# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1908_S18
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

18 Proceedings of the twenty-second convention

only association established by God in the Christian Church. All other associations and unions are only human order. We do not let the synodical union be made into a divine order. But one thing is still divine order beyond the union in the local congregation: this, that we recognize and treat as brethren in the faith the Christians who confess the right faith in other places. The Apostle Paul writes to Timothy (2 Tim. 1:8): "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner." Accordingly Timothy is to recognize and treat as a brother in the faith also Paul, who was separated from him by place and imprisoned at Rome, because Paul was a true preacher of the Gospel. Christ is here on earth confessed and denied in the confessors of His Word. Had someone spoken to Timothy somewhat thus: "You may indeed preach the Gospel of Christ, but with Paul you must have nothing to do; you must not recognize him as a brother in the faith; you must renounce him," etc. — had someone spoken so or similarly to Timothy, and Timothy had complied with the speech, then Timothy would in Paul have denied Christ Himself.

Compare Luther on the confession of his (Luther's) name: "I see that a good admonition is needed, to be given to those whom Satan now begins to persecute, among whom there are some who think they will escape the danger when they are attacked by saying: I do not hold with Luther, nor with anyone, but with the holy Gospel and with the holy Church; then they are left in peace, and yet in their hearts they keep my doctrine as evangelical and stay by it. Truly, such a confession does not help them, and is as much as denying Christ. Therefore I ask that they take good care. — It is true that you must by no means say, body and soul: I am Lutheran or papist, for none of these died for you or is your master; but Christ alone; and you should confess yourself a Christian. But if you hold that Luther's doctrine is evangelical and the Pope's unevangelical, then you must not throw Luther away altogether; otherwise you throw away his doctrine too, which you yet recognize as Christ's doctrine. Rather you must say thus: Whether Luther be a rogue or a saint, I care nothing for that; but his doctrine is not his, but Christ's own."

So we too within the Synodical Conference should apply diligence to confess ourselves to one another as brethren in the faith. If therefore, for example, one orthodox synod is attacked, another orthodox synod must feel this as an attack on itself and speak and act accordingly.

Augsburg Confession (Art. VII): "It is also taught that one holy Christian Church must be and remain forever,