John 12:1-19 - The Key to the Crucifixion

12 Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.

2 There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.

GJ - The raising of Lazarus is well known, but the drama does not end with his emergence from the tomb, which foreshadowed Jesus' resurrection. Jesus was buried in a rich man's grave, carved from stone, so we know Lazarus was a prominent man, a man of means. 

Lazarus had a lengthy funeral, where friends and family gathered for days. Nearby in Jerusalem, people knew he died and the mourners spread the news.

Jesus raised two others from the dead, but Lazarus was a significant person and tensions were very high when this happened. The disciples had resisted going toward Jerusalem when they headed toward Bethany and Thomas allowed they could all die together there. 

Lazarus' illness and death was a topic debated among the believers and the opponents. His friend Jesus had opened the eyes of the blind. Why could he not heal His close friend? Thus a miracle became a weapon against Jesus.

In a few overlooked verses below, the Evangelist shows how people came to see Jesus and Lazarus. Moreover, the Jewish opponents, who had already decided to kill Jesus, planned to murder Lazarus, who was a prominent and irrefutable proof of Jesus' divinity, His role as Messiah - the anointed King, a threat to Rome and to the religious leaders: 

John 11:48 If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. 49 And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, 50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.

The entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday meant the funeral crowd was following, rejoicing, from Bethany. And the people who knew or heard of the raising of Lazarus came out of Jerusalem (verse 18) to see the celebrity and hail Jesus as the Son of David.

Before that momentous event, Mary anointed the feet of Jesus (Christ means - anointed with oil in Greek; Messiah - anointed with oil, Hebrew). She wiped his feet with her hair, and the room was filled with the fragrance of a pound of very expensive aromatic oil. This offended the unbelieving Judas, who pretended to care about the poor, but he was just a peculator, like the Church Growthers of the W/ELS and LCMS.

The anointing shows the devotion of Mary and the imminent death of Jesus. Thus the extreme emotion of Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus is even clearer. Jesus was seeing His own horrible torture and death in the future, and feeling compassion for what had happened in the death of His friend, the sorrow of Lazarus' family included.

In this chapter, as we have seen so often in this Doctrinal Gospel, the message is faith in Jesus, the absolutely essential character of this faith, and the dangers from blind and hard-hearted unbelief.

3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

4 Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him,

5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?

6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.

7 Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.

8 For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.

9 Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.

10 But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death;

11 Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.

12 On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,

13 Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.

14 And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,

15 Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt.

16 These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.

17 The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record.

18 For this cause the people also met him, for that they heard that he had done this miracle.

19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him.

Much more could be said about this brief passage, but verse 17 reminds us once again that the raising of Lazarus, the crucifixion of Jesus, and the rising of the Savior are themes woven together, commanded by the Father, obeyed by the Son, witnessed to us by the Holy Spirit.

How could people turn the Fourth Gospel into a textbook on universal salvation founded on unbelief? The second part of this chapter explains - those who walk in darkness do not know what they are doing.

John 12:38 That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.41 These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.

Greek Lesson - John 12:20ff - Jesus Teaches Faith - Not OJ

Parser Link

20 ησαν δε τινες ελληνες εκ των αναβαινοντων ινα προσκυνησωσιν εν τη εορτη

21 ουτοι ουν προσηλθον φιλιππω τω απο βηθσαιδα της γαλιλαιας - και ηρωτων αυτον λεγοντες 0 - κυριε θελομεν τον ιησουν ιδειν

22 ερχεται φιλιππος και λεγει τω ανδρεα - και παλιν ανδρεας και φιλιππος λεγουσιν τω ιησου

23 ο δε ιησους απεκρινατο αυτοις λεγων "εληλυθεν η ωρα ινα δοξασθη ο υιος του ανθρωπου

24 αμην αμην λεγω υμιν - εαν μη ο κοκκος του σιτου πεσων εις την γην αποθανη, - αυτος μονος μενει - εαν δε αποθανη πολυν καρπον φερει"

See John 15 for bearing fruit. Polycarp - Church Father. Polycarp Leyser crushed Huber's UOJ like a bug.

25 ο φιλων την ψυχην αυτου απολεσει αυτην, και ο μισων την ψυχην αυτου εν τω κοσμω τουτω εις ζωην αιωνιον φυλαξει αυτην

Misogynist. Note the irony with guarding one's life/soul.

