The UOJ fanatics confuse the Treasure (the Atonement) with the effect of preaching the Atonement, when the Spirit kindles that faith which receives the forgiveness of sin and salvation. The Word is living, active, and sharper than any double-edged sword. Those who trust in the divine effect of the Word also make it available in every possible form -
- Broadcasting, like the Sower and the Seed, but with electronics.
- Preaching.
- Teaching.
- Publishing books and essays.
- Visiting with the Word of God.
- Giving away books faithful to the Gospel.
- Quashing and stomping false doctrine.
The Universal Objective Justification position of Huber the Calvinist and Halle Pietism is completely passive. According the lazy scholars who barely read their required reading in seminary and forgot to read Luther or the Book of Concord, UOJ means everyone is born forgiven and saved. One only needs to say, "Baby Paul, I am baptizing you, but you were already forgiven and saved 2,000 years ago."
91] For the Word of God is the sanctuary above all
sanctuaries, yea, the only one which we Christians know and have. For though we
had the bones of all the saints or all holy and consecrated garments upon a
heap, still that would help us nothing; for all that is a dead thing which can
sanctify nobody. But God's Word is the treasure which sanctifies everything,
and by which even all the saints themselves were sanctified. At whatever hour,
then, God's Word is taught, preached, heard, read or meditated upon, there the
person, day, and work are sanctified thereby, not because of the external work,
but because of the Word, which makes saints of us all. 92] Therefore I
constantly say that all our life and work must be ordered according to God's
Word, if it is to be God-pleasing or holy. Where this is done, this commandment
is in force and being fulfilled. Third Commandment. Large Catechism
24] Thus we have most briefly presented the meaning of this
article, as much as is at first necessary for the most simple to learn, both as
to what we have and receive from God, and what we owe in return, which is a
most excellent knowledge, but a far greater treasure. For here we see how the
Father has given Himself to us, together with all creatures, and has most
richly provided for us in this life, besides that He has overwhelmed us with
unspeakable, eternal treasures by His Son and the Holy Ghost, as we shall hear.
Article 1, Large Catechism, Creed.
38] For neither you nor I could ever know anything of
Christ, or believe on Him, and obtain Him for our Lord, unless it were offered
to us and granted to our hearts by the Holy Ghost through the preaching of the
Gospel. The work is done and accomplished; for Christ has acquired and gained
the treasure for us by His suffering, death, resurrection, etc. But if the work
remained concealed so that no one knew of it, then it would be in vain and
lost. That this treasure, therefore, might not lie buried, but be appropriated
and enjoyed, God has caused the Word to go forth and be proclaimed, in which He
gives the Holy Ghost to bring this treasure home and appropriate it to us. 39]
Therefore sanctifying is nothing else than bringing us to Christ to receive
this good, to which we could not attain of ourselves. Article3 , Large Catechism, Creed.
43] For where He does not cause it to be preached and made
alive in the heart, so that it is understood, it is lost, as was the case under
the Papacy, where faith was entirely put under the bench, and no one recognized
Christ as his Lord or the Holy Ghost as his Sanctifier, that is, no one
believed that Christ is our Lord in the sense that He has acquired this
treasure for us, without our works and merit, and made us acceptable to the
Father. What, then, was lacking? 44] This, that the Holy Ghost was not there to
reveal it and cause it to be preached; but men and evil spirits were there, who
taught us to obtain grace and be saved by our works. 45] Therefore it is not a
Christian Church either; for where Christ is not preached, there is no Holy
Ghost who creates, calls, and gathers the Christian Church, without which no
one can come to Christ the Lord. 46] Let this suffice concerning the sum of
this article. But because the parts which are here enumerated are not quite
clear to the simple, we shall run over them also. Article 3, Large Catechsim, Creed
38] Here now the great need exists for which we ought to be
most concerned, that this name have its proper honor, be esteemed holy and
sublime as the greatest treasure and sanctuary that we have; and that as godly
children we pray that the name of God, which is already holy in heaven, may
also be and remain holy with us upon earth and in all the world. Lord’s Prayer
First Petition Large Catechism
55] From this you perceive that we pray here not for a
crust of bread or a temporal, perishable good, but for an eternal inestimable
treasure and everything that God Himself possesses; which is far too great for
any human heart to think of desiring if He had not Himself commanded us to pray
for the same. 56] But because He is God, He also claims the honor of giving
much more and more abundantly than any one can comprehend,-like an eternal,
unfailing fountain, which, the more it pours forth and overflows, the more it
continues to give,-and He desires nothing more earnestly of us than that we ask
much and great things of Him, and again is angry if we do not ask and pray
confidently.
