Justification by Faith Through Grace: Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification

At the time of the Reformation, the doctrine of justification was identified as “the article on which the church stands or falls”. In 1995, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity summarized the positive results of their dialogues on this topic in a Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. Since that time, both churches have been engaged in a reception process. At present, both the Vatican and the LWF Council are considering joint action to confirm the consensus on the basic truths of the doctrine of justification and the nonapplicability of the mutual condemnations of the Reformation period. As an important step toward resolving one of the key issue at the beginning of the Reformation, this Joint Declaration will have a significant impact on the reconciliation of all Christians.