The Gospel in the Means of Grace

The Feeding of the 5,000, by Norma Boeckler, answers a basic question about Holy Communion.

The Means of Grace are central for historic Christianity. The Instruments of Grace were perverted in the Middle Ages, but no one denied them or turned them into ordinances (empty symbols to be obeyed, as a witness to others) until the 16th century.

To baptize babies and commune the faithful, for 16 centuries, is quite an argument against the Zwinglians - who are so admired by the Church and Changers in WELS, the UsFirst zanies in the LCMS.

If someone's concept of justification is wrong, the Means of Grace will mean little or confuse people instead of providing hope and comfort.

The Means of Grace are properly described as the Visible Word. The Means convey Christ and His grace to us, the Holy Spirit at work in the Word. As Luther observed, not only do we meet Christ but Christ also meets us through the Means of Grace. We are changed by this meeting with the King of Kings.

If people claim they are already forgiven, without faith, what is the purpose of the Means of Grace? No wonder the first move of the Changers is to get rid of Holy Communion, to hide it away, lest the anti-Sacrament Zwinglians be offended. Instead of reaching out with the Gospel, as the Changers claim, these sniveling cowards of the cloth hide it away. Their glittering vices are so much more appealing and entertaining than the Means of Grace.

Oh my, infant baptism is so time consuming during a service. Why bother people with something so ordinary. The Changers move it off-stage, the original meaning of obscene in Greek, when murders and other unsavory things were moved away from the drama. Or they do Happy Idiot baptisms, where the baby is paraded around for the ooze and aahs of the congregation.

As Kurt Marquart protested, Christians are missing out in their own miracle services. The Sacraments are miracles. The Word consecrates ordinary elements so that the faithful receive the Body and Blood of Christ with the bread and wine. Holy Baptism converts a baby with the Gospel Word.

How can Christ give His body and blood to so many people over the centuries? Human wisdom stumbles at this great mystery, revealed by the Holy Spirit. Then it stumbles at the Two Natures of Christ. Next the Trinity. And soon the Bible is just a handy book for coaching people in how to be successful in life.

For those who believe in the Word, the Feeding of the 5,000 illustrates how the divine and efficacious power of the Word can consecrate and multiply beyond all human comprehension.

6. Human reason, though it ponder,
Cannot fathom this great wonder
That Christ's body e'er remaineth
Though it countless souls sustaineth,
And that He His blood is giving
With the wine we are receiving.
These great mysteries unsounded
Are by God alone expounded.

Hymn #305
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Rev. 19: 8
Author: Johann Franck, 1649
Translated by: Catherine Winkworth, 1858, alt.
Titled: "Schmuecke dich, o liebe Seele"
Composer: Johann Crueger, 1649
Tune: "Schmuecke dich"

Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Trinity

Jesus heals the ruler's daughter.

The Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Trinity

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Time

The Hymn #  281     The Savior Calls               1:29

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual       

The Gospel              

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed             p. 22

The Sermon Hymn # 531            Come ye Disconsolate            1:15

 Faith and Miracles

The Communion Hymn #   157            There Is a Fountain            1:58

The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #  511     Jesus Shall Reign                1:80

            [Hymn numbers verified by Arthur Anderson, CPA]

KJV Colossians 1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; 12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

KJV Matthew 9:18 While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. 19 And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples. 20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: 21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. 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. 23 And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, 24 He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. 25 But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. 26 And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.

Twenty-Fourth Sunday After Trinity

O almighty and everlasting God, who by Thy Son hast promised us forgiveness of our sins and deliverance from eternal death: We pray that by Thy Holy Spirit Thou wilt daily increase our faith in Thy grace through Christ, and establish us in the certain hope that we shall not die, but peacefully sleep, and be raised again on the last day to eternal life and salvation; through our Lord, Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

 Faith and Miracles

Many people believed in Christ because of His teaching and His miracles. When the Christian faith was being established, Jesus and the apostles performed miracles with teaching God’s Word. Each one supported the other.

Because people trusted in Christ’s power and mercy, they were drawn to Him and asked Him to help them in their distress.

The two miracles presented show a feature that can be found in the Gospels. A story begins, is interrupted by a second story, then concludes. The stories relate to each other, as shown in this lesson.

In the first miracle, a ruler of the synagogue asked Jesus in faith to heal his daughter, who was already dead. The position of this man tells us a lot about the spread of Christianity in the early decades after His resurrection.

The ruler of the synagogue was a man of influence, so his faith in Christ certainly spread to others, especially because of this miracle. The next stage, as Jesus predicted in John, was having all Christians thrown out of the synagogues. That was the cross the early Jewish Christians had to bear. They were overjoyed at being witnesses to Christ, since each congregation began around a conversion or a miracle. They loved to tell their fellow Jews about it at the synagogue, which meant the fulfillment of everything they heard all their lives in the Law and Prophets. Their reward was being thrown out of the synagogue and cut off from friends and family.

Jesus began to follow the ruler to visit the daughter. As I have mentioned, each miracle has a slightly different point, so it was important for Jesus to be present this time, because it gave even more force to the miracle.

Along the way is the central miracle in this doublet. A woman with a flow of blood has faith in Jesus that He will heal her. Crowds followed and surrounded Him, and the disciples doubtless formed a ring around Him, to some extent. Simply asking Him for a miracle was daunting.

