Justification (theology)

===Lutheranism===
{{lutheranism}}
{{See also|Theology of Martin Luther|Sola Fide}}
From 1510 to 1520, Luther lectured on the Psalms, the books of Hebrews, Romans, and Galatians. As he studied these portions of the Bible, he came to view the use of terms such as [[penance]] and [[righteousness]] by the Catholic Church in new ways. He became convinced that the Church was corrupt in its ways and had lost sight of what he saw as several of the central truths of Christianity, the most important of which, for Luther, was the doctrine of justification&mdash;God's act of declaring a sinner righteous&mdash;by faith alone through God's grace. He began to teach that [[salvation]] or redemption is a gift of God's [[Sola gratia|grace]], attainable only through faith in Jesus.<ref name=Wriedt>Wriedt, Markus. "Luther's Theology", in ''The Cambridge Companion to Luther''. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003, 88–94.</ref>

"This one and firm rock, which we call the doctrine of justification", insisted [[Martin Luther]], "is the chief article of the whole Christian doctrine, which comprehends the understanding of all godliness."<ref name="Luther">Selected passages from Martin Luther, "Commentary on Galatians (1538)" as translated in Herbert J. A. Bouman, "The Doctrine of Justification in the Lutheran Confessions", Concordia Theological Monthly 26 (November 1955) No. 11:801.{{cite web|url=http://www.ctsfw.edu/library/files/pb/577 |title=Archived copy |access-date=2009-03-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512021427/http://www.ctsfw.edu/library/files/pb/577 |archive-date=2008-05-12 }}</ref> He also called this doctrine the ''articulus stantis et cadentis ecclesiae'' ("article of the standing and falling of the church"): "…if this article stands, the Church stands; if it falls, the Church falls."<ref>In XV Psalmos graduum 1532-33; WA 40/III.352.3</ref> Lutherans follow Luther in this when they call this doctrine "the [[material principle]]" of theology in relation to the Bible, which is "the [[formal principle]]."<ref name="material">Herbert J. A. Bouman, "The Doctrine of Justification in the Lutheran Confessions", 801-802.</ref> They believe justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ's righteousness alone is the [[gospel]], the core of the Christian faith around which all other Christian doctrines are centered and based.

Luther came to understand justification as entirely the work of God. When God's righteousness is mentioned in the gospel, it is God's action of declaring righteous the unrighteous sinner who has faith in Jesus Christ.<ref>Jaroslav Pelikan and Helmut Lehmann, eds., ''Luther's Works'', 55 vols. (St. Louis and Philadelphia: Concordia Publishing House and Fortress Press, 1955–1986), 34:337</ref> The righteousness by which the person is justified (declared righteous) is not his own (theologically, ''proper'' righteousness) but that of another, Christ, (''alien'' righteousness). "That is why faith alone makes someone just and fulfills the law", said Luther. "Faith is that which brings the Holy Spirit through the merits of Christ".<ref name="faith1">[http://www.ProjectWittenberg.org/pub/resources/text/wittenberg/luther/luther-faith.txt Martin Luther's Definition of Faith]</ref> Thus faith, for Luther, is a gift from God, and "...a living, bold trust in God's grace, so certain of God's favor that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it."<ref name="faith2">{{Cite web |title=Preface to Romans by Martin Luther |url=https://www.ccel.org/l/luther/romans/pref_romans.html |access-date=2023-04-24 |website=www.ccel.org}}</ref> This faith grasps Christ's righteousness and appropriates it for the believer. He explained his concept of "justification" in the [[Smalcald Articles]]:

{{blockquote|The first and chief article is this: Jesus Christ, our God and Lord, died for our sins and was raised again for our justification (Romans 3:24-25). He alone is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world ([[Gospel of John|John]] 1:29), and God has laid on Him the iniquity of us all ([[Book of Isaiah|Isaiah]] 53:6). All have sinned and are justified freely, without their own works and merits, by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, in His blood (Romans 3:23-25). This is necessary to believe. This cannot be otherwise acquired or grasped by any work, law or merit. Therefore, it is clear and certain that this faith alone justifies us&nbsp;... Nothing of this article can be yielded or surrendered, even though heaven and earth and everything else falls ([[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] 13:31).<ref>Luther, Martin. "The Smalcald Articles", in ''Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions''. (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2005), 289, Part two, Article 1</ref>|title=Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions}}

