# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S1135 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) ineoe oe tae Ka, Ss s eh cates i vity car a A BAe ee a oe a S33 adhe s. 1 ar Tee 4 eeets svortees peerres arse Sepa ts ce - - 572 INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL MATTERS be faithful and as faithful pastors are entitled to the love and respect of their congregations. Cf. Acts 20:28; Rom. 10:12-18; 1Cor. 4:1-2; WCor.4; E : . I Tim. 3; 5:17; Heb. 13:7-17. ph. 4:11-15, XI. The Lutheran Confessions We believe and teach: The Lutheran Confessions (Book of Concord 1580) are true exhibitions of the truths of the Holy Scriptures. Therefore it is rightly required that every pastor and congregation in the Lu. theran Church subscribe to and uphold the doctrines taught in these Confessions without any omission, deviation, or reservation, XII. The Last Things We believe and teach: The Church of Jesus Christ will exist and endure on earth according to the promises of Christ, until His return for judgment. When Christ returns for judgment He will raise up all the dead — all believers in Him to eternal life, and all others to everlasting damnation. Among the signs of His approaching return for judgment the distinguishing features of the Antichrist, as portrayed in the Holy Scriptures, are still clearly discernible in the Roman papacy, the climax of all human usurpations of Christ’s authority in the Church. We hold it to be an error to teach anything as a sign of Christ’s second advent not promised or foretold in the Holy Scrip- tures, such as the expectation of a mass conversion of the Je a preliminary resurrection of martyrs, and a visible millennial reign of Christ on the earth before the Day of Judgment. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time, wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations; that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ; Whom having not seen, ye love; in Whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory; receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls,” I Peter 1:3-9. “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that when He shall appear we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is,” I John 3:2. Cf. Matt.16:18; John 5: 28-29; 6:40; 18:36; Romans 11; II Thess. 2: 1-10; I John 2:18; Rev. 20. Your Committee is conscious of the fact that before pulpit and altar fellowship can be declared to exist between these two bodies some other matters will have to be considered and adjusted, which are mentioned in the following. INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL MATTERS 573 Since the Constitution of the Synodical Conference provides that fellowship with another church body cannot be established by ‘any. one of its constituent synods without the consent of every od in the Synodical Conference (“Without the consent of all ‘the synods of the Synodical Conference of North America, none of its constituent synods can be permitted to enter into actual feilowship with any other church body”), and since the American oe pe i in i ky Resolutions - Putheran Church already in 1938 in its Sandusky Tclared itself ready to place the agreement reached with the 2 Missouri Synod before its sister synods for approval and accept- . ance: your Committee recommends that after favorable action has been taken by the American Lutheran Church and The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod on the confession of faith here submitted, this course, pertaining to sister synods on both sides, be followed. Since the practice of the Church must agree with its doctrine, your. Committee recommends that matters of church practice, espe- cially the attitude of Lutheran congregations toward lodgery and - unionism and similar issues, be carefully studied and that for this purpose the President, the Vice-Presidents, and the District Presi- dents of our Church endeavor to hold conferences with the President, the Vice-Presidents, and the District Presidents of the honorable American Lutheran Church to survey the problems in this field and to see how uniformity in church practice can be brought about. Finally, your Committee recommends that a Committee on Doctrinal Unity be again appointed, in the manner prescribed by the regulations of Synod, to serve as a steering committee and clearinghouse. It is hoped that the honorable American Lutheran Church likewise will continue a Fellowship Committee for the Same purpose. THE CoMMITTEE ON DocTRINAL UNITY or Tre Lurueran CuurcH — Missourr Synop Dr. W. Arnnt, Chairman Pastor W. H. Jurcens, Secretary Dr. Joun H. C. Frrrz Pastor GeorcE J. MEYER Dr. F. H. BRunn Mr. Hersert W. Knopp Pror. WALTER BAEPLER Accept “Common Confession” (Memorial 602) : Wuereas, It has pleased Almighty God to lead the Committee on Doctrinal Unity of The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod and the Committee on Fellowship of the American Lutheran Church to a complete meeting of mind and spirit in the “Common Con- fession of Faith,” dated December 6, 1949; and