# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1916_S54
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

54 Proceedings of the twenty-sixth convention

weapon against the papacy out of our hands, is spiritual satiety, the weariness of the dear Word, which sets in and then also has worldliness and worldly ways as its consequence. This is without doubt the greatest danger. Neither false science nor false union could harm us if it did not come to this, that people will no longer tolerate the Gospel, that one loathes this "light food," that one has become sated with this heavenly nourishment and strives for new things. How Luther already lamented this satiety, this contempt of the Gospel! And that such satiety, this weariness, shows itself also in our congregations and will show itself more and more, no one will want to deny. With this lukewarmness, with this weariness the Gospel may well remain outwardly, it stands on paper, it is also still preached, but it ceases to be the vital power that influences, directs and guides the whole thinking and doing of our congregations. When it is so, one also loses confidence in the Gospel; then one comes to the point of no longer trusting it with any strength in the struggle against Rome either, so that one looks around for other human means that are to help better and faster. Here it is especially important that we watch and pray and work with the Gospel, that we not lose it through satiety and weariness and so become unfit for the right, earnest struggle against Rome.

The second thing that matters, if we want to wage the struggle against the papacy at Rome rightly, is this, that we not only have the weapon of the Gospel and keep it by God's grace, but also use it faithfully and diligently. The best weapons help nothing in battle if they are not used. We must not let the Gospel lie, but must zealously put it into vogue, defend ourselves against this enemy with the Gospel and also wage with the Gospel a fresh, joyful offensive war against him, so that we drive him out of his positions. It will be good and salutary if we also call this to mind again in brief outline.

How one is to use the Gospel rightly against the papacy, Luther gives us the right direction for it. He writes once: "Three things you shall do for this [to resist the abominations of the Pope]. The first, you shall acknowledge your sin, which God's strict righteousness has plagued with such an antichristian regime, as St. Paul proclaims in 2 Thess. 2:11, 12: 'God will send them erring doctrine and government, because they have not received the love of the truth, that they might be saved.' It is purely our guilt, all that the Pope with his people has done to our goods, body and soul. Therefore you must first confess and lay aside the sin, before you want to be rid of the punishment and plague, else you will kick against the pricks,