Doctrine of the Day (DotD) - Justification

From "The Way into the Far Country"

…In this historical confession we see that Justification is forensic in nature. Meaning that Christ's death leads to the remission of sins and His obedience is accounted to the believer. The righteousness of Jesus is objective in that the one receives the legal declaration of innocence and receives the benefits of eternal life because Jesus earned it on behalf of all those who have faith in Him.

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The Heidelberg Catechism is Reformed but was also influenced by Lutheranism. In my opinion, this is evidence that the Reformed understanding of justification is always in the cultural andtheological context of Lutheranism. It was finished in 1563 and it has two relevant teachings on the topic of justification:

Question 60: How are you righteous before God? Answer: Only by true faith in Jesus Christ. In spite of the fact that my conscience accuses me that I have grievously sinned against all the commandments of God, and have not kept any one of them, and that I am still ever prone to all that is evil, never the less, God, without any merit of my own, out of pure grace, grants me the benefits of the perfect expiation of Christ, imputing to me his righteousness and holiness as if I had never committed a single sin or had ever been sinful, having fulfilled myself all the obedience which Christ has carried out for me, if only I accept such favour with a trusting heart.'

Question 61: Why do you say that you are righteous by faith alone? Answer: Not because I please God by virtue of the worthiness of my faith, but because the satisfaction, righteousness and holiness of Christ alone are my righteousness before God, and because I can accept it a make it mine in no other way than by faith alone.

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