LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 340

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THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS

That we can only speak of man being reconciled to
God by man’s repentance or change of heart.

That God has redeemed but not reconciled the world.
God has accepted the vicarious offering and sacrifice of His Son,
Jesus Christ. in whom therefore God is propitiated and reconciled
with all sinners. so that for Christ's sake God's wrath against all
sinners has been and remains stiiled, and Satan. sin, death. and hell
have been and are conquered. (Rom. 5:18: Col 2:14-15. 1 Thess.
110:Heb 7 27. 10:12: 1 Jonn 2:2; AC Ill, 3: Ap XXIV. 22-24: FCSDXi,
28)

it 1s contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach
That God's acceptance of His Son's perfect sacrifice
does not have as its necessary concomitant the propitiation
of His wrath against all sinners
Complete and perfect righteousness and forgiveness have been ac-
quired for all sinners. (Ps. 130:4. Rom. 5.18.1 Cor. 1:30; Heb. 10:12.
18 Ap IV, 103. LC Il. 38: FC Ep til. 3: V. 5: FC SO #11. 30. 57)
God. by raising His Son from the dead. has justified Him. declared
Him to be the Righteous One. and in Him (i.e., for the sake of His
finished work of obedience and satisfaction) has declared (as pro-
clarmed in the Gospel). or reckoned. the whole world to be
righteous (Rom 3 24; 4:25. 518-19. 2 Cor 5:19-21: Ap IV. 40-41: SA
Wo, 1-3)

It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach
That forgiveness of sins and justification for all have
not been declared by God when He raised His Son from the
dead. but have merely been acquired or made a possibility
through Christ's atonement
By “objective” or “universal” justification one means that God has
declared the whole world to be righteous for Christ's sake and that
righteousness has thus been procured for all people it is objective
because this was God's unilateral act prior to and in no way
dependent upon man’s response to it. and universal because all
human beings are embraced by this verdict God has acquired the
forgiveness of sins for all people by declaring that the world for
Christ's sake has been forgiven The acquiring of forgiveness is the
pronouncement of forgiveness (Rom. 3:24: 4:25. 5 19:2 Cor. § 19-21
Ap IV, 40-41: SA Ih. i, 1-3; FC Ep V. 5: FC SD XI. 15)

It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospe! to teach
That God's acquisition and establishment of forgive-
ness in objective justification is a conditional verdict. de-
pending on faith or any other human response or activity.
That it 1s not Biblical to speak of “objective justification.”

That faith justifies because it 1s assent to the teachings
of the church:
That faith justifies because it 1s a work of virtue formed
or fashioned by love
When usec in connection with the article of justification. faith must
always be regarded as receptivity. like an empty hand which does
nothing, but solely receives a tree gift. (John 112. 14: Rom. 4:16. Ap
IV, 48, 50. 56-57, 80-81, 84, 86. 112-113, 159. 292: XII, 65: SA M1. 4.4,
24. LC IV. 37: FC Ep tll. 5. FC SD Ill, 13. 31. 41)

It 1s contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach
That reconciliation only refers to a change in the heart
and mind of man and to his transformation from a state of
urbeliet to a state of faith. rather than to the propitiation of
God and reconciliation by the death of His Son.
That the atonement is complete only when a person
comes to faith:
That faith is an activity of man that does something to
effect or bring about man’s justification
The sinner is justified through faith alone. without and apart trom
any merit or works of the law that man does (Rom 3.24. 28 Eph
2.8-9. AC IV. 1, XX. 9-14: XXVI_5. Ap IV, 57. 73-74, 80-81, 84, 159. 227.
231. 257: SA II. i. 24)

It ig contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospei to teach

That a sinner contributes to his justification by his Own
powers. merits. or works:

That love or good works precede or cause justification.
rather than follow from it as its fruit.

That people may comfort themselves with forgiveness
and the Gospel and imagine that they nave justifying faith.
wren in fact they continue to live impenitently in mortal sin
and have no intention to amend ther lives

That the sinner is personally justified through faith alone does not
exclude good works as a part of the sanctified sinner's renewal or as
the inevitable fruit of faith. (Jonn 15:5: Rom 61-14; Eph. 2:8-10: AC
VL. 1. XU. 6. XX. 29: Ap IV. 45, 250-251, 348-350. SA III, xi, 1-2: LC I,
67-69: FC Ep IV. 8-11, FC SD I. 62-66, 89: Ili, 23.32. IV. 7 10-12. 20)

It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach
That faith is purely passive in the Christian life. just as it
is in justification,
That Christians need not concern themselves with
good works or the norm of good works. the law of God
That the sinner is justified through faith alone does not exciude the
work of the Holy Spirit and the means of grace in the sinners justifi-
cation before God (John 17 20.Rom 1017. 1513.1 Cor 611. 12:3,

