Translating the Apology of the Augsburg Confession: (Art. III) De Dilectione et Impletione Legis (xlix)

Verum urgent adversarii, quod[1] proprie mereantur vitam aeternam bona opera, quia Paulus dicit Rom. 2, 6: Reddet unicuique secundum opera eius. Item v. 10: Gloria, honor et pax omni operanti[2] bonum. Ioh. 5, 29: Qui bona fecerunt, in resurrectionem vitae. Matth. 25, 35: Esurivi, et dedistis mihi manducare etc.

In his locis et similibus omnibus, in quibus opera laudantur in Scripturis, necesse est intelligere non tantum externa opera, sed fidem etiam cordis, quia Scriptura non loquitur de hypocrisi, sed de iustitia cordis cum fructibus suis. Quoties autem fit mentio legis et operum, sciendum est,[3] quod[4] non sit excludendus Christus mediator. Is est enim finis legis et ipse inquit Ioh. 15, 5: Sine me nihil potestis facere. Ex hoc canone diximus[5] supra iudicari posse omnes locos de operibus. Quare quum operibus redditur vita aeterna, redditur iustificatis,[6] quia neque bene operari possunt homines nisi iustificati,[7] qui aguntur Spiritu Christi, nec sine mediatore Christo et fide placent bona opera, iuxta illud, Hebr. 11, 6: Sine fide impossibile est placere Deo.

Quum dicit Paulus: Reddet unicuique secundum opera eius, intelligi debet non tantum opus externum, sed tota iustitia vel iniustitia. Sic: Gloria operanti[8] bonum, hoc est, iuste. Dedistis mihi manducare, fructus et testimonium iustitiae cordis et fidei allegatur, redditur igitur vita aeterna iustitiae. Ad hunc modum Scriptura simul complectitur iustitiam cordis cum fructibus. Et saepe fructus nominat, ut[9] ab imperitis magis intelligatur, et ut[10] significat[11] requiri novam vitam et regenerationem, non hypocrisin. Fit autem regeneratio fide in poenitentia.

Nemo sanus iudicare aliter potest, nec nos aliquam otiosam subtilitatem hic affectamus, ut[12] divellamus fructus a iustitia cordis, si tantum adversarii concesserint, quod[13] fructus propter fidem et mediatorem Christum placeant, non sint per sese digni gratia et vita aeterna. Hoc enim reprehendimus in adversariorum doctrina, quod talibus locis Scripturae, seu philosophico, seu Iudaico more intellectis,[14] abolent iustitiam fidei et excludunt mediatorem Christum. Ex his locis ratiocinantur, quod[15] haec opera mereantur gratiam, alias de congruo, alias de condigno, quum videlicet accedit dilectio,[16] id est, quod[17] iustificent et, quia sint iustitia, digna sint vita aeterna.

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[1] A quod substantive clause

[2] A present active participle

[3] The passive periphrastic

[4] A quod substantive clause with the passive periphrastic

[5] Introduces an indirect statemen

[6] The perfect passive participle used substantially: the justified

[7] A perfect passive participle

[8] A present active participle

[9] Introduces a purpose clause

[10] Introduces a purpose clause

[11] Introduces an indirect statement

[12] Introduces a purpose clause

[13] A quod substantive clause

[14] Talibus…intellectis: an ablative absolute

[15] A quod substantive clause

[16] Certainly when love is added

[17] A quod substantive clause

Vocabulary
Affecto, are, avi, atus- to aim at, desire; lay claim to; feign	Iuste (adv.)- justly, rightly, lawfully
Canon, canonis, m.- canon	Manducō, āre, āvī, ātus- to eat
Concedō, ere, concessī, concessus- to allow, grant	Urgeo, ere, ursi- to press; urge
Esurio, ire, ivi, itus- to be hungry, hunger

But the adversaries urge that good works properly merit eternal life because Paul says in Romans 2:6, “Give to each according to his works.” Likewise in verse 10, “Glory, honor and peace to everyone who does good works.” John 5:29 says, “He, who does good works, into the resurrection of life.” Matthew 25: 35 says, “I have hungered and you gave to me to eat” etc.

In these and every similar passage, in which works are praised in the Scriptures, it is necessary to understand not only external works but also faith of the heart because Scripture is not speaking about hypocrisy but about the righteousness of the heart with its works. However, as often as mention of the law and works happens, it must be known that Christ, our mediator, must not be excluded. For He is the end of the law and Himself says in John 15:5, “Without me you can do nothing.” From this canon we have said above that every passage about works can be judged. Wherefore when eternal life is rendered for works, it is rendered to the justified because men, unless they are the justified who are moved by the Spirit of Christ, are not able to do good works, and good works are not pleasing without our mediator Christ and faith; concerning that Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.”

When Paul says, “Give to each according to his works,” not only external works must be understood but the whole of righteousness or unrighteousness. Thusly: glory for the doer of good, that is, justly. You have given to me to eat, the fruit and testimony of the righteousness of the heart and faith is admitted, therefore, eternal life is rendered for righteousness. In this way Scripture at the same time embraces the righteousness of the heart with fruits. And it often names fruits so that it is better understood by the unlearned and so that it means that the new life and regeneration are required not hypocrisy. Moreover, regeneration happens through faith in repentance.

No sensible person is able to judge differently, and we are not feigning some idle exactness of logic so that we separate fruits from the righteousness of the heart: if the adversaries would only concede that fruits are pleasing on account of faith and the mediator Christ and are not of themselves worthy of grace and eternal life. For we condemn this in the doctrine of the adversaries: that because such passages of Scripture have been understood either in a philosophic or Jewish fashion, they abolish the righteousness of faith and exclude the mediator  Christ. From these passages they conclude that these works merit grace: some from suitable merit, some from wholly deserving merit, when love is added, that is, that they justify and, because they are righteousness, are worthy of eternal life.

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