Christian righteousness is the faith that believes that sins are freely forgiven for Christ's sake...

Not only the people, but also those teaching in the churches, have generally been persuaded to believe in making distinctions between meats, and similar human traditions.  They believe these are useful works for meriting grace and are able to make satisfaction for sins.  From this there developed that new ceremonies, new orders, new holy days, and new fastings were instituted daily.  Teachers in the Church required these works as a necessary service to merit grace.  They greatly terrified people's consciences when they left any of these things out.  Because of this viewpoint, the Church has suffered great damage.

First, the chief part of the Gospel--the doctrine of grace and of the righteousness of faith--has been obscured by this view.  The Gospel should stand out as the most prominent teaching in the Church, in order that Christ's merit may be well known and faith, which believes that sins are forgiven for Christ's sake, be exalted far above works.  Therefore, Paul also lays the greatest stress on this article, putting aside the Law and human traditions, in order to show that Christian righteousness is something other than such works.  Christian righteousness is the faith that believes that sins are freely forgiven for Christ's sake.  But this doctrine of Paul has been almost completely smothered by traditions, which have produced the opinion that we must merit grace and righteousness by making distinctions in meats and similar services.  When repentance was taught, there was no mention made of faith.  Only works of satisfaction were set forth.  And so repentance seemed to stand entirely on these works.
~BOC, AC, XXVI, 1-7