From Brett Meyer:
LUTHER:
12. To accept as true the record of Christ--this they call faith. The devils have the same sort of faith, but it does not make them godly. Such belief is not Christian faith; no, it is rather deception.
22. Now, the Cain-like saints have not, as they themselves confess, the Christian faith which would assure them of being the children of God.
37. Note, Paul everywhere teaches justification, not by works, but solely by faith; and not as a process, but instantaneous. The testament includes in itself everything--justification, salvation, the inheritance and great blessing. Through faith it is instantaneously enjoyed, not in part, but all. Truly is it plain, then, that faith alone affords such blessings of God, justification and salvation--immediately and not in process as must be the case with works--and constitutes us children and heirs who voluntarily discharge their duties, not presuming to become godly and worthy by a servile spirit. No merit is needed; faith secures all gratuitously-- more than anyone can merit. The believer performs his works gratuitously, being already in possession of all the Cain-like saints vainly seek through works and never find--justification and divine inheritance, or grace.
74. But what is the process whereby Christ gives us such a spirit and redeems us from under the Law? The work is effected solely by faith. He who believes that Christ came to redeem us, and that he has accomplished it, is really redeemed. As he believes, so is it with him. Faith carries with it the child-making spirit. The apostle here explains by saying that Christ has redeemed us from under the Law that we might receive the adoption of sons. As before stated, all must be effected through faith. Now we have discussed the five points of the verse.
108. Paul adds "through Christ" to avoid the implication that the inheritance is bestowed upon us without any merit or cost whatever. Although it costs us nothing, and although it is bestowed without merit on our part, yet Christ was placed under great obligations. For the sake of that inheritance he was put under the Law for us; he paid the cost to secure, or to merit, the inheritance for all who believe in him. (EMPHASIS: "for all who believe in Him" Christ died for all, but only those who have the Holy Spirits faith in Christ are reconciled, forgiven, justified and declared righteous because they, through faith, have Christ as their mediator.)
http://www.trinitylutheranms.org/MartinLuther/MLSermons/Galatians4_1_7.html
YOUR LOCAL WELS SCHOOL:
"If forgiveness were dependent on faith in the sense that God does not forgive until we believe, we would always have to be sure that we are believers before we would be sure that we are forgiven." (p.60)
"And yet many Lutherans still labor under the delusion that God does not forgive us unless we believe. Instead of seeing faith as nothing more than the spiritual hand with which we make the forgiveness of God our own, they see it as a reason why God forgives us. They believe that Christ has indeed provided forgiveness for all men, that God is willing to forgive them, but before he really forgives he first of all demands that we should be sorry for our sins and that we should have faith. Just have faith they say, and then God will forgive you. All the right words are there. The only thing wrong is that the words are in the wrong order. God does not forgive us IF we have faith. He has forgiven us long ago when he raised his Son from the dead." (p. 59) two quotes from Our Great Heritage, WELS and heralded by Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, WELS and Evergreen Lutheran High School, (WELS)
"I am in agreement with Pastor Humanns statements as printed in the paragraphs from Our Great Heritage. They are correct and consistent with Gods Word and the position of WELS." Greg Thiesfeldt, Principal, Evergreen Lutheran High School, (WELS)
"When Jesus rose, he rose as the substitute for every sinner. By his resurrection God declared sinners, all of them, forgiven. This is the good news Scripture reveals. This is the good news we proclaim to contrite sinners: “God has reconciled you to himself. Your sins are already forgiven. Calvary and the empty tomb are the proof of it.” Evergreen High School Board of Directors, Pastor Nathan Seiltz, Principal Greg Thiesfeldt (WELS)
"When speaking of salvation, we don’t want to turn a person’s attention inward to his faith, but outward to the grace of God. Preaching about faith will not produce faith, but proclaiming God’s love and mercy and forgiveness will produce believing hearts." Evergreen High School Board of Directors, Pastor Nathan Seiltz, Principal Greg Thiesfeldt (WELS)