The flow of blood meant that the woman was ritually unclean for the last 12 years. That alone was a burden, but so was the trial of going to doctors and never getting better. Time and expense had meant nothing, so she was desperate.

Because of her great trust in Christ, she believed that touching His garment was enough to heal her.

Matthew 9:21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.

She trusted in His power and mercy. Jesus, omniscient, knew this as she approached, and even before. She utterly trusted in Him and touched His robe. He gave her the blessings she trusted would come from Him. She was healed at that moment and knew it.

Most people have probably had the experience of being given the right medicine and knowing at once that it was working. The woman might have crept away in the crowd, but Jesus called out to her, “Daughter. Be comforted, for your faith has made you whole again.” And she was healed (made whole) from that hour.

“Made whole” could also be translated “saved.” Your faith has saved you. And she was saved from that hour. In this context, the emphasis upon healing is preferred, but the two meanings are closely related.

She was forgiven her sins and given the blessing of good health again. All her friends and relatives, plus her doctors, knew of her misery for the last 12 years. Every single one had the chance to hear that Jesus healed her, that she believed in Him.

No doubt this miracle was the subject of discussion as the crowd moved toward the home of the synagogue leader. We can see why faith receives a double-emphasis in this doublet (or triptych – a central picture illustrated on each side with pictures related to the main one).

When they arrived at the house, the funeral proceedings had already started. Lenski explained the noise and commotion, since the family was prominent -

---

Lenski:

Matthew at once takes us to the house where the Jewish mourning is in full blast. Judging from the indications of time in this chapter, it must have been toward dusk, and the child would be buried the next morning. Matthew alone mentions the hired “flute players”; beside them would be found the hired wailing women with hair streaming, beating their breasts and filling the air with loud moans and bursts of sobs. The prominence of the family would call for a goodly number of these hired mourners. Besides there would be present many friends of this important family. The whole house was thus full of noise. Paid mourners were professionals at the business, and the custom of having them in houses of mourning and at funerals dates far back, even beyond the times of Jeremiah (9:17), and is found among Jews and pagans alike. Naturally, Jesus would order these people out and hush them; a deed such as he was about to do called for the decency and the dignity of silence.

24) The word with which Jesus put out the noisy crowd has sometimes been misunderstood as though it implied that the girl had merely lapsed into a coma and appeared to be dead while still holding to life. “Did not die” is taken to deny the death, and “sleepeth” is understood to refer to sleep. But the people who were ordered out of the room knew better; from their loud wailing they turned to scornful laughter at this word of Jesus, sie lachten ihn aus.

^[1]Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of St. Matthew's Gospel. Minneapolis, MN. : Augsburg Publishing House, 1961, S. 375

---

The large group of mourners and musicians were ordered out. They laughed at Jesus for saying the girl was not dead, because they knew better from experience. This alone is a good lesson for us all. We may have all the facts and have many decades of experience, but God is not limited by anything we know. The facts and our wisdom go out the window when the efficacious Word of God changes the picture.

And do we imagine that the world goes on, based on natural principles alone, without God’s intervention? People should not expect the tinkling of bells with every miracle and a golden glow around certain heads (It’s a Wonderful Life, Going My Way, The Bells of St. Mary’s). God is constantly ordering the world around us. If not, we would quickly run it into the ground, even with massive recycling efforts.

Secular government and the Christian church provide outward manifestations of God’s order, but He works constantly through His Word and His angels to guide and protect us. Anyone with children should believe in angels, because God clearly preserves them from an infinite number of accidents and follies. Our friend had his little girl wander out into heavy traffic. She was not scared, she said, “Because the cars all swerved around me.” Her logic was irrefutable. How can a child fear a car when it swerves so adroitly?

KJV Matthew 9:25 But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.

He made this miracle private, but it soon became public. He took the little girl by the hand and she arose, alive and healthy again.

--

Lenski:

Here we again have marked abbreviation. Nothing is said about the five witnesses who were admitted to the death chamber, the word spoken to the girl, the resulting amazement, and other details found in Mark and in Luke. Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of St. Matthew's Gospel. Minneapolis, MN. : Augsburg Publishing House, 1961, S. 376

--

KJV Matthew 9:26 And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.

This miracle is told in the first three Gospels, with the details varying somewhat. In collusion, the same story is told verbatim. When people lie, they contradict each other. In the synoptics, the details vary without contradiction. To get a measure of this difficulty, multiply this story by all the others in two, three, or four Gospels. And yet, they remain in agreement with each other.

Specialists in evidence have never been able to refute the truth of the Gospels. The best anyone can do is to say, “I do not believe this or that…” Indeed, they do not believe. Their eyes are blinded by their own obstinacy, and the more they reject it, the blinder they become.

In this case, the dead girl did not have faith, which illustrates two points in God’s Word. The first is her father’s faith. He asked on her behalf, in faith, and his prayer was answered. Prayer is the fruit of faith in Christ. There can be no prayer until one believes, and that faith is planted in our hearts by the Word of the Gospel.

Secondly, this healing shows that God’s Word acts upon all those who are dead to sin and makes them alive in Him. God does not meet the individual half-way. God does not make a deal with a person, that He will do something and the mortal will complete the transaction or do his part.

God acts upon the person with His Word. In this case, Jesus spoke to the young girl, and His effective Word raised her from the dead, without her will or consent or decision.

Thus all faithful teachers and preachers trust that the Gospel Word will act upon people with His divine power, not needing human gimmicks or adornment. Wherever the Gospel is preached, faith is begun and renewed, sins are forgiven, prodigal sons return, the spiritually dead are raised, and eternal life springs up.

