Pope John the Malefactor: "Everyone is forgiven. The Hottentots are forgiven. The residents of Hell are forgiven, guilt-free saints. But if anyone disagrees with my ambiguous, confused, and contradictory doctrinal opinions, I will extend the Left Foot of Fellowship to them. Amen? Amen! Now where are my round-the-world tickets?"
ELS Pastor Jesse Jacobsen, The Plucked Chicken:
GJ - I am taking note of an ELS blog because it deals with UOJ. I know the author from years ago. Unfortunately, Pope John the Malefactor was teaching at at the Frozen Food Seminary in Mankato, laying UOJ thickly and crudely on his students, including Jesse Jacobsen.
I give Pastor Jacobsen credit for dealing with the issue out in the open, not ducking and hiding from the implications of UOJ. If Lutheran pastors continue to do this, they will find that UOJ is untenable and unChristian.
It shouldn't surprise us, but those two points harmonize and reinforce each other rather well:
The lost are condemned not because of the guilt of their accumulated sin, but because they do not believe in Christ.
The Holy Spirit proclaims righteousness upon the world because the Lamb of God has made atonement for all of its guilt.
Someone may object to this terminology for some reason, but at this point I see no problem with calling the unlimited atonement made by Christ "objective justification," especially because His resurrection proves that it was accepted by the Father.
As always, I am open to criticism, though God's Word really isn't.
***
GJ - The Wisconsin Sect and the Little Sect on the Prairie are stuck with their own infallibility doctrine. They are never wrong, have never been wrong, and cannot accept any error among any of their leaders or writers. That leads to obnoxious errors being repeated and defended without thinking them through.
The blog shows that Jacobsen is facing the issue and has made some progress. For example, by quoting John 3:18 in his blog, he has refuted his own conclusion: "The Holy Spirit proclaims righteousness upon the world because the Lamb of God has made atonement for all of its guilt."
KJV John 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
The foundation of doctrine must be the infallible and inerrant Word of God, not the propositions of Walther's disciples (F. Pieper, J. P. Meyer). Luther and the Book of Concord teach that the Atonement is the treasure, that the Holy Spirit distributes this treasure through the preaching office. Righteousness is declared through the Gospel and received in faith, not absorbed universally via osmosis.
Is it any wonder that the ELS and WELS are confused about the public ministry? Here is their Jedi Master of UOJ:
J-586
I. "Objectively speaking, without any reference to an individual sinner's attitude toward Christ's sacrifice, purely on the basis of God's verdict, every sinner, whether he knows about it or not, whether he believes it or not, has received the status of a saint. What will be his reaction when he is informed about this turn of events? Will he accept, or will he decline?"
J. P. Meyer, Ministers of Christ, A Commentary on the Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1963, p. 103f. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.
II. "Before Christ's intervention took place God regarded him as a guilt-laden, condemned culprit. After Christ's intervention and through Christ's intervention He regards him as a guilt-free saint."
J. P. Meyer, Ministers of Christ, A Commentary on the Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1963, p. 107. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.
III. "This applies to the whole world, to every individual sinner, whether he was living in the days of Christ, or had died centuries before His coming, or had not yet been born, perhaps has not been born to this day. It applies to the world as such, regardless of whether a particular sinner ever comes to faith or not."
J. P. Meyer, Ministers of Christ, A Commentary on the Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1963, p. 109. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.
J-587
“About 300 years earlier Johann Gerhard expressed the same truth in these words: ‘By raising Christ from the dead God absolved Him from our sins, which had been imputed to Him, and accordingly He absolved us also in Him.’ Gerhard was professor of theology in Jena. He did not write a Brief Statement, but he did write a book on Lutheran dogmatics consisting of 20 volumes. He died in 1637.”
