2.For the Lutheran tradition, the doctrine of justification has retained
its special status. Consequently it
has also from the beginning occupied an important place in the official
Lutheran-Roman Catholic
dialogue.

3.Special attention should be drawn to the following reports: "The
Gospel and the Church" (1972)[4] and
"Church and Justification" (1994)[5] by the Lutheran-Roman
Catholic Joint Commission, "Justification
by Faith" (1983)[6] of the Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogue in the
USA and "The Condemnations of
the Reformation Era – Do They Still Divide?" (1986)[7] by the
Ecumenical Working Group of Protestant
and Catholic theologians in Germany. Some of these dialogue reports have
been officially received by
the churches. An important example of such reception is the binding
response of the United
Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Germany to the "Condemnations"
study, made in 1994 at the highest
possible level of ecclesiastical recognition together with the other
churches of the Evangelical Church in
Germany.[8]

4.In their discussion of the doctrine of justification, all the dialogue
reports as well as the responses
show a high degree of agreement in their approaches and conclusions. The
time has therefore come to
take stock and to summarize the results of the dialogues on justification
so that our churches may be
informed about the overall results of this dialogue with the necessary
accuracy and brevity, and thereby
be enabled to make binding decisions.

5.The present Joint Declaration has this intention: namely, to show that
on the basis of their dialogue the
subscribing Lutheran churches and the Roman Catholic Church[9] are now
able to articulate a common
understanding of our justification by God’s grace through faith in
Christ. It does not cover all that either
church teaches about justification; it does encompass a consensus on
basic truths of the doctrine of
justification and shows that the remaining differences in its explication
are no longer the occasion for
doctrinal condemnations.

6.Our Declaration is not a new, independent presentation alongside the
dialogue reports and documents
to date, let alone a replacement of them. Rather, as the appendix of
sources shows, it makes repeated
reference to them and their arguments.

7.Like the dialogues themselves, this Joint Declaration rests on the
conviction that in overcoming the
earlier controversial questions and doctrinal condemnations, the churches
neither take the
condemnations lightly nor do they disavow their own past. On the
contrary, this Declaration is shaped
by the conviction that in their respective histories our churches have
come to new insights.
Developments have taken place which not only make possible, but also
require the churches to examine
the divisive questions and condemnations and see them in a new light.

1. Biblical Message of Justification

8.Our common way of listening to the word of God in Scripture has led to
such new insights. Together
we hear the gospel that "God so loved the world that he gave his
only Son, so that everyone who
believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life" (Jn 3:16).
This good news is set forth in Holy
Scripture in various ways. In the Old Testament we listen to God’s word
about human sinfulness (Ps
51:1-5; Dan 9:5f; Eccl/Qo 8:9f; Ezra 9:6f) and human disobedience (Gen
3:1-19; Neh 9:16f,26) as well
as of God’s "righteousness" (Isa 46:13; 51:5-8; 56:1 [cf.
53:11]; Jer 9:24) and "judgment" (Eccl/Qo
12:14; Ps 9:5f; 76:7-9).

9.In the New Testament diverse treatments of "righteousness"
and "justification" are found in the
writings of Matthew (5:10; 6:33; 21:32), John (16:8-11), Hebrews (5:3;
10:37f), and James (2:14-26).[10]
In Paul’s letters also, the gift of salvation is described in various
ways, among others: "for freedom
Christ has set us free" (Gal 5:1-13; cf. Rom 6:7), "reconciled
to God" (2 Cor 5:18-21; cf. Rom 5:11),
"peace with God" (Rom 5:1), "new creation" (2 Cor
5:17), "alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Rom 6:11,23),
or "sanctified in Christ Jesus" (cf. 1 Cor 1:2; 1:30; 2 Cor
1:1). Chief among these is the "justification" of
sinful human beings by God’s grace through faith (Rom 3:23-25), which
came into particular prominence
in the Reformation period.

10.Paul sets forth the gospel as the power of God for salvation of the
person who has fallen under the
power of sin, as the message that proclaims that "the righteousness
of God is revealed through faith for
faith" (Rom 1:16f) and that grants "justification" (Rom
3:21-31). He proclaims Christ as "our
righteousness" (1 Cor 1:30), applying to the risen Lord what
Jeremiah proclaimed about God himself
(Jer 23:6). In Christ’s death and resurrection all dimensions of his
saving work have their roots for he is
"our Lord, who was put to death for our trespasses and raised for
our justification" (Rom 4:25). All
human beings are in need of God’s righteousness, "since all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of
God" (Rom 3:23; cf. Rom 1:18-3:20; 11:32; Gal 3:22). In Galatians
(3:6) and Romans (4:3-9), Paul
understands Abraham’s faith (Gen 15:6) as faith in the God who justifies
the sinner (Rom 4:5) and calls
upon the testimony of the Old Testament to undergird his gospel that this
righteousness will be reckoned
to all who, like Abraham, trust in God’s promise. "For the righteous
will live by faith (Hab 2:4; cf. Gal
3:11; Rom 1:17). In Paul’s letters, God’s righteousness is also God’s
power for those who have faith
(Rom 1:16f; 2 Cor 5:21). In Christ he makes it our righteousness (2 Cor
5:21). Justification becomes
ours through Christ Jesus "whom God put forward as a sacrifice of
atonement by his blood, effective
through faith" (Rom 3:25; see 3:21-28). "For by grace you have
been saved through faith, and this is not
your own doing; it is the gift of God – not the result of works"
(Eph 2:8f).

