LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 341

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THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS

conditional verdict which Specifies that justification occurs
only when a person believes:

That conversion or a change of heart is necessary be-
fore God speaks His divine sentence of forgiveness, or
acquittal:

That our justification before God is a process that in-
volves not merely the work of Christ but also our own will-
ing acceptance of faith, and that only when the process has
been completed is man truly declared forgiven by God:

That faith somehow Creates forgiveness, rather than
that it merely receives and embraces a forgiveness already
obtained by Christ and offered and distributed in the
Gospel:

That forgiveness Or justification before God is the grant-
'ng of some inherent righteousness which resides in man,
whether it be the indwelling Christ or man's own change of
mind and will:

That the contrition or faith of the believer is in some
way a Cause of forgiveness and Justification before God:

That the redemptive work of Christ only makes it possi-
ble tor God to pronounce His declaration of forgiveness:

That the pronouncement of that declaration is done
Only when a person has satisfied the condition of faith.

Anyone who does not believe, teach, and confess that a sinner is
justified alone through faith in Christ does dishonor to Christ and
obscures the Gospel. (Gal. 2:21: §:4; AC XX, 9-10: XXVII, 37-38, 41-

XXVII 11, 16, 40; Tr 45; FC SD V, 27)

Faith is a gift of God, that iS. it is worked in a sinner by God alone
through the means of grace, without any Cooperation. effort, work,
inclination, will. decision. movement. activity, or merit of man (John
6:44, 65: 1 Cor 12:3: Eph. 2:8-9: Phil. 1:29: 2 Tim 2:25: AC V, 2: FC SD
HW, 25-27. 40, 48, 54, 89: IV, 10)

It is contrary to Scripture and the Pure Gospel to teach

That the will of man is free in Such a manner that he
can choose to accept the gift of faith;

That God works faith in man as ina robot:

That faith is coerced in man by God

That an unbeliever can make @ decision for Christ or
commit himself to Christ:

That faith is not a gitt of God:

That an unregenerated person can believe in Christ
through powers given to him Prior to his conversion by the
Holy Spirit

and instruments of His grace and salvation, namely. His Gospel and
sacraments (Baptism and the Lord's Supper), through which alone
He both offers and distributes to sinners all the treasures of forgive-
Ness and salvation which Christ has merited, and creates in sinners
the faith through which these treasures are received and appropri-
ated. (Gen. 12:3: Ps. 19 7-8; Matt. 26:26-28: 28:18-20: John 17:20
Acts 2:38, 11.20-21: Rom. 1:16: 10:6-8, 17. 1 Cor. 3°; 4:15: 15:1-2.
2 Cor. 3:5: Col. 1:5-6: 1 Thess. 2 13: James 1:18-21: 1 Peter 1 23; 3:21.
1 John 2:2: AC V, 1-2: XXVIII, 8-9: Ap IV. 73: Xli, 40-43; XII 1, 5: XVI,
8 SA III. viii, 3.10: LC 1,104; 1, 42, 53-54, 56; V, 31)

Its contrary to Scripture and the Pure Gospel to teach

That God does not convert people and maintain them
in faith through these means.

That God has promised to convert and save peopie
apart from these means,

That these means inform People about Christ and His
work but do not offer and confer the very blessings which
result from Christ's atonement

The Gospel is the Specific good news of everything that God in
Christ has done and is doing for our salvation. Its content ts that the
Son of God has come into the world to be our Brother and Substi-
tute, to endure the curse of the law and bear our sins and thus to
Save us. Christ and all His benefits are freely offered and given us in

Cor. 1:30; 2:2: 15:1-5; 2 Cor 5.18-21; Gal. 1:11; 2:21. 3-1: Eph. 1:3-10:
2:13-16; Col. 1:21-23: 2:14: 2 Tim 1:8-11. Heb. 2:14-17: Ap IV, 5, 43,
67. 103. 159-165: Vil, 9: XII, 21: XXIV, 36, 69-70; LC II, 58, 62, 68-69:
IV, 80-83; V. 31-32: V Contession. 32-33: FC Ep V.5:FC SD II! 33: FC
SD XI, 16)

It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach:

That the content of the Gospel. Strictly speaking, in-
Cludes laws or demands of God:

That the Gospel includes an individuai's confidence
that he really believes the Gospel:

That Word and sacraments only inform people of bless-
ings that God won for them Jong ago. at the time of Christ's
work

Thus. the Gospel is the message that God has saved the world
through the work of Christ, that He is reconciled and at peace with
the sinful world because of the atonement of His Son and has by
raising His Son trom the dead declared the world to be nghteous
(objective justification). This Gospet Word is a mighty means of
grace and satvation which, with the sacraments, the visible Word, the
Holy Spirit employs to create and sustain faith {subjective justifica-

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VIII. Unbelief, the Rejection of Christ's Righteousness

