# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1906_S31
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1906. 31

through patience. To be sure, patience must not go so far that one disregards what God demands of us in doctrine and practice.

Finally it says: "Forbearing one another in love." Not only is the other in a position to be hurt by me, but I myself also come on occasion into the position of being hurt by others. Therefore we should keep peace with one another by always taking care to bear with one another and to forgive, self-evidently always only so far that God's Word does not come off short in the process.

This is now said by the Apostle to the individual Christians in the congregations. Since in our time and in our country conditions have developed in such a way that we are divided into various synods, which in turn stand together in the Synodical Conference [Synodalkonferenz], it is among us mostly a question of the application of this teaching to the synods in their conduct toward one another. Every Christian understands the exhortation and knows how to apply it in his intercourse with another Christian; for us Christians what the Apostle says here is all self-evident. But when we look at the life of our synods with one another, it often seems difficult to recognize these exhortations as self-evident there too. Two persons who represent such synods and have fallen into dispute with one another would under ordinary circumstances probably not leave this exhortation unheeded, if it were a matter of things between the two of them. But as soon as they have to act as representatives of their synods, the matter becomes difficult for them. A trait comes in there which at first glance does not appear at all unattractive. A man who represents a synod takes into consideration what the mind and opinion of his synod is, and does not want to let his personal feeling rule. Then he very easily comes to represent his synod in a way in which he would not represent his own cause. For this reason it is of the highest importance to apply this exhortation of the Apostle also to the dealings of the synods with one another.

From the Discussion.

It is noteworthy how our old theologians hit on the right thing in the interpretation of the words "Be diligent to keep," etc., while the more recent theologians, who are often superior to them in knowledge of languages, go astray and, for example, do not at all want to understand the peace as the peace of Christians with one another, but as the peace which men have with God. And yet one cannot here arrive at any other thought than that Christians are to keep peace with one another. Of course people of unionistic mind may not exploit this in the sense of prescribing to us that we must keep peace with those who manifestly depart from God's Word in doctrine or practice. Scripture represents it as an abnormity, as senseless, when in the Church something else is taught and as legitimate doctrine