Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Justification Book, First Installment":
Pastor GJ or Brett, can you explain this example of justification that a WELS pastor has used many times:
"The supermarket is giving away free turkeys for everyone. However, you have to go to(drive or walk) the supermarket to receive the turkey".
I know that their are others in the WELS that understand this as the proper teaching. Correct me if I am wrong, but I read Luther's works all the time and I just do not see how the example is fully orthodox.
In Christ,
from WELS chuch lady
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GJ - "All analogies limp," as Gawa taught us at Mequon. This analogy stumbles and falls. The comparison is very J. P. Meyer-ish. Synergism (Reformed doctrine ) is exemplified by "God has done this, so you must do that." Some Reformed teachers say, "You must complete the transaction." What is the Means of Poultry in this example?
The Word of God teaches that God conveys Christ to us through the Holy Spirit working in the Means of Grace (the invisible Word of preaching and teaching, the visible Word of Baptism and Holy Communion) - to plant faith in our hearts and to nurture that faith. WELS is thoroughly Pietistic, so many are in the dark about the Means of Grace.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Another Hoo-Hah from UOJ":
What is so difficult about justification that MLC and Mequon graduates do not get it? I fail to see how they can go on and on about UOJ, and then get it wrong. Is the quality of the instructors, the students, what?
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GJ - One little window in their souls was provided in the October issue of FIC. Bivens, one of several Shrinkers published in that issue, was denouncing sodomy while MLC students were posting their version of the gay video from Fire Island Pines - and defending their version!
Bivens:
"Look at the passages
Genesis 19:5-8 and Jude 7 confirm that the Sodomites were guilty of homosexuality. Both references, in their original Hebrew and Greek, use idiomatic language to identify and describe homosexual sin, and it pays to be aware of this. Those who deny that homosexuality was involved seek linguistic loopholes from the idiomatic language. Nevertheless, biblical language dictionaries confirm that homosexuality prevailed in Sodom and its surrounding towns.
Ezekiel 16:49,50 does not explicitly mention sodomy or homosexuality as the cause of divine judgment on these lost cities but tells us that they were guilty of additional immoralities. Arrogance and social injustice are highlighted. Second Peter 2:6,7 leaves the nature of their ungodliness unspecified.
Letting all of these passages speak leads us to conclude that Sodom and Gomorrah were guilty of homosexuality; arrogance; violence; inhospitality; and a self-centered apathy toward others, especially the poor and needy. These cities impenitently spurned God’s grace in a number of ways and invited divine judgment.
People who have already made up their minds that homosexuality is morally acceptable desire to understand the biblical testimony differently. Invariably, modern defenders of homosexuality conclude that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of their violent and greedy behavior. They interpret Genesis 19 as condemning homosexual rape, which would be parallel to heterosexual rape. These texts are said not to apply to consensual homosexual activities. These defenders say that “loving, committed, same-sex relationships” are approved.
Advocates of homosexuality also say that Jude’s words “strange flesh” (the idiomatic expression he uses in the King James Version for sexual perversion) refer not to homosexuality but to the desire to have sexual relations with angels. It takes some exegetical mind-bending to arrive at this conclusion, but powerful presuppositions are able to pave the way for these advocates.
Look for balanced conclusions
You ask if God’s severe judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah teaches us that homosexuality is a worse sin than others and perhaps qualifies as unforgivable. Here is where other Bible sections guide us to a balanced conclusion. In Matthew 11:20-24, Jesus denounces other cities for being unrepentant despite the miracles he performed among them. While he does not excuse or deny the guilt of Sodom, he makes it clear that others may sin even more grievously and pay a greater price on the Last Day. First Corinthians 6:9-11 confirms that homosexuality is a serious sin that calls for divine judgment, but it also affirms that it is fully forgivable and that many former homosexuals enjoy new life and heavenly citizenship through faith in Christ. In Romans 1:21-27, Paul uses homosexuality as an example of how God may deal with hardened sinners and use sexual perversions as a judgment. But other passages remind us that homosexuality, like other sin, is forgivable despite deserving God’s anger and punishment.
For a balanced biblical perspective on this important subject, I hope that all interested readers will take the time to examine the Bible sections mentioned above and walk away with a renewed appreciation of the seriousness of all sin and the greatness of God’s love in Christ.
Contributing editor Forrest Bivens, a professor at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon, Wisconsin, is a member at Calvary, Thiensville.
