4 justification 1

The Early Church for Today
Reformation 501
Sola Fide
Part One

The Five Solas
Sola Fide Faith Alone
Sola Scriptura Scripture Alone
Sola Gratia Grace Alone
Solus Christus Christ Alone
Soli Deo Gloria God’s Glory Alone

JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH ALONE
1. Introduction
2. Martin Luther
3. Council of Trent
4. Early Church Commentary
Pre-Augustine
Augustine
5. The Modern Churches
Joint Declaration
Modern Evangelicals

Sola Fide: Justification by Faith Alone
Romans 3: 28
“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart
from the deeds of the law.”
James 2: 24
“You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith
alone.”
Luther’s Paradox

δικαιοσύνη & iustitia
δικαιοσύνη
feminine noun
1. approval
2. righteousness
3. justice
iustĭtĭa
feminine noun
1. justice
2. equality
3. righteousness

“The concept of justification is inextricably linked with that of
righteousness, both semantically and theologically.”
Alister McGrath

“Saint Anne Save Me!”
Martin Luther (1483-1546)

Romans 1: 17
“For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a
righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written:
‘The righteous will live by faith.’
Young Luther; Righteousness first, then Faith.
New Luther; By faith we receive righteousness.

“Then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by
which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith.
Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through the
open doors into paradise.
The whole of Scripture took on a new
meaning, and whereas before the ‘justice of
God’ had filled me with hate, now it became
to me inexpressibly sweet in greater love.”
A Passive Righteousness

Johann Tetzel

Johann Tetzel
“As soon as the gold in the casket
rings; the rescued soul to heaven
springs.”

Johann Tetzel
Indulgences had arisen in the
Middle Ages as a means to earn
remission for sins, first preached by
Pope Urban II in 1095 to those who
would participate in a crusade.

Johann Tetzel
Post-Baptismal Sin

Johann Tetzel
Post-Baptismal Sin
Penance
Repentance
Confession
Satisfaction
Forgiveness

Johann Tetzel
Post-Baptismal Sin
Penance
Merit
Merit = Reward

"For [God] will reward every man according to his works: to those
who by perseverance in working good seek for glory and honor
and immortality, he will give eternal life. There will be . . . glory
and honor and peace for every one who does good...”
Galatians 6

Johann Tetzel
Post-Baptismal Sin
Penance
Merit
A Treasury of Merits

Johann Tetzel
Post-Baptismal Sin
Penance
Merit
A Treasury of Merits
The Church can Grant you Merit

Free Will ?

Free Will ?
“...free will without God’s grace is not free at all, but is the
permanent prisoner and bond slave of evil...”
The Bondage of the Will
“Let all the 'free-will' in the world do all it can
with all its strength; it will never give rise to a
single instance of ability to avoid being
hardened if God does not give the Spirit, or of
meriting mercy if it is left to its own strength.”

Free Will ?
“He has saved us and called us to a holy life—
not because of anything we have done but
because of his own purpose and grace.
This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before
the beginning of time...” (2 Timothy 1: 9)

Free Will ?
Limited Free Will
is no better than
No Free Will.
We have
Limited
Free Will.

Free Will ?
“Hence: If we believe that Satan is the prince of this world, ever
ensnaring and fighting against the kingdom of Christ with all his
powers; and that he does not let go his captives without being
forced by the Divine Power of the Spirit; it is manifest, that there
can be no such thing as ‘Free-will!’
“Again: If we believe that original sin has so destroyed us, that
even in the godly who are led by the Spirit, it causes the utmost
molestation by striving against that which is good; it is manifest,
that there can be nothing left in a man devoid of the Spirit, which
can turn itself towards good, but which must turn towards evil!”

How was Martin Luther like a
Disney Princess?
Martin Luther

Free Will ?
A Passive & Alien Righteousness
“Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It
is God who justifies.” (Romans 8)
Imputed Righteousness
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us,
so that in him we might become the
righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5)

Free Will ?
Both Righteous & Sinner
simul iustus et peccator

Sin Boldly?

Sin Boldly?
“...Be a sinner, and sin boldly, but let your
trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in
Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and
the world...”

