Ichabod – Thank You for Highlighting the Erroneous
Teaching of Universal Objective Justification! You are Spot On!
Again, I appreciate your
continued emphasis about the false teaching of "universal objective
justification," commonly known as UOJ. I think that I share your view that
this UOJ erroneous teaching has pathetically permeated Christian churches.
Especially, has it permeated Lutheran churches, as you highlight on your
website. I only wish that more faithful pastors would shed their timidity and
feel free to share (from their Scriptural) perspective, how this dangerous
teaching, passed on from synodical schools and promulgated by church
bureaucracies, is spiritually and publicly infecting their synodical church
bodies.
When I first visited this
website, I immediately understood what you were trumpeting. Your many and
varied articles, (sometimes smattered with humor and interesting pics), speak
directly to some very disturbing trends in Christianity - especially within the
"world" of Lutheranism.
Hence, I believe, (by
reading your website) I've become a better listener. And, listen is what I do
when I attend my congregation of WELS Bethel Lutheran, (Bay County Michigan).
And, increasingly, I hear the unscriptural teaching of universal objective
justification. Here, following, are some recent and pointed examples:
# 1 Example –
It was a Holy Trinity Sunday
sermon based upon Romans 8:14-17. The pastor was preaching from Romans 8:14-17:
As is his mode, he initially
launches his sermon with an illustration and carries that illustration theme to
the bitter end. This time though, he launched what seemed to be a shorter
introduction based upon Shakespeare’s Romeo soliloquy about how a name does not
define a person. Then he spoke how it actually does. He then continued by
saying that as a Christian, God's Name is stamped upon a person beginning with
Christian Baptism. Hence, what God did and does, indeed, defines us. [I’m sure
that you get the picture]
This particular Sunday I was
listening with rapt attention because for the first time (that I can remember)
unless I've been otherwise dozing, [and, I think not] he spoke at some
concerted length about the Holy Spirit and His work in the individual. I was
very pleased as he seemed to be headed in the proper doctrinal direction. But,
then, (sadly) to my disappointment, he ended his sermon by encouraging the
graduates to remember who they are.
Now, that would have been
okay to say, but not to immediately stop at that point. I don't remember the
Scripture saying:
"....be thou in
remembrance of who you are, unto death and I will give you a crown of
life."
No, - not at all. The
Scripture does (though) read:
"......be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." -
Revelation 2:10b
Also, I don't recall
Scripture's words penned (under inspiration) by the Apostle Paul, saying:
"I have fought a good
fight, I have finished my course, I have remembered who I am."
No, - Instead the Scripture
reads:
"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course,
I have kept the faith......" -
2 Timothy 4:7
The pastor [he is young and
about 10 years out of the seminary] got all the way to the end of his sermon
and stopped short. He blew it! He didn't go "full circle!" He left
the graduates, essentially with cheap grace. No mention of the necessity of
them persevering in the faith until the end. No mention of personal belief and
faith. No mention of justification by faith alone.
Note: I
also highlighted the aforementioned in my topical message:
“Cheap Grace is a Worthless Substitute for a Faith
That Saves:”
http://www.thechristianmessage.org/2012/06/cheap-grace-is-worthless-substitute-for.html
# 2 Example –
I happened to come across
one of my grandson's 1st grade WELS parochial school paper booklets. It was
[is] one of those copied school materials that is stapled together as a simple
paper booklet. This one, is 27 pages with pictures to be colored (by the
student) on every page. The printed material is somewhat poetic. The booklet is
entitled:
"Who is Martin
Luther?" - c. 1995 WELS Parish Services Commission on Youth Discipleship -
Milwaukee, WI 53222 - Author: Burow-Gauger - Illustrator: Gail B. Day
One of the portions of this
1st and 2nd grade booklet is, as follows:
Pages 11-12 –
"John Tetzel came near
Wittenberg selling papers that were bad. When Martin read the lies they said,
it made him very sad. Luther wrote down many truths-- there were ninety-five in
all. Later he told about the Bible and that Jesus saved us all."
