Luther Drafted Again To Endorse UOJ

Unknown has left a new comment on your post "Luther versus the UOJ Pietists":

I am reading through Luther on the basis of the schedule George Kraus provides in his booklet: "A Guide to a Year's Readings in Luther." (This is an excellent schedule for those who can find it and also have the American edition of Luther's Works.)

In my reading, I came across two sections where Luther clearly states that all people are forgiven "before" repentance. Here are the two quotes:

The first one from his comments on Hebrews 1:4 found in Volume 29, page 112-113:

‎When He made purification for sins, [He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high].

‎"With this brief word he makes useless absolutely all the righteousnesses and deeds of penitence of men. But he praises the exceedingly great mercy of God, namely, that “He made purification for sins,” not through us but through Himself, not for the sins of others but for our sins. Therefore we should despair of our penitence, of our purification from sins; for before we repent, our sins have already been forgiven. Indeed, first His very purification, on the contrary, also produces penitence in us, just as His righteousness produces our righteousness. This is what Is. 53:6 says: “All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

The second is from his comments on Genesis 3:15 found in volume 1 on page 190:

‎Adam and Eve not only do not hear themselves cursed like the serpent; but they even hear themselves drawn up, as it were, in battle line against their condemned enemy, and this with the hope of help from the Son of God, the Seed of the woman. Forgiveness of sins and full reception into grace are here pointed out to Adam and Eve. Their guilt has been forgiven; they have been won back from death and have already been set free from hell and from those fears by which they were all but slain when God appeared.

I understand Luther meaning that, in Christ, all people are forgiven, saved and righteous, but that this forgiveness, salvation and righteousness is only apprehended through faith.

Am I misunderstanding Luther? And if not, how does this differ from General justification?

Michael

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GJ - Michael, when you use the term General Justification, you are translating words from German that mean - literally - every single person in the world has been declared forgiven. I am sure you can find quotations that seem to fit what you have been taught, but that can be credited to those UOJ implants installed in your Church Growth eyes.

There is always an issue of the original German or Latin text being translated precisely, more importantly - the context. I have read thousands of pages of Luther. Throughout his works individual forgiveness comes through faith in that forgiveness. There are many ways to express the Atonement. Read your passages over again and substitute "Christ has already atoned for their sins, paid the entire price for them." That still makes sense.

Next try this. "Adam and Eve and the serpent were forgiven, without faith."

Or, "before we repent, Christ has already paid for our sins."

Compare that to - "We are forgiven all our sins, even if we do not repent and have no faith."

You sound like a seminary student. Please read the Large Catechism straight through. Luther wrote it. He wrote the sermons and the sermons became the Catechism. Read about the efficacy of the Word and the Means of Grace. Look up the passages in the Book of Concord about Enthusiasm.

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AC V has left a new comment on your post "Luther versus the UOJ Pietists":

Michael, what Luther describes in your quotes is the atonement. Justification is that special New Testament word that is always used in the context of "by faith." The Lutheran Confessions affirm this. Justification is the divine declaration of "not guilty" only of the believer, which declaration means that the believer is now righteous and having the status of saint.

Forgiveness of sin is part of what it means to be righteous, but it is not the only or essential thing because the "saint" is still a "sinner" and therefore in daily need of forgiveness. As Luther coined the phrase: simul iustus et peccator "at the same time saint and sinner." The means of grace, Word and Sacraments, are the instruments that convey the forgiveness of sin won on the cross to the sinner in need of forgiveness.

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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Luther Drafted Again To Endorse UOJ":

In the false gospel of General Justification the whole unbelieving world has been forgiven of all sin, declared righteous in Christ, guiltless before God and saved (this is includes all Antichrists).

Michael states it this way, "I understand Luther meaning that, in Christ, all people are forgiven, saved and righteous,..."

This is pure Universalism. To defend against this appropriate charge the UOJists will confess that not everyone is "heaven" saved. That Unbelief is the unforgivable sin which men go to Hell for eternity.

Yet, God declared the whole unbelieving world righteous and guiltless while they were living in the unforgivable sin of unbelief. What?! Then when they die in unbelief they are condemned to Hell. Except we were all born guilty of the sin of unbelief - no one was conceived a believer in Christ. Therefore, according to the false doctrine of General Justification (UOJ) no one will ever be saved and everyone is going to Hell - guilty of their unforgivable sin of unbelief.

