The Gift of Faith
Author: Chris Castaldo, PhD
August 14, 2025
Editor’s note: This Sunday in Pastor Chris’s new sermon series, “Free Indeed: A Series in Galatians,” we’ll begin to consider the book’s bracing emphasis on faith. Here Chris shares some vital insights about faith from Martin Luther on Romans that are just as powerful—and needed—as the day they were written.
A common misunderstanding portrays Martin Luther as promoting a shallow, momentary faith divorced from lifelong Christian living. Critics and supporters alike sometimes depict the great reformer as championing a “faith alone” doctrine that minimizes the importance of good works and moral transformation. Luther’s own writings tell a dramatically different story.
In 1522, Luther wrote his “Preface to the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans” for inclusion in his German translation of the Bible. This wasn’t merely an academic exercise—it was Luther’s attempt to clarify key Reformation doctrines for ordinary believers. In this preface, he systematically defines crucial terms like “faith,” “sin,” and “law,” then outlines the meaning of each chapter of Romans. His treatment of faith directly counters the accusation that Reformation doctrine promotes moral indifference.
False Faith vs. True Faith
Luther begins by distinguishing between genuine faith and its counterfeit:
“Faith is not the human notion and dream that some people call faith. When they see that no improvement in life and no good works follow—although they can hear and say much about faith—they fall into the error of saying, ‘Faith is not enough; one must do works to be righteous and be saved.’ This is because, upon hearing the gospel, they become busy and, through their efforts, create an idea in their heart that says, ‘I believe.’ They then take this to be a true faith. But, as it is a human figment and idea that never reaches the depths of the heart, nothing comes of it either, and no improvement follows.”
Here Luther identifies the root problem: people mistake intellectual assent or emotional experience for saving faith. When this shallow “faith” produces no life change, they conclude that works must be added to faith for salvation. Luther argues that this gets the relationship exactly backwards.
The Nature of True Faith
Luther then describes what genuine faith looks like:
“Faith, however, is a divine work in us which changes us and makes us to be born anew of God, John 1[:12-13]. It kills the old Adam and makes us altogether different men, in heart and spirit and mind and powers; and it brings with it the Holy Spirit. O it is a living, busy, active, mighty thing, this faith. It is impossible for it not to be doing good works incessantly.”
Notice Luther’s emphasis: true faith is “a divine work in us” that brings total transformation. This isn’t passive acceptance but dynamic spiritual power. Faith doesn’t merely justify—it regenerates, bringing the Holy Spirit who creates new desires and capabilities.
Faith in Action
Luther continues with one of his most memorable descriptions of how authentic faith operates:
“It does not ask whether good works are to be done, but before the question is asked, it has already done them, and is constantly doing them. Whoever does not do such works, however, is an unbeliever. He gropes and looks around for faith and good works, but knows neither what faith is nor what good works are. Yet he talks and talks, with many words, about faith and good works.”
This passage reveals Luther’s practical wisdom. Genuine faith doesn’t debate whether to do good—it naturally produces good works before the question even arises. Those who endlessly discuss faith while remaining unchanged demonstrate they possess neither true faith nor understanding of what good works actually are.
The Source of Christian Joy and Service
Luther concludes by explaining the motivation that drives faithful living:
“Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and confident that the believer would stake his life on it a thousand times. This knowledge of and trust in God’s grace make men glad and bold and happy in dealing with God and with all creatures. And this is the work which the Holy Spirit performs in faith. Because of it, without compulsion, a person is ready and glad to do good to everyone, to serve everyone, to suffer everything, out of love and praise to God who has shown him this grace.”
The key word here is “glad.” Christian service flows not from duty or fear, but from joyful gratitude. Faith creates people who are “ready and glad” to serve because they’ve experienced God’s transforming grace firsthand.
The Inseparable Connection
Luther’s final warning drives home his central point:
“Thus, it is impossible to separate works from faith, quite as impossible as to separate heat and light from fire. Beware, therefore, of your false notions and of the idle talkers who imagine themselves wise enough to make decisions about faith and good works, and yet are the greatest fools. Pray God that he may work faith in you. Otherwise, you will surely remain forever without faith, regardless of what you may think or do.”
Why This Matters Today
Luther’s teaching remains remarkably relevant. In our time, we still encounter both extremes against which he warned: those who reduce faith to mere intellectual agreement, and those who attempt to earn salvation through religious performance. Luther charts a different course—faith alone saves, but saving faith never remains alone.
This understanding transforms how we approach Christian living. Good works aren’t the price we pay for salvation or proof we manufacture to demonstrate our faith. They’re the natural fruit of hearts changed by divine grace. When we grasp God’s unmerited favor, gratitude and joy compel us toward lives of service.
Luther’s “faith alone” was never meant to minimize Christian obedience—it was meant to locate that obedience in its proper source and motivation. True faith, as Luther understood it, is indeed a gift. But it’s a gift that keeps on giving, transforming believers into people who naturally overflow with love for God and neighbor.
Chris Castaldo is Lead Pastor of New Covenant Church in Naperville, Illinois.
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