Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Objective Justification vs. Faith

I haven't followed this poperly, so forgive me.  I don't get this-yet, or maybe won't be.  LP (Extra Nos)  has a conversation on his blog about Objective Justification vs. Faith,... that's how I read it (am a little confused).  It appears to me a useless dichotomy, especially in the light of eternity.  And somehow Walther and Pieper fit into this--or rather not.  Walther is "wrong" or "overstated".  On Beggars and Reformation he was also saying that for Missourians it is ok to disagree with Luther here and there, but not Walther and Pieper. 

First of all, I find that most confessional Missourians I know have issues with Walther.  For one he is too pietistic, for others not sacramental (or maybe that's the same thing). As for Pieper, I don't know if one is "allowed" to disagree with him.  I find him a little dry.  I'll read Luther instead, you go  read Pieper.  I have all three volumes on my shelf in German and have read in them.  I think I agreed with him.

So, I'm the wrong person.

What I was trying to write to LP, and which did not get saved properly to his post twice now (I don't know why), I will type here, so I don't have to type again.

This was the Treasury reading from Feb. 10, by Herman Sasse:

"It is the height of senselessness for the sentiments of the modern man when, in Luther's Little Baptismal Book and in the old agendas of our Church, the child continues to be asked whether it forsakes the devil, if it will be baptized according to is faith, and if it will affirm the question:  "Will you be baptized?"  But it is not merely avowed liturgical conservatism or even thoughtlessness when the Church for nearly two thousand years has thus baptized infants as though they were adults, as though they could already confess with the mouth and believe with the heart.  This is not the "as though" of mere fiction.  It is much rather connected with the eschatological "as though" of the Sacrament of Baptism.  God views us in Baptism as people who have already died and been raised, put to death with His beloved Son on Golgotha and raised from the dead on Easter morning.  Thus he already views us as such who already believe, the poorest, weakest little child which we bering ot Holy Baptism in "the understanding and hope that it will believe" in a way no different from a Basil, an Ambrose, or an Augustine, who as grown men and conscious Christians came to Baptism."

1 comment:

LPC said...

Brigitte,

Thanks for mentioning my post and also Sasse's quote.

From what I read from Scripture and BoC, there is no salvation without means of grace. Sasse on Baptism runs good with Acts 2:38.

I'll read Luther instead

I heard, the more dead and closer to Luther, the better it is.

LPC