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Bishop James Heiser
Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Dioceses of North America
Rydecki and Sacerdotalists Attack Objective Justification
Mothers Don’t Let Your Sons Grow Up to Be Bishops
Herman Otten, editor and publisher of Christian News, has requested a response to Rev. Paul Rydecki’s 55 page paper against the Doctrine of Objective Justification titled, “The Forensic Appeal to the Throne of Grace.”
The paper can be viewed on line at the Intrepid Lutheran websitehttp://www.intrepidlutherans.com/2013/05/an-essay-on-article-of-justification.html
Rev. William (sic - Paul) Rydecki, formerly a pastor in the Wisconsin Synod, is now in fellowship with the Evangelical Lutheran Dioceses of North America.
How do you know if your pastor is a closet Sacerdotalist who agrees with Rydecki? The answer is that he will not give you any Bible passages that defend or support congregational polity by Voters’ Assemblies.
LCMS Sacerdotalists (also known as Hyper-Euro-Lutherans eager to revive pre-Walther European Sacerdotalism) who publish “Gottesdienst,” recently honored Rydecki with “The Saber of Boldness” for his stance against the Church Growth Movement.
They condemn one evil by promoting a greater evil. By their endorsement and affiliation the Evangelical Lutheran Dioceses of North America and LCMS Sacerdotalists are now allied with Rydecki’s against the Doctrine of Objective Justification.
Briefly stated, Objective Justification means Christ died for the sins of the world, and Subjective Justification means you believe it. Rydecki does not agree with Luther that the whole world is forgiven in Christ before they have faith in Christ. The point is that the Gospel is the proclamation that Christ died for the sins of the world and sinners converted by the Gospel are saved. Therefore, there must be forgiveness before there can be faith to believe in the forgiveness.
It was inevitable that Sacerdotalists attack Objective Justification because they believe their Sacrament of Ordination makes salvation dependent on their office. They believe God has limited access to the gates of heaven through the clergy.
Rydecki likes to be called a Dresden Lutheran. In 1837 more than 700 Lutherans migrated to Missouri under the leadership of Bishop Martin Stephan. Before they disbanded over corruption and later formed the LCMS in 1847, they practiced extreme Sacerdotalism.
Mundinger writes in “Government in Missouri,” “For years Stephan had adroitly manipulated his doctrine so that very many of the colonists were of the firm conviction that Stephan was their chief means of grace (Hauptgnadenmittel) [head grace mediator] and that outside, and apart from him, there was no hope.” (CPH, 1947, page 94)
[GJ - Walther and the other clergy founders of Missouri agreed with Stephan, making him their bishop for life. Stephan was an abusive Pietist, and Walther was his enforcer.]
In other words, the three Means of Grace; preaching of the Gospel, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper do not forgive sinners unless they are administered by a pastor who has the Sacrament of Ordination. This is a similar position held by Catholic priests.
The Cause of Damnation Is Not a Lack of Forgiveness
Rydecki and the Sacerdotalists who agree with him are wrong. The cause of damnation is not the lack of God’s forgiveness for all the sins of the world in Christ. The cause of damnation is not the lack of an ordained pastor with the Sacrament of Ordination who serves as a mediator between God and man. The cause of damnation after Adam’s fall, is the rejection of the Gospel of which everyone is guilty by original sin at conception. The cause of damnation is sins of omission and commission by every human being in the world.
Sinners are not victims. All sinners are by nature active allies and participants with the devil. God isn’t sending victims to hell. He is sending His enemies to hell. The entire world deserves and earns nothing but hell with the devil.
The question is, “Did Jesus Christ pay for the sins of the world?” The following passages and many more say He did. Why can’t Rydecki understand them for exactly what they say?
John 1:29 Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
1 John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
1Pe 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;
It must be a terrible burden or a colossal ego to imagine that these verses won’t help anyone unless administered by an ordained pastor. Sacerdotalists love the words of the Early Church Father St. Ignatius who taught that the bishop is the center of the church. “Wherever the bishop appears, there let the people be; as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.” Ignatius had it backwards. Where the congregation is, there is Christ’s power to call a pastor. Pastors don’t call churches. Churches call men to fill the pastoral office.
