Martin Luther added the word "alone"?

[TriuneUnity]

Is sanctification needed for salvation? If one never acts on the grace given them by God, is there hope for them?

For some additional clarification, from the Lutheran Confessions

The Smalcald Articles:
“What I have hitherto and constantly taught concerning this I know not how to change in the least, namely, that by faith, as St. Peter says, we acquire a new and clean heart, and God will and does account us entirely righteous and holy for the sake of Christ, our Mediator. And although sin in the flesh has not yet been altogether removed or become dead, yet He will not punish or remember it.
And such faith, renewal, and forgiveness of sins is followed by good works. And what there is still sinful or imperfect also in them shall not be accounted as sin or defect, even [and that, too] for Christ’s sake; but the entire man, both as to his person and his works, is to be called and to be righteous and holy from pure grace and mercy, shed upon us [unfolded] and spread over us in Christ. Therefore we cannot boast of many merits and works, if they are viewed apart from grace and mercy, but as it is written, 1 Cor. 1, 31: He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord, namely, that he has a gracious God. For thus all is well. We say, besides, that if good works do not follow, faith is false and not true.”

From the Formula of Concord:
We believe, teach, and confess that, although men truly believing [in Christ] and truly converted to God have been freed and exempted from the curse and coercion of the Law, they nevertheless are not on this account without Law, but have been redeemed by the Son of God in order that they should exercise themselves in it day and night [that they should meditate upon God’s Law day and night, and constantly exercise themselves in its observance, Ps. 1, 2], Ps. 119. For even our first parents before the Fall did not live without Law, who had the Law of God written also into their hearts, because they were created in the image of God, Gen. 1, 26f.; 2, 16ff; 3, 3.
We believe, teach, and confess that the preaching of the Law is to be urged with diligence, not only upon the unbelieving and impenitent, but also upon true believers, who are truly converted, regenerate, and justified by faith.
For although they are regenerate and renewed in the spirit of their mind, yet in the present life this regeneration and renewal is not complete, but only begun, and believers are, by the spirit of their mind, in a constant struggle against the flesh, that is, against the corrupt nature and disposition which cleaves to us unto death. On account of this old Adam, which still inheres in the understanding, the will, and all the powers of man, it is needful that the Law of the Lord always shine before them, in order that they may not from human devotion institute wanton and self-elected cults [that they may frame nothing in a matter of religion from the desire of private devotion, and may not choose divine services not instituted by God’s Word]; likewise, that the old Adam also may not employ his own will, but may be subdued against his will, not only by the admonition and threatening of the Law, but also by punishments and blows, so that he may follow and surrender himself captive to the Spirit, 1 Cor. 9, 27; Rom. 6, 12, Gal. 6, 14; Ps. 119, 1ff ; Heb. 13, 21 (Heb. 12, 1).
Now, as regards the distinction between the works of the Law and the fruits of the Spirit, we believe, teach, and confess that the works which are done according to the Law are and are called works of the Law as long as they are only extorted from man by urging the punishment and threatening of God’s wrath.
Fruits of the Spirit, however, are the works which the Spirit of God who dwells in believers works through the regenerate, and which are done by believers so far as they are regenerate [spontaneously and freely], as though they knew of no command, threat, or reward; for in this manner the children of God live in the Law and walk according to the Law of God, which [mode of living] St. Paul in his epistles calls the Law of Christ and the Law of the mind, Rom. 7, 25; 8, 7; Rom. 8, 2; Gal. 6, 2.
Thus the Law is and remains both to the penitent and impenitent, both to regenerate and unregenerate men, one [and the same] Law, namely, the immutable will of God; and the difference, so far as concerns obedience, is alone in man, inasmuch as one who is not yet regenerate does for the Law out of constraint and unwillingly what it requires of him (as also the regenerate do according to the flesh); but the believer, so far as he is regenerate, does without constraint and with a willing spirit that which no threatenings [however severe] of the Law could ever extort from him.

 

[ralphinal]

I see what you are saying, but I keep getting hung up on a few little points.

Let us deal with each alone.

Setting everything aside except for the Gosples, how does it work? According to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, what does it mean to be Christian?

 

[SIA]

The above quote is from the Saint Michael Center for Apologetics website (also quoted on the Lutheran blog Beggars All). I thought I’d open this thread with a nice eye-catching example of Christian charity.

My actual purpose here, however, is to response to

I do agree with you, TriuneUnity, that when discussing Luther’s “adding the word ‘alone’ to Romans 3:28” some Catholics have over-simplified things a bit. But I also think it would be an over-simplification if we were to say that Luther was just doing what Augustine, Chrysostom, etc. had done.

