# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1906_S11
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1906. 11

Gospel of the one hope that is reserved for you is preached, the Holy Spirit works in you the one spirit that rules in the one body." If we hold fast to this, we recognize as the characteristic of a Christian precisely these two things: faith and hope. In contrast to the world outside Christianity, and also in contrast to the fact that one strives chiefly after knowledge, is by nature of a legalistic cast in his will, and wants to earn something by his works, it is the characteristic of the Christian that he believes and places his hope on something outside himself, namely on the LORD Jesus. The Apostle carries out this thought in the three chapters by saying again and again of the blessings that they are in Christ. Everything comes down to this, that for us the LORD Jesus Christ alone exists when there is talk of hope. To this comes the further thought that the Christian does not cling to the outward life on earth; his conversation is in heaven, he strives toward the future, looks out for salvation. — Here reference should also be made to Phil. 3:1–15, where Paul develops just these thoughts exhaustively.

From the Discussion.

That by which the unity in the Spirit is established is the fellowship in the Gospel. As long as men want to be saved by the law, everything flies apart in all directions. There the one finds this advantage in himself, the other another; each asserts his own advantage. Thus arises the war of all against all. This changes as soon as the wonderful mystery of eternity, the Gospel, approaches men. On the way of the law, of works, of one's own advantages, no one gains anything before God; whoever wants to be saved must be saved without works of the law, without the law, through the grace that Christ has obtained and that the Gospel offers. There the dividing fence is thoroughly torn down. There is absolutely nothing in the whole world that can make men one in spiritual matters except the Gospel. When this has become powerful in men, they enter eo ipso into the unity in the Spirit. For this reason the growth of the Church is also described to us in the Acts of the Apostles with the words: "And believers were the more added to the Lord." From this hope follows at once. Whoever has come to fellowship in the Gospel has his gaze directed chiefly only toward one thing, toward the eternal blessedness that is offered to him. It is characteristic of the heathen that they have no hope; the characteristic of the Christians, on the other hand, is that they can glory in a hope. Even the weakest faith has the whole Christ and therefore the hope of eternal life. It may be covered up by temptation, but as faith is found in every Christian, so hope is found in him also.