Rydecki’s 55 page paper is largely a collection of excellent quotes on the Doctrine of Justification by 16th and 17th Century Lutheran theologians. His brief interspersed comments are either misapplied or he doesn’t understand what these theologians are writing. All his writing is colored by his supposed Sacrament of Ordination.
[GJ - Melanchthon called ordination a sacrament in the Apology, which is in the Book of Concord.]
More than 20 times Rydecki writes about the sinner fleeing for refuge to Christ and His cross as proof against Objective Justification. This is all based on his repeated reference to Martin Chemnitz’s courtroom analogy for Subjective, not Objective, Justification where the sinner is declared righteous by the merits of Christ through faith. But how does the example of a sinner justified by faith nullify the work of the cross to forgive the sins of the world? Rydecki would have us believe that rejection of the Gospel cancels out the power of Christ’s blood.
The power of Christ’s blood, the Bible, Baptism, and the real presences in the Lord’s Supper are not annulled by unbelief. People can’t stop God.
Four Quotes Where Rydecki Makes Salvation Your Responsibility
Simple logic asks, “How can the sinner flee to Christ unless first, Christ has already died for the sins of the world; and second, unless he already has knowledge and faith to know where to flee?”
Remember Christ’s parable where the King invites the guests but they will not come (Matt. 22:2ff). They did not invite themselves. In the same way Christ has invited the whole world.
However, Rydecki gets it backwards when he teaches faith before forgiveness:
“But neither the grace of God nor the merit of Christ, without this ‘fleeing for refuge,’ results in the justification of sinners.”
What is Rydecki saying? He has this all backwards. It is Christ who pursues us with the announcement of His grace. When you believe it, that is faith. When you confess it, that is a good work. But look what Rydecki says, if you flee to the cross, Christ will forgive you and you will be justified. I hope you run fast enough and you don’t lose your way. Rydecki has salvation dependent on you fleeing for refuge.
Here is another quote where Rydecki again has justification dependent on the action of the sinner. “Second, that justification occurs in the divine courtroom, not without the accused fleeing in faith to the Throne of Grace, not before the accused flees in faith to the Throne of Grace, butsimultaneously with this ‘fleeing’ or this ‘forensic appeal.’ This present-tense (that is, concurrent with faith) absolution and justification is perfectly in keeping with the language of the Augsburg Confession:”
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| The Book of Concord commends this commentary for studying the topic of justification. |
Notice, he says justification only takes place when the sinner flees in faith to the throne of grace. There isn’t any forgiveness until the sinner believes it. However, turning on a light switch doesn’t turn on the power plant. Fleeing to God’s throne doesn’t kick-start God’s grace. All this is designed to protect Rydecki’s vision of a limited atonement. He limits access to forgiveness through the clergy who decide who is forgiven and when you are forgiven. In other words, the sinner isn’t going to get to the throne of grace without the bishop.
The gospel is not a description of people having faith; it is the message that God justifies the ungodly. In 2 Cor. 5:19, St. Paul says that in Christ "…God was reconciling the world to Himself not counting their sins against them,..." The world is reconciled to God before faith.
As if two were not enough, Rydecki gives a third reason why salvation is dependent on an action of the sinner.
“Third, that, although the foreign righteousness of Christ has made satisfaction to the divine law so that it is a ‘propitiation for the sins of the whole world,’ only those who appeal to this Propitiator actually escape condemnation under the divine law and are justified. The act of justification is not simultaneous with the atonement made by Christ.
Notice Rydecki’s convoluted sequence of events. Yes, he agrees that Christ is a propitiation for the sins of the world, but that doesn’t means anyone is forgiven. It makes you wonder why Christ even bothered to die on the cross. But Rydecki offers a ray of hope for those who help themselves. Just like he claims that grace doesn’t work until you flee to the throne of grace, you must also “appeal to this Propitiator” for His propitiation to be effective.
Christmas is for the whole world, not just for believers.
Rydecki’s imaginary sinner comes to faith, realizes that he is not yet forgiven, and then makes an appeal to Christ in order to be justified. Just to make sure his readers don’t get any foolish ideas and think Christ has already forgiven them when He died on the cross before they asked for it, Rydecki adds that no one was justified when Christ atoned for the sins of the world. However, just two lines earlier he wrote that Christ is the propitiation for the sins of the world. Now you see it. Now you don’t.
