Intrepid Rydecki Back to Justification by Faith, We Hope

Intrepid Comments here:

Anonymous said...

On a recent Lutheran blog a WELS member tells of how he was, in essence, excommunicated. (refused the Lord's supper) Why? Because he argued that "It is wrong to preach that one's sins are forgiven before they were born. " Do Intrepid Lutherans believe that all sins are forgiven before you believe? Do you believe there is forgiveness before repentance? It is time for this website to go beyond innocuous (albeit interesting) posts. The problems in the WELS need to be specifically and pointedly addressed. Doing the right thing most often requires rocking the boat. And you're here to do the right thing. James Danielson

May 27, 2011 9:00 PM

Rev. Paul Rydecki said...

I'll speak for myself, but it's the same thing we've stated all along (especially last year when we discussed justification in depth). Forgiveness of sins was acquired for all people of all times by the suffering and death of Christ. God truly desires all men to receive this forgiveness. This forgiveness is distributed by God in the means of grace, and is received by faith, created by the Holy Spirit through the means of grace. The one who believes in Christ believes because the Holy Spirit worked faith in his heart through those means, and that one is said to have the forgiveness of sins. The one who does not believe in God's Son is alone at fault for his unbelief, and is counted among the wicked, and his sins are not forgiven him. We must follow Luther in distinguishing between forgiveness acquired and forgiveness distributed. Was forgiveness acquired before repentance? Yes. This is the completed work of redemption. Is forgiveness distributed before repentance? That's a confusing and bad question. Better: Is forgiveness distributed apart from the means of grace? No, it is most certainly not. This belongs to the Third Article of the Creed and to the work of the Holy Spirit, who richly and daily forgives sins to me and all believers in Christ.

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GJ - All falsehoods and ambiguities must be eliminated. "Is forgiveness distributed before repentance?" - that is a good question. I may post more on this later, depending on whether clarifications follow or the topic is avoided again.