"To justify in the Bible always has the meaning “to declare righteous.” Never do the terms denote a qualitative change in man, a physical or medicinal thing. The change which is meant is not a change in one’s person, but a change in one’s status before God." Evergreen High School Board of Directors, Pastor Nathan Seiltz, Principal Greg Thiesfeldt (WELS)
"A quick look at the terms ought to be sufficient to remind ourselves of the Lutheran doctrine of objective or universal justification–that God at the resurrection of Christ declared sinners justified, universally, excluding none, and objectively, whether they believe it or not." Evergreen High School Board of Directors, Pastor Nathan Seiltz, Principal Greg Thiesfeldt (WELS)
"Previously God viewed the world apart from Christ—and it stood condemned. Now God views the world in the light of Christ’s work of redemption and has declared the world righteous, forgiven." Evergreen High School Board of Directors, Pastor Nathan Seiltz, Principal Greg Thiesfeldt (WELS)
"But whoever molests the doctrine of justification stabs the gospel in the heart and is on the way of losing entirely Christian doctrine and personal faith and of falling into the arms of heathenism, even if he ever so much emphasizes justification by faith." August Pieper quoted by Evergreen High School Board of Directors, Pastor Nathan Seiltz, Principal Greg Thiesfeldt (WELS)
LUTHER:
99. In persecuting faith and defaming and condemning it as heresy and presumption, the unbelievers conduct themselves as their father Cain did to his brother Abel. Thus in themselves they slay Christ their brother. His innocent blood will not cease to cry toward heaven against them, as the blood of Abel cried against Cain.
http://www.trinitylutheranms.org/MartinLuther/MLSermons/Galatians4_1_7.html
The Glory Has Departed
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Luther versus Universal Objective Justification
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18 comments:
This is all fine and dandy. But how then do you reconcile Jesus' asking His Father to forgive the soldiers who were crucifying him? It is obvious that Jesus (God) had already forgiven them. So does that mean the Ministry of the Keys is a fallacy????
Anonymous, note how Christ did not say, "I forgive you" to those who were crucifying Him but "Father forgive them". Not that He couldn't have said it. Throughout His earthly ministry Christ forgave people as noted in the Scriptures when Christ said, "that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive" (Mark 9:6). Note also that every time Christ forgave someone their sins on earth it was because of their faith. As Scripture teaches their faith was not anything they created but the faith of the Holy Spirit in them. Christ on the cross was fulfilling his own command to bless those who persecute you, bless and curse not. So it wasn't a pronouncement of forgiveness but a prayer to God the Father to forgive them, which if it be the Father's will, he would work through the Word, the Holy Spirit and faith.
You correctly identify one of the many errors created by UOJ in that it destroys the Ministry of the Keys. What good is the power of all Christians to forgive sins on Christ's behalf if everyone has already been forgiven at the cross? What good is the power to retain sins if everyone has aleady been declared righteous, guiltless, reconciled, guiltless and at peace with God at the cross? The true Gospel of Justification by Faith alone upholds all Christian doctrine in it's Christ bound unity. UOJ destroys the doctrine of Christ, the Gospel, and replaces it with a man made doctrine based in human reason, "UOJ is a thought of Scripture" as it was once explained on the Bailing Water blog.
In Christ,
Brett Meyer
UOJ qoutes from WELS District President for CA/NV, Pastor Jon Buchholz made at the 2005 WELS Convention:
"God has forgiven the whole world. God has forgiven everyone his sins." This statement is absolutely
true! This is the heart of the gospel, and it must be preached and taught as the foundation of our
faith. But here’s where the caveat comes in: In Scripture, the word "forgive" is used almost
exclusively in a personal, not a universal sense. The Bible doesn’t make the statement, "God
has forgiven the world."
"God has declared the entire world righteous." This statement is true, as we understand it to mean
that God has rendered a verdict of "not-guilty" toward the entire world. It is also true—and must be
taught—that the righteousness of Christ now stands in place of the world’s sin; this is the whole point of what Jesus did for us at Calvary. However, once again we’re wresting a term out of its usual
context. In Scripture the term "righteous" usually refers to believers."