Some will continue to defend UOJ by declaring that men only receive the benefit (salvation) of God's declaration of their forgiveness, righteousness and guiltless condition through faith. YET - they also teach that faith doesn't do anything, falsely teaching that if man is only forgiven by faith then it makes faith a work of man and such synergism is condemned by God. So by their teaching all men, including the Antichrist is truly forgiven, righteous and guiltless all before faith in Christ, all while guilty of the damning unforgivable sin of unbelief.

They love to claim how they are all saved by confessing they were justified, forgiven and righteous in Christ before they believed yet they were all born guilty of the sin of the unforgivable sin of unbelief. They are all damned to Hell by their own false doctrine regardless of what they now believe.

UOJists declare God a liar by their false gospel. For when God states in John 8:24, "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." they teach that all sins were already forgiven the whole unbelieving world.

UOJ is the pinnacle of blasphemy as all manner of loathsome and putrid contradictions and lies flow forth from it.

The Walther Chapter, Rough Draft of Part One

Cell group leader, adulterer, syphilitic - Martin Stephan.

Chapter 4 – Stephan’s Halle Pietism Became Walther’s UOJ

            The official history of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod is full of deliberate, bald-faced lies about its origin. Central to the deception is the C. F. W. Walther mythology, tales and claims that portray him as the American Luther, when he was really the American Pope, a treacherous and criminal usurper, a divisive figure who forced his imprint upon the Synodical Conference. The often-told story is familiar to most conservative Lutherans. The Saxon immigrants came over to America with Bishop Stephan leading them. They suddenly discovered he was an adulterer and forced him out, with the brave and noble Walther taking over and leading them until his death. Although Stephan is always called a false teacher and Walther a champion of Lutheran orthodoxy, with details too murky to decipher, the truth is unsettling.

            Many will portray the facts about Walther as a personal attack, but the truth needs to come out, to set the so-called conservative Lutherans free from the yoke of synod worship and Walther mythology. For too long the statements of Walther have been used to define Scriptural interpretation. His writings have usurped the Book of Concord in the same way that he usurped the position of the bishop he swore to support, the documents he swore to follow in case of a dispute. Walther also set up minions who would repeat his opinions post-mortem until they were established as canon law, best exemplified in the position of UOJ in the Synodical Conference today.[1]

Martin Stephan Saga, Pietism and Syphilis

            Martin Stephan had a difficult early life, which prepared him for future hardships and the leadership of a Pietistic congregation. He was born in Moravia in 1777, and Moravia was a center of Pietism. His pastoral sponsor was a Pietist, and so were his parents. He had to get by on his own for years, but he enrolled at Halle University for two years, 1802-04 and finished at Leipzig in 1809. The disruption was caused by the Napoleonic wars. He served one congregation for a year and began his ministry at St. John’s in Dresden in 1810.

            St. John’s was a Pietistic congregation with a special charter to continue cell groups or conventicles when they had become suspect. The land for the church came from Count Zinzendorf, one of the superstars of Lutheran Pietism.[2] Stephan gloried in his cell groups, which are the essence of Pietism.[3]

Stephan was not a rationist. At the time, the two major parties were the rationalists and Pietists. Since the Pietists emphasized Bible study and prayer, they attracted those who found no solace in human reason. Thus anyone who mentioned faith was accused of being a Pietist or a mystic.

Unfortunately, cell group leaders often become bewitched by their power over others. Stephan was unusually successful and well known. In court, testimony from his main mistress, Louis Guenther, a daughter of his friend, stated that he felt he had control over the souls of the people in his charge - and also over their bodies. Although some of his troubles came from his position as a successful Pietist, his other trials came from his immoral behavior. Accusations came at an early date in his ministry.

The book about Martin Stephan is honest about his problems with adultery, providing a considerable amount of evidence, which was known long before Stephan led 700 people to America “in pursuit of religious freedom.” He obviously wanted more than religious freedom, because he took his mistress, Louise Guenther,  and his healthy son to America and left his wife at home – with all the sick children.

Even in this age of hedonism, Stephan’s liberties were outrageous and well known. He was often caught taking evening walks with various women. He was investigated by the justice system numerous times. He installed a young woman in the parsonage attic and told his long-suffering wife it was none of her business – he was the master of the house.[4] When he took the cure at the spa, his mistress Louise lived with him. When his wife came to help, she was sent away and walked 20 miles home. The spa and the walks were excused because of his health, but why did he suffer so many chronic complaints?

