Using Guilt by Association - An Old But Useful Logical Fallacy

Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Going the Extra Mile in Research - So You Can Enjo...":

The UOJists who falsely accuse me of heresy when I contend for Justification by Faith Alone have blamed you, Pastor Jackson, for poisoning me against their doctrine of UOJ. But it was long before we met that the problems with UOJ were brought to my attention. I was speaking to a Baptist about works righteousness being a part of making a decision for Christ. He laughed and said that it was 'us' Lutherans who teach works righteous through faith since 'we' teach the world is forgiven before faith and we just need to make a decsion to believe it. Wha...wh...? I started to study after that.

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GJ - They fail to realize that publishing draws the like-minded together. Publishing also attracts opponents, who keep us sharp.

I am glad that the Wisconsin Sect finally bared its fangs with the NNIV. If that did not alert people about the apostate professors at the seminary, then this little blog will not accomplish the task with a few Photoshops. That stable needs to be cleaned. Missouri could not face its problems either, until they blew up in their face - and that was good for them.

One of Tim's Boys: Engaging, Articulate, Well-Informed, A Gentleman to The CORE

Mequon graduates provide medical opinions,
before anyone asks for one.
Their wives help out, too.

Anonymous said... I was thinking about it the other day and following the UOJ debate over at that Steadfast Lutheran blog: Does anyone think Jackson might have an undiagnosed form of autism? Aspergers perhaps? My wife works with kids like that in special ed. program in south Milwaukee and he seems to display a lot of the characteristics. For one thing, he has a hard time interacting with people on an emotional level. His humor is stuff that only he thinks is funny. I often times go his page and look at all his odd photo-shop stuff and think "I don't get it. Is this supposed to be funny? I mean, I can't even figure out what he's trying to portray here." It would also explain his relationship with his parishners. He seems to have never figured out that they uniformly disliked him. Secondly, people with Aspergers typically can't understand written works on an intuitive level. They are really good at memorizing facts, but they don't see the big picture. Case-in-point: Jackson builds up great deposits of quotes in his posts, but he doesn't really understands how to interpret them. I mean, looking at his "scholarship," I get why he could get into Notre Dame but then took 15 years to graduate. He can memorize facts, but he has no comprehension of how they work together or even that different words have nuance and can mean different things in different contexts. He probably aced the GRE, but then couldn't comprehend most of the course material. He's told some stories about his relationship with Yoder that seem to hint at that. Anyways, just an idea. Aspergers in a person of his generation would probably not have been diagnosed so it sort of makes sense.


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GJ - A typical WELS tactic is to start with  falsehoods and spin tales from that. A little research would turn up my basic bio, which means I finished college, seminary, and a master's at Yale in 7 years, a PhD program at Notre Dame in 7 years. If you add an MA in education, 15 years would be the time involved in earning six degrees rather than one. That by itself would show the Glende pal (or Glende himself) to be an ignorant, hate-filled misanthrope. My diagnosis is - alcoholism, addiction to porn, and extreme laziness.


Northwestern Publishing House wants me to review their books, so WELS must think I can read and comprehend theological content. I wonder if the writer has ever been asked to review a book from a publisher. Has he ever written a book or essay? Has he ever signed his name to a comment?


Northwestern Publishing House also sells Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant. That meant studying the doctrine of Roman Catholicism, Lutheran orthodoxy, and Protestantism while providing a useful guide for all three. WELS sold cartons of the books years ago, and the book continues to sell. I am surprised that so many genius-level Mequon graduates never wrote anything like it. Glende's Uncle Brug recommended it to his classes, the last I heard.


At one point all the doctrinal books at NPH were written by non-WELS authors. How does one explain that fact to us supposed Asperger patients?


We have trouble relating to Lutheran pastors who copy Groeschel sermons verbatim, not comprehending that they have left the Lutheran Church by doing so.


The latest comment on Glende's anonymous blog simply means that the Time of Wrath/Church and Chicanery forces are feeling the hurt from being exposed. More people are questioning their honesty, morality, decency, and doctrine. 


The Hochmuth scandal, which Glende wants to cover up with PR, is just the tip of septic tank in WELS. Ask an insider. I have.

Anonymous Name-Caller Quits Ichabod

fight4God has left a new comment on your post "Here Is My Chance To Grade a Paper from an Anonymo...":

Commenting on this site makes me feel as if I were commenting to Pharisees. So I write poorly and communicate poorly therefore the logical conclusion is that I have poor attitude toward's doctrine? WHAT?!? So what you are saying Greg is that since I struggle with proper English, I therefore struggle with proper Doctrine.

 
That is quite mean Greg. I pity any individual you may counsel who is less gifted than you, or a brother who has deficiencies comes to you. What comfort can you give them. There is no empathy or understanding.



It must be hard being you since according to your words which you write, everyone needs to measure up to you. Sad. Dreadfully sad. How can you even call yourself a servant. When you write against me there is not a single bit of humility there.

1 Timothy 1:15. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of whom I am the worst.

Believe it Greg. You are, just as I am the very ugliest of sinners and Christ died for the both of us. Yet you are so focused on my typing. My grammar. My unintelligible, incomprehensible writing.

You lost a blog reader. And whatever respect I had for you. I remember in Seminary reading about you and your disgust over the brothers making fun of each other. I felt sorry for you. I don't anymore. My brothers love me. We support each other in the ministry.

Luther Rocks says you support Lutheran Orthodoxy, well that may be, but you don't support those who preach it like me and hundreds of others in the WELS.

God's Blessings to you Greg. Farewell.

A first Generation Pastor, proudly serving his flock. Faithfully administering the Means of Grace. Diligently studying the Word.


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GJ - This melancholy post should remind everyone how the "everyone is forgiven, everyone is saved" people are so anxious to condemn, anonymously.

The WELS pastors act as if they are ferocious, but when asked about their doctrine and practice, they melt like Jello left on a south-facing window sill.

The Wisconsin Sect wants its workers to be passive robots who repeat what they are told.

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bruce-church (https://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Anonymous Name-Caller Quits Ichabod":

About the WELS speller.

