ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Left-wing, National Council of Churches denominations.
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| Photofunia by Norma A. Boeckler |
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| WELS MLS Cheerleaders |
Marcus Manthey You are free, Greg, to continue to regurgitate your anti-Gospel bile. But to exploit this family photo to illustrate your screed is not only lazy. It's loveless. The ladies in the photo have nothing to do with the thelogical (sic) point you're trying to make. They no more deserve to be dragged into your pulic (sic) posturing than your family members do. You embarrass yourself with this. Do better.
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| This is the Chief Article which the false prophets, below, reject. |
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| Moldstad, Schroeder, Eaton, and Harrison teach Universal Justification, and they support abortion through their devotion and joint-work through Thrivent. |
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| Hale, the cub editor of Christian News, fulminates against the Chief Article, and, like his Father Below, cannot say the words of the Holy Spirit - Justification by Faith. |
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| Cascione has been corrected about his false reporting of the facts many times, but like his OJ pals, he cannot get the truth out, due to his homage to his hoofed Master. |
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| McCain's slander is the highest possible commendation. Sometimes he is so dumb, he is funny. He accused me of broadcasting from the "spare room of a rented house." Can Paul name any precedents? |
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| Bivens, a Fuller alumnus, borrowed Zarling's daring OJ/JFBA switch. |
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| Brenner is another OJ Salesman at Mequon. |
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| Like Bivens, Valleskey didn't go to Fuller Seminary too. His UOJ is breathtakingly stupid. |
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| Jay Webber, supported by WELS DP Buchholz, proclaimed OJ as Luther's doctrine at a tiny Emmaus Conference. Somehow, he skipped over Luther's Galatians, almost an Olympic sport among OJists.  |
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| Walther's Predestination War was really a promotion of Justification without Faith. John Brenner wrote his dissertation on that era. |
This section of the Formula of Concord, Election, #11, Solid Declaration,
Book of Concord, should be read and considered carefully, especially in
light of the elevated, quasi-inspired Brief Statement, 1932, of the Missouri
Synod. The Brief Statement is a doctrinal fiasco, yet elevated to quia
status by the misnamed Church of the Lutheran Church, a statement honored and
yet not understood by the WELS and the ELS.
Martin Chemnitz wrote this section of the Formula of Concord himself,
not because it was an issue, but to prevent error from arising later, as it did
with CFW Walther himself. Walther ignored this warning –
13. Therefore, if we wish to think or speak correctly and
profitably concerning eternal election, or the predestination and ordination of
the children of God to eternal life, we should accustom ourselves not to
speculate concerning the bare, secret, concealed, inscrutable foreknowledge
of God, but how the counsel, purpose, and ordination of God in Christ Jesus,
who is the true Book of Life, is revealed to us through the Word…[1]
If people pay attention to the word-play of Walther and his acolytes,
the Election of Grace is nothing more than a cover for his claim for grace in
Justification, pitting grace against faith in both topics.
The straw man fallacy in both cases is faith. To this day,
Synodical Conference loyalists warn the innocent, “Do not make faith a work of
man.” That assumes faith is a work of man, making faith something to condemn. They
imagine that making faith disappear elevates the role of grace. Ironically,
many believe this with righteous certainty – and they are the leaders of the
mainline denominations. They are Calvinistic heirs of rationalism, so they
naturally sink into Universalism, all people being saved - without faith - due
to God’s overwhelming grace.
Romans 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace;
to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is
of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the
father of us all,
Denying faith in Justification makes forgiveness a product of the
Law, not grace. Divorcing election from faith continues that error.
This is my speculation, based on extensive reading about this
topic, starting with Augustine, Calvin, the Molinists, LCMS history, and
related issues –
Walther taught the Justification of the Halle Pietists that he
learned from Bishop Stephan. He never deviated from that position. However, the
Lutheran leaders of the 19th century were not easily fooled. The
Missouri Synod’s official position was Justification for a considerable period
and the Wisconsin Synod was no different. Proof of the Wisconsin heritage, only
recently abandoned, is the number of people raised with the Gausewitz Catechism,
taught Justification by Faith. The perpetrator of the Kokomo conflict in WELS
admitted he had never heard of Objective Justification until he reached the
seminary at Mequon.
But now the clergy are easily fooled. The burning and shining
lights of their synods call themselves “Doctor” and insist on that title
because they paid Fuller Seminary for a drive-by DMin degree.
Walther wanted his dogma to prevail and used Election for that
purpose. He wanted Loy to sign onto a paper at a conference. Loy reported that
he could not, and that Walther was so enraged by this that he withdrew that essay
from the conference. Was that Walther’s precious Election without Faith
argument? I believe so.
The so-called Grace War was really Walther’s attempt to get rid of
those dissenting from his false doctrine and to rule the survivors as the
Number One Theologian. He issued a call to Loy to be a seminary professor, and
Loy turned it down. Was that an attempt to neutralize a German-speaking,
brilliant theologian and hymn-writer?
