ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Left-wing, National Council of Churches denominations.
Not everyone who uses the term UOJ is a UOJ fanatic. The vast majority who use the term are clergy who were trained in this nonsense in seminary. The synods realize that their UOJ system does not bear scrutiny, so they avoid real discussion about this new doctrine. This leaves many clergy suspended in mid-air, somewhere between the teaching of the Bible/Book of Concord and the real UOJ agenda.
For example, I used OJ and SJ in the first edition of Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant. My understanding then was close to Joe Abrahamson's, expressed in the previous post. I learned the OJ/SJ distinction from Pieper, but I associated the terms with the Atonement of Christ (OJ) and justification by faith (SJ). Extensive conversations with Lutheran laity moved me to study the entire UOJ issue and to deal with it in Thy Strong Word.
UOJ is another example of Lutherans abandoning their trust in the efficacy of the Word in the Means of Grace.
Here are my questions for the UOJ fanatics:
From Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant:
However, Preus clarified the true meaning of justification in his final book, Justification and Rome, which was published posthumously. Preus wrote this definitive comment:
But the imputation of Christ's righteousness to the sinner takes place when the Holy Spirit brings him to faith through Baptism and the Word of the Gospel. Our sins were imputed to Christ at His suffering and death, imputed objectively after He, by His active and passive obedience, fulfilled and procured all righteousness for us. But the imputation of His righteousness to us takes place when we are brought to faith.
Preus immediately followed the statement above with a quotation from Quenstedt, one of his favorite orthodox Lutheran authors:
It is not just the same thing to say, “Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us” and to say “Christ is our righteousness.” For the imputation did not take place when Christ became our righteousness. The righteousness of Christ is the effect of His office. The imputation is the application of the effect of His office. The one, however, does not do away with the other. Christ is our righteousness effectively when He justifies us. His righteousness is ours objectively because our faith rests in Him. His righteousness is ours formally in that His righteousness is imputed to us.
Preus also quoted Abraham Calov with approval:
Although Christ has acquired for us the remission of sins, justification, and sonship, God just the same does not justify us prior to our faith. Nor do we become God's children in Christ in such a way that justification in the mind of God takes place before we believe.
Justification by faith, in the original sense, was taught in the official catechism of the Missouri Synod, and then was gradually changed:
#305 Why do you say in this article: I believe in the Forgiveness of Sins? Because I hold with certainty that by my own powers or through my own works I cannot be justified before God, but that the forgiveness of sins is given me out of grace through faith in Jesus Christ. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also true justification. Psalm 130:3-4; Psalm 143:2; Isaiah 64:6; Job 25:4-6 (Q. 124).
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GJ - I prefer Preus' final work to the WELS AnswerMan.
Anonymous: This isn't related to the above post, but I wanted to ask you something.
Here's what Martin Luther wrote:
"Even he who does not believe that he is free and his sins forgiven shall also learn, in due time, how assuredly his sins were forgiven, even though he did not believe it" (LW 40, 366f)
Was Luther a "UOJ fanatic" and heretic like the LCMS and WELS are? Or do you want to rethink your condemnation of UOJ?
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GJ - I have answered this around 20 times already.
1. I do not have that volume, so I cannot check the context of the quotation.
2. All the efforts to find a UOJ citation in the Book of Concord have failed miserably. The Concordists, in harmony with Luther, did not teach forgiveness without faith, without the Word, apart from the Means of Grace.
3. We do not subscribe to all of Luther's works, whether the American edition or the Weimar or the Lenker sermon set. The Anonymous argument would support praying to Mary, which Luther offered in his Magnificat commentary.
4. There are several quotations of Luther where he spoke of being "already forgiven" as an expression of the universal Atonement. This is the treasure which lies in one heap until it is distributed by the Holy Spirit through the Means of Grace. The repeated asking of this UOJ question is a sign of Lutherans being illiterate in doctrine, especially Luther's doctrine.
5. The centerpiece for UOJ is the Brief Statement of the LCMS. People often admit that the Missouri Synod went downhill from that time on. Cause and effect? I think so. UOJ paved the way for Gospel reductionism, the Bible being a man-made book, and the various forms of Pentecostalism and Church Growthism rampant today. There are many fine pastors and congregations in the LCMS, WELS, and ELS today, but their synods are overcome by Enthusiasm and papism.
