# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1851 07 22_S185
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Der Lutheraner.
"God's Word and Luther's doctrine pure shall now and evermore endure." (Rev. of John, chap. 14, v. 6, 7.)
Published by the German Ev. Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio and other States.
Edited by C. F. W. Walther.
Vol. 7.  St. Louis, Mo., the 22nd of July 1851.  No. 24.
Terms: The Lutheraner appears once every two weeks at the yearly subscription price of One Dollar for subscribers living out of town, who must pay in advance and bear the postage. — In St. Louis each single number is sold for 5 Cents.
Only those letters which contain communications for the paper are to be addressed to the Editor; all others, which contain business matters, orders, cancellations, money, etc., are to be sent hither under the address Mr. F. W. Barthel, care of C. F. W. Walther, St. Louis, Mo.

Of the Justification of the Sinner before God through Faith in Jesus Christ.

From Chemnitz, Exam. Concil. Trid. — Translated from the Latin by J. G.

Continuation.

Section 1. Article 1.

Contents: What the chief point in this doctrine is, over which the Lutherans contend with the Papists. — For its better development and exposition it is conceded at the very outset that forgiveness of sins and renewal are joined together; but at the same time it is pointed out that they are not to be confounded with one another.

First I must speak of that sophistical trickery and perversion, whereby our opponents craftily and cunningly put into darkness and conceal the real point of dispute with which the matter is concerned, and seek in a spiteful manner to set our doctrine in a very bad light; as if we, forsooth, denied that renewal is a benefit of our Mediator, the Son of God, and is joined with justification. It is indeed certainly true that both are benefits of our Mediator, the Son of God, not only the forgiveness of sins, but also the renewal, in which the Holy Ghost awakens and works new virtues in believers. For Christ by His suffering has merited for us not only forgiveness of sins, but also this, that for the sake of His merit the Holy Ghost is given to us, that we may be renewed in the spirit of our mind. Of these benefits of the Son of God we teach that they are joined and united together, so that when we obtain forgiveness of sins and are reconciled with God, the Spirit of renewal is also given us at the same time. But for that reason we do not confound them with one another, but distinguish them; so that we place each in its proper place in right order and teach plainly what is peculiar to each and belongs to it in particular; as we have learned this from the Scripture: that is, that reconciliation or the forgiveness of sins goes before, and the renewal, that is, the beginning of love and of the new obedience, follows upon it; but above all, that faith should be assured that it has a gracious, reconciled God and forgiveness of sins not on account of the new life that follows and is begun, but on account of our Mediator, the Son of God. From this the accusation of the Papists, as if we rent asunder or mutilated the benefits of the redemption of our Saviour, proves itself false and a slander. But such slanders are contained in the Tridentine Decrees. For all these decrees are so forged that they, though not openly and directly, yet indirectly and covertly, thrust upon us the charge as if we taught that believers have only forgiveness of sins and are not also renewed by the Holy Ghost; further, that Christ has obtained for us only reconciliation and forgiveness, and not also at the same time the renewal; as if we thus excluded renewal, love and new obedience, as if these virtues and effects of the grace of the Holy Ghost were neither present in the reconciled at their justification, nor followed upon it; as if in the reconciled only One virtue must be present, namely the virtue of faith; the presence or following of the other virtues being utterly excluded. But these are shameless, malicious revilings and slanders, whereby they stir up uproar and confusion, so that simple and uninstructed people shall not notice and perceive what the real question is in this controversy. For it has been declared often and repeatedly by our side that we teach clearly and plainly that in the regenerate there must be not only a knowledge of the articles of faith, but also true repentance and contrition, and a good purpose; there must be a beginning of love there and good works must follow. Expressly we condemn the blasphemous doctrine of Simon the sorcerer, who pretended that to such persons as have been saved by grace through faith it was permitted