# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1908_S34
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

34 Proceedings of the twenty-second convention

for keeping oneself separated from the orthodox church and for fighting against the orthodox church takes place among many who have grown up in erring communions and have, so to speak, imbibed with their mother's milk false interpretations of certain passages of Scripture. But whoever has once stood in the knowledge of the right doctrine will find on close examination that he has fallen into false doctrine for evidently fleshly reasons and has caused division in the Christian Church. Especially in our time people think, to be sure, that even with a sincerely Christian disposition, through earnest searching of Scripture, different doctrinal tendencies can arise in the Christian Church. But that is an error, which has its ground in that one does not regard Scripture as the clear Word of God. As surely as Scripture is clear, so surely everyone remains with the right doctrine as long as he reads Scripture in a sincerely Christian disposition and submits to the Scripture word in simple faith.

Let us pay attention to what Scripture says about the motives of those who teach otherwise than God's Word and thereby cause division in the Church. St. Paul writes in Rom. 16:18 of those who cause division and offenses contrary to the doctrine of the Apostles: "They that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple." — Let us also hear what Luther says on this point on Eph. 4:1-6: "For it is also the very greatest and most harmful offense of the Church to cause discord and division of doctrine; which the devil also drives to the utmost. And it commonly comes from certain haughty, headstrong and ambitious heads, who want to be something special, strive for their honor and glory; cannot put themselves on a level with anyone; think it would be their disgrace if they were not to be praised as more learned and of greater spirit (which they do not have at all) than others; grudge no one the honor, though they see that he has greater gifts; likewise, out of envy, anger, hatred or revenge against others seek to make factions and to draw the people to themselves." (Erl. 9, 290 f.)

If we wish to be preserved from the terrible sin of disturbing fellowship among brethren in the faith, it is necessary that we watch over our fleshly, vindictive, proud, headstrong heart. Let no one here be secure. Whoever says: That cannot happen to me, does not yet rightly know his wicked heart. Experience teaches: people who not merely hypocritically but sincerely confessed the pure doctrine and fought the false doctrine became personally embittered. They yielded to this mood, and soon afterward they became defenders of the false doctrine and opponents of the pure doctrine.

When is there disturbance, or rather abolition, of fellowship among brethren in the faith between sister congregations and sister synods? A quite gross disturbance of fellowship among brethren in the faith excludes