Helpless (Schroeder), Hopeless (Moldstad), and Hapless (Harrison).
Part One
UOJ Enthusiasts promote their cause by saying that every single person is forgiven. "He was raised for our justification!" they claim. They cite Romans 4:25 with satisfaction -
KJV Romans 4:25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
They have the Brief Statement, 1932, to back them up, because the section on justification says the same thing and cites Romans 4:25 for support.
But the whole picture changes when the entire section is read:
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.
The context, all of Romans 4, shows that Abraham is the centerpiece as example of justification by faith.
KJV Romans 4:13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. One article of the Formula of Concord is "The Righteousness of Faith."
The Apostle is especially clear in this verse as well:
KJV Romans 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
And here: KJV Romans 4:22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness [faith is accounted as righteousness].
This answers the question, How was Abraham forgiven? The response from the Word is - He was justified by faith.
The Apostle applies that lesson to all of us: 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.
At this point we can see that citing Romans 4:25 is deliberately deceptive and deceitful, yet Missouri adopted that fraudulent exegesis and raised the Brief Statement of 1932 (unlike the others) above the Book of Concord and the Scriptures. The Syn Conference went along with the deception because Hoenecke and Gausewitz were dead. In time, double-justification from Halle University became canon law.
The situation is even worse than Romans 4:23-25 suggests, because chapter breaks are artificial, imposed much later to facilitate debates. Paul's argument does not stop at Romans 4:25 but forms a transition with the great summary of Romans 5:1-2 -
KJV Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. How this happens is answered clearly in Isaiah 55 and Romans 10.
Part Two
Another UOJ argument centers on one verse, splitting it from the subsequent, explanatory verse. A typical reader can follow the development of Paul's themes in Romans. Justification by faith, apart from the works of the Law, is the theme of Romans 1-5. Romans 6 begins the section on sanctification.
Here the fave verse for UOJ from Romans 5 - 5:18.
KJV Romans 5:18 Therefore as by the offence 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.
The italics show that the translators have inserted words not found in the Greek. Lenski thinks this is a bad idea. He liked the emphasis created by the bare text.
Does this mean: A. Just as one man brought sin and condemnation to every single person, and so One Man brought forgiveness to every single man?
or
B. Just as one man brought sin and condemnation to every single person, even so through the righteousness of One the justification of life upon all people.
That is answered with perfect clarity by Romans 5:19
KJV Romans 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Greek is precise, so many means "many" and not "all."
Anyone can see that Romans 5:18 wars against limited atonement, the concept that Christ died only for the elect. The atonement is for all mankind, but the atonement is not justification. Romans 5:18 is a great Gospel verse, but it cannot be pretzeled into a UOJ seat of doctrine (sedes doctrinae).
UOJ advocates like to shout, "What else could this mean than every single person is forgiven?" It could and it does mean that Christ paid the price for the sins of the entire world. The atonement is not justification because justification is accomplished through the Word of God.
Attaching a universal absolution to the crucifixion is double vexing, because it leaves the Old Testament believers without righteousness and contradicts the entire Tanakh. Even worse - if one can measure such an absurdity - it renders all Christian doctrine worship and doctrine as adiaphora. Everyone is born forgiven, they imagine, so all we have to do is gather them together and tell them to accept this truth of universal forgiveness. That is why Lutherdom has collapsed - not from abandoning Pieper and Walther - but by canonizing their false doctrine of Halle Enthusiasm.
Calov and Gerhard have both been cited as great theologians who endorsed UOJ, but the following quotations prove that is not true. Mequon even has justification by faith quotations that they label in their domatics notes as "misleading."
Rolf Preus and Jack Cascione use to cite Robert Preus for UOJ, because the Ft. Wayne president was a UOJ advocate (Norwegian Pietism) when Concordia Seminary was in full bloom for Church Growth Enthusiasm. However, Dr. Preus refuted UOJ in the following quotations.
