ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Left-wing, National Council of Churches denominations.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Kuske Catechism and UOJ
Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Does Anyone Wonder Why WELS Pastors Are So Mixed U...":
Lito, very good to hear from you my friend!
The (W)ELS also pulled a very sinister move back in 1982 when they had David Kuske revise Luther's Catechism and added the false gospel of UOJ. I'll post the quote here and note that because the Bible verses he quotes do not support UOJ he paraphrased. The brackets () are in his original statement.
Page 210, section 252 On What Basis Did God Declare Guilty Sinners To Be Righteous?
Kuske posts: Romans 3:23-26 (So that God could be a good judge and still declare sinners righteous, he had Christ pay the debt which sinners owed for all their sins.)
Heads should fly over this blatant manipulation of Luther's Catechism in order to promote and defend the central doctrine of the Emergent New Age Church Growth religion.
I'm willing to provide whatever UOJ documentation anyone needs to educate themselves, address the doctrine of UOJ with others or call the Synod and church officials, clergy and laity to task over their promotion of this false gospel.
Christ's abundant blessings to you and yours LPC!
In Christ,
Brett
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GJ - One person theorized that the Kuske blue catechism created a pan-WELS UOJ unity. Before that, UOJ was not such a plague. Perhaps that spread it down to the teens. Certainly the heresy was well entrenched before that.
When someone asked me which catechism I liked, I said, "Luther's."
"No, I mean which edition of the catechism do you like?"
I said, "Luther's alone. The textbooks turn into Talmuds, and they often teach against the catechism."
Even seminarians cheat — a term paper ghostwriter speaks « Churchmouse Campanologist
Even seminarians cheat — a term paper ghostwriter speaks « Churchmouse Campanologist
Mid-Week Advent Service
Advent, December 15, 2010
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship
Mid-Week Advent, Thursday, 7 PM Central
The Hymn #81 Gerhardt Thy Manger Is 3.60
The Order of Vespers p. 41
The Psalmody Psalm 100 p. 144
The First Lection
The Second Lection
The Sermon Hymn #90 Gerhardt Come Your Hearts 3.83
Sanctification Follows Justification
The Prayers and Lord’s Prayer p. 44
The Collect for Peace p. 45
The Benediction p. 45
The Hymn # 93 O Lord We Welcome 3.40
KJV 2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. 16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, 17 Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
KJV Luke 1:1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, 4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.
Sanctification
The whole clause expresses one thought: “God chose you from the beginning unto salvation in connection with sanctification of spirit and faith in truth.” There is no other choice or election save this one for salvation in connection with sanctification and faith. Some think only of final salvation (heaven), i.e., of the “glory” mentioned in v. 14; but sanctification and faith point to “salvation” both here and hereafter.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of St. Paul's Epistles to the Colossians, to the Thessalonians, to Timothy, to Titus and to Philemon. Columbus, O. : Lutheran Book Concern, 1937, S. 439.
Today I would like to emphasize the ongoing work of the Gospel Word in our lives, which is often called sanctification.
When people understand the Holy Spirit’s work in creating faith and justifying us, the continuous work of sanctification is also clear.
Sanctification is a long, Latin word for “making holy.” We do not make ourselves holy. The Gospel Word does that.
Lutherans often emphasize and talk about justification, even when they are abusing the term and twisting its meaning.
This is really simple and plain, easy to understand. The Gospel Promises create faith in our hearts and sustain that faith. Faith receives God’s declaration of forgiveness. That begins with conversion when we are first unbelievers, whether as babies or later in life. Receiving forgiveness in faith means trusting in God’s work in Christ on the cross. Both the creation of faith and the declaration of forgiveness are God’s work (monergism).
Obviously, many have rebelled against this simple message, building all manner of hedges, traps, sinkholes, and barriers. In a few words, they add works to faith.
This forgiveness is a continuous action for believers, but that is not all that happens. The Gospel Word is like good yeast, which continues to permeate our lives, slowly having more effect
Justification is God’s action through the Word, and sanctification is also His action through the Word.