The JW's used to say until recently that JW's ought not pursue a college degree, since that was too worldly (translation: they lose too many members in college). Now, however, they say that a college degree is like a high school degree, so college is allowed, but they say JW's ought not pursue grad school since that's too worldly.

The WELS had a simpler solution to that problem: just don't teach grammar and spelling properly, and they'll never make it to graduate school. That's partly why there's a dearth of doctors in the WELS. Also, they don't teach foreign languages well.

Unfortunately in this world, people use little tricks to separate the smart people from the dumb people, tricks they think are quick and reliable. Spelling and grammar are one, and another is the trick of having someone repeat back a list or a phone number or something, since supposedly if your short-term memory is bad, it doesn't matter whether your long-term memory is bad or good since your rate of learning is impeded by your short-term memory.

Another trick is how good a talker you are, and whether you have brain freeze. When Perry stumbled during a debate, it was all over for his candidacy since people make their judgment on such slight things. Someone objected to this test once saying that if it were true, radio show hosts were smarter than Einstein.

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GJ - One WELS teacher said that they were forced to pass along the Wisconsin royalty, the children of officials, no matter how horrible they were in academics.

There is a certain pride in being stupid too. It is a way of getting out of any discussions. "I am stupid, but fat." Or - "I don't remember that." Or - "He was appointed by the Holy Spirit, so who am I to argue with God's decision."

Supposedly the Protest'ant split made WELSians suspicious of anyone with intellect, since that group was considered intellectual.

Whatever the reasons, the current attitude of passive obedience is certain to drive away any members or pastors who can think above the repeat-after-me level. Some will be beaten like rented mules and driven away, but others will simply stop showing up. For instance, one alumnus of Wisco will no longer go back because "It's not my school anymore."

Only One Justification - By Faith

Sometimes I mull over the flimsy excuses for Universal Objective Justification. Most of them follow the Knapp line of two justifications. According to their delusions - Objective Justification means the entire world is forgiven, without faith; Subjective Justification takes place when individuals decide they are already forgiven.

When people responded about how ridiculous that sounded. WELS SP Mischke said, "There is only one justification. They are two sides of the same coin." I wonder where he got that analogy - II Mortimer 4:13?

Jay Webber, who makes fun of WELS repeat-after-me doctrine, parrots - "They are two sides of the same coin."

The UOJ Stormtroopers search far and wide for ways to prop up their fantasy, trying to distance themselves from Calvin and Pietism, but are only successful in alienating themselves from Luther and the Apostle Paul.

Their search for UOJ in the Book of Concord is as touching and tragic as the eternal search for the Lost Dutchman Mine outside of Phoenix.

F. Schleiermacher, a bridge between old Halle University and its completely rationalistic era, accepted the first justification and taught that the entire world was justified. This is also the message of the Universalists. Scheiermacher is the foundational theologian for all modern Protestant theologians, such as Karl Barth and Paul Tillich. Thus all of modern theology mocks the notion of faith as detrimental to the concept of grace. Everyone already has grace. Everyone is justified, because Christ rises from the dead every time someone believes He did. How blessed - to reflect on the Easter faith of the Apostles, whose simple fishermen's hearts grasped that illusion! One can carry on with this charade forever, because believers fail to parse the message of the theologians and their deluded pastoral followers.

Tholuck was another bridge theologian at Halle, with a nod toward the past but a bold embrace of Universalism. Tholuck is a footnote in many textbooks, but he was the mentor of Adolph Hoenecke. Some of you are thinking, "Now he will pull a guilt by association fallacy out of his beret." But no, I am just clarifying the historical perspective. Hoenecke was trained in Pietism. So was Walther. Hoenecke did additional study in the Confessions after Halle, so that must have saved him from becoming another CFW. But there remains the dialect of Pietism here and there in Hoenecke, although it is slight.

The precious OJ quickly becomes Universalism among the so-called Lutherans. That is widely acknowledged in ELCA. The implicit Universalism in the Syn Conference renders all discussions about doctrine and worship obsolete. Many realize this, so they play games with their weighty theological treatises, each author hailing the brilliance of the others while "having certain problems with his notion of..."

Universalism as a religion is quite conservative as a heresy, but the Unitarians merged with them and killed off whatever remained of the Scriptures in them. The same path is found among the Syn Conference Lutherans. They adore UOJ and Church Growth because they are Universalists. The rationalism takes over completely and they become Unitarians who despise everything about the Christian faith. I have known three WELS ex-pastors who followed this downward trajectory, each one praised and supported by the synodical leadership - Robert Schumann, Curtis Peterson, and Mark Freier. Doubtless there are many more.

If one knows and believes justification by faith, then he must reject and repudiate justification without faith. No one can teach the efficacy of the Word and UOJ at the same time - one displaces the other. Therefore, all the UOJ nonsense is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, as one reader from California like to point out.

With Heavy Hearts and Heavier Boots: Holy Word WELS, Home of the District VP and Ex-Synod President, Both Church and Changers, Kick Joe and Lisa Krohn Out - In Christian Love

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Beginning the Formal Process of Termination of Fellowship and Our Response

Here is the letter we received from the Elders and Council of Holy Word Ev. Lutheran Church, Austin, Texas.  It is followed by our response that we sent today.  The dialog is long and tedious at times, but necessary.  The Holy Word letter is in the .jpg format and can easily be magnified depending on your browser and mouse settings.  Usually a left click will open the file in a different window and then continued left clicks will magnify if need be.  Our letter will format differently since we composed it in Word and will be much easier to view here.  We did notice a fragmented sentence on the last page of what we mailed to the Elders and Council and we have revised it here.

Kyrie, eleison!

2722 Lovett Lane

Cedar Park, Texas  78613

August 9, 2011

Mr. Matt Wordell

Mr. Brad Johnson

                              Holy Word Evangelical Lutheran Church

10601 Bluff Bend Drive

Austin, TX 78753

Re:  Termination of Fellowship

Dear Matt and Brad:

Thank you for your letter of July 31, 2011.  We pray that your hearts be lifted; for times like these drive us deep into His Word!