Martin Stephan suffered from syphilis. He gave it to his wife, and passed it on to some of his children. Syphilis is the great pretender, mimicking one disorder and then another. A sore may appear at the first outbreak, but it goes away, giving false hopes of a cure. The carrier is still contagious even if his symptoms are difficult to discern at any given moment. Anyone with questions about this disorder should consult a physician and read the extensive information (with photos) on the Net. Reading the Stephan book and the Web sources will lead readers to an obvious conclusion.

Previous researchers have come to the same conclusion, but no one wants to admit that Walther and the other pioneers of Missouri Synod followed an obvious adulterer and covert syphilitic to America. The evidence demands this conclusion:

• Primary syphilis erupts with a single lesion, painless and non-itchy, which goes away in about three months. Stephan could have contracted the disorder and passed it to his wife while thinking (or hoping) it was nothing.
• Secondary syphilis shows itself with rashes, a major problem for Stephan. The rashes made him go for long evening walks and visit the spa for its comforting waters. Syphilitic rashes are very ugly indeed.  The disease may become latent, with the rashes going away.
• Tertiary syphilis means obvious neurological and cardiac problems, possible open sores in various parts of the body and on the skin. These lesions are hideous.
• Congenital syphilis is passed from the pregnant mother to the unborn child. Stephan’s wife was sickly and died before he did. Three of their daughters were deaf and had to be institutionalized. Deafness is one symptom of congenital syphilis. Newborns have many obvious symptoms, perhaps another reason for Stephan to leave his innocent children behind – their deformed bodies were a tragic testimony to his misdeeds.[5]
• The violence of the upheaval against Stephan is not explained by a sudden revelation of adultery by two women, one of them his long-standing mistress, Louise. Historians concede that the colonists did not need to violate the confessional. Instead, it was likely the spread of syphilis in the colony that enraged the men and justified everyone in their violence and criminal actions. [6]
• Stephan’s subsequent decline after sleeping outside one night is another indication of his STD. Exposure would have lowered his fragile immune system and brought on the symptoms with new force. Louise Guenther, moved to Illinois to live with him and help him recover. He did not live much longer.

C. F. W. Walther the Pietist

The spooky, kitschy Walther shrine needs more cowbell.

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[1] The Synodical Conference officially broke up, but the three synods work together with the ELCA through Thrivent. Their dramatic loss of members and the decline of their schools will soon force some type of merger, although it may be dressed up in different clothes.

[2] Zinzendorf’s furtive trip to America (under a false name) caused Lutherans to send Henry M. Muhlenberg to America (from Halle) to serve them. Zinzendorf, who gave us the “Come Lord Jesus” table grace and two hymns, was controversial but also extremely influential. He was the bridge to Wesley and Methodism, a major influence on the pioneers of the Swedish Augustana Synod.

[3] Cell groups are Pietism, just as yoga exercises are Hinduism. The cell group is the real church, according to Pietists, a rejection of the Means of Grace. “There is also a family oral tradition about the hat drawn in the seal. It was believed that the hat represented the hat that Martin used when he preached. This preaching hat may have represented Herrnhut, which translated into English means ‘the hat of the Lord.’ Herrnhut was always an important place in the Pietist tradition. It was in Herrnhut where two families of Moravian Brethren came to live on the estate of Nicholas Ludwig, called Count von Zinzendorf. The count donated the land for their community that grew and then they built a church on the donated property that was near Dresden…Zinzendorf was born in 1790 only seventy miles from Dresden. He had a profound influence on the ‘awakening’ movement, on Pastor Stephan, and on the Bohemian founds of St. John’s Church in Dresden.”

#31, IPRF. p. 64.

[4] His wife kicked the girl out and locked the attic, keeping the key. Stephan broke the lock and re-installed the girl. Sad to say, many church officials imagine they also have the same rights and duties today, and their clergy pals look the other way.

[5] Hutchinson's triad

Hutchinson's triad is a common pattern of presentation for congenital syphilis. It consists of:

1. Interstitial keratitis, 2. Hutchinson incisors, 3. Eighth nerve deafness. Hutchinson's triad is named after Sir Jonathan Hutchinson (1828-1913). http://classictriads.com/hutchinsons-triad

[6] The neurological damage might have made Stephan less capable of dealing with the incredible tensions around him. At least one writer seemed puzzled that someone once so aware found himself uninformed and unaware.

Unwed Father! - Bishop begat two children, resigned from the L.A. church - NY Daily News. At Least He Is Straight!

REED SAXON/AP

Auxiliary Bishop Gabino Zavala, pictured in 2005, has resigned from the church after revealing he has two teenage offspring. Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez announced the news Wednesday.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/bishop-fathered-children-resigned-a-church-article-1.1000804#ixzz1iXfVxRRr

Bishop fathered two children, resigned from the L.A. church - NY Daily News:

A prominent Catholic bishop in Los Angeles has resigned after confessing he broke his vow of celibacy — and is the father of two teens.