"We have the comfort of this victory of Christ--that He maintains His Church against the wrath and power of the devil; but in the meantime we must endure such stabs and cruel wounds from the devil as are necessarily painful to our flesh and blood. The hardest part is that we must see and suffer all these things from those who call themselves the people of God and the Christian Church. We must learn to accept these things calmly, for neither Christ nor the saints have fared better."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 263. Sunday after Ascension, Exaudi. John 15:26-16:4.
Trinity Lutheran Seminary (ELCA) was formerly known as Capital Seminary. Lenski taught there and even has a little room named after him. Lenski's daughter Lois became famous for children's stories. My wife was a Lois Lenski fan long before I was a Professor Lenski admirer. She insisted that Roald Dahl married Lois, but he married actress Patricia O'Neal. Therefore, I erred in my human nature when I delved into Lois' biography without checking. (A. Nony Mouse is overly concerned about Lois' actual marriage partner, I think. See his sourpuss comment, true to form.)
Reu's lectures were published by the old ALC in Columbus. They published the Lenski New Testament commentaries, which are still unequaled.
"We find this attitude of tolerance quite frequently among unionists. It is often used to assuage a troubled conscience, one's own as well as that of others; for the unionist declares that every one may continue to hold his own private convictions and merely needs to respect and tolerate those of another. This attitude is totally wrong, for it disregards two important factors: (a) in tolerating divergent doctrines one either denies the perspicuity and clarity of the Scriptures, or one grants to error the right to exist alongside of truth, or one evidences indifference over against Biblical truth by surrendering its absolute validity;and (b) in allowing two opposite views concerning one doctrine to exist side by side, one has entered upon an inclined plane which of necessity leads ever further into complete doctrinal indifference, as may plainly be seen from the most calamitous case on record, viz., the Prussian Union."
J. M. Reu, In the Interest of Lutheran Unity, Columbus: The Lutheran Book Concern, 1940, p. 20.
"Doctrinal indifference is at once the root of unionism and its fruit. Whoever accepts, in theory as well as in practice, the absolute authority of the Scriptures and their unambiguousness with reference to all fundamental doctrines, must be opposed to every form of unionism."
J. M. Reu, In the Interest of Lutheran Unity, Columbus: The Lutheran Book Concern, 1940, p. 20.
Here is a link about Reu.
"They [the false teachers] fared like a man who looks through a colored glass. Put before such a man whatever color you please, he sees no other color than that of the glass. The fault is not that the right color is not put before him but that his glass is colored differently, as the word of Isaiah 6:9 puts it: You will see, he says, and yet you will not see it."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols.,
ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 644. Isaiah 6:9.
The Armistice of November 11, 1918 set the stage for World War II. Now we honor all veterans on this day, as we should.
I read military history throughout the year. Currently I am going through a book on the most significant (not always the most famous) battles in world history.
Many battles and campaigns centuries ago set the stage for events of today. When I read Gibbons' Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire or Norwich's Byzantium, the conflicts of today are previewed. Americans are called "Crusaders" from the First Crusade in 1095 AD! Muslims forget that they took Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the Christian Byzantine Empire. Muslim ships captured and enslaved pilgrims on the way to the Holy Land.
Our military men and women are the finest in the world. Many have sacrificed their lives or their health for the cause of freedom. We should be thankful to them today and every day for their leadership.
Someone asked me yesterday, "Have you seen the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier." I said, "I saw it as a child. Then we took our son to see it. Then we took our son's family there as well."
Alexander Campbell founded the Disciples of Christ (Christian Church) to unite all Protestant denominations. The Disciples split into four or more separate sects. Donald McGavran, co-inventor (with Satan) of the Church Growth Movement, was a Disciples of Christ missionary.
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From a Church of Christ (Cambellite) Member:
A more accurate title would be “LCMS Pastor versus the Campbellite Church”.
I once considered joining the LCMS, and I worshiped at a LCMS congregation during the Lent season last year, but I came to not believe in sola scriptura anymore, and thus I could not stay there.