Psalm 119:10-16 “¹⁰ I seek you with all my heart;
   do not let me stray from your commands.
¹¹ I have hidden your word in my heart
   that I might not sin against you.
¹² Praise be to you, LORD;
   teach me your decrees.
¹³ With my lips I recount
   all the laws that come from your mouth.
¹⁴ I rejoice in following your statutes
   as one rejoices in great riches.
¹⁵ I meditate on your precepts
   and consider your ways.
¹⁶ I delight in your decrees;
   I will not neglect your word.” -NIV

We do not agree with your definition of Excommunication, but suffice it to say we are thankful that you have backed away from your position that our salvation may be in jeopardy as inferred in your communication of May 21, 2011.  Clearly stated; Excommunication is manifest impenitence for the breaking of God’s Law, not just manifest impenitence.  Otherwise you would be excommunicating us.  Neither are we denying the forgiveness of sins or the redemptive work of Jesus Christ as our response will show you.

We are deeply disappointed that the Wisconsin Ev. Lutheran Synod, Holy Word Lutheran Church, Pastor Patterson, Pastor Gurgel, Holy Word’s Elders and Holy Word’s Council

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continue to believe (since you are speaking for all) in the peculiar doctrine as laid out in your letter; by the extremely narrow context of three (albeit truncated in the third case) passages and almost three full pages of editorial by mere men.  Clearly you did not substantiate your position by using scripture regarding the chief article of our faith.

Regarding Doctrinal Error and Holy Word’s Impetus for Termination of Fellowship:

You chose to lead with Pastor Schaller’s essay (circa 1910) on 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.  Schaller was one of the Wauwatosa Theologians and it is ironic since their mantra was ’let scripture interpret scripture’; that he would hang his hat on four verses for this doctrine.  I believe it is quite presumptuous to conclude that if one does not believe as such that they may be a Synergist.  There is always a danger in believing we have anything to do with our salvation or even the salvation of others.  (i.e.:  saving souls.)  This is the Enthusiasm that is currently plaguing many ‘christian’ denominations via the Church Growth Movement and the Emergent ‘church’.

Let’s widen the angle a bit, shall we?  Here are the passages in context with my commentary italicized and in parenthesis (It is peculiar that Schaller would use a portion of the Bible that actually was referring to the relationship of the body of believers to each other.):

2 Corinthians 5:11- 21

¹¹ Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, (This is spoken by a believer to believers since unbelievers have no fear of God.) we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. ¹² We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. ¹³ If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. ¹⁴ For Christ’s love compels us (Who is ‘us’?  Unbelievers are not compelled by Christ’s love.  Only believers are.), because we (Believers) are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. ¹⁵ And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.  (Those who live are the believers.  Unbelievers would not live for Christ.  Paul has set the context here and that is all these things are through faith in Christ.) ¹⁶ So from now on we (Believers) regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we (Believers) once regarded Christ in this way, we (Believers) do so no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is (believes) in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! ¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us (Believers) to himself through Christ and gave us (Believers) the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was (From a former time; not Calvary but the Garden of Eden; Gen. 3:15) reconciling (Not past tense but present; ongoing; from the Garden; otherwise how could Abraham et al be saved?) the world

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(God’s will is for all to be saved and has made salvation possible for all through faith in Christ as propitiator) to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. (Those who believe; unbelievers die in their sins.) And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We (Believers) are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us (Believers). We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.  (If all are justified, therefore forgiven and reconciled, why would Paul make an exhortation to ‘be reconciled to God’?) ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin^[a] for us, so that in him (in faith) we might become the righteousness of God.” -NIV (As in putting on the righteousness of Christ which comes through faith; Rom. 3:22.)

You continue your defense with an excerpt from the 2005 Buchholz essay that has just one Bible reference, which ironically speaks against your premise.  Furthermore, Buchholz is in error when he says that the Confessions equate justification and forgiveness in a general absolution to all mankind.  When the Confessions speak of justification it is always equated with regeneration.  The regenerates are the believers.

Here is the one Bible reference in your Buchholz excerpt with my comment:

“Psalm 32:1 “ ¹ Blessed is he
   whose transgressions are forgiven,
   whose sins are covered.
² Blessed is the man
   whose sin the LORD does not count against him
   and in whose spirit is no deceit.” (Again, who is blessed and forgiven?  Unbelievers?         No!  Do unbelievers have no deceit towards God?  Of course not.  Only believers are lacking deceit as they are in Christ.)

Proverbs 17:15 “¹⁵ Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent—
   the LORD detests them both.” -NIV

Unfortunately the Buchholz essay is equating the atonement for sin with the forgiveness of sins.  It is not the same thing.  Christ’s redemptive work (atonement) is Second Article doctrine of the Apostle’s Creed.  The Forgiveness of Sins is Third Article and is the work of the Holy Spirit in and through the Word and Sacraments.  This is why Pastor Patterson and the rest of you are in error when you teach a forgiveness of sins apart from hearing the Word; apart from the Holy Ghost.  If everyone is already forgiven, why bother with anything else?  By Buchholz’s own admission in his essay, he is ‘wresting terms in such a way that scriptures do not speak’.  The message of the Bible has always been that of repentance and the remissions of sins through faith in the Savior, Christ Jesus.

Your third point of defense is pulled from the WELS confession of faith re: Justification, in “This We Believe”.  Again, this (Romans 5:18 and truncated at that) is in the narrowest of contexts.  To put Romans 5 in context one must go back to chapters 3 and 4. 

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In Romans 3:19-26, God’s Word says (Commentary as before and all emphasis mine): 
“¹⁹ Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. ²⁰ Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. (No one is righteous.  Period.)

 ²¹ But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. (Christ and His righteousness for all who receive Him in faith by the power of the Holy Spirit.) ²² This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. (We are in the context of faith now.) There is no difference, ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (This is a parenthetical thought... All are sinners.  Period.) ²⁴ and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Verse 24 is no longer part of the parenthetical and refers back to verse 22 that all those who believe are righteous and therefore justified in His sight and not all men.)  ²⁵ God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,^[i] through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— ²⁶ he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” -NIV

Romans 4 goes on in detail in the example of Abraham, the father of our faith and transitions beautifully into chapter 5:

Romans 4:16 to 5:2

 “¹⁶ Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. ¹⁷ As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.”^[c] He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.
¹⁸ Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”^{[d] 19} Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. ²⁰ Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, ²¹ being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. (You have to realize that this faith that was given and worked by the Holy Spirit in Abraham enabled him to carry out the sacrifice of his son, Isaac; to the very enth degree.  Abraham already believed in the resurrection and that if Isaac died, God would raise Isaac from the dead to fulfill the promise of the Savior through Abraham’s seed.) ²² This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”

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²³ The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, ²⁴ but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. ²⁵ He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.  ¹ Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we^[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we^[b] rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” -NIV

So far St. Paul has gone to great lengths to establish that it is Christ’s righteousness that justifies through faith alone.  By faith (worked by the Holy Ghost) we receive His righteousness and are therefore declared justified; forgiven.

