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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2001, Page 431

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

ADDITIONAL THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS AND REPORTS—-OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT 43]

promise. But, if he believes in this sense, he cannot at the same
time believe that God is unreliable in his Word of promise. In this
sense it is true today also that—in Luther’s words—faith is the as-
surance of salvation” [LV:E 56].

With reference to the concept of faith of Vatican IH, see Dog-
matic Constitution on Divine Revelation, no. 5: “‘The obedience
of faith’ . . . must be given to God, who reveals an obedience by
which man entrusts his whole self freely to God, offering ‘the full
submission of intellect and will to God who reveals,’ and freely as-
senting to the truth revealed by Him.”

“The Lutheran distinction between the certitude (certitudo) of
faith, which looks alone to Christ and earthly security (securitas),
which is based on the human being, has not been dealt with clearly
enough in the LV [The Condemnations of the Reformation Era—
Do they Still Divide?]. . . . Faith never reflects on itself, but de-
pends completely on God, whose grace is bestowed through Word
and Sacrament, thus from outside (extra nos)” [VELKD 92, 2-9].

To [part] 4.7: The Good Works of the Justified (paragraphs
38-40) [LV:E 66ff., VELKD 90ff.]:

“But the Council excludes the possibility of earning grace—that
is, justification—[can. 2; DS 1552] and bases the earning or merit
of eternal life on the gift of grace itself, through membership in
Christ [can. 32: DS 1582]. Good works are ‘merits’ as a gift. Al-
though the Reformers attack ‘Godless trust’ in one’s own works,
the Council explicitly excludes any notion of a claim or any false
security [cap. 16: DS 1548f]. It is evident . . . that the Council
wishes to establish a link with Augustine, who introduced the con-
cept of. merit, in order to express the responsibility of human be-
ings, in spite of the ‘bestowed’ character of good works” [LV:E
66].

If we understand the language of “cause” in Canon 24 in more
personal terms, as it is done in Chapter 16 of the Decree on Justifi-
cation, where the idea of communion with Christ is emphasized,
then we can describe the Catholic doctrine on merit as it is done in
the first sentence of the second paragraph of 4.7: growth in grace,
perseverance in righteousness received by God and a deeper com-
munion with Christ.

“Many antitheses could be overcome, if the misleading word,
‘merit,’ were simply to be viewed and thought about in connection
with the true sense of the biblical term, ‘wage,’ or reward” [LV:E
67].

“The Lutheran confessions stress that the justified person is re-
sponsible not to lose the grace received but to live in it. . . Thus,
the confessions can speak of a preservation of grace and a growth
in it. [f ‘righteousness’ in Canon 24 is understood in the sense that
it effects human beings, then it does not apply to us. But, if ‘right-
eousness’ in Canon 24 refers to the Christian’s acceptance by God,
it applies to us; because this righteousness is always perfect; com-
pared with it the works of Christians are only ‘fruits’ and ‘signs’”
[VELKD 94, 2-14].

“Concerning Canon 26, we refer to the Apology where eternal
life is described as reward: ‘. . . We grant that eternal life is a re-
ward, because it is something that is owed—not because of our
merits but because of the promise’” [VELKD 94, 20-24].

Department for Ecumenical Affairs Home Page Footnotes:

1. The Smaicald Articles, II,1; Book of Concord, 292.

2. “Rector et judex super omnia genera doctrinarum,” Weimar
Edition of Luther’s Works (WA), 39, I, 205.

3. It should be noted that some Lutheran churches include only
the Augsburg Confession and Luther’s Small Catechism among
their binding confessions. These texts contain no condemnations
about justification in relation to the Roman Catholic Church.

4. Report of the Joint Lutheran-Roman Catholic Study Com-
mission, published in Growth in Agreement (New York: Geneva,
1984), pages 168-189.

5. Published by the Lutheran World Federation (Geneva, 1994).

6. Lutherans and Catholics in Dialogue VII (Minneapolis,
1985).

7. Minneapolis, 1990.

8. “Gemeinsame Stellungnahme der Arnoldshainer Konferenz,
der Vereinigten Kirche und des Deutschen Nationalkomitees des
Lutherischen Weltbundes zum Dokument ‘Lehrverurteilungen—
kirchentrennend?’,” Okumenische Rundschau 44 (1995): 99-102;
including the position papers which underlie this resolution, cf.
Lehrverurteilungen im Gesprach, Die ersten offiziellen Stellung-
nahmen aus den evangelischen Kirchen in Deutschland (Gottingen:
Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1993).

9. The word, “church,” is used in this Declaration to reflect the
self-understandings of the participating churches, without intending
to resolve all the ecclesiological issues related to this term.

10. Cf. “Malta Report,” paragraphs 26-30; “Justification by
Faith,” paragraphs 122-147. At the request of the U.S. dialogue on
justification, the non—Pauline New Testament texts were addressed
in Righteousness in the New Testament, by John Reumann, with
responses by Joseph A. Fitzmyer and Jerome D. Quinn (Philadel-
phia; New York: 1982), pages 124-180. The results of this study
were summarized in the dialogue report “Justification by Faith” in
paragraphs 139-143.

11. “All Under One Christ,” paragraph 14, in Growth in Agree-
ment, pages 241-247.

12. Cf. Luther’s Works, American Edition 32:227; Weimar Edi-
tion 8:106.

13. Cf. Denzinger-Schénmetzer, Enchiridion Symbolorum
1528.

14. Cf. Denzinger-Schénmetzer, Enchiridion Symbolorum
1530.

15. Cf. Apology IT:38-45; Book of Concord, | 05f.

16. Cf. Denzinger-Sch6nmetzer, Enchiridion Symbolorum
1515.

17. Cf. Denzinger-Schénmetzer, Enchiridion Symbolorum
1515.

18. Cf. Denzinger-Schénmetzer, Enchiridion Symbolorum
1545.

19. Cf. Dei Verbum 5.

20. Cf. Dei Verbum 4.

21. Condemnations of the Reformation Era, 27.

2001 Convention Workbook