11.Justification is the forgiveness of sins (cf. Rom 3:23-25; Acts 13:39;
Lk 18:14), liberation from the
dominating power of sin and death (Rom 5:12-21) and from the curse of the
law (Gal 3:10-14). It is
acceptance into communion with God: already now, but then fully in God’s
coming kingdom (Rom 5:1f).
It unites with Christ and with his death and resurrection (Rom 6:5). It
occurs in the reception of the
Holy Spirit in baptism and incorporation into the one body (Rom 8:1f, 9f;
I Cor 12:12f). All this is from
God alone, for Christ’s sake, by grace, through faith in "the gospel
of God’s Son" (Rom 1:1-3).

12.The justified live by faith that comes from the Word of Christ (Rom
10:17) and is active through love
(Gal 5:6), the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22f). But since the justified
are assailed from within and without
by powers and desires (Rom 8:35-39; Gal 5:16-21) and fall into sin (1 Jn
1:8,10), they must constantly
hear God’s promises anew, confess their sins (1 Jn 1:9), participate in
Christ’s body and blood, and be
exhorted to live righteously in accord with the will of God. That is why
the Apostle says to the justified:
"Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God
who is at work in you, enabling you
both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Phil 2:12f). But
the good news remains: "there is now
no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom 8:1), and in
whom Christ lives (Gal 2:20).
Christ’s "act of righteousness leads to justification and life for
all" (Rom 5:18).

2. The Doctrine of Justification as Ecumenical Problem

13.Opposing interpretations and applications of the biblical message of
justification were in the sixteenth
century a principal cause of the division of the Western church and led
as well to doctrinal
condemnations. A common understanding of justification is therefore
fundamental and indispensable to
overcoming that division. By appropriating insights of recent biblical
studies and drawing on modern
investigations of the history of theology and dogma, the post-Vatican II
ecumenical dialogue has led to a
notable convergence concerning justification, with the result that this
Joint Declaration is able to
formulate a consensus on basic truths concerning the doctrine of
justification. In light of this consensus,
the corresponding doctrinal condemnations of the sixteenth century do not
apply to today’s partner.

3. The Common Understanding of Justification

14.The Lutheran churches and the Roman Catholic Church have together
listened to the good news
proclaimed in Holy Scripture. This common listening, together with the
theological conversations of
recent years, has led to a shared understanding of justification. This
encompasses a consensus in the
basic truths; the differing explications in particular statements are
compatible with it.

15.In faith we together hold the conviction that justification is the
work of the triune God. The Father
sent his Son into the world to save sinners. The foundation and
presupposition of justification is the
incarnation, death, and resurrection of Christ. Justification thus means
that Christ himself is our
righteousness, in which we share through the Holy Spirit in accord with
the will of the Father. Together
we confess: By grace alone, in faith in Christ’s saving work and not
because of any merit on our part,
we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts
while equipping and calling
us to good works.[11]

16.All people are called by God to salvation in Christ. Through Christ
alone are we justified, when we
receive this salvation in faith. Faith is itself God’s gift through the
Holy Spirit who works through word
and sacrament in the community of believers and who, at the same time,
leads believers into that
renewal of life which God will bring to completion in eternal life.

17.We also share the conviction that the message of justification directs
us in a special way towards the
heart of the New Testament witness to God’s saving action in Christ: it
tells us that as sinners our new
life is solely due to the forgiving and renewing mercy that God imparts
as a gift and we receive in faith,
and never can merit in any way.

18.Therefore the doctrine of justification, which takes up this message
and explicates it, is more than
just one part of Christian doctrine. It stands in an essential relation
to all truths of faith, which are to be
seen as internally related to each other. It is an indispensable
criterion which constantly serves to orient
all the teaching and practice of our churches to Christ. When Lutherans
emphasize the unique
significance of this criterion, they do not deny the interrelation and
significance of all truths of faith.
When Catholics see themselves as bound by several criteria, they do not
deny the special function of
the message of justification. Lutherans and Catholics share the goal of
confessing Christ in all things,
who alone is to be trusted above all things as the one Mediator (1 Tim
2:5f) through whom God in the
Holy Spirit gives himself and pours out his renewing gifts. [cf. Sources
for section 3].

4. Explicating the Common Understanding of Justification

4.1 Human Powerlessness and Sin in Relation to Justification

19.We confess together that all persons depend completely on the saving
grace of God for their
salvation. The freedom they possess in relation to persons and the things
of this world is no freedom in
relation to salvation, for as sinners they stand under God’s judgment and
are incapable of turning by
themselves to God to seek deliverance, of meriting their justification
before God, or of attaining salvation
by their own abilities. Justification takes place solely by God’s grace.
Because Catholics and Lutherans
confess this together, it is true to say:

20.When Catholics say that persons "cooperate" in preparing for
and accepting justification by
consenting to God’s justifying action, they see such personal consent as
itself an effect of grace, not as
an action arising from innate human abilities.

21.According to Lutheran teaching, human beings are incapable of
cooperating in their salvation,
because as sinners they actively oppose God and his saving action.
Lutherans do not deny that a person
can reject the working of grace. When they emphasize that a person can
only receive (mere passive)
justification, they mean thereby to exclude any possibility of
contributing to one’s own justification, but
do not deny that believers are fully involved personally in their faith,
which is effected by God’s Word.
[cf. Sources for 4.1].