57] For just as when the richest and most mighty emperor
would bid a poor beggar ask whatever he might desire, and were ready to give
great imperial presents, and the fool would beg only for a dish of gruel, he
would be rightly considered a rogue and a scoundrel, who treated the command of
his imperial majesty as a jest and sport, and was not worthy of coming into his
presence: so also it is a great reproach and dishonor to God if we, to whom He
offers and pledges so many unspeakable treasures, despise the same, or have not
the confidence to receive them, but scarcely venture to pray for a piece of
bread.
58] All this is the fault of the shameful unbelief which
does not look to God for as much good as will satisfy the stomach, much less
expects without doubt such eternal treasures of God. Therefore we must
strengthen ourselves against it, and let this be our first prayer; then,
indeed, we shall have all else in abundance, as Christ teaches [ Matt. 6:33 ]: Seek
ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall
be added unto you. For how could He allow us to suffer want and to be
straitened in temporal things when He promises that which is eternal and
imperishable? Lord’s Prayer, Second Petition, Large Catechsim
15] Therefore it is pure wickedness and blasphemy of the
devil that now our new spirits, to mock at Baptism, omit from it God's Word and
institution, and look upon it in no other way than as water which is taken from
the well, and then blather and say: How is a handful of water to help the soul?
16] Aye, my friend, who does not know that water is water if tearing things
asunder is what we are after? But how dare you thus interfere with God's order,
and tear away the most precious treasure with which God has connected and
enclosed it, and which He will not have separated? For the kernel in the water
is God's Word or command and the name of God, which is a treasure greater and
nobler than heaven and earth. Holy Baptism, Large Catechism
32] In the third place, since we have learned the great
benefit and power of Baptism, let us see further who is the person that
receives what Baptism gives and profits. 33] This is again most beautifully and
clearly expressed in the words: He that believeth and is baptized shall be
saved. That is, faith alone makes the person worthy to receive profitably the
saving, divine water. For, since these blessings are here presented and
promised in the words in and with the water, they cannot be received in any
other way than by believing them with the heart. 34] Without faith it profits
nothing, notwithstanding it is in itself a divine superabundant treasure.
Therefore this single word (He that believeth) effects this much that it
excludes and repels all works which we can do, in the opinion that we obtain
and merit salvation by them. For it is determined that whatever is not faith
avails nothing nor receives anything.
35] But if they say, as they are accustomed: Still Baptism
is itself a work, and you say works are of no avail for salvation; what, then,
becomes of faith? Answer: Yes, our works, indeed, avail nothing for salvation;
Baptism, however, is not our work, but God's (for, as was stated, you must put
Christ-baptism far away from a bath-keeper's baptism). God's works, however,
are saving and necessary for salvation, and do not exclude, but demand, faith;
for without faith they could not be apprehended. 36] For by suffering the water
to be poured upon you, you have not yet received Baptism in such a manner that
it benefits you anything; but it becomes beneficial to you if you have yourself
baptized with the thought that this is according to God's command and
ordinance, and besides in God's name, in order that you may receive in the
water the promised salvation. Now, this the fist cannot do, nor the body; but
the heart must believe it.
37] Thus you see plainly that there is here no work done by
us, but a treasure which He gives us, and which faith apprehends; just as the
Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross is not a work, but a treasure comprehended in
the Word, and offered to us and received by faith. Therefore they do us
violence by exclaiming against us as though we preach against faith; while we
alone insist upon it as being of such necessity that without it nothing can be
received nor enjoyed.
38] Thus we have these three parts which it is necessary to
know concerning this Sacrament, especially that the ordinance of God is to be
held in all honor, which alone would be sufficient, though it be an entirely
external thing, like the commandment, Honor thy father and thy mother, which
refers to bodily flesh and blood. Therein we regard not the flesh and blood,
but the commandment of God in which they are comprehended, and on account of
which the flesh is called father and mother; so also, though we had no more
than these words, Go ye and baptize, etc., it would be necessary for us to
accept and do it as the ordinance of God. 39] Now there is here not only God's
commandment and injunction, but also the promise, on account of which it is
still far more glorious than whatever else God has commanded and ordained, and
is, in short, so full of consolation and grace that heaven and earth cannot
comprehend it. 40] But it requires skill to believe this, for the treasure is
not wanting, but this is wanting that men apprehend it and hold it firmly.
