Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Built of Straw (Stroh)":
I agree whole-heartedly that sound doctrine is revealed by the Holy Spirit through the word, and not deduced by logic. Either one of us grossly misreads scripture or you misunderstand the teaching of objective justification. No pastor or teacher I have ever learned from has taught that we are justified without believing. What is taught is that Christ died once for all and that when an individual comes to saving faith he possesses the security of salvation. Faith does not justify a believer, but faith is the means through which Christ's righteousness is attributed to him in the eyes of God. Faith is the organ which receives the benefits of Christ's sacrifice. Faith in and of itself does nothing. The object of my faith, namely Christ, does everything.
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GJ - The readership cannot depend on what an anonymous writer claims. I have to rely on the published false doctrine of WELS, Missouri, the ELS, and the micro-sects. They all teach that the entire world has been justified, declared forgiven, without faith. That is the essence of Universal Objective Justification. The UOJ opinion--which is not Christian doctrine--is Enthusiasm, just like Receptionism and Church Growth.
Notice how the Walther Pietism wing has engaged in aggressive persecution by promoting UOJ, Church Growth, and Receptionism.
As Robert Preus.1 said in 1987 or so, UOJ is not the Atonement. Robert Preus.2 affirmed that there is no justification apart from faith, no forgiveness apart from faith.
People defend UOJ by immediately attacking faith. They should read the faith chapter, Romans 4, and its climax in Romans 5:1-2.
The purpose of John's Gospel is to create faith through the power of the Word.
KJV John 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
The wrath of God remains on those who do not believe:
KJV John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Basic Tenets of UOJ Denied":
GJ- do you agree or disagree with anonymous? All you have stated is that you accuse based on "official" published documents of poorly-worded explanations of UOJ. What say ye to Anonoymous?
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GJ - I have written a book, which makes UOJ and CG Stormtroopers foam at the mouth. And I put my name on it too. I do not have to sneak around posting anonymously. That says a lot about the UOJ-Shrinker crowd.
Stay tuned for the next books or articles on this topic.
18 comments:
What is your response to the statement that Christ died once for all people and by through faith righteousness is attributed to them. Take into account that all are born under the curse of original sin and therefore all people (you and I included) are naturally hostile to God.
Nowhere in all my WELS education have I ever been taught that anyone is justified without faith. What I do hold as a precious truth is that Christ's one time sacrifice is valid for all people, "Jew and Gentile" alike. The blessings of that sacrifice are received through faith, but before I was ever conceived my justification existed. By faith I received my personal declaration of forgiveness based solely on the merit of Christ and the grace of God and am certain of my justified state.
GJ- do you agree or disagree with anonymous? All you have stated is that you accuse based on "official" published documents of poorly-worded explanations of UOJ. What say ye to Anonoymous?
Why does Christ need to save the holy? If a person is already holy what need does he have for a Savior?
Anonymous states, "No pastor or teacher I have ever learned from has taught that we are justified without believing."
WELS quotes promoting UOJ in Mark Zarlings paper, Stand in Awe of Justification. (former WELS MLC president)
“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
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
http://www.wlsessays.net/files/ZarlingJustification.pdf
Quotes from WELS AZ/CA District President Pastor Jon Buchholz at the 2005 WELS Convention:
"Since the term objective justification is found neither in Scripture nor in the Lutheran confessions, we can understand the term correctly as referring to the justification of the entire world."
"Jesus then offered his innocent life as the payment (atonement) for the guilt of sinners. In this great transaction that took place on the cross, God removed the guilt of the world’s sin and replaced it with the righteousness of Christ."
"Here is the legal or juridical nature of justification, revealed at Calvary. The change does not take place in the sinner. The change takes place in the relationship or the status between a sinner and God.2 A verdict has been rendered, which declares man free of sin and guilt, righteous in God’s sight, and worthy of eternal life, for Jesus’ sake."
Confessions reject his view by stating: 80] AAC That We Obtain The Remission of Sins By Faith Alone In Christ, "The wrath of God cannot be appeased if we set against it our own works, because Christ has been set forth as a Propitiator, so that, for His sake, the Father may become reconciled to us. But Christ is not apprehended as a Mediator except by faith. Therefore, by faith alone we obtain remission of sins when we comfort our hearts with confidence in the mercy promised for Christ's sake."
http://www.bookofconcord.org/defense_4_justification.php
For an example of the blasphemous contradictions the false doctrine of UOJ creates here are additional quotes from WELS AZ/CA District President Pastor Jon Buchholz:
"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 forgiven all sins, but the unbeliever rejects God’s forgiveness." Again, this statement is true—and Luther employed similar terminology to press the point of Christ’s completed work of salvation.16 But we must also recognize that Scripture doesn’t speak this way."