For example, I admit that Thomas Aquinas quoted Romans 3:28 with the word “sola” (“Non est ergo in eis [moralibus et caeremonialibus legis] spes iustificationis, sed in sola fide") – but there is a slight difference between that and what Martin Luther did, because Aquinas was writing a commentary whereas Luther was producing an edition (translation) of the bible.

P.S. I don’t claim to be any sort of expert on pre-Luther translations of Romans 3:28, so someone please correct me if I’m getting facts wrong here.

Martin Luther never added anything. Alone is implied by the way Scripture was written and translated. Every translation of Scripture i have ever seen shows where Paul said that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ. You can ask the question, ‘faith alone?’ and the answer would be yes simply because paul didn’t say that we are saved by grace through faith and works in Jesus Christ. Paul said grace through faith period.

 

[TriuneUnity]

I see what you are saying, but I keep getting hung up on a few little points.

Let us deal with each alone.

Setting everything aside except for the Gosples, how does it work? According to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, what does it mean to be Christian?

If restricting the discussion to the 4 gospels, I would mainly define it according to the Gospel of John, especially the 1st, 3rd, and 6th chapters.

A Christian is one who has been justified through faith in Christ in the sacrament of Holy Baptism (John 3:5), or in the preaching of the Word. That would reduce it to its basic definition to be a Christian.

Were you needing further clarification or addition?

 

[ralphinal]

If restricting the discussion to the 4 gospels, I would mainly define it according to the Gospel of John, especially the 1st, 3rd, and 6th chapters.

A Christian is one who has been justified through faith in Christ in the sacrament of Holy Baptism (John 3:5), or in the preaching of the Word. That would reduce it to its basic definition to be a Christian.

Were you needing further clarification or addition?

I would more or less agree, though I would add that a Christian would be one who first denies themselves, then takes up their cross, then follows Jesus.

Can you deny that the role that Jesus calls us to is one of service of others?

 

[TriuneUnity]

I would more or less agree, though I would add that a Christian would be one who first denies themselves, then takes up their cross, then follows Jesus.

Can you deny that the role that Jesus calls us to is one of service of others?

Nope. Not at all. To take the epistle of James into account, the life of the Christian is to be wholly devoted to others. The Gospel, because it is unconditional, gives us the proper motivation to truly be selfless. We cannot be selfless as long as we believe the Law will punish us for our failings. It is only the Gospel that properly directs the Christian to that which is outside of himself, because he knows that his standing before God is based on the work of another in his place.

 

[ralphinal]

Nope. Not at all. To take the epistle of James into account, the life of the Christian is to be wholly devoted to others. The Gospel, because it is unconditional, gives us the proper motivation to truly be selfless. We cannot be selfless as long as we believe the Law will punish us for our failings. It is only the Gospel that properly directs the Christian to that which is outside of himself, because he knows that his standing before God is based on the work of another in his place.

Wow. I must not be reading the same things. I see Jesus tell us to feed the hungry, care for the needy, and all that. I see him telling us that no greater love has a man than to lay down his life for his friends. I see Jesus telling us a lot about how we are to act towards each other, and it is all based on love for our neighbor.

I see Jesus washing the feet of the twelve, telling them that we must serve, not be served.

Jesus said that we are the light of the world, and our light will shine before all that they may see the GOOD WORKS that we do and give glory to God.

Christianity,as taught by Jesus, is based on correct beleifs that lead us into action. WIthout the second, the first is not enough.

Now, what am I seeing that you are not?

 

[TriuneUnity]

Wow. I must not be reading the same things. I see Jesus tell us to feed the hungry, care for the needy, and all that. I see him telling us that no greater love has a man than to lay down his life for his friends. I see Jesus telling us a lot about how we are to act towards each other, and it is all based on love for our neighbor.

I see Jesus washing the feet of the twelve, telling them that we must serve, not be served.

Jesus said that we are the light of the world, and our light will shine before all that they may see the GOOD WORKS that we do and give glory to God.

Christianity,as taught by Jesus, is based on correct beleifs that lead us into action. WIthout the second, the first is not enough.

Now, what am I seeing that you are not?

What you are not seeing is that the commands of Jesus that you mentioned above do not justify us before God. Why? Because we are sinners. The commands that Jesus gives us, especially in His preaching of the Law in the Sermon on the Mount, are not commandments that grade on a curve. God demands perfect obedience to His Law. That is the only way we can be just in His sight, if it is based on what we do.