41] Therefore every Christian has enough in Baptism to
learn and to practise all his life; for he has always enough to do to believe
firmly what it promises and brings: victory over death and the devil,
forgiveness of sin, the grace of God, the entire Christ, and the Holy Ghost
with His gifts. 42] In short, it is so transcendent that if timid nature could
realize it, it might well doubt whether it could be true. 43] For consider, if
there were somewhere a physician who understood the art of saving men from
dying, or, even though they died, of restoring them speedily to life, so that
they would thereafter live forever, how the world would pour in money like snow
and rain, so that because of the throng of the rich no one could find access!
But here in Baptism there is brought free to every one's door such a treasure
and medicine as utterly destroys death and preserves all men alive.
Holy Baptism, Large Catechism,
Holy Baptism
84] For this reason let every one esteem his Baptism as a
daily dress in which he is to walk constantly, that he may ever be found in the
faith and its fruits, that he suppress the old man and grow up in the new. 85]
For if we would be Christians, we must practise the work whereby we are Christians.
86] But if any one fall away from it, let him again come into it. For just as
Christ, the Mercy-seat, does not recede from us or forbid us to come to Him
again, even though we sin, so all His treasure and gifts also remain. If,
therefore, we have once in Baptism obtained forgiveness of sin, it will remain
every day, as long as we live, that is, as long as we carry the old man about
our neck. Holy Baptism, Large Catechism
20] Thus we have briefly the first point which relates to
the essence of this Sacrament. Now examine further the efficacy and benefits on
account of which really the Sacrament was instituted; which is also its most
necessary part, that we may know what we should seek and obtain there. 21] Now
this is plain and clear from the words just mentioned: This is My body and
blood, given and shed for you, for the remission of sins. 22] Briefly that is
as much as to say: For this reason we go to the Sacrament because there we
receive such a treasure by and in which we obtain forgiveness of sins. Why so?
Because the words stand here and give us this; for on this account He bids me
eat and drink, that it may be my own and may benefit me, as a sure pledge and
token, yea, the very same treasure that is appointed for me against my sins,
death, and every calamity. Large Catechism, Holy Communion.
28] But here our wise spirits contort themselves with their
great art and wisdom, crying out and bawling: How can bread and wine forgive
sins or strengthen faith? Although they hear and know that we do not say this
of bread and wine, because in itself bread is bread, but of such bread and wine
as is the body and blood of Christ, and has the words attached to it. That, we
say, is verily the treasure, and nothing else, through which such forgiveness
is obtained. 29] Now the only way in which it is conveyed and appropriated to
us is in the words (Given and shed for you). For herein you have both truths,
that it is the body and blood of Christ, and that it is yours as a treasure and
gift. 30] Now the body of Christ can never be an unfruitful, vain thing, that
effects or profits nothing. Yet, however great is the treasure in itself, it
must be comprehended in the Word and administered to us, else we should never
be able to know or seek it.
31] Therefore also it is vain talk when they say that the
body and blood of Christ are not given and shed for us in the Lord's Supper,
hence we could not have forgiveness of sins in the Sacrament. For although the
work is accomplished and the forgiveness of sins acquired on the cross, yet it
cannot come to us in any other way than through the Word. For what would we
otherwise know about it, that such a thing was accomplished or was to be given
us if it were not presented by preaching or the oral Word? Whence do they know
of it, or how can they apprehend and appropriate to themselves the forgiveness,
except they lay hold of and believe the Scriptures and the Gospel? 32] But now
the entire Gospel and the article of the Creed: I believe a holy Christian
Church, the forgiveness of sin, etc., are by the Word embodied in this
Sacrament and presented to us. Why, then, should we allow this treasure to be
torn from the Sacrament when they must confess that these are the very words
which we hear every where in the Gospel, and they cannot say that these words
in the Sacrament are of no use, as little as they dare say that the entire
Gospel or Word of God, apart from the Sacrament, is of no use?
