Monday, January 21, 2013

Faith alone justifies


I am very much impressed with the scholarship shown by Rev. Paul Rydecki.

In case you have not realised yet, Pr. Rydecki started a blog of his own and he entitled his blog
Faith Alone Justifies. Click on the link to be directed there.

I have read some of Pr. Paul's expositions and how he handles the Biblical text. He is brutally honest and that what makes an exegete competent in his work. A quick survey of what Lutheran pastors and theologians are doing in the Anglo world will reveal that majority of them are into Historic Theology followed by few who are into Systematic Theology. You can count with your fingers the Lutheran scholars and pastors that are into Exegetical Theology and that is a shame.

These disciplines have their place but a church body that have no focus in Exegetical Theology becomes weak and will not be able to jump in to resolving controversies.

This is the reason why UOJ gained further ground in the Western Lutheran churches; the Lutherans there have thought that all exegetical issues are now moot and void, since C. F. W. Walther has spoken. So what is happening today? Well we have what might be called theology by proxy. What I mean is that they do not do the hard work of going deeper in interpreting the Biblical text, what they do is just find out what so called authority said on a topic and by default they adopt the pontifications of that so called "accepted authority". It is a type of Romanism in a small scale. So the Lutherans pick their own little pope like Walther and find out what he said and then settle the question based on that.

This is so far from what Luther did. Indeed scholars I read say that one of the many contributions of Luther was the use of the grammatico-historical method of finding out what the text of Scriptures say. In other words, putting the text into its context and drawing out the meaning of the text based on that.

This is one of the reasons that the Synodic Lutheran is thrown to and fro by any wind of doctrine that comes along, Eph 4:14. They have done their theology by proxy rather than doing it on their own. You do not need to be a Greek expert to handle the Scripture, you just need a faithful translation.

Going back to Pr. Rydecki's work, I find it a joy to read his expositions and translations. This is my opinion: between the work of Dr. Jack Kilcrease (who admits that UOJ practices equivocation) and Rev. Paul Rydecki, the latter exhibits sound and trustworthy scholarship in my book. So I would go to Rev. Rydecki's insights all the time and pray God keeps him trustworthy.





8 comments:

Mr. Mcgranor said...

Your doctrines are cannot stand; when they cannot stand up to the reality that the Catholic Church is Satanic, and no similarity where a Protestant belief is concerned, correlates with Romanism.
With that, there is more similarity between one that is subjectively claiming UOJ; rather then objectively having it affirmed by Christ. This may be out of context since, i am sure that your subjectivity is not inordinate, thus your are not vainly imagining grace.

LPC said...

Hmmm, are you saying that because Lutherans have not so called "gone far enough"? If so why do you say that? Is it because they follow the same ceremony as the Roman Church?

Ahh, but this is where you miss the nuance of Lutheranism and actually you need to study more. For though they use the same words, they here it differently and understand the words differently from the Romanist.

If you are saying those who are subjectively claiming UOJ are similar to Romanism, I would agree. Then your criticism does not apply to me, since I deny UOJ objectively and subjectively whatsoever.

LPC

Mr. Mcgranor said...

No, i am claiming the historical Protestant belief; that Catholics are a Satanic fraud.

LPC said...

It is not appropriate to extend satanism to every individual Romanists as I have no infallible knowledge as to what an individual holds.

In so far as the Catholic Magisterium opposes the teaching that faith alone justifies, yes, the teaching is Satanic, for anything that opposes Scripture is such.

LPC

Mr. Mcgranor said...

There is no individual Catholic. God is the infallible knowledge.

LPC said...

There is no individual Catholic
There is no set that has no individual members in it, except the empty set so is vacuously true of whatever assertions you make of it yet it won't make for interesting conversation.

This is the reason why mathematicians do not bother with the empty set.
God is the infallible knowledge.
OK so we better leave all speculations out of our reach. I am ok with that.

LPC

Pastor emeritus Nathan Bickel said...

The "take" on how certain Lutherans derive their practical teaching, is spot on! You say:

">>>>>>> ....... the Lutherans there have thought that all exegetical issues are now moot and void, since C. F. W. Walther has spoken. So what is happening today? Well we have what might be called theology by proxy. What I mean is that they do not do the hard work of going deeper in interpreting the Biblical text, what they do is just find out what so called authority said on a topic and by default they adopt the pontifications of that so called "accepted authority". It is a type of Romanism in a small scale. So the Lutherans pick their own little pope like Walther and find out what he said and then settle the question based on that......

.........They have done their theology by proxy rather than doing it on their own. You do not need to be a Greek expert to handle the Scripture, you just need a faithful translation....... <<<<<<<< [Your words]

That "type of Romanism" is a proper comparison. Not too long ago I took the occasion to listen to a few hours of Roman Catholic Ava Maria radio, here in the US. A constant theme was always reverting [back] to mother church. Although Christ and the Scriptures were mentioned by program hosts and guests; the supreme and ultimate measurement of authority, always reverted [back] to the Church (not, Scripture).

This fallible and pathetic practice, is what I witness certain Lutherans doing; and, now, progressively so. Individual Lutheran churches are so scattered, in that they and their church members are beholdened to not only their synodical affiliation, but also their district, circuit and home congregation affiliations. By the time an individual church member can catch his spiritual breath, there is hardly any opportunity or time to grasp basic Scripture in its correct and exegetical context, as it relates to practically living the Christian life at home and being a faithful witness in his geographical sphere of influence. Having stated all that; I must say that the evil one is very successful in keeping Christian church members so occcupied, that they do not have the muster to be faithful disciples of Christ in the decadent world's culture.

In conclusion to my long comment, here, I do not in anyway care, to give the impression that I diminish the faith of some Catholics. I've witnessed beautiful and basic Christian faith of some Catholics on their deathbeds, as I have occasion, as a volunteer hospice worker. When it boils down to "brass tacks;" I firmly believe that the Lord saves those of His, inspite of their affiliations with anti-Scriptural entities. After all, did not Christ say: "My sheep hear my voice.....?" Perhaps, my experience is somewhat limited; but, I've never witnessed the Catholics to whom I ministered to on their deathbeds, clinging to their rosaries and papal edicts.........

Nathan M. Bickel

www.thechristianmessage.org
www.moralmatters.org

LPC said...

Fortunately, for such cases, there are RCs who do not carry to the full, the conclusions of what they confess.

Because when we cling to the promise in faith towards Christ for our salvation we are saved despite what our Church body may have taught.

Our judgements though of bedside passing away is not always reliable but thank God for the folk who cleave to Christ for their one and only hope.

LPC