Justification is based on the fact that the commands of the Law were kept, but not by us, but by Christ. In our place. When we have faith in His work for us in His life, and in His substitutionary death, all of the good works done by Christ are credited to us. The Law says “Do this” and it is never done; the Gospel says “believe this” and everything is done for you.

We are not justified by our obedience; we are justified in order that we may be obedient.

 

[ralphinal]

What you are not seeing is that the commands of Jesus that you mentioned above do not justify us before God. Why? Because we are sinners. The commands that Jesus gives us, especially in His preaching of the Law in the Sermon on the Mount, are not commandments that grade on a curve. God demands perfect obedience to His Law. That is the only way we can be just in His sight, if it is based on what we do.

Justification is based on the fact that the commands of the Law were kept, but not by us, but by Christ. In our place. When we have faith in His work for us in His life, and in His substitutionary death, all of the good works done by Christ are credited to us. The Law says “Do this” and it is never done; the Gospel says “believe this” and everything is done for you.

We are not justified by our obedience; we are justified in order that we may be obedient.

SO when Jesus says all that about helping others, it is a suggestion? Did he not say that we will be known as his followers by how well we keep his commandments? Did he not say that our light will show the good that we do that all may give glory to God?

I hate to say it, but I think Muslims have a better grasp on that part of Jesus’s message. It seems to me that our belief is most important, but that faith is shown only through what we do. If we do not, we have no faith.

 

[TriuneUnity]

SO when Jesus says all that about helping others, it is a suggestion? Did he not say that we will be known as his followers by how well we keep his commandments? Did he not say that our light will show the good that we do that all may give glory to God?

Jesus gives us the commands for two reasons. He gives us the Law to show us that we cannot keep it. He gives it to believers as a guide for how to live. The point of the matter is not whether we should follow Jesus’ commandments, but the topic of the conversation is justification. If we rely on the commands of Christ for justification we must keep it perfectly. The apostle James tells us that if we keep the Law yet fail in one point we are guilty of the whole Law.

We keep the Law for sanctification, not for justification.

I hate to say it, but I think Muslims have a better grasp on that part of Jesus’s message. It seems to me that our belief is most important, but that faith is shown only through what we do. If we do not, we have no faith.

Faith is shown by what we do. This is an impact in the horizontal relationship we have with our neighbor. This is what James is getting at. Our faith is worked out in love. Our relationship to God, in Christ, is not based on our works, but on the merits of Jesus Christ.

 

[1stChristian]

1st Christian you need a little history lesson here my friend. To clarify Luther never changed the Bible to include Faith alone. Luther translated the entire Bible including the DCs so that the laity could read what the church had kept from them.

Luther wrote commentary on the Bible in which he stated Faith “alone” and used much of Romans as the basis for his argument. But no Bible whether it be a translation that does have the DCs or not does not state Faith alone. That verse doesn’t appear in scripture and no Protestant will argue that.

The work of James did present problems for Luther because he saw it as a contradiction to Romans when in fact the 2 works compliment one another. Luther heavily challenged that James should have been considered canonical because the authorship had come into question several times throughout history. The fact that James remains is a testament to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The same could be said for Revelations as many theologians wanted to dismiss that work challenging the Apostle John as being the real author. The argument that gets made over and over is that the writing style of Revelations is much different than John’s other works. But again Revelations remains.

Might I suggest that you not group all Protestants into one when speaking of Luther. Not all Protestants are followers of Luther.

PEACE

I do not need a little history my friend, I went to school many years for this and learned my history then…my friend…whatever makes you feel comfortable about Luther’s mistakes with his divorce from the one true church, then so be it. Protestanism started with Luther and the other Protestant sects are off-shoots from the original Protestants…whew…
In the same way and in almost to the same degree, he also dishonored the Epistle of St. Jude and the Epistle to the Hebrews, along with the Apocolypse of St. John, declaring they were not on the same footing as the rest of the books, and did not contain the same amount of Gospel (his Gospel).
The presumptuous way in which Luther, among others, poured contempt, and doubt upon some of the inspired writings which had been acknowledged and cherished and venerated for 1000 years would be scarcely credible were it not that we have his very words in cold print, **which cannot lie **, and may be read in his biography.
Luther impugned such books because they did not suit his new doctrines and opinions. He arrived at the principal of private judgment----picking and choosing religious doctrines.

 

[RobHom]

Catholicism tries to portray Luther as mentally unstable (Catholic Encyclopedia), but that’s hardly the case when one examines his writings during what must have been a very stressful time for him…

Actually…it has been long suspected that Luther did suffer from mental problems…due to the fact that it was rather well documented that his father beat him severely and almost to death. It was suspected that he suffered what we would now refer to as cranial trauma.