33] Thus we have the entire Sacrament, both as to what it
is in itself and as to what it brings and profits. Now we must also see who is
the person that receives this power and benefit. That is answered briefly, as
we said above of Baptism and often elsewhere: Whoever believes it has what the
words declare and bring. For they are not spoken or proclaimed to stone and
wood, but to those who hear them, to whom He says: 34]Take and eat, etc. And
because He offers and promises forgiveness of sin, it cannot be received
otherwise than by faith. This faith He Himself demands in the Word when He
says: Given and shed for you. As if He said: For this reason I give it, and bid
you eat and drink, that you may claim it as yours and enjoy it. 35] Whoever now
accepts these words, and believes that what they declare is true, has it. But
whoever does not believe it has nothing, as he allows it to be offered to him
in vain, and refuses to enjoy such a saving good. The treasure, indeed, is
opened and placed at every one's door, yea, upon his table, but it is necessary
that you also claim it, and confidently view it as the words suggest to you 36]
This, now, is the entire Christian preparation for receiving this Sacrament
worthily. For since this treasure is entirely presented in the words, it cannot
be apprehended and appropriated in any other way than with the heart. For such
a gift and eternal treasure cannot be seized with the fist. 37] Fasting and
prayer, etc., may indeed be an external preparation and discipline for
children, that the body may keep and bear itself modestly and reverently
towards the body and blood of Christ; yet what is given in and with it the body
cannot seize and appropriate. But this is done by the faith of the heart, which
discerns this treasure and desires it. 38] This may suffice for what is
necessary as a general instruction respecting this Sacrament; for what is
further to be said of it belongs to another time.
39] In conclusion, since we have now the true understanding
and doctrine of the Sacrament, there is indeed need of some admonition and
exhortation, that men may not let so great a treasure which is daily
administered and distributed among Christians pass by unheeded, that is, that
those who would be Christians make ready to receive this venerable Sacrament
often. 40] For we see that men seem weary and lazy with respect to it; and
there is a great multitude of such as hear the Gospel, and, because the
nonsense of the Pope has been abolished, and we are freed from his laws and
coercion, go one, two, three years, or even longer without the Sacrament, as
though they were such strong Christians that they have no need of it; 41] and
some allow themselves to be prevented and deterred by the pretense that we have
taught that no one should approach it except those who feel hunger and thirst,
which urge them to it. Some pretend that it is a matter of liberty and not
necessary, and that it is sufficient to believe without it; and thus for the
most part they go so far that they become quite brutish, and finally despise
both the Sacrament and the Word of God. LC, Holy C
66] For here He offers to us the entire treasure which He
has brought for us from heaven, and to which He invites us also in other places
with the greatest kindness, as when He says in St. Matthew 11:28: Come unto Me,
all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 67] Now it is
surely a sin and a shame that He so cordially and faithfully summons and
exhorts us to our highest and greatest good, and we act so distantly with
regard to it, and permit so long a time to pass [without partaking of the
Sacrament] that we grow quite cold and hardened, so that we have no inclination
or love for it. 68] We must never regard the Sacrament as something injurious
from which we had better flee, but as a pure, wholesome, comforting remedy
imparting salvation and comfort, which will cure you and give you life both in
soul and body. For where the soul has recovered, the body also is relieved.
Why, then, is it that we act as if it were a poison, the eating of which would
bring death? Large Catechism, Holy Communion
Solid Declaration, Formula of Concord - Chemnitz
9] Concerning the righteousness of faith before God we
believe, teach, and confess unanimously, in accordance with the comprehensive
summary of our faith and confession presented above, that poor sinful man is
justified before God, that is, absolved and declared free and exempt from all
his sins, and from the sentence of well-deserved condemnation, and adopted into
sonship and heirship of eternal life, without any merit or worth of our own,
also without any preceding, present, or any subsequent works, out of pure
grace, because of the sole merit, complete obedience, bitter suffering, death,
and resurrection of our Lord Christ alone, whose obedience is reckoned to us
for righteousness.
10] These treasures are offered us by the Holy Ghost in the
promise of the holy Gospel; and faith alone is the only means by which we lay
hold upon, accept, and apply, and appropriate them to ourselves. 11] This faith
is a gift of God, by which we truly learn to know Christ, our Redeemer, in the
Word of the Gospel, and trust in Him, that for the sake of His obedience alone
we have the forgiveness of sins by grace, are regarded as godly and righteous
by God the father, and are eternally saved. 12] Therefore it is considered and
understood to be the same thing when Paul says that we are justified by faith,
Rom. 3:28, or that faith is counted to us for righteousness, Rom. 4:5, and when
he says that we are made righteous by the obedience of One, Rom. 5:19, or that
by the righteousness of One justification of faith came to all men, Rom. 5:18.
