Relaxing after Another Mission
The UOJ Storm Troopers enjoy attacking faith. They rail against faith. One LCMS pastor even signed his UOJ post, "An Unbeliever."
They are not the first to think that hyperbole is the same as orthodoxy. George Major decided that good works were necessary for salvation. After all, Luther emphasized that good works necessarily follow justification by faith. Amsdorf, just as earnest, concluded that good works were injurious to salvation. Luther dedicated many of his published efforts to denouncing the Roman concept of faith plus good works (fides formata), so Amsdorf must have felt justified. The Formula of Concord had to dispose of both errors.
The UOJ fanatics train future pastors to think they are:
- Avoiding "intuitu fidei," the historic fad of treaching that people are saved "in view of their faith."
- Avoiding Calvinism's Limited Atonement, that Christ died only for the elect.
- Protecting the Gospel, a hilariously wrong attitude borrowed from a Walther disciple.
As a result, many good and thoughtful young pastors are misled by their illiterate professors.
Justification by faith is the only justification of the Scriptures, the Book of Concord, and the great Lutheran theologians. Bifurcation is a wiley trick of the Evil Foe, getting people to focus on this justification (without faith) and that justification (with faith). As long as people are stuck on two justifications, they can be seduced into Universalism or perhaps complete apathy and cynicism. That has always been the danger of too much church history or comparative dogmatics. The only cure is the study of the Scriptures and a few good books.
Faith means trust in God, in His goodness, in the Gospel Promises. Luther makes this point about faith - We do not brag about our faith. The Gospel is like a gold coin, which is the same whether it is held in a piece of paper or locked in a vault. The coin does not change its value. It is the same coin, whether held in a child's hand or a theologian's hand. Therefore, justification by faith means possessing Christ and all His benefits. Justification by faith emphasizes the object of faith, not faith itself.
The best way to increase this trust is to proclaim the Promises of God, not to preach about faith itself. For instance, one of the most moving statements of Luther is this about the Good Shepherd: "He is just as anxious for me as I am for Him."
The fruits of the Gospel can only come from the joyous proclamation of forgiveness as a gift from God through His beloved Son. Nevertheless, ministers are tempted to increase and quicken the yield by scaring people with the Law, by burdening them with guilt, by manipulating their emotions.