"Faith is simply trust. Faith must have an object, something that it holds onto. That object may or may
not be real or true, but faith doesn’t make it real or true. Faith that holds onto something untrue is misplaced—no matter how sincere it may be. Christian faith appropriates and holds onto the reality of God’s justification completed in Christ. It does not cause justification or forgiveness to take place. It simply grasps God’s justification that is already a reality." Also, "Faith doesn’t bring anything into existence that doesn’t already exist. Faith doesn’t cause something to happen. Faith simply grasps— trusts—something that already is in place." (Here he rejects the work of the renewing of the Holy Spirit through faith. Faith making of an unjust man a just man as Scripture teaches and the Confessions and Luther confirm - Brett)
"God has forgiven the whole world. God has forgiven everyone his sins." This statement is absolutely true!" Also, "God has declared the entire world righteous." This statement is true, as we understand it to mean that God has rendered a verdict of "not-guilty" toward the entire world."
What is the doctrinal stand of WELS these days? Is it merely nominally Lutheran? I cannot tell any more.
UOJ destroys the Holy Spirit's faith. UOJ says that faith is just an empty hand receiving what was already declared to be true and that faith doesn't do anything in the individual, coming after the declaration that a person's sins were already forgiven and that while they were under the law, carnaly minded and rotting in the decay of sin God saw them as righteous, forgiven, justified and at peace with Him. UOJ says faith doesn't do anything, that if it did anything that would make it a work of man and synergism. This is the central doctrine of all Lutheran Synods including the WELS, ELS, CLC and LCMS.
Scripture condemns the false doctrine of UOJ and declares that Christ died for the sins of the whole world. Having paid for all sins, the righteousness that avails against God's wrath that remains on sinful mankind, under the law, is in Christ and never apart from Him. To be justified I must, by the grace of God and by the working of the Holy Spirit in Word and Sacrament, have the Holy Spirit's faith that Christ died for my sins. This faith clings to Christ as mediator against God's wrath over sin, is the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, makes of an unjust man a just man. The required rebirth as Christ declared to Nicodemus, except you are born of Water and the Spirit you cannot enter the kingdom of God.
God confirms this:
Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Matthew 9:29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
Matthew 9:2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.
Matthew 9:22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
Mark 5:34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
Mark 10:52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.
Luke 5:20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.
Luke 7:50 And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.
Luke 8:48 And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.
Luke 17:19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
Luke 18:42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.
Acts 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
Luke 5:20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.
UOJ destroys the Holy Spirit's faith. UOJ says that faith is just an empty hand receiving what was already declared to be true and that faith doesn't do anything in the individual, coming after the declaration that a person's sins were already forgiven and that while they were under the law, carnaly minded and rotting in the decay of sin God saw them as righteous, forgiven, justified and at peace with Him. UOJ says faith doesn't do anything, that if it did anything that would make it a work of man and synergism. This is the central doctrine of all Lutheran Synods including the WELS, ELS, CLC and LCMS.
Scripture condemns the false doctrine of UOJ and declares that Christ died for the sins of the whole world. Having paid for all sins, the righteousness that avails against God's wrath that remains on sinful mankind, under the law, is in Christ and never apart from Him. To be justified I must, by the grace of God and by the working of the Holy Spirit in Word and Sacrament, have the Holy Spirit's faith that Christ died for my sins. This faith clings to Christ as mediator against God's wrath over sin, is the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, makes of an unjust man a just man. The required rebirth as Christ declared to Nicodemus, except you are born of Water and the Spirit you cannot enter the kingdom of God.
God confirms this:
Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Matthew 9:29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
Matthew 9:2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.
Matthew 9:22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
Mark 5:34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
Mark 10:52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.
Luke 5:20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.
Luke 7:50 And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.
Luke 8:48 And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.
Luke 17:19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
Luke 18:42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.
Acts 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
Luke 5:20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.
The WELS Hoenecke and the Peipers were students of, and cherished, Professor Tholuck at Halle University. Here is a portion of an interview with Tholuck:
THOLUCK - I suppose my American brethren would consider me orthodox in general, except for my Universalism.
