# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1884_S7
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1884. 7

congregations have also been entirely content with it, and still are. First, we would fear God's wrath if we brought to the pulpit a doctrine that is not taken from Holy Scripture. But further, we have also at all times brought testimonies from human writings into our synods, pastoral conferences, periodicals and sermons. And finally, all of us who stand in grace with God and are governed by his Holy Spirit have also found here and there a little grain by our own meditation, with heartfelt prayer, and from our own experience.

Have we, in the latter, perhaps set God's Word aside and founded our faith on human authority? Far be it! Our conviction, so may God will, is rather one well grounded in Scripture.

1 Thess. 5:20 says: "Do not despise prophecy." It will be known to all diligent readers of the Bible that the word "prophecy" in Scripture is not always used in the sense of foretelling future things, of predictions, but that it also means: to expound Scripture. This latter sense it has beyond doubt here also. For immediately afterward, verse 21, Paul says: "But test everything, and hold fast what is good." But when prophets, moved by the Holy Spirit, prophesy of the future, it cannot be said: But test it well! For we cannot test it at all before it is fulfilled. We do not even always know for certain what is meant in the prophecy, and can only say after its fulfillment: Yes, now we see what the Holy Spirit meant, for everything has happened literally. But it would be an outrage to say: Now we will test this, and accept what is good. A Christian accepts that without further ado. For this belongs to the character of a Christian: he believes the writings of the apostles and prophets. If God today still sent a properly accredited prophet, we would have to believe him without further ado. To reject him would be a blasphemy against God. But if a prophet of the New Testament came to a Jew who did not yet know that he is a prophet, the latter would indeed have to test him first. Hence we have the fine example in the Bereans, who daily searched the Scriptures of the Old Testament to see whether it was as Paul preached to them.

From this it follows that in our passage the subject must be the interpretation of Holy Scripture. Paul then says to Christians: It is not enough that you read in deepest reverence in the written Word of God; you must also not despise the interpretations of godly men. He does not say: you must accept them without further ado, but only: do not despise them. For I am to accept only what agrees with Scripture. Hence it also says in Rom. 12:7: "If anyone has prophecy, let it be in accordance with the faith." If anyone, then, has the gift,