At any rate, the Lutherans are Christians, even if some are anti-Catholic, and beyond this, they hold onto a lot of the tenets of the Catholic Church; there should be some parallels between the Lutheran and Catholic positions within this exposition. Attached is a Word document which leads to a 31 page exposition written by an LCMS pastor. The largest part of it is on baptism, specifically believer’s immersion.
LCMS vs Campbellite
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GJ - McGavran worked with the World Council of Churches and endorsed the ministry of death via Planned Parenthood. His denomination is strong throughout Illinois and a swath down toward Texas. LBJ was a Disciples member. The Disciples are one of the most Left-wing of all Protestant groups. They once confessed at convention to betraying three revolutions: the American, the French, and the Communist!
The blog writer seems to be Church of Christ, a fundamentalist break-off from the Disciples. The Church of Christ is opposed to instrumental music in church, so they have developed fine, four-part hymn singing.
09 November 2007
+ Martin Chemnitz +
9 November AD 1522 – 8 April AD 1586
From Aardvark Alley
Today marks the birthday of Martin Chemnitz, Pastor and Confessor. We regard him as, after Martin Luther, the Lutheran Church's most important theologian. He possessed a penetrating intellect and an almost encyclopedic knowledge of Scripture and the Church Fathers combined with a genuine love for the Church.
Doctrinal quarrels after Luther's death in 1546 led Chemnitz to give himself fully to the restoration of unity in the Lutheran Church. He became the leading spirit and a principal author of the 1577 Formula of Concord, which settled the doctrinal disputes on the basis of the Scriptures and largely succeeded in restoring unity among Lutherans. Work on the Formula led Chemnitz and others to gather all the normative doctrinal statements confessed by the Lutherans, from the ancient creeds through the Evangelical writings of the 16th Century, into one volume, the Book of Concord.
Chemnitz also authored the four volume Examination of the Council of Trent (1565-1573). This monumental work saw him rigorously subjecting the pronouncements of this Roman Catholic Council to judgment by Scripture and the Church Fathers. The Examination is the definitive Lutheran answer to the Concilium Tridentinum and an outstanding exposition of the faith of the Augsburg Confession.
While he was an outstanding academic, Chemnitz also ably served in church administration. He joined the Wittenberg University faculty in January 1554 and was ordained into the Office of the Holy Ministry by Johannes Bugenhagen in November of that same year. Then, after serving for several years as co-adjutor of the churches in the region of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, he became Superintendent (ecclesiastical supervisor), holding the post until his death. In this capacity, he worked diligently to balance the congregations' autonomy, particularly in calling pastors, with input and oversight by the the area ministerium.
As theologian and a churchman, "the Second Martin" was truly a gift of God to the Church. This is why the expression was coined, Si Martinus non fuisset, Martinus vix stetisset. ("If Martin [Chemnitz] had not come along, Martin [Luther] would hardly have survived.")
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GJ - The Lutheran Reformation was not only blessed with Luther and Melanchthon, but also with Chemnitz and the Concordists (fellow editors of the Book of Concord). ELCA and its predecessor bodies cleverly avoided mentioning anything after 1530, so those pastors have almost no knowledge of the Book of Concord.
When I was doing my doctoral dissertation at Notre Dame, I realized that the Lutheran Church in America had more in common with liberal Baptists like Rauschenbusch than with Luther and Chemnitz. My real education in the Book of Concord came from being surrounded by Church Growth robots in WELS. Every aspect of Biblical, Lutheran doctrine was constantly under sttack by these self-inflated gurus.
I created Martin Chemnitz Press to honor the Second Martin and to generate a little more knowledge about this great theologian. I confess to being a complete failure among fellow Boomers: I cannot convert Lutheran pastors to Lutheran doctrine. They bow either to Fuller Seminary, the Antichrist in Rome, or his clone in Constantinople. However, there is hope among the younger pastors and laity.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Did You Miss Chemnitz' Birthday, Too?":
I just finished reading a 24 page paper on Chemnitz yesterday! Very good and interesting. Most of the material in it came from J.A.O. Preus's book. I wonder though how Chemnitz justified to himself the doing of personal horoscopes for the Duke? We all have our faults I suppose. His expertise in Astrology is curious and it seems as though he himself doubted the believability of it. What do you make of this area of interest on his part? But still he was magnificent and as you point out, the Romanists even admit if it were not for MC the work of ML would have barely survived. Thanks to God for such an incredible gift to the Church and Lutheran teaching and for a great defender against false teachers.
