Here is a pastoral claim coming by way of a layman who objected to it. This is an old arguing point, hoary with age, and incredibly foolish - "You are making faith into a work! That is wrong!"
KJV John 6
27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. 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 Objective Faithless Justification wolves claim they are the holy ones because they know (without evidence) that the entire world is forgiven and saved, without the Gospel, without the Means of Grace, without faith).
These wolves are so blind that they cannot see how Justification by Faith is found throughout the Bible, starting with Abraham believing and receiving righteousness, Genesis 15:6 - not only through the Promise of his son - but also the consequent line leading to the Son of David and millions of believers.
KJV Genesis 15:6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
If people are confused by the close connection of Romans 4 to Abraham as the Father of Faith, let them read the summary transition of Romans 5:1-4
KJV Romans 5:5 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 not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
If anyone doubts the grace of God, let him study the truth of grace coming to the individual by faith in Jesus Christ. There is no excuse for singing "Amazing Grace" while denying access to this grace by faith in Him.
In our study of Ephesians 1, one person pointed out one of many Justification by Faith statements in Paul's letters.
KJV Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
At least two of the three Walther sects - Missouri and WELS - started out with Justification by Faith, which can be found in the catechisms. The Evangelical Luther Synod - the Little Sect on the Prairie - began as a protest against the Norwegians who taught the Chief Article, so they have led with the dumbest of the dumb, to their shame.
Missouri and WELS were apparently taken over by the Walther Fan Club, which allows nothing less than infallibility in their hero's voluminous works. The syphilitic bishop Martin Stephan taught Objective Faithless Justification to Walther, a position the empire builder never gave up. F. Pieper cleverly combined concepts together so one could read in his Dogmatics about the efficacy of the Word, Justification without Faith, and maybe Justification by Faith. His climactic role in the synods came in 1932 when the Brief Statement was canonized and carved into granite.
