# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1884_S45
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1884. 43

ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but (as it is in truth) as the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe." Here Paul gives his Thessalonians the testimony of true faith for this reason, that they did not receive the word which he preached as a word of men, but as the Word of God. Had they received it as a word of men, their faith would have been a semblance of faith, with which they would have gone to hell. For when man must step before God in God's judgment, he must be able to say: Lord, on thy Word I have believed and hoped, so thou canst now also not deny me what thy Word has promised me.

1 Cor. 2:4–5: "And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power; that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." That alone, then, is faith, when one can say: not on the wisdom, holiness and reputation of men is my faith built, but on the power of God.

The Formula of Concord therefore says, in the catalog of testimonies from the writings of the Fathers appended to it, among other things the following: "The true saving faith is to be founded on no ancient or modern teacher, but solely and alone on God's Word, which is comprehended in the writings of the holy prophets and apostles as unquestioned witnesses of the divine truth. . . Therefore the Book of Concord refers everyone to Holy Scripture and to the simple Catechism. For whoever holds to the same simplicity with right simple faith keeps his soul and conscience best, as built upon a firm and immovable rock." (Catalog of the Testimonies of Holy Scripture and of the Ancient Pure Teachers of the Church. See Book of Concord, p. 825 f.)

It is true: if a man known to me as a pure teacher says something, I do not regard it with distrust, but have rather the good prejudice that it will probably be true, although I have not yet tested it. This is the case especially with Luther, the Reformer sealed by God. But I am not yet divinely certain of my matter. Then I must first test it by God's Word and must then, forsaking Luther's authority, ground myself on Scripture itself, but thank him that he has led me into Scripture. Note this well, then: neither on the faith of an ancient nor of a modern Church Father shall my faith be built, otherwise it is only a semblance of faith. But such faith is just no easy matter, but very hard. That is the real art of a true Christian, that he believes something solely because God sets it before him in his Word. Hence there can also be Christians who accept many doctrines and do not reject them, and they have