As I said, MDK, you might want to read a good history book on those times. Not just make prejudicial statements contrary to the known facts.

I do not think that statements of that nature are necessarily prejudicial since they are backed by historical writings… There have been a number of books…by secular authors… attesting to the fact that Luther was severely beaten as a child…

 

[RobHom]

In general terms, none of them. In particular to Roman Catholic theology, we disagree with the fact that Rome sees justification as an incomplete process that is not finalized unless the sinner dies in a state of perfect personal holiness (no mortal sin). We feel that this confuses sanctification with justification and makes the latter dependent on the former.

Ok, that’s your opinion…

No one will die in a state of perfect personal holiness.

That sounds somewhat “Calvinistic”… And the statement is somewhat wrong…

However, because the person’s standing before God is not dependent on anything they have done, but is based on the righteousness of Christ, the person’s personal sin is not counted against them and they are counted/reckoned/imputed as fully perfect in His eyes.

So in other words…what you are effectively saying is…that a “serial killer” has nothing to worry about when he or she dies? This being the case…as you put it…why bother doing anything other than saying you “believe”?

Personally…what you said there is a bit of a stretch.

 

[ralphinal]

Jesus gives us the commands for two reasons. He gives us the Law to show us that we cannot keep it. He gives it to believers as a guide for how to live. The point of the matter is not whether we should follow Jesus’ commandments, but the topic of the conversation is justification. If we rely on the commands of Christ for justification we must keep it perfectly. The apostle James tells us that if we keep the Law yet fail in one point we are guilty of the whole Law.

We keep the Law for sanctification, not for justification.

Faith is shown by what we do. This is an impact in the horizontal relationship we have with our neighbor. This is what James is getting at. Our faith is worked out in love. Our relationship to God, in Christ, is not based on our works, but on the merits of Jesus Christ.

Ok. We are back where we started. Let me ask it this way: can a Christian get to heaven if at no point in time they EVER help anyone else? Can they pass on every opportunity to serve someone and still make it in?

 

[TriuneUnity]

Ok. We are back where we started. Let me ask it this way: can a Christian get to heaven if at no point in time they EVER help anyone else? Can they pass on every opportunity to serve someone and still make it in?

If a person were to behave in this manner I would say two things:

1. They either have lost their faith.

or

1. Never had faith. I wouldn’t rely on this explanation because it takes the Calvinist tract of saying that persons who abandon the faith never were Christians to begin with. I don’t like doing that because I affirm that a person can be “un-justified.”

 

[TriuneUnity]

TriuneUnity, regarding the passage from Augustine in reply #67 … well I’ll have to think about it a bit.

For what it’s worth, I think I’m coming to a greater appreciation of why Lutherans are generally considered one of our three main dialogue partners – the other two being the Orthodox and the Anglicans. (Although, nowadays, perhaps we should say two main dialogue partners.)

I thought you might enjoy this Peter, since the JDDJ has often come up in our conversations as well as on the forum in general vis a vie Lutheranism. It is the LCMS response to the JDDJ

lcms.org/graphics/assets/media/CTCR/justclp.pdf

 

[TriuneUnity]

Ok. We are back where we started. Let me ask it this way: can a Christian get to heaven if at no point in time they EVER help anyone else? Can they pass on every opportunity to serve someone and still make it in?

Let me post this, ralph. To further the dialogue and hopefully increase understanding. It may take a few posts but, I trust, is well worth studying. Thesis on Justification, from the LCMS.

The doctrine of the sinner’s justification before God by grace for Christ’s sake through faith is the central and most important teaching of the Christian faith. (Is. 53; John 1:29; 3:16; Acts 4:12; Rom. 1:16- 17; 3:23-28; 4:25;1 Cor. 2:1-5; 3:11; Gal. 2:16; 5:4; 1 Tim 1:15, 2:4-6) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That justification or forgiveness for Christ’s sake by grace through faith is not central in Scripture or does not really take place, but is merely one of a number of modes or theological interpretations or metaphors or pictures or motifs–each of these really dispensable–of Christ’s saving work found in the Scriptures.