Here is Romans 5:18 in context (the context of faith as established in chapters 3, 4 and beginning of 5); commentary again in parenthesis:

Romans 5:12-21

¹² Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— ¹³ (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. ¹⁴ Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. ¹⁵ But the free gift is not like the offense. (This is key.  Not only is the gift opposite of the condemnation; bringing life, but watch how else it differs.) For if by the one man’s offense many died (all die), much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. (Notice it is to many; or for many but not on all.) ¹⁶ And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. (resulted in; not yet imputed to us but on the One who earned it.  On Christ!) ¹⁷ For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) (This is the key…those who receive…through the One…through faith!) ¹⁸ Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. (This verse is merely summarizing what has gone before.  Verse 19 is the more important verse.) ¹⁹ For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, (all men) so also by one Man’s obedience many (believers, since what has gone before tells you who the ‘many’ are.) will be made righteous. ²⁰ Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, ²¹ so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. -NKJV (This verse drives it home…’through Jesus Christ’, or in Christ; through faith in Christ.)

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A WELS pastor friend of mine succinctly states the problems associated with the confusing verbiage of many of WELS essays; even the statement of faith as laid out in ‘This We Believe’ as you have stated prior.

“...We ought not speak of people as being already justified before they are born.  The Confessions equate Justification with Regeneration.  Period.  And the Scriptures do the same.  Justification/The forgiveness of sins are Third Article doctrines, not Second Article doctrines.  The confusion is this, that when some people say "God has justified the world," they mean, "Christ died for the sins of the world."  But our sloppy use of the word "justify" has caused all sorts of problems.  The latter is "redemption," not "justification."  Some go so far as to say that God imputes the righteousness of Christ to all people.  This directly contradicts the passage you quoted above that says that "to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited (imputed) as righteousness." (- Romans 4:5 Ibid)

In Summary

We will not and cannot recant nor repent since we are not in error and we will in fact seek a capitulation from you and those you are claiming to represent; that Christ’s death on the cross did not ‘justify all men’, (nor forgive them before they were born) but rather atoned for their sins (Second Article of the Apostles’ Creed) and that sinners receive God’s grace, forgiveness and justification; Christ’s redemptive work in their place (propitiation) through faith alone in Christ worked by the Holy Ghost as it has been since the fall of man. (Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed)  It is God’s will that all men be saved (1 Timothy 2:3-6).  Christ’s righteousness and forgiveness (that He won for all) is objectively for all men.  But it remains on Christ for the world (objectively) and is received through faith alone that is worked by the Holy Spirit.  To believe that all are already forgiven before faith (as Patterson preaches) or even saved (as the Buchholz paper claims); even prior to hearing the Word (Romans 10:17) through which the Holy Ghost works, you are separating the Word from the Holy Spirit.  This is blasphemy.

Justified by Grace for Christ’s sake through faith,

Joe and Lisa Krohn

Joe Krohn Finds WELS Using the Bait and Switch: Pretending To Be Lutheran, But Not

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Golden Arches

Excommunication, or breaking fellowship if you prefer is carried out by the church on someone who is unrepentant for breaking God's Law; the Ten Commandments.  When we were cut off from all membership privileges (excommunication) by the leadership at Holy Word, it was for 'denying the doctrine of Objective Justification.'  This was erroneous since the discussions were always in the context of how the doctrine was being preached and our objection to the preaching.  Since this doctrine comes from a peculiar interpretation of scripture by men, it is not a part of the Law.  Since excommunication needs a broken law, I feel the Eighth Commandment coming into play here and that would be a travesty; that  fellowship would be broken over a man made doctrine and carried out through one of the Ten Commandments.

I was never in want of leadership at Holy Word as it was suggested, but was merely pointing the way to what a Confessional Lutheran Church practices.  You have to realize that when you say you are a Lutheran Church and swear an oath to uphold the teachings of Scripture as confessed in the Book of Concord, you bear a responsibility to that oath and not just lip service.  If I walk into McDonald's on any given day, I expect to see a Big Mac, McMuffins and Quarterpounders with Cheese on the menu.  When I walk into a Lutheran Church on any given Sunday, I expect to see a solid liturgy with Confession and Absolution, Sacraments, Word taught in truth and purity (just the facts, ma'am); music with strong lyrical content and the emphasis on Christ and what He has done and continues to do in our stead.

Not That Complicated for Congregations Leaving ELCA, Just for Red-Faced LCMS/WELS Executives Staying with ELCA

"Which necktie should I wear to the reception afterwards? Here are some samples."

Lutheran split shakes up social service network

By RACHEL ZOLL, AP Religion Writer

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

More News

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• President's debt offer risky but could be win-win 07.21.11

(07-20) 16:59 PDT New York (AP) --

One of the largest social service networks in the United States, working in areas ranging from adoption to disaster relief, faces a shakeup because of Lutheran divisions over the Bible and homosexuality.
The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, a theologically conservative denomination, said Wednesday that direct work with its larger and more liberal counterpart, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, has become "difficult if not impossible," because of doctrinal conflicts, including the 2009 decision by liberal Lutherans to lift barriers for ordaining gays and lesbians.

Neither denomination would discuss the potential financial impact Wednesday. Many Lutheran-affiliated agencies receive substantial state and federal grants that would not be directly affected by any split. However, similar to Catholic Charities, Lutheran agencies are some of the biggest service providers in their communities.

Just one of the joint Lutheran agencies, Lutheran Services in America, said on its website that it encompasses more than 300 health and human services organizations with a combined annual budget of more than $16 billion.