26 εαν εμοι διακονη τις,  εμοι ακολουθειτω; και οπου ειμι εγω, εκει και ο διακονος  ο εμος εσται - και εαν τις εμοι διακονη τιμησει αυτον ο πατηρ

OT word play - deacon noun, also a verb. me used twice, a familiar pattern in John, using short repetitive phrases, easy to remember. Deacon is not just a title or a name, but an action being with Christ and honored by the Father.

27 νυν η ψυχη μου τεταρακται - και τι ειπω? πατερ σωσον με εκ της ωρας ταυτης ? αλλα δια τουτο ηλθον εις την ωραν ταυτην

What else was troubled? 4 αγγελος γαρ κατα καιρον κατεβαινεν εν τη κολυμβηθρα και εταρασσεν το υδωρ ο ουν πρωτος εμβας μετα την ταραχην του υδατος υγιης εγινετο ω δηποτε κατειχετο νοσηματι John 5:4

John 11:33 33 ιησους ουν ως ειδεν αυτην κλαιουσαν και τους συνελθοντας αυτη ιουδαιους κλαιοντας ενεβριμησατο τω πνευματι και εταραξεν εαυτον

28 πατερ δοξασον σου το ονομα. ηλθεν ουν φωνη εκ του ουρανου και εδοξασα και παλιν δοξασω

29 ο ουν οχλος ο εστως και ακουσας ελεγεν βροντην γεγονεναι; αλλοι ελεγον αγγελος αυτω λελαληκεν

30 απεκριθη ο ιησους και ειπεν  - ου δι εμε αυτη η φωνη γεγονεν αλλα δι υμας

31 νυν κρισις εστιν του κοσμου τουτου; νυν ο αρχων του κοσμου τουτου εκβληθησεται εξω

 εκβληθησεται long word - really short - ek ballo theta sigma - future passive - and exo for fun

32 καγω εαν υψωθω εκ της γης,  παντας ελκυσω προς εμαυτον

33 τουτο δε ελεγεν σημαινων ποιω θανατω ημελλεν αποθνησκειν

34 απεκριθη αυτω ο οχλος ημεις ηκουσαμεν εκ του νομου οτι ο χριστος μενει εις τον αιωνα και πως συ λεγεις οτι δει υψωθηναι τον υιον του ανθρωπου? τις εστιν ουτος ο υιος του ανθρωπου

35 ειπεν ουν αυτοις ο ιησους ετι μικρον χρονον το φως μεθ υμων εστιν. περιπατειτε εως το φως εχετε ινα μη σκοτια υμας καταλαβη - και ο περιπατων εν τη σκοτια ουκ οιδεν που υπαγει

36 εως το φως εχετε πιστευετε εις το φως ινα υιοι φωτος γενησθε; ταυτα ελαλησεν ο ιησους και απελθων  - εκρυβη απ αυτων

37 τοσαυτα δε αυτου σημεια πεποιηκοτος εμπροσθεν αυτων, ουκ επιστευον εις αυτον

38 ινα ο λογος ησαιου του προφητου πληρωθη, ον ειπεν κυριε τις επιστευσεν τη ακοη ημων  - και ο βραχιων κυριου τινι απεκαλυφθη apocalypse

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachial_plexus

Isaiah 53 - the OT Gospel - also essential for Romans 10, Means of Grace

39 δια τουτο ουκ ηδυναντο πιστευειν οτι παλιν ειπεν ησαιας

40 τετυφλωκεν αυτων τους οφθαλμους και πεπωρωκεν αυτων την καρδιαν ινα μη ιδωσιν τοις οφθαλμοις και νοησωσιν τη καρδια και επιστραφωσιν και ιασωμαι αυτους

41 ταυτα ειπεν ησαιας οτε ειδεν την δοξαν αυτου και ελαλησεν περι αυτου

42 ομως μεντοι και εκ των αρχοντων πολλοι επιστευσαν εις αυτον αλλα δια τους φαρισαιους ουχ ωμολογουν ινα μη αποσυναγωγοι γενωνται

43 ηγαπησαν γαρ την δοξαν των ανθρωπων μαλλον ηπερ την δοξαν του θεου

44 ιησους δε εκραξεν και ειπεν ο πιστευων εις εμε ου πιστευει εις εμε αλλ εις τον πεμψαντα με

