# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1872_S24
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

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away, as the Jews do, or else falsifies it, as the papists do, then neither can the church stand, nor can God keep his honor. Which honor is this, that he is gracious and merciful, and that for his Son's sake he wants to forgive us our sins and save us." (On Gen. 21:17.) Further: "As long as the church confessed this article, it remained in the faith; and the faith was at one time brighter, at another darker. He himself says, Matt. 28:20: I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world; without this article the church does not stand. Mohammed has indeed laid waste the church, and the pope has obscured the doctrine of faith, but where this article has remained, there God has preserved his church." (Walch VI, 1156.) Further: "They (the papists) will absolutely not tolerate this article; so we cannot come to terms with them. For where the article is gone, the church is gone and no error can be resisted, since apart from this article the Holy Spirit does not want to and cannot be with us, for he is to glorify Christ for us. Over this article the world has so often come to shipwreck, through flood, storm, waters, war and all plagues. Over this article Abel was murdered and all the saints, and all Christians must also die over it. Yet it has remained and must remain, and the world go to ruin over it forever. So shall it now also hold out, and be overthrown over this article; and should it become mad and foolish, it shall let the article stand, and fall over it into the abyss of hell. Amen." (XVI, 2015.) Further, on Isa. 42:22: "Therefore one should diligently learn and keep the article of justification, which we alone teach today. For if we have lost this, we shall be unable to resist any heresy, any false doctrine, however ridiculous and vain; as it went under the papacy, where we believed such things as we are now ashamed of and regret. Conversely, if we stay with this article, we are safe from heresy and keep the forgiveness of sins, which counts to our credit the weakness in walk and faith." (VI, 827.) Further Luther writes to Brenz: "This point is the chief article and the cornerstone, which alone begets, strengthens, builds up, maintains and protects the church of God; and without it the church of God cannot stand for an hour." (XIV, 191.) That the article of justification is that of the standing and falling church is very easy to prove to those who hold the right doctrine of the church. For what is the church? It is the totality of believing Christians. The church is, then, where Christ rules and reigns in grace; but he reigns inwardly in man, in that he offers and extends grace to him. Where he has now conquered a heart, there is his kingdom. Where, therefore, reborn, living Christians are, there is his church. Now no man becomes a true, reborn Christian without this doctrine of justification. Any other doctrine can well, to be sure, great