"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. "
The Lutheran Book of Concord rejects and condemns this confession of faith, "Faith does not justify a believer." And, "Faith in and of itself does nothing."
BOC: 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?…" http://www.bookofconcord.org/defense_10_repentance.php
BOC: 64] But since we speak of such faith as is not an idle thought, but of that which liberates from death and produces a new life in hearts [which is such a new light, life, and force in the heart as to renew our heart, mind, and spirit, makes new men of us and new creatures,] and is the work of the Holy Ghost; this does not coexist with mortal sin [for how can light and darkness coexist?]
BOC 67] "Faith cometh by hearing. And proof can be derived even from this that faith justifies, because, if justification occurs only through the Word, and the Word is apprehended only by faith, it follows that faith justifies."
BOC: 71] 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,
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, That Faith in Christ Justifies. http://www.bookofconcord.org/defense_4_justification.php
Here Luther confirms Justification by faith alone, rejecting your confession of UOJ and perversion of the Holy Spirit's faith worked in man through Word and Baptism alone.
Luther on Faith:
12. As before said, they regard faith of slight importance; for they do not understand that it is our sole justifier. 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.
Cont...
Cont...
15. ...You see how they make faith of no value to themselves, and so must regard as heresy all doctrine based upon it. Thus they do away with the whole Gospel. These are they who deny the Christian faith and exterminate it from the world. Paul prophesied concerning them when he said (1 Tim 4, 1): "In later times some shall fall away from the faith." The voice of faith is now silenced all over the world. Indeed, faith is condemned and banished as the worst heresy, and all who teach and endorse it are condemned with it. The Pope, the bishops, charitable institutions, cloisters, high schools, unanimously opposed it for nearly four hundred years, and simply drove the world violently into hell. Their conduct is the real persecution by Antichrist, in the last times.
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.
29. You cannot extricate yourself from unbelief, nor can the Law do it for you. All your works in intended fulfilment of the Law must remain works of the Law and powerless to justify in the sight of God, who regards as just only believing children.
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
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.
http://www.trinitylutheranms.org/MartinLuther/MLSermons/Galatians4_1_7.html
Martin Luther’s quotes from his Commentary On Galatians declaring Scriptural doctrine concerning faith and destroying UOJ's false gospel and perversion of faith,
“In the sight of God, Abraham was a condemned sinner. That he was justified before God was not due to his own exertions, but due to his faith.” Verse 6
“The faith of the fathers in the Old Testament era, and our faith in the New Testament are one and the same faith in Christ Jesus, although times and conditions may differ.” Verse 6
“Are you surprised that reason thinks little of faith? Reason thinks it ludicrous that faith should be the foremost service any person can render unto God.” Verse 6
"The Scriptures ascribe no righteousness to Abraham except through faith." Verse 8
“Paul means to imply the contrast that all nations are accursed without faith in Christ.” Verse 9
“Paul goes on to prove from this quotation out of the Book of Deuteronomy that all men who are under the Law are under the sentence of sin, of the wrath of God, and of everlasting death.” Verse 10
“For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse. The curse of God is like a flood that swallows everything that is not of faith. To avoid the curse we must hold on to the promise of the blessing in Christ.” Verse10
“I cannot tell you in words how criminal it is to seek righteousness before God without faith in Christ” Verse 10
“In observing the Law for the purpose of obtaining righteousness without faith in Christ these law workers go smack against the Law and against God. They deny the righteousness of God, His mercy, and His promises. They deny Christ and all His benefits.” Verse 10
“By faith Christ changes places with us. He gets our sins, we get His holiness.” Verse 13
“By faith alone can we become righteous, for faith invests us with the sinlessness of Christ.” Verse 13
http://www.bibleteacher.org/luthercom_3.htm
Thank you for the wall o' text.
Here is a more complete quote from Zarling's paper:
"In Jesus, God has declared the entire world righteous and forgiven, regardless of whether or not the world believes it. Such is the jewel described by objective, universal, or general justification.
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. This personal appropriation is sometimes called "subjective justification" or "individual justification." Perhaps we can keep objective and subjective justification in perspective if we think in terms of the Creed. Objective justification is really the result of Christ's work, and therefore belongs in the Second Article. John Schaller says, "The evangelical preacher will remember that this justification must be the main theme of all Easter sermons, and the Christian teacher in general will recognize that the doctrine of justification is basically and primarily taught in the second article of the Creed!" (emphasis original)6 The individual's appropriation of this truth is a gift of God the Holy Spirit working through the Means of Grace."
