# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1882_S64
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 64 —

Resolved, that we confess what the Hon. Synods of Wisconsin and Minnesota have written in their synodical reports of this year on the doctrine of election of grace, from the words: "Concerning eternal election Holy Scripture teaches the following," to the words: "That is how one should speak of election, and take the word of Scripture as it stands." (Compare above, page 58 f.)

Only Pastor Muus voted: No.

When the vote was now also to be taken on the concluding sentence, which deals with the rejection of the "intuitu fidei," a longer debate again arose over the right understanding of it.

On the one hand it was held that there are also opponents who give such an interpretation of the expression objected to as one cannot regard as false. And besides, one surely does not wish to declare the old dogmaticians of the seventeenth century to be false teachers.

To this it was remarked: The "intuitu fidei" is always a misleading expression. For according to their grammatical sense these words imply that faith is either a motive for election, and in this way synergism comes into the doctrine of election of grace, that is, one ascribes to man a cooperation in the matter of his salvation; or they are meant to be the ground of explanation, and that involves rationalism. Therefore we reject this expression. A man can, after all, mean something better than he says. If someone means the right thing in the doctrine of election of grace but then uses the expression "intuitu fidei," he expresses himself wrongly. If one examines his meaning, it may be quite good and right; but then one will also have to tell him: So give up your expression and keep your good meaning. If one now says: This is a misleading expression, then the word "misleading" is meant to say: Even if you have the right understanding of election of grace but make use of this expression, people will not understand you properly. Yet it cannot be denied that the word "misleading" may also be taken to mean that one could after all understand the expression "intuitu fidei" rightly, and that it merely leads easily to misunderstandings.

As for the old dogmaticians, we cannot and will not by any means call them false teachers, even if they made use of this expression, because they were nevertheless diligent in giving God all the honour. Our present opponents, however, hold a plainly false doctrine, which they connect with the "intuitu fidei." — Another remarked: "I cannot judge otherwise than that the old teachers departed from Scripture and the Symbols with their "intuitu fidei." But