Quote
Although the Brief Statement is poorly written and inadequately supported, I must defend it against charges of deliberate false doctrine.

I agree it is poorly written and poorly supported, but all heresy is.

Quote
1. Universalism
Since God has reconciled the whole world unto Himself …
J Edwards omits the remainder of the passage which makes it clear that personal reconciliation is obtained only through faith in Christ.
So lets look at your “Doctrinal Statement “ of your beliefs:

Quote
Since God has reconciled the whole world unto Himself through the vicarious life and death of His Son and has commanded that the reconciliation effected by Christ be proclaimed to men in the Gospel, to the end that they may believe it, 2 Cor. 5:18, 19; Rom 1:5, therefore faith in Christ is the only way for men to obtain Personal reconciliation with God, that is, forgiveness of sins, as both the Old and the New Testament Scriptures testify, Acts 10: 43; John 3:16-18,36. By this faith in Christ, through which men obtain the forgiveness of sins, is not meant any human effort to fulfill the Law of God after the example of Christ, but faith in the Gospel, that is, in the forgiveness of sins, or justification, which was fully earned for us by Christ and is offered in the Gospel. This faith justifies, not inasmuch as it is a work of man, but inasmuch as it lays hold of the grace offered, the forgiveness of sins, Rom. 4:16.
First, you say the whole world is reconciled to God without any biblical support? Second, if the world is reconciled to God (which are the first words of your LCMS Brief Statement, “of Faith in Christ”) then what need is there of personal reconciliation, so yes it is poorly written? Third, If the world is reconciled to God then this is universalism by definition, so yes it is heretical! We could go through other problems with it such as the definition of reconciliation being much different then mere “forgiveness of sins,” however there is not enough time….

Quote
2. Salvation

we reject also the Calvinistic perversion of the doctrine of conversion, that is, the doctrine that God does not desire to convert and save all hearers of the Word, but only a portion of them. Many hearers of the Word indeed remain unconverted and are not saved, not because God does not earnestly desire their conversion and salvation, but solely because they stubbornly resist the gracious operation of the Holy Ghost, as Scripture teaches, Acts 7:51; Matt. 23:37; Acts 13:46.
I believe this statement speaks for itself.

Quote
3. Justification/Righteousness
Scripture teaches that God has already declared the whole world to be righteous in Christ, Rom. 5:19; 2 Cor. 5:18-21; Rom. 4:25; that therefore not for the sake of their good works, but without the works of the Law, by grace, for Christ's sake, He justifies, that is, accounts as righteous, all those who believe, accept, and rely on, the fact that for Christ's sake their sins are forgiven.

I have struggled with the statement, "God has already declared the whole world to be righteous in Christ". There is no reference to the Book of Concord and the passage itself provides little support to defend its premise that justification occurs apart from faith while, at the same time, stating that justification is by faith alone. While I am not prepared to label the passage heresy, I am not prepared to call it sound doctrine either. The authors should be given an opportunity to explain their meaning.
Please by all means get some clarification, but mixed with the other “errors” already pointed out it is clear at least to me, as it is labeled “Of Justification.” While you are getting clarification on that one also get some clarification on statement 16, “on Conversion” as well,

Quote
Calvinists solve this mystery, which God has not revealed in His Word, by denying the universality of grace; synergists, by denying that salvation is by grace alone. Both solutions are utterly vicious, since they contradict Scripture and since every poor sinner stands in need of, and must cling to, both the unrestricted universal grace and the unrestricted "by grace alone," lest he despair and perish.
<img src="/forum/images/graemlins/igiveup.gif" alt="" />


Reformed and Always Reforming,