Journal: Journal for Baptist Theology & Ministry
Volume: JBTM 19:1 (Spring 2022)
Article: Reformation Boundaries: The Doctrine Of Justification By Faith Alone And Ecumenical Rapprochement
Author: Jacob G. Milstead

Reformation Boundaries: The Doctrine Of Justification By Faith Alone And Ecumenical Rapprochement

Jacob G. Milstead

Jacob G. Milstead serves as family pastor of Agricola, Baptist Church in Lucedale, Mississippi.

Introduction

Martin Luther staked more than the doctrine of justification by faith on the early writings generally associated with the beginning of the Reformation in Germany. His “Ninety-Five Theses” and three early treatises touch in some respects on the doctrine that would later be credited with shaping the Reformation, but they relate to the offenses of the papacy in decidedly ecclesiological and sociological terms as well.1

Ecclesiologically, Luther writes of the overreaching power of the pope and the harm done to the faith of the people, while sociologically, he relates the horrors of poverty and politics born of Rome’s failings.2 His prefaces to Romans and Galatians demonstrate

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more exclusive concern with explicitly theological matters as he wrestles with the text of Scripture, interpreting texts according to his rediscovery of faith’s role in the Christian life.3 Yet who would question whether his interpretation of Scripture applied to the church and culture as well as to doctrine?

Completely untangling Luther’s thoughts as to whether justification by faith (JbF) comprises his sole concern regarding the issues listed above falls outside of the proper scope of history. His impact on his contemporary followers and the later adherents of Lutheranism, however, could reveal significant insights concerning the role of JbF in Luther’s intent for the church in Germany, especially in its relation to the Roman Catholic Church (RCC). More specifically, a comparison of the discussion on justification between Luther and Philip Melanchthon and the RCC in the sixteenth century could be examined in light of the conciliatory Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ) made by twentieth-century Lutherans and Catholics.4 This series of comparisons would help in drawing conclusions about the relative importance of the doctrine of justification for Luther, Melanchthon, and Lutherans in general.

A question will aid understanding of the above topic: what does a comparison between the JDDJ and the sixteenth-century discussion on justification (among Luther, Melanchthon, and the RCC) reveal about the significance of justification in Lutheran doctrine? Assuming that great similarity on justification between the two eras correlates with...