Friday, August 4, 2017

A Summary of the Christian Faith by Henry Eyster Jacobs - Chapter 1 Sources and Methods - Comfort for Christians,
GJ - Thank You Alec Satin



A Summary of the Christian Faith by Henry Eyster Jacobs - Chapter 1 Sources and Methods - Comfort for Christians:



"A Summary of the Christian Faith by Henry Eyster Jacobs - Chapter 1 Sources and Methods

27 minute read
A Summary of the Christian Faith was published in 1905. Dr. Jacobs intended this to be a Biblical, orthodox, and insofar as it was possible, a non-sectarian treatment of the most important aspects of Christianity. This book was written for everyday Christians. Each chapter of this book contains rich nuggets to strengthen faith.

There is probably too much in this post for one reading. Bookmarks fall by the wayside. One suggestion is to print it out and review it little by little over the next week. Lord willing, a new chapter from Jacobs will be posted regularly.

Henry Eyster Jacobs - Quick biography

Henry Eyster Jacobs was born in 1844 in Gettysburg, PA. He served as Principal of Thiel College in Pennsylvania, as Professor of Latin and History at Gettysburg College (1870-1880), and Norton Professor of Systematic Theology and also President of the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. His books include:

The Lutheran Movement in England (1891)
History of the Lutheran Church in America (1893)
Book of Concord (1894)
Martin Luther: Hero of Faith
Lutheran Cyclopedia, with John A. W. Haas (1899)
The Lutheran Commentary
The German Emigration to America, 1709-40 (1899)
Works of Martin Luther, translated by Eyster and Spaeth, (1915)
Lincoln’s Gettysburg World-Message (1920).
Henry Eyster Jacobs died in Philadelphia in 1932.

Here are Jacob’s words, from his Preface:

The book, however, is not a mere compilation, but the matured expression of the convictions of the author, from the time when, as a child he was introduced to many of the problems treated, to the present.

On certain living questions, widely and hotly agitated, greater space and freedom of discussion was allowed, that a candid testimony might be given on every important topic, for which the book may be consulted. It is not offered as the final word of controversy on any point, but as a starting point and suggestion of earnest thought…

Material pertaining to the History of Doctrine has been introduced only to a very limited extent. The scope of this book is one of results. For the process, whereby those results have been attained, we have another book in prospect, if life and strength should be spared to undertake it.

And so, with the hope that it might be a blessing to you and a strengthening of your faith, here is Chapter 1 - Sources and Methods, from Henry Eyster Jacobs’ A Summary of the Christian Faith (1905):

Chapter 1 - Sources And Methods

What is Dogmatic Theology?"



'via Blog this'

Compare and Contrast - A Catechism for Universal Forgiveness without Faith



According to all of Scripture Christ made a full atonement for the sins of all mankind. Atonement (at-one-ment) means reconciliation. If God was not reconciled by the saving work of Christ, if His wrath against sin was not appeased by Christ'’ (sic) sacrifice, if God did not respond to the perfect obedience and suffering and death of His Son for the sins of the world by forgiveness, by declaring the sinful world to be righteous in Christ -–if all this were not so, if something remains to be done by us or through us or in us, then there is no finished atonement. But Christ said, "It is finished." And God raised Him from the dead and justified Him, pronounced Him, the sin bearer, righteous (I Timothy 3:16) and thus in Him pronounced the entire world of sinners righteous (Romans 4:25).

Contrast
According to all of Scripture Christ made a full atonement for the sins of all mankind. Atonement (at-one-ment) means reconciliation.

The English origin of a word does not explain the Scriptures. In fact, the Greek origin of a word in the New Testament does not explain its meaning either, apart from context. Kittel's enormous work has caused Kittelitis, an irritation caused by obsessive use of the multi-volume publication. The rule is "Scripture explains Scripture" not "Lexicography explains Scripture."

This is the topical sentence, so we have to return to its implications after the so-called Scriptural support, which is really false paradox fallacy...writ large. 

Conclusion of the False Paradox 
then there is no finished atonement - So, if people do not agree with Objective Justification, then they reject the Atonement. Let's see what the clauses suggest before this marvelous conclusion.