13] For faith justifies, not for this cause and reason that it is so good a
work and so fair a virtue, but because it lays hold of and accepts the merit of
Christ in the promise of the holy Gospel; for this must be applied and
appropriated to us by faith, if we are to be justified thereby. 14] Therefore
the righteousness which is imputed to faith or to the believer out of pure
grace is the obedience, suffering, and resurrection of Christ, since He has
made satisfaction for us to the Law, and paid for [expiated] our sins. 15] For
since Christ is not man alone, but God and man in one undivided person, He was
as little subject to the Law, because He is the Lord of the Law, as He had to
suffer and die as far as His person is concerned. For this reason, then, His
obedience, not only in suffering and dying, but also in this, that He in our
stead was voluntarily made under the Law, and fulfilled it by this obedience,
is imputed to us for righteousness, so that, on account of this complete
obedience, which He rendered His heavenly Father for us, by doing and
suffering, in living and dying, God forgives our sins, regards us as godly and
righteous, and eternally saves us. 16] This righteousness is offered us by the
Holy Ghost through the Gospel and in the Sacraments, and is applied,
appropriated, and received through faith, whence believers have reconciliation
with God, forgiveness of sins, the grace of God, sonship, and heirship of
eternal life. Formula, SD 3 Righteousness of Faith.
Johann Franck (1618-1677), enjoyed a career in law but devoted himself to writing hymns, giving us several well known titles, including:
- Soul, adorn thyself with gladness #305; and
- Jesus, Priceless Treasure, #347.
"Thus we arrive at the apostle's meaning in the assertion that a minister of Christ is a steward in the mysteries of God. He should regard himself and insist that others regard him as one who administers to the household of God nothing but Christ and the things of Christ. In other words, he should preach the pure Gospel, the true faith, that Christ alone is our life, our way, our wisdom, power, glory, salvation; and that all we can accomplish of ourselves is but death, error, foolishness, weakness, shame and condemnation. Whosoever preaches otherwise should be regarded by none as a servant of Christ or a steward of the divine treasurer; he should be avoided as a messenger of the devil."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 73. Third Sunday in Advent, 1 Corinthians 4:1-5,
"Thus also the devil is angry because God wants to trample him under foot by means of flesh and blood. If a mighty spirit were opposed to him, he would not be so sorely vexed; but it greatly angers him that a poor worm of the dust, a fragile earthen vessel defies him, a weak vessel against a mighty prince. God has placed his treasure, says St. Paul, in a poor, weak vessel; for man is weak, easily aroused to anger, avaricious, arrogant, and weighed down with other imperfections, through which Satan easily shatters the earthen vessel; for if God would permit him, he would soon have utterly destroyed the whole vessel."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 268. Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity, John 4:46-54; 1 Peter 5:8; Ephesians 6:12
"Therefore you should not imagine it is enough if you have commenced to believe; but you must diligently watch that your faith continue firm, or it will vanish; you are to see how you may retain this treasure you have embraced; for Satan concentrates all his skill and strength on how to tear it out of your heart."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 255. Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity, John 4:46-54
"Let a prince give a person a castle or several thousand dollars, what a jumping and rejoicing it creates! On the other hand, let a person be baptized or receive the communion which is a heavenly, eternal treasure, there is not one-tenth as much rejoicing. Thus we are by nature; there is none who so heartily rejoices over God's gifts and grace as over money and earthly possessions; what does that mean but that we do not love God as we ought?"
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 190 Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 22:34-46
"Let a prince give a person a castle or several thousand dollars, what a jumping and rejoicing it creates! On the other hand, let a person be baptized or receive the communion which is a heavenly, eternal treasure, there is not one-tenth as much rejoicing. Thus we are by nature; there is none who so heartily rejoices over God's gifts and grace as over money and earthly possessions; what does that mean but that we do not love God as we ought?"
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 190 Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 22:34-46
"If I only kept in mind that He gave me eyes, truly a very great treasure, it would be no wonder if shame caused my death, because of my ingratitude in that I never yet thanked Him for the blessing of sight. But we do not see His noble treasures and gifts; they are too common. But when a blind babe happens to be born, then we see what a painful thing the lack of sight is, and what a precious thing even one eye is, and what a divine blessing a healthy, bright countenance is; it serves us during our whole life, and without it one would rather be dead; and yet no one thanks God for it."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 129. Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity Luke 7:11-17
"The Master uses here the Hebrew, which we do not. 'Mammon' means goods or riches, and such goods as one does not need, but holds as a treasure, and it is gold and possessions that one deposits as stock and storage provisions."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 107. Trinity 15 Matthew 6:24-34
"It is a faithful saying that Christ has accomplished everything, has removed sin and overcome every enemy, so that through Him we are lords over all things. But the treasure lies yet in one pile; it is not yet distributed nor invested. Consequently, if we are to possess it, the Holy Spirit must come and teach our hearts to believe and say: I, too, am one of those who are to have this treasure. When we feel that God has thus helped us and given the treasure to us, everything goes well, and it cannot be otherwise than that man's heart rejoices in God and lifts itself up, saying: Dear Father, if it is Thy will to show toward me such great love and faithfulness, which I cannot fully fathom, then will I also love Thee with all my heart and be joyful, and cheerfully do what pleases Thee. Thus, the heart does not now look at God with evil eyes, does not imagine He will cast us into hell, as it did before the HS came...."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 279. Pentecost Sunday John 14:23-31.
