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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 296

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

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296

II. THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS—COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

Subjective and Objective Justification

cannot be grasped in any other way than by faith, the gospel
(which is, strictly speaking, the promise of the forgiveness
of sins and justification on account of Christ) proclaims
the righteousness of faith in Christ, which the law does not
teach.” (Ap IV, 43)1

Faith is always faith in something or someone. There is
no such thing as “absolute” or “abstract” faith — faith as
something that I possess or produce myself. Rather, faith
is trusting in the Gospel and thus trusting in Christ as my
Savior.

• Faith
Romans 3:28 (see above)

Faith is more than mere knowledge. It affects the entire
person.

3. Things to Watch for When Talking
about Subjective or Individual Justification

Without faith in the Gospel, a person does not receive the
benefits of Christ’s death and resurrection.

• Christ has accomplished salvation. Consider these
“salvation equations”:

4. Objective or Universal Justification

- Christ’s work + our works = salvation. (No!)
- Christ’s work + our faithfulness unto death = salvation. (No!)
- Christ’s work + Gospel (Means of Grace) + God’s gift
of faith = salvation! (Yes!)

Participant ’s Guide

Session 1:

• The Gospel is not an offer.
• Faith has no value in itself. Consider this equation:
- Christ’s work + a person’s faith = salvation. (Tricky!
See discussion below.)

Introduction of Terms
Did Jesus die for the sins of the whole world, or did He
die only for the sins of those who believe in Him? Has the
entire world been justified, or only those who believe?
In The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, we use terms
like subjective (individual or personal) justification and
objective (general or universal) justification to answer the
above questions. In this Bible study we examine these terms
and what they mean. We also seek to discuss what their
scriptural foundation is, and why they are important.

1. Subjective or Individual Justification

“To the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just
as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom
God counts righteousness apart from works: ‘Blessed are
those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are
covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not
count his sin” (Rom. 4:5–8).

Justification is thus by faith, not by works. God justifies a
person when that individual hears the Gospel and the Holy
Spirit creates faith in the Gospel in that person.

“By ‘objective’ or ‘universal’ justification one means that
God has declared the whole world to be righteous for
Christ’s sake and that righteousness has thus been
procured for all people. It is objective because this was
God’s unilateral act prior to and in no way dependent
upon man’s response to it, and universal because all human
beings are embraced by this verdict. God has acquired
the forgiveness of sins for all people by declaring that the
world for Christ’s sake has been forgiven. The acquiring of
forgiveness is the pronouncement of forgiveness.”2

5. The Basis of Objective Justification:
The Universality of Grace and the
Universal Extent of the Work of Christ.

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the
word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17).

Read 1 Timothy 4:10. In what sense is God the “Savior of
all people”? Does this simply mean that God makes salvation possible, that He is the “possible Savior of all people”?
Or is God really only the Savior of the believers? Has God
saved all people or only those who believe?

“For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works
of the law” (Rom. 3:28).
Subjective justification means the justification of the
individual. Subjective justification talks about the way in
which Christ’s work comes to you through the Gospel and
is received in faith.

Figure 1: Unfinished Avignon Bridge

How should we understand and talk about faith so that we
stay on the straight, biblical path?

2. The Factors in Subjective or Individual
Justification

Faith is not a human work, even though it is we as human
beings (not God) who believe. To reject Christ and refuse
to believe in Him is to declare God’s promises null and void
for oneself.

• What Christ has done
• The Gospel
“But since justification takes place through a free promise,
it follows that we cannot justify ourselves. Otherwise,
why would a promise be needed? And since the promise

Robert Kolb and Timothy Wengert, eds., The Book of Concord: The Confessions
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2000), 127.

Participant’s Guide |

What do we mean when we talk about “objective”
(“general” or “universal”) justification?

“This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our
Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to
the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there
is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ
Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the
testimony given at the proper time.” (1 Tim. 2:3–6).
According to the passage, for whom did Christ die? A
separate section.

2
Commission on Theology and Church Relations, 7KHVHV RQ -XVWL¿FDWLRQ
(St. Louis: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, 2015), Thesis 23.

2 | Subjective and Objective Justification | Session 1

The first thing to remember about objective or universal
justification, therefore, is that it is about the object of faith
(what faith believes in), namely the work of Christ. This
work of Christ is universal, that is, it concerns all people.
Christ died for all people.

6. Conclusion

Objective justification means that God has justified the
entire world. Subjective justification describes the way in
which we, as individuals, are justified through the Gospel.
Christ’s work on the cross becomes ours and is received
by faith. We will explore both teachings more fully in
Session 2.

Subjective and Objective Justification
Lea d er’s

Guid e

Session 2

Participant’s Guide |

2019 Convention Workbook