Forgiveness is just the beginnings of God’s blessings through the Word. The New Testament uses the term “saints” for believers, which literally means “the holy.” Believers are holy because God has made them holy.
No one is a saint without faith. Giving someone the status of a saint, without faith, is absolute absurdity, but that is the official opinion of the Wisconsin Sect and the ELS. To make matters worse, they like to say that everyone in Hell is a saint. That only makes sense if one subscribes to their notion of grace without the Means of Grace, forgiveness without faith, without the Word of the Gospel.
Universalism pops up in many ways today because it is a symptom of rationalism, subjecting the Word of God to human reason, that is, subordinating God’s Word to man’s opinions.
Modern Roman Catholics have a version of this, which is called The Anonymous Christian. That little deviation is enormously popular among the moderns and is widely repeated by liberal Protestants. It came from the Jesuit Karl Rahner, who said that when missionaries come to pagan lands, they find people who are loving, kind, and generous. They have the attributes of Christians without knowing who Christ is. Hence they are anonymous Christians. Taken a little farther, it makes someone ask, “Why are we going there? We only bring our own sins there.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anonymous_Christian
The statement quoted in Wikipedia is almost identical to a passage in C. S. Lewis.
Ultimately, faith is the stumbling block, because faith means complete, child-like trust in God’s Word.
Our Old Adam rebels against faith. For instance, any time we object to bearing the cross, the pain and complaining mean that we do not trust it is for our own good.
Whenever we doubt the goodness of God and His gracious will for us, our faith is being submerged by the Old Adam, which will never go away while we are alive.
That is why it is comical when people pretend to be holy through their works when this inherent selfishness remains in us and must be fought against with the weapon of the Word.
The Holy Spirit in the Law slays our self-righteousness and convicts us of not believing on Jesus Christ.
Lenski likes “believing on” and I think I know why. The term is a bit foreign for me, but I think he takes it to mean “total trust in.”
WELS church lady mentioned “hating on” someone, and we know what that means. Everyone piles on and there is nothing but malice and revenge. That goes with shunning. Sometimes the hate is most eloquently expressed in silence and making someone invisible.
“Loving on” is a Southern expression I hear in Arkansas. One woman said, “I was just loving on my little niece…” I knew exactly what she meant. When we are with a small child who is a relative (like a grandchild, niece, or nephew) we give total love to that child and show it in many ways, with words and hugs and kisses.
So I would translate the famous passage in John 16 this way:
KJV John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
Jackson Living Bible – The Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin, because they do not trust completely in Me for their salvation.
KJV Romans 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. [GJ – This utterly destroys UOJ in one verse.]
Luther often exchanged justification and sanctification when he wrote, because the two go together. Justification brings sanctification, and sanctification presumes justification by faith.
Following justification is the life of the believer – sanctification. Whatever we do in faith glories God who created this faith through the Gospel. Works of faith follow salvation. The fuel for these works is the Gospel Word. Its effect moves us to be generous, patient, kindly, willing to speak about our faith.
If those attributes are lacking, we should look at whether we trust completely in Christ for our salvation.
Does Anyone Wonder Why WELS Pastors Are So Mixed Up About Right and Wrong?
GJ Note - The Wendland essay is 100% UOJ. But this selection may confuse readers because it begins with brilliant refutation of UOJ by the Ohio Synod. I have marked the refutation of UOJ in blue. Wendland's support of UOJ follows.
Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Introduction to WELS DP Beckman's Guilt-Free Saint...":
(W)ELSian Ernst Henry Wendland quotes an appropriate warning, by the Ohio Synod's Kirchenzeitung in its May issue of 1905, to everyone who teaches and defends the false gospel of Universal Objective Justification in his essay, Review of Common Confession Article VI-Justification given to the Biennial WELS Convention at DMLC, New ULM, MN in 1951.