45 και ο θεωρων εμε θεωρει τον πεμψαντα με

46 εγω φως εις τον κοσμον εληλυθα ινα πας ο πιστευων εις εμε εν τη σκοτια μη μεινη

47 και εαν τις μου ακουση των ρηματων και μη πιστευση - εγω ου κρινω αυτον; ου γαρ ηλθον ινα κρινω τον κοσμον αλλ ινα σωσω τον κοσμον

48 ο αθετων εμε και μη λαμβανων τα ρηματα μου εχει τον κρινοντα αυτον. ο λογος ον ελαλησα, εκεινος κρινει αυτον εν τη εσχατη ημερα
The Word - that judges him

49 οτι εγω εξ εμαυτου ουκ ελαλησα,  αλλ ο πεμψας με πατηρ, αυτος μοι εντολην εδωκεν - τι ειπω, και τι λαλησω

50 και οιδα οτι η εντολη αυτου ζωη αιωνιος εστιν α ουν λαλω; εγω καθως ειρηκεν μοι ο πατηρ - ουτως λαλω

1550 Stephanus New Testament (TR1550)

by Public Domain

Lito Cruz, PhD - On the Bizarre Argumentation of Andy One Note Preus

 I study Robert Preus' book Justification and Rome 
because his family clearly does not.

Lito Cruz, on Facebook:
I just saw the post on Ichabod about Andy One Note's [Andrew Preus'] explanation of OJ/SJ. 

I remember when we were in discussion with the theologian from ELS, that it was the same teaching, we have to believe in OJ - i.e that we are already forgiven, to really be forgiven, for if not, we are not forgiven at all.

This is like Word of Faith, believe you are healed and so you are already, believe you are not and so you are not. Ergo, whatever you believe is what you are. The parameter of truth is *whatever* you believe and not the truth in the object of your belief. Notice too that in that Andy One Note defense that the object of faith is not Christ but the declaration you are already forgiven, saved - subtle universalism says Google Latin.

GJ - 
Yes, that is a good explanation, so OJ is not the Atonement, but some declaration not found in the Bible, Luther, the Book of Concord, or any bumper stickers. SJ is not faith but believing in this unrecorded universal declaration of absolution and salvation.

The Universal Objective Justification Stormtroopers should remember - and perhaps they do - that Preus distinguished their precious Objective Justification from the Atonement in his short essay.

Robert Preus, 1987:

The doctrine of objective justification is a lovely teaching drawn from Scripture which tells us that God who has loved us so much that He gave His only to be our Savior has for the sake of Christ’s substitutionary atonement declared the entire world of sinners for whom Christ died to be righteous (Romans 5:17-19).

Objective justification which is God’s verdict of acquittal over the whole world is not identical with the atonement, it is not another way of expressing the fact that Christ has redeemed the world. Rather it is based upon the substitutionary work of Christ, or better, it is a part of the atonement itself. It is God’s response to all that Christ died to save us, God’s verdict that Christ’s work is finished, that He has been indeed reconciled, propitiated; His anger has been stilled and He is at peace with the world, and therefore He has declared the entire world in Christ to be righteous.

GJ - 

Romans 5:17-19King James Version (KJV)

17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

The genius of UOJ is having people imagine that Objective Justification is the Atonement, when it is not. 

OJ is entirely invented and stems from the toxic influence of Calvinism and Romanism. The rationalistic Pietists were not concerned with the Means of Grace, so I imagine the concept of universal grace (apart from the Means of Grace) was transformed to make the entire world forgiven and saved.

If one has the time and eye-strength, read the earlier materials on predestination, Calvinism, Augustine, and the Jansenites. It is not a big step to move from universal grace to UOJ. However, man has done this against the clear testimony of the Scriptures. Give theologians a few centuries to ruminate and they can cites volumes and libraries of books on the subject of grace.

 Bishop Martin Stephan, STD, taught this to Walther,
and Walther insisted on it throughout his career as pope.
This peculiar dogma comes from Halle University, not the Bible
or Luther or the Book of Concord.

A second move of genius - or perversity - is letting people dream that Subjective Justification is Christian faith, when it is not - but simply faith in the notion of  their universal forgiveness and salvation.

