03 - Third Section

But, my dear Lutheran Christian, bear in mind also the second principal point which our Lutheran Confession places likewise at the head of its explanation of the doctrine concerning predestination. For thus our Confession intends to make also this second principal point a guiding- star, as it were, for all Lutherans, which is to keep them from all errors in regard to this doctrine, and to which, therefore, they must adhere also in the first place and above all things. This second principal point in the doctrine concerning predestination is the following:

II. "The foreknowledge of God (praescientia) foresees and foreknows evils also, but this is not to be understood as if it were God’s gracious will that they should occur c. The foreknowledge of God is not the origin or the cause of evil (for God does not create or cause evil, nor does He aid or promote it) c. But the eternal election of God not only foresees and foreknows the salvation of the elect, but through His gracious will and good pleasure in Christ Jesus, is also a CAUSE which procures, works, aids, and promotes our salvation and whatever pertains to it; and upon this our salvation is so firmly grounded that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it; for it is written: ’Neither shall any pluck my sheep out of my hand’, and again; And as many as were ordained to eternal life, believed’. Matthew 16:18; John 10:28; Acts 13:48." (See Jubilee edition of the Book of oncord p. 478 sq.; New Market edition p. 711. sq.) From this, my dear Lutheran Christian, thou canst clearly see, in the second place, that the doctrine of our opponents is not Lutheran also for this reason, because they declare predestination to be nothing more than the following: in the first place, the foreknowledge of God that certain persons will receive the gospel in true faith and persevere in this saving faith unto the end, and secondly the decree that He will actually save the persons that thus persevere in faith. Now it is indeed undeniably true that God from eternity has foreseen all persons that persevere in the saving faith unto the end; it also cannot be denied, that God has made the decree to grant everlasting salvation to all those and only to those that persevere in the saving faith; but this is not the doctrine of predestination which, according to the Formula of Concord, as we have seen, "pertains only to the children of God who have been elected and ordained to eternal life, before the foundations of the world were laid;" but it is rather the general decree concerning man’s salvation which God has made concerning all men, the wicked as well as the good. Predestination, however, which refers only to the chosen children of God, is, as our Lutheran Confession has it, "through God’s gracious will and good pleasure in Christ Jesus, also a CAUSE, which procures, works, aids and promotes our salvation and whatever pertains to it; and upon this our salvation is so firmly grounded that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." According to our Confession, therefore, predestination is not only a decree of God according to which He is willing to save men, provided that they persevere in faith unto the end, but it is rather such an ordination of God, which is such a CAUSE of the salvation of the elect, as to "procure, work, aid and promote" at the same time "whatever pertains to it," namely, to their surely obtaining salvation, consequently also, to their being led to repentance, conversion, and faith, and to their persevering unto the end. And besides, according to our Confession, the salvation of the elect "is so firmly grounded" upon the eternal election "that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it"; for it is written: ’Neither shall any pluck my sheep out of my hand’." That, however, also faith is included in this statement, that the eternal election is a cause which procures everything pertaining to our salvation or to our obtaining salvation, is not only self-evident, since faith is the only means of appropriating that salvation which Christ has earned for all men; but the Formula of Concord does also expressly declare that faith is includeir art of reasoning and skill of logic, in order to prove that the first principaliC * @ wid* @ sense, extending to all men" this would be a riddle indeed, if the Formula of Concord in our second principal sentence did not say so clearly that predestination is also a cause of faith. This solves the riddle. For since our opponents have set their minds on the notion, that predestination cannot be a cause of faith, but that, on the contrary, faith is rather a cause of predestination, and that affirming the reverse is Calvinism: the first principal sentence of the Formula of Concord faces them like a huge rock which they can neither pass over nor pass by. For since, according to the first principal sentence, predestination refers only to the chosen children of God and not also to the wicked, that predestination of which the Formula of Concord treats, cannot be predestination in the wider sense, extending to all men" this would be a riddle indeed, if the Formula of Concord in our second principal sentence did not say so clearly that predestination is also a cause of faith. This solves the riddle. For since our opponents have set their minds on the notion, that predestination cannot be a cause of faith, but that, on the contrary, faith is rather a cause of predestination, and that affirming the reverse is Calvinism: the first principal sentence of the Formula of Concord faces them like a huge rock which they can neither pass over nor pass by. For since according to the first principal sentence, predestination refers only to the chosen children of God and not also to the wicked, that predestination of which the Formula of Concord treats, cannot be predestination in a wider sense. But what do they do now? They exercise all their art of reasoning and skill of logic, in order to prove that the first principal sentence does not say, or at least does not mean at all what it says! that it indeed speaks of a predestination referring not to all men, but that it means sentence in which predestination is called the cause of faith, as the second warden, immediately confronts him. These two wardens also assist each other. For if an opponent says that the second principal sentence does indeed declare predestination to be a cause of faith, but that this is to be understood only of predestination in a wider sense: the first principal sentence which states, that predestination refers only to the children of God, as the first warden assists the second. But if an opponent says, that the first principal sentence indeed does not speak of predestination in a wider, but in a stricter sense, that, however, it does not say anything about the doctrine, that faith results from this predestination: the second principal sentence speedily comes to its relief by confessing this doctrine in plain terms. In short, our opponents are different `ç ãHc pï upon it means by a word now this, now something else, without always adding in what signification it uses this word in the different passages; yea, without even mentioning, that it uses this word in quite different significations, and means by it now this, now something else? So confused a writing would be utterly unqualified to be a Confession which, above all other writings, ought to be clear, plain, distinct, and quite unmistakable. The two principal sentences, therefore, which we have quoted from the Formula of Concord, like twoutheran church! Do then in the first place indeed adhere steadfastly in opposition to all Calvinistic errors to the doctrine, that God is willing to grant faith, perseverance in faith, and finally everlasting salvation to all men; that through the word He offers all this earnestly, strongly, and efficaciously, and that, consequently, it is not the fault of predestination, but of man himself, namely of his obstinate resistance, if so great a number either do not obtain faith, or do not persevere in faith unto the end, and thus are lost eternally. But adhere also firmly to this: That ye believe and persevere in faith, of this not ye yourselves are the cause; it is not the consequence of your having been better than others and therefor [sic.] more willing to determine for the way to heaven, consequently also for faith itself; on the contrary, the cause of this is, according to the Formula of Concord (p. 483), that God, "before the foundations of the world were laid, in His counsel and purpose, ordained the manner in which He would bring me" (consequently you also) "to salvation, and preserve me therein," and that "in His eternal purpose, which cannot fail or be overthrown, He ordained your salvation, and to secure it, placed it into the omnipotent hands of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, out of which none shallÛ : @r opponents are inclosed between the two principal sentences of the Formula of Concord as between two fires: if they try tr opponents are inclosed between the two principal sentences of the Formula of Concord as between two fires: if they try to escape the one, they are burnt by the other, and if they try to escape the latter, they are burnt by the former. There is no way of getting out of the dilemma: our opponents must either admit that ours is the Lutheran doctrine, or they must renounce the Formula of Concord as being an erroneous, Calvinistic book.