Tuesday, July 7, 2020

Thomas Cranmer Unpacks Article 11: Of the Justification of Man

From the Reformed Anglican 39 Articles of Religion -
Article 11: Of the Justification of Man:


We are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by Faith, and not for our own works or deservings. Wherefore, that we are justified by Faith only, is a most wholesome Doctrine, and very full of comfort, as more largely is expressed in the Homily of Justification.

According to Article 35: Of Homilies, The Book 1 and Book 2 of Homilies hold confessional stature and many of those homilies further explain many doctrinal statements in the 39 Articles. The excerpt below is from the first homily in Book 1, published in 1547 preceding the Articles of Religion (1553) by six years. Cranmer's first homily is a lengthy exposition on the Reformed doctrine of justification, or salvation, of man briefly put forth in Article 11.

From the Homily:
"Three things must go together in our justification.
"In these foresaid places the apostle toucheth specially three things which must go together in our justification:  upon God’s part, his great mercy and grace; upon Christ’s part, justice, that is, the satisfaction of God’s justice or the price of our redemption by the offering of his body and shedding of his blood with fulfilling of the law perfectly and thoroughly; and upon our part, true and lively faith in the merits of Jesus Christ, which yet is not ours but by God’s working in us.  So that in our justification there is not only God’s mercy and grace, but also his justice which the apostle calleth the righteousness of God and it consisteth in paying our ransom and fulfilling of the law.  And so the grace of God doth not shut out the justice of God in our justification but only shutteth out the righteousness of man, that is to say, the righteousness of our works as to be merits of deserving our justification."


Archbishop Thomas Cranmer - Of the Salvation of Mankind by Only Christ Our Saviour
from Sin and Death Everlasting. (“Of Justification.”)