Nothing gives away the falsity of UOJ more than their ferocious need to defend their OJ/SJ categories, borrowed from the Calvinist translator of the Pietist Knapp.

WELS has made a point of saying UNIVERSAL Objective Justification, which is the equivalent of saying someone is "amazing, amazing, just amazing."

 An illiterate, verbose false teacher, a Fuller alumnus,
can become president of the Sausage Factory.

Baby Hummingbird Lands on the Jackson EZ Bird Swing. Bees Sell Me on Salvia

A baby Hummingbird landed on our bird swing,
but left when I moved to get the camera. Source of photo.

I set up a second bird swing near the kitchen window. The birds are quite used to sitting on the narrow metal bar that rests between two chains that hang from screw hooks. Recently I added an upper storey, because the kitchen area has few roosts for the birds as they jockey for a place on the feeder.

A baby Hummingbird sat on the bar and looked around for a minute or two. My neighbor and I have plenty of flowers that appeal to Hummingbirds, from Bee Balm to flowering Hosta. The little bit of work that I do for the birds was rewarded by that sight. The tiny one was wary. As soon as I moved to get the camera, he was gone.

 Salvia from Bluestone Perennials.

One way to judge the bee-friendliness of plants is to visit them at Walmart's gardening center. I saw a large number of weak Salvia plants in the gardening section and watched as Bumble Bees worked them over. The plants were on clearance and not in the best shape - except for buying. I was sold on them, so I got two. I had to explain to the cashier that I could revive them by soaking them in rainwater. This revival concept was a total mystery to her, how I gathered rain and used it to revive weak plants.

I soaked them in the rain-barrel a few hours and they looked great.

Looking them up - I noticed they belong to the mint family. They should do well in the Hosta Garden in the back.

Norma Boeckler's Those Days on the Farm Our Artist Remembers Growing Up on the Family Farm

Those Days on the Farm

Those Days on the Farm - Norma A. Boeckler - Print Version

Those Days on the Farm - Norma A. Boeckler - Kindle e-Book

 Norma A. Boeckler is our artist-in-residence
at Bethany Lutheran Church.
This is her art website.

A number of people have asked me, "How do you know Norma Boeckler?" That happened again in Perryville, Missouri, when the LCMS pastor asked that question. She is a member of our congregation and lives in Midland, Michigan, where we also lived for six years. However, we did not know her at that time.

Various events among Lutherans led a number of us to form an independent Lutheran congregation. Norma is not only our member, but also our artist-in-residence, designing the covers and interiors of our books, providing an endless number of Scripture illustrations for those books, the classes I teach, and her Facebook audience.

My wife Christina thought I was a city guy until I suddenly identified the inner farmer in me, during our years in Midland, 1982-1987, devoured the organic gardening books at Grace Dow Library, and began writing about the subject.

 This is Norma Boeckler's garden in Midland, Michigan.
Her Amazon page is here.

Books about growing up on a farm fascinate me, and they should interest everyone, because America was once mostly rural. I encouraged Norma to carry out her intention to write this - and soon it was done.

Those Days on the Farm is a portrait of family farming. I considered a stay at the farm of my Uncle Howard Noel and Aunt Grace quite a treat when I was growing up. The memories - and farm equipment - in this book are familiar to me and stir up  many happy memories.

Another treat in this book is not only the past but the present of the farm. Norma's sister took over the farm and transformed it in various ways, so the past has merged into the present.

The first story tells how Norma did not like milking, so her sister got to do that work. Norma stayed in to do the kitchen work, so one day her sister Marian kept ordering pancake after pancake, to get even. They still laugh about that episode.

Some memories are not pleasant. The barn burned down and Norma watched the tragedy unfold from a block away, while she was at school. A greater sadness is the loss of her mother when Norma was only one year old. From that loss came a lot of time spent drawing and the unfolding of many different creative talents.

Norma's father worked at Dow Chemical, headquartered in Midland, Michigan, and the family farm at the same time. Many with small farms did the same, keeping a non-farm job to produce cash year-around. That meant everyone had work to do, but the children growing up this way learned many skills, developed a can-do attitude, and still had time to play in idyllic surroundings.

