Yet the adversaries do not give up on Christ completely. They require a knowledge of the history about Christ. They credit Him by writing that from His merit a way of life is given to us or, as they say, "first grace" (prima gratia). They understand this as a habit, inclining us to love God more readily. Yet, what they credit to this habit is of little importance. For they imagine that the human will's acts are the same before and after this habit. They imagine that the will can love God; but, nevertheless, this habits stimulates it to love more cheerfully. They tell us, "First, merit this habit by your earlier merits." Then they tell us we should merit an increase of this habit and life eternal by the works of the Law. In this way they bury Christ, so that people may not benefit from Him as a Mediator and believe that they freely receive forgiveness of sins and reconciliation for His sake. They let people dream that by their own fulfillment of the Law, they merit forgiveness of sins, that by their own fulfillment of the Law, they are counted righteous before God. However, the Law is never satisfied since reason does nothing except certain civil works. In the meantime, a person neither fears God nor truly believes that God cares. Although they speak about this habit, God's love cannot exist in a person without the righteousness of faith, nor can His love be understood.
~BOC, AP, IV (II), 17-18
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