# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_September 1856_S262
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

262 A Letter of Reply from the Editor to a Dear Friend, etc.

one of the visible Christian communions must be the true church. Now, among those who reject the doctrine of the invisible church (to put it briefly), one names this visible Christian communion, another names that one, as the true church. But whoever will not maintain, going even further than Bellarmine, that outside the church to which he himself belongs (for this he will naturally call the true one) there are believing Christians in the world, will fall into the greatest perplexity as to where he is to remain with these, and will thereby come into contradiction with himself and never come to rest. For they are not members of the true church, and yet they are true members of Christ, the head of the true church. But if they are that, and can be that without belonging to the true church on earth, then the church which one wishes to exalt as the one true church above all other communions entirely loses the significance that one would nevertheless give it precisely by calling it the one true church. Is it not, then, better, in order not to stand in lasting contradiction with oneself, to take a step back and content oneself with belonging to a visible church which neither takes away from the word of holy Scripture nor adds to it? — Truly, we have reason enough to stand by the banner of the Lutheran Church, even without being able to furnish the proof that it is the one church of Christ on earth. We can also confidently invite members of other Christian bodies and say: come and see! — But we shall be able to do this with true joy and proper emphasis only when we are conscious of asserting nothing more of our church than we can affirm of it with full certainty; for if a secret doubt remains in our heart as to whether we are perhaps saying too much after all, our testimony is thereby weakened and cannot have its full and pure effect.

With this, dearest friend, I take my leave of you, and pray God that He would preserve you and me in the fellowship of the Head of the Church of God on earth, of the one Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and in the fellowship of the visible church which abides by His word. — That for the sake of God and His truth we must hold to this church, I believe together with you; that there are, outside this church, believing members of Christ on earth, you believe together with me; are we, then, not agreed on the main point, and shall we not act in one spirit whenever occasion arises? But what is still unequal, may the Lord make level, to the praise of His name. Amen.