The post below deals with one aspect of UOJ versus Justification by Faith.
Missouri and WELS introduced the gravest error into their synods by promoting the rationalistic Halle Pietism of Stephan and Walther.
Now that some people are reasonably well informed about Justification by Faith, the synods are adopting more double-talk to hide the essence of their foul error - Universal Forgiveness and Salvation without Faith.
Here is one LCMS statement:
Faith alone
By His suffering
and death as the substitute for all people of all time, Jesus purchased and won
forgiveness and eternal life for them. Those who hear this Good News and believe
it have the eternal life that it offers. God creates faith in Christ and gives
people forgiveness through Him.
This can clearly be taken two ways. The red area certainly suggests the Universal Forgiveness of OJ - via Stephan, Walther, and F. Pieper. But - if someone is not aware of the brassy heresies lurking in that language, the rest of the statement sounds OK for someone who seldom thinks of Pietism's silence on the Means of Grace, the efficacy of the Word, and the Sacraments.
 |
| WELS honors the Augsburg Confession in the breach, repudiating its meaning while plagiarizing its language. UOJists are all shameless liars. |
Here is the WELS statement on Justification from its websty:
The Bible and Lutherans teach that God judged all sinners righteous in his sight when Jesus Christ died on the cross for us. God declared everyone free from the guilt and punishment owed for our sins. The sinner receives this free gift of forgiveness, not by doing good deeds, but only by faith. A person is justified when he or she believes in Christ and his redemptive work. It is a gift from God.
Ephesians 2:8,9; 2 Corinthians 5:19; Romans 3:22-24; Romans 3:28; Romans 4:5; Mark 16:16 (Mark 16:16 is no longer in the WELS OFFICIAL NIV Bible and UOJ has been inserted in Romans 3:32).
 |
| WELS has 60+ essays in their files extolling Justification by Faith and ignoring the ministry of the Word. |
***
GJ - The WELS statement should not fool anyone, but it will. "A person is justified when..." But they just confessed that God has absolved and saved everyone, thus merging the Atonement with Justification. They contradict themselves when claiming "a person is justified when he or she or s/he is believes in Christ..."
They cannot reconcile their language - a house divided that cannot stand. The WELS unwillingness to cite "Objective Justification" shows their timidity in the face of objections from those who actually read a trustworthy Bible.
The WELS-Missouri-ELS-CLC (sic) combine is destroying itself through their promotion of Universal Objective Justification. The irony is vast - Missouri has never officially declared itself in bed with UOJ. There has been flirting, and yes, plenty of chambering. But there is no official catechism in the LCMS that teaches UOJ. CPH's KJV Catechism teaches Justification by Faith.
But the UOJ Stormtroopers make sure their dogma is enforced and promoted at all times.
