 |
| The Calvinist superstar, Leonard Woods, wrote the language of Objective Justification and Subjective Justification in English, before Bishop Martin Stephan and his acolyte CFW Walther arrived in America with a boatload of young, female groupies. The Synodical Conference adopted the vocabulary of a Calvinist so they could call justification by faith Lutherans Calvinists? Yes. |
Thesis 27
The sins of all men have been imputed to Christ and He was punished (completely) for them all, so that
He rightly said, “It is finished”—the taking of the punishment was complete and the store of both active
and passive obedience was fulfilled. Nonetheless, Holy Scripture does not teach that mankind is now
seen as sinless apart from or prior to faith, but only that God’s desire is to judge them through the Mercy
Seat or Throne of Grace, which is Christ: those not so judged are still dead in their sins, as St. Paul says
of the Ephesians (2:1), etc., as Luther also clearly teaches. (cf. Vol. 26, p. 285–286)42
Thesis 28
The reconciliation/justification of the world is already accomplished in Christ in this sense: that what
God needs in order to consider each sinner righteous—the exchange of righteousness for sin in Christ—
is accomplished; yet, unless the sinner is reconciled to God/justified by God through trust in the righteousness of Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 5), he is not indeed reconciled. Since some are not reconciled/justified, it
cannot be said that all are reconciled/justified.43
Thesis 29
The orthodox Lutheran position, as easily demonstrated from the fathers of the Age of Lutheran Orthodoxy,
is that by the resurrection Christ is declared the Son of God with power and is vindicated (shown
to be righteous by merit), by having borne the sins of all mankind and suffered for them until there was
nothing left to punish, His righteousness now avails for every sinner and He—with His merit and the
promise attached thereto—is the proper object of our faith. It is through faith in this promise alone that
the sinner stands justified before God, since he is now judged at the Mercy Seat, the Throne of Grace, so
that God sees him as entirely righteous in connection with Christ.
43 It would be wrong to claim that the first half of the first sentence in this Thesis presents “Objective Justification”; by such an assertion, the true definition of said doctrine would be violated, as “Objective Justification” does not merely state “that what God needs in order to consider each sinner righteous—the exchange of righteousness for sin in Christ—is accomplished,” but that the whole world has, indeed, already been declared righteous and that no sin remains. [GJ - I would make this part of the thesis above, since the UOJ arguments like to blend and bend the language to obscure their shame.]
44 “Objective Justification” is, at best, an ambiguous term by virtue of the various ways it is represented by those claiming to adhere to it; thus, it is terminology that has no place in the Church. As with the Sacraments, in which we maintain the words and elements given us by Christ so that no element of doubt is introduced, language cannot be ambiguous lest the Church is given place to fall into “false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice.” Both such ambiguity in the use of the term “Objective Justification” and the false teaching advanced in the historical usage of this term (whether that of Huber or that of the theologians of the former Synodical Conference), has led even those among us who formerly made use of it to abandon the continued use of this term in the Church in connection with our desire to reject the false teaching associated with it.
***
GJ - These two theses are excellent in their brevity and clarity. Since the entire document is aimed at this conclusion. the last two should be studied and remembered.
No one has to agree with them. The vast majority of mainline leaders and organizations teach UOJ. It is a catechism simpler than Buddhism -
1. First level - Everyone is forgiven and saved without faith. That is God's grace.
2. Believe that this is true. You are in the Kingdom of God - second level.
3. Anyone who opposes this is against grace and hates the true Gospel of universal, faith-free salvation.
Links to the individual ELDONA Justification by Faith Posts.
