On the Spirit and the Letter

...witnessed by the law, if it has been manifested without the law? But the righteousness of God exists without the law, which God confers through the spirit of grace upon the believer without the help of the law—that is, it is not aided by the law. Indeed, through the law, God shows a person their own weakness, so that by fleeing to His mercy through faith, they might be healed. For it was said of His Wisdom that she carries both the law and mercy on her tongue original: "legem & misericordiam in lingua portet"; Augustine is likely referencing a variation of Proverbs 3:16 found in the Latin versions of his time—the law, clearly, to make the proud guilty, but mercy to justify those who have been humbled. Therefore, the righteousness of God: iustitia dei; here meaning the gift by which God makes a person righteous, rather than God’s own quality of being just comes through
Romans 3

faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. For there is no distinction. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God—meaning His glory, not their own. For what do they have that they did not
1 Corinthians 4

receive? And if they received it, why do they boast as if they had not received it? They fall short, therefore, of the glory of God. And see what follows: "Being justified freely by His grace." It is not, therefore, that they are justified by the law, nor are they justified by their own will; rather, they are justified freely by His grace. This does not mean it happens without our will, but our will is shown to be weak through the law, so that grace may heal the will, and once the will is healed, it may fulfill the law—not being established under the law, nor standing in need of the law.

HOW ONE SHOULD UNDER-

stand: The law is not laid down for the righteous,

which is nonetheless good, if one uses it

lawfully. Chapter 10.

1 Timothy 1

For "the law is not laid down for the righteous man," and yet "the law is good, if one uses it lawfully." By connecting these two seemingly contrary ideas, the Apostle warns and stirs the reader to examine and solve this question: how can the law be "good, if one uses it lawfully," if it is also true (as follows) that "the law is not laid down for the righteous man"? For who uses the law lawfully except the righteous person? And yet, for such a person, the law is not