(This is a chapter in a forthcoming book, Christ the Lord, edited by Michael Horton, published by Baker Book House.) Justification has long been known among Protestants as the article of faith by which the church stands or falls. Justification, along with the authority of Scripture and the nature of the Lord’s Supper, was at the center of debates […]
On November 20, 1998, the Evangelical Theological Society, meeting in Orlando, Florida, held a panel discussion of the documents “Evangelicals and Catholics Together” and “The Gift of Salvation.” These two statements were prepared by a group of evangelical and Roman Catholic leaders who reached agreement on certain theological issues and concluded that the areas of […]
One of the most noteworthy events in American religion over the past five years has been the emergence of the movement dubbed “Evangelicals and Catholics Together.” Though not sponsored by any organized church, “Evangelicals and Catholics Together” has been promoted by many prominent leaders from Evangelical and Catholic circles. The movement has produced two major […]
On October 31, 1999 officials of the Lutheran and Roman Catholic Churches met in Augsburg, Germany to sign a “Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification.” The date and location were deliberately chosen to symbolize that a step was being taken towards the healing of one of the major divisions in the church stemming from […]
With this article, I am beginning a brief series of articles on the doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone. These articles are adapted from two public addresses given at a Banner of Truth Conference in May, 1998.1 Though they have been edited for The Outlook, they still retain something of their character […]
“Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge […]
This article is the third in a brief series of articles on the doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone. These articles are adapted from two public addresses given at a Banner of Truth Conference in May, 1998. The first article in the series dealt with the importance of the doctrine, especially in […]
In my previous articles on the doctrine of justification, I dealt with two issues: first, the nature of justification, what it is; and second, the ground or basis of our justification. Justification is God’s declaration or pronouncement that we are righteous and acceptable to Him. When God declares us righteous and no longer under condemnation, […]
Introduction If possible, I wish to raise an alarm without being an alarmist. The Reformed theologian, J. H. Alsted (1588–1638) said that the doctrine of justification is the article of faith by which the church stands or falls. Of course he was only summarizing what all Protestants learned from Luther. It has become clear since […]
“What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, (Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,’ and yet you […]