Ephesians 1:3-14

1. Ephesians 1:3-14 • 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

2. Ephesians 1:3-14 • 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

3. Ephesians 1:3-14 • 11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

4. The Predestination Controversy (1880-1884)

5. The Predestination Controversy (1880-1884) • The Formation of the Synodical Conference (1872) • The Hope of One Large United Lutheran Church in North America • Instigator: Professor F.A. Schmidt, Norwegian Seminary at Madison, Wisconsin • Disagreement of Dr. Walther’s 1877 Western District Essay

6. The Predestination Controversy (1880-1884) • Walther’s Third Thesis from His Essay: • "The Lutheran Church teaches that it is false and wrong to teach that not the mercy of God and the most holy merit of Christ alone, but that also in us there is a cause of the election of God, for the sake of which God has elected us unto eternal life." • "God foresaw nothing, absolutely nothing, in those whom He resolved to save which might be worthy of salvation, and even if it be admitted that He foresaw some good in them, this, never­theless, could not have determined Him to elect them for that reason, for, as the Scriptures teach, all good in man originates in Him."

7. The Predestination Controversy (1880-1884) • Walther also rejected the phrase, “In View of Faith” • Walther: God did not look into the future and see that a person would believe in Christ and for that reason elected him to salvation. • Schmidt, on January 2, 1879 told Walther: "I can no longer go with you. ... I dare no longer keep silence." • In February, 1881, the Ohio Synod publicly aligned itself with Schmidt. • May 11-21, 1881 Walther presents his 13 Theses on Predestination at the Missouri Synod Convention.

8. The Predestination Controversy (1880-1884) • His 13 Theses were adopted as the official position of the Missouri Synod. • In September, 1881 the Ohio Synod withdraws from the Synodical Conference. • In 1883 the Norwegian Synod withdraws from the Synodical Conference.

9. The Predestination Controversy (1880-1884) • Basic Questions: • What moved God to elect certain people to salvation? • Was it purely His grace and Christ's merit, or did God fore­see some good in man that prompted Him to choose him? • Is a Christian's faith the result of his election, or is his elec­tion the result of man's persevering faith? • Can I as a Chris­tian be certain of my salvation?

10. The Predestination Controversy (1880-1884) • The “Bottom Line” Question: • Cur AliiPraeAliis? • Why are Some Saved and Not Others? • In Reality: Two Questions, Not One • 1) Why are Some Saved? • 2) Why are Others Not Saved? • Walther Answered the Two Questions in Thesis 10 and Thesis 4.

11. The Predestination ControversyThe Leading Characters for the Missouri Synod Dr. C.F.W. Walther

12. The Predestination ControversyThe Leading Characters for the Missouri Synod Dr. Francis Pieper

13. The Predestination ControversyThe Leading Characters for the Missouri Synod Dr. George Stoeckhardt

14. Thesis One • We believe, teach, and confess that God has loved the whole world from eternity, has created all men for sal­vation and none for damnation, and earnestly desires the salvation of all men; and hence we reject and condemn the contrary Calvinistic doctrine with all our heart.

15. Thesis Two • We believe, teach, and confess that the Son of God has come into the world for all men, has borne, and atoned for, the sins of all men, has perfectly redeemed all men, none excepted; and hence we reject and condemn the con­trary Calvinistic doctrine with all our heart.

16. Thesis Three • We believe, teach, and confess that God earnestly calls all men through the means of grace, that is, with the intention of bringing them through these means unto re­pentance and unto faith, and of preserving them therein to the end, and of thus finally saving them; wherefore God offers them through these means of grace the salvation pur­chased by Christ's atonement and the power of accepting this salvation by faith; and hence we reject and condemn the contrary Calvinistic doctrine with all our heart.

17. Thesis Four • We believe, teach, and confess that no man is lost because God with His grace passed him by or because He did not offer the grace or perseverance to him also and would not bestow it upon him; but that all men who are lost perish by their own fault, namely, on account of their unbelief and because they have obstinately resisted the Word and grace of God to the end — and hence we reject and condemn the contrary Calvinistic doctrine with all our heart.

18. Thesis Five • We believe, teach, and confess that the persons con­cerned in election, or predestination, are only true believers who believe to the end or who come to faith at the end of their lives; and hence we reject and condemn the error of Huber, that election is not particular, but universal, and concerns all men.

19. Thesis Six • We believe, teach, and confess that divine election is immutable and hence that not one of the elect can become reprobate and be lost, but that every one of the elect is surely saved; and hence we reject and condemn the error with contrary Huberian all our heart.

