Lutherans, Roman Catholics prepare to sign historic agreement
ELCA News Service, October 18, 1999
CHICAGO – The Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and a vice president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), will be among church representatives from around the world assembling Oct. 31 in Augsburg, Germany, to sign the “Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification,” an historic agreement with the Roman Catholic Church. Anderson is the only Lutheran from North America expected to sign the agreement.
The Joint Declaration is “a significant milestone in the reconciliation of our two church traditions. By acknowledging that there is agreement on this crucial article of the Christian faith, our two churches have bridged a theological divide that has separated us for nearly 500 years,” Anderson said.
“This agreement will have a positive effect on the mood of conversations between our two communions. I hope that this theological breakthrough will lead to other agreements in the future,” he said. The doctrine of justification says people become “right with God” because Jesus Christ won their salvation through his life, death and resurrection. This means salvation is strictly a gift through faith in Jesus and not because anyone else has earned it.
By grace alone
“By grace alone, in faith in Christ’s saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works,” said the Joint Declaration.
With the major issue – over which the two churches “damned” each other in the 16th century – taken care of, Lutherans and Roman Catholics are able to tackle the remaining list of issues, said the Rev. Daniel F. Martensen, director of the ELCA Department for Ecumenical Affairs. Such issues include the office of ministry and the authority of the pope.
Roman Catholics and Lutherans are saying “we don’t have any church-dividing difference between us any longer on the teaching of justification by grace through faith,” he said. “There is a difference in how we interpret the Christian life after being saved by grace through faith. There is where discussions will go on.”
A powerful gift from God
Archbishop Alexander J. Brunett, Roman Catholic Diocese of Seattle, called the declaration “a powerful gift from God.” Brunett, chairman of the committee for ecumenical and interreligious affairs of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, addressed the ELCA’s 1999 Churchwide Assembly.
“There are many aspects of our life together in the Church which, over time, I am confident will be touched and reshaped as a result of the accord expressed in the Joint Declaration,” said Brunett.
The Joint Declaration is the result of more than three decades of international dialogue between Lutherans and Roman Catholics. This is the first time such a declaration has been recognized between the two churches. The ELCA Churchwide Assembly approved the document in 1997.
Lutherans and Roman Catholics around the world have listened carefully to each others’ teachings about a key Christian doctrine and have come to the conclusion that they agree on the core doctrine and have minor differences on related issues, according to the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification.
The role of “good works” or “Christian living” is a related issue that Lutherans and Roman Catholics now declare to be “not church dividing.” Roman Catholics hold that good works contribute to growth in grace and that a reward in heaven is promised to these works. Lutherans emphasize that justification is complete in Christ’s saving work and that Christian living is a sign of that unmerited justification.
The birthday of the Reformation
October 31 is significant because on that day in 1517, 482 years earlier, Martin Luther introduced his 95 theses or points of contention against the Vatican. Among other things, Luther denounced the sale of indulgences – letters replacing punishment for the sins of repentant Christians. Lutherans consider Oct. 31 the birthday of the Reformation.
Augsburg is important to the Lutheran tradition because in 1530 Emperor Charles V assembled a conference of Luther’s followers to draft a statement outlining the beliefs and practices of the churches in Germany. The resulting Augsburg Confession has served as a founding document of the Lutheran Church.
The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification and related resources are linked from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America website.