4.2 Justification as Forgiveness of Sins and Making Righteous

22.We confess together that God forgives sin by grace and at the same
time frees human beings from
sin’s enslaving power and imparts the gift of new life in Christ. When
persons come by faith to share in
Christ, God no longer imputes to them their sin and through the Holy
Spirit effects in them an active
love. These two aspects of God’s gracious action are not to be separated,
for persons are by faith united
with Christ, who in his person is our righteousness (1 Cor 1:30): both
the forgiveness of sin and the
saving presence of God himself. Because Catholics and Lutherans confess
this together, it is true to say
that:

23.When Lutherans emphasize that the righteousness of Christ is our
righteousness, their intention is
above all to insist that the sinner is granted righteousness before God
in Christ through the declaration of
forgiveness and that only in union with Christ is one’s life renewed.
When they stress that God’s grace
is forgiving love ("the favor of God"[12]), they do not thereby
deny the renewal of the Christian’s life.
They intend rather to express that justification remains free from human
cooperation and is not
dependent on the life-renewing effects of grace in human beings.

24.When Catholics emphasize the renewal of the interior person through
the reception of grace
imparted as a gift to the believer,[13] they wish to insist that God’s
forgiving grace always brings with it
a gift of new life, which in the Holy Spirit becomes effective in active
love. They do not thereby deny
that God’s gift of grace in justification remains independent of human
cooperation. [cf. Sources for
section 4.2].

4.3 Justification by Faith and through Grace

25.We confess together that sinners are justified by faith in the saving
action of God in Christ. By the
action of the Holy Spirit in baptism, they are granted the gift of
salvation, which lays the basis for the
whole Christian life. They place their trust in God’s gracious promise by
justifying faith, which includes
hope in God and love for him. Such a faith is active in love and thus the
Christian cannot and should not
remain without works. But whatever in the justified precedes or follows
the free gift of faith is neither
the basis of justification nor merits it.

26.According to Lutheran understanding, God justifies sinners in faith
alone (sola fide). In faith they
place their trust wholly in their Creator and Redeemer and thus live in
communion with him. God
himself effects faith as he brings forth such trust by his creative word.
Because God’s act is a new
creation, it affects all dimensions of the person and leads to a life in
hope and love. In the doctrine of
"justification by faith alone," a distinction but not a
separation is made between justification itself and the
renewal of one’s way of life that necessarily follows from justification
and without which faith does not
exist. Thereby the basis is indicated from which the renewal of life
proceeds, for it comes forth from
the love of God imparted to the person in justification. Justification
and renewal are joined in Christ, who
is present in faith.

27.The Catholic understanding also sees faith as fundamental in
justification. For without faith, no
justification can take place. Persons are justified through baptism as
hearers of the word and believers
in it. The justification of sinners is forgiveness of sins and being made
righteous by justifying grace,
which makes us children of God. In justification the righteous receive
from Christ faith, hope, and love
and are thereby taken into communion with him.[14] This new personal
relation to God is grounded
totally on God’s graciousness and remains constantly dependent on the
salvific and creative working of
this gracious God, who remains true to himself, so that one can rely upon
him. Thus justifying grace
never becomes a human possession to which one could appeal over against
God. While Catholic
teaching emphasizes the renewal of life by justifying grace, this renewal
in faith, hope, and love is
always dependent on God’s unfathomable grace and contributes nothing to
justification about which one
could boast before God (Rom 3:27). [See Sources for section 4.3].

4.4 The Justified as Sinner

28.We confess together that in baptism the Holy Spirit unites one with
Christ, justifies, and truly renews
the person. But the justified must all through life constantly look to
God’s unconditional justifying grace.
They also are continuously exposed to the power of sin still pressing its
attacks (cf. Rom 6:12-14) and
are not exempt from a lifelong struggle against the contradiction to God
within the selfish desires of the
old Adam (cf. Gal 5:16; Rom 7:7-10). The justified also must ask God
daily for forgiveness as in the
Lord’s Prayer (Mt. 6:12; 1 Jn 1:9), are ever again called to conversion
and penance, and are ever again
granted forgiveness.

29.Lutherans understand this condition of the Christian as a being
"at the same time righteous and
sinner." Believers are totally righteous, in that God forgives their
sins through Word and Sacrament and
grants the righteousness of Christ which they appropriate in faith. In
Christ, they are made just before
God. Looking at themselves through the law, however, they recognize that
they remain also totally
sinners. Sin still lives in them (1 Jn 1:8; Rom 7:17,20), for they
repeatedly turn to false gods and do not
love God with that undivided love which God requires as their Creator
(Deut 6:5; Mt 22:36-40 pr.). This
contradiction to God is as such truly sin. Nevertheless, the enslaving
power of sin is broken on the basis
of the merit of Christ. It no longer is a sin that "rules" the
Christian for it is itself "ruled" by Christ with
whom the justified are bound in faith. In this life, then, Christians can
in part lead a just life. Despite sin,
the Christian is no longer separated from God, because in the daily
return to baptism, the person who
has been born anew by baptism and the Holy Spirit has this sin forgiven.
Thus this sin no longer brings
damnation and eternal death.[15] Thus, when Lutherans say that justified
persons are also sinners and
that their opposition to God is truly sin, they do not deny that, despite
this sin, they are not separated
from God and that this sin is a "ruled" sin. In these
affirmations, they are in agreement with Roman
Catholics, despite the difference in understanding sin in the justified.

