The Conditions of the Law
Via The Righteousness of Faith According to Luther
The “conditions of the law” are not fulfilled by mere deeds for God sees into the heart. God asks whether what we do is done out of love – pure, great, full love. Luther hates the confidence and security a person feels through his apparently perfect life through which the person becomes insensitive, indifferent, and thoughtless about that which goes on inside him. According to Luther, “Security is the mother of all hypocrites and the basis of all hypocrisy.” The self-assuredness of a person must break in order to make room for the certainty of faith which rests not on its own justification, but upon a foreign one. For Luther it is the same argument that Jesus used against the Pharisees and has to do with the very essence of a person – not with externals. It has to do with the heart and with that which is hidden and revealed only to itself. “They do not strive to expel every inner sin, but seek out only the sin in thought, word, and deed. And, once they have identified those, they go on their own way feeling very secure.” Thus, Luther understands the law as not merely a challenge that invites a person to do good works, but as that which God’s law really is, namely, a calling that claims the entire person – his body, soul, and all his powers. For Luther, a person is to belong to God entirely. Luther does not compromise on the first commandment and because he does not compromise here, even successful adherence to the remaining commandments does not satisfy him. This is because the first commandment is contained in all of the remaining commandments. It is not a matter of “you can, therefore you should,” but rather of the action itself: “I would, but I will not.” I will not bow to the “should” that commands me. It is as Paul writes: “That which was meant to be my life has become the death of me!” For if all that stands between man and God is this “should” then he will surely stand condemned by God.
