# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1886_S44
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

44 Proceedings of the eleventh convention

man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Cor. 2:14. This doctrine too, that the Bible is God's Word, is foolishness to the natural man. It is said, to be sure: man must look at the Bible impartially, approach it impartially. But that is a satanic demand. What a devil that would have to be who would step before the Bible and say: It is all the same to me what this book is, whether God speaks here or a man! There has also never yet been one who approached the Bible impartially. For the natural man is an enemy of God. "To be carnally minded is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Rom. 8:7. Holy Scripture is not to the liking of any natural man, neither old nor young, neither learned nor simple. What it says of man or demands of him is offensive to the natural heart. There it says: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 John 2:15. There it is said of the heart of all men: "The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth." Gen. 8:21. It calls the natural man a fool. It puts his righteousness to shame, rejects it as sheer unrighteousness. In contrast, all human doctrines of virtue always leave every man a little door open, which makes it convenient for him still to follow the desires of his heart. And finally Holy Scripture demands unconditional obedience of faith. Against this the carnally minded heart, hostile to God, rears up. Man does not want to stand there as a lost and condemned sinner who, like a poor beggar, is saved by grace alone. If Scripture were not so fashioned, if it left the natural man his share too, recognized his exertions, his sacrifices, man would be readier to accept it. How much man lets himself put up with from human teachings! The Corinthians let themselves be flayed and struck in the face, as Paul says. But with Holy Scripture the offense of the natural flesh appears at once. Just so it went with Christ himself. Compare only the offense that the Jews took at Christ's person, teaching and preaching. Because the LORD said of himself that he was God's Son, the high priest therefore rent his garment. That Christ asserted he spoke only and always the truth, that he had no sin; that he stopped the mouths of the Pharisees and Sadducees, this the godless Jews did not forgive him, therefore they rejected him and did not want him to reign over them; therefore they cried at last: "Crucify, crucify him, and release unto us Barabbas!"

If it is now to come to the point with a man that he acknowledges the Bible as God's Word, he must by this very Word of God be a new