30.Catholics hold that the grace of Jesus Christ imparted in baptism
takes away all that is sin "in the
proper sense" and that is "worthy of damnation" (Rom
8:1).[16] There does, however, remain in the
person an inclination (concupiscence) which comes from sin and presses
toward sin. Since, according to
Catholic conviction, human sins always involve a personal element and
since this element is lacking in
this inclination, Catholics do not see this inclination as sin in an
authentic sense. They do not thereby
deny that this inclination does not correspond to God’s original design
for humanity and that it is
objectively in contradiction to God and remains one’s enemy in lifelong
struggle. Grateful for deliverance
by Christ, they underscore that this inclination in contradiction to God
does not merit the punishment of
eternal death[17] and does not separate the justified person from God.
But when individuals voluntarily
separate themselves from God, it is not enough to return to observing the
commandments, for they must
receive pardon and peace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation through the
word of forgiveness imparted
to them in virtue of God’s reconciling work in Christ. [See Sources for
section 4.4].

4.5 Law and Gospel

31.We confess together that persons are justified by faith in the gospel
"apart from works prescribed by
the law" (Rom 3:28). Christ has fulfilled the law and by his death
and resurrection has overcome it as a
way to salvation. We also confess that God’s commandments retain their
validity for the justified and
that Christ has by his teaching and example expressed God’s will which is
a standard for the conduct of
the justified also.

32.Lutherans state that the distinction and right ordering of law and
gospel is essential for the
understanding of justification. In its theological use, the law is demand
and accusation. Throughout their
lives, all persons, Christians also, in that they are sinners, stand
under this accusation which uncovers
their sin so that, in faith in the gospel, they will turn unreservedly to
the mercy of God in Christ, which
alone justifies them.

33.Because the law as a way to salvation has been fulfilled and overcome
through the gospel, Catholics
can say that Christ is not a lawgiver in the manner of Moses. When
Catholics emphasize that the
righteous are bound to observe God’s commandments, they do not thereby
deny that through Jesus
Christ God has mercifully promised to his children the grace of eternal
life.[18] [See Sources for section
4.5].

4.6 Assurance of Salvation

34.We confess together that the faithful can rely on the mercy and
promises of God. In spite of their
own weakness and the manifold threats to their faith, on the strength of
Christ’s death and resurrection
they can build on the effective promise of God’s grace in Word and
Sacrament and so be sure of this
grace.

35.This was emphasized in a particular way by the Reformers: in the midst
of temptation, believers
should not look to themselves but look solely to Christ and trust only
him. In trust in God’s promise they
are assured of their salvation, but are never secure looking at
themselves.

36.Catholics can share the concern of the Reformers to ground faith in
the objective reality of Christ’s
promise, to look away from one’s own experience, and to trust in Christ’s
forgiving word alone (cf. Mt
16:19; 18:18). With the Second Vatican Council, Catholics state: to have
faith is to entrust oneself totally
to God,[19] who liberates us from the darkness of sin and death and
awakens us to eternal life.[20] In
this sense, one cannot believe in God and at the same time consider the
divine promise untrustworthy.
No one may doubt God’s mercy and Christ’s merit. Every person, however,
may be concerned about his
salvation when he looks upon his own weaknesses and shortcomings.
Recognizing his own failures,
however, the believer may yet be certain that God intends his salvation.
[See Sources for section 4.6].

4.7 The Good Works of the Justified

37.We confess together that good works – a Christian life lived in faith,
hope and love – follow
justification and are its fruits. When the justified live in Christ and
act in the grace they receive, they
bring forth, in biblical terms, good fruit. Since Christians struggle
against sin their entire lives, this
consequence of justification is also for them an obligation they must
fulfill. Thus both Jesus and the
apostolic Scriptures admonish Christians to bring forth the works of
love.

38.According to Catholic understanding, good works, made possible by
grace and the working of the
Holy Spirit, contribute to growth in grace, so that the righteousness
that comes from God is preserved
and communion with Christ is deepened. When Catholics affirm the
"meritorious" character of good
works, they wish to say that, according to the biblical witness, a reward
in heaven is promised to these
works. Their intention is to emphasize the responsibility of persons for
their actions, not to contest the
character of those works as gifts, or far less to deny that justification
always remains the unmerited gift
of grace.

39.The concept of a preservation of grace and a growth in grace and faith
is also held by Lutherans.
They do emphasize that righteousness as acceptance by God and sharing in
the righteousness of Christ
is always complete. At the same time, they state that there can be growth
in its effects in Christian
living. When they view the good works of Christians as the fruits and
signs of justification and not as
one’s own "merits", they nevertheless also understand eternal
life in accord with the New Testament as
unmerited "reward" in the sense of the fulfilment of God’s
promise to the believer. [See Sources for
section 4.7].

5. The Significance and Scope of the Consensus Reached

40.The understanding of the doctrine of justification set forth in this
Declaration shows that a consensus
in basic truths of the doctrine of justification exists between Lutherans
and Catholics. In light of this
consensus the remaining differences of language, theological elaboration,
and emphasis in the
understanding of justification described in paras. 18 to 39 are
acceptable. Therefore the Lutheran and
the Catholic explications of justification are in their difference open
to one another and do not destroy
the consensus regarding the basic truths.

