A Treatise on Good Works

It was not Luthers intention to speak only on the essence of good works and their fundamental relation to faith; he would show too how the best work faith must prove itself in every way a living faith according to the other commandments. Luther does not proceed to this part until in the fundamental part he has said with emphasis that the believer the spiritual man needs no such instruction (I Timothy 1:9) but that he of his own accord and at all times does good works as his faith his confidence teaches him. Only because we do not all have such faith or are unmindful of it does such instruction become necessary. From the fact that according to the First Commandment we acquire a pure heart and confidence toward God he derives the good work of the Second Commandment namely to praise God to acknowledge His grace to render all honor to Him alone. From the same source he derives the good work of the Third Commandment namely to observe divine services with prayer and the hearing of preaching to incline the imagination of our hearts toward Gods benefits and to that end to mortify and overcome the flesh.