Nowhere in this booklet did
I recall reading the words, “belief,” “faith” and the “Holy Spirit.” Nowhere in
this booklet does it state the hallmark Scriptural teaching of Luther, - that
being, that the sinner is justified by God's grace through faith in Christ.
The booklet's error is that
it teaches tender souls, that Jesus "saved us all," rather than what
the Scripture actually says, that Christ died for all. Just because Christ died
for all sins, - that does not then translate into all people being "saved,"
no more than a cookie jar, is guaranteed to possess cookies within it. Thus,
Scripture is, undermined and children are subjected to a type of spiritual
molestation. In the process of it all, children miss out on what the Word,
actually says:
Galatians 3:11 - "But
that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for,
the just shall live by faith."
Also: Romans 3:28 ; Romans 5:1 ; Galatians 2:16 ;
Galatians 3:11 ; Galatians 3:24 and James 2:24
Personally, I think it is
repulsive that little minds should be so spiritually abused with false
teaching. It's bad enough that church attending adults hear this UOJ (universal
objective justification) throughout the church year. But, to spiritually mess
up these young minds with this damning doctrine, (as they regularly attend
Christian Lutheran schools), is, I believe, inexcusable! I think of the
Scripture where Jesus stated: “Whoso
shall offend one of these little ones who believe in Me……”
If my first grade grandson
is presented [and, he is] the aforementioned teaching about Martin Luther and
the erroneous misapplication of Scripture at his WELS parochial elementary
school (about) 20 miles from Saginaw, - I then ask: "What type of false teaching goes on at the MLS (Michigan
Lutheran Seminary), there, in Saginaw? Or, is the damage already done from
pre-K to 8th grade, - and there is no further need to solidify the UOJ mindset?
What then "tops" this false UOJ teaching beginning at grades 9
through 12?
Come to think of it, the
aforementioned teaching booklet came out in 1995. That's about 17 years ago -
about the same time frame which MLS - Michigan Lutheran Seminary students are
about to graduate and then some of them go on to other WELS schools in
preparation for teaching and pastoral ministries. I cannot but help conclude,
that it's no wonder why there are some Lutheran pastors and teachers out there
who avoid Scripture’s teaching about personal faith, belief and the mention of
the Holy Spirit's role (from beginning to end)
in the life of the believer. Sadly and pathetically, it’s easier to
preach and teach the blanket Lutheran synods’ sanctioned teaching of overall
(sinner) absolution through UOJ - universal objective justification. All this
is the sorry case for Lutherans and other Protestant Christians who have been
so richly and divinely blessed by the great reformer, Martin Luther.....
Note: The aforementioned was also related on the
following website:
"UOJ in the Schools:"
http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/search?q=UOJ+in+the+schools
Finally - # 3 Example –
The following is another
example of universal objective justification proclaimed from our Bethel
congregation's pulpit:
 |
| Aaron Frey |
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."
 |
| Michigan Lutheran seminary is the shrinking prep school where Ski, Glende, and Frey learned the closeness of WELS fellowship. |
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).
Note: This above example was highlighted as a comment on
the 2 websites of:
extranos.blogspot.com/ and ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/
Ichabod –
So there you have it, - my observations.
And, I believe that “my” observation can be multiplied hundreds and hundreds of
times over throughout this one small “Lutheran” synod. [WELS]
I began with the one
preaching example of a young pastor, about 10 years out, from the WELS
seminary. I then offered what the parochial elementary youth are being incorrectly
taught. And, then I ended (with the third example) of a former Michigan
Lutheran Seminary (high school) president, who was also preaching universal
objective justification. This has all taken place at the congregation and
school where my wife and I are members, - Bethel Lutheran – WELS – Bay County,
Michigan
What am I to conclude - that,
this unscriptural and dangerous universalism teaching is isolated? I would be a
fool to conclude that; - and, very naïve.
So, as I stated at the beginning of my remarks, what you are
highlighting on your website is very timely and most important! Once
Scripture’s teaching of God’s grace through faith alone is destroyed, there is
no other genuine Christian foundation for the Christian Faith. May the good
Lord, have mercy!
Nathan Bickel – emeritus
pastor
Bay City, Michigan
www.thechristianmessage.org
www.moralmatters.org
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