Part 11

Justification

We have so far pointed out what Walther taught regarding the Church and the matters directly related to this doctrine. It was indeed this for doctrine that the Saxon immigrants initially had to fight. But if we want to describe Walther as a Theologian, we must first and foremost discuss his position on the doctrine of Justification. Walther’s position on this doctrine gives us the key to his entire conduct throughout his battle-wrought life.

At the center of all Christian doctrines, Walther places the doctrine of Justification, or the doctrine that a man becomes righteous and saved before God by grace through faith in Christ. All other doctrines serve as prerequisites for this doctrine or flow from it as consequences. This explains why Walther fought against all error so decisively and without compromising, for he always recognized how individual errors endangered this doctrine. This doctrine was also central to his struggle for the right doctrine of the Church.¹ Walther demonstrated how the doctrine of Justification is overthrown, for example, by the doctrine which claims that there is no salvation outside of a visible church, and in the claim that the validity of absolution depends on the ordination of the one administering it. He proved this also regarding the other false doctrines he opposed, e.g., chiliasm, the physical effect of the sacraments, synergism, etc. He said, “The struggles against false doctrine only gain practical significance for the individual Christian, when he sees how, when other parts of doctrine are falsified, this doctrine also cannot remain pure.”² Walther lived by this doctrine, both as a Christian and as a Theologian. Even his opponents acknowledged that he understood how to speak powerfully about this doctrine. Walther gave the majority of his so-called Luther Hour [Lutherstunden] lectures on this doctrine. In the theological seminary, he gave instruction above all on how this doctrine is to be rightly preached, both by showing the right way to do so and by vivid depictions of the wrong ways it is commonly done. We do not believe we are exaggerating when we say that, after Luther and Chemnitz, perhaps no teacher of our Church has testified to the doctrine of Justification as vividly as Walther. In this doctrine especially, Walther had Luther as his teacher, and he united the individual shining points of light that can be found in later teachers’ interpretations of this doctrine into one brilliant beam.

As we prepare to set forth Walther’s position in the doctrine of Justification, we first point out how Walther characterizes the doctrine of Justification in terms of its importance, etc., in general. Secondly, we will highlight the points of this doctrine which Walther particularly emphasized in order to preserve it intact in the face of contemporary errors.

According to Walther, the doctrine of Justification is what distinguishes the Christian religion from all other so-called religions; it is the characteristic feature of the Christian religion. When we speak of Justification, he says,³ we are speaking of the Christian religion, for the doctrine of the Christian religion is precisely none other than God’s revelation of how one becomes righteous and saved before God through the redemption that been accomplished through Christ Jesus. All other religions show other ways that are supposed to lead to heaven (namely the way of works), but the Christian religion alone shows another way to heaven through its doctrine of Justification, and with it something unheard of and unimagined by the whole world, thoughts that were hidden in the heart of God before the foundation of the world. And in another place he says: This doctrine is the sun in heaven of the Christian religion, by which it distinguishes itself from all other religions as light distinguishes itself from darkness.⁴ Therefore, whoever attacks us concerning the doctrine of Justification attacks our entire doctrine, the entire Bible, the entire Christian religion. Where this doctrine is falsified, there another way of salvation and thus another religion, is taught. To fight for the doctrine of Justification and for the Bible and the Christian religion is one and the same thing. Without the doctrine of Justification, the entire Christian doctrine is like clockwork lacking the mainspring. All other doctrines lose their significance if the doctrine of Justification is not right. When the cornerstone falls, the whole building collapses. So too, the whole of Christianity collapses where the doctrine of Justification falls; the Church then becomes a mere reformatory [Besserungsanstalt]. And as far as understanding of Scripture is concerned, theologians who do not stand rightly in the doctrine of Justification, despite all their handling of Scripture and quoting of Scripture, do not sit in Scripture, but in front of its door, which is closed to them. For without the doctrine of Justification, the Bible becomes for a person a book of morals with all kinds of strange secondary doctrines.

Therefore, the doctrine of Justification is the “most eminent chief article of the Christian faith.” “As long as someone has not progressed beyond thinking that the doctrine of Justification is also an important article, the light has not yet dawned on him.” All praise of Christ, of grace, and of the means of grace without the right doctrine of Justification is nothing. All teaching in the Church must serve this article. It is not as if one should or could push forward this doctrine alone. All revealed doctrines must be taught with the greatest care. But even when dealing with hell, the goal must be to show the hearer salvation from hell.

The knowledge of the doctrine of Justification is absolutely essential for the salvation of the individual. Christians are people who stand in the knowledge of the article of Justification, i.e., people who believe that God forgives their sins by grace for Christ’s sake. This knowledge, this faith, makes a person a Christian. “All salvation rests upon this article,” explains Walther, “and therefore it is absolutely necessary for every Christian. It would be of no help if someone knew all other doctrines exactly, e.g., that of the Holy Trinity, of the person of Christ, etc., but not know and believe this article.”⁵ This article is rightly called the article with which the Church stands and falls.

