# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1884_S20
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

20 Proceedings of the tenth convention

calling, then justification, and finally the glory of eternal life. Our opponents, however, reverse this order. They put calling as No. 1, justification as No. 2, and as No. 3 there comes with them the ordaining. In this they invert the divine order in this chief passage of Holy Scripture on election. For it teaches plainly: the reason why I am called, why God justifies me and finally makes me eternally blessed, is this: God has predestined me to it. So also teaches § 8 of the 11th Article of the Formula of Concord.

A second foundation passage of Scripture on election is Ephesians 1. There it says: "God has ordained us to adoption as children toward himself, through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will." Let us again not forget that "ordain" means predestinate. Here it stands again plainly that we are predestinated to faith. For how else could we be ordained to adoption as children? Only through faith am I a child of God. According to this passage, therefore, I have not to thank myself, namely my conduct, that I am a child of God and have become obedient to the Gospel, but I have only God to thank for that, who said: this wretched, worthless sinner shall be saved, I will give him faith. Only this mercy of God, joined with the dear merit of Jesus Christ, are the two causes of my election. Hence it also says here: "through Christ," which means nothing else than: for Christ's sake, for the sake of his merit.

A third passage is John 15:16: "You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you." Thereby the Savior says to his apostles: In you there is no cause that you are elected, you have not made the beginning; tell me nothing of anything that you did toward it so that you were elected; I am the cause, my grace has chosen you.

The fourth passage is John 15:19: "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." Here there is nothing about Christ's having elected the apostles from the state of faith, but from the world. I saw in you nothing but worldly mind; as children of the world I took you out of the world. Our opponents, on the other hand, make Christ speak thus: I first saw in you faith, your mind turned away from the world, your penitent heart, in short, I saw you as dear children of God, and therefore I have elected you to salvation.

The fifth passage is finally Acts 13:48: "As many as were ordained to eternal life believed"; according to the Greek: "as many as had been ordained to eternal life," that is, already from eternity, before they believed. For as many as had already been elected from eternity to eternal life, so many also became believers in time.