# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1888_S15
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1888. 15

fellowship is concerned, what matters is only doctrine, and not ceremonies, constitutions or even synods. It can become dangerous if we do not point people away from adiaphora [things indifferent] and to God's Word. It should stand thus with us: If we come into a church and find the same ceremonies as with us, but a different doctrine, we cannot feel at home there. And conversely: Where we do find different ceremonies but yet the same doctrine, and hear the pure Gospel, there we should feel at home, for there is Christ. Where God's Word is preached pure and unadulterated, there we hear Christ's voice.

By unity in faith we understand the actual agreement in doctrine. There are people, even so-called Lutherans, who assert: We agree with you in everything in which you demand agreement. We accept not only the Augustana in general or "in essentials," not only the "chief articles," but we accept without reservation the whole Confessions of the Lutheran church. Why do you refuse us ecclesiastical recognition? Do you demand more than that? Answer: We demand no more than agreement in all articles of doctrine. But we also demand agreement, not merely words that say there is agreement; we demand the agreement itself. When we see that you speak of agreement in the truth but do not have it, — then, on the strength of your mere words, while the thing itself is lacking, we cannot regard you as people who stand in the unity of faith that God wills. If you tolerate among you people who believe and teach otherwise than is taught in God's Word and confessed in the Confession of the church, then your words about unity are given the lie. First see to it that what you say becomes truth; then we are really one. —

When the thesis says: "By unity in faith we understand agreement in all articles of the Christian doctrine revealed in Holy Scripture," what is meant here is not knowing the whole of Holy Scripture. It could happen that someone knows only the New Testament, and yet he is perfectly one with us in faith. Why? Because all articles of Christian doctrine lie revealed in the New Testament. If, then, he had drawn his knowledge of Christian doctrine only from the New Testament, he would nevertheless stand with us in the right unity of faith. He would have the right picture of the God who saves us in Christ JESUS. We must therefore distinguish between unity in faith and the extent of knowledge of the Word of God. A person may be ignorant of much that stands in God's Word and yet be one with us in faith. Many doctrines are revealed in hundreds of places; but someone already agrees with us if he has drawn the right doctrine from only one of the relevant passages. — A person may also in the interpretation of this or that