John Brenner wrote a PhD dissertation on this era and agrees that
the Grace or Election War was a way to shore up Walther’s Objective
Justification.
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| The Formula of Concord editors admonished readers to study Luther's Galatians for additional insights about Justification by Faith. Has Phil Hale? No. Has Steve Flo? No? Has Dave Scaer? No. Has Matt the Fatt? No. Has Mirthless Mark Schroeder? No. Has Pope John the Malefactor? No. |
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| These are a few of the Lutheran Librarian's print books. |
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| Forget the Snuggie - a real librarian uses this! |
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| Niagara Falls? Grand Canyon? Nothing compares to this view - the wisdom of the ages. |
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| But wait, there's more... |
Walther’s final move toward Calvinism also expressed his
domineering personality, not unlike Stephan’s. Just as Stephan insisted he was
the only Means of Grace in Germany, which was thus entirely lacking grace when
he was gone, so Walther became the ultimate authority in his synod and those he
could control. The Missouri Synod continues to treat Walther as the one who “answers
all questions.” But they also partake in the crafts and assaults of modern
apostate Biblical criticism and theology. Seminex won their battle because the
foundation of the synod was poor in the beginning, like the creaking and
leaning Millennial Tower in San Francisco.
Some indications of this trait are when Walther:
1.
Became the enforcer for
Stephan, so he meted out punishment when the other pastors and teachers
offended the future bishop.
2.
Decided a woman should
divorce her husband, causing a lot of conflict in the parish.
3.
Kidnapped his niece and
nephew from his father’s parsonage, to take them along to America, “because
they wanted to go.”
4.
Used Stephan’s lawyers
and Walther’s future mother-in-law to hide the children, letting the
mother-in-law go to jail while he evaded the police warrant. She was not
allowed on the ship by Stephan, who made her come with the later group.
5.
Signed the paper to make
Stephan the bishop.
6.
Organized the St. Louis
mob to arrive in Perryville to drive away Bishop Stephan.
7.
Used the real estate
agent to conduct the kangaroo court dismissing Stephan.
8.
Robbed the bishop of all
his land (120 acres), books, personal possessions, and gold, which gave the
sect a library and a small fortune to avoid bankruptcy.
9.
Created division with
his Calvinistic Election without Faith on the topic of Election, against the
expressed statement written by Martin Chemnitz and supported by the editors and
signers of the Book of Concord.[1]
[1]
Walther’s Easter Absolution of the World is supported by the Pietist Rambach
and Jay Webber, by opposed by Martin Chemnitz exegesis of 1 Timoth 3:16.
Walther is consist in his error of going against Chemnitz – and the Scriptures –
here.
Not long ago, the source for all our hymn lyrics went ka-flooey. I used the Wayback Machine to capture what they had posted before they all went away.
I forgot to link a hymn correctly for Sunday and got http://www.lutheran-hymnal.com/
That link leads to the lyrics for The Lutheran Hymnal.
That was and is a priceless tool for using The Lutheran Hymnal. I hope it stays online.
Meanwhile we will continue to build The Bethany Lutheran Hymnal Blog, which has almost 11,000 views. (The is pronounced Thee in honor of Thee Ohio State University and its fans.)
Our planned features are -
I was thinking about the explosion of printing during the Reformation and how much that helped in promoting reading and in learning the Christian Faith from the Bible.
This is a good time to post folders and a website of free Lutheran books. That is made possible by PDFs (the file used in all printing, including on your computer) and distribution by such services as Dropbox.
If you get a free copy of Dropbox, you can download all the Lenski books and all of my books in minutes. In this era of cancellation (previously called censorship), more copies out there are better.
Lutheran Library PDFs are freely and easily found here.
Lutheran Library - over 240 free books.
Lenski's New Testament Commentaries and more - Free.
Luther's Sermons. Jackson PDFs. Copy and distribute - Free - no cost ever.
Lutheran Librarian low-cost print copies.
Jackson books - low-cost print books (much lower if you order directly from me.)
Norma Boeckler's Christian Art Books
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| Books by Norma A. Boeckler |
Be of Good Cheer - Your Sins Are Forgiven
KJV Matthew 9:1 And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city. 2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.
Jesus came into His own city, where He was well known. We know additional details of this miracle because Mark and Luke also feature this healing and provide additional perspective. Four of his friends showed their love and their faith by bringing him on a cot. As many know, the first mile may seem relatively easy, but this is quite a burden to bear physically. And what about faith?
They had faith in Jesus as the healer, the Messiah, because the story went about everywhere about His teaching and His miracles. The Spirit was already conveying Jesus to people as they excitedly discussed what was happening, what it meant, and how this was in the Scriptures.
Because of their faith, the friends were able to carry out this menial task with hope in their hearts. Along the way, the dreadful doomsday discouraged would advise them - for their benefit - "You will never get there. If you do, the crowds will not allow you near. You might as well turn around and go back, save your backs all the pain." Dis-couraged is a good word. When we lose hope and faith, courage to persist goes out the window.
