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Continuing
LEHRE UND VVEHRE
MAGAZIN FUER EV.-LUTH. HOMlLETlK
THEOLOGICAL QUARTERLY-THEOLOGICAL MONTHLY
Vol. IV July, 1933 No.7
CONTENTS
Page
The Oxford ltovement a Hundred Years Ago. W. Arndt ••• 481
Wie ist denen zu begegnen, die Wundergaben, besondera
neue OBenbarungen, vorgeben. o. Luebke. • . . • . • .. ••• 497
Objective Justification. Th. EDlelder. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• 507
Kein Modus Agendi vor der Bekehrung. J. T. Mueller •••• , li17
Die Rauptschriften Luthers in chronologischer Reihenfolge &26
Dispositionen ueber die altkirohliche Epistelreihe ....... &28
Miscellanea ........................................ &36
Theological Observer. - Xirchlioh-Zeitgeschichtliches .... 539
Book Review. - Literatur ........................... 5&3
Ein Predlpi- __ nlellt alIein "'''"'''',
aIao da3I er die 8chale untenreUe. wte
sle reehte Obriatea. lO11en ~in. IOndem
auell daneben de Woelten tile',..".. daa
ale die 8chale nlcht aJlI!'eifeD und mit
falecher Lehre ftrfueh... und Irrtum ein·
fuehren. - Lvew.
Eo ist kein DiDI. das die Leate mehr
bei der Klrche behaelt denn die gute
Predigt. - ApoIoSl~, Are. ~.
If the trumpet gift an UIlC!enain 1IOIIIId,
who sball prepare himself to the battle f
1 0.,.. ~,8.
Published for the
Ev. Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States
CONCOBD:rA. PUBLISHING HOUSE, St. Louis, Mo.
Objective Justification. 507
fagt: ,:flen fom ifjr fjoren', IDCattfj. 17, 5, ba'll ift, bie (;!ibangeliften unb
0:pof±eI; benn biefeloen foU man Iefen unb fjoren, be'llgIeidjen audj ba0
0:He )tef±amen±, roddje'll bon biefem aU em audj fIeitig scugt. jillo aoer
etroa0 roeiter geoffcnbart ioirb, fo mut e0 bem @Iaubcn afjnlidj fein unb
mut cine Dffenoarung fein nad) bem Q3erf±anb ber @Sdjrift, fonft ift c'll
eine teufIifdje Dffenoarung. ~0 fjat ber )teufel midj oftmaI'll lJerfudjt ~
roie ben 0:UgUftitnl'll aucfj, loeldjer CB fidj oei @o±t bcrbitiet, ball ifjm rein
(;!ingeI erfdjeincn foU ~, baB idj fome ein 2eidjen licgefjrcn bon ®ot±.
0:lier baB fei ferne bon mir, bat idj foldjer Q3erfudjung foHte ma.um
geoen unb forgm :flie fjcHigen .wcartLjLer finb ofjne (;!irfdjeinung ber
(;!ingcI, aUcin bmdj baB jillort, gef±arft roorben, bat fie um beB ~camenB
G£:fjrifti roiUen finb in ben )tob gegangen; roarum fomen roir unB nidjt
audj an baBf eloige jillort fjaIten unb finb bamit sufrieben? jillir fjaoen
flare unb fdjone, fjeUe (;!irfdjcinungen gcnug, alB namlidj bie )taufe, baB
0:oenbmafjr beB Sj(;!inn, bie @SdjIiiffer, baB ~rebigtamt, roeIdje0 gIeidj ift,
ia roeit iloernifft aUe (;!irfdjeinungen aUer (;!inger, bagegen 0:omfjam nm
neine )tropflein unb ~rofamen gefjaot fjat. :flerfjaloen adjte idj ber (;!ingeI
nidjt unb pflege @ot± taglidj au oiftcn, bat er ja ber feinen au mir fenben
tooUe, eB lei gleidj in roeldjer @Sadje eB rooUe. Uub iuenn mir audj fdjon
einer roilrbe lJodommen, 10 illOme idj ifjn bodj nidjt goren, f onbcrn iuonte
midj bon ifjm illenben, e B 111 it reb en n, b a 13 e r III ire t [lJ a <3 a n ~
aeigte bon irgcnbeincr notigen @Sadje im jillertregi~
ment, roie un'll aUe Inftigen nub frofjridjen )traume in loeItIidjcn @Sadjcn
pfIegen iluroeilcn oU crfrcuen; unb roil13te idj bennodj nidjt, 00 idj ifjm
audj in foldjem (SarI gefjordjen unb gIauoen roome. :;'5n geiftridjen
®adjen aoer foUen 10ir nadj ben (;!ingeIn nidjg fmgen; bcnn bie gott~
Iidje Q3erfjei13ung 1ft nun in G£:fjriito reidjIidj genug erfilHt unb offenD art ;
ber fjat mir fein lillort gelaffen, bamit idj midj un±erroeife unb ftiirfe, unb
barf idj midj be'll nidjt oeforgen, ba13 er fo unoeftanbig unb roanfeImutig
fei, ba13 er balb biefe, oalb cine anbere Eefjre bafjeroringe." (I,1527.)
