The Just Shall Live By Faith

Galatians 3:11 :"But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, the just shall live by faith." (Hab. 2:4; Rom. 1:17)

This is another argument founded upon the testimony of the prophet Habakkuk. And it is a sentence of great weight and authority, which Paul setteth against all the sentences touching the law and works. As if he would say: What need we any long disputation? Here I bring forth a most evident testimony of the prophet against which no man can cavil: "The just shall live by faith." If he live by faith, then he liveth not by the law: for the law is not of faith. And here Paul excludeth works and law, as things contrary to faith.

The sophisters do wrest and pervert this place, after this manner: "The just man doth live by faith"; that is to say by a working faith, or formed and made perfect with charity, but if it be not formed with charity, it doth not justify. This gloss they themselves have formed, and by the same they do injury to the words of the prophet. If they called this formed or furnished faith, the true faith which the Scripture teacheth, this their gloss would not offend me, for then faith should not be separated from charity, but from the vain opinion of faith: as we also put a difference between a counterfeit faith and a true faith. The counterfeit faith is that which heareth of God, of Christ, and of all the mysteries of His incarnation, and our redemption: which also apprehendeth and beareth away those things which it heareth, yea, and can talk goodly thereof, and yet remaineth nothing else in the heart, but a naked opinion, and a sound of the gospel. For it neither reneweth nor changeth the heart; it maketh not a new man, but leaveth him in the vanity of his former opinions, and conversation; and this is a very pernicious faith. The moral philosopher is much better than the hypocrite having such a faith.

Wherefore if they would make a distinction between faith formed and a false or counterfeit faith, their distinction would nothing offend me. But they speak of faith formed and made perfect with charity, and make a double faith, formed and unformed. This pestilent and devilish gloss I utterly detest. Although, say they, we have faith infused, called fides infusa, which is the gift of the Holy Ghost, and also faith gotten by our industry, called fides acquisita; yet both of them lack their form and perfection, which is charity, and are formed with charity. This is to prefer charity before faith, and to attribute righteousness, not to faith, but to charity. So, when they do not attribute righteousness to faith, but only in respect of charity, they attribute to faith nothing at all.

Moreover, these perverters of the gospel of Christ do teach, that even that faith which they call infused, and not received by hearing, nor gotten by any working, but created in man by the Holy Ghost, may stand with deadly sin, and that the worst of men have this faith; therefore, they say, if it be alone, it is utterly idle and unprofitable. Thus they take from faith her office, and give it unto charity; so that faith is nothing unless charity, which they call the form and perfection thereof, be joined withal. This is a devilish and blasphemous kind of doctrine of faith, and carrieth a man away from Christ the Mediator, and from faith, which is the hand and only means whereby we apprehend Him. For if charity be the form and perfection of faith, as they dream, then am I constrained to say that charity is the principal part of the Christian religion, and so I lose Christ, His blood, and all His benefits, and rest in a moral doing, even as the pope, the heathen philosophers, and the Turk doth.

But the Holy Ghost, who giveth to all men both mouth and tongue, knoweth how to speak. He could have said (as the sophisters imagine) the righteous man shall live by faith formed, beautified and made perfect by charity. But this He omitted of purpose and saith plainly: "the righteous man shall live by faith" We therefore will still hold and extol this faith, which God Himself has called faith; that is to say, a true and certain faith, which doubteth not of God, nor of His promise, nor of His promise, nor of the forgiveness of sin through Christ, that we may dwell safe and sure in this our object Christ, and may keep still before our eyes the passion and blood of the Mediator and all His benefits.

Martin Luther 

Commentary on Galatians, pp. 157-159