The First and Chief Article

The First and Chief Article

Comments on Galatians with an ear to Luther’s commentary

Scripture Text: Galatians 3:12 and Romans 3:21–25

Series: Comments on Galatians

Today's Scripture Jigsaw

“The first and chief article is this: Jesus Christ, our God and Lord, died for our sins and was raised again for our justification (Romans 3:24-25). He alone is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29), and God has laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6).” [Martin Luther, “The Smalcald Articles” in Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2005), 289, Part two, Article 1.]

“The law is not of faith” (Galatians 3:12). The two are not in cahoots, rather faith alone justifies us to God. The result, of course, is that charity results, not from command of law but from the heart. It all begins with faith in God’s grace but does not end there. Faith then blossoms in the heart of the believer, as Jesus dictates (John 15:16), bearing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23). Faith does not bear the fruit of the law; there is no such thing. We only begin to produce truly good fruit because it is the Spirit of God himself who brings it to bear. This too, is done by his grace. 

All is by grace and that, through faith, not works. In this way alone may God be the one who boasts (Ephesians 2:9). Our works, since they are not a factor in salvation, gain us nothing. We are sin, wholly and completely, but that sin — the whole of it — was laid upon the Lamb of God (John 1:29) and nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14). He died with our sin and was raised so that our justification may be based upon faith alone, faith in him, not our works of piety and, morality, and religion. Make this — faith in Christ alone — be your first and chief article of belief, and you will know the peace of Christ that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:6).

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