(1) Reconciliation and personal justification are thrown together (by Missouri), so that nothing is left of an individual justification by faith. According to Missouri’s new teaching the whole world is justified, in fact, already when Christ completed his work of redemption. A different justification, which takes place when man comes to faith is not present according to this teaching. Thus the central teaching of Scripture and of the Lutheran church is destroyed. (2) According to this new doctrine of justification is already completed without faith, before faith ever enters into the picture. Faith limps behind. Man should only believe in a justification already completed a long time ago. Thus Missouri destroys the Bible teaching of a justification by faith. (3) It is no longer true according to this new doctrine that God first justifies in the moment that a sinner comes to faith. No longer - faith, then justification; rather centuries ago a justification of the whole world - now believe this! We shudder at this sin against everything sacred! God preserve these blinded creatures, who prate so about the clarity of Scripture, and condemn vigourously everything that doesn’t suit their fancy. Now through their own blindness they have fallen so deeply into the night of error! God have mercy upon the poor people who are no longer hearing the central teaching of Scripture, but rather a miserable fallacy, a poor figment of man’s own invention (Lehre u. Wehre, Vol. 51, p. 385 ff.) Page 3
E.H. Wendland goes on to clarify the heart of UOJ and dismisses Missouri's Brief Statement as too ambiguous in regards to declaring the whole unbelieving world forgiven, justified and righteous by God's divine verdict.
"Now we come finally to the Common Confession, where this doctrinal divergence has been supposedly resolved. As we approach it we naturally ask, “Will it contain an unequivocal statement on objective justification? Will it rule out the thought that faith is first necessary before any justification of God’s part is possible?”
We read: “By His redemptive work Christ is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world; hence, forgiveness of sin has been secured and provided for all men. (This is often spoken of as objective justification.)”
We readily agree that this first sentence is a statement which sets forth the Scriptural truth of universal redemption. We cannot say that there is anything unscriptural about it, as far as it goes. But we certainly cannot agree with the following parenthetical statement, that this sentence adequately and unequivocally covers objective justification. As a matter of fact, we cannot find the essential characteristic of objective justification mentioned at all, the fact that God “has already declared the whole world to be righteous in Christ” (cf. Brief Statement). “Secured and provided” do not convey the thought of an outright grant, declaring man as acquitted before the bar of God’s justice. Perhaps they can be interpreted in that light by members of the Missouri Synod. But they can just as well be interpreted by the American Lutheran Church to uphold their old position, that although God has secured and provided forgiveness of sin by the redemptive work of Christ, He does not actually justify or declare the sinner to be righteous until the first spark of faith is kindled in his heart. The ambiguity of the Common Confession’s definition of objective justification is so evident that we cannot see how it can be accepted as a final settlement of the old controversy."
http://www.wlsessays.net/files/WendlandJustification.pdf
Note the new URLs for essays. The old links will not work.
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GJ - I will publish the whole essay here soon. Read and weep, WELS/ELS members. Your pastors are trained in utter rubbish.
Missouri still tries to amalgamate UOJ with justification by faith. Its more recent justification theses were confused and contradictory but definitely anti-justification-by-faith.
Mr. Squirrel Fooled Me Again
Squirrels find a way into the birdseed, treating their bribes as a side dish.
I was congratulating myself yesterday for feeding small birds with an inexpensive feeder - no perch. The seed supply was getting lower, and I saw no opportunity for any creature except a small bird to feed there.
This morning Mr. Squirrel disabused me of that fantasy. He stood on his hind legs and reached into the small aperture where the seed came out. He scooped the seed directly into his mouth.
He was so intent that he did not see me for a long time. Suddenly he jumped up onto the top of the feeder and looked at me, his tail twitching. Seeing no signs of a threat, he went back to his SRO (standing room only) feeding routine.
In the backyard, another squirrel was feeding from the corn feeder.
As piggish as the squirrels might seem, they do not haunt the feeders. I put an upturned bucket near the lower bedroom window and filled the section with seed, finishing the mixed seed bag. Another squirrel worked over that pile this morning, but he left and cardinals began enjoying the rest. They were also at the main sunflower feeder.
Reward - as I came back from the kitchen with a fresh cup of coffee for Mrs. Ichabod, a blue jay appeared at the inexpensive
Blue jays are so good at burying acorns that they are given credit for maintaining oak forests. If I were managing things, I would have given that chore exclusively to the squirrels, just to keep them busy doing something useful. Every role in Creation seems to have multiple redundancies built into the picture.
