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ri&hteousness, (ea*e, li%erty, and all thin&s are (romised you. 'f you %elieve, you shall have all

thin&s13==03=!4. For Luther, $e are &ranted $hat is (romised %y -od, %y faith alone. -od

our Father has made all thin&s de(end on faith so that $hoever has faith $ill haveeverythin&13=!4. Sin*e these (romises of -od are holy, true, ri&hteous, free, and (ea*eful

$ords, full of &oodness, the soul *lin&s to them $ith a firm faith. 7e are to %e as Luther (uts it,

saturated and intoxi*ated %y them. Throu&h faith alone the soul is 9ustified %y the 7ord of-od, san*tified, made true, (ea*eful, and free, filled $ith every s(iritual %lessin& and truly made

a *hild of -od13=!4. This is Luthers (oint re&ardin& the freedom that )aul s(eaks of in !

Corinthians "#!". This is that Christian li%erty, our faith, $hi*h does not indu*e us to live inidleness or $i*kedness %ut makes the la$ and $orks unne*essary for any mans ri&hteousness

and salvation13=!03=A4. The freedom of the Christian, for Luther, is freedom from la$ and

*ommandments. 7e are free from *ommandments, %e*ause the (romises of -od &ive $hat the

*ommandments of -od demand. The *ommands demand ri&hteousness, -od (romisesri&hteousness %y faith alone.

+e then divides faith into t$o distin*t (o$ers. The first (o$er of faith is the freein& us

from *ommands and &ives us to the (romises of -od a(art from our $orks. The se*ond half ofhis treatise is &iven to sho$in& ho$ faith makes us &lad servants of all men. This is $hat Luther

*alls the se*ond (o$er of faith. First Luther ar&ues that faith is our ri&hteousness %efore -od.7hen, ho$ever, -od sees that $e *onsider him truthful and %y the faith of our heart (ay him

the &reat honor $hi*h is due him, he does us the &reat honor of *onsiderin& us truthful and

ri&hteous for the sake of our faith13=4. 't is in s(eakin& a%out the need for &ood $orks thatLuther s(eaks on*e more of the distin*tion %et$een the inner man and the outer man or the

%ody. /s ' have said, a man is a%undantly and suffi*iently 9ustified %y faith in$ardly, in his

s(irit, and so has all he needs...yet, he remains in this mortal life on earth. 'n this life he must

*ontrol his o$n %ody and have dealin&s $ith men. +ere the $orks %e&in: here a man *annoten9oy leisure13!=4. Luther des*ri%es our endeavorin& for &ood $orks as %rin&in& the outer man

of the flesh in *onformity to the ri&hteous inner man of faith 1'%id4. The inner life is faith, the

outer man *onsists in $hat is visi%le and is of $orks. For Luther this is the *onfli*t $ithin aman, %et$een his inner self and his flesh. The inner man, $ho %y faith is *reated in the ima&e

of -od, is %oth 9oyful and ha((y %e*ause of Christ in $hom so many %enefits are *onferred u(on

him...%ehold, he meets a *ontrary $ill of his o$n flesh $hi*h strives to serve the $orld and seeksits o$n advanta&e. This the s(irit of faith *annot tolerate, %ut $ith 9oyful eal it attem(ts to (ut

the %ody under *ontrol and hold it in *he*k13!!4.

This inner0outer distin*tion for Luther is *ru*ial. +e &oes on# 7e must, ho$ever, realiethat these $orks redu*e the %ody to su%9e*tion and (urify it of its evil lusts, and our $hole

(ur(ose is to %e dire*ted only to$ard the drivin& out of lusts. Sin*e %y faith the soul is *leansed

and made to love -od, it desires all thin&s, and es(e*ially its o$n %ody, shall %e (urified so thatall thin&s may 9oin $ith it in lovin& and (raisin& -od13!!4. Luther is *areful to ex(lain that the

soul is 9ustified already %y faith, and the %ody remains to %e (urified %y $orks. evertheless

the $orks themselves do not 9ustify him %efore -od, %ut he does the $orks out of s(ontaneouslove in o%edien*e to -od and *onsiders nothin& ex*e(t the a((roval of -od, $hom he $ould

most s*ru(ulously o%ey in all thin&s13!!4. The motivation for &ood $orks for Luther is not nor

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*an %e for 9ustifi*ation, that is already done %y faith, rather it is $ithout thou&ht of &ain,13!!4

*onsiderin& nothin& ex*e(t the need of a nei&h%or13!54 and *onsiders nothin& ex*e(t the

a((roval of -od13!!4, $ithout ho(e of re$ard13!54 and takes no a**ount of &ratitude orin&ratitude, of (raise or %lame, of &ain or loss13!"4.