41.Thus the doctrinal condemnations of the 16th century, in so far as
they relate to the doctrine of
justification, appear in a new light: The teaching of the Lutheran
churches presented in this Declaration
does not fall under the condemnations from the Council of Trent. The
condemnations in the Lutheran
Confessions do not apply to the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church
presented in this Declaration.

42.Nothing is thereby taken away from the seriousness of the
condemnations related to the doctrine of
justification. Some were not simply pointless. They remain for us
"salutary warnings" to which we must
attend in our teaching and practice.[21]

43.Our consensus in basic truths of the doctrine of justification must
come to influence the life
and teachings of our churches. Here it must prove itself. In this
respect, there are still questions of
varying importance which need further clarification. These include, among
other topics, the relationship
between the Word of God and church doctrine, as well as ecclesiology,
ecclesial authority, church unity,
ministry, the sacraments, and the relation between justification and
social ethics. We are convinced that
the consensus we have reached offers a solid basis for this
clarification. The Lutheran churches and the
Roman Catholic Church will continue to strive together to deepen this
common understanding of
justification and to make it bear fruit in the life and teaching of the
churches.

44.We give thanks to the Lord for this decisive step forward on the way
to overcoming the division of
the church. We ask the Holy Spirit to lead us further toward that visible
unity which is Christ’s will.

APPENDIX

Resources for the
Joint Declaration
on the Doctrine of
Justification

In parts 3 and 4 of the "Joint Declaration" formulations from
different Lutheran-Catholic dialogues
are referred to. They are the following documents:

"All Under One Christ," Statement on the Augsburg Confession by
the Roman Catholic/Lutheran Joint
Commission, 1980, in: Growth in Agreement, edited by Harding Meyer and
Lukas Vischer, New
York/Ramsey, Geneva, 1984, 241-247.

Denzinger-Sch ¶nmetzer, Enchiridion symbolorum …32nd to 36th edition
(hereafter: DS).

Denzinger-H ¼nermann, Enchiridion symbolorum …since the 37th edition
(hereafter: DH).

Evaluation of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity of the
Study Lehrverurteilungen –
kirchentrennend?, Vatican, 1992, unpublished document (hereafter: PCPCU).

Justification by Faith, Lutherans and Catholics in Dialogue VII,
Minneapolis, 1985 (hereafter: USA).

Position Paper of the Joint Committee of the United Evangelical Lutheran
Church of Germany and the
LWF German National Committee regarding the document "The
Condemnations of the Reformation
Era.Do They Still Divide?" in: Lehrverurteilungen im Gespr ¤ch, G ¶ttingen,
1993 (hereafter: VELKD).

The Condemnations of the Reformation Era. Do they Still Divide? Edited by
Karl Lehmann and
Wolfhart Pannenberg, Minneapolis, 1990 (hereafter: LV:E)

For 3:The Common Understanding of Justification (paras 17 and 18) (LV:E
68f; VELKD 95)

– "… a faith centered and forensically conceived picture of
justification is of major importance for Paul
and, in a sense, for the Bible as a whole, although it is by no means the
only biblical or Pauline way of
representing God’s saving work" (USA, no. 146).

– "Catholics as well as Lutherans can acknowledge the need to test
the practices, structures, and
theologies of the church by the extent to which they help or hinder ‘the
proclamation of God’s free and
merciful promises in Christ Jesus which can be rightly received only
through faith’ (para. 28)" (USA, no.
153).

Regarding the "fundamental affirmation" (USA, no. 157; cf. 4)
it is said:

– "This affirmation, like the Reformation doctrine of justification
by faith alone, serves as a criterion for
judging all church practices, structures, and traditions precisely
because its counterpart is ‘Christ alone’
(solus Christus). He alone is to be ultimately trusted as the one
mediator through whom God in the Holy
Spirit pours out his saving gifts. All of us in this dialogue affirm that
all Christian teachings, practices,
and offices should so function as to foster ‘the obedience of faith’
(Rom. 1:5) in God’s saving action in
Christ Jesus alone through the Holy Spirit, for the salvation of the
faithful and the praise and honor of
the heavenly Father" (USA, no. 160).

– "For that reason, the doctrine of justification – and, above all,
its biblical foundation – will always retain
a special function in the church. That function is continually to remind
Christians that we sinners live
solely from the forgiving love of God, which we merely allow to be
bestowed on us, but which we in no
way – in however modified a form – ‘earn’ or are able to tie down to any
preconditions or postconditions.
The doctrine of justification therefore becomes the touchstone for
testing at all times whether a
particular interpretation of our relationship to God can claim the name
of ‘Christian.’ At the same time, it
becomes the touchstone for the church, for testing at all times whether
its proclamation and its praxis
correspond to what has been given to it by its Lord" (LV:E 69).

– "An agreement on the fact that the doctrine of justification is
significant not only as one doctrinal
component within the whole of our church’s teaching, but also as the
touchstone for testing the whole
doctrine and practice of our churches, is – from a Lutheran point of view
– fundamental progress in the
ecumenical dialogue between our churches. It cannot be welcomed
enough" (VELKD 95, 20-26; cf.
157).

