# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1953_S1155
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

516
MATTERS
B. The Basi
1. Church Fem and Extent of Church Fellowshi
(4) Authority of owship as a Fellowship of Faith, me

the Scriptures

t Tequired on th

or grou

Holy Scriptures as hie ony nee of the Spirit acknorr edge)
CS the

likewise Contribute to the qj ruption “ ms
of the

Matthew 28:29.
9:27-28; 1 Corin, meen 8:31; 1 Corinthians 10: 16-17.
Acts 18: 24-28; Galatia, Fe 492

16:17-20; Matt, ans 2:11~14, Matthew 18: 15-

ew 16:6; Ephesians 5:11 18; Romans

(6) Function - wr Fellowship asa Fellowship of Confess:
the Confessions God Church's response and witn ae
? Particularly in the face of denial the Word of
and attack,

e ion ;
Loy. alty to the Ecume pression in the Confessions of the Church,

is therefore essential] mical Creeds and
to them not Merely b

must be interpret
ed and }
(7) Primacy of d judg
the Gospel

INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL MATTERS 517

iptures have an organic connection with the central theme
iptures, which is the Gospel. A denial of any teaching
iptures involves a mutilation of, and departure from, the
Gospel, and it is for this reason that a full and common
ce to the Holy Scriptures is an indispensable requisite for
* fellowship. It is impossible to recognize as equally valid
onfessions as are mutually contradictory. The validity of
ession is established not by the mere claim that it is in
ony with the Scriptures, but by the fact that it is in actual
ent with them and is a faithful restatement of the Gospel
e central theme of the Scriptures.
ding The Lord directs His Church in every age to de-
Truth termine how the testimony to the truth of His
Word can be given most effectively, so that all men
-hear and know the authority of that Word in such matters.
order to protect the flock of Christ against errorists, it may be
a necessary to give this testimony in their presence, or it may be
“negessary to testify by withdrawing from them. There is no war-
’ gant in the Scriptures to disregard error and errorists. The Lord
makes it the duty of the Church to expose the error to the errorists .
: onthe basis of the Holy Scriptures and thus seek to win the erring
brethren by love. If the Church’s admonition of love remains un-
heeded, separation as a final endeavor of love becomes inevitable,
for even in withdrawal or excommunication for reasons of heresy
and apostasy the real purpose is not to exclude the erring brother
forever from the fellowship of faith, but to win him back into

such fellowship.
Hebrews 10:23; 1 Peter 3:15; Galatians 1:8; 1 Corinthians 1:10.
1 Corinthians 3:11; Galatians 1:8; 2 John 9—11; 2 Corinthians 6:
14-18; Romans 1:16-17; Isaiah 8:20; Matthew 28: 20.

‘ Matthew 7:15; Acts 17:11; 1 Timothy 6:3-5; Titus 3:10; Romans
16:17-20; 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14,15; 1 Corinthians 5:4-5; James 5;
19-20; 2 Cor. 2:6-10.

3. Church Fellowship as a Fellowship of Love

(9) The Bond Church fellowship is characterized by love for the
of Love brethren. Following the example of the Lord, who
gave Himself for the Church, the members of the

Church are to “consider one another to provoke unto love and to
good works”; “forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep

the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” As Christ loved the
Church, so His followers are enjoined to love one another. This
love for one another has compelling implications for church fellow-
ship. Christian love yearns for fellowship with the brethren, shuns

the loneliness of separation, and is nourished and sustained by the