# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1886_S60
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

60 Proceedings of the eleventh convention

old." Further Heb. 4:7: "Again he limiteth a certain day, after so
long a time, saying in David: Today, as it is said, today, if ye
will hear his voice, harden not your hearts." Finally Heb.
7:20-21: "For those priests were made without an oath; but this one with
an oath, by him that said unto him: The LORD sware
and will not repent: Thou art a priest for ever after the
order of Melchisedec." From the fact that Ps. 110:4 says: sworn,
he proves that Christ is bound by an oath. So also Rom.
4:6, 7, 9: "Even as David also describeth the blessedness
of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without
works, saying: Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered. . . . Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision
only, or upon the uncircumcision also? For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham
for righteousness." Here the apostle reads out of the word "blessed" the precious
truth that we become righteous and blessed without works, solely
by the imputation of Christ's righteousness. Further Eph. 4:8-9: "Wherefore
he saith: When he ascended up on high, he led captivity
captive, and gave gifts unto men. Now that he ascended, what is it
but that he also descended first into the
lower parts of the earth?" Here Paul cites from the 68th Psalm the
word "ascended" and uses it to prove that here
it is not the three persons of the Godhead but Christ alone who is
spoken of. For he argues thus: only he has ascended who has
descended. Therefore it is wholly irrefutably certain that here
God speaks of his Son Jesus Christ, who first descended into
the deepest depths of humiliation, of the curse and wrath of God. For
neither the Father nor the Holy Spirit could be exalted.

So the LORD Christ also points to the names of persons and places
in Scripture, John 7:42: "Hath not the Scripture said, that Christ cometh of the seed of
David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"
(Ps. 132:11, Mic. 5:1). Hence we see also from
the story of the wise men from the East how the scribes
do not shake at it, when the name of the place of the Messiah's birth is
given in the Old Testament. They are quite calm, although
they know that, if they report falsely to the bloody Herod, it
may cost them their heads. And how they would have fallen upon Christ
if it had turned out that Bethlehem was not the place
of his birth. Yes, with that Scripture too would have collapsed
as a book that is not reliable in the individual expression. So
not one of these words of Holy Scripture shall be lost. Matt.
5:18: "Verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise
pass from the law, till all