When used to refer to the sinner’s relationship to God, the term “justify” is used throughout the Scriptures to denote a verdict, i.e., a forensic act whereby a person is counted righteous, declared righteous, reckoned to be righteous, absolved, or forgiven. (Rom. 3:20- 28; 4:1-13; 5:1; 8:33; Gal. 2:16, [cf. Deut. 25:1; 1 Kings 8:32; Prov. 17:15; Is. 5:23]) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That God judges a person to be righteous because that person is inherently righteous on account of what he has done; That Christ’s righteousness is reckoned to a person only in piece-meal fashion, as love is infused; That justification is not a completely forensic act of God, but is realized at least in part in the “new creation” among Christians; That God declares a person righteous because He has started to renew that person’s life and conduct.

The term “justify” in Scripture often overlaps in meaning the term “forgive’” which means to blot out [sins], to pardon. In Scripture the term “justify” is often used in the context of God’s grace, Christ’s work of obedience and redemption, reconciliation, propitiation, atonement, expiation, and faith in Christ. (Ps 32:1; Rom. 3:24-26; 4:2- 8; 5:1-11; 2 Cor. 5:18-21) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That forgiveness and justification before God do not involve each other, or that justification and reconciliation are entirely different from each other, as though a person can be reconciled without being justified or justified without being reconciled.

(Link to remainder of the document)

 

[TriuneUnity]

continued from previous…

The source of the sinner’s justification before God is solely God’s grace in Jesus Christ. (John 1:16-17; Eph 1:7, 2:5b) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That there is grace outside of Jesus Christ.

God’s grace whereby He justifies and saves the sinner is His undeserved mercy and loving kindness, His powerful and active over which sent Christ to be the Savior of the world. (John 3:16; Rom. 3:24, 5:15, 20; 2 Cor. 8:9; Eph. 1:19; Titus 2:11) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That the grace by which God justifies the sinner is a supernatural divine power or quality which God gives or infuses into man in order to enable him to do good works and become righteous before God;
That there is conflict between the fact that Christ by His saving work made God gracious toward the world and the fact that God in His grace sent Christ to be the Savior, or vice versa.

The scope of God’s grace in Christ is universal, including all people of all times and places. (John 3:16; Rom. 11:32; 1 Tim. 2:4; 4:10) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach:
That grace is extended to all simply by virtue of the fact that all are children of our Creator God, and not because of Christ’s atonement; That God’s grace extends only to a segment of humanity, either those whom God has especially chosen to favor or those who have cooperated with God, sought after God, or believed in God.

The basis of the sinner’s justification before God is the work of God’s only begotten Son in the flesh, His work of obedience. This obedience is the perfect obedience of Christ according to both the divine and human natures. It is His vicarious living under God’s law in the place of all sinners, as well as His substitutionary, sacrificial, and atoning death for all the sins of all sinners. (Rom. 5:18-19; Gal 4:4 -5; 1 Peter 2:21-24; 3:18) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That the basis of the sinner’s justification is Christ’s inherent righteousness as
God; That Christ according to His human nature cannot render to God adequate obedience to substitute for all men; That the obedience of Christ which is the basis of the sinner’s justification is the obedience of the divine nature only or of the human nature only.

The obedient death of Christ was a penal death, the death of an innocent victim under the condemnation of God, a sacrificial and atoning death paid as a ransom to a just and wrathful God and vicariously given to satisfy the penal justice of God. (Is. 53:5-7; Mark 10:45; Rom. 8:32; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13; Eph. 5:2; 1 Tim. 2:6; Titus 2:14,1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 John 4:10) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That Christ’s death was not a truly vicarious sacrifice because His condemnation under the wrath of God is a mere metaphor, or because it otherwise does not correspond to reality.

God imputed all the sins of all mankind to Christ, who by the perfect obedience of His life and death paid fully and made complete expiation for them and has thus propitiated the wrath of God. (John 1 :29; Rom 5:18-19; 2 Cor 5:15, 21; Col 2:14; 1 John 2:2) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach:
That Christ has not propitiated the wrath of God by the perfect obedience of His life and death; That Christ paid the ransom to the devil.

Christ is the Savior of all. This means that the whole world of sinners has been redeemed, forgiven, and reconciled to God in Him. (Rom. 3:24-25; 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:19; 1 Tim. 4:10; Heb. 9:28) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That it is improper to speak of God being reconciled to man; That we can only speak of man being reconciled to God by man’s repentance or change of heart; That God has redeemed but not reconciled the world.

God has accepted the vicarious offering and sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, in whom therefore God is propitiated and reconciled with all sinners, so that for Christ’s sake God’s wrath against all sinners has been and remains stilled, and Satan, sin, death, and hell have been and are conquered. (Rom. 5:18; Col. 2:14-15; 1 Thess. 1:10; Heb. 7:27, 10:12; 1 John 2:2) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That God’s acceptance of His Son’s perfect sacrifice does not have as its necessary concomitant the propitiation of His wrath against all sinners.