Rydecki should have titled his paper, “Why Christ Did Not Die for the Sins of the World.”
His fourth point is like the previous three: “…the only way in which that just requirement can be fulfilled for any sinner is if the accused pleads the ‘foreign righteousness’ of Christ as his defense,…”
Why would anyone plead for Christ’s righteousness if they didn’t already have saving faith? But Rydecki says in order to be saved the sinner has to plead to Christ for foreign righteousness. Is the whole congregation reconverted to Christ every time they confess their sins and are absolved by the pastor? Should I say to my wife on Sunday morning, “Let’s go to church honey and get saved again.”
I’m going to give a quote from the Lutheran Confessions. The average reader will not follow this quote. However, please note two things. First, there is no indwelling of God before conversion to make anyone plead for Christ before they are forgiven. And second, the last clause says God is accepting poor sinners before they plead for anything. Rydecki is not a Lutheran!
“54 We must also explain correctly the discussion concerning the indwelling of God’s essential righteousness in us. On the one hand, it is true indeed that God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who is the eternal and essential righteousness, dwells by faith in the elect who have been justified through Christ and reconciled with God, since all Christians are temples of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who impels them to do rightly. But, on the other hand, this indwelling of God is not the righteousness of faith of which St. Paul speaks [Rom 1:17; 3:5, 22; 25; II Cor. 5:21, etc.] and which he calls the righteousness of God, on account of which we are declared just before God. This indwelling follows the preceding righteousness of faith, which is precisely the forgiveness of sins and the gracious acceptance of poor sinners on account of the obedience and merit of Christ.”[1]
Notice the quote ends with God pursuing sinners with forgiveness and acceptance on account of Christ, not on account of their fleeing to the throne of grace or pleading to the Propitiator or pleading for foreign righteousness. Rydecki has Chemnitz arguing against himself.
Rydecki Attacks Luther
Rydecki sets up a number of straw dogs (sic - straw men?) in his paper. Yes, Huber was condemned in the 16th Century because he was a Universalist, not because he taught Objective Justification.
But let’s focus on Rydecki’s attack on Luther. The following quote from Luther clearly teaches Objective Justification, but Rydecki says it does not because Luther is talking about the Office of the Keys. Here is the quote:
“Even he who does not believe that he is free and his sins forgiven shall also learn, in due time, how assuredly his sins were forgiven, even though he did not believe it. …A king gives you a castle. If you do not accept it, then it is not the king’s fault, nor is he guilty of a lie. But you have deceived yourself and the fault is yours. The king certainly gave it.”
Rydeki says this quote does not mean that God has forgiven the world in Christ before they believe. Yet, this is exactly what it says.
Rydecki writes: “Therefore, to assert that ‘the king gave the castle’ apart from His Word, or that the whole world has already been absolved apart from the use of the ‘loosing Key’ is diametrically opposed to Luther’s words.”
He wants to separate absolution and justification as if the mash potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, turkey, and gravy don’t touch each other on the plate.
Rydecki says the setting for Luther’s quote is in church where people come to be absolved by the pastor. Let’s says this is true. So if an unbeliever is present in the service and the pastor announces forgiveness, Rydecki says the Pastor’s words were not intended for the unbeliever.
The fact is, the unbeliever was forgiven with everyone else in the church service but he rejected it. In other words, Rydecki’s objection is pointless. The whole world was absolved by Christ at the cross when He said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” They don’t know what they are doing because they don’t have any faith and God still forgives them, but this Rydecki will not allow. After God says you are forgiven, Rydecki has become that little devil who whispers in your ear, “No you’re not.”
Luther Writes about Objective Justification
Luther wrote about Objective Justification in his commentary on Galatians. Statements on Objective Justification will be in bold type and Subjective Justification underscored.
