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Justification by Faith
“...God in His purpose and counsel ordained [decreed]:
1. That the human race is truly redeemed and reconciled with God
through Christ, who, by His faultless [innocency] obedience, suffering, and
death, has merited for us the righteousness which avails before God, and
eternal life. 2. That such merit and benefits of Christ shall be presented,
offered, and distributed to us through His Word and Sacraments. 3. That by His
Holy Ghost, through the Word, when it is preached, heard, and pondered, He will
be efficacious and active in us, convert hearts to true repentance, and
preserve them in the true faith. 4. That He will justify all those who in true
repentance receive Christ by a true faith, and will receive them into grace,
the adoption of sons, and the inheritance of eternal life."
Formula of Concord, SD, XI. #15. Of
God's Eternal Election, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 1069. 2 Corinthians 5:19ff
"On this account, as the Augsburg Confession in Article XI
says, we also retain private absolution, and teach that it is God's command
that we believe such absolution, and should regard it as sure that, when we
believe the word of absolution, we are as truly reconciled to God as though we
had heard a voice from heaven, as the Apology explains this article. This
consolation would be entirely taken from us if we were not to infer the will of
God towards us from the call which is made through the Word and through the
Sacraments."
Formula of Concord, SD, XI. #38. Of
God's Eternal Election, Concordia Triglotta, p. 1075.
"The Third Article the adversaries approve, in which we
confess that there are in Christ two natures, namely, a human nature, assumed
by the Word into the unity of His person; and that the same Christ suffered and
died to reconcile the Father to us; and that He was raised again to reign, and
to justify and sanctify believers, etc., according to the Apostles' Creed and
the Nicene Creed."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession,
III. #52. Of Christ, Concordia Triglotta, p. 119. Romans 4:25.
"Faith is that my whole heart takes to itself this treasure.
It is not my doing, not my presenting or giving, not my work or preparation,
but that a heart comforts itself, and is perfectly confident with respect to
this, namely, that God makes a present and gift to us, and not we to Him, that
He sheds upon us every treasure of grace in Christ."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession,
IV. 48, Of Justification, Concordia Triglotta, p. 135.
"We do not believe thus {that faith is just a beginning of
justification} concerning faith, but we maintain this, that properly and truly,
by faith itself, we are for Christ's sake accounted righteous, or are
acceptable to God. And because 'to be justified' means that out of unjust men
just men are made, or born again, it means also that they are pronounced or
accounted just. For Scripture speaks in both ways. [The term 'to be justified'
is used in two ways: to denote, being converted or regenerated; again, being accounted
righteous.] Accordingly we wish first to show this, that faith alone makes of
an unjust, a just man, i. e., receives remission of sins."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession,
IV. 71, Of Justification. Concordia Triglotta, p. 141.
"It is, therefore, needful to maintain that the promise of
Christ is necessary. But this cannot be received except by faith. Therefore,
those who deny that faith justifies, teach nothing but the Law, both Christ and
the Gospel being set aside."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession,
IV. #70. Of Justification, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing
House, 1921, p. 141.
"But since we receive remission of sins and the Holy Ghost by
faith alone, faith alone justifies, because those reconciled are accounted
righteous and children of God, not on account of their own purity, but through
mercy for Christ's sake, provided only they by faith apprehend this
mercy." Apology of the Augsburg Confession, IV. #86. Of Justification.
Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 147.
"The Gospel teaches that by faith we receive freely, for
Christ's sake, the remission of sins and are reconciled to God."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession,
XV. #5. Human Traditions, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing
House, 1921, p. 317.
"Also they teach that the Word, that is, the Son of God, did
assume the human nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin Mary, so that there
are two natures, the divine and the human, inseparably conjoined in one Person,
one Christ, true God and true man, who was born of the Virgin Mary, truly
suffered, was crucified, dead, and buried, that He might reconcile the Father
unto us, and be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for all
actual sins of men."
Augsburg Confession, III. 1. Of the
Son of God, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921,
p. 45.
"Therefore there is here again great need to call upon God
and pray: Dear Father, forgive us our trespasses. Not as though He did not
forgive sin without and even before our prayer (for He has given us the Gospel,
in which is pure forgiveness before we prayed or ever thought about it). But
this is to the intent that we may recognize and accept such forgiveness."
The Large Catechism, The Lord's
Prayer, Fifth Petition, #88, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 723. Matthew 6:12
"This article concerning justification by faith (as the
Apology says) is the chief article in the entire Christian doctrine, without
which no poor conscience can have any firm consolation, or can truly know the
riches of the grace of Christ, as Dr. Luther also has written: If this only
article remains pure on the battlefield, the Christian Church also remains pure,
and in goodly harmony and without any sects; but if it does not remain pure, it
is not possible that any error or fanatical spirit can be resisted. (Tom. 5,
Jena, p. 159.) And concerning this article especially Paul says that a little
leaven leaveneth the whole lump."