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GJ - God works in mysterious way, His wonders to perform. Astrology got Chemnitz into a fabulous library when books were still expensive. That gave Chemnitz a remarkable education in the Church Fathers. He took notes. He also saw the emptiness of astrology. Melanchthon believed in signs and omens. We have to remember that the Reformers were Medieval men, raised in that nonsense. Look at the Medieval focus on Mary and Purgatory. That they overcame those illusions is quite remarkable.
Here is one source on that topic.
The Jack Preus bio of Chemnitz is worth owning and reading.
Chemnitz is not the only one who saved the Lutheran Reformation. God had a deep bench in that era. However, he was clearly the best of the theologians after Luther.
Trinity 23
KJV Philippians 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. 18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) 20 For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
KJV Matthew 22:15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. 16 And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. 17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? 18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? 19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. 20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? 21 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. 22 When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.
The Twenty-third Sunday after Trinity
The Hymn #413
The Invocation p. 15
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual Phil 3:17-22
The Gospel Matthew 22:15-22
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #277
The Sermon
Our Citizenship Is in Heaven
The Offertory p. 22
The Hymn #305
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #283
Our Citizenship Is in Heaven
Phil 3:20 For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
This letter is called the Epistle of Joy because of the exuberant spirit throughout the text. Paul did not engage in the happy-talk we find so often on news shows and church services. The first part of this passage denounces the enemies of the cross.
Mark—or carefully observe—certain of the leaders and follow their example. Paul does not refer only to himself, but to others as well. The first leaders of the Christian Church must have been courageous and strong, trusting in Christ alone for their salvation. They had to resist all the excesses of the Roman Empire, the sins of the flesh, while maintaining the pure doctrine of Christ in a pagan world. Paganism will always be popular because of its veneration of the self. Many would say, “the celebration of self” today.
Paul Tillich, the famous and now largely forgotten philosopher-theologian, always emphasized “autonomy.” That meant he was a law unto himself. Posing as a Christian theologian, he was one of the enemies of the cross, denounced by Paul in this chapter. To be brief, he was the Bill Clinton of the theologians.
People may think at first that the enemies of the cross are those pagans persecuting the Christian Church. Not so. The enemies are those righteous individuals who strike everyone as wise, saintly, and pure but inwardly despise the Word of God. They are within the visible church but not within the Kingdom of God. There are obvious enemies whose conduct is so bad that no one can deny the fact. But Luther pointed out the greater danger of those who are righteous through their own works.
In general, righteousness through the Law is promoted two ways. The first is rather obvious to an outsider, but not to the practitioners. Certain rules are set up so that violation of those rules equals damnation. Observing the rules means salvation. All world religions are based on this, although the rules may vary.
Many denominations emphasize a heavy-handed legalism where the same effects can be seen. They make Moses their Savior by teaching salvation through the Law. They make Jesus the Law-giver by equating the Christian faith with a list of laws rather than the Gospel message of forgiveness.
Since people and organizations based on the law must be perfect, they have no tolerance for someone who says, “We are not observing our own rules.” One former Mormon worked at a Mormon college. They taught against Coca-cola in class, but the teachers’ lounge had a vending machine for Coke. When the teacher, as a faithful Mormon, pointed out the gap between teaching and practice, he received death threats. Eventually he became a Christian and wrote about it. His wife left him because he was a Mormon apostate, but she converted later and returned to him. The pull on him to go back to an outward observance of Mormonism to keep her happy was strong.
Christians become law-salesmen by turning Gospel motivation into Law threats. Soon they have a large body of canon law in their publications, to observe and become scholars of that law, which may be several decades old or—best of all for them—unwritten but understood.
