# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1882_S58
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 58 —

II. Doctrinal Position of the Synodical Conference in the Present Doctrinal Controversy over the Election of Grace.

Eighth Session.
Monday morning, October 9.

The *Synodalkonferenz* [Synodical Conference] considered it important and necessary to issue a declaration on whether it also confesses from the heart the doctrine of the *Gnadenwahl* [election of grace] as it has been set forth by the Hon. Synods of Missouri, Wisconsin and Minnesota in public, official declarations.

These official declarations are as follows:

1. The Hon. Synods of Wisconsin and Minnesota

in a joint meeting of their synods held this year at La Crosse, Wis., adopted the following statement of the doctrine of election of grace as their own:

"Concerning eternal election Holy Scripture teaches the following:

"God, in infinite compassion for lost mankind, formed from eternity the decree to redeem all the world through Christ. We therefore reject as an accursed doctrine the doctrine of the Calvinists, that God sent His dear Son only for the elect, and that God formed the decree of election without any regard to Christ and His merit. Only the good pleasure of His will, and Christ and His sacrifice, which was to be offered for all, determined Him also in the particular decree of election.

"The Bible teaches further that God has had compassion on all, that Christ has come for all, and that He wills that all men be helped; and we designate as an accursed doctrine the one which says that Christ shed His blood only for the elect.

"Likewise Scripture teaches that God, for Christ's sake and according to the good pleasure of His will, chose from eternity certain men to salvation, in whom, for this reason, He works their calling, conversion and everything else that is necessary for their salvation, and who therefore will also certainly be saved; and because Scripture says so, therefore we believe it.

"Now someone asks: Can you make sense of that? — What? — Well: God wants to make all men blessed, and again: He has chosen only a few