Martin Luther on Authentic Faith Producing Works

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While the Roman Catholics may accuse the fundamentalist Protestants and Baptists of Antinomianism, here are some words from the great theologian Martin Luther himself which I had lifted up from Pastor John MacArthur's book "The Gospel According to Jesus" to further light a revival of this Reformation Month:

On Antinomianism (Page 200):
But our Antinomian friends wish in their folly to flatter secure men and to make them good by reminding them of [imputed] righteousness though such an age as ours is incapable of being terrified by the lightning of the Law. One account of the great sense of [false] security it's necessary to thunder and lightning with the Law.

From pages 255-257:

The first four of the ninety-five theses:
1. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ in saying, "Repent ye, etc." meant the whole life of the faithful to be an act of repentance.
2. This saying cannot be understood in the sacrament of penance*(i.e. the confession and absolution) which is administered by the priesthood.
3. Yet he does not mean interior repentance only; nay interior repentance is void if it does not produce different kinds of mortifications of the flesh.
4. And so penance remains while self-hate remains (i.e. true interior penitence) namely right up to the entrance into the Kingdom of God.
*Comment: Indeed point two does strike a point. 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins to God, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and CLEANSE US from ALL unrighteousness."

A very good quote from Martin Luther:
When we have thus taught faith in Christ then we teach also good works. Because thou hast laid upon Christ by faith, through whom thou art made righteous, begin now to work well. Love God and thy neighbor, call upon God, give thanks unto Him, praise Him, confess Him. Do good to thy neighbor and serve Him, fulfill thine office. These are good works works indeed which flow out of this faith.

He wrote this commentary on Romans:
Faith is not something dreamed, a human illusion although this is what many people understand by the term. Whenever they see that it is not followed either by an improvement in morals or by good works which much is being said about faith, they fall into the error of declaring that faith is not enough, that we must do "works "if" we are to become upright and attain salvation. The reason is that, when they hear the Gospel, they miss the point; in their hearts, and out of their own resources, they conjure up the idea which they call "belief" which they treat as genuine faith. All the same, it is but a human fabrication, an idea without a corresponding experience in the depths of the heart. It is therefore ineffective and not followed by a better kind of life.
Faith however is something that God effects in us. It changes us and we are reborn from God, John 1. Faith puts the old Adam to death and makes us quite different men in heart, in mind, and in all our powers and it is accompanied by the Holy Spirit . O, when it comes to faith what a living, creative, active, powerful thing it is. It cannot do other than good at times. It never waits to ask whether there is some good work to do, before the question is raised, it has done the deed and keeps on doing it. A man not active in this way is a man without faith. He is groping about for faith and searching for good works but knows neither what faith is nor what good works are. Nevertheless he keeps on talking nonsense about faith and good works.
Also quite interesting is from Philip Melanchon another Reformer who was a friend of Martin Luther:
It must be obvious that if conversion to God does not happen and the heart continues in sin against conscience that there is no true faith that desires or receives forgiveness of sins. The Holy Spirit is not in a heart in which there is no fear of God but instead a continuing defiance. As clearly expressed, 1 Corinthians 6:9, "Whores, adulterers, etc. will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven."