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| John Calvin |
As I indicated earlier if you’ve read John Murray’s book (maybe you didn’t but most on this forum have) on Redemption Accomplished and Applied you would realize that calvinists teach objective justification as well. The only difference is that calvinists teach it’s for the elect only instead of for all sinners as lutherans do. Objective justification happened at the atonement or what John Murray calls redemption accomplished. Objective justification is nothing else than Christ’s vicotory (sic) in Calvary that won the forgiveness of sin for all sinners. Calvinists teach that it’s only for the elect, while lutherans teach a universal objective justification. So basicall all your questions about objective justification are easily answered and apply to both reformed and lutheran theology, since both tehologies teach objective justification, for the lutheran this justification is universal (unlimited atonement) and for the reformed is only for the elect (limited atonement).
Now let’s look at the difference between lutheranism and calvinism. We preach the forgiveness of sins to all the world (the great commission) in Christ. Calvinists do the same, the proclamation of the gospel is to all people. But in order for me to preach the forgiveness of sins (objective justification in the atonement) to every sinner the forgiveness of sin needs to have been accomplished for all sinners so that whosoever believes will be saved. As a calvinist I would have a hard time preaching a forgiveness of sin that is only for some people and not for others, how do I know who is the elect and who isn’t so that I can preach it to them? It would be impossible to know. And as a calvinist if I preach the gospel to everybody and tell them Christ has won the forgiveness of sins at Calvary, I’m a liar because I can only tell this to the elect! And how will I know who the elect are? It would be impossible to know.
Scaer on Robert Preus and the Calvinists
Scaer Chapter: Objective vs. Subjective Justification
At the time of the faculty’s conversations with Maier II, Robert Preus looked for support and found it among conservative friends in the Evangelical movement who admired him for his defense of biblical inspiration and inerrancy, including several faculty members of Westminster Seminary—Escondido, California, with its renowned Reformed scholar Michael Horton (b. 1964). Preus must have been aware, but chose to ignore that the Reformed see objective justification as a component of their doctrine of election, but it was hardly universal in scope as Lutherans have historically held it. Several faculty members who were at odds with Maier II’s views saw certain kinks in the traditional position because it saw each individual rather than humanity as a totality being justified.
Scaer, David P.. Surviving the Storms: Memoirs of David P. Scaer . Luther Academy. Kindle Edition.
PS - When Mrs. Ichabod posted part of this Robert Preus material on the Orthodox (sic) Lutheran Forum, it disappeared faster than Packer season tickets in Green Bay.
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| David Scaer |
