什么是因信称义？为什么这是基督教最重要的教义之一？
What is justification by faith? Why is it one of Christianity's most important doctrines?
简答 Short Answer
因信称义是指上帝凭恩典、通过信心、因着基督的义，宣告罪人在祂面前为义。马丁·路德称这是「教会站立或倒下的教义」。
Justification by faith means God, by grace, through faith, because of Christ's righteousness, declares sinners righteous before Him. Martin Luther called this 'the article by which the church stands or falls.'
详细解答 Detailed Answer
因信称义的教义涉及一个「奇妙的交换」（admirabile commercium）：基督在十字架上承担了我们的罪，祂完美的义被归算给我们。我们不是因为自己变好了才被上帝接纳，而是因为基督的义被算在我们账上。
这个教义之所以至关重要，是因为它回答了人类最根本的问题：有罪的人怎么能站在圣洁的上帝面前？如果答案是「靠你自己的努力」，那么没有人能有确据——因为你永远不知道自己是否做得「够好」。但如果答案是「靠基督为你做的」，那么救恩的确据就建立在基督完成的工作上——而那是不会改变的。
这也是宗教改革的核心发现。马丁·路德在研读罗马书1:17时恍然大悟：「义人必因信得生」——上帝的义不是要来定罪我们的审判标准，而是上帝白白赐给我们的礼物。这一发现改变了路德的生命，也改变了教会历史。
The doctrine of justification by faith involves a 'wonderful exchange' (admirabile commercium): Christ bore our sins on the cross, and His perfect righteousness is imputed to us. We're not accepted by God because we've improved but because Christ's righteousness is credited to our account.
This doctrine is crucial because it answers humanity's most fundamental question: how can sinful people stand before a holy God? If the answer is 'by your own effort,' no one can have assurance — you never know if you've done 'enough.' But if the answer is 'by what Christ has done for you,' assurance rests on Christ's finished work — and that never changes.
This was also the core discovery of the Reformation. Martin Luther, studying Romans 1:17, had his breakthrough: 'The righteous shall live by faith' — God's righteousness is not a standard of judgment to condemn us but a gift freely given to us. This discovery changed Luther's life and changed church history.
📖 经文引用 Bible Verses
📚 推荐阅读 Related Readings
- •The Doctrine of Justification (James Buchanan)
- •Faith Alone (R.C. Sproul)
- •Getting the Gospel Right (R.C. Sproul)