After Adam sinned, he could do nothing that would bring him into a state of grace. But God said that one of his descendants would crush the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15). It was by this promise Adam was made alive. Because he believed in this word, he was saved and justified without any works. Our nature struggles fiercely against being saved without our works and tries to deceive us with a grand illusion of our own righteousness. So we may find ourselves attracted to a life that merely appears to be righteous. Or because we know we aren’t righteous, we may be frightened by death or sin. Therefore, we must learn that we should have nothing to do with any way of becoming righteous except through Christ alone. (Martin Luther)