9-22
JUSTIFICATION
JUSTIFICATION^
that tlie objective justification, which is accom- plished for Ijelieveis in Cliiists resurrection, de- pends only upon their ideal incorporation in His mystical ix)dy. The Refonnccl dtictrine does not therefore, as has somftinu'- l.icii >:iiil. make jus- tification dependent ■mi k _. iH-i:ai-in. Chnst's resurrection is regardcil j- iIm' .u , r|ii;inri' nf His satisfaction, made for lulu \ii-. aivl tlni> a- ideally their justification in Him (rf. Lip>ius, Dnr)iimtik, p. 677 f.; RitschI, nj,. r,t.^ i. 293 ii'.).
Tlie third ditlercnie is as to the doctrine of per- severance. The Lutherans teach that a man may fall from faith, and thus from grace, but that he may regain his position by renewed repentance ancl faith. On the contrary, the Reformed teach that the members of Christ s body cannot fall, but must persevere in faith to the end. A faith that does not endure, is not real faith ; and the con- sciousness of ju.stiiication it may bring is only self- deception (Lipsius, p. 679).
Reference must now be made to certain views within Protestantism which deviate from the orthodox conception. The first of these is that of Osiander, who, attaching liimself to many ex- pressions in the teaching of Luther, attempted once more to teach a real justification, and yet avoid introducing the Catholic conception of salva- tion by merit. In opposition to the idea of justifi- cation by the mere external imputation of Christ's righteousness, he taught that the essential ground of justification is Christ's righteousness as really communicated to us ; though at the same time he regards this indwelling righteousness of Christ not as our own, but as an alien righteousness, and in so far as an imputed righteousness (Lipsius, p. 668). Another Une of thought is opened by the Socinian theology. A criticism of the legal forms of the ecclesiastical doctrine of reconciliation leads to the complete rejection of it. Socinus, however, retains a doctrine of justification by faith, regarded as includiu" not only trust in God as revealed by Clirist, but consequent obedience to His will. There is no justification by works without faith ; but, on the other hand, works are not merely the fruit of faith, but its execution and perfectiun", and in so far the works which follow faith justify (Socinus, de Fide et Opcribus, Bibliotheca Fratrum Polonorum, 1656, torn. i. p. 623). But as works done in faith are not perfect, justification is also .said to be by faith in opposition to works, because the mercy of God imputes righteousness to the Ijeliever (dc Jcsu Chnsto Servatore, p. iv, c. II). In other words, faith is here considered as the prin- <-iple of active righteousness, and the doctrine of jiLstification comes to mean that God judges not by the outward work, but by the inward disposi- tion. This conclusion is distinctly drawn by the Rationalism of the German lUumination (Lipsius, p. 684).
3< Modern theories. — The most important forms in which the doctrine of justification has been stated in modern theology, so far as that does not simply repeat older points of view, owe their origin chiefly to Kant and Sclileiermacher, particularly the latter. Kant took up the subject where it had l>een left by the Illumination, but in view of his deeper ethics stated it as an ethico-religious pro- blem, viz. liow a man conscious of guilt could obtain power to live a new life. The solution is to be found in the conception of faith in the ideal. Un the one hand, this appears as the principle of a good life ; on the other, it aftbrds the principle of acceptance with God, in so far as God judges men by the ideal they follow, though their realization of it may l>e imperfect. The Kantian theologian Tieftrunk further pointed out that from a psyclio- logical point of view the operation of the Dii'ine grace is absolutely necessarj-, if a man, in spite of
his consciousness of guilt, is to be able joyfully to fulfil the moral law ; .so that it is required from the point of view of the law itself, in so far as it looks for fulfilment (Lipsius, p. 685 ; Ritsclil '■', i. p. 429 ft:).
The defect of the Kantian conception, from the point of view of the Christian religion, is its lack <if organic connexion with the historical revelation of God in Jesus Chiist. In the system of Sclileier- macher, however, the fundamental character for Christianity of tliis revelation is fully recognized, while at the same time, instead of a return to the standpoint of the older Protestant dogmatics, there is introduced a new and fruitful theolo^cal prin- ciple. Sclileiermacher demands that all concep- tions concerning Divine operations shall be verified by their correspondence with Christian experience, not indeed the experience of an individual, but of the Christian conmiunity as a whole [Der christliche G/aube^, i. §30. p. 162).
From this point of liew Schleiermachcr treats justification. He be^ns \\ith the Christian consciousness of redemption and reconciliation through Christ. * The Redeemer receives believers into the power of His God-consciousness, and this is His re- deeming: activitj'' (ii. § 100. p. 94). 'The Redeemer receives beUevers into the fellowship of His undisturbed happiness, and this is His reconciling activity" (ii. §101. p. 102). Schleier- machcr thus views the work of Christ through the total impres- sion of His character and life. Only as a part of the latter do His sufferings come into question (ii. § 101. 4, p. 108). In accordance with this groundwork follows the doctrine of justi- fication. Justification and conversion are the two inseparable parts of regeneration or assumption into union with Christ. ' .\ssumption into union with Christ is, \ievved as an altered relation of man to God, his justification ; viewed as an altered form of life, his conversion ' (ii. § 107. p. 165). Justification is by faith, and includes the forgiveness of sins and adoption into Divine sonship (ii. 5 109. |). 190). All these things flow naturally and inseparably from umon with Christ, w^hich alters alike the will and the contemplative consciousness. In particular, the consciousness of forgiveness follo\\*s from the fact that the new man in Christ has no relation to the sins of the old man or their penalties. Present suffering he regards simply as evil, not as punishment, and of future suffering he has no fear (ii. § 109. 2, p. 193). Finally, when passing over from our own conscious- ness we view justification as a Divine act, it is not to be separ- ated from the effective working of Christ in conversion. The Divine act of justification, moreover, is one with the sending of Christ into the world. There is no ' declaratory act ' apart from this ; only figuratively can such be spoken ot'. As regards the justification of the indi%idual. the case is sinipl>- that the one Divine decree of justification in Christ is realized in successive points of time. Finally, faith is not to be described as the instrumental cause, or the opyetvov ^z'e^nuv of justification. We bring nothing to the Divine grace in Christ but our mere receptivity (ii. § 109. 3, p. 19.i f.). Faith is awakened wholly by the operation of Christ (ii. § 108. 6, p. 186).