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VII. The Appropriation of Christ’s Righteousness
(Justification Through Farth)

~The only essential and necessary elements of justification are the
grace of God. the merit of Christ. and faith which accepts these in
the promise of the Gospel...” (FC SD lil. 25)

tt is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach
That it »s possible to depart from this formulation of
justification, particularly by the injection of human works as
the cause which moves God to justify. or as the basis for
justification. or as the means by which people receive
justification
Christ's ighteousness and all the benefits of His perfect obedience
of life and death are imputed and communicated to the sinner indi-
viduaily through faith (sometimes called “subjective justification’)
(Gen 15:6: Acts 10:43; 13:39: Rom. 3:25. 4:16: 5:1-2: Gal. 3:22-24: Ap
IV, 80-86. 148-150, 227. 305. 307: SA HI. 1, 24 LC IV, 37)

It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach

That God's justifying verdict is a mere fiction. divorced
from reality

That in justification men do not become righteous by
imputation:

That justification 1s not a real forgiveness or imputation
of righteousness but is merely a manner of speaking appli-
cable to any conception of reality or specific doctrinal
content

Faith is the only vehicle. or means. through which a sinner can
receive. appropriate.and nave the righteousness and benefits of
Chnst. forgiveness of sins. and salvation. (Gen. 15 6; Hab. 2:4: John
1.12: Rom. 3:25, 28: Gal. 2.16; AC IV, 2: XXV. 4: Ap IV, 43, 45 50-82.
80-86. 115. 158, 182, 272. 292. 305. 307. XII. 36: SAH, 1.4. Ht xin, 1, Lc
IIL, 54: V, 34-35: FC Ep Ill. 5)

It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach
That sinners can appropriate the benefits of Christ by
therr works
The faith through which we are justified is trust in Christ and !s
knowing His benefits and appropriating them (Phil. 3:8-10: AC XX,
23-26. XXIV.31-32: Ap IV, 45. 48. 50. 80-81. 99. 101, 227, 304, 337. 351
386. Xill, 21: FC Ep til. 6. FC SD IV. 12)

It 1s contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach
That justifying faith is mere knowledge of history
That justifying faith is “commitment to Jesus” apart
from His work

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2 Thess. 2 14: Titus 3:5. 1 Peter 1:23, AC V. 1-2. Ap IV. 64. 73. XII,
40-43: LC 12, 38, 53-54. II, 37, 51; 1V, 23-24, 29. 41; V. 31.68. FC Ep ti!
4, 13: XI, 10: FC SD Il. 46. 50-52, 71-72: XI. 29. 37-38)

its contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach
That men have the power to bring themselves to faith:
That the Holy Spirit will impart His blessings apart from
the means of grace.

When we say that faith justifies. we say this not in the sense that a
sinners faith 1s a meritorious or efficient cause Or condition of his
justification. or in the sense that God justifies the sinner because of
his faith. but (metonymically) in the sense that faith clings to Christ's
benefits. in the sense that God justifies us freely for Christ's sake
through faith. Faith justifies by virtue of its object. (John 3.16: Rom
45. AC XXIV, 28: Ap IV. 44-45, 53-56. 67, 86, 88-99: FC SD III, 13. 24)

It 1s contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach
That faith appeases or propitiates God's wrath against
sin:
That believing that God forgives because | believe 's
the same as true faith in Christ:
That faith 1s in any sense meritorious.
Faith does not justify for the reason that it produces good works OF 1S
in itself a good work or for the reason that it meets the evangelical
mandate” to believe. but solely because of its object. (1 Cor. 1:30
Pnil 3:9. Ap !V. 57-60. 74. 147-151 180-182, 308-312, 338: XII 88
94-97. 116: FC Ep iii. 19. 21; FC SD III. 32-33, 38. 43)

It 1s contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach
That justification is to be understood as the work of the
Spirit in giving a new direction to man’s life
That although the works of the law do not justify. never-
theless the good works of the believers. flowing from faith
in some way contribute to their justification before God, or
that God declares the believer to be righteous not only and
solely on the grounds of the holy obedrence of Christ but
also in part on the basis of his own “newness of life”:
That God first justifies the sinner because of his faith.
and then justifies the sinner because of the frurts of faith
The sinner's personal justification, 1e. his having or appropriating
Christ's benefits, forgiveness. and justification. does not take place
because of his contrition or faith, or on the ground of his contrition
or faith. or in view of his faith. or after he believes, but solely through
faith. (Acts 13:38-39: Rom. 3:25, 28: Gai. 2:20: Eph. 2:8-9. AC IV. 2
XXVIII. 37. Ap IV. 45. 81: XII. 77)

It 1s contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach
That God's verdict of justification or forgiveness is a

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