“For the issue before us is grave and vital; it involves the death of the Son of God, who, by the will and commandment of the Father, became flesh, was crucified, and died for the sins of the world. If faith yields on this point, the death of the Son of God will be in vain. Then it is only a fable that Christ is the Savior of the world. Then God is a liar, for He has not lived up to His promises. [2]
“For Christ is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Thus the believer in Christ has the One who took away the sins of the world. If the sin of the world is taken away, then it is taken away also from me, as one who believes in Him. And if sin is taken away, then wrath is taken away; and if wrath is taken away, so are death and damnation. Righteousness replaces sin; reconciliation and grace replace wrath; life replaces death; and eternal salvation replaces damnation. Let us learn to practice this distinction, not only in words but in its application to our life and in our feelings. For where Christ is, there must be a good conscience and joy; Christ Himself is our Reconciliation, Righteousness, Peace, Life, and Salvation. [3]
By a mercy that preceded my reason, will, and intellect He loved me, and loved me so much that He gave Himself for me, that I might be delivered from the Law, sin, the devil, and death.”[4]
Therefore that the nations are blessed means that righteousness is granted to them, that they are reckoned as righteous, which does not happen except through the Gospel.[5]
“In the same way John the Baptist called Christ “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29). He is, of course, innocent, because He is the Lamb of God without spot or blemish. But because He bears the sins of the world, His innocence is pressed down with the sins and the guilt of the entire world. Whatever sins I, you, and all of us have committed or may commit in the future, they are as much Christ’s own as if He Himself had committed them. In short, our sin must be Christ’s own sin, or we shall perish eternally. The wicked sophists have obscured this true knowledge of Christ which Paul and the prophets have handed down to us.” [6]
Therefore it is something great to take hold, by faith, of Christ, who bears the sins of the world (John 1:29). And this faith alone is counted for righteousness (Rom. 3–4).[7]
Now the Law comes and says: “I find Him a sinner, who takes upon Himself the sins of all men. I do not see any other sins than those in Him. Therefore let Him die on the cross!” And so it attacks Him and kills Him. By this deed the whole world is purged and expiated from all sins, and thus it is set free from death and from every evil. But when sin and death have been abolished by this one man, God does not want to see anything else in the whole world, especially if it were to believe, except sheer cleansing and righteousness. And if any remnants of sin were to remain, still for the sake of Christ, the shining Sun, God would not notice them.[8]
“Therefore the argument that Paul presents here [Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:] is the most powerful and the highest of all against all the righteousness of the flesh; for it contains this invincible and irrefutable antithesis: If the sins of the entire world are on that one man, Jesus Christ, then they are not on the world. But if they are not on Him, then they are still on the world. Again, if Christ Himself is made guilty of all the sins that we have all committed, then we are absolved from all sins, not through ourselves or through our own works or merits but through Him. But if He is innocent and does not carry our sins, then we carry them and shall die and be damned in them. “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ Amen.” (1 Cor. 15:57.) [9]
“Thus in Christ all sin is conquered, killed, and buried; and righteousness remains the victor and the ruler eternally.”[10]
Therefore there has to be another righteousness, one that far surpasses the righteousness of the Law; through it the blessing comes not only to the Jews but also to all nations in the whole world.”[11]
We have to ask ourselves how a trained, orthodox Lutheran pastor has become a vocal critic of God forgiving the sins of the world in Christ? If the LCMS doesn’t drive out the Sacerdotalists as the WELS has driven out Rydecki, it will lose the Gospel just as the ELCA has lost it.
[1]Tappert, T. G. (2000, c1959). The book of concord : The confessions of the evangelical Lutheran church (The Formula of Concord: 2, III, 54). Philadelphia: Fortress Press, Page 549
[2] Luther, M. (1999, c1963). Vol. 26: Luther's works, vol. 26 : Lectures on Galatians, 1535, Chapters 1-4 (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Luther's Works (Ga 2:6). Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House. Page 90
[3]Luther's works Vol. 26 Page151
[4]Luther's works Vol. 26 Page 175
[5]Luther's works Vol. 26: Page 233
[6]Luther's works Vol. 26 Page 278
[7]Luther's works Vol. 26 Page 279
[8]Luther's works Vol. 26: Page 280
[9]Luther's works Vol. 26 Page 280
[10] Luther's works Vol. 26: Page 281
[11] Luther's works Vol. 26: Page 289
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| The Calvinist Leonard Woods penned the double justification words (OJ and SJ) and the formula used by the LCMS, WELS, and the ELS. Woods translated the theology of the Halle Pietist Knapp. |