INTERVIEWER - They would, most certainly. But with them that one point would be a serious matter. With this sentiment you could not hold a standing in our orthodox churches. Now, where did you find this doctrine - in the Bible, or in your philosophy?
THOLUCK - In both.
http://books.google.com/books?id=W3QpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA123&dq=herald+of+truth+tholuck#PPA123,M1
Brett: You wrote- "Christ on the cross was fulfilling his own command to bless those who persecute you, bless and curse not. So it wasn't a pronouncement of forgiveness but a prayer to God the Father to forgive them, which if it be the Father's will, he would work through the Word, the Holy Spirit and faith."
This almost sounds like the pained explanations of the Calvinists as to why Christ's body and blood are not in the sacrament, even though he said, "This is my body..."
I am forgiven because Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world. Since I'm part of the world, that means he died for ME. That forgiveness becomes my own through Spirit created faith. Wake up and smell the flowers of the gospel!
Anonymous at 1:41pm, do you confess that you (and the whole world) were forgiven of all sins prior to your having faith?
Also, your "almost sounds like" is deceptive and misleading. Either it is or it isn't - take a stand. I was speaking of Christ's statement, "Father forgive them" and was not addressing those issues your imagination gave birth to.
Yes, but it becomes my own personally through faith.
Anonymous at 6:54pm, you then believe in a false gospel and a different god than the God of the Holy Scriptures who did not declare you and the whole world forgiven and righteous prior to and outside of the Means of Grace, God's Word and Sacraments. The Confessions have this to declare:
6] Let any one of the adversaries come forth and tell us when remission of sins takes place. O good God, what darkness there is! They doubt whether it is in attrition or in contrition that remission of sins occurs. And if it occurs on account of contrition, what need is there of absolution, what does the power of the keys effect, if sins have been already remitted? Here, indeed, they also labor much more, and wickedly detract from the power of the keys...But we say that contrition is the true terror of conscience, which feels that God is angry with sin, and which grieves that it has sinned. And this contrition takes place in this manner when sins are censured by the Word of God, because the sum of the preaching of the Gospel is this, namely, to convict of sin, and to offer for Christ's sake the remission of sins and righteousness, and the Holy Ghost, and eternal life, and that as regenerate men we should do good works. 30] Thus Christ comprises the sum of the Gospel when He says in Luke 24, 47: That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in My name among all nations. 31]
35] We therefore add as the second part of repentance, Of Faith in Christ, that in these terrors the Gospel concerning Christ ought to be set forth to consciences, in which Gospel the remission of sins is freely promised concerning Christ. Therefore, they ought to believe that for Christ's sake 36] sins are freely remitted to them. This faith cheers, sustains, and quickens the contrite, according to Rom. 5, 1: Being justified by faith, we have peace with God. This faith obtains the remission of sins. This faith justifies before God, as the same passage testifies: Being justified by faith. This faith shows the distinction between the contrition of Judas and Peter, of Saul and of David. The contrition of Judas or Saul is of no avail, for the reason that to this there is not added this faith, which apprehends the remission of sins, bestowed as a gift for Christ's sake.
http://www.bookofconcord.org/defense_10_repentance.php
BOC: We maintain this, that properly and truly, by faith itself, we are for Christ's sake accounted righteous, or are acceptable to God. And because "to be justified" means that out of unjust men just men are made, or born again, it means also that they are pronounced or accounted just. For Scripture speaks in both ways. [The term "to be justified" is used in two ways: to denote, being converted or regenerated; again, being accounted righteous.] Accordingly we wish first to show this, that faith alone makes of an unjust, a just man, i.e., receives remission of sins.
BOC: But when it is said that faith justifies, some perhaps understand it of the beginning, namely, that faith is the beginning of justification or preparation for justification, so that not faith itself is that through which we are accepted by God,
http://www.bookofconcord.org/defense_4_justification.php
In Christ,
Brett Meyer
Pr. GJ/Brett.
Very good. It also dawned on me while reading LC of Luther on Article III p.66 that Luther clearly to me did not believe in UOJ.