Auxiliary Bishop Gabino Zavala, 60, was granted early resignation Wednesday under a church law that allows bishops to step down before the normal retirement age of 75 due to sickness or other serious reasons.

“I’m shocked. I can’t believe it,” Arcelia Encinas, a relative by marriage who watched Zavala grow up, told the Daily News.

“He’s a really playful, nice person,” the 68-year-old woman from Chino, Calif., said. “He was mischievous as a young boy, but he grew up in the Catholic Church and was very dedicated.”

Officials said Zavala admitted in early December that he had two kids living with their mother outside California.

“I have some sad and difficult information to share with you,” Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez said in a letter breaking the news to church members Wednesday.

He said Zavala stepped down from active ministry last month and subsequently asked Pope Benedict XVI to accept his resignation.

Archbishop Gomez asked members of the archdiocese to pray for “all those impacted” by the revelation, especially the minor children.

“The archdiocese has reached out to the mother and children to provide spiritual care as well as funding to assist the children with college costs,” he wrote in the letter posted on the blog of the Catholic News Service of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

“The family’s identity is not known to the public, and I wish to respect their right to privacy,” he said.



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/bishop-fathered-children-resigned-a-church-article-1.1000804#ixzz1iXfLimAX


'via Blog this'

Luther versus the UOJ Pietists

Why didn't Chemnitz mention UOJ or Martians?

This week most of my posting will be the new chapter on the Walther mythology, which will be included in the latest versus of Luther versus the UOJ Pietists: Justification by Faith.

The next week will aimed at a section on Huberism, which is now taught so enthusiastically by ELCA, WELS, Missouri, the Little Sect on the Prairie, and the micro-mini sects.

The whole book will be revised in time for the Emmaus Conference in early February.

P. Leyser was an editor of the Book of Concord, an expert on justification, and the biographer of Martin Chemnitz.

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AC V has left a new comment on your post "Luther versus the UOJ Pietists":

In the Spirit of Christmas and Epiphany, a quote from Luther would be an appropriate response to this post:

Thus here, too, the evangelist did not intend that John or any other human being or any creature should be the light, but that there is only one light which illumines all men and that not a single human being could come upon the earth who could be illumined by anybody else. I do not know how to disagree with this interpretation; for in the same manner also St. Paul writes in Romans 5[:18]: “As through one man’s sin condemnation has come over all men, so through one man’s righteousness justification has come over all men.” Yet not all men are justified through Christ, nevertheless he is the man through whom all justification comes. It is the same here. Even if not all men are illumined, yet this is the light from which alone all illumination comes. The evangelist has freely used this manner of speaking; he did not avoid it even though some would stumble over the fact that he speaks of all men. He thought he would take care of such offense by explaining before and after and by saying that “the darkness has not comprehended it,” and that the world has never recognized him and his own have never accepted him. Such passages should have been strong enough so that nobody could say he had intended to say that all men are enlightened, but that he alone is the light which enlightens everybody and that, without him, nobody is enlightened.

Luther, M. (1999). Vol. 52: Luther's works, vol. 52 : Sermons II (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Luther's Works (71). Philadelphia: Fortress Press.

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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Luther versus the UOJ Pietists":

Outstanding Luther quote in opposition to the false gospel of Universal Objective Justification.

I'm looking forward to the new chapters in the book. The timing of the conference last year was difficult for me, along with not a little apprehention regarding the kind of reception I might receive - I've seldom been coy about my opinions regarding religious issues. It turned out to be a very rewarding experience for me and to see the conference first hand was enlightening. Lord willing, they will allow me to host a table again this year.

Why Inerrancy Is Inadequate

By Norma Boeckler
The Efficacy Quotations

Efficacy of the Word
KJV Isaiah 55:10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but

watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the

eater: 11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall

accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

KJV 1 Thessalonians 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received

the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

Inerrancy

David Scaer said this about a pan-denominational inerrancy conference, "The only thing they agree about is inerrancy."

That was a witty observation on the surface, but off the mark. Most of them were Enthusiasts, divorcing the Holy Spirit from the Word. One can read various inerrancy books, stacks of them, and never get closer to the truth of the Scriptures.

The foundational concept is the efficacy of God's Word. There is a vast abyss between all the inerrancy advocates and the efficacy of the Word. My geometry teacher would say it this way, "All those who teach efficacy are also on the side of inerrancy, but very few who teach inerrancy also teach the efficacy of the Word."

