"How is a person justified before God? This occurs solely by faith in the Son of God, Jesus Christ; that is, freely, not because of any works or merits of one's own but only because of the one Mediator, Jesus Christ, who became the sacrificial victim and propitiation on our behalf. By this sacrifice, man obtained forgiveness of sins and became righteous; that is, God-pleasing and acceptable. His righteousness was imputed to man for Christ's sake, and man becomes an heir of eternal life when he believes with certainty that God gives him these blessings for the sake of His Son."
David Chytraeus, A Summary of the Christian Faith (1568), trans., Richard Dinda, Decatur: Repristination Press, 1994. p. 105.
"Christian righteousness is the forgiveness of sin, the imputation of the righteousness of Christ and acceptance to eternal life. It is free, not the result of any virtues or works but is given solely because of Christ, the Mediator, and apprehended by faith alone."
David Chytraeus, A Summary of the Christian Faith (1568), trans., Richard Dinda, Decatur: Repristination Press, 1994. p. 106.
"Scripture therefore uses these words, 'We are justified by faith,' to teach both: 1) What the reason (or merit) for justification is, or what the blessings of Christ are; to wit, that through and for the sake of Christ alone we are granted forgiveness of sins, righteousness and eternal life; and 2. How these should be applied or transferred to us; namely, by embracing the promise and relying on Christ by faith alone."
David Chytraeus, A Summary of the Christian Faith (1568), trans., Richard Dinda, Decatur: Repristination Press, 1994. p. 107.
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GJ - Chytraeus' book was a long-time best seller. He is often overlooked as a Lutheran theologian, but his contributions to the Formula of Concord cannot be ignored.
PS - The following comment is a real howler.
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "I Contributed to the Formula of Concord":
"I" Contributed to the Formula of Concord?
I knew you were arrogant, but this takes the cake for a headline.
GJ - I am trying to stop laughing. Difficult to breathe, to type. Choking. May short out my keyboard. OK. Deep breath. Better now.
Directly below the headline is a big picture of Chytraeus, who contributed to the Formula of Concord. I thought most people could make the connection. I am trying to do a little education for the woefully ignorant Synodical Conference types. The Formula of Concord was completed several centuries before I was born, so a claim about making a contribution myself would seem to argue for the pre-existence of Ichabod, which I am not prepared to make.
I get the same type of comment from the same person daily. Most do not rise to this level of hilarity. All the nasty comments are anonymous. The interested laity who phone and write me are a little shocked by this. "The truth makes enemies," as Walther used to say (in Latin).
