AC V has left a new comment on your post "Luther Rocks: Y'All Need to Check This Out...Serio...":
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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GJ - Ministers seldom express something they do not believe in, so close questioning of their doctrine is essential. Some will avoid topics--like abortion--because they do not want to end their jobs by offending someone. Others will use ambiguous language so that one side will understand the words one way while another group will hear what they want. "Error loves ambiguities," as Krauth said.
"Assurance of forgiveness" is a bastard, born of an unholy union between Pietism and rationalism.
"All your sins were forgiven on the cross" - that is clearly associated with the cowardly Universalism promoted by UOJ. As anyone can see from the Book of Concord, atonement is not the same as the declaration of forgiveness, justification by faith. Instead, the Luther-an (deliberate dash) pastors should be saying with Luther, "The Word of the Gospel conveys Christ and His forgiveness to us. Believing is forgiveness."