"Here are no learned, no rich, no mighty ones, for such people do not as a rule accept the Gospel. The Gospel is a heavenly treasure, which will not tolerate any other treasure, and will not agree with any earthly guest in the heart. Therefore whoever loves the one must let go the other, as Christ says, Matthew 6:24: 'You cannot serve God and mammon.'" Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, I, p. 154. Christmas Day Luke 2:1-14; Matthew 6:24. (10)
"What I have done and taught, teach thou, My ways forsake thou never; So shall My kingdom flourish now And God be praised forever. Take heed lest men with base alloy The heavenly treasure should destroy; This counsel I bequeath thee."
The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #387. Romans 3:28. (10)
"What I have done and taught, teach thou, My ways forsake thou never; So shall My kingdom flourish now And God be praised forever. Take heed lest men with base alloy The heavenly treasure should destroy; This counsel I bequeath thee." The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #387. Romans 3:28. "Therefore, do not speak to me of love or friendship when anything is to be detracted from the Word or the faith; for we are told that not love but the Word brings eternal life, God's grace, and all heavenly treasures."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1411f. Ephesians 6:10-17.
"Thus we see what a very splendid thing Baptism is. It snatches us from the jaws of the devil, makes us God's own, restrains and removes sin, and then daily strengthens the new man within us. It is and remains ever efficacious until we pass from this state of misery to eternal glory. For this reason everyone should consider his Baptism as his daily dress, to be worn constantly. Every day he should be found in the faith and its fruits, suppressing the old man, and growing up in the new; for if we want to be Christians, we must practice the work whereby we are Christians. But if anyone falls from baptismal grace, let him return to it. For as Christ, the Mercy Seat, does not withdraw from us or forbid us to come to Him again even though we sin, so all His treasures and gifts also remain with us."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 61. Article on baptism, 1529
"Therefore, do not speak to me of love or friendship when anything is to be detracted from the Word or the faith; for we are told that not love but the Word brings eternal life, God's grace, and all heavenly treasures."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1411f. Ephesians 6:10-17.
"Faith is that my whole heart takes to itself this treasure. It is not my doing, not my presenting or giving, not my work or preparation, but that a heart comforts itself, and is perfectly confident with respect to this, namely, that God makes a present and gift to us, and not we to Him, that He sheds upon us every treasure of grace in Christ."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, IV. #48. Justification. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 135. Not in Tappert. Heiser, p. 36.
"...the Ukraine project of Thoughts of Faith (Pastor Kovaciny)" Use of mission funds. Charlotte Proctor, treasurer Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, Cornerstone, Emmanuel Lutheran Church Columbus, Ohio November, 1995 Recording secretary, Christine E. Scheiderer; treasurer, Charlotte Proctor. Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, Cornerstone, Emmanuel Lutheran Church Columbus, Ohio November, 1995
"Pastor Kovaciny, in an effort to respond to our request, sent a copy of the third quarter treasurer's report of the Ukrainian congregation, signed by the treasurer and written in his own hand. We thought you might enjoy seeing it! You should be aware that our budget offering goes to pay for Pastor Kovaciny's salary and expenses through 'Thoughts of Faith,' the radio ministry which has been bringing the Gospel to the Ukraine for many years...."
Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, Cornerstone, Emmanuel Lutheran Church Columbus, Ohio January, 1995
"These treasures are offered us by the Holy Ghost in the promise of the holy Gospel; and faith alone is the only means by which we lay hold upon, accept, and apply, and appropriate them to ourselves. This faith is a gift of God, by which we truly learn to know Christ, our Redeemer, in the Word of the Gospel, and trust in Him, that for the sake of His obedience alone we have the forgiveness of sins by grace, are regarded as godly and righteous by God the Father, and are eternally saved."
Formula of Concord, SD, III 10, Righteous of Faith before God, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 919. Tappert, p. 541. Heiser, p. 250.
(8) "What is the world to me! My Jesus is my treasure, My Life, my Health, my Wealth, my Friend, my Love, my Pleasure, My Joy, my Crown, my All, Bliss eternally. Once more, then, I declare: What is the world to me!"