So the question then is did Christ die for the sins of all people? You seem to want to deny that.
Dan, please quote where I've denied or implied denying that Christ died for the sins of all people. I don't think you carefully read through the wall of text.
To address your question:
Yes, Christ died and paid for the sins of all people. Isaiah 53:6, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."
I also confess that God would have all men come to faith and be saved. John 1:7, "The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe." John 3:17, "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."
You quote Zarling's statement, "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." Zarling applies this to the whole unbelieving world. According to him and UOJ the whole unbeleiving world is righteous in God's sight. How can they be righteous unless they have recieved the blood of the Lamb? How can unbelievers recieve Christ's blood without being condemned? This is the correlation between Holy Communion received without faith and UOJ. In Holy Communion those receiving Christ's blood without faith are condemned. In UOJ those receiving Christ's blood without faith are forgiven of all sin, justified, righteous and at peace with God.
Philippians 3:9, "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:"
UOJ states Christ righteousness has been given to the whole unbelieving world. The Scripture passage above states righteousness is only by faith in Christ.
The official UOJ line is that all are truly justified, but one doesn't actually "benefit" from that justification unless one believes.
Bruce you're correct. UOJ promoters say that with a straight face. They say faith doesn't do anything but receive what was already declared to be true and that it doesn't create a change in man, declaring full justification complete for the entire unbelieving world. So by the defining aspects of UOJ it makes a complete mockery of Christ's righteousness and what it means to be Justified by Christ. God declares you justified but you're not and having Christ's righteousness before faith and all the benefits of His righteousness given to you but unless you believe it His righteousness doesn't do you any good. Aaargh! Such blasphemy, making Christ's righteousness ineffectual and His payment for all sins insufficient to pay for the sin of unbelief. We were all born in unbelief. UOJ actually teaches that no one will be saved since we're all born in unbelief and Christ didn't die for the sin of unbelief we're all damned.
They say that without UOJ there's no comfort. I say because UOJ destroys the comfort of being declared by God to be Jusified in the blood of Christ that Christ is not in the false gospel of UOJ. Luther states the same when he confessed that justification is not a process, as UOJ makes it, but is instantaneous.
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
http://www.trinitylutheranms.org/MartinLuther/MLSermons
Now WAS the REAL Brett Meyer!
A Confessional Lutheran!
Hey Pastor GJ, I think you need a chapter titled, "Brett Meyer," In your new book.
And Brett, never stop sharing God's Word.
In Christ,
from WELS church lady
Faith itself does not create the change in a man. The object of faith, which is Christ, effects the change through the agency of the Holy Spirit. If you equate faith to justification then YOU have made Justification into a process. Faith varies from one person to another, some have stronger faith and some weaker. That does not mean that some are more justified than others. The way which you speak of faith turns it into a meritorious work by which we gain justification. This is not the case. As Jesus said on the cross, "It is finished." The work of justification was completed and is valid for all people. By the work of the Holy Spirit men are brought to faith and through faith they receive all the blessings of God.
Dan states, "Faith itself does not create the change in a man."
9] Concerning the righteousness of faith before God we believe, teach, and confess unanimously, in accordance with the comprehensive summary of our faith and confession presented above, that poor sinful man is justified before God, that is, absolved and declared free and exempt from all his sins, and from the sentence of well-deserved condemnation, and adopted into sonship and heirship of eternal life, without any merit or worth of our own, also without any preceding, present, or any subsequent works, out of pure grace, because of the sole merit, complete obedience, bitter suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord Christ alone, whose obedience is reckoned to us for righteousness. 10] These treasures are offered us by the Holy Ghost in the promise of the holy Gospel; and faith alone is the only means by which we lay hold upon, accept, and apply, and appropriate them to ourselves.
http://www.bookofconcord.org/sd-righteousness.php
Note here in the Lutheran Confessions that it's speaking of the righteousness of faith. Faith is righteousness. It is also the means by which the Holy Ghost causes a man to cling to the offer of the forgiveness of sins promised in the Gospel to all those who believe - have faith in Christ.
Also, 71] "but 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". http://www.bookofconcord.org/defense_4_justification.php
NOTE: It's important to acknowledge the BOC only sees Justification spoken of by Scripture in only two ways as noted above and not as UOJ falsely teaches objective and subjective.
