When I work on Scriptural studies - more are planned - I am struck by the utter lack of Biblical knowledge in the "conservative" clergy and their professors.
When I studied Genesis in Hebrew at Yale, Mark and Thessalonians in Greek, the professors knew the theories and studied under the famous scholars who are often cited in the textbooks. But all three professors emphasized the text rather than the theories. Nils Dahl and Abraham Malherbe knew the scholars from their own graduate work - they did not need students to rehash the theories.
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| Nils A. Dahl |
Dahl asked, as I have written before, "What do we know for certain?"
His answer was simply, "The text! The text!"
But all I read from the Synodical Conference is Walther, Pieper, Mueller, Meier (but not Maier), Valleskey, etc. Fortunately, I have been warned against Lenski, so I know he is worth some study.
And - all the histories of clerical garb, who wrote what, who wore what, and how fastidious these crypto-Romanists are who do not comprehend the Gospel. They really should join Rome or Byzantium, because those alternatives stress worship style and give enormous leeway within their dogmas and justification by faith plus works.
David Scaer, like Paul McCain, Matt the Fatt, Jack B. Simple Cascione, Wayne Mueller, the Preus Doctrinal Crime Family, and many others have no coherent grasp of the Gospel as elucidated by the Scriptures, from Genesis 15:6 to Romans 3 - 5.
That is - if they read a few passages and took a reading comprehension test from ACT or SAT, they would fail. Why? Because they cannot see what is clearly revealed and - they substitute a conflicted fantasy that claims God absolved the world when Jesus rose from the dead.
The more I read over the dogmatics literature, the more I see how they have promoted three (3) justifications:
- Objective Justification
- Subjective Justification
- Justification by Faith.
These great and wise men do not teach Justification by Faith (Pieper, Mueller, Scaer) but they toss it into the mix to let people falsely assume that OJ is the Atonement and SJ is Justification by Faith.
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| Lenski denies Objective Justification! |
Read the gibberish of Scaer and check whether he connects any of his free associations with Scripture.
"Lenski’s denial of objective justification [GJ - teaching Justification by Faith] was found in his commentary on Romans. Opponents of seeing justification only as subjective see it as nothing other than synergism (sic), the issue which was at the heart of the Lutheran Reformation protest against Rome. Since God justifies all humanity by raising Christ from the dead (sic), justification is universal (sic) and, as an act of God and not of man, is objective. By faith justification becomes a reality for the believer and is called subjective (sic - read your Walther, lol, SJ is making a decision for OJ).
Lenski, R. C. H., The Interpretation of the New Testament (Columbus, OH: Wartburg Press, 1934–1966).
Scaer, David P.. Surviving the Storms: Memoirs of David P. Scaer (Kindle Locations 5562-5567). Luther Academy. Kindle Edition. " David Scaer, ThD, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.
Scaer, David P.. Surviving the Storms: Memoirs of David P. Scaer (Kindle Locations 5562-5566). Luther Academy. Kindle Edition.
Tonight I was reading Carl Braaten, an exercise in self-torture. Though he was graced with endless academic opportunities, he also writes with the random pretensions of a junior in seminary. The fault does not lie in their educations but in the vast gulf between the Bible and their pet dogmas, conclusions, and warnings.
LutheranLibrary.org gives people a chance to compare and contrast the old Lutheran books for themselves.
J-016
"Wherever the place has been determined, let us see to it that the canonical codices are on hand and if any proofs can be produced on either side, let us set everything else aside and bring so important a matter to a conclusion." [Augustine, Letter no. 163, about private disputations about religion]
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 154.
J-017
"And Cusanus writes that the custom of the ancient ecumenical synods was to place the holy Gospels in their midst." Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 154.
J-018
"For the book of the evangelist and apostles and the oracles of the ancient prophets plainly teach us what we are to think concerning divine matters. Therefore let us cease our hostile discord and take the solutions of the questions out of the divinely inspired sayings." [Constantine at Nicea]
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 154.
J-019 "If anything is said without Scripture, the thinking of the hearers limps. But where the testimony proceeds from the divinely given Scripture, it confirms both the speech of the preacher and the soul of the hearer." [Chrysostom, commenting on Psalm 95] Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 156.
J-020
"Whatever is required for salvation is already completely fulfilled in the Scriptures." [Chrysostom, commenting on Matthew 22] Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 157.
J-021 "There is a short way for pious minds both to dethrone error and to find and bring out the truth. For when we return to the source and origin of the divine tradition, human error ceases." [Cyprian, Ad Pompejum]
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 158.
J-026 "Beautiful is the statement of Cyprian, which Augustine declares to be the best without any doubt, showing what ought to be done when examples and customs are held up to us which do not have the authority of the canonical Scripture. 'If,' says he, 'we return to the head and origin of the divine tradition, human error will cease. For if the channel of water, which before flowed copiously and purely, either fails or brings muddy water, then certainly one goes to the source in order to find out whether there is something wrong in the veins or in the source, or whether something got in midway.' So also it is rightly, necessarily, and indeed safely done when things that happened in later times in matters of religion must be examined."
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1986, III, p. 237.
J-027
"Don't let the world paint us into a corner of antiquarianism on subjects like a six-day creation or verbal inspiration."
Rev. Paul Kelm, WELS, "How to Make Sound Doctrine Sound Good to Mission Prospects," p. 13.72
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Synodical Conference - "Lenski is not good on justification."
They mean - He teaches Justification by Faith. |
