“Justification by Faith” and “Justification by Sincerity”: A comparative study of Martin Luther's theory of faith and ancient Chinese Emotionalism

Abstract

Martin Luther's theory takes “justification by faith” as its main feature. Ancient Chinese Emotionalism is characterized by “justification by Sincerity.” Both of them emphasize the sincere spirit of the individual, but have different emphasis on the attitude of faith and emotion. Luther's theory and Ancient Chinese Emotionalism both have the characteristics of “returning to the individual” and respecting individual freedom, and show a certain spirit of resistance and innovation against the social establishment.