Asking Questions of Reformation Theology on the Theme of Justification.

1) Where does scripture teach that Christ's righteousness is imputed to the sinner? Rom 3:28? 

2) How can you be sure that such passages actually teach what Luther thought those passages mean, when nobody (or hardly anyone) before Luther thought those passages meant what Luther thought they meant? 

3) If those passages can be explained within Lutheranism, whereby you are subjectively persuaded of the veracity of such explanations, how then do you explain passages that say faith alone does not justify, such as James 2:24? Or faith without love is worthless, in 1 Cor 13:13?

4) Why is there any need for imputation of Christ's righteousness when the sinner is regenerated by the Holy Spirit?

5) What does the imputation of Christ's righteousness actually mean? Does it mean God the Father speaks, or judges? And if so, why would the Father do such an act, when the Father has infinite power to create all things and is thereby able to re-create the sinner as righteous?

6) If Christ's righteousness is imputed, why not the Holy Spirit's righteousness, and/or that of the Father's righteousness as well?

7) To selectively quote Augustine only means Lutheranism is based upon quote mining a Church father. Why would one consider Lutheranism defended through the use of quote mining, when the Lutheran doctrine of imputation is better defended by citing and explaining scripture along with explanations of Church fathers on those same texts which align with Lutheran doctrine?

8) If Lutheranism has no recourse to the above sound method of using both scripture and the church fathers, why then believe Lutheranism is anything more than the invention of Luther alone, made apart from what has been revealed?

9) Why believe any Lutheran theology when Luther had no authority to proclaim his new theology?

10) Why believe any of the reformers when no reformer had any authority to make up a new theology?

11) Why believe the reformers were actually reformers and reforming the church when church history is so thoroughly Catholic and not reformed, Calvinist, or Baptist?

12) Why believe the Calvinist, or Lutheran doctrines on the Eucharist (or penal substitution) and reject the Catholic doctrines, when 1) Calvin and Luther disagreed with each other and 2) neither had any authority, and 3) those reformed doctrines were not verified by any authoritative Church councils?

13) Where does scripture say faith is an instrument, as required by the Lutheran doctrine of justification by faith alone?

14) If faith is an instrument, what sort of instrument is it? Is faith like a spanner, or a veil?

15) If faith is an instrument, are hope and love also instruments? Please explain.

16) If faith, and/or hope and love are instruments, what is the distinction between those as instruments and those as virtues given by God?