"We recognize that this is a difficult issue. It's complicated," said the Rev. Herb Mueller, first vice president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, based in St. Louis. "We're trying to take a nuanced and caring approach to all of these situations that's also faithful to what the Bible teaches on these issues."

The Rev. Donald McCoid, an ecumenical officer for the Chicago-based Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, said, "we are deeply concerned about the ministries of care that may be challenged by the recent action of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod."

The 2.3 million-member Missouri Synod has been studying the issue for more than a year through its Committee on Theology and Church Relations. This week, the panel issued a 15-page document of guidelines for churches, congregants and ministries deciding whether they should cut off any direct joint work with the Chicago-based Lutherans.

The only immediate announced break was for the Missouri Synod to stop its decades-old practice of training military chaplains with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The president of the Missouri Synod, the Rev. Matthew Harrison, said in a statement that the decision, effective next year, was based on the ELCA decision on gay ordination, and on the military's plan to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell," policy.

However, the guidelines for evaluating the joint relationships made it clear that cooperative work in many of the agencies is likely to end.

The Missouri-Synod theology committee said members of its denomination should examine whether joint cooperative agencies:

_ Adopt operational principles "alien or contrary" to Scripture.
_ Hire staff or a leader "whose lifestyle is scandalous or openly and unrepentantly sinful."
_ Have board members overseeing an agency who "become conflicted because of differing beliefs."
_ Have leaders or staff who advocate policies "contrary to the Christian faith."
The committee used its most direct language to discuss the future of its corps of chaplains who work outside of the military, in nursing homes and hospitals, and on college campuses, among other assignments.

"The ELCA's current theological course presents serious theological challenges to any continued cooperation in endorsement procedures," according to the Missouri-Synod report.
The tangle of Lutheran agencies is the mainly the result of decades of splits and mergers among Lutherans in the United States. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, with about 4.5 million members, was formed from a merger of four church bodies with Danish, Finnish, German and Swedish backgrounds. Mueller said in an interview that 81 of the 120 recognized service organizations of the Missouri-Synod cooperate in some way with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Mueller said the agencies would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis in a process that could take months.
____
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: www.elca.org/
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod: www.lcms.org/

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/07/20/national/a135959D73.DTL#ixzz1SmpOL6Cp

Oh! Oh! I Just Discovered a UOJ Principle: Barth's The Gift Is a Demand

The story begins with Schleiermacher, the pivotal leader in modern theology. He was a doubter who went to Halle University and later taught there as well. He is a good representative of the transition from Biblical Pietism to Biblical Rationalism. He was a rationalist who used the Bible and made apostates feel good about calling themselves Christian.

Schleiermacher profoundly affected Karl Barth, even though Barth relied on his mistress to do his serious writing and research. Although this deeply offends the mediocre students of an unaccredited seminary, I have to admit taking classes with several Barth scholars. John Howard Yoder studied under Barth and Frank Fiorenza was president of the Barth Society. Yoder has passed away, and Fiorenza holds a chair in theology at Harvard University. My advisor loved Barth's theology, and Stan Hauerwas made fun of the Commie. In other words, I heard a lot from Barth in graduate school and read his works along with Calvin and Schleiermacher. Although I later thought it was a waste of time, now I draw on that knowledge to understand the mysteries of UOJ.

Schleiermacher is far more famous than Knapp for his UOJ. Both draw on Calvin's confusion about one universal act or one universal decree. As Dr. Lito Cruz has often stated, the UOJ of the Midwestern sects is drawn from Calvin's merger of atonement and justification.
Or, as Luther has written, any act of God apart from the Holy Spirit in the Word - is Enthusiasm.

Be patient. I am getting to my point. I have just saved you three years of doctoral seminars and required reading.

The Gift Is a Demand
Barth began his ethics section in his Dogmatics, II, 2 this way. "The gift is a demand."

That is my insight for the day. Let me explain. Barth's teaching is contrary to the Scriptures and Luther, because the Gospel bears the fruit of the Spirit. The gift of salvation is not a demand, but the beginning of the sanctified life, where the sinner--justified by faith--freely gives of himself in gratitude to God for the blessings of forgiveness, salvation, and eternal peace.

In Harmony with Calvin, Pietism, and Fuller
There is a WELS pastor who shuns me, even though he is known officially as a critic of Church Growth. He earned a precious DMin at Fuller Seminary, where he was supposed converted from pro-CG to anti-CG. I could say the same about Joel Gerlach, based upon Gerlach's protest to Otten. But silence is consent, and the poor quaking guy is silent.

This converted Enthusiast admitted, "Barth is indeed the official theologian of Fuller Seminary."

Additional research shows that Fuller Seminary changed from its original role when two men came back from studying under Barth and altered the mild inerrancy stance of the school. They could no longer, in good conscience, identify the Bible with the Word of God. No, it merely contained the Word of God. How convenient - for creative writing seminars.

The CORE and Other Perversions
Karl Barth was the typical Antinomian legalist. For him, no law existed. He lived with his mistress, Charlotte Kirschbaum, each summer, to work on his great theological research. Later, he moved Charlotte into his home, over the protests of his wife Nellie and the excruciating pain of his children.

The Barth children had two mommies.
Barth and Kirschbaum were dedicated Communists.



Barth was also a legalist. He told people they could not ask him a question unless they had read all of his (her) Dogmatics. He posed as a Christian theologian and fooled many conservative Protestants. As Robert Preus observed, reading Barth's introduction gives away the whole volume. The one I was quoting--II, 2--begins with a statement of Universalism in the introduction. Put the book down or kill a bug with it. Nothing else needs to be said. Thus Barth is exactly like Schleiermacher and all the UOJ clones. The "universal declaration" may be separated from Universalism by a fig-leaf, but the fig-leaf falls soon enough.

All the Shrinker congregations are extremely legalistic and Antinomian, whether they call themselves Lutheran or Evangelical Covenant or E. Free. The ministers demand membership in a cell group. The cell group controls the members. The cell group must study the bilge demanded by the minister.

Cell groups in a Lutheran congregation easily move into Pentecostalism, women usurping authority over men, women teaching men. Lutherans do not discuss the real issues with women in congregations, so they can debate voting and ordination - neither term is used by Paul, who faced the actual issues.

