Luther often looked at the meaning of words as he wrote. His works, his Bible translation, and the German Shakespeare defined the German language, so he was an analyst and creator at the same time.
Justification has been used to deny justification, so I decided to write a little about that Biblical concept.
To justify, in the New Testament, means to declare someone forgiven. Many of the most ardent UOJ advocates admit that justification by faith is the only meaning of justification in the New Testament, Luther, and the Book of Concord. The synonymous term - imputing or counting righteous - makes this abundantly clear. An individual is counted righteous/forgiven only through faith.
However, to advance the cause of justification without faith, the UOJ tribe has employed a clever ruse.
Rather than deny justification by faith honestly and clearly, they use this phrase - to justify the sinner. Like liars caught in a police interrogation, they fall into the trap of their own cleverness.
Walther and Eduard Preuss used the term - justify the sinner - avoiding a contradictory set of words (which I have never seen used by the hive) - justification without faith.
What does it mean to justify the sinner? The phrase is meant to be ambiguous. There is nothing wrong with the phrase when used honestly. The opposite cannot be true - to say that God justifies those who have no sin. There would be no reason for justification.
The trouble with the phrase, to justify the sinner, is its ambiguity in the context of UOJ. For example, I can say:
I am a cancer survivor. I had surgery 20 years ago and I am still cancer free.
The two sentences are factually true but lacking in certain details. One is that the cancer was a basal cell skin carcinoma, the easiest to treat. The second detail is that the surgery consisted of going to the doctor's office, getting a local, and having it removed. I drove myself home.
If I stated the original two sentences in dramatic tones, people might get very solemn, wipe away a few tears, and rejoice in my battle against the big C. But that would be manipulationm with the crucial details left out.
Words derive their meaning from context, so really can be used in a positive or a negative way.
I have a new job.
Really?
I have a Rolodex watch.
Really? I thought that was a filing system, the Rolodex.
Preuss and Walther used justification of the sinner to get around the awkwardness of denying faith, but that would create a bad climate for UOJ propaganda.
The famous E. Preuss book-- as The Absolution of the World, Without Faith--would be a hard sell. Likewise, Walther claiming, "God declares all unbelievers forgiven and without sin" would be easy to critique and bury where it belongs.
Raised for our justification means exactly the opposite of the UOJ claims, as Romans 4:24 and 25 show. The resurrection of Christ was the original, colossal, foundational miracle of the Apostolic Age. Hundreds of witnesses to the resurrection of Christ, having seen and heard the risen Lord, spread out among the population to teach people that they receive forgiveness and eternal life by the righteousness of Christ, through faith.
How can this be true, people wondered? The crucified Christ is also the resurrected Son of God, victim and Victor. This preaching of the resurrection of Christ spread faith in Him, and this faith justified the believers who trusted in the Gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit.
In contrast, the message of Universal Objective Justification is a bungle of pathetic contradictions, which is why the Storm-brownies run from discussions and quash justification by faith discussions.
First, in UOJ, the entire world has been declared forgiven and saved by God, and this goes back to Creation, and applies to Sodom and Gomorrah, the people drowned in the Flood, Hindus, atheists, and polytheists. See the LCMS Brief Confession, 1932; J. P. Meyer; LutherQuest (sic); Jon Buchholz; David Valleskey, CGM Enthusiast; Richard Jungkuntz, board chairman of the first gay Lutheran seminary; and many more.
Taking that at face value, if every single person in the world is forgiven and saved, without faith, what is next?
Walther and J. P. Meyer, the giants of UOJ, say the same thing, "They have to believe this absolution is true. They have to make a decision for UOJ." If they decide for UOJ, they are really forgiven.
Back up. I thought they were forgiven....
Yes, they are all forgiven, even before birth. But they have to be told they are forgiven. And they have to believe this world absolution is true, or they are not forgiven. They are still guilt-free saints, but they will be guilt-free saints in Hell if they deny world absolution (no silly, call it objective justification).
Worst of all, those who teach justification by faith are condemned, excommunicated, and shunned.
In the second phase of justification, which they call subjective justification, the individual is really, truly, positively forgiven because they accept objective justification, which teaches that they were already forgiven.
There are many problems at this point. One is that their subjective justification is the forgiveness of those already forgiven, already righteous, already saved. That alone denies what they claimed before, that everyone is forgiven without faith, and it contradicts the justification of sinners.
The UOJ Enthusiasts would like to deny they have two justifications, but their verbose essays use both terms all the time - objective justification (their favorite) and subjective justification (used more often to dismiss an argument. "But Luther teaches we are justified by faith." Their answer - that is merely subjective justification.
Giant Scoops of Dishonesty
To cover up the deceit involved in UOJ, the fanatics must deliver giant loads of dishonest in all their work.
Biblical -
Romans 4 teaches justification without faith when the theme of that chapter is Abraham as the example, the father of justification by faith.
Behold the Lamb of God, who bears the sins of the world. This wonderful statement of Christ paying for all sins is turned by UOJ into world absolution when it teaches us instead to believe that the Lord has indeed suffered and died for every single one of my sins, the great and small, the trivial and horrible. The statement is faith-producing, as the entire Gospel of John is.
Atonement passages. Every single one is converted into UOJ, in isolation, as if the teaching of the atoning death of Christ means the absolution of the world.
Reformation
The Chief Article of the Christian Faith is justification by faith, but the UOJ dunderheads solemnly declare that UOJ is the Chief Article! And they apply Luther's phrase - the Master and Prince of all other articles - to UOJ.
UOJists cannot discuss the Means of Grace coherently and they do not know how to harmonize the efficacy of the Word and the doctrine of the Holy Spirit with their one and only dogma, universal absolution.
Modern Theology, Post-Pietism
The heritage of Halle University, mother-ship of Pietism, is Biblical rationalism and a double-justification (UOJ) that turned into world absolution.
Missouri, WELS, and the Little Sect on the Prairie work well with ELCA because they all teach world absolution. That is their meaning of grace - everyone is forgiven.
Once UOJ dogma is introduced, anything goes.