Author:
Forrest L. Bivens
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9 comments:
What is so difficult about justification that MLC and Mequon graduates do not get it? I fail to see how they can go on and on about UOJ, and then get it wrong. Is the quality of the instructors, the students, what?
"The supermarket is giving away free turkeys for everyone. However, you have to go to (drive or walk) the supermarket to receive the turkey". This is the first time I've heard this analogy. This one promotes our cooperation with God as Pastor Jackson pointed out. The one most used by the Universalists is where someone deposited a million dollars into your bank account and unless you believe that it's truly there then it doesn't do you any good. You'll find that most defenders of UOJ will resort to analogies in an attempt to teach the false doctrine. They have to do this since they've admitted that UOJ is a concept or thought of Scripture. Concepts or thoughts require rational thinking in order to formulate what seems to be inferred or implied. Random House Dictionary defines concept as: 1. a general notion or idea; conception. 2. an idea of something formed by mentally combining all its characteristics or particulars; a construct. 3. a directly conceived or intuited object of. So UOJ as a concept requires the rational thoughts of man to develop a doctrine by combining notions or intuitive thoughts that the human mind gathers from Scripture. What the rational analogies fail to apply is that the false doctrine has God the Father depositing the full and complete forgiveness of sins, justification and righteousness into every unbelievers account. God the Father who made all things, out of nothing, in a Word. If God declares that I'm forgiven of all sin and therefore justified then I'm truly sinless in His sight. The truth of the analogy is that even if I don't believe I have a million dollars in my account - it's there and I'm a millionaire whether I believe it or not. The explanation of the analogy would have you believe that you're not a millionaire unless you believe you are. Hogwash! If only millionaires get into heaven and God the Father (playing the part of the banker in their absurd analogy) requires me to be a millionaire to get in, and He's the one that put it in my account then I'm getting into heaven because whether or not I believe it God the Father declared me a millionaire. That's the joke UOJ makes out of being justified by Christ. Since God requires that we are without sin in order to enter heaven and I've been declared justified by God while I'm an unbeliever (forgiven and sinless by God's divine verdict) but will be damned for my unbelief then Christ didn't pay for my sin of unbelief. And if Christ didn't pay for our sin of unbelief then we all will be damned even if we come to faith in Christ since we are all born in unbelief. Because the false doctrine is a rational doctrine variances in what is taught are common.
Cont...
Cont...
A Universalist at this point would say that even though God declared you, an unbeliever, forgiven and justified - you aren't until you believe you are. This is not what UOJ teaches according to Mark Zarlings paper, Stand in Awe of Justification. http://www.wlsessays.net/files/ZarlingJustification.pdf Mark Zarling is a former Professor at Martin Luther Seminary and President of Martin Luther College (home of the worldwide sensation and pro homosexual Party In The MLC video - which has yet to be publicly retracted and have a clear confession published)
“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.” Page 2
“Likewise a verdict of acquittal was declared on all men because of the righteousness of Christ.” Page 5
Quoting Permit Stoeckhardt, “If God has already in Christ justified all men and forgiven their sins, then I also in Christ have a gracious God and the forgiveness of all my sins.” Page 5
“Irregardless of man's faith, God declares the world just.” Page 6
“Our salvation is an accomplished fact. It is done. It is finished. The resurrection is the proof that God has declared the sinners justified!” Page 6
“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.” Page 7
“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.” Page 7
Zarlings Universalism, “The Bible says, "God will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." God's will has been carried out on the cross. Salvation has been accomplished for all people. The world is declared just. God's will has been carried out by the work of Christ. Just because men in unbelief reject that salvation doesn't mean it was not effected. Such unbelievers will be damned eternally for turning their backs on Jesus. Yet their unbelief does not nullify the work of Christ. Justification is an objective and universal fact.” Page 9
Anonymous asks, "What is so difficult about justification that MLC and Mequon graduates do not get it?"
It's important to remember that without the Holy Spirit it's impossible to understand Holy Scripture. So it's not how convincing the anti UOJ argument is. It is purely by the grace of God through the Word purely taught and Sacraments rightly distributed that anyone comes to faith or is built up in the faith for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. And by grace means that God decides who will be called, justified, glorified (Romans 8:30).
Justification is not difficult.
"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and [all] are justified freely by the redemption that came through Christ Jesus."
All sinned... all justified.
The passage cannot mean: "All have sinned.... and some with faith are justified." Or "when they have faith they are justified." Such renderings just plain change the clear Word.
Part of the problem with this whole discussion is that there is a confusion of dogmatic loci (spheres). UOJ belongs in the locus on "Basis of Salvation" and JBF belongs in the locus on "Order of Salvation."