The Shrinkers have all kinds of demands for their poor, blind followers, but not one rule or law applies to them. They are far beyond the Ten Commandments. That is why so many Fuller disciples make a shipwreck of their faith with women - or men. One famous LMCS Shrinker was arrested in a roadside john.

When a layman told me Valleskey's chosen successor left the ministry over "depression," I asked, "What was her name?"

The layman said, "Who told you?"

Legalism and Antinomianism go well together, because both flourish in Enthusiasm.

The Olde Synodical Conference will not escape this blight, this soul-murdering cancer, until it repudiates and roots out Enthusiasm.

When Lito Was a Calvinist

LPC has left a new comment on your post "Bored Scours the Popcornites And The Incensed":

Daniel,

Your comments reminds me when I was a Calvinist. In that circle, there is a debate on who really really is a true rightful claimant of the label "reformed".

Most of the time, people who claim they are confessional takes the moral high ground that they are "quia" subscribers.

I laugh because so far those I have encountered claiming "quia" subscription have been found to be UOJers.

I hope you are not a UOJer because technically that ain't Lutheran no matter how grand standing the UOJer does.

LPC

UOJ Stormtroopers on LQ (sic) Run Shamelessly Away

They act like Nazis, but fight like sissies - the UOJ sorority at LutherQuest (sic).

In the wee hours this morning, waiting anxiously for the end of the world, I looked up LutherQuest (sic), trying to find news about LSTC.

Timothy Blank (CLC - sic) opened a discussion on whether Robert Preus repudiated UOJ in his last book. No one touched the argument I made in two books, with copious citations. No one conceded that Preus made his point with a Calov quotation. I published that Calov quotation separately, in the doctrinal graphics.

I sent this link to several friends, so they could have a look:

http://www.lutherquest.org/cgi-bin/discus40/discus.cgi

I discussed their "arguments" here.

A few hours later, the link stopped working when I tried to find the thread. One justification by faith fan found it again. The site has poor navigation, which is appropriate for blind guides.

All the UOJ Stormtroopers weighed in: Stephanie Kurtzahn, Jay Webber, Tim Blank, Rolf Preus, et al.

They belong to four sects but agree on one thing - everyone is born forgiven, guilt-free.

I have published some doctrinal graphics based on Luther and the readings for the Fourth Sunday after Easter, John 16. They will read them over superficially and harden themselves against the Word.

Blind Guides Discuss Justification Without Faith - Their Hobbyhorse at LutherQuest (sic)

Kurtzahn had major problems with pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, but no problem with Chinatown adultery/incest.


Click here for the thread. You have to look around for an older thread.
The usual blind guides, clowns, and illiterati get a chance to post brief thoughts without being responsible. One pastoral friend called LQ (sic) "a skunk patch." LI wondered if insanity or ignorance had the upper hand on the discussion board.

Timothy Blank opened up the discussion, and Joe Krohn weighed in to make a point.

LQ (sic) is a UOJ union shop. I think most of the contributors have macros, so they can post the same thing repeatedly. Below is an example of a shallow WELS response. Kurtzahn was WELS, CLC, and WELS again. David Menton said he would not remain in the same room with Kurtzahn, as a measure of his disgust with the man.

Kurtzahn:

I suppose by commenting on this my picture will be on Ichabod again...

Jackson basically holds to the old Ohio Synod position on justification. Lenski is his idol. That should tell you everything.

BTW, Jackson didn't really make an issue of justification while he was in the CLC.

***

GJ - Kurtzahn managed to be wrong in three out of three statements. He added another error later on a different topic, the CLC and self-love, making him four for four.

"Jackson basically holds to the old Ohio Synod position on justification."

I agree with St. Paul, Luther, and the Book of Concord about justification by faith. I also agree with Robert Preus' last book, Justification and Rome, which I quoted in Thy Strong Word and emphasized in Luther versus the UOJ Pietists: Justification by Faith.

I am not sure what he means by "the old Ohio Synod position on justification." That is a good example of making an unwarranted claim, with no evidence on either side. But that would require some intellectual effort and study.

"Lenski is his idol. That should tell you everything."
I have not provided any evidence for that claim - just the opposite. I fault Lenski for his monkeying around with the text, following that charlatan Tischendorf and the apostates Wescott and Hort.

I have pointed out more than once that Lenski tried hard to moderate toward the UOJ position. If Kurtzahn actually cracked open his Lenski, he would find passages that would titillate and excite him. In fact, Lenski could be used by the ruffians on LQ (sic) to make their case, if they ignore some of his basic conclusions.

But that is my problem. I read Lenski steadily and know his work fairly well. They do not, because in sneering about Lenski they excuse themselves for never studying the text. No one else has carefully examined and explained the entire text of the New Testament. Those who look down on Lenski only prove what fools they are. Timothy Blank is definitely one of those.

The theologians I admire the most are Luther, Melanchthon, Chemnitz, and Chytraeus. "Idol" is not a term I would use for any writer or leader.

BTW, Jackson didn't really make an issue of justification while he was in the CLC.

I was discussing the justification issue with various people when I was in the corrupt, immoral, legalistic CLC (sic). The topic had been raised in St. Louis, and people from various parts of Lutherdom communicated with me. Kurtzahn was too busy being a lapdog and weathervane to notice.

Kurtzahn error #4 - bonus. He denied there was any teaching of self-love in the CLC (sic). The conflict began with an article in a WELS periodical, arguing that "Love your neighbor as yourself" is a commandment to love ourselves. The Shrinker faction of the sect emulates WELS errors as much as possible, so they were promoting self-love. The convention discussed it. Old Paul Nolting got up and beat the drums for self-love, offering himself as an example.

The UOJ Problem
The Enthusiasts may buzz all day long, but they cannot change some simple facts:

1. UOJ cannot be found in the Scriptures.
   
2. Their position is identical to ELCA's and close to Universalism. The difference with the Universalists is that they are more honest.
   
3. The Book of Concord teaches justification by faith, not UOJ. The same is true of Luther, Chemnitz, Melanchthon, Chytraeus, Gerhard, Calov, and Preus in his last book.
   