Quotations

Chrysostom:  "If those who touched the hem of His garment were properly healed, how much more shall we be strengthened if we have Him in us whole?  He will quiet in us the savage law of our members, He will quench the perturbations of the mind, drive out all sicknesses, raise us up from every fall, and, when the power of the enemy has been overcome, He will incite us to true piety and indeed will transform us into His own image."             Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer, St. Louis:  Concordia Publishing House, 1986, II,  p. 234.     
            

"The body of Christ is to the sick a medicine, to pilgrims a way; it strengthens the weak, delights the strong, heals weariness, preserves health. Through it man becomes more gentle under reproof, more patient under labor, more ardent for love, wiser for caution, more ready to obey, more devoted to giving of thanks."            Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer, St. Louis:  Concordia Publishing House, 1986, II,  p. 234.      
          

[Ignatius calls the Eucharist] "a medicine of immortality, an antidote, that we may not die but live in God through Jesus Christ, a cleansing remedy through warding off and driving out evils." Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer, St. Louis:  Concordia Publishing House, 1986, II,  p. 234.

Fox Valley Mega-School

rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "Plan focuses on regional Lutheran elementary schoo...":

This ill-fated potential construction project is a variation of masonry evangelism. This also could be stated as the Field of Dreams model - if you build it, they will come. In a simpler time, I was on the General Board of an ALHS. One time at a meeting, the principal was asked how they obtained their prediction for future class sizes. His reply was to simply look at the combined total number at each grade level for all of the schools in the HS federation. Then, calculate 80% of that. This calculation was fairly accurate, based upon its historical success. That was in a simpler time, when congregations and schools were there to serve the members, first and foremost.

Since then, the WELS has become missional. They are reaching out to the community. Like any growth model that does not rely upon past efforts, the results can be varied and unpredictable.
"take a look at the kids they have to work with" This comment is spot on. When the above mentioned ALHS brought on a development director, their aim was to purposely reach out to non-federation families. When I found out about the starry-eyed outreach methods, I said to my beloved wife, "there goes the quality control program". I guess that it would be unloving to say that children from blended families do not deserve better than government school education.

I thought that I would never say this. But, I wonder if the congregation sponsored school, in its present form, is an idea whose day has come and gone.

Please take note where this proposed amalgamation is to take place. It is in the armpit of the WELS, the Fox Valley region. Pardon my crassness, but this armpit could use a little deodorant. It sure has been stinkin' lately.

---

GJ - Labels can be description or deceptive. The "missional" or outreach label can be a smokescreen for local employment agency. Since the school has such noble aims--dabbing my eyes for effect--the congregations have to donate extra money for doing the Lord's work.

In another region, a congregation's alleged parochial school is limited to pre-school and kindergarten, with 90% of the toddlers from non-members. Therefore it is not a school and not parochial, even though the congregation heavily subsidizes it. The outfit is a Day-Care Employment Agency for the Right People. Money is transferred from the parents and congregation to those who get to work for the Day-Care.

Since the news story involves Fox Valley, one can expect the Changers to get involved in raising money for huge fees, crowing about their success, and getting even more involved in the congregation's finances.

Now that a Confessional Lutheran is SP of WELS, a Gordon Conwell DMin can run a WELS seminary with founding Church and Change on his resume. Who is that? Witte, another fox from Fox Valley.

Who is the enabler? SP Mark Schroeder.

---

rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "Fox Valley Mega-School":

Criticizing institutional day care is akin to stepping on the third rail in today's culture. When I first heard that some WELS congregations had full time day care, I got that queasy feeling associated with such risky endeavors. As expected, the first argument that I heard for it was its potential as a mission arm for the congregation. Do not forget, MLC is going to be offering a pre-school/day-care track, besides the the pastor and teacher tracks.

The employment aspect of this exemplifies the in-grouping that is so rampant in the WELS. At my previous WELS congregation, a pastor's wife was called to a full time position as the day care director, when it was opened.

There are many legal and logistical concerns with operating a day care facility. In a typical K-8 LES, the school mostly has to comply with local ordinances which are limited to the physical property. They may also be some loose state guidelines for the teachers and the curriculum.

This is not the case with day care. We found this out many years ago when my wife was investigating what was involved to do licensed, in-home day care. Here is a dirty little secret. There is an underground economy centered around unlicensed, in-home day care. It involves providers who are willing to accept cash, "off the books", and parents who will not deduct the expense from their income taxes. It is all quasi-legal, as the laws about this are somewhat nebulous.

Now, bring the institutional day care center into the scene. Their hours and fee structure are very rigid. They appeal to families with two full time incomes, who get to deduct part of the cost from their income taxes. Here is an ethical question. Like the Latte Lutheran churches which operate coffee shops, is it proper for a congregation to run a heavily subsidized day care center that competes with others like it?

In a consumer oriented society, dual income parents shop for day care, like anything else that they purchase. Can we expect "mission creep" (pun intended) that users of a church operated day care will somehow become members after merely purchasing what they deem to be the best value in surrogate care for their child? I surmise that the best argument offered would be that with God, all things are possible.

