My history teacher thought the Know Nothing Party in America had a lot of influence on politics. Nobody runs for president as a PhD. How many have? I am sure few know that answer. I count three - Woodrow Wilson, Newt Gingrich, and George McGovern.
Lutherans once had a high regard for education. They have replaced that with a high regard for conformity and mediocrity. Chemnitz had to earn a doctorate to be a bishop (DP) even though he was one of the most learned men in Europe. John Moldstad had to finish a college degree after he became professor of New Testament at the Little Schoolhouse on the Prairie. And he wrote a column in their seldom-read magazine. From there he moved to pope, a move carefully arranged by the WELS faction in the ELS. They voted out the First VP so John could be elevated and serve their interests.
The Lutheran MDiv opinionators remind me of Luther's description of Enthusiasts - They do not trust God's Word, but they fill the world with their own words.
And what brilliance! I enjoy seeing the LutherQueasy bottom-feeders returning to their main argument, a logical fallacy, the ad hominem. Naturally they use the straw man fallacy and guilt by association. Someone who asks McCain about his obnoxious, puerile behavior on LQ is somehow working with me, has "jumped into bed"... with me.
They are so anxious to promote forgiveness without faith, but they never defend it. Their readers must be eager to hear some defense for separating grace from the Means of Grace, the Holy Spirit from the Word. Instead, the LutherQueasies engage in dancing around the issues and changing the subject. Do they do any research past their little circle of experts (all disciples of CFW Walther)? No.
The LutherQueasies cannot even face Robert Preus' defense of justification by faith, except to deny his clear statements and orthodox citations.
My theory is this - the doctrinal graphics have had a lot of impact already, showing how their position, their only doctrine, UOJ, is little more than cotton candy for future atheists.
4 comments:
Hello Dr. Jackson,
Although I have not read everything you have written concerning UOJ, I have read enough to understand, I think, your basic premise; please correct me if I am wrong.
You say that Christ has paid the price for all the sins of the entire world, this you call the atonement. You teach that this atonement is not the same as forgiveness, or justification, and that in order to be forgiven a person must have faith. Then, and only then, is a person justified and forgiven. You teach that the faith necessary for forgiveness is a trusting in the promise of God that He will forgive, for the sake of Christ’s atoning work, when we come to faith. You further teach that we may only come by this faith through the means (Word and Sacrament) which God has promised and provided. In short, you teach that God did not pronounce the sins of the entire world forgiven when He promised His Son to Adam and Eve in the Garden.
You teach that the concept of Universal Objective Justification, and it’s companion, Subjective Justification, grew out of Pietism and was further developed and promulgated by C.F.W. Walther and the Synodical Conference. I have read many times where you have enlisted the words of Martin Luther in providing support for both your theological premise and your historical premise regarding the origin and development of UOJ.
So that I might have a clearer, more precise, understanding of your teaching, I would be very interested in your explanation of these words of the Reformer.
“….Now the Law comes and says: “I find Him a sinner, who takes upon Himself the sins of all men. I do not see any other sins than those in Him. Therefore let Him die on the cross!” And so it attacks Him and kills Him. By this deed the whole world is purged and expiated from all sins, and thus it is set free from death and from every evil. ………..
…….Therefore the argument that Paul presents here is the most powerful and the highest of all against all the righteousness of the flesh; for it contains this invincible and irrefutable antithesis: If the sins of the entire world are on that one man, Jesus Christ, then they are not on the world. But if they are not on Him, then they are still on the world. Again, if Christ Himself is made guilty of all the sins that we have all committed, then we are absolved from all sins, not through ourselves or through our own works or merits but through Him. But if He is innocent and does not carry our sins, then we carry them and shall die and be damned in them. “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.” (1 Cor. 15:57.)” – Martin Luther (Lectures on Galatians [1535], Luther’s Works, Vol. 26, pp. 276-77, 279-81)
Please accept my sincere thanks in advance for your reply.
Dave Schumacher
I don't have Luther's Works...someday...but by the quotes and punctuation I am guessing we might need a wider view of the context...
John 16:5-15 "5 “Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. 7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt[a] in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you."
The quote provided by Dave above is a explanation of Christ's atonement. It details how Christ took upon himself the iniquity of the whole world. When Luther states, "But if they are not on Him, then they are still on the world" does not mean that the world stands sinless and forgiven when God the Father laid the sins of the world on Christ and he paid the price for them. It is another way to describe Christ as the sole Mediator between God and man. Without Christ as Mediator the world is on it's own to fulfill the Law.
As the Confessions state, what does the power of the Keys to retain sins effect if the whole world has been declared sinless? What a mockery UOJ makes of Christ's Word.
The UOJ doctrine would have everyone disregard Scripture and the Confessions and pervert Luther's quotes provided by Dave above in order to believe he is promoting Justification, the forgiveness of all sins, without faith and without the Means of Grace working contrition and faith. To be consistent they would also have to read this quote the same way, "By this deed the whole world is purged and expiated from all sins, and thus it is set free from death and from every evil." which in light of their misunderstanding of the previous quotes states that the whole world is free from death (saved eternally) and every evil - whether or not they have faith in Christ as their Savior ("is set free from death").
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."
Excellent observations, Brett.
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