It is the Pietists who would love the emphasis on faith. Historically, that's all they wanted to talk about. Pietists find their comfort and security in their faith. Read Timothy Verinus Vol. 1 Ch. 5 (and note that the "double justification" mentioned there is NOT a reference to UOJ.)
Also, the Greek word for preach is "khrusso" - "to proclaim." Preaching is a proclamation, an announcement of what God has done. In order for a proclamation to be made, there must be an objective truth to proclaim. The Gospel is an announcement of what God has done for the world in Christ. What has he done? Forgiven all their sins. That is why the risen Lord Jesus said (Luke 24) that "repentance for the forgiveness of sins" be proclaimed in his name.
Both sides here are talking past each other. True, UOJ could be wrongly used to support some idea of universalism, but JBF could also wrongly be used to promote the idea that some condition must be met in man before God forgives him. (Then we're back to the intuitu fidei controversy...)
Just because some people (apparently) misuse the phrase doesn't mean that the phrase is inherently wrong. UOJ is properly taught to emphasize the truth that our salvation is entirely God's own work -- "extra hominum", as our Lutheran forefathers put it -- and is emphasized to guard against man taking any tiny bit of credit for his salvation. (read Koberle, Ch. 3, on this)
Anonymous at 6:54pm, you write, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and [all] are justified freely by the redemption that came through Christ Jesus."
You dishonestly quote Scripture. It doesn't say (all) are justified.
KJV states:
Romans 3:22-26, "Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 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; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."
The Lutheran Confessions declare how a person is justified freely though the redemption that is in Christ:
Epitome of the Formula of Concord, The Righteousness of Faith before God, http://www.bookofconcord.org/fc-ep.php
"5] 3. We believe, teach, and confess that faith alone is the means and instrument whereby we lay hold of Christ, and thus in Christ of that righteousness which avails before God, for whose sake this faith is imputed to us for righteousness, Romans 4:5"
Your false doctrine makes the entire unbelieving world, who are alive to sin and under the law, children of God. UOJ has the whole world receiving Christ's righteousness and thereby declared forgiven of all sin and justified.
Scripture declares in Romans 4:13-14, "For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if
they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none
effect:"
The BOC confirms, The Defense of the Augsburg Confession What Is Justifying Faith?
http://www.bookofconcord.org/defense_4_justification.php 48] "The adversaries feign that faith is only a knowledge of the history, and therefore teach that it can coexist with mortal sin. Hence they say nothing concerning faith, by which Paul so frequently says that men are justified, because those who are accounted righteous before God do not live in mortal sin."
Cont...
Cont...
From the same section of the BOC linked above, Righteousness of Faith before God, "1] Since it is unanimously confessed in our churches, in accordance with God's Word and the sense of the Augsburg Confession, that we poor sinners are justified before God and saved alone by faith in Christ,"
It should be clearly understood that no one is talking past the other. UOJ promoters such as yourself are teaching a new Gospel when you state, "The Gospel is an announcement of what God has done for the world in Christ. What has he done? Forgiven all their sins."
In contrast to your false gospel are the Lutheran Confessions
http://www.bookofconcord.org/defense_10_repentance.php
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?...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.
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."
In response to Brett Meyer,
Thank you for sharing The Word with the readers. The bank account analogy is another example that I have read and heard. Also Brett, I had a comment concerning the Christ Light Series earlier this week. I would be grateful if you or GJ could address the issue. I listed examples and wording straight from the teachers guide.
In Christ,
from WELS church lady
What a joy to return to this site and see on so many places how the sound Lutherans are getting "straight on" to UOJ, and with such god glorifying precision.
Excellently written Brett, God be praised !
In Jesus' name, Amen.
WELS Church lady, I couldn't find your quote of the Christ Light Series. I did read their confession on this page,
http://www.nph.net/cgi-bin/site.pl?servingyou/books/christlight
I didn't see anything wrong in the statements other than this quote, "The gospel teaches us the good news of God’s grace and mercy. It proclaims that God in love sent Jesus to take away the sins of all people and that everyone who believes in Jesus has eternal life and salvation" This is the WELS Lite version of UOJ in that the forgiveness of sins is not related to faith. UOJ faith brings salvation while the whole worlds sins have been forgiven. It's the common WELS presentation of justification. Unless pressed to make a confession the majority of WELS pastors and teachers will only talk about their version of Subjective Justification and pass it off as the entire doctrine.
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