/ Christian is no$ free to do $orks, not out of servile fear, sin*e a Christian has no need

of any $ork or la$ in order to %e saved sin*e throu&h faith he is free from every la$ and doeseverythin& out of (ure li%erty and freely13!4. Luther a&ain on the freedom of a Christian,

@/lthou&h ' am an un$orthy and *ondemned man, my -od has &iven me in Christ all the ri*hes

of ri&hteousness and salvation $ithout any merit on my (art, out of (ure, free mer*y, so that fromno$ on ' need nothin& ex*e(t faith $hi*h %elieves that this is true. 7hy should ' not therefore

freely, 9oyfully, $ith all my heart, and $ith an ea&er $ill do all these thin&s $hi*h ' kno$ are

(leasin& and a**e(ta%le to su*h a Father $ho has over$helmed me $ith his inestima%le

ri*hesE13!"4. For Luther this is ho$ faith is full of &ood $orks. For the %eliever $ho has*onfiden*e that he has all he needs already, the motivation for &ood $orks *omes out of

overflo$in& a((re*iation for the &ra*e and mer*y of -od. This is Christian freedom. 'f $orks

are sou&ht after as a means to ri&hteousness, are %urdened $ith this (erverse Leviathan, and are

done under the false im(ression that throu&h them one is 9ustified, they are made ne*essary andfreedom and faith are destroyed: and this addition to them makes them no lon&er &ood %ut truly

damna%le $orks13!24. The &ood $orks do not effe*t the %elievers standin& %efore -od, in fa*t,he *annot %elieve that they do. But very &reat *are must al$ays %e exer*ised so that no man in a

false *onfiden*e ima&ines that %y su*h $orks he $ill %e 9ustified or a*;uire merit or %e saved:

for this is the $ork of faith alone13A!03AA4. /s Luther has said, $orks done for 9ustifi*ation aredamna%le $orks.

'n *on*lusion, Luthers vie$ is de(endent u(on a stri*t dualism. The inner man em%ra*es

the (romises %y faith alone. This ha((ens *om(letely and in an instant. The outer man, that is$orkin&s of the (hysi*al %ody are addressed %y the *ommands of -od. These t$o realities,

a**ordin& to Luther are ;uite diverse. The inner man stands holy %efore -od, free from sin %y

faith, $hile the outer man stands as a sinner, loaded do$n $ith sins. This *ondition is (ossi%le%e*ause of Luthers dualisti* vie$. Slo$ly and (ro&ressively the man $ho has faith %rin&s his

outer man under o%edien*e to the *ommands of -od. But his doin& of this has no %earin& on his

standin& %efore -od, the inner man has all he needs %y faith. Luthers se*ond (o$er of faithhas to do $ith a (ersons o%edien*e to *ommands out of &ratitude for $hat he has %y faith. This

is *ru*ial for Luther. For Luther, to o%ey for 9ustifi*ation is to render a (erson o%edient out of

servile fear. This $e are free from. 7e no$ o%ey out of a &lad a((re*iation for $hat $e

already (ossess in full. This is ho$ faith relates to o%edien*e. 7hat %e*omes *lear, is ho$ mu*hLuthers dualisti* vie$ of man informs his understandin& of the S*ri(tures. 7hat no$ must %e

ex(lored, is ho$ far Luthers dualism has *arried him from the a(ostle )auls o$n vie$s.

The %est (la*e to %e&in is $ith Luthers key text from the a(ostle )aul. 'n ! Corinthians

"#!", )aul asserts that thou&h ' am free and %elon& to no man, ' make myself a slave to

everyone, to $in as many as (ossi%le. From this Luther re(resents )aul to mean %y %ein& freefrom all men, he is free from *ommandments, even the *ommands of -od. First, this *annot %e

)auls meanin& %e*ause only a fe$ senten*es later in verse A! he states that ' am not free from

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-ods la$ %ut am under Christs la$. The la$ that he is free from is the la$ of Moses, %ut this

does not mean he is free from the la$ of Christ. Clearly, $hat )aul meant $as that he $as free

from the di*tates of men, %ut not from the *ommands of -od. This $as )auls tea*hin&, and alsorefle*ts his life. /**ordin& to Luther, $hen a (erson %e*omes a Christian, they %e*ome one %y

faith alone, and the inner man must remain (ersuaded that he has all he needs %y that faith.

verythin& done after re*eivin& Christ %y faith is done out of a &lad a((re*iation of that fa*t.Commands are not done out of ne*essity and servile fear, %ut freely, from a &lad and

a((re*iative heart. +o$ever, this $as not ho$ the a(ostle )aul understood his a(ostleshi(.

