AC V has left a new comment on your post "Pope Benedict Showing His Age and Liturgical Style...":
Yet another example of WELS UOJ subterfuge, this time at parish level. In the October 2011 newsletter of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Fond du Lac, WI (just down the road from Appleton), the lead article entitled "Luther's Last Will and Testament: The Smalcald Articles" the author writes:
"As children of the Lutheran Reformation, may we steadfastly stand on the truth of the Bible as it is faithfully expounded and explained in the Smalcald Articles. The first and chief article is this:"
The author then goes on to quote that article from the SA. However, there is a curious "..." in the middle of the quotation. What is the "..."? Look up the entire article and you find that the author left out this important part:
"Now, since it is necessary to believe this, and it cannot be otherwise acquired or apprehended by any work, law, or merit, it is clear and certain that this faith alone justifies us as St. Paul says, Rom. 3:28: For we conclude that a man is justified by faith, without the deeds of the Law. Likewise 3:26: That He might be just, and the Justifier of him which believeth in Christ."
In other words, the author gave the impression that Justification does not include faith. Narrowing it down to the sentence before and after the "...", this is how the author teaches UOJ:
"Likewise: All have sinned and are justified without merit [freely, and without their own works or merits] by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, in His blood...Of this article nothing can be yielded or surrendered [or can anything be granted or permitted contrary to the same], even though heaven and earth, and whatever will not abide, should sink in ruin."
In the WELS this is code for: "You better believe in UOJ, or else!"
