What is it that enables believers to go to heaven? Is it that they have been forgiven of their sins? Or, is it because Christ's righteousness covers them by faith?
Since we continue to sin (cf. 1 John 1:8), we are saved because of Christ's righteousness being ours by faith, not because we are completely forgiven of sin by Christ on the cross 2,000 years ago.
What we need to preach in and hear from our pulpits are terminology and illustrations that teach this truth. Too often we hear blanket phrases such as "all your sins were forgiven on the cross, fully, freely, forever" thus giving the impression that we are completely sinless. The danger is that we won't feel the need for Word and Sacrament in order to strengthen our faith through the forgiveness of our sins that Word and Sacrament effects. Currently we hear that Word and Sacrament assures us that we have been forgiven (by the cross 2,000 years ago), not that we are actually real-time through the reception of Word and Sacrament forgiven of our sins.
3 comments:
Is it my imagination or does the WELS seem to be rabid about UOJ as compared to the LC-MS?
WELS is definitely rabider than Missouri about UOJ.
Rolf Preus recently published something where he only wrote about justification by faith. Maybe it was just a mood swing.
WELS starts and ends with UOJ. Some are waking up.
Question:
What is it that enables believers to go to heaven? Is it that they have been forgiven of their sins? Or, is it because Christ's righteousness covers them by faith?
Since we continue to sin (cf. 1 John 1:8), we are saved because of Christ's righteousness being ours by faith, not because we are completely forgiven of sin by Christ on the cross 2,000 years ago.
What we need to preach in and hear from our pulpits are terminology and illustrations that teach this truth. Too often we hear blanket phrases such as "all your sins were forgiven on the cross, fully, freely, forever" thus giving the impression that we are completely sinless. The danger is that we won't feel the need for Word and Sacrament in order to strengthen our faith through the forgiveness of our sins that Word and Sacrament effects. Currently we hear that Word and Sacrament assures us that we have been forgiven (by the cross 2,000 years ago), not that we are actually real-time through the reception of Word and Sacrament forgiven of our sins.
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