J. P. Meyer, “The Holy Spirit Creator,” The Northwestern Lutheran, September 24, 1950, p. 310. [GJ Note how Gerhard is slandered. See the post below. J. P. Meyer was a professor at Northwestern College in Watertown, president of Martin Luther College (nee Dr. Martin Luther College) in New Ulm, professor at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary (1920-1964), president of the seminary (1937-1963), and author of the notes used in dogmatics class. He published Ministers of Christ in 1963 and died the next year at the age of 91. WELS cannot admit Meyer was a false teacher, but they stopped printing his little book.]
J-588
“The Judge in heaven examines this evidence. He declares His verdict. It is one of acquittal. Man’s debt of sin is no longer charged against him. Sinful man is free!”
WELS Conference of Presidents, “Every Sinner Declared Righteous,” 1954 tract.
J-585
Letters to the Hartman and Pohlman Families
“Faith Lutheran Church
3215 West Judson Road
Kokomo, Indiana 46901
August 30, 1979
Mr. and Mrs. David Hartman
R. R. #1, Box 90
Kokomo, Indiana 46901
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Hartman,
In response to your letter of August 18, 1979, it is our understanding that your ‘no’ vote on June 20th against supporting the biblical doctrine of the WELS was based at least in part, on your failure to accept the following statement – included in your letter – all of which are in agreement with the teachings of the WELS, namely that:
‘Objectively speaking, without any reference to an individual sinners’ [sic] attitude toward Christs’ [sic] sacrafice [sic], purely on the basis of God’s verdict, every sinner, whether he knows it or not, whether he believes it or not, has received the status of a saint.’
‘After Christs’ [sic] intervention and through Christs’ [sic] intervention, God regards all sinners as guilt-free saints.’
‘When God reconciled the world to Himself through Christ, He individually pronounced forgiveness to each individual sinner whether that sinner ever comes to faith or not.’
‘At the time of the resurrection of Christ God looked down in hell and declared Judas, the people destroyed in the flood, and all the ungodly, innocent, not guilty, and forgiven of all sin and gave unto them the status of saints.’
I trust this is the information you desire.
Sincerely yours in Christian love,
Michael Liebner, Acting Secretary
Faith Lutheran Church Voters’ Assembly”[39]
“Faith Lutheran Church
3215 West Judson Road
Kokomo, Indiana 46901
November 19, 1980
Mr. and Mrs. David Hartman
R. R. #1, Box 90
Kokomo, Indiana 46901
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Hartman,
In accordance with the recommendations of the Southeastern Wisconsin District Panel of Review the voters of the Faith Lutheran Church have approved a resolution terminating your membership in the congregation unless and until such time as you accept the doctrine of justification as practiced by the WELS.
We encourage you to reassess your position on this matter and pray for a favorable decision so that once again we can work together for His Kingdom.
Yours in Christ,
Michael Liebner, Secretary”
***
GJ - I was given xeroxes of the letters to Hartman/Pohlman families in Kokomo. Like I said before, friends, I have been everywhere. The letters are reproduced verbatim above and in Thy Strong Word. The Wisconsin Synod excommunicated the two families for not accepting the Kokomo Statements, then accused the two families of creating a parody of justification. No, the parody is from WELS, defended by WELS, with the Amen Corner in the ELS yelling "Hoo-rah" and deceiving their pastoral students.
UOJ does not bear the weight of careful Biblical study. UOJ is anti-Christian and anti-Lutheran.
The fruits of UOJ are:
- Fellowship with Fuller Seminary and Willow Creek Community Church.
- Fellowship with ELCA - joint worship and joint religious projects.
- Fellowship with the Church of Rome. The same Pope John the Malefactor who marched in a religious procession at Bethany's Frozen Food chapel excommunicated ELS pastors for disagreeing with His Holiness.
- Fellowship with the Church of Rome, Part Deux. No one in the ELS objected when a Roman Catholic archbishop gave a public lecture at Wisconsin Lutheran College. How could they object?
- Silence on the Church Growth Movement.
- Silence about Willow Creek training.
