No. 11. >> In the rural Midwest and here in Wyoming one finds many Mennonites. They are on the whole a very quiet, law abiding group of people. I find them commendable in many ways. Is the Mennonite teaching of justification based on Christ in us a biblical teaching? >>DR. THOMAS E. MANTEUFEL: The Mennonites are the continuation of the Anabaptist movement of the 16th Century. The organizer of the Mennonites was a fellow by the name of Menno Simmons. And he, like all of the Anabaptist's, talk of justification is based on the transformed life of the believer and its work. The term Mennonite, of course, comes from his name. He criticized Luther's teaching of justification, which is forensic justification. And he described Luther's teaching as saying that faith saves without any assistance from works. And he called this an inadequate teaching of justification. The holiness of the Christian is what justifies. This view has been taught in many Mennonite statements. One of the most widely used of these is the Confession of Dordrecht from the year 1632 which put it this way: Christ offered a sacrifice and an offering to God for a sweet smelling savor. He asked for the comfort, redemption and salvation of all the human race. Thus, we believe that the Son of God died, tasted dead for every man, shed his precious blood and purchased redemption for the whole human race and thus he became the source of eternal salvation to all who from the time of Adam to the end of the world shall have believed in him and obeyed him. And then, also, Christ made a testament or a covenant arrangement which stated how this salvation is actually to be received. Namely, by the works of a reborn and transformed life. The Mennonites called this testament the law of Christ, which is the holy Gospel. And so this Gospel really is a proclamation of law. It is a proclamation of how Christ's salvation will come to those who live in his kingdom and obey the law. Especially the new law of his kingdom. The Sermon on the Mount and other commands. People become God's children by faith and good works. And so they are just justified merely by being declared righteous by God apart from works because of the work of Christ for them. But rather they are justified by the transforming work of Christ in them. Mennonites say we are justified by God through faith. But to be fully justified in the eyes of men and God, works are required. A man a righteous when he has yielded himself to God. His sins purged from his life through the blood of Christ and he is, therefore, living a cleansed, pure, holy, justified life before God. The Mennonites find fault with Luther and the doctrine of justification taught by him and by us. But Lutherans maintain that we say exactly what Saint Paul says: A man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law, Romans 3:28. We recognize that Christians are expected to do good works. For example, Saint Paul writes to Timothy: Command them to do good. To be rich in good deeds. And to be generous and willing to share. I Timothy 1:18. There does not need to be a quarrel between Lutherans and Mennonites on that point. Christ, we also agree, is surely with them who believe on him. Paul says to the Ephesians that he prays that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith. Ephesians 3:17. But Scripture does not teach that works and the indwelling Christ belong to the basis of justification.