66] These articles of the Creed, therefore, divide and separate us Christians from all other people upon earth. For all outside of Christianity, whether heathen, Turks, Jews, or false Christians and hypocrites, although they believe in, and worship, only one true God, yet know not what His mind towards them is, and cannot expect any love or blessing from Him; therefore they abide in eternal wrath and damnation. For they have not the Lord Christ, and, besides, are not illumined and favored by any gifts of the Holy Ghost....
I think Pr. Greg might have pointed this out in the past but only a few days ago did I see from here that Luther could not have articulated UOJ.
LPC
WELS Universalism grounded and founded upon the false man made doctrine of Universal Objective Justification.
"ALL MEN ARE SAVED (the guilt of their sins has been washed away), because Christ paid the price
for ALL sins. Once again I would go to Romans 5: 12 – 19.
Are all going to heaven (saved)? NO. Because not all believe in Jesus as their Savior. Just as the
analogy of the money in the bank asserts: If you don’t believe it is there for you the account will do you no good. Objective justification says that the forgiveness of sins has been completely earned by Christ’s merit, i.e. it is “objectively” there for faith to accept. The faith of the believer doesn’t add anything or complete justification." Principal Stephan Rodmyre, Holy Trinity Lutheran School / WELS
I don't think any of us have the market cornered on having the wisdom of God. All this talk is merely divisive. Whether you believe UOJ or not from what I am getting from all the talk is that it depends on what your perspective is. You have to remember man's perspective is warped when it comes to spiritual things. And this where it becomes hard. Even Christ says we are better off having the faith of a child. Everyone here should take this advice. I don't think anyone here will deny that salvation comes by faith alone given by the Holy Spirit through the Word. You can argue to the death what is on the other side of the portal of faith. Why does it matter?
Anonymous at 8:13am, I confess Mark 8:31, "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;"
What you propose is pure unionism and departure from the true Christian Word revealed in the Holy Scriptures and correctly explained in the Lutheran Confessions.
Christ declares this of His children's persistance in Christian faith in Word and doctrine:
Hebrews 11:37, "Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;" - and you would have us say of the Word, "Why does it matter?"
"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."
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."
M. Reu, In the Interest of Lutheran Unity, Columbus: The Lutheran Book Concern, 1940, p. 20.
In Christ,
Brett Meyer
Sooner or later you have to stop splitting hairs. I mean really, you could go on into eternity. I have found much to my dismay that as time goes on words start to mean different things. I wish that language would be more static especially as I get older. But the motion was set long ago at Babel. There are those among WELS who have admitted that maybe there are more appropriate words to use and that maybe UOJ has been poorly defined. I am one of those. But in your case, Brett, I think you see trees and not necessarily the forest.
Here's how Luther Qwest denizens have addressed and defended UOJ:
"I realize this subject can be really headbanging. It took a fair
amount of time for me to get it as well. That and about 10 confessional pastor that were attendies of the St. Michaels and
Archangles conferences in the So. District. They were patient with
me and my previously undiagnosed methodist leanings. But once I
fully understood the end result of that theology I understood that
it led to the uncertainty of my salvation. And it is the certainty of our salvation that drives all Lutheran theology mainly b/s that is the scriptures intent, that men can be certain that God is pleased
with them and not angry with them on account of Jesus. No matter how much doubt I may have in that truth, faith can grasp hold of it and stand. It is objective truth. People go to hell b/s they don't believe the objective truth of Christ's saving work not b/s they haven't been saved by Christ. The rejection of UOJ leads to alimited atonement and election in view of faith not an unlimited atonement and an election being a cause of faith."
The Rev. Guillaume J. S. Williams, Sr. Osage Beach, MO
Posted by Dr. Erich Heidenreich on Wednesday, June 29, 2005 -
12:00 pm:
"Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I have returned from my long silence here on LQ to offer to
everyone my sincere apologies, and to recant and repent of my long-time arguments regarding Objective Justification. I have
studied much since our last marathon thread! Please forgive me for my errors. I pray that my words did not lead anyone else into error. I identify my error as stemming from unconsiously troubling myself and others about what remains the secret counsel of God, trying to solve the mystery of election - "why some and not others?" Studying FC XI again in depth was especially helpful in ending my sinful search for the answer.