Just as it is necessary and Scriptural, according to the Gospel, to
speak of God as having declared the whole world to be justified for
Christ's sake and by raising Him from the dead. it is also necessary
and Scriptural, according to the terms of God's law, to speak of
impenitent sinners as not justified and forgiven. but condemned,
(Matt. 16:19: 18:18, 34: Luke 18:14; John 20:23: Rom. 9:33: Gai 5:4;
AC II. 2: XXVIII, 41-43: AP IV, 29-32, 222: LC II, 66)

It 1s contrary to Scripture and the Pure Gospel to teach

That Christ's work of atonement is of such a nature that
even those who do not believe receive justification to life
and salvation:

That without faith one is not under the wrath of God
and eternally lost:

That it is proper to Speak of saints in hell or to use
similar expressions in describing justification:

That there can be anonymous Christians. that is, those
who have not had access to the means of grace but never-
theless believe without true repentance and faith in Christ.
of whom they have never heard and about whom they know
Nothing.

Although faith itself does not Cause justification, the lack of faith
does cause damnation: ie., without faith the redeemed sinner to
whom God is reconciled does not have the righteousness of Christ
OF any of the benefits of His work of Obedience. but is condemned by
God and lost eternally. (Mark 16:16; John 3:36: 8:24: 1 Thess. 5:1-10:
1 John §:12: Ap I. 40: IV. 69, 80-81: SC IV. 5-8: LC 1, 16; Il. 66: IN,
90-91: FC SD til, 20: Vit, 89: X!, 60-61, 78)

IX. The Gospel and Absolution

The justification of the world is Christ's work accomplished once
and for all through His Obedience of living and suffering
Justification by faith is the work of the Holy Spirit as He works faith
in the hearts of individuals. (1 Cor 2:12: 12:3: Gal. 5:5: Heb. 2:9,
14-18; 9:26: 10:12: 1 Peter 3:18: 1 Jonn 2:2: SA II, 1-4: LC II 31, 38,
61-65; Il), 88; V, 31. FC Ep Ill, 3-6; FC SD XI, 1)

It is contrary to Scripture and the Pure Gospel to teach
That either of these aspects of justification militates
against the other.

. Not only has God loved all mankind and sent Christ to be the Savior

of al. not only is He Qraciousty disposed toward each and every
sinner and earnestly desirous that they lay hold on His grace and on
Christ's benefits through faith, but God has instituted definite means

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tion). and to build, nourish, strengthen. and sanctify His church on
earth. (Is. 55:10-11; Luke 811-15; Rom. 10°5-17: 16:25-27: 1 Cor. 2:2:
15:4; Gal. 1:7; 3:1; Col. 15-6: 2 Tim, 1:10; 2:8: James 1:18, 21: 1 Peter
1:23-25: AC V, 1-3; XII, 5: XIII, 1: Ap IV, 73, 103: XVIII. 8: LC |, 91-92,
101: Il, 38, 43-45, 53-54: FC Ep V. 5: FC SO 11, 50: iH, 57; XI, 28-32)

. When Christ died tor sinners, He died for each and every sinner

individually: when God accepted the redemption of Christ, He did so
for each and every sinner. When we proclaim the Gospel of justifica-
tion. we do so in order that every sinner may know that God loved
him and had him individually and Personally in mind when He deliy-
ered up His Son. And we announce to every sinner Personally and
individually forgiveness and justification in Christ. (Job 19:25: Ps.
32:5: Is. 53:5, Gal. 2:20; 1 Tim. 1:15: Ap IV, 45, 262-264: XI!, 59-65.
72-74. XIll. 21; FC SD XI, 28-29)

It 1s contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach
That the Gospei is adequately proclaimed if Christ is
shown to have died for the world Only in a general or vague
way. and not necessarily for the individual hearer,
That Christ did not Carry out the atonement for the
benefit of and in the place of all:
That the contrite unbeliever's lack of faith makes it im-
Possible for him to be toid he is forgiven and justified.
It ts essential to the proclamation of the Gospel to declare the work
of Christ. His atonement as well as its result. (Luke 24:46-47: 1 Cor
2:2. 9:16: 2 Cor.5:16-21: 11.4: Gal. 1:8: Ap IV. 53: SA ti, i, 5: FCEpV.5:
FC SD Ill. 25)

It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach

That the Gospet is preached without explicit mention
of Christ's work of redemption and His benefits:

That mere reference to faith in Christ or to justification
through faith is to Preach the Gospei. even when no men-
tion Is made of Christ's Saving work and His benefits:

That the Gospel promises and grants not only forgive-
ness and salvation but also Physical healing. materia! pros-
perity, political liberation, or other temporal benefits.

The work of the Holy Spirit is to convert, regenerate. and sanctify the
sinner by means of the Gospel of reconciliation. not to reconcile
God to the sinner. The Holy Spirit reconciles the sinner to God by
means of the message of God's work in Christ (2 Cor. 4:6: 5:19-20:
Eph. 2'5-8: Col. 2:12: AC V. 2: Ap IV, 64-68: LC Il. 38-39, 61-65; INI, 51:
FC SD 1. 14}

It is contrary to Scripture and the Pure Gospel to teach
That the Holy Spirit reconciles God to the sinner by His
work In the sinner

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