Georg M. Pfefferkorn, 1667, "What Is the World to Me," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #430. 1 John 2:15-17. "
(3) Hollazius (ib.): 'The Word of God, as such, cannot be conceived of without the divine virtue, or the Holy Spirit, who is inseparable from His Word. For if the Holy Spirit could be separated from the Word of God, it would not be the Word of God or of the Spirit, but a word of man. Nor is there any other Word of God, which is in God, or with which the men of God have been inspired, than that which is given in the Scriptures or is preached or is treasured up in the human mind. But, as it cannot be denied that that is the divine will, counsel, mind, and the wisdom of God, so it cannot be destitute of the divine virtue or efficacy.'"
Heinrich Schmid, Doctrinal Theology of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, trans., Charles A. Hay and Henry E. Jacobs, Philadelphia: United Lutheran Publication House, 1899, p. 505.
"Thanks to the dogma of Purgatory, how many souls follow the recommendation of Our Saviour, and lay up to themselves treasures in Heaven, thus becoming rich before God (Matthew 6:20; Luke 12:21)?"
Martin Jugie, Purgatory and the Means to Avoid It, New York: Spiritual Book Associates, 1950, p. 29. 381 Fourth Ave, NY 16, NY Matthew 6:20; Luke 12:21.
"The Gospel shows the Father's grace, Who sent His Son to save our race, Proclaims how Jesus lived and died That man might thus be justified. (2) It sets the Lamb before our eyes, Who made the atoning sacrifice, And calls the souls with guilt opprest To come and find eternal rest. (3) It brings the Savior's righteousness Our souls to robe in royal dress; From all our guilt it brings release And gives the troubled conscience peace. (4) It is the power of God to save From sin and Satan and the grace; It works the faith, which firmly clings To all the treasures which it brings. (5) It bears to all the tidings glad And bids their hearts no more be sad; The heavy laden souls it cheers And banishes their guilty fears."
Matthias Loy, 1863, "The Gospel Shows the Father's Grace" The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #297. John 3:16.
"Indulgences are, in the Church, a true spiritual treasure laid open to all the faithful; all are permitted to draw therefrom, to pay their own debts and those of others."
Rev. F. X. Schouppe, S.J., Purgatory, Illustrated by the Lives and Legends of the Saints, Rockford: TAN Books and Publishers, 1973 (1893), p. 195.
Andy Stanley and Appleton Alliance Refuted"Therefore it is pure wickedness and blasphemy of the devil that now our new spirits, to mock at Baptism, omit from it God's Word and institution, and look upon it in no other way than as water which is taken from the well, and then blather and say: How is a handful of water to help the soul? Aye, my friend, who does not know that water is water if tearing things asunder is what we are after? But how dare you thus interfere with God's order, and tear away the most precious treasure with which God has connected and enclosed it, and which He will not have separated? For the kernel in the water is God's Word or command and the name of God, which is a treasure greater and nobler than heaven and earth."
The Large Catechism, Part Fourth, Of Baptism. #15-16. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 735. Tappert, p. 438. Heiser, p. 205f.
"Here you see again how highly and precious we should esteem Baptism, because in it we obtain such an unspeakable treasure, which also indicates sufficiently that it cannot be ordinary mere water. For mere water could not do such a thing, but the Word does it, and (as said above) the fact that the name of God is comprehended therein. But where the name of God is, there must be also life and salvation, that it may indeed be called a divine, blessed, fruitful, and gracious water; for by the Word such power is imparted to Baptism that it is a laver of regeneration, as St. Paul also calls it, Titus 3:5."
The Large Catechism, Part Fourth, Of Baptism. #26-27. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 739. Tappert, p. 439f. Heiser, p. 206.
"Thus faith clings to the water, and believes that it is Baptism, in which there is pure salvation and life; not through the water (as we have sufficiently stated), but through the fact that it is embodied in the Word and institution of God, and the name of God inheres in it. Now, if I believe this, what else is it than believing in God and in Him who has given and planted His Word into this ordinance, and proposes to us this external thing wherein we may apprehend such a treasure?"
The Large Catechism, Part Fourth, Of Baptism. #29. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 739. Tappert, p. 440. Heiser, p. 206.
"Without faith it profits nothing, notwithstanding it is in itself a divine superabundant treasure. Therefore this single word (He that believeth) effects this much that it excludes and repels all works which we can do, in the opinion that we obtain and merit salvation by them. For it is determined that whatever is not faith avails nothing nor receives anything."
The Large Catechism, Part Fourth, Of Baptism. #34. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 741. Tappert, p. 440. Heiser, p. 207.
