All the arguments against Universal Objective Justification are clearly presented in the Augsburg Confession and the Apology of the Augsburg Confession. Melanchthon was the primary author of both, and Luther had a great appreciation for his associate's skills.
Martin Chemnitz, the senior editor of the Book of Concord/Formula of Concord, was a student of Melanchthon and Luther. Not one scrap can be found to support UOJ in the Book of Concord. That is why the WELS and the Little Sect on the Prairie only pay lip service to the Confessions.
If we look at three eras of the Reformation, we find this:
A. Early Reformation - Luther and Melanchthon taught justification by faith. 1530.
B. Reformation united - Chemnitz and the Concordists united behind a clear confession of justification by faith, rejecting errors that had crept into the Lutheran camp. 1580.
C. Post-Concord - Leyser and the Wittenberg faculty rejected Samuel Huber's early form of UOJ. Leyser was an editor of the Book of Concord and the biographer of Chemnitz, so he had a direct link to Luther and Melanchthon through Chemnitz.
Samuel Huber, the heretic, advocated saying this to unbelievers, just as Wayne Mueller and many others have. One Mequon professor said it was the basis for world missions:
You have the grace of God, you have the righteousness of Christ, you have salvation.
All three statements are standard fare in the Wisconsin Synod and ELS today. NPH reprinted the famous J. P. Meyer commentary, the source of three Kokomo Statements, and left it as is.
Sig Becker, the favorite theologian of WELS, spent the last days of his life defending UOJ.
The ELS officially hates Sig Becker, but this is their doctrinal statement:
By His perfect life and His innocent sufferings and death Jesus has redeemed the entire world. God thereby reconciled the world to Himself, and by the resurrection of His Son declared it to be righteous in Christ. This declaration of universal righteousness is often termed “objective justification.” One has this justification as a personal possession and is personally declared by God to be righteous in Christ when he or she is brought to faith in Him as Savior. This is often called “subjective justification”. If the objective fact of Christ’s atonement is not personally received by faith, then it has no saving benefit for the individual. We reject as unscriptural any teaching that people can be saved apart from faith in Jesus Christ. See 1 John 2:2, 2 Cor. 5:19, John 1:29, 2 Pet. 2:1, John 3:16-18, 2 Cor. 5:19, Rom. 4:25, 1:17 and 5:1-2.
The resurrection absolution is from Rambach (a Pietist) and Walther (another Pietist).
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Pastor emeritus Nathan Bickel has left a new comment on your post "Did the Lutheran Reformers Even Imagine That "Luth...":
Ichabod -
I hope to revisit this posting. But, I must rush to church this morning, - hopefully not to hear some more of that ungodly universalist teaching!
Nathan M. Bickel - Bay City - mid-Michigan
www.thechristianmessage.org
www.moralmatters.org
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Pastor emeritus Nathan Bickel has left a new comment on your post "Did the Lutheran Reformers Even Imagine That "Luth...":
The Stream of Universal Objective Justification Teaching Continues It's Creeping Flow:
Ichabod -
To my disappointment and continued frustration, I heard more universalism proclaimed from our local WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod) pulpit. Our (10 years out of the seminary) young pastor was still on vacation, so our local Bethel congregation had a fill-in Sunday preacher. He was [is] the (recent and brief) former Saginaw MLS - Michigan Lutheran Seminary president, Rev. Aaron Frey.
Unless I dozed off during the sermon (and I think not, as the Rev. Frey has a boisterous voice at times; then a quieter one with pauses, at other times) - I again heard the nasty UOJ - universal objective justification creep into his sermon about the Gospel of Mark's account of Jesus calming the sea storm - Mark 4:35-41.
Part and parcel of the former MLS president's emphasis was, "Who starts the storm?" He readily discounted (a) nature; (b) the devil but, credited it to God the Father.
He then went on to ask and answer the question: "If God allows storms [in the life of the Christian] - what is His purpose?
Furthermore Rev. Frey went on to distinguish between "saving faith" and the Christian's "measurement of faith," mentioning that the faith that Jesus was talking about to His disciples (in the boat) was that (everyday type) trust faith - that "measurement of faith."
In the process, Rev. Frey stated [Paraphrase] - "that God goes to any length to remove your obstacles to saving faith."
He went on a little while after that, to assert how God looks upon us - [Paraphrase] - "You are forgiven; you are my son, my daughter - nothing in all creation can change that. No cause to concern; no worry; the Lord will bring you home to heaven." [Paraphrase]
Consequently, [then] am I to suppose that the Apostle Paul was just blowing hot air when he penned the Scripture (under the Holy Spirit's pointed inspirational direction)? - 2 Timothy 4:7 - "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith."
And, if the Apostle Paul was just blowing hot air, it would be a lot less struggle if I and all Christians were to believe what the Rev. Aaron Frey related to the congregation this morning. Then we wouldn't have to struggle and fight the good fight of faith like the [apparent] disillusioned Apostle Paul. We could all then just attend Sunday morning worship; pray the confessional prayer, get absolved and cap it off with Holy Communion. [Oh yes - no mention in the sermon of the Holy Spirit - His work of creating and sustaining personal faith and belief]
Finally, again, I am disappointed in what WELS has been apparently seeding in their present and future parish pastors! In this case (with Rev. Frey), this was the man who was called to preside over a WELS high school and prep school for future parochial school teachers and parish pastors. In another posting to Ichabod I've illustrated (from WELS own educational materials) how the elementary children are being UOJ conditioned, and more recently a Vacation Bible School where personal faith, belief and the working of the Holy Spirit were scratched (eliminated).
Ichabod - Please continue to highlight this major teaching and preaching heresy of "universal objective justification." This departure from Scripture is truly alarming and very defining! As you stated in a recent posting, this false teaching is one of three major common error marks of those who depart from the divine revelation.
Nathan M. Bickel - Bay City, Michigan
www.thechristianmessage.org
www.moralmatters.org
