# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S1178
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

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656 INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL MATTERS

of doctrine and conscience: shall be decided by the Word of

God; and

Wuereas, Said Section C of Article VIII of our Constitution
was included in that.Constitution in order to protect the rights
of conscience of the individual Christian within The Lutheran
Church — Missouri Synod and to safeguard him from any and all

_attempts to bind his conscience by official synodical interpretations
of the Scriptures; and

Wuereas, Said Section C of Article VII of Synod’s Constitution
clearly removes Resolution 7 of Committee 3 as printed on page 69
of “Today’s Business” for June 24, 1950, as a matter for decision
by this or any other convention of Synod; and

Whereas, In the more than 100 years of Synod’s existence no
official interpretation of any passage of Holy Scriptures has ever
been given; now be it therefore

Resolved, That this convention holds the interpretation of
Rom. 16:17-18 to be a matter of conscience and that, therefore,
it is not within the power of this convention to formulate or publish
any official interpretation or position with regard to this or any
other passage of Holy Scriptures.

This amendment was not adopted.

Committee 3 then brought in the following resolution:

Resolution 10

Your Committee has devoted much time to the memorials on
Rom. 16:17-18 submitted for the consideration of this convention,
It has labored and prayed with only one purpose in mind, and that
is that the Word of God must prevail. In keeping with that pur-
pose and with an earnest prayer for the blessing of God, we beg
to submit the following:

Wuereas, The convention has been requested in a number of
memorials to state its position on Rom. 16:17-18; and

Wuereas, It is necessary to have a statement of principles on
the basis of which many questions which have arisen in our midst
can be decided; be it

Resolved, That Synod adopt the following statement:

1. We reaffirm, as Scripturally correct, the use of Rom. 16:17
in the Constitution of Synod, the synodical Catechism, and the
Brief Statement.

2. In this passage and in many others (e.g., Matt. 7:15, Acts
20: 27-30, Gal. 5:9-10, 19-21, 1 Tim. 1: 3, 2Tim. 2:14-18, Titus 3:10,
2John 10-11) Scripture warns against unionism and the tolerance

of error and requires that we deny church fellowship to all who .

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INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL MATTERS 657

ist in false doctrine. Under Church fellowship we include
ulpit fellowship, altar fellowship, and prayer fellowship. as

lefined by the synodical resolutions of 1944 (Proceedings, p. 251f.)

947 (Proceedings, p.517£.).
3. In the application of the principle of the denial of church
fellowship we must recognize the following: Many situations arise
which plainly involve unionism and many others which obviously
do not. Both unionism and separatism must be avoided. There
are also many situations, especially in the area of joint church
rk, which can be judged only on the basis of an accurate
;nowledge of the conditions present. We therefore hold that the
principle of the denial of church fellowship is not to be applied
mechanically or legalistically, nor is it to be weakened or made
relatively meaningless by a failure properly to apply it. The pro-
cedure must be both charitable and definite. It must not be for-
gotten that charity extends toward all the brethren that are in
church fellowship with us as well as to others.
This resolution was adopted, as were also the following two
resolutions, Nos. 11 and 12.
Resolution 11
Wuenreas, Synod stated in 1947 that in the issues being studied
in our midst on the basis of materials supplied by the President,
“The subject matter is such as to. call for time and patience, so
that all pastors and laymen may have an opportunity to study the
same in a quiet, earnest, and prayerful manner (a course which
the Church should always follow)”; and
Wuereas, The pamphlet Exegesis on Rom.16:17f. has only
recently appeared; therefore be it
Resolved, That we request all pastors, teachers, and laymen
diligently to study Rom. 16:17-18, as well. as related texts, so that
through the gracious operation of the Holy Spirit the clear doctrine
of the Scriptures contained in them may always be held and
properly applied among us.
Resolution 12
Wuereas, The question of “official” interpretation, or exegesis,
has been raised among us; be it
Resolved, That Synod recognizes that there may be legitimate
differences of opinion in purely exegetical matters (cf. Paragraph 48
of Brief Statement), but that this liberty does not extend farther *

* “The Committee explained officially, upon being questioned, that
‘farther’ means ‘purely exegetical matters, such as grammar, meanings
of words, etc.” (Daily Minutes.)