Please scroll up and read the quotes of Luther on faith found in his essay on Galations. It completely destroys your view of faith and UOJ. Here's just one brief quote, "12. As before said, they regard faith of slight importance; for they do not understand that it is our sole justifier. 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."
Cont...
Cont...
Dan states, "The way which you speak of faith turns it into a meritorious work by which we gain justification."
For you to state that if faith does anything it becomes a work of man is to believe that faith is from man and not soley a gift of grace from the Holy Spirit. You are wrong in your confession concerning faith. I confess that faith is a meritorious gift of the Holy Spirit. Not of man. Since the gift of faith is by the grace of the Holy Spirit it can never be a work of man which would merit anything. But can be and is the gift of the Holy Spirit which obtains Christ as mediator between God and man. Changes man from an unjust and condemned person to a just and saved person through trust in the atonement of Christ.
Your view of faith rejects the Lutheran Confessions when they state:
64] But since we speak of such faith as is not an idle thought, but of that which liberates from death and produces a new life in hearts [which is such a new light, life, and force in the heart as to renew our heart, mind, and spirit, makes new men of us and new creatures,] and is the work of the Holy Ghost; this does not coexist with mortal sin [for how can light and darkness coexist?] http://www.bookofconcord.org/defense_4_justification.php
This Confessional statement (for how can light and darkness coexist) touches on a point I made above. That is, UOJ distributes Christ's blood to the entire unbelieving world all without the Means of Grace. Your UOJ has God at peace with the entire unbelieving world while they exist in darkness. WELS' Siegbert W. Becker saw the same contradiction which caused him to say that God is both at peace with the unbelieving world and sees them as Justified and Righteous in Christ's blood and curses the unbelieving world for their sins which he holds against them.
You make a broad and unsubstantiated statement when you declare that Christ's statement from the cross, "It is finished!" means "The work of justification was completed and is valid for all people" I would defer to the contradictory statements of WELS DP Buchholz when he states, "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."
For those in the Lutheran churches who are orthodox Lutherans by holding a quia subscription to the Confessions here is a continuation of the quote above which declares the righteousness of faith and rejects the false gospel of UOJ and it's perversion of the Holy Spirit's faith given to and strengthened in men through the Means of Grace:
10] These treasures are offered us by the Holy Ghost in the promise of the holy Gospel; and faith alone is the only means by which we lay hold upon, accept, and apply, and appropriate them to ourselves. 11] This faith is a gift of God, by which we truly learn to know Christ, our Redeemer, in the Word of the Gospel, and trust in Him, that for the sake of His obedience alone we have the forgiveness of sins by grace, are regarded as godly and righteous by God the father, and are eternally saved. 12] Therefore it is considered and understood to be the same thing when Paul says that we are justified by faith, Rom. 3, 28, or that faith is counted to us for righteousness, Rom. 4, 5, and when he says that we are made righteous by the obedience of One, Rom. 5, 19, or that by the righteousness of One justification of faith came to all men, Rom. 5, 18. 13] For faith justifies, not for this cause and reason that it is so good a work and so fair a virtue, but because it lays hold of and accepts the merit of Christ in the promise of the holy Gospel; for this must be applied and appropriated to us by faith, if we are to be justified thereby. 14] Therefore the righteousness which is imputed to faith or to the believer out of pure grace is the obedience, suffering, and resurrection of Christ, since He has made satisfaction for us to the Law, and paid for [expiated] our sins. 15] For since Christ is not man alone, but God and man in one undivided person, He was as little subject to the Law, because He is the Lord of the Law, as He had to suffer and die as far as His person is concerned. For this reason, then, His obedience, not only in suffering and dying, but also in this, that He in our stead was voluntarily made under the Law, and fulfilled it by this obedience, is imputed to us for righteousness, so that, on account of this complete obedience, which He rendered His heavenly Father for us, by doing and suffering, in living and dying, God forgives our sins, regards us as godly and righteous, and eternally saves us. 16] This righteousness is offered us by the Holy Ghost through the Gospel and in the Sacraments, and is applied, appropriated, and received through faith, whence believers have reconciliation with God, forgiveness of sins, the grace of God sonship, and heirship of eternal life.
17] Accordingly, the word justify here means to declare righteous and free from sins, and to absolve one from eternal punishment for the sake of Christ's righteousness, which is imputed by God to faith, Phil. 3, 9. For this use and understanding of this word is common in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament. Prov. 17, 15: He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the Lord. Is. 5, 23: Woe unto them which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! Rom. 8, 33: Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth, that is, absolves from sins and acquits.
http://www.bookofconcord.org/sd-righteousness.php
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