The fundamental Reformed doctrine that defines how sinful men and women are put right with God. An excellent summary of this doctrine is provided by Martyn Lloyd-Jones:
This is the doctrine which tells us that God has contrived a way whereby men and women can be saved and reconciled unto Himself. It is all His doing. It tells us that God, on the basis of what He has done in His Son, our blessed Lord and Saviour, freely forgives, and absolves from all their sin, all who believe the Gospel. But it does not stop at that; they are furthermore 'clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ' and declared to be just and righteous in God's sight. It is not only negative, there is this positive aspect also. We are clothed with the righteousness of Christ which is 'imputed' to us, 'put to our account', and so we stand accepted in the sight of God. As Romans 5 verse 19 puts it, we are 'constituted' righteous people in the presence of this holy and righteous God." (Romans. An Exposition of Chapters 3:20-4:25. Atonement and Justification, 2)
The doctrine of justification by faith finds its clearest biblical basis in Rom 3:21-81 and Gal 3:1-29. The alternative to a doctrine of justification by faith is justification by works, i.e., to expect God to find us guiltless on the basis of the good that we do. The period of Church history most clearly associated with the clarification of the doctrine of justification by faith is the Reformation, and particularly with the person of Martin Luther who "made it the article of the standing or falling Church." Calvin and Zwingli on the other hand, "subordinated it to the ulterior truth of eternal foreordination by free grace, and laid greater stress on good works and strict discipline" (Schaff, History of the Christian Church 8.15)
Media Resources:
Justification by Faith Alone, by R. C. Sproul. Ligonier Ministires. This is a series of 10 studies. Video N
Justification by Faith Alone, by R. C. Sproul. Ligonier Ministires. This is a series of 10 studies and is a different series from the one above. Video N
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