As far as justification “already accomplished,” the Large Catechism, 3rd Article, says,
“38] For neither you nor I could ever know anything of Christ, or believe on Him, and obtain Him for our Lord, unless it were offered to us and granted to our hearts by the Holy Ghost through the preaching of the Gospel. The work is done and accomplished; for Christ has acquired and gained the treasure for us by His suffering, death, resurrection, etc. But if the work remained concealed so that no one knew of it, then it would be in vain and lost. That this treasure, therefore, might not lie buried, but be appropriated and enjoyed, God has caused the Word to go forth and be proclaimed, in which He gives the Holy Ghost to bring this treasure home and appropriate it to us. 39] Therefore sanctifying is nothing else than bringing us to Christ to receive this good, to which we could not attain of ourselves.”
“54] We further believe that in this Christian Church we have forgiveness of sin, which is wrought through the holy Sacraments and Absolution, moreover, through all manner of consolatory promises of the entire Gospel. Therefore, whatever is to be preached concerning the Sacraments belongs here, and, in short, the whole Gospel and all the offices of Christianity, which also must be preached and taught without ceasing. For although the grace of God is secured through Christ, and sanctification is wrought by the Holy Ghost through the Word of God in the unity of the Christian Church, yet on account of our flesh which we bear about with us we are never without sin.
55] Everything, therefore, in the Christian Church is ordered to the end that we shall daily obtain there nothing but the forgiveness of sin through the Word and signs, to comfort and encourage our consciences as long as we live here. Thus, although we have sins, the [grace of the] Holy Ghost does not allow them to injure us, because we are in the Christian Church, where there is nothing but [continuous, uninterrupted] forgiveness of sin, both in that God forgives us, and in that we forgive, bear with, and help each other.
56] But outside of this Christian Church, where the Gospel is not, there is no forgiveness, as also there can be no holiness [sanctification]. Therefore all who seek and wish to merit holiness [sanctification], not through the Gospel and forgiveness of sin, but by their works, have expelled and severed themselves [from this Church].”
Christ paid for the sins of the world and won the treasure of forgiveness to be distributed through the Gospel to all who would believe. (Not sure I'd call that justification, though.) There is enough forgiveness to cover every single person, if all the world would believe! When a child is baptized, or someone hears the Gospel and comes to faith, a full measure of that beautiful treasure is distributed to that new believer. Faith is the difference-maker, but faith is not something the new believer “did.” It was all the Holy Spirit’s work, through the Gospel, where and when it pleases him.
Yet I don’t believe that, at any time in the above scenario, God looks/looked down on the unbelievers, without faith, and declared them “justified” or “forgiven.” To me, that extra “step” in Justification, apart from faith, cheapens the moment that someone is brought to faith though Word and Sacrament.
Keeping UOJ out of the picture (at least for me) makes the desperation of our original sinful state, and the working of faith in my heart by the Holy Spirit, all that more incredible. With UOJ, my pre-conversion state doesn’t seem to me quite so desperate, since I’m already “objectively justified,” which sounds pretty good to me, even if I never came to faith.
I don’t know. Just some rambling thoughts. Feel free to dig in.
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GJ - I have no idea who 2138 is.
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Pastor emeritus Nathan Bickel has left a new comment on your post "A Blogger Named 2138 - On Justification":
Ichabod - Thank you for the wonderfully presented article! Here, are my thoughts:
Luther states, of the Christian:
".....For although the grace of God is secured through Christ, and sanctification is wrought by the Holy Ghost through the Word of God in the unity of the Christian Church, yet on account of our flesh which we bear about with us we are never without sin......"
.......Thus, although we have sins, the [grace of the] Holy Ghost does not allow them to injure us, because we are in the Christian Church, where there is nothing but [continuous, uninterrupted] forgiveness of sin, both in that God forgives us, and in that we forgive, bear with, and help each other.......
Luther states, of the unbelieving non-Christian:
........But outside of this Christian Church, where the Gospel is not, there is no forgiveness, as also there can be no holiness [sanctification]. Therefore all who seek and wish to merit holiness [sanctification], not through the Gospel and forgiveness of sin, but by their works, have expelled and severed themselves [from this Church].”.....
Pastor Jackson -
I think that you summarized Luther's correct Scriptural understanding, with the one sentence you offered, following Luther's explanation:
"Christ paid for the sins of the world and won the treasure of forgiveness to be distributed through the Gospel to all who would believe." [Your words]
It is my firm understanding, that there is a "world of difference" to say that Christ "paid for the sins of the world" versus the erroneous teaching that he "absolved the world" through Christ's all atoning sacrifice. The major error of UOJ adherents, is, that they confuse this major distinction and (then) extend their (damning) error by attaching "imputation" into their sordid understanding and public teaching and preaching.
Finally, what would the Apostle Paul's ministry been like if he possessed this erroneous and damning UOJ mentality? Under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he would not have penned the following:
2 Corinthians 5:15 - "......he [Christ] died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again."
Back up 4 verses (for context) and note what is attributed to the Apostle Paul (again, under direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit). Note his evangelistic (ever urgent) fervor to preach the Gospel:
2 Corinthians 5:11 - ".....Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;....."
A Christmas sermon without (going "full circle"), preaching sin and the full terror consequences of the law, vis-a-vis the damning (eternal) consequences of sin, is not a faithful preached representation of the Gospel. Yet, I recall sitting in a Lutheran church with a mixed crowd of church and non church members, having to hear this sermon, of which message, smacked UOJ and did not truly distinguish between believers, unbelievers; belief and unbelief. Such, I'm sad to say is usually the same case of attending Lutheran funerals, with mixed member and non member, (non-Christians), attending........
Nathan M. Bickel - pastor emeritus
www.thechristianmessage.org
www.moralmatters.org