We have plenty of oak trees in this area, so squirrels and blue jays are happy and well fed.
I decided to buy a huge bird house, 25 feet tall, upright, and have it dug into the ornery soil of the ravine. The word for shovel in Bella Vista is pickax. I ordered one with multiple holes and plenty of food mounted on its outside. The estimate was several thousand dollars, not including labor. Then I thought, "Wait, I already have a dead tree standing up in the ravine. It has holes in it and doubtless many insect larvae stuck in the bark."
Just kidding. Why buy a bird-house like that when God has already planned for them, far better than I could?
LI wondered about a baby bird waving its wings and thinking, "What are these? Maybe I can fly?"
Do evolutionists ever consider the software involved in baby bird flight?
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bored has left a new comment on your post "Mr. Squirrel Fooled Me Again":
When I saw this picture I immediately thought of the WELS churches who survive on grants.
"PLEASE GIVE US MORE MONEY!!! WE NEED A ROLL-DOWN PROJECTOR SCREEN! AND NEW AMPS FOR OUR BAND!"
But that disrespects the Blue jays.
***
GJ - Blue jay nestlings grow up and fly away on their own, but you are certainly right about the image.
Introduction to WELS Pastor Beckman's Guilt-Free Saints in Hell Essay, 1983
Brett Meyer and others--you know who you are--have encouraged me to publish the UOJ essays, lest these treasures of heresy be lost to history. They represent a smug, anti-Christian, anti-Confessional attitude that explains much of what is happening right now.
Here is an interesting contrast. Most WELS/ELS/CLC laity do not know about these essays. If a layman has read any of them, that person is an exception. I have been linking them for some time, mostly because of Brett's comments. Something told me I should publish them for more exposure. The laity are responding in shock.
In contrast, most of the seminary graduates have read these essays. In WELS, the essay file is their BoC - Butchering of Concord, a new set of confessions supplanting the Lutheran Symbols.* The best and brightest heretics get their offscourings added to the WELS BoC. New Ager Jeske is one such honoree. So is the bored-again Atheist Curtis Peterson (formerly LCMS CG pastor, formerly WELS CG pastor, formerly married).
Anyone who gets acquainted with these essays will see how the same quotations are recycled with the care and devotion of aging hippies reusing their trash piles.
The ELS is expected to follow suit by parroting these essays, and they do.
UOJ advocates reveal their vile nature by claiming to teach justification by faith, but their real joy in life is undermining justification by faith and the Means of Grace. Read the absurdities below.
WELS used DP Beckman to excuse the joint leadership conference at Snowbird - ELCA/WELS/LCMS. The explanation du jour was, "If we don't spend the money, someone else will get it." Another excuse was, "They force us to spend the money that way." And finally, without cracking a smile, they said, "You know, they do not have to give it to Lutherans. They can give the insurance money to anyone they please." And they do. Habitat for Humanity and The Salvation Army are recent Thrivent grant recipients. So are the worst pastors in WELS.
WELS Pastor Beckman, Guilt-Free Saints in Hell, Pages 1-4.
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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Just A Vacation Book - Or Two":
Joe Krohn touches on a critical and important point of discussion. UOJ teaches that the whole unbelieving world has been declared righteous and justified. ALL sins that Christ paid for have been forgiven every man, woman and child.
Why then does anyone go to Hell? UOJ teaches that the unforgivable sin is Unbelief. That is the sin that God didn't forgive. Unbelief is the sin that Christ didn't pay for, that His righteousness didn't cover.
Then the question must be asked, "Who was born into this world without being guilty of unbelief?"
Romans 11:32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
Everyone was born with the sin of unbelief. Then we ask, "Where is it written that the sin of unbelief isn't forgiven?"
Romans 11:23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.
The essence and foundation of UOJ is Universalism. It doesn't matter that someone teaching UOJ denies it, it teaches that the whole world is forgiven, Justified, declared righteous and saved eternally "because that's what Christ came to do". The whole doctrine falls apart when Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions are faithfully applied.
