St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology (Oct 2023)
Justification
Abstract
Within Christian theology, justification refers to the act whereby human beings are established as righteous before God. The doctrine of justification is distinct within the history of theology both for the importance ascribed to it – Martin Luther, as one prominent example, asserts that the church is built by this doctrine alone (Luther’s Works [LW] 26.10) – and for the large number of questions and controversies surrounding it. To take a few examples: is justification essentially a legal action in which humans are forgiven, or an effective one in which they are transformed? Does justification refer to a present reality, a future one, or both? How does justification – a doctrine normally associated with the writings of the apostle Paul – cohere or conflict with teachings found elsewhere in the Christian scriptures? While such questions have not proved contentious in every age, conflicts surrounding them at key points in the history of theology have contributed to divisions between churches and denominations, many of which persist to the present day. This article will offer an overview of the Christian doctrine of justification in five sections. Following (1) the introduction, it will present overviews of (2) justification in the Old and New Testaments; (3) disputed questions on the doctrine of justification; (4) justification in the history of Christian theology; and (5) justification in contemporary theology.
