Conclusion (still in progress) by Gregory L. Jackson
St. Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians teaches only Justification by Faith. Luther did not have the insights of Calvin and Pietism to alter his precise explanations of this letter in his lectures, which are also called the Galatians Commentary. The existence of a shorter series and a much larger one is no argument for favoring one or the other. I only hope that many will enjoy Luther’s longer version, with even more treasures, especially from Galatians 3.
The argument is simple and yet twisted in so many ways. The original is the treasure of the Holy Spirit. Distortions and evasions are the work of man. Paul, taught by the risen Christ, compares two possibilities. One is forgiveness through works. The other is forgiveness through faith in the Report. The Report is the strange and seemingly contradictory account of the Suffering Servant dying for our sins (Isaiah 53). The foundation of this claim is clearly Genesis 15:6 – Abraham believed the Promises of an everlasting and ever-expanding kingdom – he believed in the Messianic Kingdom of God. That was counted as righteousness. This is carefully explained in Romans 4, summarized in Romans 5:1-2.
Faith is access to God’s grace.
The distortion comes from those who do not trust all of God’s work to the Holy Spirit at work in the Word. Therefore, Calvin had a divine decree – unrecorded anywhere – claiming everyone was forgiven but only some were elect and saved. Thus, many groups have used the term Objective Justification or its variations. The concept of everyone already being righteous, without the Word, without faith, was introduced after the Reformation and refuted by one of the editors of the Book of Concord.
The next manifestation came from the era of Pietism, exemplified by the hymn-writer Rambach, from Halle. He used 1 Timothy 3:16 to say the entire world was justified when Christ rose from the dead. Since Pietism was the force behind Lutheran missionary movement to America, this error was transferred to the United States – from Martin Stephan at Halle University to CFW Walther. The two Justifications, Objective and Subjective, were named by a famous Calvinist translator in his notes for the Pietistic lectures of G. C. Knapp, Halle University.
Nevertheless, Walther’s distorted Justification scheme did not rule over the Missouri Synod or the Wisconsin Synod. Both denominations officially taught Justification by Faith until the improvers and clarifiers began setting the Chief Article aside and claiming that status for Justification without Faith.
