If there is agreement that "Christ took upon Himself the sins of men as Guarantor in order to make satisfaction for them to the Father.” I think Paul, in Acts, is very clear that each person has to believe to be saved.
Acts 16:28-31 ESV
[28] But Paul cried with a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here." [29] And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. [30] Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" [31] And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."
Jim Roberts
Acts 16:28-31 ESV
[28] But Paul cried with a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here." [29] And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. [30] Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" [31] And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."
Jim Roberts
Mr. Roberts, why was Pastor Rydecki excommunicated from the WELS for teaching and confessing that men are justified solely by faith in Christ alone?
Mr. Meyer,
I cannot speak for the WELS on why they excommunicated Pastor Rydecki, but in my opinion, based on my observations and my own issues with the WELS, I believe they excommunicated Pastor Rydecki because he did not confess the WELS doctrine explicitly but instead, he actually preached true scripture from the Bible.
Pastor Rydecki's sermon on April 8, 2012 contained these statements:
"But for those who want a sure refuge from God’s wrath, for those who want to be reconciled to God, for those who want Jesus for a Savior, the gospel reveals this truth: that Jesus was delivered up for our sins and raised to life for our justification. His death was sufficient payment for all sin, for every sin, for the worst sinner, for his most bitter enemy; and his resurrection means that all who hope in him, all who trust in him, all who look to him for forgiveness of their sins are absolved before God’s courtroom in heaven. The empty tomb means the justification of all who believe in the risen One.And with justification comes every gift and benefit of Christ: the adoption as God’s children, the full acceptance into eternal life, the daily forgiveness of sins in this Christian Church, and the promise of your own empty tomb when Jesus returns, for judgment against all who refused to repent, and with salvation for his believing people."
To me this is the same teaching Jesus gave in John 3:16-18
[16] "For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. [18] Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
If we examine the WELS doctrine, "This We Believe", there are many conflicting statements of faith. It is also curious that Pastor Rydecki was excommunicated for saying we must believe in Jesus, and the WELS doctrine is "This We Believe".
The WELS doctrine starts out:
"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven" (Matthew 10:32). With these words Jesus indicates that he wants Christians to confess publicly what they believe in their hearts.
Under the Christ and Redemption section the WELS doctrine states:
5." We reject any teaching that in any way limits Christ's work of atonement. We reject any teaching that says Christ paid the penalty only for the sins of some people. We reject any teaching that says Christ made only a partial payment for sins."
This appears to me to be the reasoning the WELS used to distort Pastor Rydecki's sermon and excommunicate him. This is even more confusing since the WELS doctrine disagrees with itself in other sections:
under section I. God and his Revelation, they state the following while quoting John 3:16:
3. We believe that God has given the full revelation of himself in his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. "No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known" (John 1:18). In Jesus, God has revealed himself as the Savior-God, who "so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
Continued in a second post- Jim Roberts
Then under the section "IV. JUSTIFICATION BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH" statement 6, they focus on believing being the key difference between a soul going to Heaven or hell:
6. We believe that at the moment of death, the souls of those who believe in Christ go immediately to be with the Lord in the joy of heaven because of the atoning work of Christ (Luke 23:43). The souls of those who do not believe in Christ go to an eternity of misery in hell (Luke 16:22-24).
and then contradict that statement in the very next line:
7. We reject every teaching that people in any way contribute to their salvation. We reject the belief that people with their own power can cooperate in their conversion or make a decision for Christ (John 15:16). We reject the belief that those who are converted were less resistant to God's grace than those who remain unconverted. We reject all efforts to present faith as a condition people must fulfill to complete their justification. We reject all attempts of sinners to justify themselves before God.
If I must believe in Jesus to be saved, as Paul instructed the jailer, I must make a decision to believe, using the free will that God has given me. I also acknowledge that I am only able to make that decision because the Holy Spirit has lead me to Christ.
They again contradict in the section VI. The Means of Grace:
3. We believe that also through the Sacrament of Baptism the Holy Spirit applies the gospel to sinners, giving them new life (Titus 3:5) and cleansing them from all sin (Acts 2:38). The Lord points to the blessing of Baptism when he promises, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved" (Mark 16:16). We believe that the blessing of Baptism is meant for all people (Matthew 28:19), including infants. Infants are born sinful (John 3:6) and therefore need to be born again, that is, to be brought to faith, through Baptism (John 3:5).
I believe it to be the following,
Being "Lutheran," our congregations accept and teach Bible-based teachings of Martin Luther that inspired the reformation of the Christian Church in the 16th century. The teaching of Luther and the reformers can be summarized in three short phrases: Grace alone, Faith alone, Scripture alone.
Grace alone
God loves the people of the world, even though they are sinful, rebel against Him and do not deserve His love. He sent Jesus, His Son to love the unlovable and save the ungodly.
Faith alone
By His suffering and death as the substitute for all people of all time, Jesus purchased and won forgiveness and eternal life for them. Those who hear this Good News and believe it have the eternal life it offers. God creates faith in Christ and gives people forgiveness through Him.
Scripture alone
The Bible is God's inerrant and infallible Word, in which He reveals His Law and His Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ. It is the sole rule and norm for Christian doctrine.
The WELS seems to focus on Grace Alone only. But just as God is three seperate persons in one, Grace, Faith and Scripture are three individual concepts in our redemption, salvation and entrance into Heaven.
