# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1916_S31
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1916. 31

has led our fathers to the saving knowledge of his Gospel, he has given them the joyfulness to proclaim his Word, to confess it under many kinds of difficulties, under much mockery and scorn, also from the false churches. He blessed their faithful testimony beyond all asking and understanding, has through the preaching of the Gospel built his Church here and brought it to unimagined flourishing. We believe, teach and confess that Holy Scripture is God's Word, the only source and the only infallible norm and rule of our faith and life, the lamp unto our feet and the light upon our path, in itself clear and perfect for its purpose, which does not first need a human interpreter, but makes wise the simple. We believe, teach and confess that we human beings are all lost by nature in sins and cannot help ourselves, but that God has had mercy on us and sent his Son to us as Savior, who through life, suffering and death has redeemed us, reconciled us with his heavenly Father and obtained for the whole lost world of sinners forgiveness of all their sins, life and salvation. Whoever accepts these goods which are offered us in God's Word, whoever believes in Christ, puts his trust in him, has them freely and for nothing, is God's dear child, an heir of salvation. We believe, teach and confess that this faith, which grasps Christ and his merit, is not our work and doing, neither wholly nor in any part, but solely the work of God the Holy Spirit, who works in us both the willing and the doing according to his good pleasure, who in spite of our resistance works faith in us through the Gospel, preserves us in it to the end and so saves us. In this work we give God alone the glory; we know nothing here and want to know nothing of our work and doing. We believe, teach and confess according to God's Word that every Christian may and should, in faith, trusting the eternally firm promises of the Gospel, be quite certain of the forgiveness of his sins, of his state of grace with God and of his salvation, in spite of devil, world and all sin. To the sinner, to every penitent sinner, we give from God's Word full, complete comfort and with it strength, courage, desire and joyfulness for the fight against sin, the assaults of Satan and the world; strength and courage, desire and joyfulness for a new life according to the will of our God and Savior. That is the faith and the confession of the true Lutheran Church, that is the real inheritance of the Reformation, from which all other benefits flow. And this Gospel is with us — again we say it confidently with heartfelt thanks to the faithful God, to whom alone we owe all this — not merely a dead confession, a doctrine that stands on paper and that we parade when occasion requires, but this Gospel is still in vogue with us, it still has dominion in our congregations. Far be it from us to assert that our