Those are more obvious manifestations of religion as law. The other perversion is much more subtle. Those people are the holiest, best, and wisest of all. Nothing can be said against them outwardly. They are enemies of the cross because they trust in their own righteousness for salvation. These people are the ones who hate the Gospel because righteousness is alien, from Christ, rather than from their efforts, virtue, and observances.
Citizenship in Heaven
NKJ Philippians 3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
Luther and the Confessions teach us that we should long for this manifestation rather than cling to the glories of this life. If we treasure the Gospel, then our hearts will be with that treasure. Only one thing can be first. If the Gospel is in second or third place, it can be bartered down to a much lower place easily enough, and then forgotten. In the Parable of the Sower, some of the seed is choked by the cares and concerns of this world.
There are two ways of looking at this matter. The first way is the majority view, the unbeliever’s perspective. In that situation, worldly wealth and honors are all-important. All we have to do is look at all the awards and citations offered. Both cable/TV companies in Phoenix brag about their J. D. Powers awards for service. All of the Phoenix customers scratch our heads about both awards.
Lutherans give each other awards all the time. When Dorothy Sonntag left her editorial position in WELS to join the ELCA, the WELS magazine blessed her apostasy and noted her recent journalism awards. Many people feel validated by awards and honors. Many avoid the cross by clinging to the awards and honors. Nothing will stop the awards faster than clinging to the Word alone. Friendships dry up as well.
Citizenship in heaven means our primary loyalty and love is fixed on Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith.
KJV Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The Law by itself can only lead to death. Our bodies show that we have inherited mortality, by the way in which time emphasizes the inevitable weakness of the flesh. The appeal of the Law alone is to create a system that pays for these sins, by abstaining from them or atoning for them. That can only lead to spiritual pride (I did it) or despair (This is impossible to do). In end we can fool ourselves and everyone else, but not God.
The way of salvation is clear throughout the Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation. People get confused about it because they are fed misconceptions.
For instance, I am teaching a bunch of eager Evangelicals at a private university. Every so often one will say, “The Old Testament is Law. The New Testament is Gospel.” I get to say, “No, the Old Testament is full of Gospel promises. Every comforting passage, every promise of the Messiah is Gospel.” Abraham was justified by faith in Christ.
The Holy Spirit works through the Law to create contrition
The Law of God brings about contrition, true sorrow for sin. We harden our hearts so easily that this work is very important, but often misunderstood. Godly contrition is not a work of man, but the result of the Holy Spirit working through the Law. If we rely on common sense as a motivation, it is not God’s Law at work. So, someone might say, “Living together before marriage increases the risk of divorce.” That is a statistic and not God’s Law. Using the Law means saying, “Living together before marriage is despising God’s Word. God created marriage.” When I said that to a man who said he loved God’s Word, he decided to marry the mother of his three children. He also began lessons in the Christian faith.
The Holy Spirit Convicts Us – Lack of Faith
KJV John 10:37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. 38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.
KJV John 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
The primary sin is lack of faith in Christ. Unfortunately, it is much easier to preach about the carnal sins of the Prodigal: wasting money on fast women, slow horses, and booze.
It is too easy to prescribe a law solution for a law problem: “This is what you must do.” The famous mega-churches are doing so well because they advocate man-made law solutions for felt-need problems. No conversion to the Christian faith is necessary.
Luther saw that the Law had been preached with infinite harshness for a thousand years, with little emphasis on the true Gospel. He did not give up being a monk when the Reformation started in 1517. He did not marry for 8 years. He was saturated with the idea of works-righteousness, earning his own salvation. Luther knew from his own experience that complete trust in Christ was the real Gospel, despising any idea of earning or deserving salvation.
A desert father said this in the earliest days of the Church, “What a heavy burden we cast off when we stop justifying ourselves. What a light burden we take up when we are justified by Christ.”
KJV Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
The Gospel Alone Saves
The Law cannot save and cannot bear fruit. However, we need the Law to show us our need for the Savior.
The Gospel alone saves and bears fruit in the believer’s life. The Gospel declares the work of Christ in atoning for our sins. Someone is justified by faith when he says, “Christ died for my sins and rose from the dead.”
