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The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ) is an official statement of the Roman Catholic Church and the churches of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) affirming that a consensus exists between them on “basic truths of the doctrine of justification” and thus that the condemnations relating to justification contained in the documents of each church no longer apply to the other. It was developed between 1993 and 1997 and was signed by representatives of the two communions in 1999. 1. Background Lutheran-Catholic dialogues in the decades prior to the JDDJ repe…

The formula simul iustus et peccator ( siep, “simultaneously justified and a sinner”) was used by Martin Luther (1483–1546; Luther’s Theology) and adopted as a central term of Lutheran theology in the 20th century. It refers to the continuing sinfulness of the justified person. Earlier a focus of doctrinal disagreement between Protestant (esp. Lutheran) and Roman Catholic theology, it recently has been the subject of official ecumenical agreement. 1. Bible While the formula siep dates only from the Reformation, it has roots in the NT. On the one hand, ¶ various strands of the NT, inc…