4. Gausewitz, the favorite WELS catechism, had no UOJ in it. Kuske with UOJ replace Gausewitz. With that came Church Growth.
   
5. The LCMS still sells a KJV catechism with no mention or teaching of UOJ.
   
6. Few laity agree with UOJ because they know the Word of God and have not suffered from the brain-washing of the Lutheran seminaries.
   

Forgetting Luther and Christian Doctrine

A child-like faith has been replaced with a dishonest philosophy (UOJ) from another era,
one identical in content to ELCA's quasi-Universalism.


Bruce Church has left a new comment on your post "Bruce Church Answers ELCA Pastor (LCMS Backslider)...":

Just as looking further into the seminary credit hour/cost question paints a bit worse picture of the situation than one had before he started looking, so looking into UOJ has proved to be the same way, or so I told.

There was supposed to be a paper written about the history of UOJ before 1872 (in Europe) for the upcoming free conference, but two Latin translators backed out and a third one is taking his time, and the researcher has been tied up with other things, I'm told.

The big thing that's been holding it up though is that it is not a matter of tweaking or adding to the currently accepted history of Lutheranism to explain where UOJ came from, and the other doctrinal conflicts of the late 1800s. The Synodical Conference really is a wild branch that's been grafted into the Lutheran olive tree, so while we all know the history of the olive tree, it's the wild branch's history that's the mystery.

You can't go from rejecting as unconvincing the received wisdom of where UOJ came from (e.g., Preus's paper), and start from the proposition "we think it came out of pietism," and then arrive at a scholarly paper on where it truly came from overnight. That takes a lot of research that's not quite done yet, but the true origin has been pinned down, so I'm told. Can't wait to see it!

Anyway, I can't imagine all three synods will be left standing after this paper does finally comes out, and someone might as well start drafting amalgamation plans for the LCMS seminaries now--you know, just in case:

Free Conference:
http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2011/04/make-some-books-available-at-emmaus-syn.html

***

GJ - First, I see widespread neglect of Luther and complete apathy about what he taught. This ennui is consistent with the pronounced anti-confessionalism of all denominations and even the the Church of Rome, citadel of the Antichrist.

Secondly, the Syn Conference already has a record of denying its own history. WELS featured the Gausewitz catechism for many decades, which taught justification by faith and never mentioned UOJ. They replaced Gausewitz with Kuske's blatant UOJ Enthusiasm.

CPH still sells its 1943 catechism, which has no mention of UOJ, uses the KJV, and teaches justification by faith. Nevertheless, the Missouri Synod and its brain-washed MDivs react with alarm whenever justification by faith is taught. Somehow all three fragments have refused to see Church Growth doctrine for decades, yet they catch the scent of justification by faith from five miles away and start baying like German Shepherds.

"Bad money drives out good money."

Getting a Response

A Missouri Synod pastor called me "Johnny One Note" for writing about justification by faith, as I mentioned before. Let's do a Groeschel quiz. The Reformation was based on ____________ . No fair looking it up on Wikipedia.

A pastor who says he is devoted to sound doctrine warned me about "biting and devouring" in regards to his quasi-demi-semi-UOJ stance.

"Error loves ambiguities," as Henry Eyster Jacobs wrote. We often use the Jacobs hymn for Holy Communion. The Word teaches the Real Presence. There is no compromise language allowed to bridge the gap between the Scriptures and the Zwinglian denial of the Real Presence.

Likewise, the recent Pietistic formulations about an imaginary universal absolution are not in harmony with the Scriptures and are definitely at odds with the Book of Concord. The struggles to connect Luther or the Confessions with UOJ would be comical if they were not tragic.

When anger erupts because of the Scriptures, the truth of God's Word is displaying its effectiveness. The personal attacks only underline that efficacy. A weak argument is never advanced by name-calling, but that does not keep false teachers from trying. Intimidation and manipulation are also tools of their Father Below.

Threats do not work well against someone with nothing material to take away. Threats also fall on deaf ears when the Word of God is everything.

KJV Philippians 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Confessional Lutheran Theology Does Not Tolerate Weasel Words

Pastor Steve Spencer asked me to comment on his upcoming sermons, to be posted on the Intrepid blog.

Brett Meyer commented already, and I posted it. I wanted to go over the sermon, line by line, before I said anything. Since the sermon is published, I do not need to sit down with Steve, hold his hand, and tell him his sins (Matthew 18).

First of all, I am extremely disappointed that the Intrepids vowed to unite against Church and Change, but devoted most of their energies to teaching against justification by faith. Rydecki began by reversing himself, within hours. Lindee caviled and joined the retreat. Jay Webber should be renamed Blister, because he always shows up after the work is done.

Their blog has been eager to republish the non-Lutheran opinions of the UOJ circle of favored authors: Zorn, Kretzmann, etc. They carefully avoid the real issues.

Spencer's sermon reminded me of the one written by Kretzmann. The favorite slogans were muted but present. As they once said about Paul and emancipation, "UOJ trembled on their lips but was not spoken."

Here is the critical paragraph from Spencer:

Yes, according the Bible Christ had to rise again. The Victor over death could not remain a prisoner of death. Peter told the Jews, "God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the FACT!" (Ac. 3:15) God did this because He was pleased with the Son's work on earth on behalf of all people. And through Jesus' resurrection God made known His divine pleasure. "Christ was raised for our justification," Paul tells us. (Ro. 4:25) We know that God has totally forgiven all our sins. Therefore, by our faith, given to us through the Means of Grace – the Gospel in Word and Sacrament – Christ's resurrection assures us that our religion, which preaches Jesus' resurrection, brings to us sinners victory over death. We do indeed have the "sure and certain" hope of everlasting life!

The partial citation of Romans 4 is dishonest, especially because the verse has been used fraudulently ever since the 1932 Brief Statement to prop up universal absolution. There is nothing wrong with the passage, so why is it truncated and used as a UOJ motto?

KJV Romans 4:22 And therefore it [faith] was imputed to him for righteousness. 23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; 24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

The ending of Romans 4, an entire chapter about Abraham being justified by faith, transitions into this classic statement:

Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Quoting Spencer again - "God has totally forgiven all our sins."

