#30 Art. IV “Justification” of the Apology of the Augsburg Confession.

Some, perhaps, when we say that faith justifies before God, apply this merely to the beginning; namely, that faith is only the beginning of, or preparation for justification; not that faith itself makes us acceptable to God, but rather the love and works that follow it. They imagine that faith is commended in the Scriptures, simply because it is a beginning of good works,—as much always depends on the beginning. But this is not our view, for we hold, on this subject, that we become acceptable to God through faith itself. And as the word justificari (to be justified, made just,) is used in two different ways, namely, to designate being converted or born again, and again in the sense of being esteemed just, we shall first show, that we are converted from evil, impious ways, born anew, and justified by faith alone. (Henkel Translation, p. 170).