# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1959_S40
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

40 DOCTRINAL ESSAY

My faith” (Rev. 2:13). He likewise commends the church in Phil-
adelphia: “Thou hast kept My Word and hast not denied My name”
(Rev. 3:8). That the Lord Jesus is most seriously intent that His
disciples confess and not deny Him, we gather from His saying:
“Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I con-
fess also before My Father which is in heaven. But whosoever
shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father
which is in heaven” (Matt. 10:32,33). John warns in his First
Epistle: “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ?
He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever
denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father” (1 John 2:22, 23).
In passing we note that not only some churches deny Jesus Christ
as the Christ, the Son of God, and the Savior of the world, but that
this is done also in the ritualistic ceremonies of many fraternal
societies. These ritualistic ceremonies deny Him frequently not
by default but by design, since they do not wish to offend those
who regard Jesus of Nazareth a false Messiah. We need always
to bear in mind that men worship idols if they worship a god
other than the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

But Christians should also give an account and make a defense
of their faith when this is challenged and questioned. Peter tells
us: “Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh
you a reason of the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15). Paul in-
structs Titus: “In your teaching show integrity, gravity, and sound
speech that cannot be censured, so that an opponent may be put
to shame, having nothing evil to say of us” (Titus 2:7, 8 RSV).
We are also to bear in mind that a Christian must be concerned
to guard and preserve the faith. Paul writes: “Guard the truth
that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells
within us” (2 Tim.1:14 RSV); “Hold firm to the sure Word as
taught.” (Titus 1:9 RSV)

Christians must be willing also to suffer for the truth. “Take
your share of suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Tim.
2:3). To the Philippians Paul writes:. “For it has been granted to
you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in Him
but also suffer for His sake, engaged in the same conflict which
you saw and now hear to be mine” (Phil. 1:29,30). From prison
Paul writes Timothy: “Watch thou in all things; endure afflictions”
(2 Tim. 4:5). Paul did not hesitate to tell those early converts in
Asia: “We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom
of God.” (Acts 14:22)

Christians are, furthermore, commanded to announce and pro-
claim to all the world the praises, that is, the great and mighty
acts of God who called them by the Gospel out of darkness into
His marvelous light. Though they are a chosen race, a royal priest-

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