"Thus you see plainly that there is here no work done by us, but a treasure which He gives us, and which faith apprehends; just as the Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross is not a work, but a treasure comprehended in the Word, and offered to us and received by faith. Therefore they do us violence by exclaiming against us as though we preach against faith; while we alone insist upon it as being of such necessity that without it nothing can be received nor enjoyed."
The Large Catechism, Part Fourth, Of Baptism. #37. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 741. Tappert, p. 441. Heiser, p. 207.
"For this reason let every one esteem his Baptism as a daily dress in which he is to walk constantly, that he may ever be found in the faith and its fruits, that he suppress the old man and grow up in the new. For if we would be Christians, we must practice the work whereby we are Christians. But if any one fall away from it, let him again come into it. For just as Christ, the Mercy-seat, does not recede from us or forbid us to come to Him again, even though we sin, so all His treasure and gifts also remain. If, therefore, we have once in Baptism obtained forgiveness of sin, it will remain every day, as long as we live, that is, as long as we carry the old man about our neck."
The Large Catechism, Part Fourth, Of Baptism. #84-86. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 753. Tappert, p. 446. Heiser, p. 209f.
"For herein you have both truths, that it is the body and blood of Christ, and that it is yours as a treasure and gift. Now the body of Christ can never be an unfruitful, vain thing, that effects or profits nothing. Yet, however great is the treasure in itself, it must be comprehended in the Word and administered to us, else we should never be able to know or seek it."
The Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar. #29-30. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 759. Tappert, p. 449f. Heiser, p. 211.
"This faith He Himself demands in the Word when He says: Given and shed for you. As if He said: For this reason I give it, and bid you eat and drink, that you may claim it as yours and enjoy it. Whoever now accepts these words,and believes that what they declare is true, has it. But whoever does not believe it has nothing, as he allows it to be offered to him in vain, and refuses to enjoy such a saving good. The treasure, indeed, is opened and placed at every one's door, yea, upon his table, but it is necessary that you also claim it, and confidently view it as the words suggest to you."
The Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar. #34-35. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 761. Tappert, p. 450. Heiser, p. 212.
UOJ Refuted"For neither you nor I could ever know anything of Christ, or believe on Him, and obtain Him for our Lord, unless it were offered to us and granted to our hearts by the Holy Ghost through the preaching of the Gospel. The work is done and accomplished; for Christ has acquired and gained the treasure for us by His suffering, death, resurrection, etc. But if the work remained concealed so that no one knew of it, then it would be in vain and lost. That this
treasure, therefore, might not lie buried, but be appropriated and enjoyed, God has caused the Word to go forth and be proclaimed, in which He gives the Holy Ghost to bring this treasure home and appropriate it to us. Therefore sanctifying is nothing else than bringing us to Christ to receive this good, to which we could not attain ourselves."
The Large Catechism, The Creed, Article III, #38, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 689. Tappert, p. 415. Heiser, p. 194.
"For where He does not cause it to be preached and made alive in the heart, so that it is understood, it is lost, as was the case under the Papacy, where faith was entirely put under the bench, and no one recognized Christ as his Lord or the Holy Ghost as his Sanctifier, that is, no one believed that Christ is our Lord in the sense that He has acquired this treasure for us, without our works and merit, and made us acceptable to the Father. What, then, was lacking? This, that the Holy Ghost was not there to reveal it and cause it to be preached; but men and evil spirits were there, who taught us to obtain grace and be saved by our works."
The Large Catechism, The Creed, Article III, #43-44, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 689. Tappert, p. 416. Heiser, p. 194f.
"True, the enthusiasts confess that Christ died on the cross and saved us; but they repudiate that by which we obtain Him; that is, the means, the way, the bridge, the approach to Him they destroy...They lock up the
treasure which they should place before us and lead me a fool's chase; they refuse to admit me to it; they refuse to transmit it; they deny me its possession and use." (III, 1692)
The. Engelder, W. Arndt, Th. Graebner, F. E. Mayer, Popular Symbolics, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934, p. 5.
"These means are the true
treasure of the church through which salvation in Christ is offered. They are the objective proclamation of faith which alone makes man's subjective faith possible (Augsburg Confession, Article V). The Formula of Concord (Solid Declaration, Article XI, 76) states expressly that God alone draws man to Christ and that he does this only through the means of grace." Walter G. Tillmanns, "Means of Grace: Use of," The Encyclopedia of the Lutheran Church, 3 vols., Julius Bodensieck, Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1965, II, p. 1505.
