# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1884_S37
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1884. 35

but he did not want to lead the people out of Scripture.

What Christ here teaches us about Scripture, our Lutheran Church also teaches. So it says in the Formula of Concord: "In this way the distinction between Holy Scripture of the Old and New Testament and all other writings is preserved, and Holy Scripture alone remains the only judge, rule and norm, according to which, as the only touchstone, all doctrines shall and must be recognized and judged, whether they be good or evil, right or wrong. The other Symbols and writings cited are not judges, but only a testimony and declaration of the faith, as at all times Holy Scripture in disputed articles was understood and expounded in the Church of God by those living at the time, and the doctrines contrary to it rejected and condemned." (First Part. Summary Concept. p. 518.)

Judges in controversies of doctrine there are therefore, according to this, none other than Holy Scripture. Even the Symbols, according to this, do not have this authority. Let no one object to us: You too always at once bring out the symbolical books in controversies. For that has quite a different bearing. We want thereby to prove that our doctrine is Lutheran, since we are denounced as Calvinists. That our doctrine is the only true one, that we prove from Scripture alone. When we met in Milwaukee with the leader of the opposing party, we therefore took the Bible, for it was a matter there of showing which doctrine is the true one. First we had to show our poor Lutheran Christian people, in part frightened by the slanders of our malicious enemies, from the Confession that those lie who call us Calvinists. But when thereupon the question also arose whether the doctrine of the Symbols, which we professed, was the true one, then it was a matter of proving this from Scripture.

Luther therefore writes: "When they (the papists) bring up a saying of the Fathers against me, they ring all the bells, beat all the drums, and cry out hostilely that they have won; they stop both ears and eyes, want thereby to have the whole Scripture stopped up and smothered for me. . . But the books of all the Fathers must be read with discretion, not believing them, but looking to see whether they too bring clear Scripture and explain Scripture with bright Scripture. . . So that nothing more than the bare sword, the Word of God, may rule with everyone." (Answer to the Super-Christian etc. Book of Goat Emser. From the year 1521. XVIII, 1583. 1585 f.)

Here it must also be recalled that the Scripture proof must also be conducted rightly. If, for example, a dark passage is found in Holy Scripture on a mysterious doctrine, we must not