Justification by Faith Alone, Two Historical Understandings

When the leaders of the Roman Catholic Counter-Reformation con­vened the Council of Trent (1545­1563), one of their major purposes was to deal with the doctrine of jus­tification by faith. Their goal was to establish a Roman Catholic consen­sus and to condemn the new Protes­tantism by pronouncing anathemas upon the distinctive teachings of Luther and the early Lutheran confes­sions of faith.

Justification by Faith Alone, The Role of Faith

Given the meaning of "by faith" in the original Greek, it is more accurate to speak of faith as an instrument rather than as a condition of justifica­tion and salvation, for a condition generally denotes a meritorious qual­ity for the sake of which a benefit is conferred. We are justified not merely by faith, but by faith in Christ; not because of what faith is, but because of what faith receives.

Justification by Faith Alone, Faith Taking Hold of Christ

The concept of receiving Christ by faith, hijacked in our day by Arminianism, needs to be recovered for the Re­formed pulpit. Many sincere Reformed Christians are afraid to speak of "receiv­ing Christ" simply because of the false way modem evangelists describe such reception (i.e. as an act of the suppos­edly "free will" of the sinner to fulfil a condition for salvation). Believing that it somehow seems wrong and "Arminian" to receive Christ, their response to the gospel with liberty is inhibited.

Justification by Faith Alone, Adressing the Errors

If we base our justification on our faith, our works, or anything else of our own, the very foundations of justification must crumble. Inevitably the agonizing, per­plexing, and hopeless questions of hav­ing "enough" would surface: Is my faith strong enough? Are the fruits of grace in my life fruitful enough? Are my experi­ences deep enough, clear enough, per­sistent enough? Every detected inadequacy in my faith is going to shake the very foundations of my spiritual life. My best believing is always defective. I am always too ungodly even in my faith.

Justification – Practical Aspects

Last time we considered some doctrinal aspects of justifica­tion. We saw that justification can be explained as the gracious and judicial act of God whereby He acquits a person of guilt and punishment and grants him the right to everlasting life. The sinner is declared righteous before God. The question that remains is how does justification take place in one's life? What happens in the practice of spiritual life?

Right and Wrong Some scholars deny righteousness through Christ — They err

What does the doctrine of justification mean? This article shows that justification by faith in Christ is rooted in understanding the active obedience and passive obedience of Christ. It gives four principles that govern the explanation of Christ's active and passive obedience. To deny one of them is to deny the biblical teaching on justification.

Kingdom of God or Justification of the Sinner? Paul between Jesus and Luther

Looking at the themes of the kingdom of God and justification, this article looks at the question of the relationship between Paul's and Jesus' preaching. Evaluating the paradigm shift in Pauline studies (e.g., by James Dunn), the author discusses the relationship between the kingdom and individual justification.

Justification and Final Judgment according to Works

What does it mean that believers will be judged by works? This article shows that the believer’s justification and eternal salvation are rooted in the merit of Christ. Therefore there is no room for future justification. Out of his grace God will reward the good works of believers; however, even this remains an act of God’s grace.

The Future of Justification – Introduction

In this volume the author confronts the teaching of N. T. Wright on justification by faith. In the Introduction Piper portrays the view of Wright as “difficult to recognize as biblically faithful.” One of the major concerns is that Wright does not see justification as “how you become a Christian.” Piper formulates eight points in Wright’s reading of Paul that lead to a loss of the historic understanding of justification by faith.