马丁·路德的《罗马书》序言
（接上文）
第五章—信心的果子
28在第五章中，使徒继续讨论信心的果子和工作，例如和平、喜乐、对上帝和我们所有同胞的爱；此外，在患难和苦难中，还有确信、胆量、喜乐、勇气和盼望。因为只要有真正的信心，所有这些事都会随之而来，因为上帝在基督里遗赠给我们超多的宝藏，当我们还是敌人的时候，当我们祈求他这样做之前，上帝就让基督为我们而死了。因此，我们得出这样的结论，即信心无需任何行为就能称义，但这并不意味着我们不能做任何善行，而是真正的行为不会缺乏。对于这些行为，那些凭借自己的功德而成为圣人的人一无所知。他们编造自己的作品，其中没有平安、喜乐、确据、爱心、希望、勇气，也没有任何真正的基督徒作品和信仰的品质。
- 接下来，使徒试图以轻松漫谈的方式来讲述罪与不义、死与生从何而来，并以精彩的比较将亚当和基督这两个人相互对立起来。他的意思是说：因此，基督必须作为另一位亚当而来，通过信仰，通过新的、属灵的出生，将他的义传给我们，就像前任亚当通过旧的、属肉体的出生，将罪传给我们一样 。
- 这个比喻清楚地表明，并且证实了这一教训：没有人能够通过行为使自己脱离罪而称义，就像他无法控制自己身体的出生一样。 事实也证明了这一点，即神圣的律法，如果有的话，可能会帮助人类走向正义，但它的到来不仅没有这种帮助，甚至还增加了罪恶。 因为人的邪恶本性反对律法时变得更加愤怒，并在律法检查的同时寻求满足其欲望。因此，律法使基督变得更加必要，并需要更多的恩典来帮助本性。
第六章——每日与罪恶争战
- 在第六章中，使徒展开了一项特殊的信心工作，即圣灵与肉体的争战，其目的是彻底治死称义后所残余的罪恶和私欲。这教导我们，我们并没有因信心而完全摆脱罪恶，以至于我们可以无所事事、懒惰和安全，就好像罪恶不再存在一样。罪恶仍然存在，但由于与罪恶争战的信心，罪恶不再被定罪。因此，只要我们活着，我们就可以尽一切努力来驯服我们的身体，克制身体的私欲，并迫使身体的肢体顺服圣灵，不顺服私欲。 通过这样做，我们分享了基督的死亡和复活，并完全了我们的洗礼（这象征着罪恶的死亡和恩典的新生命），直到我们完全摆脱罪恶，并在我们的身体中与基督一起复活，并永远活着。
- 使徒说，我们能做到这一点，因为我们在恩典之下，而不是在律法之下。他这样解释他的意思：“没有律法”并不等于没有律法，可以随意为所欲为，而“在律法之下”则意味着在没有恩典的情况下从事律法的善工。在后一种情况下，罪恶肯定会通过律法来统治，因为没有人天生热爱律法。然而，这种情况构成了大罪。但恩典使律法对我们来说是愉快的，然后就不再有罪了，律法也不再反对我们，而是与我们和谐相处。
基督徒的自由
- 现在，这种情况是真正脱离罪恶和律法的自由。关于这件事，使徒在本章末所写的告诉我们，乐意行善、过美好的生活而不受律法的约束是一种自由。 因此，这种自由是一种灵性上的自由，它并不废除法律，而是为我们提供律法所要求的东西，即甘愿和爱心。这些使律法得到满足，以致它不再催促我们，也不再向我们提出要求。假设你欠房东债务且无力偿还，你可以通过以下两种方式之一从他那里获得释放：要么他不会从你身上拿走任何东西并撕毁你的账户，要么某些好心人可能会为你付款，给你足够的钱来清算你的账户。基督采取后一种方式使我们脱离了律法。 因此，他所赐予的自由不是一种放荡的、属肉体的自由，它没有义务做任何事，而是在很多方面都非常活跃，但它不受律法的要求约束，也不欠律法的债务。（未完待续）
Martin Luther’s Preface to The Epistle to the Romans
(Continue from above)
Ch. 5—The Fruits of Faith
28 In the fifth chapter the apostle proceeds to discuss the fruits and the works of faith, such as peace, joy, love of God and of all our fellow-men; moreover, assurance, boldness, cheerfulness, courage, and hope amidst tribulation and sufferings. For all these things follow where there is genuine faith, because of the superabundant treasure which God has bequeathed to us in Christ, when He caused Him to die for us before we could pray Him to do this, nay, while we were still enemies. Thus we arrive at this result, viz., that faith justifies without any works, and yet it does not follow from this that we must not do any good works, but that genuine works will not be wanting. Of these works those who are saints by their own merit know nothing; they frame up works of their own, in which there is neither peace, joy, assurance, love, hope, boldness, nor the quality of any genuine Christian work and faith.