The loss of practical knowledge about God's Creation is obvious everywhere. I bought two Salvia plants for for their appeal to bees. There were on clearance at Walmart because the poor things were almost dead. I told the cashier, "I will revive them in rainwater." Cashier, "Rainwater, as in water than fell as rain? How do you do that?" I told her, "Buckets catch the rain from the roof and I use that to revive plants and strengthen special plants." Cashier - "How does that work?" I explained, "The rain contains natural fertilizer and no bleach." She said, "Bleach?" I went on to say, "Yes, they use chlorine gas to purify tap water, but rain water is free of that and works better. Tap water is OK, but rain is the best." Cashier - "And you think that will work?"

One Midland farmer told me, "I pity the children who never grew up on a farm. There are countless lessons no one could ever teach them in school."

That is why Norma Boeckler is an artist of God's Creation. She grew up surrounded by the beauty and realities of the farm, and that became the foundation for all her work.

One of my jobs on the farm was watching the cows graze in a field without a fence several days a week. As a budding artist, I saw many interesting wild flowers and trees in the field that I could spend time drawing. Putting my imagination to work, I created pictures, using old pieces of slab wood left behind from the old saw mill. They worked perfectly as a drawing board. And I used old rotted stump pieces that had turned to chalk for drawing.

Boeckler, Norma. Those Days on the Farm (p. 3). Kindle Edition.

Most people will smile warmly as they read this book. Most of us drawing some kind of retirement had far more experience outdoors than the kids today. One neighbor shook her head in wonder at me when I walked our dog Sassy on a cold, snowing, icy day. Living in Arkansas means hiding inside until the snow melts.

Children stay indoors when it is too cold and also when it is too hot. I know the weather is perfect when children are playing outdoors. But that obscures the changes caused by the weather and lessons learned from the definite signs and warnings of Creation.

Explanations - Like the Separator

The separator machine, was a needed item on the farm that I learned how to use. It had a large metal bowl and two separate spouts, the milk would be poured into the separator bowl, and the handle had to be turned for a long time, until finally, the cream would separate from the milk and come out its spout into a cream can and the skim milk came out the other spout into another can. They call that centrifugal force.

Boeckler, Norma. Those Days on the Farm (p. 4). Kindle Edition.

I remember Aunt Grace showing me the separator on their farm. She was amused that I thought she was giving me cream on my cereal. That was whole milk! My mother loved whipped cream but she thought skim milk was better for us children. Aunt Grace learned how much I loved cream, so I  had cream on my cereal every day after that. Grace was correctly named, because she smiled all the time, patient and understanding with her city-slicker visitor.

Norma has combines her memories of the separator with its origin and the general work involving the dairy cattle. They even had a butter churn to turn the cream into butter. Photographs make the book even more interesting.

The Farm Continues
One of the best parts of the book is the continuing story of that farm, since Norma's older sister Marian bought the farm and worked it with her husband until he passed away. Now the farm itself is rented out and the new home is remodeled for current needs. The original farmhouse burned down from an electrical problem.

Valuable History
This personal history will always be valuable to Midland historians and Norma's extended family. Most of us do not have that much information about where our parents worked and grew up.

Norma's early adult life is also interesting. She met Walter Boeckler, a scientist at Dow Chemical. Together they built the home she lives in now. Walter and Norma supported Lutheran congregations in the area and generously helped the start of independent congregations.

Norma has been invaluable with all of my Amazon books, and she has a list of her own here.

Those Days on the Farm will make a wonderful gift for family and friends at Christmas. Anyone who enjoys farm nostalgia will appreciate the memories and feel the paradoxical joy and sadness of reliving those days.

Banned - Let Me Count the Ways

 Did Tim Rossow call Luther a moron? Yes.

1. Steadfast Lutherans 
is an obedient group of puppies who chew shoelaces in half and remind everyone that they are not yet housetrained. They have one thing in common - their devotion to betraying the Reformation with Universal Objective Justification. To that end they ban links to this blog and refer to those who teach Justification by Faith as morons. Coming from a comically overweight cat-hugger, that remark goes far beyond self-satire.

Now Steadfast is an international confraternity devoted to preserving the dogma of Bishop Martin Stephan, STD. They must have a Canadian blogging with them, eh?

