# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1892_S34
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

34 Proceedings of the fourteenth convention

knowledge of sin," says Scripture; in this mirror they could see their soiled heart, all the more since they have by nature already a certain knowledge of their sinfulness and guilt before God, Rom. 2:13 ff. If now through the preaching of the Law no deeper knowledge of sin, no knowledge of their damnableness, no anxiety is worked in them, this can only be because they suppress that natural knowledge, deny their sins against better knowledge, and are thus themselves to blame if the preaching of the Law has no effect on them.

So the guilt is also evident in those who do indeed come through the Law to knowledge of their sins but soon cast the threats to the wind, go on in security, never ask how they can be helped, and even let the Law, which uncovers to them God's wrath and punishment, become an occasion to blaspheme and deny God. They deceive themselves, look into the mirror of the Law, go away and forget what they looked like, or in their wickedness only make it worse. That is certainly their own guilt. They are then also further to blame if they do not come to faith through the preaching of the Gospel, since contrition is a necessary precondition of faith. Whoever thinks himself healthy, rich, clothed, filled, and will not let this delusion be taken from him, to him the Gospel shows in vain the rescuing physician, the rich treasure, the robe of righteousness, the rich goods of the house of God. To him it cries in vain: "Come, for all things are now ready," "Let him that is thirsty come, and whoever will, let him take the water of life freely," "Be reconciled to God." To those who are self-righteous through their own fault, the free grace of God in Christ is offered in vain through their own fault.

It is harder to show to what extent those are themselves to blame for their unbelief and damnation who do indeed come to knowledge of their sins but not to faith in Christ. God's Word says: They do not receive Christ; they loved darkness rather than light; the Gospel is to them foolishness and an offense; the prince of this world has blinded them so that they do not see the bright light of the Gospel; they would not be gathered; they have thrust from themselves the life offered to them; they have resisted the Holy Spirit, who wished to teach them to call Christ their Lord. But, says reason, could they, the spiritually blind, the spiritually dead, have done otherwise of themselves? We must say: No, and yet this their conduct toward the grace of God is their own guilt. For our reason that is an impenetrable mystery. So much we know, that it is their guilt for this reason, that God offered them also the power which they did not have, wished himself to work faith in them. The call: "Come to me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest," "Believe the Gospel," etc., has the power,