# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1924_S13
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1924. 13

are different because they are different. These are the people who blame most those who set forth their own faith most clearly and defend it with decisiveness and without compromise. Without going into the grounds of the points in dispute, they blame all parties for quarreling at all, and give most of the blame to those who defend their position most earnestly. How easy the work of the judges of our country would be if they wished to settle all lawsuits by this method! One understands why Luther, where he speaks of such people, often gives them names that offended them deeply. If anyone wanted to propose such a method in any other dispute than that between the various church fellowships, he would be examined to see whether he was in his senses. Either there is no great good in Christendom at all, or else the good is worth the fight. —

Others again point to the Bible as a cause of all confusion. Some of these claim that the Bible is not clear enough and therefore open to misunderstanding, from which differences then easily arise. The Pope uses this argument when he forbids the laity the Bible in their mother tongue. Apparently he confirms his assertion by pointing to the various sects that wantonly distort the Bible. But if one takes time and trouble and looks more closely into the matter, one will find that the Pope teaches contrary to the clear and explicit words of the Bible and is only looking for a pretext to wrest the Book of books from the hands of the common man, so that the poor man may not refute the Pope's deceit from Scripture.

Besides the Pope there are others as well who simply put all the blame on the Bible. That is convenient; then one need not offend any person. But God teaches us that His Word is not confused and ambiguous or enigmatic, but contains the clearest, most definite and most exact instruction for faith and life that has ever been given. Therefore we have the testimonies inspired by God: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path," Ps. 119:105. "The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple," Ps. 19:8. "It makes the simple wise." Far from the Bible having been written only for the learned, it is rather to be read, heard and studied by all, also by the most unlearned and by the beginners or "babes in Christ." The Apostle testifies that he writes to those whom one must again "teach the first principles [literally: letters] of the oracles of God," Heb. 5:12. And Peter speaks of the "newborn babes" in Christ; these are the inexperienced Christians who have only recently become acquainted with the ABC of Christian doctrine; for he says: "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby," 1 Pet. 2:2. The same is testified by St. Paul when he writes: "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able," 1 Cor. 3:1, 2. When one says that the Bible is not clear enough for the simple, ordinary and inexperienced Christian, one says thereby not only that Paul spoke thoughtless, obscure and unintelligible words, indeed even perverse ones, but one also accuses God of having actually given us a worthless Word; for then the simple common people are compelled to rely on the