# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1914_S17
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1914. 17

honor; and a preacher must say with the Psalmist: "Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto your name give glory!" (Ps. 115:1.)

True Christians are a letter of recommendation, a proper letter of commendation for the writer of God, the preacher. Paul says to the Corinthians: "Do we need letters of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? You are our letter." (2 Cor. 3:1, 2.) "Are you not my work in the Lord? For the seal of my apostleship are you in the Lord." (1 Cor. 9:1, 2.) As the shepherd, so the flock; but also the other way round: as the flock, so the shepherd.

Christians are, above all, letters of recommendation for the Lord Christ himself. "You are manifestly declared to be the letter of Christ." (2 Cor. 3:3.) As the work praises its master and is the best recommendation for him, so also the work of Christ, that he makes sinners into saints, is the best letter of recommendation for him and for the power of his grace. By their conduct Christians powerfully point to their Lord and his work. They thereby draw people's attention to themselves, so that they inquire after the source of the power that is at work in Christians. So they are led to Christ. To be sure, many wilfully refuse to read this letter of Christ; others, however, read it and let themselves be moved by it to become Christians. When a Chinese was asked why he wanted to join the Christian church, since he had never heard the Gospel, he answered: "I have seen the Gospel." He had been won by the conduct of the missionaries. The missionaries were Christ's letter. Mission history reports many similar examples.

There are forged letters. Here everyone should ask himself whether he may be a forgery, that is, a hypocrite. When people observe you and examine your faith and your life closely, what impression of Christ must they get? What kind of recommendation for Christ are you?

Some letters are indeed genuine, but so soiled, so smudged, that the writing can be deciphered only with difficulty. Here everyone should ask himself: How is it with you? Christ has written you as his letter plainly and legibly; but have you perhaps, through sloth and indifference, so soiled and smeared Christ's letter that no one can read you properly any more, so that people do not know what to make of you, of your Christ, of your religion? Christians should rather strive to resemble a letter executed in raised-print script for the blind. The world is blind. Therefore a script is needed that it can feel.

Incidentally, the envelope might also be mentioned. The envelope should match the letter. Christians should, for example, take care not to follow shameless and immodest fashions in dress. Their dress should be tasteful, to be sure, but modest. (Cf. Rom. 12:2; 1 Tim. 2:9, 10; 1 Pet. 3:3, 4.)