D. Euo f e.
Objective Justification.
The leading article in the May issue of The Pastor's Monthly,
entitled The Mediator of the New Testament, which was originally
delivered by Dr. R. Lenski in the form of an address on Seminary Day
at Oolumbus, contains, besides much valuable material, these state-
ments: "2 Oor. 5, 18-20 is badly bungled by many, notably the Mis-
sourians. Preconceived notions violate the highly significant tenses.
Paul speaks of himself and his assistants: God, 'the One who did
reconcile us (not only objectively, but also subjectively) to Himself
through Ohrist and did give to us the ministration of this reconcilia-
tion (the service of preaching it)'-two aorists, past, historical. Then
with w. ou: 'that God was in Ohrist, engaged in reconciling the
508 Objective Justification.
world, by not reckoning to them (individuals) their transgressions
(two present, durative, iterative participles), and having deposited in
our care the Word of this reconciliation.' This is again an aorist:
He did give us the ministry of the reconciliation - He did place in
our care the "Vord of this reconciliation, namely, for this our min-
istry. Thus as Ohrist's ambassador, Paul adds, we beg you, 'Be
reconciled to God!' Paul writes, after bringing me and my assistants
to personal reconciliation and giving us the ministry and means for
bringing other men to personal reconciliation. God reaches out
through us as His ambassadors thus to reconcile personally others
in the world. He even explains that this personal reconciling = not
reckoning their trespasses to them, which in other passages = forgiv-
ing the trespasses. The mediation of Ohrist is completed when those
objectively reconciled on Oalvary are subjectively, individually, recon-
ciled by faith in theW ord about this reconciliation. What has been
made of this famous passage ~ This, that on Easter morning God for-
gave all sins to every individual sinner in the world, those then al-
ready - rn:oecl in hell, these not yet born; :lnd that this, 2,~ ctct~s
simplex, IS the only justification there is 1"
Dr. Lenski is here protesting, first, against the .Missourian teach-
ing on the objective justification in general and, secondly, against the
Missourian interpretation of 2001'. 5, 18-20 in particular.
As to the doctrine in general, he repudiates and ridicules the
teaching that on Easter morning God forgave, really forgave, all the
world all its sins, really and truly justified the world. He protests
against making objective reconciliation, general justification, mean
that God on Easter morning did actually pronounce the world, all
individuals making up the world, really innocent of all sin and guilt.
He is harking back to, and reenacting, the days of 1888 to 1905. Those
were the days when the Missourians, for saying that "the righteous-
ness, the obedience, of One is imputed to many, all; all men are now
adjudged, in the forum of God, as righteous, obedient, Rom. 5, 18. 19"
(Lehre n. Wehre, 34, 163), were charged with "attempting the life of
the Lutheran doctrine of justification," with a "fundamental error,"
with "teachings that imperil the salvation of men." (See, for instance,
Lehre u. Wehre, 34,161; 35,73; 51,385.) The Missourians did indeed
teach that God, by pronouncing Ohrist, the world's Substitute, guilty
of the sins of the world and condemning Him to death and then, in
the resurrection, acquitting Him of all sin and guilt, thereby ac-
quitted and absolved the world of its sin and guilt, John 1,29; Rom.
4,25; 5,19; 2 001'. 5,14.19.21; 1 John 2,2. And they teach it to
this day. They would close their theological seminaries if they were
no longer permitted to teach the objective justification. For then
they could no longer teach the article of justification by faith. If
the justification of the world, of every individual sinner, is not an
Objective Justification. 509
.accomplished fact, we should have to go out and ask the sinner to
accomplish it himself. We could not ask him to receive his pardon
as already issued. "Ve could not ask him to "believe," to accept the
pardon already granted and issued. Then there would be no justifica-
tion "by faith." We cannot give up the article that on Easter morn-
ing God forgave every single sinner his sin and guilt.
But why Hhould the Missourians be specially referred to in this
matter? We are certainly pleased to have it said that "notably the
Missourians" teach thus. But why single out the ::VIissourians? Lu-
ther said it long ago. "Here now cometh the Law and saith: I find
Him a sinner and that such a one as hath taken upon Him the sins
of all men, and I see no sins else than in Him; therefore let Him
die upon the cross; and so He setteth upon Him and killeth Him.
By this means the whole world is purged and cleansed from all sins
and so delivered from death and all evils." (9,373. Oommentary on
Galatians, transl. by Middleton, p. 245. See Report of Syn. Oonf.,
1872, p. 33.) The Lutheran Oonfessions said the same long ago.
"When the Lord Jesus Ohrist came, He forgave to all sin, which no
one could avoid, by the shedding of His own blood, blotted out the
handwriting which was against us. This is what he says ROill. 5,20:
'The Law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin
abounded grace did much more abound.' Because after the whole
world became subject, He took away the sin of the whole world, as
he [.T ohnJ testifiprl, Rayin