115、有些人接受与仁分离之信，并根据保罗对罗马人所说的话将它合理化或确认它，即：
人称义是因着信，不在乎遵行律法。（罗马书3:28）
他们如同崇拜太阳的人那样崇拜这句话，并变得像那些经常盯着太阳看，由此导致视力如此模糊不清，以至于无法在正常光线下看东西的人。因为他们不明白此处“律法”不是指十诫，而是指摩西在他的书中所描述的宗教仪式，这些仪式处处被称为“律法”。为免得人们以为它是指十诫，保罗继续解释说：
这样，我们因信废了律法么？断乎不是！更是坚固律法。（罗马书3:31）
那些仅仅因为这句话就确信与仁分离之信的人，盯住这句经文就像盯住太阳，以至于无视保罗列举信的律法，声称它们实际上就是仁爱行为的经文。毕竟，信没有它的律法算什么呢？他们也无视保罗列举邪恶行为，并声称凡作这些恶的人不会进入天堂的经文。这一切清楚表明，对这一句经文的误解造成的盲目何等之大！
115. People who are taken up with faith apart from charity and have confirmed themselves in it because of Paul's saying to the Romans "that a person is justified by faith apart from deeds of the law" (Romans 3:28), adore that saying like people who adore the sun, and they become like those who fix their eyes steadily on the sun so that the sharpness of their vision is blurred and does not see anything in normal light. For they do not see what is meant there by deeds of the law - that they are not the commandments of the Decalogue, but the rituals described by Moses in his books, which are everywhere there called the law. Lest people interpret deeds of the law to mean the commandments of the Decalogue, in verse 31 of the same chapter Paul explains his statement saying,
Do we then make void the law through faith? Far from it. Rather we establish the law. (Romans 3:31)
People who have confirmed themselves in faith alone because of the earlier saying and their gazing at that passage as though at the sun, do not see where Paul enumerates the laws of faith as being in fact works of charity. What, then, is faith without its laws? Nor do such people see where Paul enumerates evil deeds, saying that those who do them cannot enter into heaven.
It is apparent from this what blindness has been introduced by this one passage wrongly understood.
115. There are people who accept a faith separate from charity and who justify themselves by what Paul says to the Romans: "We are justified by faith apart from works of the Law" (Romans 3:28). They worship this statement like people who worship the sun; and they become like people who stare so constantly at the sun that their eyesight becomes dull and incapable of seeing things in normal light. They do not see what "works of the Law" means here--not the Ten Commandments, but the rituals described by Moses in his books, everywhere referred to as "the Law." To keep us from thinking that it means the Ten Commandments, Paul goes on to explain, "Then do we abolish the Law by faith? Far from it, we strengthen the Law" (Romans 3:31).
If we convince ourselves of faith alone on the basis of this statement, then by staring at this passage like the sun we blind ourselves to places where Paul lists the laws of faith and says that they are in fact deeds of charity. After all, what is faith apart from its laws? We blind ourselves to the places where he lists evil deeds, saying that people who do them cannot enter heaven.
We can see from this what blindness comes from a misunderstanding of this one passage.
115. Those who are in faith separate from charity and who have confirmed themselves in it from the saying of Paul to the Romans,
That a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law. (Romans 3:28),
revere this saying as those who adore the sun; and they become like those who steadily fix their eyes on the sun whereby the keenness of their sight is destroyed and they see nothing in full daylight. For they do not see that in that passage by "the deeds of the Law" are not meant the commandments of the Decalogue but the rituals described by Moses in his books, which are everywhere in them called the Law. Lest, therefore, it should be understood that the commandments of the Decalogue are meant, he explains it by saying,
Do we then make void the Law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the Law. Verse 3of the same chapter.
Those who, from this saying, have confirmed themselves in faith separate [from charity], by gazing at this passage as at the sun fail to see where Paul enumerates the laws of faith as being the very works of charity; and what is faith without its laws? Nor do they see where he enumerates evil works while he declares that those who do them cannot enter into heaven. From this it is evident what blindness has been induced by a wrong understanding of this single passage.
115. Those who are in faith separate from charity, and have confirmed themselves in it from Paul's saying to the Romans,
That a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law (Romans 3:28),
adore this saying like men who adore the sun; and they become like those who fix their eyes steadily on the sun, by which the sight is so blurred that they can see nothing in ordinary light. For they do not see that "the works of the law" there mean, not the commandments of the Decalogue, but the rituals described by Moses in his books, which are there always called "the law." Lest, therefore, it should be thought that the commandments are meant Paul explains by saying,
Do we then make void the law through faith; God forbid; yea, we establish the law (verse 31 of the same chapter).
Those who have confirmed themselves by this saying in faith separate from charity, from gazing at this passage as at the sun, fail to see where Paul enumerates the laws of faith as being the very works of charity; and what is faith without its laws? Nor do they notice where he enumerates evil works, and declares that those who do them cannot enter into heaven. This shows clearly how great is the blindness that has been induced by a wrong understanding of this single passage.
115. Illi qui in fide separata a charitate sunt, et confirmaverunt se ex dicto Pauli ad Romanos, Quod fide justificetur homo sine operibus legis, 13:28, adorant hoc dictum sicut qui adorant solem, et fiunt sicut qui oculos obnixe figunt in sole, ex quo acies obtusa facta non videt aliquid in media luce; non enim vident quid ibi intelligitur per opera legis, quod sint ritualia quae a Mose descripta sunt in Libris ejus, quae ubivis ibi vocantur Lex, et quod non praecepta decalogi; quare ne intelligantur praecepta decalogi, explicat illud dicendo, "Ergone Legem abrogamus 2per fidem; absit, sed legem stabilimus," Vers. 31 ejusdem 3Capitis. Qui ex illo dicto se in fide separata confirmaverunt, illi ex intuitione illius loci sicut in sole, nec vident ubi enumerat Leges fidei, quod sint ipsa opera charitatis; quid itaque fides absque suis legibus: nec vident ubi enumerat mala opera, dicendo, quod qui illa faciunt, non possint intrare in Coelum. Ex quo patet, qualis caecitas inducta est ex unico hoc loco male intellecto.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: legis"
2 Prima editio: ahrogamus
3 Prima editio: ejusdam