Luther on the Tenth Leper

Niccolò Vicentino (Italian, active c. 1510–c. 1550), Christ healing the Lepers, 1540–50, chiaroscuro woodcut, New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art.

“As plain as it is, great is the example this Gospel presents to us. In the leper it teaches us faith, in Christ it teaches us love. Now, as I have often said, faith and love constitute the whole character of the Christian. Faith receives, love gives. Faith brings man to God, love brings man to his fellow. Through faith he permits God to do him good, through love he does good to his brother man. For whoever believes has every thing from God, and is happy and rich. Therefore he needs henceforth nothing more, but all he lives and does, he orders for the good and benefit of his neighbor, and through love he does to his neighbor as God did to him through faith. Thus he reaps good from above through faith, and gives good below through love. Against this kind of life work-righteous persons with their merits and good works terribly contend, for they do works only to serve themselves, they live only unto themselves, and do good without faith.”

Martin Luther, Church Postil, Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity