Faith is a work of the Holy Spirit, by which we are freed from death and terrified minds are encouraged and brought to life...

Truly it is amazing that the adversaries are in no way moved by so many passages of Scripture, which clearly credit justification to faith.  Indeed, Scripture denies this ability to works.  Do they think that the same point is repeated so often for no purpose?  Do they think that these words fell thoughtlessly from the Holy Spirit?  But they have also come up with sophisticated tricks by which they escape these passages.  They say that these passages of Scripture (that speak of faith) ought to be received as referring to faith that has been formed (fides formata).  This means they do not credit justification to faith in any way, but only to love, because they dream that faith can coexist with mortal sin.  Where does this go?  They again abolish the promise and return to the Law.  If faith receives forgiveness of sins because of love, forgiveness of sins will always be uncertain, because we never love as much as we ought to.  Indeed, we do not love unless our hearts are firmly convinced that forgiveness of sins has been granted to us.  So the adversaries, in forgiveness of sins and justification, require confidence in one's love.  In this way, they completely abolish the Gospel about the free forgiveness of sins; although, at the same time, they do not offer this love or understand it, unless they believe that forgiveness of sins is freely received.

We also say that love ought to follow faith, as Paul says in Galatians 5:6: "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love."

Yet, we must not think that by confidence in this love, or because of this love, we receive forgiveness of sins and reconciliation, just as we do not receive forgiveness of sins because of the works that follow.  But forgiveness of sins is received by faith alone.  Indeed, this is properly called faith because the promise cannot be received except by faith.  Faith, properly called, is what believes this promise.  Scripture speaks of this faith.  Because faith receives forgiveness of sins and reconciles us to God, we are (like Abraham) counted as righteous for Christ's sake before we love and before we do the works of the Law, although love necessarily follows.

Nor, indeed, is this faith an idle knowledge, neither can it coexist with mortal sin.  It is a work of the Holy Spirit, by which we are freed from death and terrified minds are encouraged and brought to life.  Because this faith alone receives forgiveness of sins, makes us acceptable to God, and brings the Holy Spirit, it could be more correctly called "grace making one pleasing to God" (gratia gratum faciens).  It could not be called an effect following faith (i.e., love).
~BOC, AP, IV (II), 107-116

All Scripture, including the doctrine of election, is written for us, not to be driven to despair, but to have hope...

This eternal election or ordination of God to eternal life must not be considered in God's secret, mysterious counsel in a simple-minded way.  It is not as though election included nothing further, or nothing more belonged to it, or nothing more were to be considered in it, that that God foresaw who and how many were to be saved and who and how many were to be damned.  Nor should we think that He only held a sort of military muster, such as, "This one shall be saved, that one shall be damned; this one shall remain steadfast in faith to the end, that one shall not remain steadfast."

From this notion many get and imagine strange, dangerous, and deadly thoughts.  These cause and strengthen either self-confidence and lack of repentance or hopelessness and despair.  So people fall into troublesome thoughts, and say, "Before the foundation of the world was laid" (Ephesians 1:4), God has foreknown His elect to salvation.  And God's foreknowledge cannot fail or be hindered or changed by anyone.  In view of this, if I am elected to salvation, nothing can hurt me, even if I perform all sorts of shameful sins without repentance, have no regard for the Word and Sacraments, concern myself neither with repentance, faith, prayer, or godliness.  I will and must still be saved, because God's foreknowledge must come to pass. If, however, I am not foreknown, nothing helps me anyway, even though I busy myself with the Word, repent, believe, and so on.  For I cannot hinder or change God's foreknowledge."

In fact, even when godly hearts have repentance, faith, and good intentions to live by God's grace in a godly way, thoughts like these arise:  "If you are not foreknown from eternity to salvation, your every effort and entire labor is no help."  This happens especially when they see their weakness and the examples of those who have not persevered, but have fallen away again.

Against this false delusion and thought we should set up the following clear argument, which is sure and cannot fail:  All Scripture is inspired by God.  It is not for self-confidence and lack of repentance, but "for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16).  Also, everything in God's Word has been written for us, not so that we should be driven to despair by it, but so that "through the encouragement of Scriptures we might have hope" (Romans 15:4).  Therefore, there is no question that lack of repentance or despair should not in any way be caused or strengthened by the sound sense or right use of this teaching about God's eternal foreknowledge.  The Scriptures teach this doctrine only to direct us to the Word to encourage repentance and godliness, and to strengthen faith and assure us of our salvation.
~BOC, FSD, XI, 9-12

Rest in the mystery of Christ's dual nature that you might have the constant consolation of truth rather than the doubt of crafty reasoning...

