# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S701
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS 8

Fthe dead and become the First Fruits of them that slept.” What
onderful relief and assurance these words contain! We are re-
emed. Our salvation is certain. Christ’s deity is established.
doctrine is true beyond a doubt. Now the Apostle could shout
triumph: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where
thy sting? O Grave, where is thy victory? ... Thanks be to God,
hich giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Because of this absolute certainty the Apostle urges: “Be ye
steadfast, unmovable.” Nothing is to cause the believer to yield,
0: waver, or to be moved away from the foundation. Despite
the most vicious attacks of false teachers he should know that the
F foundation is firm. Christians may stand on the foundation with
sense and conviction of security. It will never fail them.
What an earnest lesson for us today! We know that the foun-
on which God has laid and which is firmly established by the
surrection of Christ is firm and solid. On it we should stand
ovable. God has been exceptionally gracious to our Church.
He has granted and preserved for us purity of doctrine. He has
Egraciously led us to accept every teaching of Scripture as divine
truth. ‘Every truth of Scripture is definite, certain, undeniable,
tablished. We should not merely recognize this, but Luther-like
o say: “Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise.” Not only should
guard against every denial of any truth of God’s Word, but also
inst every compromise.
There is urgent reason for speaking thus. We are facing
dangers. On the one hand, our generation, the third or fourth
generation in our Synod’s history, no longer considers matters of
loctrine-so seriously as did the fathers. There is very much doc-
inal complacency. There is also some doctrinal indifference.
Under such conditions it is extremely difficult to awaken con-
‘sciousness of pure doctrine or any appreciation of it. Any warning
gainst false doctrine or unionism as one of the chief dangers
‘eonfronting the Church today is regarded by many as the voice of
an alarmist. However, the danger confronts us. Nor must we over-
‘look the danger of separatism, legalism, lovelessness, unbrotherli-
hess. That tends to disunite and to tear apart. Unionism and sepa-
ratism — one is as bad as the other. Has either of these troubled
us? Have not both contributed to the controversy and the unrest
which confronts us? May God graciously forgive our sins and
‘transgressions and move us as brethren earnestly to contend for
@ the faith once delivered to the saints and to remain steadfast and
F unmovable. God has entrusted the glorious truth of Scripture
unto us, firmly established by the resurrection of our Redeemer.
. United in faith and loyalty to Christ, let us hold fast that which