Inerrancy also has this problem - arguing the point is bound to draw one into rationalistic thinking, which quickly leads into Unitarianism. Someone posted on the Net that the reality of the Star of Bethlehem, proven from astronomy, convinced him of the inerrancy of the Scriptures. What happens when he reads a convincing article against the Star of Bethlehem?

The Scriptures are completely coherent and harmonious, which means that one error infects everything - not because the Word is faulty. I see the inerrancy specialists treating the Biblical documents as true because they have found historical artifacts which support the details of the Scriptures. At the next stage of thinking they fall into rationalistic philosophy. Jesus said, "This is My Body, given for you for the forgiveness of sin." That cannot be, they claim. He spoke Aramaic, and there is no is in Aramaic, so bread remains bread. But the text is Greek, quite fond of 700 variations on "to be." He really meant - "This symbolizes My Body," so the inerrantists jump the tracks early, teaching against the plain meaning of the Word they claim to defend.

Man is also consistent in his teaching. If someone is rationalistic about the Real Presence, he is also rationalistic about the Two Natures of Christ. Thus Calvin makes fun of the Real Presence in his Institutes, and also explains Jesus appearing in the locked room as coming in through a secret passage. If Jesus cannot be present in Holy Communion, a locked door also bars His way. That means His human nature hinders His divine nature.

One person posted on Christmas Day that Jesus lay in the manger "helpless." But this is what Luther wrote in his superb Christmas program-hymn:


"To you this night is born a child
Of Mary, chosen virgin mild;
This little child, of lowly birth,
Shall be the joy of all the earth.

3. "This is the Christ, our God and Lord,
Who in all need shall aid afford;
He will Himself your Savior be
From all your sins to set you free.

4. "He will on you the gifts bestow
Prepared by God for all below,
That in His kingdom, bright and fair,
You may with us His glory share.

5. "These are the tokens ye shall mark:
The swaddling-clothes and manger dark;
There ye shall find the Infant laid
By whom the heavens and earth were made."
The Lutheran Hymnal, #85.


Jesus was never helpless, even if He appeared weak and small in the stable.

When the efficacy of the Word is neglected or rejected, alien philosophies will rush in to replace the teaching of the Holy Spirit. That is not a minor problem, a trivial matter. A common philosophy means a convivial spirit and fellowship. As I mentioned when writing about Hauerwas, modern theology floats on a cloud of philosophy.

Someone can be an inerrancy star in early life and turn teach against it, only a few years later. That is the corrosive effect of rationalism. I have seen it happen in some famous people and in religious leaders not so well known.

The mysteries of God are taught in the Word by the Holy Spirit. The Trinity, the Two Natures of Christ, the Sacraments, and the Atonement are revealed rather than proven.

6. Human reason, though it ponder,
Cannot fathom this great wonder
That Christ's body e'er remaineth
Though it countless souls sustaineth,
And that He His blood is giving
With the wine we are receiving.
These great mysteries unsounded
Are by God alone expounded.
The Lutheran Hymnal, #305.

The efficacy of the Word encourages ministers and laity to be faithful to the Word. Rejection of efficacy terrifies congregations into mad, sad entertainment festivals. They imagine they will draw the Old Adam into their church with munchies and cola during the Seeker Service, then feed them with more junk food during the sermon.

Rejection of the efficacy of the Word is behind the flight to Rome and Constantinople. Trained in denomination-worship, the lemmings are running into the ocean of love offered by Holy Mother Rome or Holy Mother Eastern Orthodoxy. Holy Father Antichrist says, "You are not a real Christian until you join with Me." Run. Run.

The Receptionists of the Olde Synodical Conference are examples of rejecting the efficacy of the Word. Some leadership from headquarters would have precluded years of debate this way: "The Word of God consecrates, not the hand or mouth of the communicant."

Rejection of the efficacy of the Word allows the faux-Lutherans to pixelate the Scriptures. They focus on a few pixels from the Scriptures, ignoring the obvious contrary passages which repudiate their false exegesis. Romans 4:25 as proof of UOJ should have been laughed out of the convention, but there it is - enshrined in the 1932 Brief Confusion of the LCMS, the last gasp of F. Pieper.


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.

The Olde Synodical Conference cannot discuss the Means of Grace because they do not teach the efficacy of the Word. Jeff Gunn reduce MOG to "Me or the Group." He is the WELS pastoral genius who revealed in the fulness of time, "Jesus is my rice."