Then, in dealing for weeks with a loved one who was despairing
due to the weight of the law and doubt over her own faith, I saw
the true necessity and beauty of Objective Justification, though I
never used the term. The objective truth of Christ's universal
forgiveness has lifted the veil of tears from her eyes and given the
peace the passes all understanding.
Finally, I desire to thank all of you, but especially Pr. Rolf Preus for his tireless correction of my errors here on LQ. Without his patient teaching, and that of my own wonderful pastor, Rev. Roger James, I would still be in grave error and not have had the true doctrine to offer to this loved one. Thank you, Pr. Preus, for staying true to the pure doctrine of the Word!
The Righteousness of Christ is objectively imputed to all people. I say that now without hesitation.
Sincerely,
Erich"
UOJ statements from WELSian Mark Zarling.
""Universal justification" is a term denoting the doctrine that God has forgiven the sins of all men. Strictly speaking, the term "objective justification" expresses the thought that the sins of a man are forgiven by God whether he believes it or not. Objective justification is not necessarily universal, but if justification is universal it must of necessity be objective.5
Perhaps such a distinction is helpful if it assists us in understanding the glorious Gospel: In Jesus, God has declared the entire world righteous and forgiven, irregardless of whether or not the world believes it. Such is the jewel described by objective, universal, or general justification." (BM - Note here the declaration of UOJ's new gospel void of Scriptural faith)
"Yet Scripture goes on in revealing how God appropriates this good news to the individual. God creates faith in the heart of a sinner, faith which trusts that since I am part of the world, I also am declared righteous for Christ's sake." (BM - this is the true foundation of UOJ's faith: "I was already declared forgiven, justified and sinless prior to ever believing")
"The faith itself is not what saves, but the object of faith, namely, Jesus Christ, is what saves. Faith is merely the receiving hand into which God pours out His grace through the Gospel. Our dogmaticians spoke of faith as the organon leptikon. Faith does nothing more than receive the forgiveness which is offered in the Gospel. It is not a condition we fulfill nor is it a cause of forgiveness. We are already forgiven. God's message of justification in Christ is there whether we believe it or not. Faith then receives the blessings." (BM - UOJ has to destroy the work of the Holy Spirit's faith in order to establish the forgiveness of sins and justification for the whole world prior to the work of the Holy Spirit through the Means of Grace)
"The reason there is confusion in regard to the role of faith is rather simple. Satan is always trying to get men to pat themselves on the back…We need not concern ourselves in preaching about faith. Simply present Law and Gospel. Warn sinners that unbelief damns, and rejection of Christ will bring eternal torment. Then comfort them with the glorious objective reality that all sins are already forgiven in Christ." (BM - This is the true nature of UOJ and why it is anti Christian and plainly AntiChrist. UOJ and it's proponents attribute the Holy Spirit's faith and Scriptural Justification by Faith alone to Satan. Not the least of which is the resounding declaration of UOJ gospel, "all sins are ALREADY FORGIVEN in Christ.")
"Stressing faith as the cause of justification makes it a meritorious work. We have then destroyed the sola gratia of the Gospel, and cause men to look within themselves for the assurance of salvation." (BM - here is the ever present hypocrisy of UOJ. Faith is the work of the Holy Spirit as long as faith does nothing but accept what was already declared to be true, an empty hand. As soon as Scripture declares that faith makes of an unjust person a just person, that faith drowns the old Adam and creates a new spiritual mind in Christ then it's synergism, a work of man and is to be condemned. This statement clarifies the endless cycle of UOJ. They believe in a false gospel which faith is not the Holy Spirit's faith. When this new faith fails to bring the comfort of the Holy Spirit they are reminded not to look to faith since it does nothing, but look to the fact that when they were dead in sins they were forgiven and righteous in God's sight. So much for Hebrews 11)
http://www.wlsessays.net/files/ZarlingJustification.pdf
In Christ,
Brett Meyer (BM)
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