To be justified is to be right with God, and 'justification by grace through faith alone' was the rallying cry of the majesterial Reformation.
In 1538, Luther expounded Psalm 130.4 and referring to justification claimed that 'if this article stands, the church stands; if it falls, the church falls'. (1)
From that time, through the teaching of men like John Owen in the 17th century, Whitefield in the 18th, Spurgeon in the 19th and Lloyd-Jones in the 20th, the doctrine of justification by faith alone has been the great hallmark of evangelical Christianity, the jewel in the crown of Protestant thought, bringing peace to many a troubled conscience and a deep assurance in the face of certain death.