Formula of Concord, SD, III. 6,
Righteous of Faith before God, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 917.
"These treasures are offered us by the Holy Ghost in the
promise of the holy Gospel; and faith alone is the only means by which we lay
hold upon, accept, and apply, and appropriate them to ourselves. This faith is
a gift of God, by which we truly learn to know Christ, our Redeemer, in the
Word of the Gospel, and trust in Him, that for the sake of His obedience alone
we have the forgiveness of sins by grace, are regarded as godly and righteous
by God the Father, and are eternally saved."
Formula of Concord, SD, III 10,
Righteous of Faith before God, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 919.
"Moreover, neither contrition nor love or any other virtue,
but faith alone is the sole means and instrument by which and through which we
can receive and accept the grace of God, the merit of Christ, and the
forgiveness of sins, which are offered us in the promise of the Gospel."
Formula of Concord, SD, III 31,
Righteous of Faith before God, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 925.
"For good works do not precede faith, neither does sanctification
precede justification. But first faith is kindled in us in conversion by the
Holy Ghost from the hearing of the Gospel. This lays hold of God's grace in
Christ, by which the person is justified. Then, when the person is justified,
he is also renewed and sanctified by the Holy Ghost, from which renewal and
sanctification the fruits of good works then follow."
Formula of Concord, SD, III 41,
Righteous of Faith before God, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 929.
"But to believe is to trust in the merits of Christ, that for
His sake God certainly wishes to be reconciled with us."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession,
IV. #69. Of Justification, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing
House, 1921, p. p. 141.
"#305. Why do you say in this article: I believe in the
Forgiveness of Sins? Because I hold with certainty that by my own powers or
through my own works I cannot be justified before God, but that the forgiveness
of sins is given me out of grace through faith in Jesus Christ. For where there
is forgiveness of sins, there is also true justification. Psalm 130:3-4; Psalm
143:2; Isaiah 64:6; Job 25:4-6 (Q. 124)."
Kleiner Katechismus, trans. Pastor
Vernon Harley, LCMS, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1901, p.
164ff.
"#306. What is justification? Justification is that activity
(Handlung) of God by which He out of pure grace and mercy for the sake of
Christ's merits forgives the sins of a poor sinner who truly believes in Jesus
Christ and receives him to everlasting life."
Kleiner Katechismus, trans. Pastor
Vernon Harley, LCMS, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1901, p. 164ff.
"The two terms are relatively modern. They are not used in
the Lutheran Confessions. They are also not really synonymous. 'Universal
justification' is a term denoting the doctrine that God has forgiven the sins
of all men. Strictly speaking, the term 'objective justification' expresses the
thought that the sins of a man are forgiven by God whether he believes it or
not. Objective justification is not necessarily universal, but if justification
is universal it must of necessity be objective."
Sigbert Becker, "Objective
Justification," Chicago Pastoral Conference, WELS, Elgin, Illinois,
November 9, 1982, p. 1.
"The doctrine of universal justification is often ridiculed
with the argument that if God really forgives sins prior to faith then the
Lutheran doctrine of justification by faith becomes meaningless. Such
conclusions demonstrate a rationalistic spirit that consciously or
unconsciously refuses to be guided by Scriptures alone."
Sigbert Becker, "Objective
Justification," Chicago Pastoral Conference, WELS, Elgin, Illinois,
November 9, 1982, Unpaginated.
"The forgiveness comes first. Faith is merely the response to
the message."
Sigbert Becker, "Objective
Justification," Chicago Pastoral Conference, WELS, Elgin, Illinois,
November 9, 1982, Unpaginated.
"The first three statements are taken verbatim from WELS
sources."
Sigbert Becker, "Objective
Justification," Chicago Pastoral Conference, WELS, Elgin, Illinois,
November 9, 1982, Unpaginated.
"Every one of the statements can be understood correctly,
even though one must swallow a little hard to accede to the fourth [Kokomo
Statement]."
Sigbert Becker, "Objective
Justification," Chicago Pastoral Conference, WELS, Elgin, Illinois,
November 9, 1982, Unpaginated.