2. Christian News 
likes to dab Justification by Faith for brief moments, but the tabloid has always been a febrile platform for extolling the glories of Kokomo Justification without Faith.

3. Emmaus Conference - Toward Merger with ELCA -
was organized to promote UOJ, which will make the de facto merger with ELCA de jure as well. Although promoted as a "free conference" where all views can be shared, they banned Justification by Faith and the free books we provided for them. They did not want people upset by a different view than the Stephan/Walther rationalistic Pietism that has knit the Synodical Conference together and made relationships with ELCA work so well through Thrivent.

 "ELCA won, Brett. You have to give us that."

4. ELCA -
is a merger of many different Pietistic sects that came over to America, with leaders from Halle University (Muhlenberg and Stephan alike) or from the other centers of Pietism. ELCA dictates the conditions of their relationships with the Synodical Conference, and their group hugs are always funded by Thrivent Mediocre Insurance and a few foundations.

ELCA sounds forth the same trumpet blast as the Synodical Conference. Any mention of faith is a repudiation of grace - they all imagine. This same attitude is found in all the mainline apostate theologians, so it is firmly held across denominational lines - taught by the big (Pope Francis I) and the small (Pope Georgie One Note I).

The two justifications - Objective and Subjective - are conveniently merged into one. They bray, cackle, and decrepitate - "Everyone is saved. Everyone. Everyone."

In the olden days, the Evangelicals were known for emphasizing faith in Christ. That is hard to imagine in this current age of me-centered prosperity rants, but that did happen under Billy Graham and a few others. The LCA speaker sneered on a tape, his voice breaking with rage, "The trouble with these people is they have no concept of grace. There is no grace at all." Translation - they do not teach universal absolution and salvation, but think forgiveness and salvation come through faith, by God's grace conveyed in the Gospel.

As Luther said, take away the Means of Grace and all kinds of foul errors pour in as a substitute.

Flinging Dust in Our Face - An Old Cowboy Trick

Andy One Note Preus was on another rampage promoting Universalism when I noticed Quenstedt being mentioned. Those who cannot handle the simple truths of Justification by Faith should not try to fool the audience with discussions about Quenstedt.

Concordia Ft. Wayne graduates remind me of the villains in Old West cowboy movies. Just when the man in black is losing the fight with the hero, he reaches down, grabs some dirt, and flings dust into the eyes of of the star.

Ft. Wayne graduates love to flit all over the landscape of the theology, as if they know their topic, dropping mentions of this obscure person or another. We are supposed to stand back in awe and say, "He is mentioning someone I never heard of, so he must be a profound scholar. After all, he has a degree from the practical seminary of the LCMS!" Dust in our eyes. Walther did that with his preposterous notions about election - another BA with papal pretensions.

That endless debate about Quenstedt only reminded me of the brilliant refutation of OJ/SJ quoted in Grandfather Robert Preus' book - Justification and Rome. Rolf claims I am not supposed to quote his father, but that is part of publishing theology - debate. Every so often I quote Quenstedt, via Preus, because his statement unravels OJ/SJ completely.

The farther away the theologians got from the Book of Concord, the more Pietistic they became. My impression is that Quenstedt and Calov saw the rationalistic move of Pietism as it developed from Calvinism and poked holes in it. Here is Calov -

 This is a quotation from Robert Preus' Justification and Rome.

Quenstedt and Calov wrote simply that we are never justified apart from faith. But the OJ/SJ crew like to fly around like drones, zipping here and there, yet easily knocked out of the sky by an errant baseball pitch, a small bird, or an animal swinging at it from a tree branch. Down goes the drone, its tumbling captured by a wireless camera onboard.

The Ft. Wayne graduates can mention their heroes - really villains - in this discussion. Rambach and Quistorp are obscure Pietists and good for some good old new-fashioned UOJ. Bishop Martin Stephan introduced OJ to Walther, just as the Bohemian Pietist introduced syphilis to his wife, children, and female groupies. No one wants to identify OJ with Stephan, so they make Walther into Luther unawares, almost as good as a Xerox.

Although the Formula of Concord cautions us against speculating on the topic of election, the Ft. Wayne graduates are so imbued with theological expertise that they can flit from one person to another and describe how precise an individual was about election and all related subject matter. Coming from men who do not comprehend the Gospel, the Pauline epistles, Luther, or the efficacy of the Word in the Means of Grace - this is alarming.

