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| Except the Dietrich catechism, which Missouri adopted, the KJV catechism still being sold by CPH, the original Gausewitz catechism for the whole Synodical Conference, etc. |
Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Gunslinger Shoots Himself in the Foot...Again":
WELS Siegbert W. Becker
"Faith does nothing more than accept the forgiveness proclaimed in the Gospel. It is not a condition we must fulfill before we can be forgiven. It is not a cause of forgiveness on account of which God forgives us. The forgiveness comes first. Faith is merely the response to the message. God says to us, “Your sins are forgiven.” This is objective justification, and God’s message to us is true whether we believe it or not. Faith makes God’s message its own and says, “My sins are forgiven.” This is subjective justification. The whole doctrine is just as simple as that." Page 12, The Place of Faith
http://www.wlsessays.net/files/BeckerJustification.PDF
WELS AZ/CA DP Pastor Jon Buchholz
"Faith doesn’t bring anything into existence that doesn’t already exist. Faith doesn’t cause something to happen. Faith simply grasps— trusts—something that already is in place." Page 14
http://archive.wels.net/cgi-bin/site.pl?2617&collectionID=1161&contentID=76707&shortcutID=26388
WELS Our Great Heritage states,
"And yet many Lutherans still labor under the delusion that God does not forgive us unless we believe. Instead of seeing faith as nothing more than the spiritual hand with which we make the forgiveness of God our own, they see it as a reason why God forgives us. They believe that Christ has indeed provided forgiveness for all men, that God is willing to forgive them, but before he really forgives he first of all demands that we should be sorry for our sins and that we should have faith. Just have faith they say, and then God will forgive you. All the right words are there. The only thing wrong is that the words are in the wrong order. God does not forgive us IF we have faith. He has forgiven us long ago when he raised his Son from the dead." (p. 59)"
WELS MLC President Mark Zarling, "Faith does nothing more than receive the forgiveness which is offered in the Gospel. It is not a condition we fulfill nor is it a cause of forgiveness. We are already forgiven. God's message of justification in Christ is there whether we believe it or not. Faith then receives the blessings." And, "Faith that accepts the good news of universal justification is the work of God the Holy Ghost." Page 7
http://www.wlsessays.net/files/ZarlingJustification.pdf
Question to those who boldly confess the doctrine of Universal Objective Justification (UOJ). Your doctrine of Objective Justification (OJ) teaches that by the Atonement of Christ the whole world, including every unbeliever, has been declared forgiven of all sin, justified, declared righteous by God's divine verdict and God is at peace with them. OJ also teaches that justification is not a change in man but a change in the relationship between God and man. Also in UOJ's teaching concerning Subjective Justification (SJ) faith is simply and empty hand accepting what was already declared to be true. That faith doesn't do anything or bring about anything, it only receives. Then when does the conversion of man take place and he becomes as a little child, Matt 18:2-3 (clearly a change in man)? When is a man born of water and the Spirit as Christ declares in John 3:3-6? When does a man cease to be carnally minded in the old man and become spiritually minded in the new man in Christ, Col. 3:9-10, Romans 8:6 and Eph. 4:22-24(clearly changes wrought by God in man through faith worked by the Means of Grace)? How can man be a new creature in Christ through the changes noted above if in UOJ there is no change in man, if faith doesn't affect a change in man, 2 Cor. 5:17?
The Lutheran Confessions contend against the the Satanic apostasy of UOJ throughout and especially here:
Also, 71]
"but we maintain this, that properly and truly, by faith itself, we are for Christ's sake accounted righteous, or are acceptable to God. And because "to be justified" means that out of unjust men just men are made, or born again, it means also that they are pronounced or accounted just. For Scripture speaks in both ways. [The term "to be justified" is used in two ways: to denote, being converted or regenerated; again, being accounted righteous. Accordingly we wish first to show this, that faith alone makes of an unjust, a just man, i.e., receives remission of sins".
http://www.bookofconcord.org/defense_4_justification.php
The Lutheran Book of Concord rejects and condemns UOJ’s confession of faith, "Faith does not justify a believer." And, "Faith in and of itself does nothing." And establishes it’s clear confession that sins are not forgiven prior to the Holy Spirit working solely through the divinely instituted Means of Grace – Word and Sacrament.