Complete and perfect righteousness and forgiveness have been acquired for all sinners. (Ps. 130:4; Rom. 5:18; 1 Cor. 1:30; Heb. 10:12, 18)

God, by raising His Son from the dead, has justified Him, declared Him to be the Righteous One, and in Him (i e , for the sake of His finished work of obedience and satisfaction) has declared (as proclaimed in the Gospel), or reckoned, the whole world to be righteous. (Rom. 3:24; 4:25; 5:18-19; 2 Cor. 5:19-21) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach:
That forgiveness of sins and justification for all have not been declared by God when He raised His Son from the dead, but have merely been acquired or made a possibility through Christ’s atonement.

By “objective” or “universal” justification one means that God has declared the whole world to be righteous for Christ’s sake and that righteousness has thus been procured for all people. It is objective because this was God’s unilateral act prior to and in no way dependent upon man’s response to it, and universal because all human beings are embraced by this verdict. God has acquired the forgiveness of sins for all people by declaring that the world for Christ’s sake has been forgiven. The acquiring of forgiveness is the pronouncement of forgiveness. (Rom. 3:24; 4:25; 5:19; 2 Cor. 5:19-21) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That God’s acquisition and establishment of forgiveness in objective justification is a conditional verdict, depending on faith or any other human response or activity; That it is not Biblical to speak of “objective justification.”

The only essential and necessary elements of justification are the grace of God, the merit of Christ, and faith which accepts these in the promise of the Gospel. It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That it is possible to depart from this formulation of justification, particularly by the injection of human works as the cause which moves God to justify, or as the basis for justification, or as the means by which people receive justification.

Christ’s righteousness and all the benefits of His perfect obedience of life and death are imputed and communicated to the sinner individually through faith (sometimes called “subjective justification”). (Gen. 15:6; Acts 10:43; 13:39; Rom. 3:25; 4:16; 5:1-2; Gal. 3:22-24) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That God’s justifying verdict is a mere fiction, divorced from reality; That in justification men do not become righteous by imputation; That justification is not a real forgiveness or imputation of righteousness but is merely a manner of speaking applicable to any conception of reality or specific doctrinal content.

continued…

 

[TriuneUnity]

continued from previous…

Faith is the only vehicle, or means, through which a sinner can receive, appropriate, and have the righteousness and benefits of Christ, forgiveness of sins, and salvation. (Gen 15:6; Hab. 2:4; John 1:12; Rom. 3:25, 28; Gal 2:16) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That sinners can appropriate the benefits of Christ by their works.

The faith through which we are justified is trust in Christ and is knowing His benefits and appropriating them. (Phil. 3:8-10) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That justifying faith is mere knowledge of history; That justifying faith is “commitment to Jesus” apart from His work; That faith justifies because it is assent to the teachings of the church; That faith justifies because it is a work of virtue formed or fashioned by love.

When used in connection with the article of justification faith must always be regarded as receptivity like an empty hand which does nothing but solely receives a free gift. (John 1:12, 14; Rom 4:16) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That reconciliation only refers to a change in the heart and mind of man and to his transformation from a state of unbelief to a state of faith rather than to the propitiation of God and reconciliation by the death of His Son; That the atonement is complete only when a person comes to faith; That faith is an activity of man that does something to effect or bring about mans justification.

The sinner is justified through faith alone without and apart from any merit or works of the law that man does. (Rom. 3:24, 28; Eph. 2:8-9) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That a sinner contributes to his justification by his own powers merits or works; That love or good works precede or cause justification rather than follow from it as its fruit; That people may comfort themselves with forgiveness and the Gospel and imagine that they have justifying faith when in fact they continue to live impenitently in mortal sin and have no intention to amend their lives.

That the sinner is personally justified through faith alone does not exclude good works as a part of the sanctified sinner’s renewal or as the inevitable fruit of faith. (John 15:5; Rom. 6:1-14; Eph. 2:8-10) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That faith is purely passive in the Christian life just as it is in justification; That Christians need not concern themselves with good works or the norm of good works the law of God.

That the sinner is justified through faith alone does not exclude the work of the Holy Spirit and the means of grace in the sinner’s justification before God. (John 17:20; Rom 10:17, 15:13; 1 Cor. 6:11; 12:3; 2 Thess. 2:14; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:23) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That men have the power to bring themselves to faith; That the Holy Spirit will impart His blessings apart from the means of grace.

