Doctrine of Justification

Abstract

The paper discusses the doctrine of justification of Martin Luther and evaluates the different aspects of the theology. Furthermore, the paper also discusses the work of others that influenced Luther to develop his doctrine of justification. The paper also discusses the context of justice with respect to god's righteousness and his mercy toward people.

Table of Contents

Abstractii

Introduction1

Aim and Objective1

Discussion1

Theology of Marin Luther3

The Basic Assumptions of Luther6

Doctrine of Justification by Faith8

Concepts Underlying the Doctrine8

The Initial Period of the Doctrine9

The Idea of t?he Righteousness of God11

Conclusion13

End Notes15

Bibliography17

Doctrine of justification

Introduction

Martin Luther, (1483-1546) was a German reformer of the West. Since, 1497, he was under the influence of the Brothers of the Common Life, a movement of renewal in medieval Catholicism. In 1505, he joined the Augustinian Order. He belonged to the philosophy of Aurelius Augustine (St. Augustine) and W. Ockham, exegesis of Romans and Galatians. After the religious vows and ordination to the priesthood, he became a lecturer at the University of Wittenberg, and later in Erfurt. Since, 1512, he was professor of theology at Wittenberg University. Covering the years 1512-1517 in the Book of Psalms, Romans, Galatians and Hebrews discovered the biblical doctrine of justification by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Aim and Objective

The aim and objective of this paper is to discuss the doctrine of justification by Martin Luther in detail.

Discussion

Justification refers to how people become 'just' in God's eyes. According to Christian theology, justification is an act of God: It is God who justifies. Human beings are recipients of God's justification: it is they who are justified. Reflection on how justification happens, how humans relate to it, whether they are merely passive or somehow contribute to the process, and how it affects its recipients are issues that have occupied theologians through the centuries and given shape to justification as a doctrine. Historically, debates over these issues have been more prominent in the Christian West than in the East, and often went hand in hand with the process of Christianization in medieval Europe. Those debates reached a high point during the Reformation. For nearly five subsequent centuries, perceived differences in doctrines of justification divided Catholic and Protestant Churches. Thanks to ecumenical dialogue, Catholics and many Protestants today recognize a core consensus on justification.

The doctrine of justification finds its biblical point of departure in Pauline theology, particularly as it is articulated in Romans and Galatians. In both letters, Paul addresses a pivotal situation in the history of Christianity: the nascent religion's expansion beyond its original Jewish-Christian origins. Paul's 'mission to the Gentiles', aimed at persons for whom obedience to the law, exemplified in this case by the rite of circumcision for men, could not be presupposed, brought about a reassessment of what it meant to be Christian. Should non-Jews be required to be circumcised when becoming Christian? Paul's answer, summarized in Galatians 2:16, is no: “a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ”.

A more extensive statement of the same point comes in Romans ...