 |
| Dodger has little hope in UOJ rationalism. |
Consider the Passover.
Those who believed God and put the blood on the door posts were spared death. But their faith came before the death passed over them. They trusted God to keep His promises, not insisting that they have proof first.
Again, if the definition of faith means that one can only have confidence in what has already been done, then one does not trust God but rather in what God has done - something is wrong with that approach. My faith is in Christ, I trust God not my knowledge that something has already been done.
The more I think about this "necessity for faith to be in something done" the more it sounds like the reformed demand for the "Covenant". They don't trust God, they must have something to club Him with to make Him deal with them. In both cases, there is a lapse into the sin of Adam and Eve - I must control God because He is not trustworthy.
In Christ,
Dodger
***
GJ - You have put your finger on it. They set up a condition and declare (oh my!) that the condition has not been met or - that the condition must be met.
The rationalist says, "I cannot believe in a Biblical miracle unless it can be reproduced in a laboratory." A top medical scientist laughed at that and said, "That is the very definition of a miracle. If it could be reproduced in a lab, it would not be a miracle."
The UOJ heroes come from the age deeply influenced by German rationalism, where Biblical Pietism was morphing into a Biblical rationalism. We could go back earlier to Samuel Huber, but they do not want to claim Huber for themselves, although the language is the same.
I married a German linguist who earned a master's in German literature, taking classes where most of the professors lectured in German. Mrs. Ichabod knows all about this era, and I have delved into it to some degree. The UOJ stylists have the advantage of almost total German illiteracy in the Lutheran population. Most MDivs have no knowledge of German or German history. They think Halle is a throat tablet.
There are various ways to see the gaping holes in UOJ, and this is one of the best. I believe this argument is from the fathead they love to quote, Eduard Preuss, who became a Roman Catholic theologian defending papist dogma.
"I cannot believe in something unless it has already happened. Therefore, I cannot believe in forgiveness unless all the sins of the world have already been forgiven."
And yet, they always yammer about the danger of having "faith in your own faith." What they warn against is what they do. They declare that world absolution without faith must already be accomplished and cannot believe in anything else. They set up the condition for their false faith in a false Gospel, an anti-Gospel.
Jesus preached faith in Him; they preach unfaith in Him. And it is saving unfaith, justifying unfaith. And they repeat this supposed revelation with the same fatuous glee as their heroes.
How is it possible that all the forgiven Old Testament figures were justified by faith when the atonement had not yet happened? They blow past this obstacle to their dogma by ignoring it.
The Gospel creates faith in Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit in the Word. Through faith in Him we have access to God's grace, which means that all the blessings of the Savior come to us the moment we believe. Christians continue to receive these blessings by remaining with the True Vine (John 15:1-10) and being fruitful in Him.
KJV Romans 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Yes, please say - by grace alone. How do we receive God's grace? Through faith - by whom we have access by faith into this grace.
The Bible is clear. Anyone can read or hear this Word and grasp what it means.
Grace is bestowed through the Word, and the Word always has the power of the Spirit.
"The Spirit never without the Word; the Word never without the Spirit. That is sound doctrine." A. Hoenecke