KJV Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. 6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
The famous Romans passage should be committed to memory, because justification by faith is so clearly and beautifully expressed. The universal nature of the Atonement is combined with individual justification by faith. The Atonement is universal because Christ died for the sins of the world, for all time. Justification is individual because a group does not believe. Even in the most hide-bound, legalistic Lutheran sect, some of the people in church do not believe the Gospel. Unbelievers are not justified: they are not declared righteous by the Word of God.
The seed of faith is planted in newly baptized babies. If this seed is nurtured, the child will grow in the Christian faith. The Parable of the Sower teaches us the ways in which this seed is taken away, scorched, or choked by cares. This same parable also assures us that the careless sowing of the seed of the Word will still produce an astonishing yield.
Who is talking when a pastor (or congregation) says: “Nothing is happening. This is useless, worthless. If only we were big, glorious, successful, featured in the Saturday religion page, or better, in Time magazine…”? That is Satan speaking to someone’s emotions. That is where we are weak, so that is where he attacks. Despair and discouragement are the chief weapons of the Evil Foe. One Church and Change guru even made fun of those who think “faithfulness is enough.” That is right out of the Devil’s Handbook. He went on to mock faithful Lutherans, saying, “We four. No more. Shut the door.” Yes, make people ashamed of the Gospel by painting the faithful as villains.
Opponents of the Gospel—“false sons within the pale”— are part of the territory and help us appreciate the Word of God and the Confessions. Weapons against falsehood must be constantly sharpened by use, so we should be thankful for opposition, not resentful.
The Gospel Promises
The Gospel is all comfort and places no demands upon us. Any law requirement corrupts the Gospel. So, “You are forgiven if you give up alcohol” is not Gospel, but the worst perversion, Gospel mixed with Law. It is very important to distinguish these two matters, Law and Gospel. If that demand is made and accepted, it leads to despair. “I am no good. I cannot give it up. I am lost.”
It is quite another message to say, “Christ has paid for your sins and will give you the strength to resist this temptation. You may fall again, many times over, but He will always be your source of strength and the cause of your forgiveness.” Only the Gospel can strengthen us against the temptations of life. “You can tie a hog ever so tightly to a tree, but you cannot keep him from squealing.” (Luther) Thus the Old Adam can be constrained and limited but never eliminated while we are alive.
Some will say, “What about faith? Doesn’t the Gospel demand faith? Isn’t that a Law demand?” As Walther said, the command to believe is a gracious invitation, not a demand. If someone comes to our home and we say, “Please stay for dinner, we have plenty to eat,” is this not a gracious invitation? It is not a demand. When we offer a gift, the gift is received.
So the Gospel is proclaimed and taught, administered in the visible form of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. The Promises of God are never without the Holy Spirit, who stirs up faith the first time and awakens and deepens faith repeatedly.
What God provides in the Means of Grace is renewed by the Means of Grace, Word and Sacrament. This is how God works such great abundance in the lives of believers.
Results of the Gospel
Phil 3:20 For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
I remember Leroy, a retired scientist, who used to refer to his body as “an old jackass.” As he aged, he experienced the vileness of his weakening body. His heart did not work right. His neck required a brace at times.
Christ gives us His righteousness. He also promises us that He will give us a glorious new body for eternity.
KJV John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. 25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. 26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; 27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. 28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
Paul elaborated on this teaching of Christ in the great resurrection passage of 1 Corinthians. The harmony and unity of the Scriptures should fill us with wonder:
KJV 1 Corinthians 15:42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. 47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. 48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
We are weak and frail creatures, prone to pride, sloth, greed, envy, lust, and covetousness. If we trust in our own merit, who can stand up against a cross-examination? But we have the glorious promises of the Gospel, the declaration of forgiveness, and the Promises of the resurrection before us.
Let us learn from our Good Shepherd, Who is meek and lowly, and take up the light burden and easy yoke of justification by faith.
Quotations
"Emphatically does Scripture state that the action of the Spirit covers the whole life from first to the last. He is the Spirit of Life for regeneration (John 3:5, 8): the Spirit of Sonship for adoption (Romans 8:15): the Spirit of holiness for sanctification (Romans 8:5): the Spirit of Glory for transfiguration (2 Corinthians 3:18); the Spirit of Promise for the resurrection (Ephesians 1:13). Only through the Holy Spirit are men drawn to the Author and Finisher of their salvation."