Just A Vacation
Book - Or Two
Vacation
For two weeks around Christmas I will have no classes to teach and only a little bit of homework to grade. My first priority is to get the Justification book ready to send around to seminaries. Secondly, I want to do any revisions necessary for the English--only version of Thy Strong Word, which is on Lulu.com now.
I would like to upload a lot of material to the new Martin Chemnitz Press website. My old domain is gone (gljackson.com) so I am running a new website with the same folks who do TurboTax - Intuit.
The Intrepids (sic) demonstrated the inherent weakness of a church history argument with their merger chart. That convinced me to start Justification with the Biblical passages.
However, I will have a section on key theologians. My Notre Dame program concentrated on modern theology, which is usually skipped over--except for the glories of Fuller Seminary--in the Syn Conference seminaries. That may be one of many reasons why MDiv graduates are lacking in doctrinal discernment.
Key players are:
- Spener and the Pietists, their homage to Calvin.
- Halle University - Knapp and Tholuck. Hoenecke graduated from Halle, mentored by Tholuck.
- Schleiermacher (Halle again) - the pivotal theologian for the modernists. Schleiermacher was very important for that adulterous Commie gas-bag Karl Barth, and Barth is the theologian of Fuller Seminary.
- Walther and his Easter absolution theory.
- Robert Preus, OJ and his repudiation of OJ.
- ELCA's Gospel reductionism, or, how the stuffy old Pietism of yesteryear becomes the far out activism of today.
I have noticed challenges to UOJ coming from all over, and the Syn Conference is reacting with alarm and trepidation.
Additional improvements to the book will include more research from two authors. The advantage of Lulu is that I can develop a new edition and upload it. Every single book is available for free as a PDF download. The books can be distributed as PDFs to anyone, without asking permission, without any charges or licensing fees or litigation.
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Justification by Faith Is Necessary To Combat WELS/ELS/LCMS Enthusiasm
Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Evangelism Program for the Very Wealthy with No Do...":
David J. Beckman provides an explanation of the official and central doctrine of the (W)ELS, "The position that all men’s sins have been forgiven, even the sins of those in hell, has always been held to by orthodox Lutheran theologians."
The following quotes are from an essay delivered at the District Pastor-Teacher Conference of the South Atlantic District, January 27, 1983, Universal and Objective Justification with Special Emphasis on a Recent Controversy.
"Pastor Kobleske of the agenda committee suggested to me that special emphasis be given to the status of those in hell in regard to justification, since that was a major issue in the Kokomo controversy. Because so many other things must be established to adequately discuss the status of those in hell, that issue itself has become a subpoint in this paper. Against the background of’ this recent controversy we take up the topic Universal And Objective Justification." Page 1
"The confusion appears to have arisen particularly over the use of the phrase “status of a saint.” “Status of a saint” is employed by Meyer in his comments on II Corinthians 5:18-21. He uses the phrase to explain all that was involved in God reconciling the world to himself, not charging men with their sins, but imputing to them the righteousness of Christ, who became sin for us. The word “status” is particularly important because it reflects Meyer’s attempt at getting behind the original meaning of the Greek word for reconcile, katalla&ssw, which has to do with change. It’s not a change in man, but it’s a change in God’s attitude toward man; a change in man’s standing with God because of what Christ did. The recipients of this change in status are indeed the entire world.
The Bible therefore does teach that all the sins of all mankind are completely forgiven. That means also the sins of Judas, the sins of the people destroyed in the flood, the sins of all the ungodly, and the sins of all people who will from now to the end of time die apart from Christ and end up in hell. All people have a changed status. But that is not to say that all people are saints.
Cont...
And that is where the problem lies. When we hear the phrase “status of a saint” we dwell more on the world “saint” than on the word “status,” because of how we have heard “saint” used. “Saint” is always used in Scripture to describe the child of God. So without a thorough study of Meyer, it’s easy to jump to the false conclusion that Meyer says all are saints; that all people are going to heaven; that WELS has endorsed universalism. But that’s certainly not what Meyer or the WELS teaches, as we will hear in our subsequent paper on subjective justification. To say that all are justified and all are forgiven is not the same as saying all are going to heaven.