Our is ambiguous. All the sins of believers, or all the sins of the world? The statement is double-minded. UOJ fans will say "of the world," but the Bible teaches "of believers." One must reject UOJ to teach justification by faith; one excludes the other.

As Reu noted, using a statement two ways at once is one sign of unionism.

The treatment of the efficacy of the Word is lacking, although there is a passing mention of the Means of Grace, one which is also ambiguous, taking its clue from Jon Buchholz, who wants to eat his cake and still have it. Everyone is forgiven, according to DP Jon, so people need the Means of Grace to tell them this.

The UOJ fanatics merge and confuse atonement and justification.

---

LutherRocks has left a new comment on your post "Confessional Lutheran Theology Does Not Tolerate W...":

Much worse they teach a Gospel separating the Spirit from the Word and the Means of Grace. I know this as I was told that my sins were forgiven before I was born. I ask you then...for what good was my baptism?

Answering Whether Lindee Advocates UOJ "Universal Grace"

UOJ has its own canon: Kretzmann, Zorn, J. P. Meyer, Valleskey, Bivens. Tis funny how UOJ crosses over into Fuller Seminary study (Valleskey, Bivens).

Frederick said...

"We have misgivings", "deep misgivings", "seem to allow"

It is a travesty of our current time in the history of the world, and specifically in the history of the Lutheran Church, that there is a hesitancy to make clear statements identifying specific teachings as being false. Perhaps it is a result of being so near the end of the age that the current climate within the Lutheran Synods inhibits open discussion of doctrine and practice that directly or indirectly exposes the Synods to Scriptural and Confessional scrutiny. In my opinion the opening of this post is a reflection of this climate negatively affecting the ability to call a spade a spade for the benefit of the Church. "We have misgivings", "deep misgivings", "seem to allow" are all used in reference to doctrinal teachings made by theologians of the LCMS, ELS and Wels which are not taught in Scripture or the Lutheran Confessions and, in fact, stand opposed to them. Matthew 5:37 and James 5:12 are applicable to this issue. We should be bold in Christ, slaves to Him alone and speak clearly and plainly the pure Word, letting our yea be yea and our nay be nay. May we never equivocate on what the clear Word of Scripture declares.

"we are yet convinced that it is necessary to recognize in our justification both objective and subjective aspects."

I don't believe this is true. This is a solution in search of a problem. I would defend my contention by pointing directly to the Lutheran Confessions. As Pastor Rydecki clearly stated in an earlier post, the BOC fully and faithfully explains everything that Scripture teaches concerning Justification. Acknowledging that the BOC does not treat Justification as Objective and Subjective but as one Justification declared by faith alone in Christ. There are no false doctrines that are not adequately dealt with using Scripture and the BOC without having to parse the doctrine with the Objective and Subjective nature of Justification. This is proven by the fact that Subjective Justification is equally Objective. There is no aspect of Justification that is not Objective. Even my believing is worked solely by the Holy Spirit through the efficacious Means of Grace, lest any man should boast. This Scriptural truth really makes the differentiating terms of Objective and Subjective misleading from the very beginning. Again, OJ and SJ are solutions looking for a real problem and leading souls away from Christ's pure doctrine in the process.

"On the other hand, all of God's subjective work, His work in man, must constitute nothing other than the distribution of God's completed work in Christ, and not itself be any part of His work on man's behalf. If man's faith completes God's work, the wicked falsehood of synergism prevails."

To say that, "His work in man (is) not itself any part of His work on man's behalf" is incorrect. How can it be said that the gracious gift of faith with which man clings alone to Christ for the forgiveness of his sins, through which a man dies to sin and is raised again, just as Christ, to Life in Him and through which a man becomes a child of God, is not a part of Christ's work on man's behalf? It is true that the Atonement was completed by Christ at Calvary: Christ's righteousness paid for all sins. As a man's full trust in Christ is an Objective work of God in those He has called, it cannot be said that the gracious working of that faith is not a part of Christ's work on man's behalf. This sentiment and confession concerning faith is a fruit of the root of the weed called Universal Objective Justification (UOJ). Please allow me to explain by addressing the latter half of the quote. To say that, "if man's faith completes God's work, the wicked falsehood of synergism prevails" is incorrect. Quite possibly as a hyper reaction to works righteousness, Objective Justification (OJ) teaches that if faith does anything ie: justifies the individual or is righteousness, then it is synergistic and becomes a work of man to justify himself. Because of this, OJ teaches that faith is nothing but an open and outstretched hand receiving what was already declared to be true: that the sinner was already forgiven, justified and declared righteous by God without and long before faith. Faith is of the Holy Spirit, it is Christ's righteousness graciously worked in man through Baptism and the Word purely taught and strengthened through Word and Sacrament. Because it is solely of the Holy Spirit the Confessions say that faith justifies, faith is that righteousness whereby the unjust are declared just, Justified. Synergism can never be applied to anything that faith does since it is a gracious gift of God. The quoted confession concerning faith is a consistent teaching of the false gospel of Objective Justification, neither of which are found in Scripture or the Lutheran Confessions.

This error is extended further in the post when it is stated, "If, in the atoning work of Christ, God has only met half-way, so that now He is merely able to forgive us our sins; if justification itself is not accomplished until faith is in the sinner’s heart: why, then the atoning work of Christ is not sufficient to effect forgiveness and justification, but our faith must also contribute something to this end. Ohio’s position in this matter is shared by Iowa. Both synods deprive justifying faith of its Biblical character, that of simply receiving, accepting, and grasping, the forgiveness of sins which is in store for all the world in Christ Jesus;"

The Synodical Conferences error was to teach the forgiveness of sins of those upon whom the wrath of God, over sin, still abides: the whole unbelieving world who stand outside of Christ. The Ohio Synods error was in "met half-way" which teaches synergism of man's required work to complete his own justification. Your error was in attributing faith to man and thus stripping it of the nature and work that God has given it. You all have deprived justifying faith of its Biblical character.

Thank you,
Frederick Schroeder

November 19, 2010 5:52 AM

http://www.intrepidlutherans.com/2010/11/carl-manthey-zorn-on-justification.html