# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1910_S13
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1910. 13

such knowledge, even if drawn from Holy Scripture, and with all knowledge about Holy Scripture, a person does not yet know
Holy Scripture. Holy Scripture is known only by him who
has come to repentance through it and has found in it forgiveness of sins.

Our testimony must therefore be a preaching of repentance. We must
impress the Ten Commandments upon people. We must, for example, testify that every
angry thought is murder, every unchaste thought fornication, every dishonest
thought theft, and the like. And these are not small, trifling
sins. They are great, mighty sins, sins against the
almighty, holy God. And the wages of sin is death, temporal and eternal death.

When, then, alarmed by the recognition of these terrible truths,
people ask: What must I do to be saved? we
are to bear witness to them of the forgiveness of sins. The sinner
is not to pay for his sin, he is not to work off his sin.
His sin is forgiven, remitted. "Christ was delivered for our offences
and raised again for our justification,"
Rom. 4:25. According to the Scriptures this has happened. Christ was our
substitute. What he did, he did in our stead. What
he did we need not do again. What he did
suffices to satisfy the justice of God. This the
sinner may accept; on this he may trust; on this he may rely;
this he may believe; in this he shall have comfort, refreshment, salvation.
This we are to testify.

Where are we to witness? "Among all nations, beginning at
Jerusalem." That is Christ's answer, which settles the matter. Thereby
the Lord ordains missions of every kind, home missions of every kind,
foreign missions of every kind. All the world is to be filled in all places and in all
languages with the testimony of Jesus.

How does Jesus equip his witnesses? He himself "opened
their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures," Luke 24:45,
and bade them tarry at Jerusalem until they were endued with power
from on high, v. 49. At Pentecost they were endued with power
from on high, when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them. Then
they had power and courage to witness. They preached repentance so earnestly
that it went through the hearers' hearts and they cried: "Men
and brethren, what shall we do?" And they preached forgiveness of
sin so powerfully that on that day about three thousand
souls were added to the hearers, Acts 2:37–41.

So Jesus himself equipped his witnesses, so that they not only
preach repentance and forgiveness of sins with words. Their whole
life is a testimony of repentance and forgiveness. Many Christians also
gave testimony with their blood, became blood-witnesses, martyrs.
In this way they won many heathen for Christ, so that it has been
beautifully said: "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church."