# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S1137
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL MATTERS 575

The Common Confession of Faith
(Memorial 603)
We, the undersigned members of the Missouri Synod, hereby
reject the proposed “Common Confession of Faith” as a basis
for church fellowship with the American Lutheran Church for
the following reasons: —

Plenary Verbal Inspiration

The “Common Confession” reads: “Since the Holy Spirit by
divine inspiration supplied to the holy writers content and fitting
word, therefore we acknowledge the Holy Scriptures in their
entirety as the inspired Word of God.” (Par. V.)

The expression that the Holy Spirit by divine inspiration
“supplied to the holy writers content and fitting word” is taken
from the “Declaration” of the A. L. C. and the “Pittsburgh Agree-
ment” between the A. L. C. and the U. L. C. The late Dr. Reu,
who was the chief exponent of this expression, taught a verbal
inspiration in the sense that the holy writers wrote their words
under the “guidance” or “influence” of the Holy Spirit. But he
denied plenary verbal inspiration, that is, that every word of
Scripture is inspired. Nor do the words “in their entirety” imply
a plenary verbal inspiration. According to dictionaries in common
use, the word “entirety” has the meaning of “whole” and does not
“necessarily imply parts.”

Over against this, our Catechism confesses: “ ‘By inspiration of
God’ means that God the Holy Ghost moved the holy men to write,
and put into their minds, the very thoughts which they expressed
and the very words which they wrote.” (Qu. 10.).. “Whose word,
then, is every word of the Bible? Every word of the Bible is God’s
Word, and therefore the Bible is without error.” (Qu. 11.)

The “Common Confession” does not confess the plenary verbal
inspiration of Holy Scripture. ;

Objective Justification

The “Common Confession” reads: “God by raising Christ from.

the dead proclaimed to the world that He has accepted the atone-
ment for man’s sin as completed.” (Par. Ill.) Again it says: “By
His redemptive work Christ is the propitiation for the sins of the
whole world; hence, forgiveness of sin has been secured and pro-
vided for all men. (This is often spoken of as. objective justi-
fication.)” (Par. V1.)

Over against this, our Brief Statement confesses: “Scripture
teaches that God has already declared the whole world to be
righteous in Christ, Rom. 5:19; 2 Cor. 5:18-21; Rom. 4:25.” (Par. 17.)
Dr. Pieper, Dogmatik, II, p. 411, says: “God, then, already in His
heart forgave the whole world its sin, justified the whole world.”

rts

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