I told Little Ichabod that we just finished John 9 in the Greek class - one chapter in one lesson. He said, "That is such a funny chapter."
LutherQuest thinks their divinely-appointed roll in life is to quench Justification by Faith - by shunning, expulsion, and false witness. They refuse to acknowledge what they oppose - Justification by Faith - and instead call their nemesis "teaching against Objective Justification."
There is a certain level of comedy involved in following the scripts, lives, and legends of false teachers - Johnnie One-Notes all. Can you picture Rolf and his clan fitting into this song?
I recall James Heiser recoiling in shock when he realized Balmer "rejected Objective Justification," spoken like a true Ft. Wayne graduate. Later, Heiser saw the light when he read Thy Strong Word, but managed to suppress those thoughts for years while working with the Rolf Preus Synod. Heiser's one note is being bishop, so pivoting from OJ to Justification by Faith was easy for him.
The song fits the pretend Lutherans who cannot discuss the efficacy of the Word, which destroys their dogma, or the Means of Grace, which has the same effect. They cannot discuss anything beyond their Chinese fortune cookie quips - "Raised for our justification!" - as Rolfie One-Note likes to spit out, a symptom of Pietism's Tourette's Syndrome.
The plot of John 9 is easy to follow, a very long miracle with many lessons embedded. Jesus noticed a man born blind, so He spit and anointed the man's eyes with a mixture of clay and spit. Jesus sent the man to wash his eyes in the Pool of Siloam, which means Sent.
The neighbors are divided, because this man was a blind beggar. They hauled him to the Pharisees, who interrogated him (cue the synodical doctrine commission). The Pharisees were frustrated with the man's witness, so they called the man's parents, who were coy, but said Matthew 18-wise, "He's of age, ask him."
This is really the Keystone Cops chapter because the blind Pharisees refused to see the miracle or acknowledge the truth of the man born blind. They kept falling over themselves trying to get the answer they wanted.
John 9:24 Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.
25 He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.
26 Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes?
27 He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples?
28 Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses' disciples. (GJ - Walther's disciples)
29 We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is.
30 The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes.
31 Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.
32 Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.
33 If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.
34 They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.
People will continue to pass synodical stories to me, and they are easy to post and to back up with the evidence. Many want me to do their work for them, or at least to watch as the leaders smolder over how to suppress the results of their incompetence and corruption.
But the real task ahead is teaching Biblical doctrine. The Lutheran seminaries have failed completely in carrying out this basic, fundamental work. That is why the seminaries and synods are drying up faster than a puddle in Phoenix.
WELS says, "We will create our own translation!" and they plagiarize the NIV.
The LCMS says, "We like the ESV better!" when the senior editor is a famed Calvinist. But they have always stuck to Calvinism the way lint sticks to Velcro. Stephan got his UOJ from Calvinistic Pietism, and Walther, the ultimate plagiarist, got his false doctrine from Stephan. Like the Israelites, he was not ashamed to spoil the Pietist, taking gold, books, jeweled chalice, land, and doctrine from the barely educated Bohemian weaver.
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| "I should have studied the New Testament as much as I studied the Packers' history," said no WELS pastor ever. |
