conversely they all flow together in this one with united force.

This teaching is therefore rightly the apple of the eye and the lifeblood of all truly evangelical or Lutheran preaching; it is the medicine of the sick, the comfort of those under trial, the refreshment of the dying, the strength of the weak, the light of those who err, the support of the wavering, the milk of infants, the solid food of adults, the life of the dead, the joy of the angels, and the terror of the devils. And just as every exposition of the Law is only a preparation and a clearing of the way for this preaching, so all evangelical exhortations to those justified through faith to fulfill the Law likewise proceed from this preaching; and from it becomes clear and manifest that and how faith, on the one hand, abolishes the Law and, on the other hand, nevertheless establishes it again (Romans 3:25). To this, then, is joined the third subject with which scriptural or Lutheran preaching must deal, namely, the doctrine of good works.

This doctrine too, as is evident, has been badly corrupted both by the papists and by the enthusiasts. Both agree in not deriving works essentially and exclusively from faith, according to Romans 14:23 and John 15:5, but instead, in a grosser or subtler way, from man’s natural power of will, as though it contributed more or less, and indeed merited the forgiveness of sins, as has already been demonstrated above. But it is clear and manifest that such works, considered according to their origin, content, and effect, are not good. With respect to their origin, they are not an effect of the Holy Spirit and of faith, but evil fruits of the sinful, corrupt, rotten tree, proceeding from slavish fear of God’s temporal and eternal punishment and at the same time from the pursuit of reward—in short, works of people who, as still being in Adam and not yet in Christ, are displeasing to God. With respect to their content, they are no less devoid of goodness, but are evil works, because they seek, more or less, to merit a righteousness before God contrary to Christ’s merit, and run directly contrary to Romans 3:24–26, 28; Romans 4:3–5; Galatians 2:16, 21; and Ephesians 2:8, 9, mortally wounding the doctrine of the Gospel concerning the justification of the sinner before God. With respect to the effect of such works, their evil nature is clearly evident from the fact that those who perform them, according to their inner condition, increase ever more either in presumption or in despair. And no less, in their outward direction—in their proper or incidental effect upon other people who are their nearer or more remote objects—they prove not to be good works, since, being in no way connected with the confession of Christ, they produce in the unbelieving recipients of such works only hypocritical service to men and faithless workmongering, and thus nothing essentially good, but rather evil.

The evangelical, that is, Lutheran doctrine of good works, however, is entirely different; for these are presented solely as such—