Walther as Theologian – Part 12:Justification-Faith

Continued from Part 11.  Table of Contents will be in Part 1 when all installments are finished.

On the "Jeopardy" television quiz game show of a few nights ago, there was a category on the "Reformation".  One of the questions was on what the Reformation taught: "Not works but ______" ==>> "Faith".  So it seems the whole world knows this.  But does the whole world, including Alex Trebek, believe the Gospel?  Hmmm... that is another matter, a weighty matter that Walther (and Pieper) take on directly.  It is a matter of spiritual life and death.

And how does Walther speak of Mohammed, Mormons, and Moses?  It has to do with what we believe... faith.  We can believe as Lucretius who is thought of as introducing our modern world by his "On the Nature of Things" that there are no gods and in "atomism"... or you can believe that there is a God who

so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. – John 3:16

Indeed, there are no better writers of true faith today, in our "modern" world, than... C.F.W. Walther and Franz Pieper.

Highlighting is my own.  Underlining is in original.

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Walther spoke as Luther on the Doctrine of Faith.  All those Christian theologians/scholars who pretend to be friends of the teaching of Faith but are either disparaging or doubting or not defending Universal, Objective Justification (UOJ), are in reality fighting against Faith.  When my faith was being put through a severe trial by Larry Darby, I had to retreat to Luther, Walther, and Pieper to find my real home.  The dear Walther was there to literally pound the Kingdom of Heaven in to my lap.

But these 3 teachers of the Church were only bringing God's heart to us who in reality pleads that we believe His Word, the Word of His Grace:

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 – ...God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.  

Through the trials of faith that Larry Darby (and today's LC-MS) brought me, God gave me a faith that I, BackToLuther, do not deserve.  This faith had to blurt out in a letter to Professor Sheldon Twenge of the LCR, and repeat to Pastor Rolf Preus, the following confession:

God did NOT say like Ripley:  “Believe or NOT”!  NO!  He said:  Believe it!  I earnestly desire your salvation!  I sent my beloved Son to take your punishment!  I gave you the receipt by raising Him from the dead!  I am reconciled!  BE YE RECONCILED TO ME!  BELIEVE IT!

God wants us to live and not die!  –

"... the just shall live by faith."  Romans 1:17

It is a matter of spiritual life and death.  Dear God!  I do believe, help thou mine unbelief! (Mark 9:24)

The next post is Part 13 – "Conversion & Election".