- Next the apostle attempts a pleasure stroll for a diversion, and tells whence sin and unrighteousness, death, and life, come, and in a splendid comparison places these two, Adam and Christ, over against each other. He means to say: For this reason Christ had to come, as another Adam, who was to bequeath His righteousness to us by a new, spiritual birth through faith, just as the former Adam had bequeathed sin to us through the old, carnal birth.
- By this illustration it is made plain, and the teach-ing is confirmed, that no one can by means of works advance himself out of sin unto righteousness, just as little as he can control his physical birth. This is also proved by the fact that the divine Law, which, if any-thing, might be expected to aid man toward righteous-ness, has not only come without such aid, but has even increased sin. For man’s evil nature becomes all the more incensed against it and seeks to gratify its lust in proportion as the Law checks it. Hence the Law makes Christ all the more necessary and requires more grace to aid nature.
Ch. 6—The Daily Struggle With Sin
- In the sixth chapter the apostle takes up a special work of faith, viz., the struggle of the Spirit against the flesh, which aims at the complete mortification of the remaining sins and lusts left over after justification. This teaches us that we are not so utterly freed from sin by faith that we can be idle, lazy, and secure, as though sin did no longer exist. There still is sin, but for the sake of faith, which battles with it, it is not imputed for condemnation. Hence, as long as we live, we have all we can do to tame our body, to mortify its lusts, and to force its members to obey the Spirit and not the lusts. By doing this, we share the death and resurrection of Christ and perfect our baptism (which typifies the death of sins and the new life of grace), until we become completely rid of sin and rise with Christ also in our bodies and live for ever.
- We can do this, the apostle says, because we are under grace and not under the Law. He explains his meaning thus: To be without the Law is not the same as having no law and being at liberty to do as one pleases, while to be under the Law means to engage in works of the Law without grace. In the latter case sin surely reigns by means of the Law, because no one is by nature a lover of the Law. This state of affairs, however, constitutes a great sin. But grace makes the Law pleasant to us, and then there is no more sin, and the law is no longer against us, but in harmony with us.
Christian Liberty
- This condition, now, is genuine freedom from sin and from the Law. Regarding this matter the apostle writes to the end of this chapter, telling us that it is a liberty to do good gladly and to lead a good life without constraint by the law. This liberty, therefore, is a spiritual liberty, which does not abolish the Law, but supplies us with the things which the Law demands; viz., willingness and love. These render satisfaction to the Law, so that it can no longer urge us nor make demands upon us. Suppose you were in debt to your landlord and unable to pay. You might obtain your release from him in one of two ways; either he might not take anything from you and tear up your account, or some good person might make payment for you, giving you enough to liquidate your account. In the latter way Christ has made us free from the Law. Therefore the liberty which He gives is not a wild, carnal liberty, which is not under obligation to do anything, but it is very active in many ways, and yet it is not subject to the Law’s demands, and not indebted to it. (to be continued)