200,000 Page Reads since June, 2010:These Are the Most Popular in the Previous 30 Days

Bible Babes Jul 31, 2010, 3 comments  - 448 Pageviews

All Time Favorite Posts - Since New Stats Began - ... Sep 23, 2010 -  446 Pageviews

WELS and Mormonism Nov 30, 2007, 5 comments  - 398 Pageviews

WELS Martin Luther College Will Close: Pastor Trac... Oct 17, 2010, 28 comments  - 238 Pageviews

St. Peter, Freedom, Wisconsin. Letter to WELS Offi... Nov 2, 2010, 5 comments  - 179 Pageviews

Margaret Sanger, KKK, and Thrivent Sing from the S... Dec 1, 2009, 4 comments - 155 Pageviews

Vicki Gunvalson in Hospital Oct 29, 2010 140 Pageviews

St. Peter, Freedom, Wisconsin. Letter to WELS Offi... Nov 1, 2010, 5 comments - 119 Pageviews

St. Peter, Freedom, Wisconsin. Letter to WELS Offi... Nov 1, 2010  - 114 Pageviews

Recycled UOJ Barf Apr 5, 2010, 6 comments -  89 Pageviews

Plan focuses on regional Lutheran elementary school for three existing church schools: Trinity Lutheran in Kaukauna, St. John's in Wrightstown and St. Paul's and St. Mark in Green Bay | postcrescent.com | Appleton Post Crescent

Plan focuses on regional Lutheran elementary school for three existing church schools: Trinity Lutheran in Kaukauna, St. John's in Wrightstown and St. Paul's and St. Mark in Green Bay | postcrescent.com | Appleton Post Crescent


Comment from LutherQuest (sic) - "Notice that all three are feeders for Fox Valley Lutheran High School. Fox Valley has been hurting for students as a result of the decline and closure of local elementary schools from the surrounding region. This decline is unescapable (sic), since baptism figures from while back tend to make each succeeding class size smaller than the previous. Fox Valley has made up for the loss in part by attracting foreign students, about 50-60 at any given time. Although they don't have a dormatory (sic), they've used the congregational support networks to find enough host families to take them in."

GREEN BAY — Several local Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod congregations may close their elementary schools to open a regional building.

The churches — Trinity Lutheran in Kaukauna, St. John's in Wrightstown, St. Paul's in Green Bay and St. Mark in De Pere— have met with members to discuss the possibility of closing their church schools to open one that would serve pre-kindergarten to grade 8.

Additional information

These links will open in a new window:
♦ Report: Favre admits leaving voicemails to ex-game hostess
♦ Photos: Can you help these pets find a home?
♦ Official hopes show spurs volunteering
♦ Sign up for news, weather and sports text alerts.

If the plan gets the go-ahead, Bock expects fundraising to take about a year with another year or so for engineering and construction. A new school could be open for the 2013-14 school year, he said, and the other schools would close.

"We want it to come across as a positive thing," said St. Mark Principal Jeremy Bock. "We can combine our resources to create a better school."

Combining resources could allow the school to hire a special education teacher or start music programs or programming for gifted and talented students, he said.
"Church schools are just too small to do some of those things, but that's what parents are looking for," Bock said.

The new regional school would sit on an independent campus and would not be tied to any congregation, nor would it be limited to just Wisconsin Synod, or WELS, families. Busing would be available.

A planning committee has pinpointed five potential sites: one along U.S. 41 and Brown County S, one along 41 near the Wrightstown exit, and three on a southern stretch of Lawrence Drive.

About a year ago, a group of pastors, teachers, laypeople and representatives of the Fox Valley Lutheran federation began meeting to discuss new ways to provide Christian education, Bock said. Fox Valley Lutheran High School in Appleton serves as the WELS secondary school for elementary schools in the Fox Valley and Green Bay areas.

"We're really looking for a new way to provide Christian education," Bock said.


Patti Zarling writes for the Green Bay Press-Gazette.



Read more: http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20101025/APC0903/310250130/Plan-focuses-on-regional-Lutheran-elementary-school-for-three-existing-church-schools-Trinity-Lutheran-in-Kaukauna-St-John-s-in-Wrightstown-and-St-Paul-s-and-St-Mark-in-Green-Bay#ixzz15scwKVJc

Biblical Concepts in the Lutheran Confessions Guard Against Doctrinal Error

Norma Boeckler's art can be viewed here.

First of all, the Lutheran Confessions begin with the Three Ecumenical Creeds, showing that the doctrine confessed in the Book of Concord is the historic Christian faith, not the opinions of a sect or cult. The Book of Concord is our treasure of God's wisdom, always relevant for Christians today, especially in these days of confusion and apostasy.

The Two Natures of Christ - Chemnitz wrote a masterpiece on this topic. The fundamental error of Calvin is his rationalistic confusion about the Two Natures. By teaching that the "finite cannot contain the Infinite," Calvin taught against the Real Presence in Holy Communion and also against the Two Natures. This rationalism erodes the doctrine of Calvin and turns it into Unitarianism.

Justification by Faith. By adding works as a requirement for salvation, the Church of Rome overturned the Gospel and turned Christ into Moses, Moses into the Savior, as Luther wrote. This semi-Pelagian heresy fuels all the errors of Romanism and creeps into Protestant theology as well. Sects often demand faith plus some work of the Law, violating justification by faith alone, apart from the works of the Law.

Efficacy of the Word versus Enthusiasm. God gave us certainty by binding His Holy Spirit exclusively to the Word. Faithfulness to God's Word is success, so no God-pleasing result can come from abandoning faithfulness to Him. Increasing the impression of success by apostasy is shameful, damaging to the ministers and their laity victims, deadly to all. In contrast, the humblest and poorest congregation is doing God's will and will bear the Fruits of the Spirit from doctrinal fidelity alone. We are not to judge results, as if we can order God around, but we must judge doctrine and practice.

