# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1914_S31
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1914. 31

fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." This agrees also with the promises of Scripture. To all Christians applies the exhortation to fight the good warfare (1 Tim. 1:18) and to fight the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12). To all applies also the promise: "Be faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life." (Rev. 2:10.) "He that overcomes shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne." (Rev. 3:5, 21.) "He that endures to the end shall be saved." (Matt. 24:13.)

18. Followers of God.
(Eph. 5:1.)

The model. Christ has loved us. He said so, and he has proved it with his works. The works of love that he did were not easy; they laid a sacrifice upon him, a heavy sacrifice, a sacrifice that cost him his life. "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us." (1 John 3:16.) So great is this love that God himself commends it, that Christ died for us while we were yet sinners. (Rom. 5:8.) — Christ did not die for us by chance, not simply as someone may meet his death in a rescue; as our High Priest he gave himself as a sacrifice and offered up his life on the altar of the cross, to blot out God's wrath against our sin, to satisfy his righteousness, so that he can again take pleasure in us. — Christ died not only for us, for our good; he went into death for us, in our place, as our substitute. He brought a vicarious sacrifice, and we may not do once more what he has already done for us. — Christ died for us while we were yet sinners, and because we were sinners who lay under the wrath of God, were dead in trespasses and sins, and were wholly unable and unwilling to help ourselves. Therefore Christ had compassion on us in our misery, to rescue us from it and to bring us to God and into heaven.

The following. "Be followers," says the Apostle, simply followers. We may not experiment in order to find a model; we may not make journeys to discover a model; we may not ponder and brood to construct a model. The