Justice,justification,and self-justification

Abstract

In anticipation of 2017 commemorations of Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses, the time is ripe for a reconsideration of Reformation themes such as justification by faith. Because we are justified by God’s grace as a free gift received in faith, the 16th-century Reformers argued, no human works or merits are required for salvation. Yet, our human proclivity is to self-justify, to obtain justice on our own apart from divine grace. This article advocates Christian realism while exploring the dynamics of self-justification and its accompanying violence in everyday gossip and political rhetoric.