# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1899_S22
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

22 Proceedings of the 24th General, or

It is, after all, unavoidably necessary that at a General Synod we
occupy ourselves a great deal — ah, a very great deal — with all
sorts of external matters. I therefore hope I have acted in the mind
of you all in asking Professor F. Pieper to give us, this time again,
a few short lectures on some portion of heavenly doctrine. To my joy
he has consented, and has chosen "The Church and God's Word" as his
subject.

As for my official activity, finally, it has in the past term been
the usual one. I have visited all our educational institutions and
attended every district assembly I was able to reach. At the rest, my
worthy colleagues on the presidium represented me most ably. I was
prevented by illness from carrying out the visitations planned for
the last quarter. Everywhere people made my office as easy for me as
possible, and showed me much love, much trust, and also much —
patience. God reward it! God bless our Synod. Amen.

H. C. Schwan.

The Church and God's Word.

Lecture, delivered by Prof. F. Pieper.

The church of God has a wonderful task in the world. It is not
merely to convey culture, although it is in fact the greatest cultural
force in the world. Nor is it merely to raise good citizens, although
it is in fact the most reliable educator of good citizens. No, the
church has a far greater, more important, and more difficult task in
the world. The church's real task is to bring people to faith in
Christ, the Savior of the world, and so to make them blessed. This
task of the church involves nothing less than that the church make
spiritually dead people spiritually alive, that it overcome the world
and the devil, and that it constantly hold the field against these
powers, which are and remain the church's irreconcilable enemies.

How can the church accomplish this work of hers? Is the church, then,
God, that she can make the dead alive and change human hearts, that
she is able to overcome the world and the devil and hold her own
victoriously against these powers? No, the church is not God. But the
church has God's word. And with this word she is able to accomplish
all the great things she is to accomplish.

And it matters a great deal that all who, by God's grace, are members
of the church recognize this vividly and keep it constantly before
them. Nowadays there is much complaint about the church's failures,
about the weakness