– "For Lutherans and Catholics, the doctrine of justification has a
different status in the hierarchy of
truth; but both sides agree that the doctrine of justification has its
specific function in the fact that it is
‘the touchstone for testing at all times whether a particular
interpretation of our relationship to God can
claim the name of "Christian". At the same time it becomes the
touchstone for the church, for testing at
all times whether its proclamation and its praxis correspond to what has
been given to it by its Lord’
(LV:E 69). The criteriological significance of the doctrine of
justification for sacramentology,
ecclesiology and ethical teachings still deserves to be studied
further" (PCPCU 96).

For 4.1:Human Powerlessness and Sin in Relation to Justification (paras
19-21) (LV:E 42ff; 46;
VELKD 77-81; 83f)

– "Those in whom sin reigns can do nothing to merit justification,
which is the free gift of God’s grace.
Even the beginnings of justification, for example, repentance, prayer for
grace, and desire for
forgiveness, must be God’s work in us" (USA, no. 156.3).

– "Both are concerned to make it clear that … human beings cannot
… cast a sideways glance at their
own endeavors … But a response is not a ‘work.’ The response of faith
is itself brought about through
the uncoercible word of promise which comes to human beings from outside
themselves. There can be
‘cooperation’ only in the sense that in faith the heart is involved, when
the Word touches it and creates
faith" (LV:E 46f).

– "Where, however, Lutheran teaching construes the relation of God
to his human creatures in
justification with such emphasis on the divine ‘monergism’ or the sole
efficacy of Christ in such a way,
that the person’s willing acceptance of God’s grace – which is itself a
gift of God – has no essential role
in justification, then the Tridentine canons 4, 5, 6 and 9 still
constitute a notable doctrinal difference on
justification" (PCPCU 22).

-"The strict emphasis on the passivity of human beings concerning
their justification never meant, on the
Lutheran side, to contest the full personal participation in believing;
rather it meant to exclude any
cooperation in the event of justification itself. Justification is the
work of Christ alone, the work of grace
alone" (VELKD 84,3-8).

For 4.2:Justification as Forgiveness of Sins and Making Righteous (paras.
22-24) (USA, nos. 98-101;
LV:E 47ff; VELKD 84ff; cf. also the quotations for 4.3)

– "By justification we are both declared and made righteous.
Justification, therefore, is not a legal fiction.
God, in justifying, effects what he promises; he forgives sin and makes
us truly righteous" (USA, no.
156,5).

– "Protestant theology does not overlook what Catholic doctrine
stresses: the creative and renewing
character of God’s love; nor does it maintain ..God’s impotence toward a
sin which is ‘merely’ forgiven
in justification but which is not truly abolished in its power to divide
the sinner from God" (LV:E 49).

– "The Lutheran doctrine has never understood the ‘crediting of
Christ’s justification’ as without effect
on the life of the faithful, because Christ’s word achieves what it
promises. Accordingly the Lutheran
doctrine understands grace as God’s favor, but nevertheless as effective
power ..’for where there is
forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation’" (VELKD
86,15-23).

– "Catholic doctrine does not overlook what Protestant theology
stresses: the personal character of
grace, and its link with the Word; nor does it maintain ..grace as an
objective ‘possession’ (even if a
conferred possession) on the part of the human being – something over
which he can dispose" (LV:E
49).

For 4.3:Justification by Faith and through Grace (paras.25-27) (USA, nos.
105ff; LV:E 49-53; VELKD
87-90)

– "If we translate from one language to another, then Protestant
talk about justification through faith
corresponds to Catholic talk about justification through grace; and on
the other hand, Protestant doctrine
understands substantially under the one word ‘faith’ what Catholic
doctrine (following 1 Cor. 13:13)
sums up in the triad of ‘faith, hope, and love’" (LV:E 52).

– "We emphasize that faith in the sense of the first commandment
always means love to God and hope
in him and is expressed in the love to the neighbour" (VELKD
89,8-11).

– "Catholics ..teach as do Lutherans, that nothing prior to the free
gift of faith merits justification and
that all of God’s saving gifts come through Christ alone" (USA, no.
105).

– "The Reformers ..understood faith as the forgiveness and
fellowship with Christ effected by the word
of promise itself .. This is the ground for the new being, through which
the flesh is dead to sin and the
new man or woman in Christ has life (sola fide per Christum). But even if
this faith necessarily makes
the human being new, the Christian builds his confidence, not on his own
new life, but solely on God’s
gracious promise. Acceptance in Christ is sufficient, if ‘faith’ is
understood as ‘trust in the promise’
(fides promissionis)" (LV:E 50).

– Cf. The Council of Trent, Session 6, Chap. 7: "Consequently, in
the process of justification, together
with the forgiveness of sins a person receives, through Jesus Christ into
whom he is grafted, all these
infused at the same time: faith, hope and charity" (DH 1530).

– "According to Protestant interpretation, the faith that clings
unconditionally to God’s promise in Word
and Sacrament is sufficient for righteousness before God, so that the
renewal of the human being,
without which there can be no faith, does not in itself make any
contribution to justification" (LV:E 52).

– "As Lutherans we maintain the distinction between justification
and sanctification, of faith and works,
which however implies no separation" (VELKD 89,6-8).

