Primitive Baptist Universalist
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The Primitive Baptist Universalists (or PBUs) are a Calvinist Christian Universalist sect based primarily in the central Appalachian region of the United States. They are popularly known as "No-Hellers" due to their belief (unlike most other Christian denominations) that there is no Hell per se, but that Hell is actually experienced in this life.[1][2] Although they did not split as a denomination away from other Primitive Baptists until 1924, they have been theologically distinct as Universalists since at least 1907, when the minutes of the Washington District Primitive Baptist Association record a reproval:
Resolved, that whereas, we have been troubled with the doctrine of universalism that we advise the churches that if they have any elders preaching such heresies, or members arguing it, that they admonish them to quit preaching it or talking it, and if they fail to hear them to withdraw fellowship from such, and especially we admonish Hale Creek church to admonish Elder M. L. Compton to refrain from such doctrine.
[edit] Summary of theology
Universal reconciliation: Christ's atonement was for all humanity, and at Resurrection all humanity will be reunited with Christ for an eternity in Heaven.
Hell is a factor of the temporal world, where temporal sins will be punished by an increased separation from God.
Satan is an entity solely of the temporal world, existing only as "natural man" warring against "spiritual man."
Sin, punishment, and death are factors only of the temporal world, thus ceasing to exist after Resurrection, and sin is punished in the temporal world by a separation from God.
The joy of righteousness is its own reward, so retribution and reward are needed only for the here and now.[3]
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GJ - So we can see why so many WELS leaders are attracted to Church Growth Babtists like Stetzer and Stanley. They are going back to their UOJ roots. There are some differences, but Enthusiasm is fairly similar the world over. Making the Atonement of Christ a universal absolution is not surprising for any group denying or "downplaying" (Valleskey) the Means of Grace.
Synodical Conference types cannot see this because they do not really understand Calvinism or the Confessions. Someone like Herman Otten, a true Bronze Age Missourian, will publicly state his agreement with the Brief Confession (not in the Book of Concord) instead of the Book of Concord itself.
The CFW Walther/JP Meyer advocacy of Universal Objective Justification--absolving the world without the Word - or even a text citation--paved the way for Church Growth apostasy.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "UOJ from the Calvinistic Babtists":
While synod leaders have a lot to learn, they will never admit it or learn it. It is easier to act with an air of authority. One problem, however: they have lost their moral authority and members are realizing it.
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Kit from Wisconsin has left a new comment on your post "UOJ from the Calvinistic Babtists":
Whoa, I spend my day telling students not to use Wikipedia as a reference for anything.... :) I am disappinted in you.
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GJ - This is what I get for doing extra research! I knew of the Babtist Unitarians only through Wikipedia, so I gave credit where it is due. L P Cruz has written some good comments about Calvinism and UOJ. I plan on using those insights in my book on justification. Yes, Kit, I wean students off Wikipedia too, but I still use it for background reading.
5 comments:
While synod leaders have a lot to learn, they will never admit it or learn it. It is easier to act with an air of authority. One problem, however: they have lost their moral authority and members are realizing it.
"Hell is a factor of the temporal world, where temporal sins will be punished by an increased separation from God."
So if you are 90 you are being punished more than thoses who died in their 70's??
Apparently they did not read: Ephesians 6:1-3 (NIV) "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2"Honor your father and mother"—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3"that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."
Whoa, I spend my day telling students not to use Wikipedia as a reference for anything.... :) I am disappinted in you.
WHAT DOES THE BOOK OF CONCORD SAY CONCERNING WHEN SINS ARE REMITTED AND THE ROLE OF FAITH?
"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. 7] Some dream that by the power of the keys guilt is not remitted, but that eternal punishments are changed into temporal. Thus the most salutary power would be the ministry, not of life and the Spirit, but only of wrath and punishments. Others, namely, the more cautious, imagine that by the power of the keys sins are remitted before the Church and not before God. This also is a pernicious error. For if the power of the keys does not console us before God, what, then, will pacify the conscience? 8] Still more involved is what follows. They teach that by contrition we merit grace. In reference to which, if any one should ask why Saul and Judas and similar persons, who were dreadfully contrite, did not obtain grace, the answer was to be taken from faith and according to the Gospel, that Judas did not believe, that he did not support himself by the Gospel and promise of Christ. For faith shows the distinction between the contrition of Judas and of Peter. 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
The Apology states, "86]....We, therefore, will add testimonies which clearly declare that faith is that very righteousness by which we are accounted righteous before God,"
Luthers Church Postil's sermons volume VII:231-247 of The Sermons of Martin Luther, published by Baker Book House (Grand Rapids, MI).
