Before we come to the Lutheran position on the topic of justification, we have to lay the grounds of what exactly justification is.
To put it simply, justification is the event (or the process) by which sinners are made right in the eyes of God. We believe that we are corrupt, fallen away from God, and that we deserve hell, and then God saves us from ourselves and reconciles us to himself through Christ. Now, there are two kinds of justification inside of Christian theological works: forensic justification and effective justification.
Forensic justification
Forensic justification states that a person is made right in the eyes of God by faith in Jesus Christ, that his blood covers the sins of the sinner, and that is sufficient for God. This can be however lost if one falls from faith. In forensic justification, the emphasis is on a judicial pronouncement by God, whereby the believer is acquitted of sin and credited with Christ’s righteousness, as a gift of grace.
Effective justification
Now there is another one, Effective justification. This one states that God cannot declare a man justified when he is clearly not. Rather, God makes a change in that man so that God could declare him righteous. This is associated with synergy, a theological position which states that in order to be saved, one must cooperate with God. According to this perspective, justification involves more than just being declared righteous; it entails a genuine renewal within the individual. In effective justification, God not only declares the believer righteous but also works within them to transform them into the likeness of Christ.
Comparison
So which is the correct view?
The Bible does not teach synergy. St. Paul clearly teaches that we are saved by Faith and grace, not by works. (See Romans 3:28 and Galatians 2:16) St. Paul teaches throughout his epistles that God forgives us sinners through His grace, because of Christ, through faith. Thus, the basis of justification is not any characteristic or thing in us, nor is it our actions or sins not committed. The basis of justification is Christ’s death on the cross, all the benefits of which God imputes to the good of the sinner when one believes in Christ.
”But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”
Romans 3:21-26 NIV.
The Lutheran understanding has always been forensic and we have understood it so. We hold to the predestination of christians, (See John 6:29 and 1 Peter 1:1-2) adding to our understanding that we are saved truly and completely by God and not of our works or a ”choice of faith”. It is notable that we say “We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves us isn’t alone”. It is that the faith we hold, makes us repent and ask for forgiveness. By Lutheran theology, it is impossible for a man to come to God, (The bondage of the will) but that God came to us in Jesus Christ as the one and true mediator between God and Man, and that He died for our sins, and that sacrifice is enough to all.
“Furthermore, it is taught that we cannot obtain forgiveness of sin and righteousness before God through our merit, work, or satisfactions, but that we receive forgiveness of sin and become righteous before God out of grace for Christ’s sake through faith when we believe that Christ has suffered for us and that for his sake our sin is forgiven and righteousness and eternal life are given to us. For God will regard and reckon this faith as righteousness in his sight, as St. Paul says in Romans 3[:21-26] and 4[:5]”
(Augsburg Confession, Article IV).