20. Thesis Seven • We believe, teach, and confess that it is folly and dangerous to souls, leading either to fleshly security or to despair, when men attempt to become or to be certain of their election or their future salvation by searching out the eternal mysterious decree of God; and hence with all our heart we reject and condemn the contrary doctrine as a piece of pernicious fanaticism.

21. Thesis Eight • We believe, teach, and confess that a believing Chris­tian should try from the revealed Word of God to become sure of his election; and hence with all our heart we reject and condemn the contrary papistic error that a man can become and be certain of his election only through a new and immediate revelation.

22. Thesis Nine • We believe, teach, and confess 1) that election does not consist of the mere foreknowledge of God as to which men will be saved; 2) also that election is not the mere purpose of God to redeem and save mankind, for which reason it might be termed universal, embracing all men generally; 3) that election does not concern temporary be­lievers (Luke 8:13); 4) that election is not the mere decree of God to save all those who believe to the end; and hence with all our heart we reject and condemn the contrary errors of the rationalists, Huberites, and Arminians.

23. Thesis Ten • We believe, teach, and confess that the cause which moved God to choose the elect is His grace and the merit of Jesus Christ alone, and not any good thing God has foreseen in the elect, even the faith forseen of God in them, and hence we reject and condemn the contrary doctrines of the Pelagians, Semi-Pelagians, and synergists as blasphemous, frightful, subversive of the Gospel, and therefore of the en­tire Christian religion.

24. Thesis Eleven • We believe, teach, and confess that election is not the mere foresight or foreknowledge of the salvation of the elect, but also a cause of their salvation and what pertains thereto, and hence with all our heart we reject and condemn the con­trary doctrine of the Arminians, the Socinians, and of all synergists.

25. Thesis Twelve • We believe, teach, and confess that God has still kept ‘secret and concealed much concerning this mystery and reserved it alone for His wisdom and knowledge,' which no man can or should search out, and hence we reject the at­tempt to penetrate into what is not revealed and to harmonize with reason those things that seem to contradict our reason, whether this is done in the Calvinistic or in the Pelagian-synergistic doctrine.

26. Thesis Thirteen • We believe, teach, and confess that it is not only neither useless nor even dangerous, but rather necessary and wholesome, to present publicly also to our Christian people the mysterious doctrine of predestination as far as it is clearly revealed in God's Word, and hence we do not agree with those who think that this doctrine must either be entirely concealed or must be reserved only for the disputations of the learned.

27. The Predestination Controversy (1880-1884) • Why the Controversy? • What Difference Did It Make? • Why is a Correct Biblical Understanding of the Doctrine of Election So Important? • Ultimately It Impacts Upon the Central Doctrine of Scripture: • Justification By Grace Alone.

28. After the Predestination Controversy • For a Half-Century: • Remarkable Growth • Increased Mission Work • Relative Peace and Unity • Until the 1930’s • 1938 Sandusky Convention-the ALC declares: • “We are firmly convinced that it is neither necessary nor possible to agree in all non-fundamental doctrines.”

29. 20th Century Controversies Within the Missouri Synod • A Statement of the 44 in 1945 • Revolved Around the Doctrine of Church Fellowship • A New and Different Interpretation of Romans 16:17 • President Behnken Forms the Committee of “Ten & Ten” • An Agreement was Made to Withdraw “A Statement” from Discussion • In the End, the Signers were not Required to Retract Anything • In 1969 the LCMS declares fellowship with the ALC. • (Share story about Missouri Synod history class)

30. 20th Century Controversies Within the Missouri Synod • The Verbal Inspiration and Inerrancy of the Scriptures Versus the Historical Critical Method • Late 60’s-Early 70’s • Formation of ELIM (Evangelical Lutherans in Mission) • Dr. John Tietjen Suspended from his Duties as Seminary President (January, 1974) • The Walkout (February 19th, 1974) • Formation of Seminex (Seminary in Exile) • Four District Presidents Removed from Office (April, 1976) • 250 LCMS Congregations Leave and Form the AELC (Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, December, 1976)

31. 100 Years After the Predestination Controversy • The Missouri Synod comes full circle. • On Sunday, July 5, 1981, the LCMS meeting in convention voted 590 to 494 to end its fellowship relations with The American Lutheran Church. • The doctrinal differences (the Authority of the Bible & the Lutheran Confessions, Ordination of Women, Abortion, Homosexuality, Election, etc.) between the two church bodies were important once again.

32. 100 Years After the Predestination Controversy • The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) formally came into existence on January 1, 1988. • A result of a merger among: • The American Lutheran Church (ALC) • TheLutheran Church in America (LCA) • The Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC)