As soon as a person has been justified by faith, he is in possession of all the spiritual blessings which Christ has secured for the world by His vicarious atonement, 1 Cor. 3, 21; Rom. 5, 1—5. Having by faith received the adoption of sons, Gal. 4, 5; John 1, 12, he is an heir of God and a joint-heir with Christ, Rom. 8, 17, so that he lacks no spiritual gift whatsoever, 1 Cor. 1, 4—7; Eph. 1, 3—8. Of the spiritual blessings which justification confers we may mention in particular: —
a. The state of grace (status gratiae). The justified believer is no longer under wrath, Eph. 2, 1—3, but in that blessed state where he has peace with God (pax conscientiae) , Rom. 5, 1. Through faith in Christ he is sure not only of divine grace in the present life, but also of eternal salvation in the life to come (spes vitae aetemae), Rom. 5, 2. The certainty of divine grace and eternal life through faith must be maintained against all SemiPelagians (papists) and synergists, who assert that a believer cannot be sure of salvation. As a matter of fact all those who uphold the “monster of uncertainty” (monstrum incertitudinis) thereby show that they are ignorant of what justification in its Scriptural sense really means.
The “monster of uncertainty” is the unfortunate result of the mingling of justification and sanctification, or of the fatal error that salvation depends, at least in part, on human works. The objections against the certainty of salvation which have been raised also within the external Lutheran Church are utterly devoid of Scriptural ground; for such passages as 1 Cor. 10, 12; Rom. 11, 20, etc., upon which these objections are founded, are designed not to intimidate the believer, but rather to warn those who are carnally secure and indifferent. Hence doubts with respect to the certainty of salvation must not be regarded or commended as a virtue, but must be condemned as unbelief, Rom. 4, 16; 8, 17. 37—39.
b. The indwelling of the Holy Ghost and of the Holy Trinity (inhdbitatio Spiritus Sancti sive Dei triuni essentialis). Through faith the justified believer receives the Holy Spirit, who dwells in his heart as in His holy temple, Gal. 3, 2; 1 Cor. 3, 16, strengthening his faith and moving him to continuous childlike prayer, Gal. 4, 6; Rom. 8, 15.16.
But according to Scripture not only the Holy Spirit, but also the entire Holy Trinity dwells essentially in the believer, John 14, 23. This wonderful union of God with the believer is called unio spiritualis, or unio mystica, 1 Cor. 6, 17; Eph. 5, 30—32. While through the mystic union the substance of the Christian is not transformed into that of God, as mystics at all times have affirmed (Weigel, Schwenkfeld), we nevertheless maintain on the basis of Scripture that God Himself (unio essentialis) and not merely His gifts (dona Dei; papists. Calvinists), dwells in the believer.
With equal emphasis we at the same time reject the error of Andrew Osiander, who taught that the essential indwelling of Christ is the believer’s righteousness before God; for Christ is our Eighteousness inasmuch as He has redeemed us by His vicarious atonement and not inasmuch as He, with His essential righteousness, is found within us. In other words, our righteousness before God is Christ’s perfect obedience (obedientia activa et passives; iustitia aliena), which we appropriate through faith, Rom. 3, 24; 5, 18.19.
c. Sanctification, or renewal (sanctificatio vel renovatio). By sanctification, or renewal, we understand the inward transformation of the believer through the Holy Ghost (mutatio hominis interna per actum physicum vel medicinalem), by which he is removed from the service of sin and made fit for the service of God in a new spiritual life (iustitia inhaerens; iustitia vitae).
These inward spiritual changes occur in the very moment in which a person is justified by faith; for they are the unfailing fruits of justification, Rom. 6, 1—11. Before a person is justified, neither sanctification nor good works are to be found in him, Eph. 2, 1—3; but after justification he is continually being sanctified and actuated to good works through faith in Christ, Eph. 2, 10; Gal. 5, 6. For this reason sanctification and good works are indications (indicia) of the accomplished justification, 1 These. 4, 9; John 14, 15, though they are never a cause of justification, Eph. 2, 8. 9.
d. The Christian liberty (libertas Christiana). By Christian liberty we mean the believer’s absolute freedom from every form of human tyranny in spiritual matters. Gal. 5, 1—4. In other words, the justified believer is no longer a servant of men, 1 Cor. 7, 23, to heed and obey human doctrine, but he is a servant of God, Rom. 6, 22, and of Christ, 1 Cor. 3, 23, whose Word is the only rule of his faith, John 8, 31. 32. In relation to God all Christians are subordinate, for they all are equally bound to His Word and subject to His will, 1 John 5, 3; Matt. 22, 38—40; but in relation to one another they are brethren, Matt. 23, 8, who are alike obedient to their divine Master, Luke 17, 10, and subservient to one another in love, Gal. 5, 13.14.
Hence in the Christian Church not the word of man must prevail, but only the Word of God. Christian liberty thus consists in the believer’s freedom from the doctrines of men. Matt. 16, 9, and his unswerving attachment to Christ and His Word.
e. Membership in the Christian Church and possession of all its gifts and blessings. The Christian Church is the communion of saints, that is, of all true believers in Christ, 1 Cor. 1, 1. 2; Eph. 1, 1; 2, 20; Acts 5, 14. Hypocrites, or nominal Christians, are not members of the Church, though in this life they are outwardly joined with the visible Church. The rights and privileges of the Church, commonly called the Office of the Keys (potestas clavium), that is, the peculiar church power to administer the means of grace, to forgive and retain sins, to preach the Word of God in its purity, to call and ordain ministers, etc., belong to all believers and not merely to the clergy, Matt. 16, 19; cp. with 18, 18; 28, 19. 20; 1 Cor. 3, 21, as will be shown later.