– "Catholic doctrine knows itself to be at one with the Protestant
concern in emphasizing that the
renewal of the human being does not ‘contribute’ to justification, and is
certainly not a contribution to
which he could make any appeal before God. Nevertheless it feels
compelled to stress the renewal of
the human being through justifying grace, for the sake of acknowledging
God’s newly creating power;
although this renewal in faith, hope, and love is certainly nothing but a
response to God’s unfathomable
grace" (LV:E 52f).

– "Insofar as the Catholic doctrine stresses that grace is personal
and linked with the Word, that renewal
..is certainly nothing but a response effected by God’s word itself, and
that the renewal of the human
being does not contribute to justification, and is certainly not a
contribution to which a person could
make any appeal before God, our objection ..no longer applies" (VELKD
89,12-21).

For 4.4:The Justified as Sinner (paras.28-30) (USA, nos. 102ff; LV:E
44ff; VELKD 81ff)

– "For however just and holy, they fall from time to time into the
sins that are those of daily existence.

What is more, the Spirit’s action does not exempt believers from the
lifelong struggle against sinful
tendencies. Concupiscence and other effects of original and personal sin,
according to Catholic doctrine,
remain in the justified, who therefore must pray daily to God for
forgiveness" (USA, no. 102).

– "The doctrines laid down at Trent and by the Reformers are at one
in maintaining that original sin, and
also the concupiscence that remains, are in contradiction to God ..object
of the lifelong struggle against
sin ..[A]fter baptism, concupiscence in the person justified no longer
cuts that person off from God; in
Tridentine language, it is ‘no longer sin in the real sense’; in Lutheran
phraseology, it is peccatum
regnatum, ‘controlled sin’" (LV:E 46).

– "The question is how to speak of sin with regard to the justified
without limiting the reality of salvation.
While Lutherans express this tension with the term ‘controlled sin’ (peccatum
regnatum) which
expresses the teaching of the Christian as ‘being justified and sinner at
the same time’ (simul iustus et
peccator), Roman Catholics think the reality of salvation can only be
maintained by denying the sinful
character of concupiscence. With regard to this question a considerable
rapprochement is reached if
LV:E calls the concupiscence that remains in the justified a
‘contradiction to God’ and thus qualifies it as
sin" (VELKD 82,29-39).

For 4.5:Law and Gospel (paras. 31-33)

– According to Pauline teaching this topic concerns the Jewish law as
means of salvation. This law was
fulfilled and overcome in Christ. This statement and the consequences
from it have to be understood on
this basis.

– With reference to Canons 19f of the Council of Trent, the VELKD
(89,28-36) says as follows:

"The ten commandments of course apply to Christians as stated in
many places of the confessions.. If
Canon 20 stresses that a person ..is bound to keep the commandments of
God, this canon does not
strike to us; if however Canon 20 affirms that faith has salvific power
only on condition of keeping the
commandments this applies to us. Concerning the reference of the Canon
regarding the commandments
of the church, there is no difference between us if these commandments
are only expressions of the
commandments of God; otherwise it would apply to us."

– The last paragraph is related factually to 4.3, but emphasizes the
‘convicting function’ of the law which
is important to Lutheran thinking.

For 4.6:Assurance of Salvation (paras.34-36) (LV:E 53-56; VELKD 90ff)

– "The question is: How can, and how may, human beings live before
God in spite of their weakness,
and with that weakness?" (LV:E 53).

– "The foundation and the point of departure [of the Reformers is]
..the reliability and sufficiency of
God’s promise, and the power of Christ’s death and resurrection; human
weakness, and the threat to
faith and salvation which that involves" (LV:E 56).

– The Council of Trent also emphasizes that "it is necessary to
believe that sins are not forgiven, nor
have they ever been forgiven, save freely by the divine mercy on account
of Christ;" and that we must
not doubt "the mercy of God, the merit of Christ and the power and
efficacy of the sacraments; so it is
possible for anyone, while he regards himself and his own weakness and
lack of dispositions, to be
anxious and fearful about his own state of grace" (Council of Trent,
Session 6, chapter 9, DH 1534).

– "Luther and his followers go a step farther. They urge that the
uncertainty should not merely be
endured. We should avert our eyes from it and take seriously,
practically, and personally the objective
efficacy of the absolution pronounced in the sacrament of penance, which
comes ‘from outside.’ ..Since
Jesus said, ‘Whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven’
(Matt. 16:19), the believer ..would
declare Christ to be a liar ..if he did not rely with a rock-like
assurance on the forgiveness of God
uttered in the absolution ..This reliance can itself be subjectively
uncertain – that the assurance of
forgiveness is not a security of forgiveness (securitas); but this must
not be turned into yet another
problem, so to speak: the believer should turn his eyes away from it, and
should look only to Christ’s
word of forgiveness" (LV:E 53f).

– "Today Catholics can appreciate the Reformer’s efforts to ground
faith in the objective reality of
Christ’s promise, ‘whatsoever you loose on earth ….’ and to focus
believers on the specific word of
absolution from sins. ..Luther’s original concern to teach people to look
away from their experience, and
to rely on Christ alone and his word of forgiveness [is not to be
condemned]" (PCPCU 24).

– A mutual condemnation regarding the understanding of the assurance of
salvation "can even less
provide grounds for mutual objection today – particularly if we start
from the foundation of a biblically
renewed concept of faith. For a person can certainly lose or renounce
faith, and self-commitment to
God and his word of promise. But if he believes in this sense, he cannot
at the same time believe that
God is unreliable in his word of promise. In this sense it is true today
also that – in Luther’s words – faith
is the assurance of salvation" (LV:E 56).