But when love is strong as the first fruit of faith, then discouragement passes away. Look at the athletes of our day. They run, bike, and swim for miles. They have cramps, pain, blisters, strained tendons, and so forth. The pain tells them they will also have results as they chip away at the total miles, as they feel the effects of endurance trials - more speed, more strength, more ability to last.
When people are weakened by sickness, they feel anxious about being helped. Bouncing along the road to Capernaum, the palsied man would naturally tell his friends, "This is too much work for you." And because they pressed on, their words and energy would have convinced him it was correct and he should trust in this Jesus miracle-worker.
When we watch "The Miracle Worker," about Helen Keller, one scene always gets to me, even if it is the fifth or sixth time I have watched it. Helen as a little girl has learned to become a real demon in tantrums. This is acted out wildly against the young woman determined to help. It makes me clench up as the food flies, the wailing goes through the house, and every possible move is made to break free of the helper, Anne Sullivan. The feeling of helplessness is difficult to ignore, until the firmness is seen as love and respect turns into trust and love.
Jesus seeing their faith
These men not only took their friend to Jesus, they took him up on the roof to let him down to Jesus, who was inside. The disciples inside heard the clatter. Next came removing the roof tile to let down their friend. "What's that Jesus, the youth group?" Some question how the man could have faith in Jesus already. Being lowered by ropes demanded faith. He had great faith to be hauled that way, raised onto the roof, and lowered. Jesus saw their faith. That is a great phrase to remember. They were urgent in helping their friend and confident in the power of Jesus.
said unto the sick of the palsy (παραλυτικον); Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.
The term we see - palsy - is literally paralytic, a weakening of the muscles. The Word of God heals when Jesus says - "Be of good cheer, son - your sins are forgiven."
2. These words show and contain in brief what the kingdom of Christ is, namely, this sweet voice, these motherly and fatherly words penetrating our inmost soul: “Thy sins are forgiven.” In no other sense are we to view the kingdom of Christ, so far as it is understood, than how we are to live before God. As you, beloved, well know that our highest duty is rightly to establish the conscience that we may know how we stand before God and our neighbor. Therefore we must also hold fast to these words and become accustomed to the expression: “Son, be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven”, and like sayings of which the Gospel is full.
3. From this it follows that the kingdom of Christ is realized where nothing but comfort and the forgiveness of sins reign not only in words to proclaim it, which is also necessary; but also in deed, as we shall see in this example. For he did not only speak these words into the ear of this sick man; but he also forgave his sins and comforted him.
The Pharisees of that time were like the Pharisees of today - they are offended by the concept of people being forgiven through faith in Christ. How can Christ do that? People may speak about grace all day, but if they attribute forgiveness to anything other than faith in Jesus, they are covertly attributing forgiveness to works, not grace.
That is just as true in the blind OJ synods - ELCA, WELS, LCMS, ELS and so forth. Justification by Faith is not just a minor error - in their eyes. This Chief Article makes them and their Father Below furious.
But faith and only faith can set up a meeting place (access by faith) into this grace, an introduction to the Savior. No faith in the Word means no access, no peace, no grace. And we need that every day
Romans 5 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.
3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.
Sometimes the Scripture recording their words out loud, which is for our benefit. But the Scriptures also note the inner thoughts (also for our benefit) which reminds us that Jesus knows the inner thoughts and plans of others and also ours.
Blasphemy means speaking against God, which includes speaking on God's behalf, as Jesus did here. They would not acknowledge His divinity, so they were offended when He revealed it in the power to forgive sins.
Since their spirit was evil, they saw the miracle as evil and a threat to their tradition. This happens today when the religious speak against God's Word in the Name of God. WELS has 50 or more essays in their Holy of Holies, each one proclaiming that everyone is born forgiven of sins, without the Gospel, faith, anything else in the Scriptures. They call this "the Chief Article" and "a diamond." The blasphemers are raised to the level of professor and president so they repeat their folly to generations of students.
4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? 5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? 6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power (εξουσια) on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.
Jesus sent the sins of the man away - dismissed them forever - and gave him the strength to walk at the same time. This bothered the religious leaders because they wanted and needed the monopoly. Jesus' Word made them look week and wicked, which only infuriated them, though some were converted over time.
7 And he arose, and departed to his house. 8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.
The man served as a physical example of God's power in Christ. Whatever is begun in faith will be glorified by God in His own way. We cannot name the time, method, or extent to which God will act. In fact, doing so is a silly way of ordering God to do our will instead of seeking to do His will.
Someone just joined our Classic Lutheran Books page. I reckoned she would like access to hundreds of free books as PDFs, to read them on any device. If someone needs a wheelchair, reading books on a comfortable computer screen is a real blessing. I have known a young woman only on Facebook for many years. If she had said years ago, "I need a readable and free Lutheran Library of all the great Lutheran books, " I would have responded, "That is a great idea. I hope someone does it one day." I did not have enough foresight to predict that another person would do just that.
God provides numerous surprises because the faith of believers will always bear fruit that benefits people in many ways.
