# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1922_S7
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1922. 7

Word. And where that is the case, there is unity of faith. Where, on the other hand, the Word is rejected or set aside or replaced by human wisdom, there is unbelief, false belief and superstition; and then the unity that the Holy Spirit creates through the Word is lost. If, therefore, a fellowship of those who call themselves Christians is not grounded in every point in simple adherence to God's Word, then it does not rest on the unity given by God either, and cannot please God. Then, in spite of all contradiction from the side of human prudence and in spite of the supposed advantage that one hopes such fellowship will bring the church, the apostle's admonition holds: "Avoid them!" The church stands on the Word. If she leaves this firm foundation in any way, she cannot but suffer harm. It is not our task merely to gather a great crowd, but rather to win souls for the divine truth through the Word of this truth, also through our common testimony for the Word of truth.

When fifty years ago representatives of a number of Lutheran synods came together for joint deliberation on the formation of a larger union, the declarations and statements of the participants showed that all in every point allowed God's Word alone to stand and held to it, and that therefore between the synods uniting there was the unity of faith, the unity of the Spirit. Thus our fellowship was founded in the unity given by God. The Synodical Conference stands there as a work of God in this age of unbelief and of rejection of the divine Word. In his wonderful grace and kindness God has led and preserved us from the first day until now in such a way that this largest union of Lutheran synods in America still stands in unity of faith — as a fellowship given by God.

This fact finds expression, and has been manifest from the first day until now, through our unity in confession. It cannot be otherwise as long as our fellowship rests in the unity of faith. "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh," Luke 6:45. The Psalmist says: "I believed, therefore have I spoken," Ps. 116:10. Faith cannot exist without confessing. That is so certain that the holy apostle, who otherwise ascribes salvation to faith, declares outright: "With the mouth confession is made unto salvation," Rom. 10:10. And our Savior says: "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven," Matt. 10:32.

Where, therefore, the unity of faith exists, it finds expression in the unity of confession.

Thus the Synodical Conference was founded, as its constitution already says, as an "outward expression of the unity of spirit of the synods concerned." We are a confessional fellowship.