Continued in a third post- Jim Roberts
6. We believe that at the moment of death, the souls of those who believe in Christ go immediately to be with the Lord in the joy of heaven because of the atoning work of Christ (Luke 23:43). The souls of those who do not believe in Christ go to an eternity of misery in hell (Luke 16:22-24).
and then contradict that statement in the very next line:
7. We reject every teaching that people in any way contribute to their salvation. We reject the belief that people with their own power can cooperate in their conversion or make a decision for Christ (John 15:16). We reject the belief that those who are converted were less resistant to God's grace than those who remain unconverted. We reject all efforts to present faith as a condition people must fulfill to complete their justification. We reject all attempts of sinners to justify themselves before God.
If I must believe in Jesus to be saved, as Paul instructed the jailer, I must make a decision to believe, using the free will that God has given me. I also acknowledge that I am only able to make that decision because the Holy Spirit has lead me to Christ.
They again contradict in the section VI. The Means of Grace:
3. We believe that also through the Sacrament of Baptism the Holy Spirit applies the gospel to sinners, giving them new life (Titus 3:5) and cleansing them from all sin (Acts 2:38). The Lord points to the blessing of Baptism when he promises, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved" (Mark 16:16). We believe that the blessing of Baptism is meant for all people (Matthew 28:19), including infants. Infants are born sinful (John 3:6) and therefore need to be born again, that is, to be brought to faith, through Baptism (John 3:5).
I believe it to be the following,
Being "Lutheran," our congregations accept and teach Bible-based teachings of Martin Luther that inspired the reformation of the Christian Church in the 16th century. The teaching of Luther and the reformers can be summarized in three short phrases: Grace alone, Faith alone, Scripture alone.
Grace alone
God loves the people of the world, even though they are sinful, rebel against Him and do not deserve His love. He sent Jesus, His Son to love the unlovable and save the ungodly.
Faith alone
By His suffering and death as the substitute for all people of all time, Jesus purchased and won forgiveness and eternal life for them. Those who hear this Good News and believe it have the eternal life it offers. God creates faith in Christ and gives people forgiveness through Him.
Scripture alone
The Bible is God's inerrant and infallible Word, in which He reveals His Law and His Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ. It is the sole rule and norm for Christian doctrine.
The WELS seems to focus on Grace Alone only. But just as God is three seperate persons in one, Grace, Faith and Scripture are three individual concepts in our redemption, salvation and entrance into Heaven.
Continued in a third post- Jim Roberts
As to my issue with the WELS, I will explain.
I was raised Catholic. I met my wife in college, she was raised in the WELS church and WELS schools in western Michigan. Before we got married we looked at multiple churches to find a church we could belong to together. We chose the WELS Church. I went through the adult classes and became a member of the WELS. We were married in a WELS Church and continued to be members. We moved to a different State and we were confronted with a dilemma, the nearest WELS church was over 45 minutes away, so we searched closer to home and found a conservative Missouri Synod Church that would allow us to participate in church activities and keep our children active in youth ministries. We joined this church after we determined the Pastor was teaching scripture in the way we believed. However, now we are prohibited from recieving communion and my in-laws WELS church. It was explained that since we do not confess to be WELS the pastors cannot give us communion.
I find this disturbing as I was always taught that I had to examine myself before I eat of the bread and drink of the cup, as in 1 Corinthians 11:28. And that it meant asking and answering yes to these questions.
Do I believe I am a sinner and am I sorry for my sins?
Do I believe that Jesus, by his death, offers me forgiveness of all my sins?
Do I believe that I receive he very Body and Blood of Jesus Christ; the same Body and Blood that lay in the manger, died on he cross and rose from death, in and with he bread and wine?
Do I seriously desire to turn away from my sinful ways?
I must have missed the adult confirmation class that added this as the most important question:
Before I can take communion and share the Body and Blood of my savior, do I profess that I 100% agree with the WELS leadership and their earthly doctrine? Because it appears I am not able to know Christ or have Christian fellowship with the WELS unless I answer yes.
So, I believe Pastor Rydecki is correct and the WELS excommunicated him because they (the WELS leaders) are straying from scripture.
Jim Roberts
I was raised Catholic. I met my wife in college, she was raised in the WELS church and WELS schools in western Michigan. Before we got married we looked at multiple churches to find a church we could belong to together. We chose the WELS Church. I went through the adult classes and became a member of the WELS. We were married in a WELS Church and continued to be members. We moved to a different State and we were confronted with a dilemma, the nearest WELS church was over 45 minutes away, so we searched closer to home and found a conservative Missouri Synod Church that would allow us to participate in church activities and keep our children active in youth ministries. We joined this church after we determined the Pastor was teaching scripture in the way we believed. However, now we are prohibited from recieving communion and my in-laws WELS church. It was explained that since we do not confess to be WELS the pastors cannot give us communion.
I find this disturbing as I was always taught that I had to examine myself before I eat of the bread and drink of the cup, as in 1 Corinthians 11:28. And that it meant asking and answering yes to these questions.
Do I believe I am a sinner and am I sorry for my sins?
Do I believe that Jesus, by his death, offers me forgiveness of all my sins?
Do I believe that I receive he very Body and Blood of Jesus Christ; the same Body and Blood that lay in the manger, died on he cross and rose from death, in and with he bread and wine?
Do I seriously desire to turn away from my sinful ways?
I must have missed the adult confirmation class that added this as the most important question:
Before I can take communion and share the Body and Blood of my savior, do I profess that I 100% agree with the WELS leadership and their earthly doctrine? Because it appears I am not able to know Christ or have Christian fellowship with the WELS unless I answer yes.
So, I believe Pastor Rydecki is correct and the WELS excommunicated him because they (the WELS leaders) are straying from scripture.
Jim Roberts
 |
| They are happy to work with elca and the salvation army, but will they commune a faithful lutheran? |