They remind me of Georgie One Note, glancing at his cue cards and ranting in a loud voice, with a smirk on his face, as if a machine gun staccato is more convincing than the Scriptures. Even the somnolent LCMS is alarmed about their nest of vipers, so why should we take their Higher Things dogma seriously.

Georgie One Note agrees with Pope Francis I -
everyone is saved. Everyone. Everyone.
Playing his toxic video for everyone, everyone,
is considered quoting him out of context!

Preus Family Yippy-Yappy School of Enthusiasm. Some Clarifications in Articulating Objective Justification | Steadfast Lutherans

The Rolf Preus Synod once met with and worshiped with
ELDONA, because Heiser cared more about having additional congregations 
than Justification by Faith, the Chief Article of Christianity.

Some Clarifications in Articulating Objective Justification | Steadfast Lutherans:



"Pastor Andrew Preus on May 21, 2015 at 9:59 am      

Reply
@Bill #111

Bill, you are either incapable of understanding the issue or you are being ungracious. The Synodical Conference (W/ElS (sic) , LCMS) does not teach universalism. OJ simply teaches that Jesus took the sin of the whole world away by his obedience and death, and his resurrection declares this through the Word, which offers this free gift to all. Why some rejected it or never even heard it while others believed it is something we leave to the hidden will and majesty of God. But what is revealed in the gospel is forgiveness for all sinners. This is objective justification. Those who do not believe this die in their sins and the wrath of God remains on them. This is what we teach. This is what we have always taught. The fact that some people have given crass and, at best, confusing articulations of this doctrine (like that Judas and all members of hell were given the status of saint) doesn’t change the fact that the teaching itself of OJ is biblical and confessional.

Also, the fact that you reject that the Atonement has made full satisfaction for the sins of all people of all time is very telling. And those who claim to be faithful to the historic Lutheran teaching on justification while rejecting OJ should read what you are writing. You are demonstrating that if you reject OJ then you are necessarily rejecting that Christ made satisfaction for the sins of all people."

'via Blog this'

***

 Although I quoted the encyclopedia as saying "Woods' translation," some missed the point that this is Woods' translation of the Halle Pietist. Germans and Walther adopted the OJ/SJ language that the Calvinist used to translate the Halle Pietist. Neither term is found in the Bible, Luther, Melanchthon, Chemnitz, or the Book of Concord.
Luther and the Book of Concord call separating the Holy Spirit from the Word "Enthusiasm," the basis for all false doctrine like that of the Preus Family, Inc.

GJ - This is one more example of a Preus family member merging the Atonement with Justification by Faith, dropping the Chief Article and using the label - Objective Justification - that the Calvinist translator of Knapp promoted.

Oh yes - OJ teaches this nonsense, but the Scriptures, Luther, and the Book of Concord do not. Yet young Andrew dares to borrow the language of Jesus from the Fourth Gospel - You will die in your sins - to condemn anyone who denies his dogma.

John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

Andy One-Note is so obsessed with this dogma that he uses a familiar logical fallacy to defend himself. His opponent is either 

1. incapable of understanding, or
2. ungracious.

That sounds like a false paradox, a fallacy older than dirt. Is there possibly a third alternative? Preus Family Enterprises could be completely wrong, obstinate in error, and blind to the Chief Article.

Christ did die for the sins of the world but only the Enthusiasts - among them the Universalists - declare that God pronounced the world to be righteous, free of sin, and saved. Many of us realize that Walther taught this and the Waltherites canonized the same in 1932. But that does not make this OJ/SJ rubbish Scriptural, Confessional, or Lutheran. As Luther taught, the Holy Spirit distributes this treasure - the Atonement - through the Word and Sacraments. Through faith we receive the Promises of God.

Worst of all, in my opinion, the OJ One-Noters make "faith" into faith in this universal forgiveness and salvation. The poor slobs who deny Universal Forgiveness and Salvation will die in their sins because they do not agree they were justified before birth, as Grampa Preus once wrote, but later rejected in Justification and Rome.

The LCMS Higher Things business and Pope Francis jabber the same Enthusiasm.



"God has given salvation to all. And all means all."

"Everyone is saved. Everyone!"