Lutheran - Catholic Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification

 

Irreconcilable Differences?:

 

Evangelicals, Lutherans and Roman Catholics agree that:

Individuals are initially hopelessly lost in sin and separated from God.

Separation between God and man is overcome through Justification -- "the free and unmerited assistance or favor or energy or saving presence of God in his dealings with humanity...").

Justification is brought about through God's grace.

Justification is in no way earned by the individual.

The beliefs of the Roman Catholic church and of historic Protestantism agree that when a person is "justified,"  "they are brought into right standing and into a right relationship with" God. 3 Lutherans "refer to justification as 'the chief doctrine upon which the church stands or falls'." 3 Martin Luther considered justification to be the "first and chief article" of belief, 7 and the the "ruler and judge over all other Christian doctrines." 8

But beliefs about the precise mechanism of justification is perhaps the most difficult to harmonize between Protestants and Roman Catholics, and even within various Protestant denominations. All Christian faith groups use the same terms (baptism, grace,  justification, sacrament, salvation, sanctification, etc.) but they often assign different meanings to them.

 

Impact of the Joint Declaration

 

Disagreements over the nature of Justification were "in the 16th century, a principal cause of the division of the Western Church" 1 into Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. At the time of the Reformation, both Protestants and Catholics condemned each other in the most vicious terms over their disagreements in the doctrines of justification. These conflicts were published in a number of Lutheran Confessions and other documents during the 16th century. They also appeared in the statements issued by the Roman Catholic Council of Trent. These remained valid church teachings up to the time of the Joint Declaration.

The Joint Declaration was able to resolve some differences. They agreed that the remaining differences were not sufficiently substantial for the 16th century condemnations to continue in force.

 

The Joint Declaration:

Largely as a result of the changes brought about by Vatican II, ecumenical dialog has permeated much of Christendom in recent decades. This includes various Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialog groups which have tackled the justification question since the early 1970's. The 1998 Joint Declaration was largely based on the efforts of those groups.

Partial agreement was jointly reached between the Lutheran World Federation (ILWF) and the Roman Catholic Church. The Joint Declaration had been circulated among the 124 Lutheran denominations who formed the Federation; a significant majority approved the document. In 1998-JUN, the Lutheran World federation Council unanimously approved the Joint Declaration.

Also in 1998-JUN,  Cardinal Edward Cassidy, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, responded on behalf of the Vatican. He said: "I wish to stress that the consensus reached on the doctrine of justification, despite its limitations, virtually resolves a long disputed question at the close of the 20th century, on the eve of the new millennium."

Some of the important points mentioned in the Joint Declaration are: 1

"From the Reformation perspective, justification was the crux of all the disputes" between Protestants and Catholics.

They 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..."

Diverse treatments" of righteousness, justification, and salvation are described in many Biblical passages, including: Matthew 5:10; 6:33; 21:32; John 16:8-11; Hebrews 5:1-3; 10:37-38; James 2:14-26; Galatians 5:1-13; Romans 3:21-31; 5:11; 6:7; 6:11; 6:23; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 1:31; 2 Corinthians 1.1; 5:17; 5:18-21.

Lutherans and Catholics attribute different shades of meaning and roles to many terms associated with justification. These differences remain; they are basic and currently irresolvable. The document simply listed explanations, both from the Lutheran and Roman Catholic belief systems.

They agreed that "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."

There are many unresolved issues, including: "the relationship between the Word of God and church doctrine, as well as ecclesiology, authority in the church, ministry, the sacraments, and the relation between justification and social ethics."

The declaration will be signed in Augsburg, Germany on 1999-OCT-31. 10 The date is of particular significance because it is the 482nd anniversary of the posting of Martin Luther's 95 theses - a date generally regarded as the birthday of the Protestant Reformation.

Response to the Joint Declaration:

The declaration has received negative reviews among some religious conservatives. 5

According to a news item circulated by Ecumenical News International on 1998-NOV-16:

"The Lutheran World Federation - which represents the majority of the world's Lutheran churches - has said that 'further consultation' with the Vatican is needed before it can sign a major doctrinal statement drawn up by representatives of the two communions. The 'joint declaration on justification' aims to resolve a four-centuries-old theological dispute dating from the time of the Reformation. [ENI-98-0515]"

The Roman Catholic church announced that they would sign the document, but the Vatican was ambiguous on whether it would lift its condemnations of Lutheran teaching. Joint meetings finally led to a resolution:

"The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Roman Catholic Church have reached agreement on an historic document which aims to resolve a theological controversy dating back to the 16th-century split between Martin Luther and the papacy. The two communions are to declare officially on 31 October [1999] that mutual doctrinal condemnations pronounced at the time of the Reformation no longer apply. It is believed to be the first time that the Vatican has ever declared that Catholic doctrinal condemnations no longer apply to a Protestant communion." 9

By 1999-OCT, more than 240 Protestant German theologians had signed a petition which criticized the agreement. 11

References:

  1. "Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification," approved by the ILWF on 1998-JUN-16.
  2. "Irreconcilable Differences: Catholics, Evangelicals, and the New Quest for Unity," transcription of a television broadcast, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, (1995) .
  3. G.A. Mather & L.A. Nichols, "Dictionary of Cults, Sects, Religions and the Occult," Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, (1993), Page 171.
  4. Rosemary Goring, "The Wordsworth Dictionary of Beliefs and Religions," Wordsworth, Ware, UK, (1995), Page 197.
  5. Dennis Costella, "The One world Church is Coming Together," essay at the web site of The Fundamental Evangelistic Association
  6. ILWF Press Release, "Council Unanimously Approves Joint Declaration with Roman Catholics; Document Ends 400-year Dispute on Doctrine of Justification," issued 1998-JUN-16.
  7. "The Smalcald Articles, II, I," Book of Concord, 292.
  8. "Rector et judex super omnia genera doctrinarum," Weimar Edition of Luther's Works (WA), 39, 1, 205.
  9. "Lutherans and Catholics to sign away justification dispute on
    31 October,    " News Highlights, Ecumenical News International, 1999-JUN-11.
  10. "Lutherans and Catholics to sign joint declaration," Evangelical Press News Service, quoted in Maranatha Christian Journal at:
  11. Ecumenical News International, News Highlights, 1999-OCT-22. Latest update: 1999-OCT-22 - Author: B.A. Robinson. ( http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_ec.htm#menu )
EdNote: Bold lettering added by Cephas Ministry Inc.

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