As soon as a contrite sinner believes the divine promises of grace which for Christ's sake is offered to him in the Gospel, or as soon as he puts his trust in the vicarious satisfaction which Christ has made for the sins of the world by His perfect obedience, he is justified1, or declared righteous before God, Rom. 3, 23. 24. This is the so-called subjective justification, Rom. 4, 6, or the personal application, through faith, of the merits which Christ has secured for the whole world by His substitutionary atonement (objective justification), 2 Cor. 5, 19 ff.
Holy Scripture quite simply describes the act of justification negatively as a “forgiving of sins,” or a “covering of sins," or a “non-imputation of sins," Rom. 4, 6—8, and positively as the “counting of faith for righteousness,” Rom. 4, 5; Gal. 3, 6; Rom. 4, 3. Subjective justification may therefore be defined as the act of God by which He removes from the believer the sentence of condemnation to which he is subject because of his sin, releases him from his guilt, and ascribes to him the merit of Christ. Baier defines justification as
“the act by which the sinner, who is responsible for guilt and liable to punishment (reus culpae et poenae), but who believes in Christ, is pronounced just by God, the Judge.” Doctr. Theol., p. 424.
By subjective justification we therefore do not understand “a moral condition existing in man or a moral change which he experiences, but only a divine judgment upon man, by which his relation to God is reversed.” Ibid. Hollaz rightly says:
“Justification is a judicial and at the same time a gracious act by which God, reconciled by the satisfaction of Christ, acquits the sinner who believes in Christ of the offenses with which he is charged and accounts and pronounces him righteous.” Doctr, Theol., p. 428.
When defining justification by faith, we must bear in mind that justification by faith without works is based upon the justification of the whole world, secured by Christ’s vicarious satisfaction and offered to all men in the Gospel, Acts 10, 43. Because of the objective justification (reconciliation) subjective justification takes place “freely,” Rom. 3, 24, no work on the sinner's part being necessary to complete the justification of Christ. If the vicarious satisfaction of Christ is denied, no room is left for justification by faith. On the other hand, the perfect redemption effected by Christ leaves no room for the papistic justification by works. The Gospel contains full pardon for every sinner, and as soon as he accepts the pardon by faith, he is justified subjectively.
All who deny that the means of grace impart the forgiveness of sins (enthusiasts, Reformed, modern Lutheran theologians) and who make, not the redemptive work, but the “person of Christ” or His historical reality,” the object of faith, teach justification without faith by works, that is to say, by something in man, or by gratia infusa. However, that “faith is counted for righteousness,” Rom. 4, 5, means that faith justifies, not considered in itself, but because of the object which it apprehends, namely, the promise of the Gospel.
It is not Scriptural to say one must make only Christ or only His merit and not also the objective justification the object of justifying faith. — Only the direct promise of the Gospel can give us perfect assurance of the forgiveness of our sins. A justification by works from its very nature cannot but be productive of doubt. (Cf. Rom. 4, 16.) The “theology of doubt” (monstrum incertitudinis) of papist theology is a necessary concomitant of the theology of work-righteousness. (Cf. Council of Trent, Sees. 6, Can. 13.)
The Roman Catholic sect is the greatest enemy of the Christian Church; for all Christians live, move, and have their being in the doctrine of justification by faith. But this doctrine the papacy does not permit its adherents to accept and believe. It rather reviles and curses the Scriptural doctrine of justification by faith (cf. Council of Trent, Sess. 6, Cans. 9, 11.12.20) and trains its followers to seek salvation by works. The Church of Rome has murdered thousands bodily for their adherence to the doctrine of justification by faith and millions spiritually by teaching them to trust in justification by works.
The Roman Catholic claim that the majority of modern Protestant teachers are advocates of the Catholic doctrine of justification by works is well founded. Those who deny the vicarious satisfaction and teach salvation through “morality” or through an “ethical act” or through faith as a “moral act” or “force” constitute a large majority among Protestants. Yet the doctrine of justification by faith, without works, has been believed and will be believed by all true members of the Christian Church to the end of time, Rom. 1, 16.17; 3, 21. 22; 4, 3; Rev. 7, 14. (Cf. Dr. Engelder, Dogmatical Notes.)