The Means of Grace and Prayer. Because God has bound Himself to His Word, His Grace comes to us only through the Means of Grace - the invisible Word of teaching and preaching, the visible Word of the Sacraments. Those who want God-pleasing results in abundance only need to sow the Gospel seed in abundance. With the Internet today, this is easily (but rarely) done. The Sacraments are the best form of the Gospel for the uninitiated because they can be taught about God's will in binding His Gospel of grace to visible Means. Those who are ashamed of the Sacraments and hide them from Sunday worship are really confessing that they are ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, distrusting His efficacious Word, and substituting man's gimmicks for God's wisdom.

Prayer is the fruit of salvation, not the cause of salvation. When people are confused about the Means of Grace, they imagine they can pray Jesus into their hearts instead of realizing that Christ enters through the Gospel. They fear they must qualify with the right kind and correct fervency of prayer or they will not be forgiven. Instead, they should have the comfort of God's grace based upon the objective truth of Christ's atoning death and His resurrection from the dead.

We condemn. To continue in God's doctrine, revealed in the inerrant Scriptures, we must also condemn false doctrine whenever and wherever found. The Confessions contain many examples of false doctrine condemned in no uncertain terms. If we cannot discern false doctrine and reject it with clarity and conviction, we cannot maintain sound doctrine. Even a lowly maggot can distinguish between diseased flesh and healthy flesh. Believers should be just as discerning about doctrine, because this means life and death for souls.

Seventh Day Adventists Agree with WELS Kokomo And LCMS Brief Statement:Same Biblical Passages Misconstrued

"Study your dog notes, son, and stay away from those irrelevant old books, like the Book of Concord."


Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Of Justification | The Lutheran Church - Missouri ...":

Not only do all Lutheran Synods confess the same false gospel of Universal Objective Justification but they are not alone.

The Seventh-Day Adventists also confess this same Universal Objective Justification
http://www.adventistbiblicalresearch.org/documents/Universal%20Justification.htm

---

Analysis of the Doctrine of
Universal "Legal" Justification

Larry J. Kane
Introduction

According to the 1888 Message Study Committee ("1888 MSC"), the 1888 message reveals many "fresh, beautiful truths . . . that are not usually understood today."[1] One such "truth" is the concept that Christ's death at the cross accomplished a legal or objective justification which is universally and unconditionally applied to all men.[2] This doctrine is said to derive from the observations that Christ has borne the sins of "all men" and has died the second death for "every man." It is viewed as the basis for the present life enjoyed by all men. This legal justification, also referred to as a corporate justification, is distinguished by its proponents from justification by faith, or "experiential" justification, and should not be taken to imply universal salvation wherein all men would be saved, some even against their will. The especial merit of such universal legal justification, as seen by the spokesmen for the 1888 MSC, is that it provides foundational proof and an earnest of the loving initiative taken by God to bring about man's salvation. When the full import of God's initiative on man's behalf is recognized, it is believed to be pivotal in galvanizing the sinner's complete devotion to, and saving faith in, Christ.

I. Examination of Key Scriptural Texts

A number of scriptural passages are cited as authority for the doctrine of universal or corporate legal justification.[3] This essay first summarizes an analysis of the pivotal scriptures and whether they support this tenet of the 1888 MSC. Later sections explore ancillary issues implicated by a universal or corporate legal justification, including the dimensions of justification by faith and the extent of God's initiative for the salvation of men.

Romans 3:23, 24
One of the cardinal rules of hermeneutics is that a scripture must be understood within the overall context in which it is found if the writer's intent is to be accurately discerned. The necessity of this principle lies in the fact that it is not usually possible to include all essential components of a proposition within one or two sentences. Often, several sentences or more are necessary to fully express the concept at issue. Moreover, more complex scriptural themes usually have many facets, not all of which are addressed within the immediate context of a statement on the matter. Thus, the more reliable approach for reaching a complete understanding of a particular proposition is to review all relevant statements from scripture which bear upon the issue.

These interpretative principles must be violated if Romans 3:23-24 is to be read as supportive or a universal justification, albeit only a "legal" justification. If one were to isolate these two verses from their surroundings, one might think the two could be linked directly so as to construe them to say that "since all have sinned, all are justified freely." This is apparently the view of the 1888 MSC.[4]

However, the immediate context of verses 23 and 24 is a passage extending from Romans 3:20-31 expounding upon the theme of righteousness by faith. The broader milieu spans back to the beginning of chapter 2 wherein Paul, in comparing Jews and Gentiles in relation to God and His judgment, concludes that both are in the same predicament. God, being "no respecter of persons,"[5] judges both by the same standard: by whether their deeds are righteous or unrighteous. Such being the case, the problem is succinctly stated in verses 10 and 23: "There is none righteous, no, not one." "For all have sinned."[6] Thus, Paul rightly observes in Romans 3:20 that no person (no "flesh") shall be justified before God by the deeds of the law. All have sinned and, consequently, are already condemned under the law.

It is at this point, beginning with verse 22, that Paul introduces his insightful summary of the plan of salvation: There is a righteousness of God arising from a source other than the keeping of the law, "even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe." This "righteousness by faith" is the direct, logical antecedent of the phrase "being justified freely by his grace" of verse 24. This justification, freely available through faith in Christ, stands in bold contrast to the unavailability of justification through observance of the law.