BOC: 6] Let any one of the adversaries come forth and tell us when remission of sins takes place. O good God, what darkness there is! They doubt whether it is in attrition or in contrition that remission of sins occurs. And if it occurs on account of contrition, what need is there of absolution, what does the power of the keys effect, if sins have been already remitted?…"
http://www.bookofconcord.org/defense_10_repentance.php
Luther foretold of the current persecution of the Holy Spirit’s faith by today’s Lutheran Synods, churches, clergy and schools.
12. As before said, they regard faith of slight importance; for they do not understand that it is our sole justifier. To accept as true the record of Christ--this they call faith. The devils have the same sort of faith, but it does not make them godly. Such belief is not Christian faith; no, it is rather deception. 15. ...You see how they make faith of no value to themselves, and so must regard as heresy all doctrine based upon it. Thus they do away with the whole Gospel. These are they who deny the Christian faith and exterminate it from the world. Paul prophesied concerning them when he said (1 Tim 4, 1): "In later times some shall fall away from the faith." The voice of faith is now silenced all over the world. Indeed, faith is condemned and banished as the worst heresy, and all who teach and endorse it are condemned with it. The Pope, the bishops, charitable institutions, cloisters, high schools, unanimously opposed it for nearly four hundred years, and simply drove the world violently into hell. Their conduct is the real persecution by Antichrist, in the last times. 22. Now, the Cain-like saints have not, as they themselves confess, the Christian faith which would assure them of being the children of God. 29. You cannot extricate yourself from unbelief, nor can the Law do it for you. All your works in intended fulfilment of the Law must remain works of the Law and powerless to justify in the sight of God, who regards as just only believing children. 37. Note, Paul everywhere teaches justification, not by works, but solely by faith; and not as a process, but instantaneous. The testament includes in itself everything--justification, salvation, the inheritance and great blessing. Through faith it is instantaneously enjoyed, not in part, but all. Truly is it plain, then, that faith alone affords such blessings of God, justification and salvation-- immediately and not in process as must be the case with works 74. But what is the process whereby Christ gives us such a spirit and redeems us from under the Law? The work is effected solely by faith. He who believes that Christ came to redeem us, and that he has accomplished it, is really redeemed. As he believes, so is it with him. Faith carries with it the child-making spirit. The apostle here explains by saying that Christ has redeemed us from under the Law that we might receive the adoption of sons. As before stated, all must be effected through faith. Now we have discussed the five points of the verse.
http://www.trinitylutheranms.org/MartinLuther/MLSermons/Galatians4_1_7.html
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AC V has left a new comment on your post "Gunslinger Shoots Himself in the Foot...Again":
P.T. McCain: "We never want to give anyone even the remotest impression that they should put faith in their faith, or trust in their trust."
Yet that is EXACTLY what "Objective Justification" does. Here's how:
If I have the EXACT SAME justification as the unbeliever, the only difference being that I have faith, then how can I be sure that my justification is going to work? Don't I have to put FAITH IN MY FAITH, TRUST IN MY TRUST?
Let's review: According to the Confessions the definition of justification is (and remember, folks, this is supposed to apply to UNBELIEVERS, too, according to UOJ):
“Accordingly, the word justify here means to declare righteous and free from sins, and to absolve one from eternal punishment for the sake of Christ's righteousness, which is imputed by God to faith, Phil. 3:9. For this use and understanding of this word is common in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament” (SD III:17).
Too bad "faith" shows up in there....
...As it does time and time again in the Scriptures and the Confessions when talking about the doctrine of justification. You just shouldn't have a definition of justification - if you are a Lutheran - without the word "by faith" coming out in the same breath.
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