# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1924_S14
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

14 Proceedings of the twenty-ninth convention

word of certain privileged spiritual leaders, whereas God precisely wants the simple lay Christians to be judges of truth and error. "Judge ye what I say," says the highly enlightened Paul in 1 Cor. 10:15 to those whom he calls "babes in Christ." Of the Christians at Berea God tells us, "these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so," Acts 17:11.

True, Peter says that in the epistles of Paul "are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction," 2 Pet. 3:16. This passage tells us that there are indeed "some things" in the Bible "hard to be understood." And we thank God for it. That is to make us all, even the wisest among us, humble pupils of the Word of our God. God does not want a master of His Bible, but pupils, humble pupils; therefore He has given us the things that are hard to understand. But He does not say that all things are hard to understand. Further He also tells us who those are who are thereby "confused to their own destruction." They are those who do the same also "with the other scriptures." Is there any blessing of God that some do not misuse to their destruction? Do not Scripture and our experience teach us that even Christ, our glorious and dear Redeemer, is a stone of stumbling to some? And does not Paul say that the Gospel which he preached, and which is a power of God to save, is to others a savor of death unto death? But He resolves the whole matter by telling us who those are to whom Scripture is unclear: "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel should shine unto them," 2 Cor. 4:3.

We hold it hardly necessary to answer those who would have us believe that the Bible is the cause of the division in the Church because the Bible itself is said to contain contradictions and doctrines that cannot be harmonized. Whoever thinks that the Bible is full of errors and offers us contradictory judgments and opinions of fallible men thereby declares himself an enemy of God and of His Word. For such a one there is no revealed truth, except what they themselves have fabricated out of their own folly, decked out with some distorted and twisted Bible words, with which they want to give their devilish doctrine the appearance of being Scripture doctrine, which they in fact want to destroy.

No, the cause of the separation among Christians is not to be sought in God and His Word, but in man, who became disobedient to God and followed the devil, the father of lies. God has given us a religion that is revealed clearly and completely in His Word, the Holy Scriptures. Whoever follows this Word will agree with all others who follow the same Word, and only those cause division and separation who are disobedient to the Lord and teach and say what is against God's Word. All the faithful servants of our Lord who have written down His Word by inspiration of God agree completely with one another. And those who follow them faithfully do not follow a number of teachers who present contradictory doctrines, but the one Lord and the one united Church. Disobedience, dis-