Traditionally, Lutherans have taught "forensic" (or legal) justification, a divine verdict of acquittal pronounced on the believing sinner. God declares the sinner to be "not guilty" because Christ has taken his place, living a perfect life according to God's law and suffering for his sins. For Lutherans justification is in no way dependent upon the thoughts, words, and deeds of those justified through faith alone in Christ. The new obedience that the justified sinner renders to God through sanctification follows justification as a consequence, but is not part of justification.''<ref name="sanct">Herbert J. A. Bouman, ''The Doctrine of Justification in the Lutheran Confessions'', p. 805.</ref>''

Lutherans believe that individuals receive this gift of salvation through faith alone.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bookofconcord.com/augsburgconfession.html#article4 |title=Augsburg Confession, Article 4, "Of Justification" |access-date=2009-03-09 |archive-date=2008-10-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010210355/http://www.bookofconcord.com/augsburgconfession.html#article4 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Saving faith is the knowledge of,<ref>{{bibleverse||John|17:3|31}}, {{bibleverse||Luke|1:77|31}},{{bibleverse||Galatians|4:9|31}}, {{bibleverse||Philippians|3:8|31}}, and {{bibleverse|1|Timothy|2:4|31}} refer to faith in terms of knowledge.</ref> acceptance of,<ref>{{bibleverse||John|5:46|31}} refers to acceptance of the truth of Christ's teaching, while {{bibleverse||John|3:36|31}} notes the rejection of his teaching.</ref> and trust in<ref>{{bibleverse||John|3:16,36|50}}, {{bibleverse||Galatians|2:16|31}}, {{bibleverse||Romans|4:20-25|31}}, {{bibleverse|2|Timothy|1:12|31}} speak of trust, confidence, and belief in Christ. {{bibleverse||John|3:18|31}} notes belief in the name of Christ, and {{bibleverse||Mark|1:15}} notes belief in the gospel.</ref> the promise of the Gospel.<ref name="Engelder">{{Cite book |last=Engelder |first=Theodore Edward William |url=http://archive.org/details/MN41551ucmf_1 |title=Popular symbolics [microform]: the doctrines of the churches of Christendom and of other religious bodies examined in the light of Scripture |date=1934 |publisher=Concordia Publishing House |others=Internet Archive |location=Saint Louis, Missouri, United States |pages=54-55, Part XIV}}</ref> Even faith itself is seen as a gift of God, created in the hearts of Christians<ref name="Engelder_p78">[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps.%2051:10;&version=31; Ps. 51:10], Engelder, T.E.W., [https://archive.org/details/MN41551ucmf_1 Popular Symbolics]. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934, p.57 Part XV. "Conversion", paragraph 78.</ref> by the work of the Holy Spirit through the Word<ref>[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2017:20;&version=31; John 17:20], [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Rom.%2010:17;&version=47; Rom. 10:17], Engelder, T.E.W., [https://archive.org/details/MN41551ucmf_1 Popular Symbolics]. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934, p.101 Part XXV. "The Church", paragraph 141.</ref> and Baptism.<ref>[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Titus%203:5;&version=50; Titus 3:5], Engelder, T.E.W., [[iarchive:MN41551ucmf_1|Popular Symbolics]]. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934, p. 87 Part XXIII. "Baptism", paragraph 118.</ref> Faith is seen as an instrument that receives the gift of salvation, not something that causes salvation.<ref name="Engelder_p78" /> Thus, Lutherans reject the "[[decision theology]]" which is common among modern [[evangelicalism|evangelicals]].

For Lutherans, justification provides the power by which Christians can grow in holiness. Such improvement comes about in the believer only after he has become a new creation in Christ. This improvement is not completed in this life: Christians are always "saint and sinner at the same time" (''simul iustus et peccator'')<ref>"daily we sin, daily we are justified" from the Disputation Concerning Justification (1536) {{ISBN|0-8006-0334-6}}</ref>—saints because they are holy in God's eyes, for Christ's sake, and do works that please him; sinners because they continue to sin until death.