Intuitu Fidei Election In View of Faith by Schmidt Lenski and Gohdes - Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry – "Faithful to the Reformation":
"Calvinism’s “doctrines of grace” make unconditional election the first cause of a person’s salvation. In contrast, the Book of Concord places justification by faith at the center of orthodox Christianity.
In 1881 Missouri Synod president C. F. W. Walther split the Synodical Conference by insisting that “‘faith foreseen by God flows from election’; or in other words, that the persevering faith without which no sinner can be saved has its source in election.”1 Many Missouri pastors along with those in the Ohio Synod led by Matthias Loy claimed that Walther’s new doctrine was more Calvinistic than Lutheran. The conflict became known as The Predestination Controversy.
This book examines the Lutheran symbols, their writers and early teachers to see if they teach election in foresight of faith.
“This article [justification by faith] is, as it were, the fortress and chief bulwark of the whole Christian doctrine and religion. If this article remains inviolate, the perversions of the other articles will cease of themselves.” – Chemnitz"
Contents
The Bible One Harmonious Whole
Harassing Yourself With The Secret Counsel of God
Apostasy is any doctrine which doesn’t ‘rhyme’ with Justification by Faith Alone
Contents (448 pages)
The Bible One Harmonious Whole
“We Lutherans do not consider the several articles of the Gospel as fragments, without connection and mutual affinity, which constitute the one faith once delivered to the saints merely because of their common revelation in the Bible. We believe, on the contrary, that the one faith delivered to the saints forms a harmonious whole, of which the constituent parts are so adjusted as to possess mutual agreement and inner cohesion.
“We, accordingly, do not see in the doctrine of justification an isolated doctrine… No, we make this doctrine the norm and center of our doctrinal system, so that, like a sun, it throws light upon the whole Scripture and all articles of faith. The Holy Spirit Himself has placed this doctrine as a divinely ordained rule in the service of hermeneutics, when He says: “Let us prophecy according to the proportion of faith.” (According to the analogy of faith; Rom. 12:7)
Harassing Yourself With The Secret Counsel of God
“Therefore no one who would be saved, should trouble or harass himself with thoughts concerning the secret counsel of God, as to whether he also is elected and ordained to eternal life, for with these miserable Satan is accustomed to attack and annoy godly hearts. But they should hear Christ (and in Him look upon the book of life in which is written the eternal election); who testifies to all men without distinction that it is God’s will that all men who labor and are heavy laden with sin should come to Him in order that He may give them rest and save them (Matt. 2:28; Decl. XI)
But if God wills that all men should come to Christ and be saved, it surely must have been His will to elect them all in Christ unto salvation, provided they would believe. The actual “election”, therefore, has taken place with strict regard to faith in Christ. All who shall believe, whether they be all men, or many, or only a few, whether they be Jews or Gentiles, these or those – all believers in Christ shall have part in the election in Christ. All non-believers, however, shall be excluded. For on one hand God has ordained in His counsel to restore all those who in true repentance and faith apprehend Jesus, unto grace, sonship and heirship and to elect them thereto. On the other hand He has ordained in His counsel also, to save no one except those who believe in His Son Jesus Christ. Hence where He did not foresee faith, He did not choose to elect; where He was to elect. He wanted to foresee faith. For it was as true then as it is today: “Without faith it is impossible to please God” and to be restored unto grace, sonship and heirship, or to be ordained thereto.
Apostasy is any doctrine which doesn’t ‘rhyme’ with Justification by Faith Alone
“Any doctrine that cannot be ‘rhymed’ with the doctrine of justification, bears on its face the brand of apostasy from the one revealed truth and stands disclosed as a false interpretation of Scripture. For this article of justification is ‘the chief topic of Christian doctrine, which, understood aright, illumines and magnifies the honor of Christ (which is of especial service for the clear, correct understanding of the entire Holy Scriptures, and alone shows the way to the unspeakable treasure and right knowledge of Christ and alone opens the door to the entire Bible. (Apology IV)
Contents (448 pages)
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