Since in the Holy Scriptures Christ is called a mystery upon which all heretics dash their heads, we admonish all Christians not to arrogantly indulge their reason in crafty investigations about such mysteries.  With the beloved apostles, they should simply believe.  They should close the eyes of their reason and bring their understanding into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and rejoice without ceasing in the fact that our flesh and blood is placed so high at the right hand of God's majesty and almighty power.  In this way we will certainly find constant consolation in every difficulty and remain well guarded against deadly error.
~BOC, FSD, VIII, 96

The Holy Spirit carries out both offices together: He slays and makes alive...

The Law indeed says it is God's will and command that we should walk in a new life.  But it does not give the power and ability to begin and to do it.  The Holy Spirit renews the heart.  He is given and received, not through the Law, but through the preaching of the Gospel.  Thereafter, the Holy Spirit uses the Law in order to teach the regenerate from it and to point out and show them in the Ten Commandments what is the "will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:2) in what "good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk" (Ephesians 2:10).  He encourages them  to this.  When they are idle, negligent and rebellious in this mater because of the flesh, He rebukes them through the Law.  So the Spirit carries out both offices together: He slays and makes alive.  He leads into hell and brings up again.  For His office is not only to comfort, but also to rebuke.  For it is written, "when [the Holy Spirit] comes, He will convict the world [which includes also the old Adam] concerning sin and righteousness and judgment" (John 16:8).  Sin is everything that is contrary to God's Law.  St. Paul says, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof" (2 Timothy 3:16), and to rebuke is the Law's special office.  Therefore, as often as believers stumble, they are rebuked by the Holy Spirit from the Law.  By the same Spirit they are raised up and comforted again with the preaching of the Holy Gospel.
~BOC, FSD, VI, 11-14

The Church is those who hear the voice of their Shepherd...

We do not agree with them that they are the Church.  They are not the Church.  Nor will we listen to those things that, under the name of Church, they command or forbid.  Thank God, today a seven-year-old child knows what the Church is, namely, the holy believers and lambs who hear the voice of their Shepherd.  For the children pray, "I believe in one holy Christian Church."  This holiness does not come from albs, tonsures, long gowns, and other ceremonies they made up without Holy Scripture, but from God's Word and true faith.
~BOC, SA, III, XII, 1-3

The Gospel promise gives troubled hearts sure consolation...

Troubled hearts should have a firm, sure consolation.  Also, due honor should be given to Christ's merit and God's grace.  Therefore, the Scriptures teach that the righteousness of faith before God stands only in the gracious reconciliation or the forgiveness of sins, which is presented to us out of pure grace, only for the sake of the merit of Mediator, Christ.  This is received through faith alone in the Gospel promise.
~BOC, FSD, III, 30

It is the passion of Christ, not the act of a Mass, that forgives, justifies...

An opinion was added that infinitely increased private Masses.  It states that Christ, by His passion, made satisfaction for original sin and instituted the Mass as an offering for daily sins, both venial and mortal.  From this opinion has arisen the common belief that the Mass takes away the sins of the living and the dead simply by performing the outward act.  Then they began to argue about whether one Mass said for many is worth as much as special Masses for individuals.  This resulted in an infinite number of Masses.  With this work, people wanted to obtain from God all that they needed, and in the meantime, trust in Christ and true worship were forgotten.

Our teachers have warned that these opinions depart from the Holy Scripture and diminish the glory of the passion of Christ.  For Christ's passion was an offering and satisfaction, not only for original guilt, but also for other sins, as it is written, "We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all, (Hebrews 10:10).  Also, "By a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified" (Hebrews 10:14).  (It is an unheard-of innovation in the Church to teach that by His death Christ has made satisfaction only for original sin and not for all other sin.  So it is hoped that everybody will understand that this error has been rebuked for good reason),

Scripture teaches that we are justified before God, through faith in Christ, when we believe that our sins are forgiven for Christ sake. Now if the Mass takes away the sins of the living and the dead simply by performing it, justification comes by doing Masses, and not of faith.  Scripture does not allow this.
~BOC, AC, XXIV, 21-29

Only by revelation of Scripture can we understand the magnitude of Original Sin...

This heredity sin is such a deep corruption of nature that no reason can understand it.  Rather it must be believed by the revelation of Scripture.
~BOC, SA, III, I, 3