"Three of the four [Kokomo] statements, because of their lack
of clarity, tend to confuse the issue. But since the disciplined laymen used
them to advance their false doctrine, it was understandable that the
congregation should also use them in its rejection of the falsehood being
advocated. I do not consider any of the four statements to be false doctrine,
but I would rather not use the language used in the first, second, and
fourth." [conclusion of paper]
Sigbert Becker, "Objective
Justification," Chicago Pastoral Conference, WELS, Elgin, Illinois,
November 9, 1982, Unpaginated
"But if forgiveness comes first, if it is always there, if it
is true whether I believe it or not, I do not need to know whether I have faith
or not before I can cling to God's promise. I know that my sins are forgiven
whether I feel forgiven or unforgiven. I know that my iniquity is pardoned
whether I believe it or not. And when I know that, then I know also that I am a
believer."
Sigbert Becker, "Objective
Justification," Chicago Pastoral Conference, WELS, Elgin, Illinois,
November 9, 1982, Unpaginated
"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."
Commission on Theology and Church
Relations "Theses on Justification" St. Louis: May, 1983, #3.
"In normal Biblical and ecclesiastical usuage the terms
'justify' and 'justification' refer to the ('subjective') justification of the
individual sinner through faith (Romans 4:5, 5:1, etc.; AC IV, 3; FC SD III
25). But because theologically justification is the same thing as the
forgiveness of sins (Romans 4:1-8; Ap IV, 76; FC Ep III, 7), it is Biblically
and confessionally correct to refer to the great sin-cancelling, atoning work
of the Redeemer as the 'objective' or 'universal' justification of the whole
sinful human race. (John 1:29; Romans 5:6-18; 2 Corinthians 5:19; Colossians
2:14-15; 1 Timothy 3:16; Ap IV, 103-105; LC V, 31, 32, 36, 37; FC SD III, 57)
Commission on Theology and Church
Relations "Theses on Justification" St. Louis: May, 1983, #4.
"Thus objective justification or reconciliation is the
forgiveness of sins both as it has been acquired for the entire human race by
Christ's work of obedience in its stead and declared by His resurrection, and
as it is seriously and efficaciously offered to all in the means of
grace." Commission on Theology and Church Relations "Theses on
Justification" St. Louis: May, 1983, #5.
"Subjective justification or reconciliation is this same
forgiveness as it is received, appropriated by, and applied to the individual
sinner through God-given faith alone (sola fide)."
Commission on Theology and Church
Relations "Theses on Justification" St. Louis: May, 1983, #6.
"The third controversy which has arisen among some
theologians of the Augsburg Confession is concerning the righteousness of
Christ or of faith, which God imputes by grace, through faith, to poor sinners
for righteousness."
Formula of Concord, Thorough
Declaration, III. 1 Righteousness Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 917.
"If this only article remains pure on the battlefield, the
Christian Church also remains pure, and in goodly harmony and without any
sects; but if it does not remain pure, it is not possible that any error or
fanatical spirit can be resisted."
Dr. Luther, Formula of Concord,
Thorough Declaration, III. 4 Righteousness Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 917.
"Accordingly, the word justify here means to declare
righteous and free from sins, and to absolve one from eternal punishment for
the sake of Christ's righteousness, which is imputed by God to faith,
Philippians 3:9. For this use and understanding of this word is common in the
Holy Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament. Proverbs 17:15: He that
justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are
abomination to the Lord. Isaiah 5:23: Woe unto them which justify the wicked
for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! Romans
8:33: Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that
justifieth, that is, absolves from sins and acquits."
Formula of Concord, Thorough
Declaration, III 17 Righteousness Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 921 Philippians 3:9; Proverbs 17:15; Isaiah 5:23;
Romans 8:33.
"For when man is justified through faith [which the Holy
Ghost alone works], this is truly a regeneration, because from a child of wrath
he becomes a child of God, and thus is transferred from death to life, as it is
written; When we were dead in sins, He hath quickened us together with Christ,
Ephesians 2:5. Likewise: The just shall live by faith, Romans 1:17; Habakkuk
2:4."
Formula of Concord, Thorough
Declaration, III 20 Righteousness Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 921.
"Here belongs also what St. Paul writes Romans 4:3, that
Abraham was justified before God by faith alone, for the sake of the Mediator,
without the cooperation of his works, not only when he was first converted from
idolatry and had no good works, but also afterwards, when he had been renewed
by the Holy Ghost, and adorned with many excellent good works, Genesis 15:6;
Hebrews 11:8. And Paul puts the following questions, Romans 4:1ff.: On what did
Abraham's righteousness before God for everlasting life, by which he had a
gracious God, and was pleasing and acceptable to Him, rest at that time?
Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, III 33 Righteousness.
Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 927. Romans 4:3; Romans 4:1ff; Genesis
15:6; Hebrews 11:8.