# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1896_S13
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1896. 13

conduct without further ado a piece of church practice, of false church practice. But "the other Jews" dissembled with him. A circle of congregation members gathered around Peter who now, in fellowship with him and with one another, practiced a manner that intervened in a shaping way in church life as such, for example in the celebration of the Lord's Supper, which was connected with the agapes or love feasts. If the manner which Peter and a considerable part of the congregation practiced here were to prevail, then congregational life in Antioch would take on a different, and indeed a false, character. And this undertaking Paul rebukes "before them all," as a matter that concerned everyone. And what standard does he apply? He saw "that they did not walk uprightly according to the truth of the Gospel." Judged by the Gospel of God, the preaching of Christ and His apostles, their conduct was perverse, their practice false. In this matter they have not, with their church practice, conformed to the norm of the divine Word.

Now many kinds of functions and institutions which belong to church life as such are governed by God's Word. One such matter is the practice of the Lord's Supper as such, the celebration of the Lord's Supper in what essentially belongs to it. For there we have the express command of Christ: "This do." He does not say there: "Believe this," but: "Do this." That we are to believe His words goes without saying; otherwise He could not be the Savior who says: "I am the truth." But the command which He here utters in the institution of the Sacrament, His command to the congregation which He has before Him there, and to the whole Church, runs: "Do this, what you have now done with me, do this also in the future." And in doing so He points out to the end of time, since in the context of this His discourse He speaks of the fact that He will drink of the fruit of the vine again with them in the kingdom of glory. And also in other passages of Scripture the practice of the Lord's Supper is governed by God's Word, so that we can and should know from God's Word how we are to act there, what we are to do there, and what we are to avoid there. The apostle says: "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of this bread and drink of this cup." 1 Cor. 11:28. By this we are told, we the congregations, we the pastors, that we may administer the Sacrament, and have it administered, only to those who can examine themselves and, as far as we are able to judge, also wish to examine themselves and actually examine themselves and so come and "eat of this bread and drink of this cup."

Furthermore, it is likewise set forth to us in Scripture that the Sacrament of the Altar is a confession, a common proclaiming of the death of Christ, 1 Cor. 11:26, and that those who eat there become partakers of the altar, 1 Cor. 10:16–21. Therein lies, for all times, as norm for our practice of the Lord's Supper, that all who are not with us