http://www.orlutheran.com/html/mlse1j54.html
Luther writes, "-you could not see the kingdom of God unless you became a wholly different person, unless you were born anew, according to Christ's words in John 3, 3. And this is something impossible to your natural powers. You certainly cannot make yourself of other parentage than you are. God must begin the work in you, communicating his seed--his Word--by virtue of
which the Holy Spirit operates in you, enabling you, by faith, to cling to the promise, as said before. 5. The process is this: When the individual hears the Gospel message of Christ revealed and proclaimed not by the wisdom and will of man, but through the Holy Spirit--and sincerely believes it, he is justly recognized as conceived and born of God. John in his gospel (ch. 1, 12) says: "As many as received him, to them gave
he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name." And in the first verse of the chapter including our text, he tells us: "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is begotten of God." Through that faith, for the sake of his Son, God accepts us as his children, pleasing to him and heirs of eternal life; and the Holy Spirit will be sent into our hearts, as is explained later. 31. This work of the Holy Spirit is neither received nor perceived except through faith in this witness, the preached word of Christ-- when with the heart man grasps it and confidently believes it is fulfilled in himself as the Word declares. Thus is the heart really cleansed, the individual born anew, through the Holy Spirit present in the sacred cleansing of water and of the blood of Christ. 30. Such is the kingdom Christ unceasingly develops through the Christian Church. In him we have eternal purification when to the water is added the Spirit, who through the Word enkindles the heart and purifies it, not with the cleansing qualities of the water alone, but with the healing efficacy of the blood of Christ, whereby sins are exterminated and God's wrath appeased. Although the work of our redemption was wrought once for all in Christ's blood shed upon the cross and is sufficient to cancel the sins of the entire world, yet Christ so instituted it that the same efficacy should remain forever, and be daily distributed and offered to us through the Holy Spirit. 31. This work of the Holy Spirit is neither received nor perceived except through faith in this witness, the preached word of Christ-- when with the heart man grasps it and confidently believes it is fulfilled in himself as the Word declares. Thus is the heart really cleansed, the individual born anew, through the Holy Spirit present in the sacred cleansing of water and of the blood of Christ. 36. Note particularly the consolation of Paul's concluding words. Here he embraces in one clear word the whole substance of the Gospel when he says: "He that hath the Son hath the life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not the life." How could he speak plainer and more forcibly? What is the need of further inquiry and investigation or discussion of this theme? Do you wish to have assurance of eternal life? According to this verse, you have it truly if you possess Christ the Son of God; and you have Christ when you believe this witness and preaching as John says, and you should confidently rely upon it in life and in death as the divine, eternal truth. But if you believe not, you have not life; and all effort and suffering on your part, yes, combined with the effort and suffering of the whole world, will profit you nothing. You have not the Son of God if you do not believe God's witness of him but charge God with falsehood. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you."
WHAT DOES THE MAN MADE DOCTRINE OF UOJ SAY CONCERNING WHEN SINS ARE REMITTED AND THE ROLE OF FAITH?
H.A. Preus states, "On the other hand, this, that God forgives sin, signifies only the action of God that he proclaims to the sinner that his sin is taken away by the death of Christ and that he therefore gives him forgiveness so that he is to believe it, but without regard to whether he has already believed it or not, so that this act of forgiving sin by God cannot only happen without faith being there but first must occur without
faith being there since faith cannot be worked otherwise, or know what it is to believe."
"But God's act of forgiving sin, which is the same thing as God proclaiming and promising a sinner's forgiveness, is different from the effects of this act and can occur without this occurring, therefore also without faith being there."
"If people's faith is also supposed to be a reason for God for-giving sin, and forgiveness an effect of faith, then faith becomes some-thing meritorious in people, and forgiveness something which people themselves merit, at any rate alongside of Christ."
"We consider also that the Word of God surely does not say that God will give us his Son when we believe in him or on the condition that we believe in him."
http://www.christforus.org/Papers/Content/HermanAmbergPreusonJustificationofWorld.htm
Mark Zarling, "On the basis of this brief overview of passages, what then is the Scriptural truth called universal justification? Simply this: In Christ, God has forgiven the sins of all men. By reason of Christ's perfect life of obedience and perfect sacrifice for all sins, God declares the world, believer and unbeliever alike, totally innocent. Jesus was the Substitute for all. His death is our death; His resurrection is ours. Although all are totally sinful and totally condemned because of Adam's transgression, yet because of Christ's righteousness we are declared righteous. God's Word proclaims the purest Gospel possible. It is all God's abundant grace. Jesus has done it all. The world is declared innocent. And what is true for the world must be true for me! What comfort! What joy!"
"Irregardless of man's faith, God declares the world just. Since it is Dr. Becker who notes the distinction in objective justification over against universal justification, we shall let him speak for himself. In speaking about a)sebh/v, Becker asserts, "We are not pressing the word beyond what it can bear if we say that, when Paul says that God justifies the ungodly, he is asserting that God declares the unbeliever just. The fact that the unbeliever by rejecting God's verdict deprives himself eternally of the joy and comfort that this message gives does not make the declaration of God untrue.22""
http://www.wlsessays.net/files/ZarlingJustification.pdf
Dear Pr. GJ.
Would you think UOJ is the cause of antinomianism and why false teaching is not taken seriously in our churches?
I seem to think so.
LPC
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