7hen esus Christ revealed himself to Saul on the Damas*us road 1later to %e named )aul4 hetold him, o$ &et u( and &o into the *ity, and you $ill %e told what you must do. The -reek

$ord for must is deiand is translated it is ne*essary. )aul had to &o into Damas*us, %e*ause it

$as there he $ould re*eive further instru*tion a%out $hat he must do. The Lord then

*ommissioned /nanias to %e his mouth(ie*e. +e told /nanias. -oG This man is my *hoseninstrument to *arry my name %efore the -entiles and their kin&s and %efore the (eo(le of 'srael.

' $ill sho$ him ho$ mu*h he must suffer [dei] for my name1vv.!2,!34. )aul must suffer

%e*ause he must be -ods messen&er to the nations. )aul $ould suffer indeed. 'n the midst of

his ministry and after many %eatin&s and re9e*tions, the Lord stood near )aul and said, @Take*oura&eG /s you have testified a%out me in erusalem, so you must [dei] also testify a%out in

/?nd at his a((ointed season

he %rou&ht his $ord to li&ht throu&h the (rea*hin& entrusted to me by the command of -od our

Savior1Titus !#4. Luther understands )aul to %e a man $ho is free from the *ommands of -od,and serves them in (rea*hin& the &os(el out &ratitude for $hat -od has done for him. There is

no ;uestion that )aul $as a &rateful man, %ut it *annot %e *on*luded that )aul served men out of

&lad a((re*iation and notfrom ne*essity.

/s $e have seen, Luther also tau&ht that o%edien*e is &iven freely, that is understood to

mean, a(art from any ex(e*tation of re$ard or %enefits re*eived, %ut only out of &ratitude for$hat has %een re*eived %y faith alone. This does not refle*t the a(ostles understandin&. 'n !

Corinthians "#AA,A, )aul des*ri%ed $hat motivated him to serve men in (rea*hin& the &os(el.

+e $as motivated for t$o reasons. First, ' have %e*ome all thin&s to all men so that %y all

(ossi%le means ' mi&ht save some. ' do all this for the sake of the &os(el, that ' may share in its%lessin&s. The first reason he serves men is to save them. The se*ond reason is the he himself

may share in the %lessin&s that the &os(el (romises. 7hat are the %lessin&s that the &os(el

(romisesE 's it not salvation from sin and the $rath of -odE 's it not the (romise of lifeE )auldid $hat he did %e*ause lives de(ended u(on him doin& $hat he $as *ommanded to do, the lives

of other men and his life as $ell. )aul $as not free in the sense that Luther understands freedom.

+e $as not free from the *ommand of his Lord to (rea*h to the nations. 't $as somethin& he hadto do. This is $hy )aul $ould say, Het $hen ' (rea*h the &os(el, ' *annot %oast, for ' am

*om(elled to (rea*h. 7oe to me if ' do not (rea*h the &os(elG1! Cor. "#!34. )aul em(loys a

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$oe ora*le $hi*h $as em(loyed %y the (ro(hets to refle*t the 9ud&ment of -od u(on the

diso%edient. esus used the $oe ora*le $hen referrin& to the )harisees in Matthe$ A. )aul uses

it in referen*e to himself. This is also $hy )aul s(eaks of his a(ostleshi( as %ein& a**ordin& tothe (romise of life in A Timothy !#!. )aul, an a(ostle of Christ %y the $ill of -od, a**ordin&

to the (romise of life that is in Christ esus. This is not to say that )auls servi*e $as not a &lad

or a((re*iative servi*e to +is Lord. Surely it $as. But it is to say that Luther sets u( a falsedi*hotomy %y tea*hin& that either a (erson does $hat he has to from servile fear, or a (erson

does $hat he $ants to do freely out &ratitude. Luther falls into a lo&i*al falla*y of the ex*luded

middle.

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sufferin& en*om(asses the $hole man. 6n*e a&ain, )aul $as not *ontrolled %y Luthers

(hiloso(hi*al dualism. But Luther has read )aul under the (hiloso(hi*al 0 not %i%li*al0 vie$ of a

divided man.

For all of Luthers (rotest a&ainst (hiloso(hi*al reasonin& distortin& the 7ord of -od, it

is *lear that he himself failed to exe&ete S*ri(ture on its o$n terms and %y its o$n assum(tions.Kn%i%li*al dualism has %een a lon&0time o((onent of the %i%li*al $orld0vie$. Clearly, Luthers

assum(tions have *aused him to mis0re(resent the a(ostle )aul at im(ortant (oints havin& to do

$ith o%edien*e to *ommands and faith in -od. For )aul, faith and o%edien*e did not reside inse(arate *om(artments of man. )aul never *on*eived of the (ossi%ility of a savin& faith existin&

$ithin a man enslaved to sin, or an o%edient man of un%elief. )aul understood that $hat he did

as an a(ostle he had to do as an ex(ression of his faith in his Lord. )aul kne$ he had to &o