The mechanism by which the justification of verse 24 is freely provided is explained in the latter part of that verse and the following verse. It is the operation of grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus, which is achieved by the sacrifice of His life as a propitiation. Significantly, this propitiation is stated to be effective for the sinner only through faith in His blood (vs. 25). It is the sacrificial death of the sinless Christ, as guilty man's substitute, which fully satisfies the penalty of the law and thus demonstrates God's righteousness and justice in remitting the sins of the believer and justifying him (vss. 25, 26).

From this we see that verses 23 and 24 of Romans 3 are not closely linked in parallelism such that the justification of verse 24 would be freely given, implied, to the "all" who have been found to be sinful in verse 23, as is advocated by the 1888 MSC. Instead, verse 23 is obviously a continuation of the last phrase of verse 22 and the combined passage is seen to be a parenthetical statement to emphasize that the "all" of verse 22 to whom righteousness is made available through their belief in Christ encompasses both Jew and Gentile, "for there is no difference, for all"-both Jew and Gentile-"have sinned."

This parenthetical remark harkens back to Romans 3:9-18 wherein Paul emphatically states that the Jews possess no moral superiority over the Gentiles for they all are under sin, none are righteous. Because all men, of all races and creeds, have sinned under God's law, there is no one who can be justified by the deeds of the law (vs. 20).

Consequently, Paul wishes to leave no doubt that "the righteousness of God without the law . . . which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all . . . them that believe" is equally relevant and essential to all men of all persuasions, Jew and Greek, free and bond, man and woman. Thus, the parenthetical sentence is added to accentuate the universal need. Verse 24 returns to the theme of verses 21 and 22: the righteousness (or justification) of God which is made available by faith in and through Christ.[7]

Dr. E. J. Waggoner, one of the principal articulators of the original 1888 message, is quite lucid on the interrelationship between verse 24 and verses 21-22. He comments extensively on Romans 3 in his seminal work, Christ and His Righteousness.<[8] On page 61 of this work, Waggoner declares: "The scripture that we have just been considering (Rom. 3:24-26) is but another statement of verses 21, 22. . . ."[9]

Since Romans 3:21-22 unmistakably describe righteousness (justification) by faith, we have Waggoner's unequivocal conclusion that one is "justified freely" (vs. 24) by faith alone. Nowhere in his discussion does Waggoner propose that the justification of verse 24 is different from the justification elsewhere described in verses 22-26. In fact, as mentioned below, his conclusion is quite the opposite: There is only one justification, that of faith (and, we must say, that which embraces both objective and subjective aspects).

Throughout the entire passage in Romans 3:21-31, Paul repeatedly identifies the key qualification to justification: that it is "by faith" in the redeeming Christ. (See verse 22, "which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all . . . them that believe"; verse 25, "propitiation through faith in his [Christ's] blood"; verse 26, "that he [God] might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus"; verse 28, "we conclude that a man is justified by faith"; verse 30, "one God, . . . shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.") Clearly, in the face of this consistent theme, there are no grounds on which to contend that the justification of verse 24 has a basis other than faith.

Any assertion that the justification described in Romans 3:24 is a universal "legal" justification, imputed without condition of faith, is manifestly at odds with Dr. Waggoner's understanding. As described above, Waggoner observes that Romans 3:24-26 is "but another statement of verses 21, 22." Thus, the justification freely provided by God's grace is the "righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe." Commenting elsewhere on Romans 3, Waggoner further emphasizes this point in his declaration that the justification of verse 24 means "to be clothed within and without with the righteousness of God," that is, to encompass both the imputed and imparted righteousness of God, to include both objective and subjective justification.[10] Moreover, the verses cited by Waggoner to explain how justification is given "freely" unquestionably convey the conditionality of that provision. The gift, free through it may wonderfully be, still must be accepted by the recipient. He must respond to Christ's invitation of Revelation 22:17, "'Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.' That is, let him take it as a gift."

Romans 5:12-18
It is this passage, and specifically verse 18, that is relied upon most heavily by the 1888 MSC in support of the doctrine of a universal "legal" justification. Here again, the interpretation advocated by the 1888 MSC is not consistent with application of sound hermeneutic principles, including the understanding of a verse within its larger context.

Verse 18 reads as follows:

Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

This verse is construed by the 1888 MSC as teaching a universal legal justification on two grounds. For one, the structure of the verse is viewed as a perfect parallel: The judgment which came upon all men by Adam's sin is matched by the free gift which came upon all men unto justification of life through Christ's righteousness. As there is no exception with the former, so there can be no exception with the latter.[11] Second, that the gift unto justification is free is viewed by Waggoner as "evidence that there is no exception to its application.[12]

In beginning an analysis of Romans 5, one first must recognize that it is a continuation of the theme introduced in the third chapter, that is, righteousness by faith. As discussed above concerning Romans 3:23-24, the only justification presented in the third chapter is that which is accessed by faith in Christ and His sacrificial death. So begins the fifth chapter: "Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