Arthur H. Drevlow, "God the Holy Spirit Acts to Build the Church," God The Holy Spirit Acts, ed., Eugene P. Kaulfield, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1972, p. 15. John 3: 5,8; Romans 8:5; Romans 8:15; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 1:13
"Now, Paul's thought here is that nothing should be taught and practiced in the Church but what is unquestionably God's Word. It will not do to introduce or perform anything whatever upon the strength of man's judgment. Man's achievements, man's reasoning and power, are of no avail save in so far as they come from God."
Sermons of Martin Luther, ed. John Nicolas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 229 Twelfth Sunday after Trinity 2 Corinthians 3:4-11;
"Note further, that it is his ministry to which Paul ascribes the preparation of their heart thereon and the inscription which constitutes them 'living epistles of Christ.' He contrasts this ministry with the blind fancies of those fanatics who seek to receive, and dream of having, the Holy Spirit without the oral word; who, perchance, creep into a corner and grasp the Spirit through dreams, directing the people away from the preached Word and visible ministry. But Paul says that the Spirit, through his preaching, has wrought in the hearts of his Corinthians, to the end that Christ lives and is mighty in them."
Sermons of Martin Luther, ed. John Nicolas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. p. 226. Twelfth Sunday after Trinity 2 Corinthians 3:4-11; Deuteronomy 6:6-9, 11, 18
"The Spirit is the ink or the inscription, yes, even the writer himself; but the pencil or pen and the hand of the writer is the ministry of Paul. This figure of a written epistle is, however, in accord with Scripture usage. Moses commands (Deuteronomy 6:6-9, 11, 18) that the Israelites write the Ten Commandments in all places where they walked or stood--upon the posts of their houses, and upon their gates, and ever have them before their eyes and in their hearts."
Sermons of Martin Luther, ed. John Nicolas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 225. Twelfth Sunday after Trinity 2 Corinthians 3:4-11; Deuteronomy 6:6-9, 11, 18
"This epistle sounds altogether strange and wonderful to individuals unaccustomed to Scripture language, particularly to that of Paul. To the inexperienced ear and heart it is not intelligible."
Sermons of Martin Luther, ed. John Nicolas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 223. Twelfth Sunday after Trinity 2 Corinthians 3:4-11
"It is a glory which every preacher may claim, to be able to say with full confidence of heart: 'This trust have I toward God in Christ, that what I teach and preach is truly the Word of God.' Likewise, when he performs other officials duties in the Church--baptizes a child, absolves and comforts a sinner--it must be done in the same firm conviction that such is the command of Christ. He who would teach and exercise authority in the Church without this glory, 'it is profitable for him,' as Christ says, (Matthew 18:6), 'that a great millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depths of the sea.' For the devil's lies he preaches, and death is what he effects."
Sermons of Martin Luther, ed. John Nicolas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 227. Twelfth Sunday after Trinity 2 Corinthians 3:4-11; Matthew 18:6
"The Law of God, which is also contained in Scripture, must be excluded from the concept 'means of grace,' because the Law does not assure those who have transgressed it—and all men have transgressed it—of the remission of their sins, or God's grace, but on the contrary proclaims God's wrath and condemnation. For this reason the Law is expressly called...'the ministry of condemnation,' whereas the Gospel is...'the ministry of righteousness' (2 Corinthians 3:9)."
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1953, III, p. 105. 2 Corinthians 3:9.
"And this call of God, which is made through the preaching of the Word, we should not regard as jugglery, but know that thereby God reveals His will, that in those whom He thus calls He will work through the Word, that they may be enlightened, converted, and saved. For the Word, whereby we are called, is a ministration of the Spirit, that gives the Spirit, or whereby the Spirit is given, 2 Corinthians 3:8, and a power of God unto salvation, Romans 1:16. And since the Holy Ghost wishes to be efficacious through the Word, and to strengthen and give power and ability, it is God's will that we should receive the Word, believe and obey it."
Formula of Concord, SD XI. #29. Election. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 1073. Tappert, p. 621. Heiser, p. 289. 2 Corinthians 3:8; Romans 1:16.