The position that all men’s sins have been forgiven, even the sins of those in hell, has always been held to by orthodox Lutheran theologians. Koehler writes, “There is not a soul in all the world which God has not already absolved from all sin. This is called objective or universal justification.”22 Schaller says, "Salvation is just as perfect and complete for those who are finally lost. This is the only reason, but a sufficient one, why he that believeth not is damned. Unbelief is the rejection of life and salvation achieved and personally intended for every unbeliever." 23 Orthodox Lutherans therefore, on the basis of the scriptural doctrine of universal and objective justification, teach, believe and confess that all people who have lived, are living or will ever live on earth have been declared righteous by God and have thus been forgiven of all their sins." Page 8/9
"The same precious truth is most important in the care and instruction of our little ones. What does frightened little Suzy need to hear when she comes to you and says, “Teacher, my Baptist friend told me I’m going to burn in hell if I don’t hurry up and ask Jesus into my heart”? What a time to apply the objective reality of Jesus’ love for Suzy! What a time to apply Christ’s universal salvation to this trembling little lamb!" Page 9
http://www.wlsessays.net/files/BeckmanUniversal.PDF
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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Evangelism Program for the Very Wealthy with No Do...":
Here are a few quotes from one of the (W)ELS' most highly and favorably quoted UOJ theologians, Siegbert W. Becker. I was recently told by a (W)ELS pastor, "I did have Sig Becker for a professor, for a number of classes, and I can say, and will say from the roof-tops if called upon to do so, that this man is so far away from UOJ that he's not even in the same universe. OK, I know, I know, he defended Kokomo, but I happen to know that that was a case of synod blood being thicker than confessional water, so to speak. Of course, that doesn't make it right, but that's the fact, Jack - as the kids say these days... So, I may be dumb, but I'm not totally stupid. So, I think - in my own humble opinion - that if I say some guy is not an UOJ fanatic, I just might know what heck I'm talking about."
The following quotes are taken from Becker's essay entitled, "Objective Justification".
In the light of the previous discussion we may now briefly evaluate the so-called “Four Kokomo Statements.” The statements read:
1) Objectively speaking, without any reference to an individual sinner’s attitude toward Christ’s sacrifice, purely on the basis of God’s verdict, every sinner, whether he knows it or not, whether he believes it or not, has received the status of a saint.
2) After Christ’s intervention and through Christ’s intervention, God regards all sinners as guiltfree saints.
3) When God reconciled the world to himself through Christ, he individually pronounced forgiveness to each individual sinner whether that sinner ever comes to faith or not.
4) At the time of the resurrection of Christ God looked down in hell and declared Judas, the people destroyed in the flood, and all the ungodly, innocent, not guilty, and forgiven of all sin and gave unto them the status of saints.
"The first three statements are taken verbatim from WELS sources. It should be said that they are found in contexts that throw considerable light on what the writers intended to convey by the words used. The last statement is quoted from a term paper from Concordia Seminary in Fort Wayne.
Every one of the statements can be understood correctly, even though one must swallow a little hard to accede to the fourth. However, because the statements were used to discredit the truth of universal justification and to cause other laymen to doubt this teaching it is especially necessary to point out that the statements do not contain false doctrine."
"One really becomes a guilt-free saint only through faith, if we limit ourselves to the biblical usage of the word. However, since our holiness, as Augustine says, consists in sin’s remission rather than in life’s perfection, we could say that when God forgave the sins of the whole world he regarded all sinners as guilt-free, but if they are guilt-free we might also say that they are considered sinless in the sight of God. But a sinless person is a holy person, a saint."
Page 13/14
http://www.wlsessays.net/files/BeckerJustification.PDF
See Ichabod's posting of Becker's two essays - click here.
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LutherRocks has left a new comment on your post "Just A Vacation Book - Or Two":
"To say that all are justified and all are forgiven is not the same as saying all are going to heaven."
This begs the question then...what is justifying faith? This is just one baby step away from universalism.
"Unbelief is the rejection of life and salvation achieved and personally intended for every unbeliever."
And I thought unbelief was the rejection of Christ and the forgiveness of sins that comes through faith....alone....
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