If Clauses
1. If God was not reconciled by the saving work of Christ - These words alone here are not wrong, but the meaning spelled out is alarmingly wrong.
2.  if His wrath against sin was not appeased by Christ' sacrifice, - Already he is begging the question, insisting on his claim being absolute fact. According to John's Gospel - "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." John 3:36
3. if God did not respond to the perfect obedience and suffering and death of His Son for the sins of the world by forgiveness, by declaring the sinful world to be righteous in Christ-- Now we begin to smell the pot-roast. If God did not declare the sinful world righteous in Christ! He is working up to his precious Objective Justification, with citations - not proof, but actually refuting these toxic claims. Where is this declaration, which is mentioned so often yet never quoted at all?
4. if all this were not so, if something remains to be done by us or through us or in us, then - Now the pot-roast is burning and smoking in the oven. This is a dig at those who teach Justification by Faith. I have heard of the UOJ acolytes saying, snarkily, "So there is something left to do? We have to DO something?" First of all, this if-clause rejects what Jesus teaches throughout John's Gospel. This if-clause suggests some heresy, perhaps decision theology. 

The  crowd was stricken by the apostolic accusation that they killed the Prince of Glory. 
Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
John 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. 

The Scriptures Mentioned But Never Explained
So this theologian of Church Growth, teaching UOJ and offering Church  Growth degrees at his seminary, quoted two passages.

And God raised Him from the dead and justified Him, pronounced Him, the sin bearer, righteous (I Timothy 3:16) and thus in Him pronounced the entire world of sinners righteous (Romans 4:25).

1 Timothy 3:16 does not say the entire world was declared righteous when Jesus rose from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus showed that He died an innocent man, without sin.

1 Timothy 3: 16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was 
  • manifest in the flesh,
  • justified in the Spirit, [He - not the world]
  • seen of angels, 
  • preached unto the Gentiles, 
  • believed on in the world, 
  • received up into glory.
Did he even open Paul's letter to the Romans? Romans 4 offers Abraham as the example of Justification by Faith, as Abraham is through the Bible, whether Genesis 15, Romans 4, Galatians, James, or Hebrews.

Romans 4:20 He [Abraham] staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
22 And therefore it 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.

But They Do Not Quote Robert Preus Later: They Are Just as Allergic to the Scriptures and Luther




John 12:20ff - The Gospel Itself Is Far More Powerful than Man's Theories

Except a kernel of wheat fall into the ground and die,
it remains alone. But in dying it becomes fruitful.
John 12:24


John 12:20 And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast:
21 The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.
22 Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.

As Lenski writes in his commentary, there is a lot of fussing on this setting and motives. These Greeks are non-Jews attracted to Judaism and not yet complete converts to Judaism. The Greek Old Testament was a holy book that attracted the interest of those who found pagan religion stale, weird, empty, or revolting. This Septuagint was indirectly the result of Alexander the Great conquering the world of that time and making it Greek in culture, writing, language, and commerce. Alexander reversed the effect of the Tower of Babel and united peoples fragmented by tribal languages.

The details are what we find in eye-witness accounts, while a second-hand report would drop who said what to whom. The historical setting emphasizes the sermon of Jesus, not the disciples, not the Greek-speaking people. 

23 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
 The first miracle, changing water into wine,
was followed by cleansing the Temple, John 2.

The tipping point in the Gospel of John is the raising of Lazarus. We can easily see the reasons for the tensions being explosive at this point, because they started early with the Cleansing of the Temple, John 2, which followed a widely viewed and impossible to refute miracle of changing water into wine.
As noted before, Jesus raised Lazarus when the disciples were already anticipating their own deaths from the Jewish opponents. Before, as at the Wedding at Cana, the hour had not yet come. Now the hour has come.
The hour is the atoning death of the Messiah. From Isaiah 53 to this passage to Paul's letters, the central point is the crucifixion of Christ. 
The magicians of modernism want to mis-direct our eyes - the method of all false doctrine - from the Atonement to their universal declaration of forgiveness, grace, absolution without faith - aka Objective Justification.
Jesus is that seed of wheat that dies in the ground, that is, germinating so that the Gospel will be fruitful. Before the death of Christ, the Gospel was the Promise of Atonement, Isaiah 53. The glorification is the death of Jesus in payment for all sin. 
The modernists want to change the Atonement into universal grace, because that is the easy, lazy, and contrary way to make Christianity into a philosophy for Satan's earthly realm. Nothing really matters because everyone is forgiven, they say, ever so slyly. As one thick-headed pastor said about confession of sin and absolution, "You were forgiven before you came here." That means giving someone a powerful opioid to take away the pain but not the disease.
Lenski:
"The death of Christ was the death of the most fertile grain of wheat." Augustine. In the petition of these Greeks Jesus sees the great harvest that will go on and on as the product of the great Grain of Wheat (himself) which fell in the earth.