– With reference to the concept of faith of Vatican II, see Dogmatic
Constitution on Divine Revelation,
no. 5: "’The obedience of faith’ ..must be given to God who reveals,
an obedience by which man
entrusts his whole self freely to God, offering ‘the full submission of
intellect and will to God who
reveals,’ and freely assenting to the truth revealed by Him."

– "The Lutheran distinction between the certitude (certitudo) of
faith which looks alone to Christ and
earthly security (securitas), which is based on the human being, has not
been dealt with clearly enough
in the LV. The question whether a Christian “has believed fully and
completely” (LV:E 53) does not
arise for the Lutheran understanding, since faith never reflects on
itself, but depends completely on God,
whose grace is bestowed through word and sacrament, thus from outside
(extra nos)" (VELKD
92,2-9).

For 4.7:The Good Works of the Justified (paras.37-39) (LV:E 66ff, VELKD
90ff)

– "But the Council excludes the possibility of earning grace – that
is, justification – (can. 2; DS 1552) and
bases the earning or merit of eternal life on the gift of grace itself,
through membership in Christ (can.
32: DS 1582). Good works are ‘merits’ as a gift. Although the Reformers
attack ‘Godless trust’ in one’s
own works, the Council explicitly excludes any notion of a claim or any
false security (cap. 16: DS
1548f). It is evident ..that the Council wishes to establish a link with
Augustine, who introduced the
concept of merit, in order to express the responsibility of human beings,
in spite of the ‘bestowed’
character of good works" (LV:E 66).

– If we understand the language of "cause" in Canon 24 in more
personal terms, as it is done in chapter
16 of the Decree on Justification, where the idea of communion with
Christ is foundational, then we can
describe the Catholic doctrine on merit as it is done in the first
sentence of the second paragraph of 4.7:
growth in grace, perseverance in righteousness received from God and a
deeper communion with
Christ.

– "Many antitheses could be overcome if the misleading word ‘merit’
were simply to be viewed and
thought about in connection with the true sense of the biblical term
‘wage’ or reward" (LV:E 67).

– "The Lutheran confessions stress that the justified person is
responsible not to lose the grace received
but to live in it ..Thus the confessions can speak of a preservation of
grace and a growth in it. If
righteousness in Canon 24 is understood in the sense that it affects
human beings, then it does not strike
to us. But if ‘righteousness’ in Canon 24 refers to the Christian’s
acceptance by God, it strikes to us; for
this righteousness is always perfect; compared with it the works of
Christians are only ‘fruits’ and
‘signs’" (VELKD 94,2-14).

– "Concerning Canon 26, we refer to the Apology where eternal life
is described as reward: ‘..We grant
that eternal life is a reward because it is something that is owed – not
because of our merits but because
of the promise’" (VELKD 94,20-24).

[1]The Smalcald Articles, II,1; Book of Concord, 292.

[2]"Rector et judex super omnia genera doctrinarum" Weimar
Edition of Luther’s Works (WA),
39,I,205.

[3]It should be noted that some Lutheran churches include only the
Augsburg Confession and Luther’s
Small Catechism among their binding confessions. These texts contain no
condemnations about
justification in relation to the Roman Catholic Church.

[4]Report of the Joint Lutheran-Roman Catholic Study Commission,
published in Growth in Agreement
(New York; Geneva, 1984), pp. 168-189.

[5]Published by the Lutheran World Federation (Geneva, 1994).

[6]Lutheran and Catholics in Dialogue VII (Minneapolis, 1985).

[7]Minneapolis, 1990.

[8]"Gemeinsame Stellungnahme der Arnoldshainer Konferenz, der
Vereinigten Kirche und des
Deutschen Nationalkomitees des Lutherischen Weltbundes zum Dokument ‘Lehrverurteilungen
–
kirchentrennend?’,"  –kumenische Rundschau 44 (1995): 99-102; See
also the position papers which
underlie this resolution, in Lehrverurteilungen im Gespr ¤ch, Die ersten
offiziellen Stellungnahmen aus
den evangelischen Kirchen in Deutschland (G ¶ttingen: Vandenhoeck &
Ruprecht, 1993).

[9]The word "church" is used in this Declaration to reflect the
self-understandings of the participating
churches, without intending to resolve all the ecclesiological issues
related to this term.

[10]Cf. "Malta Report," paras. 26-30; Justification by Faith,
paras. 122-147. At the request of the US
dialogue on justification, the non-Pauline New Testament texts were
addressed in Righteousness in the
New Testament, by John Reumann, with responses by Joseph A. Fitzmyer and
Jerome D. Quinn
(Philadelphia; New York:1982), pp. 124-180. The results of this study
were summarized in the dialogue
report Justification by Faith in paras. 139-142.

[11]"All Under One Christ," para. 14, in Growth in Agreement,
241-247.

[12]Cf. WA 8:106; American Edition 32:227.

[13]Cf. DS 1528

[14]Cf. DS 1530.

[15]Cf. Apology II:38-45; Book of Concord, 105f.

[16]Cf. DS 1515.

[17]Cf. DS 1515.

[18]Cf. DS 1545.

[19]Cf. DV 5.

[20]Cf. DV 5.

[21]Condemnations of the Reformation Era, 27.