ELCA Professor Benne Sees the Light

Unintended effects: —How the ELCA’S aim for unity fractured the church

Dr. Robert Benne

Dr. Robert Benne

In its 2009 Churchwide Assembly in August of 2009 the Evangelical Lutheran Church took the momentous step to allow for the blessing of gay and lesbian unions as well as for the ordination of gays and lesbians in partnered relationships. It was the first major confessional church to take those steps. In anticipation of much disagreement about its decisions, the church struck what it thought was a compromise so that we could “journey together faithfully” even though there was no consensus on these issues. The instrument for compromise was the “bound-conscience” doctrine. Realizing that we now had no authoritative teaching on homosexual conduct, the Sexuality Task Force proposed and the Assembly agreed that all of us respect each other’s “bound-conscience” on these matters as we went about the life of our church. Also, since the official line of the church was that these issues were not church-dividing anyway, we could live with such a settlement. (It was unexplained why the ELCA should be immune to the church-dividing nature of these issues when many churches in America and in the world were experiencing painful divisions over them. Indeed, the leaders of the ELCA mistakenly projected their own assessment on the church at large.)

Well, a funny thing happened on the way to the forum. Since there is now no authoritative teaching and since we can claim “bound-conscience” on whatever teaching we prefer, this means that each parish and ultimately each individual has to decide which teaching is normative for them. In one fell swoop the Assembly turned the ELCA into a collection of congregations and individuals.

What has happened is that the conflict that the Assembly could not or would not solve has been ratcheted down to each parish and finally to each individual. The “compromise” has become the occasion for some hard fighting. Some churches are leaving the ELCA out of their “bound conscience.” Each attempt to leave—even when successful—creates enormous tension and conflict. Even churches who had prepared their laity for the crisis still have many members who believed that, in spite of all, the congregation should remain in the ELCA.

Other churches are withholding their benevolence money from the regional Synod and the ELCA in response to the ELCA decisions. This, too, creates conflict between the members who agree with the local leaders’ decisions and those who believe the parish ought to support the ELCA in spite of or because of its decisions. Those same churches are often taking time to decide whether to leave or stay, which extends the difficulties. Still other churches are taking milder actions: articulating where they stand on these matters and often providing options for members to divert their benevolence monies into their preferred causes. One church has contrived a “bound-conscience” fund for those who wanted to keep their benevolence away from the ELCA. (The Assembly certainly did not anticipate this use of the doctrine!)

The so-called compromise also presses individuals to decide where they stand, which congregation they want to belong to, as well as where they want their pledges to go. So a game of musical chairs is going on among many laity as they try to match their convictions with that of a particular congregation. A goodly number moved to other denominational chairs when the music stopped in August. Others moved to Lutheran congregations that fit their “bound conscience.” Many are still in a quandary about what to do. This “church shopping” presses churches to decide where they stand, which also causes tension.

In the face of this widespread fracturing, a small portion of churches have embraced the decisions of the ELCA and are moving quickly toward openly blessing gay and lesbian unions and calling ordained gays and lesbians in partnered relationships. Some of those parishes have been engaging in those practices for a long time; others now have official permission to exercise their “bound conscience” by adopting them. Laypersons in the latter group who disagree with this agenda no doubt depart for other more “orthodox” churches.

A far larger number of churches—perhaps even the majority of parishes in the ELCA—try to duck the challenge. Their pastors or laypersons say: “this is not an issue in our parish,” which can mean a number of things. It can mean that the pastor and/or the majority in the church agree with the decisions of the ELCA but are not going to make a big thing about it. They will face the issues when they come up. It can also mean that the issue is not important enough to get steamed up about, which follows the ELCA lead by viewing these issues as non-church dividing. These congregations, too, will face the issue when they have to. In either case, pastors and laypersons who are disturbed by the changes in the ELCA have to decide whether they can “go along to get along” in those congregations. Some will keep quiet, others will protest or leave. The largest number of congregations for whom “this is not an issue” more likely hope that this will not become an issue because it could indeed be church-dividing. These congregations are sometimes in a fragile enough condition that a controversy over sexuality issues may well spell the doom of the parish. If they take a clear position pro or con on the Assembly decisions they will lose people. And they cannot afford that. Other parishes are doing pretty well and don’t want to upset the apple-cart by introducing controversial issues. These are generally orthodox in teaching and practice and intentionally distance themselves from the workings of the ELCA.

It is understandable why churches want to duck the issue, but I suspect in the long run they will not be able to do so. Laity are slowly awakening to what is happening and will raise inconvenient questions about the direction of the congregation, synod, and the national church to which they belong. Besides, they might be directly confronted with pairs asking to be blessed. Then they won’t be able to duck.

Given this account, at least two insights are relevant:

First, it is easy to sympathize with orthodox individuals and congregations who are struggling about what to do. They didn’t ask for this. Therefore, it is important for the time being to respect the various decisions that are being made by the orthodox. Each parish situation and each individual situation is different. Some parishes and individuals simply cannot leave at this time. But as the full consequences of the church’s decisions become more visible and concrete—changes in the teaching materials, the rites, and the composition of the clergy, the path ahead may become clearer. As groups such as the Lutheran Coalition for Renewal and Lutheran Churches in Mission for Christ become more viable ecclesial bodies than the ELCA itself, the inclination to leave may be more intense.

Second, the fall-out reveals the foolhardiness of changing doctrine and practice before there are compelling biblical and theological arguments for doing so. In deciding it had no authoritative teaching on homosexual conduct, the church tossed the problem to congregations and individuals to decide for themselves, which is a sure-fire formula for conflict. The authorities in the ELCA were warned repeatedly that this maneuver would lead to the fracturing of the church. That is precisely what is happening.