When we say that faith justifies, we say this not in the sense that a sinners faith is a meritorious or efficient cause or condition of his justification, or in the sense that God justifies the sinner because of his faith, but (metonymically) in the sense that faith clings to Christ’s benefits, in the sense that God justifies us freely for Christ’s sake through faith. Faith justifies by virtue of its object. (John 3:16; Rom. 4:5) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That faith appeases or propitiates God’s wrath against sin; That believing that God forgives because I believe is the same as true faith in Christ; That faith is in any sense meritorious.

Faith does not justify for the reason that it produces good works or is in itself a good work or for the reason that it meets the evangelical mandate to believe, but solely because of its object. (1 Cor. 1:30; Phil. 3:9) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That justification is to be understood as the work of the Spirit in giving a new direction to man s life; That although the works of the law do not justify, nevertheless the good works of the believers, flowing from faith, in some way contribute to their justification before God, or God declares the believer to be righteous not only and solely on the grounds of the holy obedience of Christ but also in part on the basis of his own newness of life; That God first justifies the sinner because of his faith and then justifies the sinner because of the fruits of faith.

The sinners personal justification, i.e., his having or appropriating Christ’s benefits, forgiveness, and justification, does not take place because of his contrition or faith, or on the ground of his contrition or faith, or in view of h is faith, or after he believes, but
solely through faith. (Acts 13:38-39; Rom. 3:25, 28; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 2:8-9) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That God’s verdict of justification or fo rgiveness is a conditional verdict which specifies that justification occurs only when a person believes; That conversion or a change of heart is necessary before God speaks His divine sentence of forgiveness, or acquittal; That our justification before God is a process that involves not merely the work of Christ but also our own willing acceptance of faith, and that only when the process has been completed is man truly declared forgiven by God; That faith somehow creates forgiveness, rather than that it merely receives and embraces a forgiveness already obtained by Christ and offered and distributed in the Gospel; That forgiveness or justification before God is the granting of some inherent righteousness which resides in man, whether it be the indwelling Christ or man’s own change of mind and will; That the contrition or faith of the believer is in some way a cause of forgiveness and justification before God; That the redemptive work of Christ only makes it possible for God to pronounce His declaration of forgiveness; That the pronouncement of that declaration is done only when a person has satisfied the condition of faith.

Anyone who does not believe, teach, and confess that a sinner is justified alone through faith in Christ does dishonor to Christ and obscures the Gospel. (Gal. 2:21; 5:4)

Faith is a gift of God, that is, it is worked in a sinner by God alone through the means of grace, without any cooperation, effort, work, inclination, will, decision, movement, activity, or merit of man. (John 6:44, 65; 1 Cor. 12:3; Eph. 2:8-9; Phil. 1:29; 2 Tim. 2:25) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That the will of man is free in such a manner that he can choose to accept the gift of faith; That God works faith in man as in a robot; That faith is coerced in man by God; That an unbeliever can make a decision for Christ or commit himself to Christ; That faith is not a gift of God; That an unregenerated person can believe in Christ through powers given to him prior to his conversion by the Holy Spirit.

Just as it is necessary and Scriptural, according to the Gospel, to speak of God as having declared the whole world to be justified for Christ’s sake and by raising Him from the dead, it is also necessary and Scriptural, according to the terms of God’s law, to
speak of sinners as not justified and forgiven, but condemned. (Matt. 16:19; 18:18, 34; Luke 18:14; John 20:23; Rom. 9:33; Gal. 5:4) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach:
That Christ’s work of atonement is of such a nature that even those who do not believe receive justification to life and salvation;
That without faith one is not under the wrath of God and eternally lost; That it is proper to speak of saints in hell or to use similar expressions in describing justification; That there can be anonymous Christians, that is, those who have not had access
to the means of grace but nevertheless believe without true repentance and faith in Christ, of whom they have never heard and about whom they know nothing.

Although faith itself does not cause justification, the lack of faith does cause damnation; i.e., without faith the redeemed sinner to whom God is reconciled does not have the righteousness of Christ or any of the benefits of His work of obedience, but is condemned by God and lost eternally. (Mark 16:16; John 3:36; 8:24; 1 Thess 5:1 -10; 1 John 5:12)

The justification of the world is Christ’s work accomplished once and for all through His obedience of living and suffering. Justification by faith is the work of the Holy Spirit as He works faith in the hearts of individuals. (1 Cor. 2:12; 12:3; Gal. 5:5; Heb. 2:9, 14-18; 9:26; 10:12; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 John 2:2) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That either of these aspects of justification militates against the other.

