# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1886_S7
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1886. 7

43: "To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins." Chap. 26:22 f.: "Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead." 1 Cor. 1:23: "But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness." Chap. 2:2: "For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified."

What holds of the oral preaching of the apostles, namely that it is the foundation of the Church of Christ, holds also of their written words. This already follows from Eph. 2:20, where it says: "Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone." Here the prophets of the Old Covenant are named, who were already dead at that time and so no longer preached orally, but through their writings. Not only God's people in the Jewish church of the Old Covenant, but also the New Testament Christians are built upon the foundation of the prophets as well. Compare Rom. 16:26: "But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith." Rom. 15:4: "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning," etc. Note well: for us, the New Testament Christians, what was written aforetime was written for learning. And 2 Pet. 1:19 says: "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed," etc. Here he does not say: the fathers of the Old Covenant had a sure prophetic word, but you in the New Testament do well to take heed to us — but rather: you New Testament Christians also take heed to the writings of the prophets; in that you do well. So Christ, our Master, also pointed those who were to believe in him to the writings of the prophets. John 5:39: "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." When the LORD said this, none of the New Testament writings had yet been written. And the disciples of John, who stood in doubt and whose faith was to be firmly grounded through Christ, he refers in Matt. 11:5 to the prophet Isaiah, chap. 61:1; 35:5. To his own disciples, who through his death had almost entirely lost the ground under their feet and had carried their hope to the grave with Christ, he showed after his resurrection not first his hands and feet; rather, to rekindle the little flame of faith, he expounded to them the writings of the prophets. And they felt well how their hearts were warmed by it. Luke 24:32: "And they said among