Ichabod, ” Buchholz was UOJ all the way, so I am not going to credit him with any scruples or doctrinal knowledge. He is simply one more example of someone eager to posture for a time, and even more eager to switch sides when convenient.”
Posturing in the Lutheran Synods, some do it with the intent to mislead, others out of respect for their egos and still others out of pure ignorance and apathy. Pastor Spencer published a post yesterday stating that the Roman Catholic office of Pope will contain The Antichrist Scripture speaks of in the last days. The body of the article was accurate as it briefly detailed the reasons the Lutheran Confessions make the same determination regarding the Pope. The problem that I had with it was in the last paragraph where Pastor Spencer writes contrary to the evidence he just presented and which Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions confirm. He equivocates and states that not every Pope is an antichrist and that they may even be Christian believers who will be saved eternally. Scripture teaches that a Christian is someone who has been received into God’s grace as His own dear child and saved eternally. I posted a comment disagreeing with his false statement and initially it was graciously allowed to be posted. That changed this morning when my statement was kilcreased. I post it here so that people may see the horrendous problem with Pastor Spencer’s false teaching.
Pastor Spencer states, "This does not mean that any particular individual Pope is the Antichrist, or even an antichrist in the wider sense of the term, or that these men cannot also be Christian believers and thus saved and in heaven with God for eternity."
I believe that this statement requires more explanation. As it stands it is nonsensical. The very position which the Popes take as the "Vicar of Christ" requires full agreement with the Council of Trent as they continually reconfirm it's teachings. The Council of Trent anathematizes Justification by Faith Alone and by that rejects Christ and the chief and central article of Christ's doctrine. The Council of Trent also places the standing Pope as the mediator between God and man which clearly subverts and perverts Christ and His position as sole Mediator. What this means is that every Pope who is faithful to the Catholic Church's official teachings is an antichrist just as those outside of the Catholic Church who replace Christ's doctrine of one Justification solely by Faith in Christ Alone are also antichrists. Any confession which changes the singular doctrine of Christ removes Christ from it and He is not a part of it. Therefore anyone who perverts the central article of Justification is not a Christian and therefore is not saved. This is most certainly true for antichrists. The only way for someone in an unChristian church body (a church body who's official teaching perverts the central article of one Justification solely by Faith in Christ Alone, given by God's grace alone through the Means of Grace alone) to be a Christian is for them to be hypocrites within their denomination. For instance the only way a member of the Catholic Church could be a Christian and saved eternally would be that he is a hypocrite and truly believes contrary to the official teaching of the Catholic Church and trust in Christ alone, forsaking his own false works righteousness, for the forgiveness of sins and salvation. Same goes for members of all other denominations where the official teaching perverts Christ's doctrine of Justification - they must be hypocrites within their denomination.
Martin Luther in his “The Private Mass and the Consecration of Priests,” states, “For we must believe and be sure of this, that baptism does not belong to us but to Christ, that the gospel does not belong to us but to Christ, that the office of preaching does not belong to us but to Christ, that the sacrament (of the Lord’s Supper) does not belong to us but to Christ, that the keys, or forgiveness and retention of sins, do not belong to us but to Christ. In summary, the offices and sacraments do not belong to us but to Christ, for he has ordained all this and left it behind as a legacy in the church to be exercised and used to the end of the world; and he does not lie or deceive us. Therefore, we cannot make anything else out of it but must act according to his command and hold to it. However, if we alter it or improve on it, then it is invalid and Christ is no longer present, nor is his ordinance.”
Thanks for allowing me to comment. Brett Meyer
http://www.intrepidlutherans.com/2012/10/the-roman-papacy-is-antichrist-spoken.html
Pastor Spencer’s false statement highlights a heinous problem caused by the toleration of the false gospel of Universal Objective Justification (aka: General Justification, Objective Justification, Universal Justification). UOJ teaches that the entire world was imputed Christ’s righteousness for the forgiveness of their sins regardless of the Holy Spirit graciously working Godly contrition and Faith in Christ alone through the Means of Grace. In fact UOJ teaches Christ’s righteousness must have been imputed to the whole world before and without faith otherwise faith would have nothing to cling to. First, this highlights that the false gospel of UOJ replaces Christ as the object of the Holy Spirit’s faith with the Forgiveness of Sins being the object of faith. Certainly this is an Antichristian gospel. Secondly it means that even The Antichrist and all of the minor antichrists have been imputed Christ’s righteousness and by that received the “non-imputation” (forgiveness) of sins. UOJ makes the Antichrist a child of God having been declared by God to have been given the inheritance of Christ. Therefore it is a fruit of UOJ to say that antichrist’s can be believing children of God and saved eternally – regardless of their doctrinal position which is contrary to Christ if they believe they have been declared forgiven by God they are saved eternally since their sins have already been forgiven.
Posturing. It is transparent when faithful Christians subject what is being taught to Scripture and the Christian Book of Concord. No wonder few take an public stand against the Antichrists in the Lutheran Synods who are actively anathematizing Christ’s Church while the laity suffer under clergy induced sleep. The glory of the (W)ELS.
***
GJ - I do not look at the Intrepid blog anymore, unless forced to do so. I am disappointed but not surprised by their weak response, during this Reformation month, to the suspension of Pastor Paul Rydecki for teaching justification by faith.
Anyone who becomes pope has already pledged himself to the infallibility of the office. In fact, ever since Pope Pius IX made papal infallibility a teaching of Rome, the dogma has been extended to more occasions and clergy as the world marched toward the End Times.
Now - any bishop, cardinal or priest who teaches in harmony with the pope is infallible. Therefore, the clergy are godlike when they agree with a man elected by a group of like-minded men. That is the spirit of the Antichrist, to set himself in the temple (St. Peter's) as a god. Spencer should be reading 2 Thessalonians and some Vatican publications, plus my Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant, where more documents are listed.
Secondly, every pope teaches justification by works, the opposite of the Gospel - just as UOJ is the opposite of the Gospel. That alone makes him an Antichrist and not a believer.
So any given pope may not be THE Antichrist, but his office is chief and greatest office of all Antichrists. So Benedict may be regarded by all Protestants as only the Antichrist-Elect.
All false teachers, who set themselves up in the same way--like Jon Buchholz--are little Antichrists. They share in the terrible, divisive, soul-murdering work of their Father Below. They may lack in the global reach and political power of the big guy in Rome, but they are no less complicit in his work.
---
LPC has left a new comment on your post "Can Any Pope Be a Believing Christian? - No: Impos...":
As it stands it is nonsensical.
Amen.
Rev. Spencer's statement is really political because theologically it has no substance.
LPC
***
GJ - Let's not be too hard on Holy Father Antichrist - that is the message I get. People are offended that the papacy is the Antichrist, because Aunt Charlotte is a Roman Catholic. So is Uncle Fritz. Are you saying my aunt and uncle, who still give me presents, belong to the Church of the Antichrist?
Where else can one find such beautiful rituals and solemn ceremonies, ancient customs and treasured dogmas - all designed to replace the Gospel with the Law, Christ with Mary, and Satan with God?