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[TriuneUnity]

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Not only has God loved all mankind and sent Christ to be the Savior of all, not only is He graciously disposed toward each and every sinner and earnestly desirous that they lay hold on His grace and on Christ’s benefits through faith, but God has instituted
definite means and instruments of His grace and salvation namely His Gospel and sacraments (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper) through which alone He both offers and distributes to sinners all the treasures of forgiveness and salvation which Christ has
merited and creates in sinners the faith through which these treasures are received and appropriated. (Gen. 12:3; Ps. 19:7-8; Matt. 26:26-28; 28:18-20; John 17:20; Acts 2:38; 11:20-21; Rom. 1:16; 10:6-8, 17; 1 Cor. 3:5; 4:15; 15:1 -2; 2 Cor. 3:5; Col. 1:5-6;1 Thess. 2:13; James 1:1 8-21; 1 Peter 1:23; 3:21; 1 John 2:2) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That God does not convert people and maintain them in faith through these
means; That God has promised to convert and save people apart from these means; That these means inform people about Christ and His work but do not offer and confer the very blessings which result from Christ’s atonement.

The Gospel is the specific good news of everything that God in Christ has done and is doing for our salvation. Its content is that the Son of God has come into the world to be our Brother and Substitute, to endure the curse of the law and bear our sins and thus to save us. Christ and all His benefits are freely offered and given us in His Word and sacraments. (Luke 24:46-47; John 20:21-23; Acts 2:22-24, 32-33; 5:30-32; 8:35; 10:38-43; 13:32-33; Rom. 1:16-17; 16:25; 1 Cor 1:30; 2:2; 15:1-5; 2 Cor. 5:18-21; Gal. 1:11; 2:21; 3:1; Eph. 1:3-10; 2:13-16; Col. 1 :21-23; 2:14; 2 Tim. 1:8-11; Heb. 2:14-17) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That the content of the Gospel strictly speaking includes laws or demands of God; That the Gospel includes an individual’s confidence that he really believes the Gospel; That Word and sacraments only inform people of blessings that God won for them long ago, at the time of Christ s work.

Thus the Gospel is the message that God has saved the world through the work of Christ that He is reconciled and at peace with the sinful world because of the atonement of His Son and has by raising His Son from the dead declared the world to be righteous
(objective justification). This Gospel Word is a mighty means of grace and salvation which with the sacraments the visible Word the Holy Spirit employs to create and sustain faith (subjective justification), and to build, nourish, strengthen, and sanctify His
church on earth. (Is. 55:10- 11; Luke 8:11-15; Rom. 10:5-17; 16:25-27; 1 Cor. 2:2; 15:4; Gal. 1:7; 3:1; Col. 1:5 -6; 2 Tim 1:10; 2:8; James 1:18, 21; 1 Peter 1:23-25)

When Christ died for sinners, He died for each and every sinner individually; when God accepted the redemption of Christ, He did so for each and every sinner. When we proclaim the Gospel of justification, we do so in order that every sinner may know that
God loved him and had him individually and personally in mind when He delivered up His Son. And we announce to every sinner personally and individually forgiveness and justification in Christ. (Job 19:25; Ps. 32:5; Is. 53:5; Gal. 2:20; 1 Tim. 1:15) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That the Gospel is adequately proclaimed if Christ is shown to have died for the world only in a general or vague way, and not necessarily for the individual hearer; That Christ did not carry out the atonement for the benefit of and in the place of all; That the contrite unbelievers lack of faith makes it impossible for him to be told he is forgiven and justified.

It is essential to the proclamation of the Gospel to declare the work of Christ, His atonement as well as its result. (Luke 24:46-47; 1 Cor. 2:2, 9:16; 2 Cor 5:16-21; 11:4; Gal. 1:8) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That the Gospel is preached without explicit mention of Christ’s work of redemption and His benefits; That mere reference to faith in Christ or to justification through faith is to preach the Gospel, even when no mention is made of Christ s saving work and His benefits; That the Gospel promises and grants not only forgiveness and salvation but also physical healing, material prosperity, political liberation, or other temporal benefits.

The work of the Holy Spirit is to convert, regenerate, and sanctify the sinner by means of the Gospel of reconciliation, not to reconcile God to the sinner. The Holy Spirit reconciles the sinner to God by means of the message of God’s work in Christ. (2 Cor. 4:6; 5:19-20; Eph. 2 5-8; Col. 2:12) It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That the Holy Spirit reconciles God to the sinner by His work in the sinner.

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