Book: On Justification through Faith - Theological Commonplaces

Originally published in 1613, On Justification through Faith presents Johann Gerhard’s classic voice on this crucial doctrine. While his theology is, in many respects, nothing new beyond what other Lutherans such as Martin Chemnitz said before him, his perspective is distinctively helpful to modern readers, especially in his dealing of topics not dealt with by previous theologians.

Gerhard’s basic position is that justification is a judicial term, and thus the appropriation of God’s grace through faith alone (justification) is not the transfer of divinity—of the essence of the God-man—or of any qualities (created or divine) from God to the believer, but instead it is a change of status before God. For Gerhard, justification is unthinkable without the real person of Christ being apprehended through faith.

Table of Contents
Commonplace XIX: On Justification through Faith
Chapter I: On the efficient cause of justification
Chapter II: The meritorious cause of justification
Chapter III: On the instrumental cause of justification
       Section I: On justifying faith and its parts. 
       Section II: On the various divisions of faith.
       Section III: The principal efficient cause of faith is the Holy Spirit, 
       Section V: The effect of faith, which is justification.
       Section VI: On the properties of justifying faith, that is, Whether they can be separated from love and the other virtues.
Chapter IV: On the formal cause of justification. 
Chapter V: On the final cause of justification. 
Chapter VI: On the use of the doctrine of justification and on its definition.