For what, after all, is the Church? It is the totality of believing Christians. Thus, the Church is the place where Christ rules and reigns in grace; but He reigns inwardly in man in such a way that He offers and bestows grace to him. Now where He has conquered a heart, there is His kingdom. Where, therefore, there are regenerate, living Christians, there is His Church. But now, no man becomes a true, regenerate Christian without this doctrine of Justification. Any other doctrine can indeed make great Pharisees, but no Christians. One becomes such solely by this: when the Holy Spirit reveals in his heart that he has truly been redeemed by Christ, has the forgiveness of sins, a righteousness that avails before God, and can therefore lie down upon his deathbed with confidence.⁶

And in another place: “When Luther says that without the article of Justification the Church cannot endure for one hour, this is no exaggeration. For the Church is not, say, an external institution, but the assembly of believers. Where there are no believers, there is therefore also no Church.”

Therefore if the Church is to be built and preserved, above all things the doctrine of Justification must be preached. The preaching of this doctrine once brought about the Reformation of the Church, whereas all other earlier attempts to help the Church had failed. In other lands and at other times, too, it was this doctrine which revived the Church.⁷ And if we wish to build the Church in our time, it must be done through the preaching of the doctrine of Justification. It is not “eloquent” and “popular” preachers, nor even “dignified partors,” but pastors preaching the doctrine of Justification who build congregations.⁸ The knowledge and preaching of this doctrine compensates for many deficiencies in external training and talent. If the Church had to choose between preachers with poor outward training, but who live by the article of Justification and preach it, and preachers who are outwardly most skilled but who do not understand the doctrine of Justification and therefore also do not preach it, she would have to choose the former without hesitation. Walther says:

So exceedingly important is this doctrine that it can still be preached in its fullness and entire power, in its brightness and richness of comfort, even by those who are less gifted… even the weakest man, if only he has grasped the doctrine that the grace of God has appeared in Christ Jesus for all men and is received by faith; he can so preach to people that they become certain of their salvation; and that outweighs all wisdom and all gifts and all treasures of the world. Such preachers will also never lack material. They will always know what to say about what God has done for us by grace, and that will always give them new joy. For what is all scholarship, as necessary as it indeed is in its place, compared to the wisdom of God which is proclaimed when even only the one verse is explained: ‘God so loved the world,’ etc.? Poor sinners rejoice over this, all holy angels marvel at it, and the whole world should fall on its knees before this and cry out Gloria and Hallelujah. If our budding servants of the Church preach this, then they are the men who can begin a reformation in this country as well; just as, indeed, a small beginning has already been made in this way. For this makes truly living congregations, not those who make a great clamor about their lives and deeds, but those who, living by this doctrine, willingly sacrifice to God in holy adornment. Summa: let us learn from Luther that we can establish no Reformation here unless we firmly believe this doctrine, proclaim it with divine certainty, and hold fast to it and preserve it.

Therefore, proper preparation for the preaching office includes a living knowledge of the doctrine of Justification. Walther says: “The most essential thing of all, which students of theology should take away from the theological seminary, without which everything else would be worthless, is a clear and thorough understanding, and indeed one founded on experience, of the lofty doctrine of the Justification of a poor sinner before God.” And above all else, the proper exercise of office includes the public and private proclamation of the doctrine of Justification. Because he is permitted to proclaim this doctrine, a preacher should gladly want to be a preacher. And just as with the joy of performing his office, so also all hope of accomplishing something should come to the preacher from this doctrine. This will preserve the pastor from a legalistic spirit.⁹ In the doctrine of Justification one also has the means to remain in the true doctrine. “As long as this doctrine is entirely pure,” says Walther, “no error can cling to us in other points. It is as Luther says: This doctrine tolerates no error. It is the sun in the heaven of the Church, and where it rises, there all shadows must vanish.” In the doctrine of Justification, we have a standard which, “if we govern ourselves by it, makes it impossible for us to accept error.” Those who have recognized the doctrine of Justification laugh at all learned, unbelieving, and half-believing professors with all their eloquence and erudition when they teach falsely. If what they assert and say does not agree with this little child’s verse: ‘The blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, cleanses us from all sins,’ then, no matter how great an appearance of wisdom or holiness it may have, even the simplest person will trample it underfoot.”¹⁰ On the other hand, those who do not stand firm in the doctrine of Justification, cannot recognize and show how dangerous an error is. Those who do not know what is most important in Christianity are like children who do not understand the purpose of a clock and therefore regard this little cog or that pin as unnecessary. Without a proper understanding of the doctrine of Justification, the individual doctrines of the Word of God are a disjointed heap of stones, from which one can remove pieces without inflicting significant damage to the whole. Without a proper understanding of this doctrine, one will also again and again be in doubt about where the true Church is, especially if one looks at the low esteem, the smallness of the true Church, and the scandals that occur also in it. But if one holds fast the doctrine of Justification, one will not be impressed by the size, age, pomp, strict order, or great works of the false Church. Nor by the scholarship of the apologetic merits of modern believers. For without the doctrine of Justification in the Church, all of this is useless and worthless.

Footnotes

Die luth. Lehre von der Rechtfertigung. Ein Referat etc., p. 93.
Bericht der ersten Vers. der Synodal Conferenz etc., p. 23.
Synodalconferenzbericht, p. 21.
Gospel Postil, p. 278.
Synodalconferenzbericht, p. 21.
Ibid., pp. 24, 25.
Ibid., pp. 25–27.
Ibid., p. 27 f.
Die luth. Lehre von der Rechtfertigung. Ein Referat etc., p. 95 f.
Synodalconferenzbericht, p. 27.