The excerpt represents the core issue or deciding factor on which you must meditate, and is drawn from The Augsburg Confession by Philip Melanchthon: has been obscured by it, which is the chief part of the
Gospel, and ought to stand out as the most prominent in the
Church, in order that the merit of Christ may be well known,
and faith, which believes that sins are forgiven for Christ's
sake be exalted far above works. Wherefore Paul also lays the
greatest stress on this article, putting aside the Law and
human traditions, in order to show that Christian
righteousness is something else than such works, to wit, the
faith which believes that sins are freely forgiven for
Christ's sake. But this doctrine of Paul has been almost
wholly smothered by traditions, which have produced an opinion
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