# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1914_S7
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1914. 7

stretched out his hand over his disciples and said: "Behold, here is my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven, the same is my brother, sister and mother." (Matt. 12:46–50.) Also when he comes again in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then in the public judgment of the world he will acknowledge his disciples as his brothers. "Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these my brothers, you have done it to me." (Matt. 25:40.) Yes, Christians are Christ's brothers born again. We are born again, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, namely of the living Word of God, which abides forever. (1 Pet. 1:23.) And as many as received him, to them he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12, 13; cf. also 1 John 5:1; James 1:18; John 3:3.)

Christians are like their Brother in many respects. Christ was anointed with the Holy Spirit. "God anointed this same Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power." (Acts 10:38; cf. also Luke 4:18; Acts 4:27.) Christ was filled with the Holy Spirit, was full of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1), sealed by the Father (John 6:27). Through Christ, Christians also are anointed by the Father, filled and sealed with the Holy Spirit. "It is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us and sealed us and given the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge." (2 Cor. 1:21, 22; cf. 1 John 2:20, 27; Acts 2:4; 9:17; 4:8, 31; 6:5; Eph. 5:18.) Through Christ, those who believe are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. (Eph. 1:13; cf. 4:30; 2 Tim. 2:19.) — Christ suffered, was crucified, buried; he was raised again and ascended into heaven. All these deeds of Christ and their blessed fruit his brothers already possess now spiritually in faith, so that it can be said of them that they suffer with Christ, are crucified with him, buried, etc. Paul sought "to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made like unto his death." (Phil. 3:10.) "We are buried with Christ by baptism into death, that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also should walk in newness of life." (Rom. 6:4; cf. vv. 6, 8; 2 Cor. 4:10, 11.) Bodily also they will become like their Brother in these respects, here in suffering, afterward in glory. We are joint heirs of Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together. (Rom. 8:17.) — Christ is the judge of the living and the dead. In the judgment of the world Christians will be assessors with their Brother. "Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?" (1 Cor. 6:2; cf. Matt. 19:28.)