 Cleansing the Temple took place early in the public ministry of Jesus, so the hostility and fear continued to build among the Jewish and Roman officials as thousands came to Him.

25 
He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
From the fact of the glorification Jesus draws the lesson for these seekers of salvation. Being forgiven and saved means following Him on the way of the cross. Serving and following go together - not as titles like Bishop Jackson and Deacon Brett - but as the servant serving (text word play, servant as noun and as a verb). That means being where Christ is, which Luther described being among those weak and poor who needed this spiritual medicine. Not to be missed - the Father honors those who serve the Son.

27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.
28 Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.

Jesus was deeply troubled, shaking and weeping at the grave of Lazarus. I interpret this as a special emphasis on allowing His friend Lazarus to die in order to complete the details for His own death and resurrection. In this age of grief for a few days, we overlook the powerful and lasting emotions of losing a loved one, so we also pass over Jesus' human reaction to the tomb of Lazarus. The sisters were correct - He could have rushed there to heal His friend. In fact, He could have commanded the healing from afar, as He did with the centurion's son.
If we look for the answers why, Jesus supplies them many times over - the Father commands and the Son works in complete harmony with Him. All the Old Testament Scriptures had to be addressed, because they are the foundation of the Promises fulfilled. If we take away those Promises from the Old Testament, as the rationalists do in their blind glee, the Old Testament makes no sense at all.
29 The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.
30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.
The popcorn-and-soda crackpots of today, bragging about the numbers who come to be entertained and fed, do not want to hear about bearing the cross. Yet Jesus identified His glorification with the cross. As I understand the reaction. those sincerely seeking the truth were certain an angel spoke (the verb used for Jesus' solemn declarations - laleo). However, the bystanders dismissed it as thunder.
Likewise, when I ask Lutheran pastors if they teach Justification by Faith, they say, like smart-alecs, "Universally" and "Objectively!" - to make fun of the Chief Article they clearly reject. It is just distant thunder to them, old and irrelevant compared to their special sauce with the secret ingredients.

31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.
34 The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?
John's Gospel is the Doctrinal Gospel because Jesus' sermons and teaching clarify any issues in advance. We can view the Fourth Gospel as a commentary on the Books of Moses, fulfilling everything promised or implied, such as the healing figured raised up to cure the Israelites of the toxic bites of the serpents.
From the bronze serpent to John 3:16 to John 12, it is one coherent and unified message. The Son must be lifted up on the cross to show the cost of sin and the payment made.
The class clowns of Lutherdom - and mainline apostasy - fail to see that the Bible has many synonyms for Jesus' Atonement - redemption, propitiation, ransom, etc. But - justification is not a synonym for the Atonement, but the result of preaching and teaching the Atonement. The Atonement shows our sin and Jesus' payment, and this Gospel Word implants and nourishes faith in the Promises.
Jesus did not directly answer "Who is this Son of Man?" but if He had offered an entire chapter on the topic, the rationalists would have dismissed it as well. When they are done paring away those passages that do not appeal to them, hardly anything is left. The Jefferson Bible is the OED in comparison. Yet we are supposed to gasp and coo when we hear the precious names of Barth, Bonhoeffer, Gerhard Forde, Tillich, Carl Braaten, and a tribe of lesser frauds. After all, Barth is the official theologian of Fuller Seminary, we should never forgive the Commie adulterer for that explosion of Dreck
Yes, Virginia (famous, old newspaper column) - Karl Barth was known as a Communist and as a flagrant adulterer, who - like Bishop Martin Stephan - moved a young woman into his home.

35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.
36 While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.

If we look for a passage that says "Everyone is forgiven and saved, whether they ever believe or not" - disappointment follows for the cultists.
Instead, the entire Gospel emphasizes the importance of faith in Christ, a faith so complete that people followed Him to death, as they did then and still do today.

37 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:
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.
42 Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:
43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
This explains the false teachers perfectly. I take doxa in verse 43 as glory, because that contrasts with "I have glorified it and I will glorify it again." Compare as contrast - the glory of God and loving (agape) the glory of men.
44 Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.
45 And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.
46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
47 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.
Jesus proclaimed faith in Him, so why should be teach unFaith? 
48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words [divine utterances - rhema], hath one that judgeth him: the Word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
To this day, the Word of God condemns those who reject, mock, and supplant Justification by Faith. The Gospel makes them bitter and hateful, so they seek refuge in their little essays and favorite false teachers.
49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak [solemnly declare - laleo].