Pembenaran oleh Iman Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification

This article deals with the reformation teaching about justification by faith. At the time of reformation in 16th century, justification by faith became a burning issue that created tension between the Church of Rome and the Church of Reformation. Since 1999 both parts: Church of Rome and Luther World Federation undertake a continuosly dialog on that subject which fills the gap between them. Next year (2017) both Church, together with other church denominations such as Methodist Church, Reformed Church will come together in Lipzig – Germany to declare their common undersanding and acceptance of the doctrine of justification by faith. After 500 years Christian Churches which was splited into different streams caused by the doctrine of justification will be reunited. This article offers a dogmatics analysis on the doctrine and at the same time shed a new light on the doctrine viewed from Indonesian Christian experiences. It says that the emphasis on the juridistical understanding of the justification by faith does not do justice to cultic, mystical and cosmical understanding of God’s salvation work. Such an emphasis excludes people from other religion (Islam, Hinduism, Budhism, Indonesia local beliefs) who are fighting for being justified by God not in term of juridistical but of cultic, mystical and cosmical one. This article has alredy been presented and discussed in a workshop organized by General Moderamen of Protetant Church in Indonesia on 22-23 October 2016 in Makassa