THE NEW SCHAFF-HERZOG
doctrine first came to clear expression. In the Formula of Concord all human action is excluded as a condition of the certainty of salvation; justification as distinguished from regeneration is interpreted as forensic, the righteousness of Christ is imputed so that sins are forgiven, and the doctrine of justification is so formulated that nothing whatever in man but simply the historical work of Christ is the true ground of salvation.
The later dogmatists distinguished not merely between the human and the divine aspect of the appropriation of Christ's righteousness (Baier), but within faith itself a certainty before, 5. Later in, and after regeneration (Quenstedt) . Views. The certainty of salvation was to be experienced by looking wholly away from self to Christ as the promise. Thus the process of justification was conceived as purely transcendental for which faith is only an essential presupposition. According to Burk, who presents this view, justification is withdrawn from all vacillation of the inner life so that assurance becomes possible to those whose peace has been disturbed. But the question arises as to the criteria of faith. The Lutherans presupposed the universality and promise of Christ's redeeming work; to the Reformed who restricted this to the elect, personal assurance of salvation must be gathered from the works of faith as supernaturally caused. Schleiermacher coordinated justification with conversion; to be taken up into living communion with Christ is, as a changed form of life, conversion, as a changed relation to God, justification. He, however, conceives this as purely general and progressively realized. Some theologians resolve the objective process of justification into subjective consciousness, others emphasize the ethical aspect. Hengstenberg toward the end of his life distinguished stages of justification; according to Beck, in justification mediated through Christ one enters on a condition of life where on the one hand all earlier sins are wiped out, on the other hand a new ethical condition is awakened which must express itself in righteousness of conduct; with Martensen the justifying power of faith lay in God beholding in it the seed-corn of future blessedness, and in the pure will the already realized ideal of freedom. In the socalled Bornholmer movement (see Bornholmbrs), since the world is justified in Christ, justification is identified with his redemptive work and faith is simply a becoming aware of what one has in Christ. Ritschl combines justification with the historical work of Christ. In Christ the community is so far justified as God reckons to the community belonging to Christ the position which Christ himself maintained toward God, and for his sake admits the community to fellowship with himself. The individual is justified on the ground that 6. Ritscnl through faith in the Gospel he is a and member of the community. Justifi- Dorner. cation and reconciliation have the same content. Reconciliation is the result of justification. Ritschl's entire treatment has enduring significance on account of the many problems involved, especially the relation of justification to the historical work of Christ and to faith. Dorner
characteristically emphasized the historical deed of reconciliation in relation to the Christian's present position: faith is thus simply "the assimilating organ " of forgiveness already complete so far as the divine aspect is concerned. Justification 13 identified with reconciliation: the central si<mificance, the express founding, and the certainty of justification on the basis of the historical work of Christ is a peculiar characteristic of Cremer's theology.
III. Doctrinal Discussion : A comprehensive discussion of this subject must be limited to the clear presentation of the controlling interest and the simplest possible designation of the points on which it depends. Communion with God and personal assurance of this stand or fall together. If Christianity is a present personal communion with God, a necessary and radical implication is 1. The that it can only be a conscious expe-
Funda- rience. This being established, one mental has further to ascertain whether the
Position. Christian can be certain of it. There is finally only the alternative, the initiative of communion with God is wholly from God or wholly from man. Whenever the question concerning communion with God wakens in a man, it always occurs at first in his desire to make himself pious, and so to work in fellowship with God. This has its source in the painful consciousness of separation from God in sin; if one recognizes his responsibility for this, it is quite natural for him to establish his own righteousness before God. Yet in all such attempts, on account of their abiding imperfection, one does not escape from inward uncertainty. This has, however, its objective ground: only from God himself can men be admitted to communion with him. It is therefore a more correct understanding when the Catholic view refers the initiative in the entire process of justification definitely to God, and sees the final ground of justification in a justifying act which proceeds from God; this, resulting from suitable preparation and made fruitful in congruous activity, assures one of eternal life. In reality, however, what is here under discussion is such a kind of mediation as brings vividly to consciousness how every attempt to effect reconciliation actually points man after all to his own self-doing, and thrusts him into inner uncertainty. But one can arrive at an actual assurance of a gracious state only when he is clear that this rests solely on God's offer, and that nothing remains for him except in faith to appropriate this divine gift, or rather to let trust in it be begotten in him. God has completed this offer of himself in the work of Christ in which, through an atonement for sin, he has reconciled the world to himself. In so far, then, certainty of salvation is based wholly upon a justice outside ourselves: the righteousness which ha? been created by Christ's undertaking in mans behalf is the real ground, or, on the ground of his sufferings and death, he now represents man before God. So far, however, as that historical work of Christ reaches man only in the Word and the sacrament therein contained, the Word and the sacrament are the ground of assurance. Later on, tne>e positions will require completion and confirmation.