Sin Boldly?
“...Be a sinner, and sin boldly, but let your
trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in
Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and
the world...”
Clearly, in context of the rest of his writings,
this is not granting permission to sin.

Free Will ?
Monergism

Free Will ?
Monergism
Monergism: One Worker
Synergism: Working Together

Free Will ?
Monergism
“For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith—and this is not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God...”
(Ephesians 2)

Free Will ?
Monergism
Predestination
“For he chose us in him before the creation of
the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
In love he predestined us...” (Ephesians 1)

Free Will ?
Monergism
Predestination
Justification & Sanctification

Sanctification
"He dwells in our hearts by such faith and purifies us daily by
His own proper work.”
The Spirit purifies us.
We continuously struggle every day, all our
lives.
With Our Faith and God’s Grace we can have
a continuous victory over the Flesh.

Luther’s Fear
I can’t be good enough.
God is an Angry Judge.
Purgatory
Hell - lose of salvation
Sometimes I hate God!

Luther’s Hope
God is not out to Condemn me,
but to Justify me.
Its not on me.
I am still a Sinner.
By Faith, not by Effort!
Jesus covers for me.

Justification?
It is God who Justifies me.
I am given Christ’s Righteousness. Luther is reluctant to
admit that we become Righteous in Justification.
I can do nothing for my Justification.
Fasting, works, penance, charity...
do not earn me Justification
(Sanctification).

Justification?
“God does not need your good works, but your neighbor does.”
We shouldn't’do good works to earn God’s
favor, but to help each other.

Council of Trent (1545-1563)
The Intentions of the Council
To distinguish Catholic teachings from
that of the Reformers.
It was not concerned with settling inner
Catholic disputes about doctrine.

The Intentions of the Council
Chapters and Canons

SESSION VI, CHAPTER V.
“...the beginning of the said Justification is to be derived from the
prevenient grace of God, through Jesus Christ, that is to say, from
His vocation, whereby, without any merits existing on their parts,
they are called; that so they, who by sins were alienated from God,
may be disposed through His quickening and assisting grace, to
convert themselves to their own justification, by freely assenting to
and co-operating with that said grace...

SESSION VI, CHAPTER V.
“... while God touches the heart of man by the illumination of the
Holy Spirit, neither is man himself utterly without doing anything
while he receives that inspiration, forasmuch as he is also able to
reject it; yet is he not able, by his own free will, without the grace of
God, to move himself unto justice in His sight. Whence, when it is
said in the sacred writings: Turn ye to me, and I will turn to you...”

SESSION VI, CHAPTER VIII.
“...whereas the Apostle saith, that man is justified by faith and
freely, those words are to be understood in that sense which the
perpetual consent of the Catholic Church hath held and expressed;
to wit, that we are therefore said to be justified by faith, because
faith is the beginning of human salvation, the foundation, and the
root of all Justification; without which it is impossible to please
God, and to come unto the fellowship of His sons: but we are
therefore said to be justified freely, because that none of those
things which precede justification-whether faith or works-merit the
grace itself of justification. For, if it be a grace, it is not now by
works, otherwise, as the same Apostle says, grace is no more grace.

SESSION VI, CHAPTER X.
“...as the Apostle says, day by day; that is, by mortifying the
members of their own flesh, and by presenting them as instruments
of justice unto sanctification..., faith co-operating with good works,
increase in that justice which they have received through the grace
of Christ, and are still further justified, as it is written; He that is
just, let him be justified still; and again, Be not afraid to be justified
even to death; and also, Do you see that by works a man is justified,
and not by faith only. And this increase of justification holy Church
begs, when she prays, "Give unto us, O Lord, increase of faith,
hope, and charity.”

SESSION VI, CANON I
If any one saith, that man may be justified before God by his own
works, whether done through the teaching of human nature, or that
of the law, without the grace of God through Jesus Christ; let him be
anathema.

SESSION VI, CANON IX
If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such
wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order
to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any
way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement
of his own will; let him be anathema.

“By grace you are saved,”
So now,
By grace, “workout your salvation
with fear and trembling.”

The theologies of Justification did not end here.

4 justification 1

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Editor's Notes