# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2004_S161 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS 161 Resolved, That the 2003 convention of the Texas District openly, boldly, and with one accord confess the truth that only those who place their trust in Christ as Savior are delivered from the wrath of God, and that all who remain in unbelief, rejecting the atonement God has provided in Jesus, are without God and without hope in the world, abiding in death; and be it finally Resolved, That the Texas District appeal to the 2004 Synod con- vention to speak as clearly and boldly to these issues as we have done. Texas District 3-05 To Affirm That No One May Worship One True God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit— apart from Faith in Christ Jesus, Our Lord WHEREAS, There is now some confusion in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod that pagans also worship the one true God; and WHEREAS, Jesus says, “I am the way and-the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6), and “All should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him” (John 5:23); and WHEREAS, Paul states that it is through Christ that we have ac- cess to the Father (Eph. 2:18); and WHEREAS, The natural knowledge of God from nature (Rom. 1:18-20) and conscience (Rom. 2:14—15) does not result in a true worship of God but only heathen idolatry (Rom. 1:21-25); and WHEREAS, Dr. Martin Luther wrote: “No heathen could say, ‘God is my God,’ unless he heard the Word. Therefore, these state- ments are different: ‘God is the Lord of all nations,’ and ‘God is the God of all nations.’ For he’s not the God of those who don’t have his Word” (LW 54:57); and WHEREAS, Monotheistic paganism is still paganism in every re- spect, and monotheism in itself is not indicative of worshiping the one true God (James 2:19); and WHEREAS, All inhabitants of the earth whose names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life worship not the one true God but the beast (Rev. 13:8); therefore be it Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod affirm the scriptural doctrine that it is impossible to worship the one true God apart from saving faith in Christ; and be it further Resolved, That all the Synod’s officers, pastors, professors, teachers of the church, other rostered church workers, and congre- gations honor and uphold this understanding and teach in accor- dance with it. Sangre de Cristo and Eastern High Plains Circuit; Rocky Mountain District; Springfield Circuit, Missouri District 3-06 To Support Seminary Statement re Religious Pluralism and Knowledge of True God WHEREAS, On May 22, 2003, the faculty of Concordia Theo- logical Seminary, Fort Wayne, unanimously adopted a statement titled “Religious Pluralism and Knowledge of the True God: Fra- ternal Reflection and Discussion”; and WHEREAS, This document clearly and simply addresses some of the confusion, misleading statements, and doctrinal controversy currently besetting our Synod; and WHEREAS, We find this document to be a helpful and correct explanation of the issues it addresses; and WHEREAS, We judge the document to be in agreement with Holy Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions; therefore be it Resolved, That the Synod in convention hereby express its agreement with the Concordia Theological Seminary statement on “Religious Pluralism and Knowledge of the True God: Fraternal Reflection and Discussion”; and be it further Resolved, That the Synod in convention commend this docu- ment to the congregations of the Synod as an authoritative resource concerning the theological issues it addresses. South Bend Circuit 5, Indiana District; Prince of Peace, Goshen, IN 3-07 To Declare Christ as Only Way to Heaven and Expose Anti-Scriptural Universalism WHEREAS, Surveys reveal that the majority of church members maintain that all religions worship the same true God; and WHEREAS, The Pope and liberal Protestant churchmen often pray with Muslims, Jews, and other non-Christians; and WHEREAS The Athanasian Creed says: “Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic, [i.e., universal, Christian] faith. Which faith except everyone do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlast- ingly. And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity . . .”; therefore be it Resolved, That the 2004 LCMS convention declare that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven, Christianity is the only saving and divinely revealed faith, and those that die without saving faith in Jesus Christ are lost; and be it further Resolved, That the 2004 LCMS convention ask the Board of Di- rectors of the LCMS to request a series of articles in The Lutheran Witness exposing the antiscriptural universalism which has infil- trated the major denominations and defend the fact that Christianity is the only saving and divinely revealed faith. Trinity, New Haven, MO; Faith, Corning, NY 3-08 To Acknowledge Scriptural Doctrine re Worship of One True God WHEREAS, It has been asserted, expounded, and defended by some within the LCMS that pagans (Jews, Muslims, and others) also worship the one true God; and WHEREAS, Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6), and “All should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him” (John 5:23); and WHEREAS, Paul states that it is through Christ that we have ac- cess to the Father (Eph. 2:18); and WHEREAS, The natural knowledge of God from nature (Rom. 1:18-20) and conscience (Rom. 2:14—15) does not result in a true worship of God but only heathen idolatry (Rom. 1:21-25); and WHEREAS, Monotheistic paganism is still paganism in every re- spect, and monotheism in itself is not indicative of worshiping the one true God (James 2:19); and WHEREAS, All inhabitants of the earth whose names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life worship not the one true God but the beast (Rev. 13:8); therefore be it Resolved, That the LCMS in convention acknowledge the scrip-, tural doctrine that it is impossible to worship the one true God apart from saving faith in Christ. Immanuel Leland, MI