***

GJ - Did these people ever read The Lutheran? I wrote for the magazine and knew three of the editors, two of them senior editors - Stauderman and Trexler. I met with Stauderman in his Philly office and had a meeting with Trexler at a conference in Michigan. Trexler published an editorial in The ELCA Lutheran, about 23 years ago, saying, "We have been ordaining homosexuals for years." In other words, it was not a real point of contention.

The LCA lasted only 25 years, always bragging about how great it was. The quotas were well known before the merger, and they included minority, homosexual, lesbian, and female representation.

I wrote about this in the much-hated Christian News, simply astonished that no one in the LCA or ALC wanted to do anything except applaud the merger or sit on their hands.

WELS was very embarrassed that their new recruit would point out Wisconsin snuggling with the Lavender Mafia in ELCA. The Love Shack at 2929 could not get enough of joint projects with ELCA and Missouri - all the while deriding Missouri and ELCA for having no "fellowship principles."

WELS leads the way in promoting a Talmudic approach to fellowship, while outdoing the Pharisees in hypocrisy. They have the close relationship between unionism and doctrinal indifference wrong. Unionism is the result of doctrinal indifference, not the cause. The cure is not creating another set of phony rules to violate, as The Guilt Factory (formerly The Love Shack) does with aplomb.

The solution is doctrinal integrity based upon the Word and the Confessions. Those who love the efficacious Word and the Biblical definition of the Sacraments will not have any urge to worship with the Babtists (Stetzer and Stanley), the New Agers (Sweet), and the Pentecostals (C. Peter Wagner). Their getting away with it only proves that the Conference of Pussycats is comprised of apostates.

Englebrecht is bad? What has Buchholz done about Jeff Gunn? Nothing. I had to correct that. After the DP swore to defund and kick Gunn out, Rev. Jeff was put on the board of Willowcreek's Little College in Milwaukee - and almost hired there. In fact, two other members of the stealth congregation are on the board, making DoubleCross the most influential WELS parish in WELS, education-wise. Ain't that sumthun, as my Grandpappy used to say.

From many such baby steps of apostasy came ELCA.

Some Kind Words from LPC:

Why we need Dr. Ichabod

Dr. Ichabod is the type of author, blogger that keeps me sane in Lutherland. I am not kidding. Let me explain.

Prior to coming to Wittenberg, I was in a Lutheran list-group some 5 years ago or so, and in that list-group there was a free exchange of ideas. Some orthodox conservative, some confused, some liberal, some having denominational identity crises etc. The free flow of interaction there impressed me. I came away concluding, hmmm, these people are not cultic, they are not a bunch of fundamentalist fruit cakes, Lutherans are honest and willing to follow where evidence leads them. I am happy to be named like them. That is what I thought about Lutherans.

The presence of Dr. Ichabod says that there are brave Lutherans out there who are willing to follow where ever the evidence (as per God's Word) leads them. Because if I look at Internet Lutherland, minus Ichabod, I will come away getting the impression that this is some exclusive club of pastors that feather their own nest, not perhaps in terms of money, but in terms of influence, i.e. a clique and thus a cult. The mark of a cult is that dissenters are eliminated, they are marked and avoided. Also, if blogdom is an indication, I will get the impression that Lutherans are mindless-herd-following people, they got no one who checks where the herd is going.

You might disagree with Dr. Ichabod, but it will do you good to read him, even if his style does not conform to yours. Onion skinned folk need to thicken a bit when they wonder off his blog, for he pulls no punches. In the end, your friend is the one who loves you in truth, rather than the one who loves your feelings. In fact, if you do not like him, the more you should read him. If you are from a different school, you should read him for proper scholarship demands that you read your critics, he could be giving you good service if by listening you adjusted what he found what is weak about you.

Let me suggest something, do not start with his posts, start with his sermons first. First you got to see the guy's pastoral nature, then you can read the posts. When you do, you will get a proper context of why his style is that way. This is the problem with people I know who criticize Dr. Ichabod to me. They read the posts but never bothered to read or listen to his Sunday videoed Divine Services.

Lastly, though the Synodical pastors do not like him, for people like me who come from outside the family, a refugee who has seen quite a bit, it is Ichabod who gives a good name to Lutheranism to me. For there are lots of Lutheran pastors out there receiving accolades, yet they do not behave like Luther, far from him, who was willing to stand alone. So I wonder why they call themselves Lutherans when they appear to be scared.

Just sayin...

Of Justification | The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod Lies about Romans 4:25 and the Gospel

Fierce UOJ Advocate from LutherQuest (sic)


Of Justification | The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod: "17. Holy Scripture sums up all its teachings regarding the love of God to the world of sinners, regarding the salvation wrought by Christ, and regarding faith in Christ as the only way to obtain salvation, in the article of justification. Scripture teaches that God has already declared the whole world to be righteous in Christ, Rom. 5:19; 2 Cor. 5:18-21; Rom. 4:25; that therefore not for the sake of their good works, but without the works of the Law, by grace, for Christ's sake, He justifies, that is, accounts as righteous, all those who believe, accept, and rely on, the fact that for Christ's sake their sins are forgiven. Thus the Holy Ghost testifies through St. Paul: '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,' Rom. 3:23, 24. And again: 'Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law,' Rom. 3:28."

KJV Romans 4:23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; 24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

Here it is in your beloved Reformed NIV:

NIV Romans 4:23 The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness-- for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.