# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1944_S249
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Intersynodical and Doctrinal Matters 249

otion recently presented that statements made in Scrip-
- only to historical situations, since the principles involved
1 ately intended by God to be applied to similar situations
‘end of time. Hence not expediency, not a false philosophy,
y the truth of Holy Writ is to be our guide, and every aber-
hich destroys the organic foundation is divisive of church

‘the second place, we must squarely face the issue that no
ater. how acceptable the confessional stand of a church body
e, it must be accompanied by supervision of teaching and by
al, discipline, so that no public teaching will be tolerated for
‘length of time which is contrary to the Word of God and the
theran Confessions. 2 Thess. 3:14; 2 Tim.4:10; 1 Cor. 5:13 b.
- In the third place, in connection with the preceding paragraph,
must keep‘in mind that the auitonomous character of the Chris-
ian: congregation does not absolve it from synodical allegiance. '
The congregation is indeed autonomous, as the constitution of our |
Synod states. On the other hand, Synod is not a mere informal
group, and therefore one of the factors involved in the present
tuation is the right,of the corporate group to. determine the char-
er of its membership and to protect itself, by disciplinary action
t ecessary, from disintegration through the refusal of an in-'
dividual congregation to conform to standards of doctrine and
actice. While Scripture'does not prescribe a synodical organi-
zation or synodical authority, the implication of the duties of
’ fellowship as found in Holy Scripture cannot be set aside by those
who are ready to follow both precept and example of Holy Writ.
(Acts 8:14; 11:30; 1 Cor.16:1.) For example, the letters of
transfer in Apostolic times were recognized and respected by ‘the
various congregations that regarded themselves in fellowship with
other groups of the Apostolic age. A congregation belonging to
Synod, for example, is bound by the law of love to make every
effort indicated in Holy Scripture to remove any objectionable doc-
trinal situations not in keeping with the spirit of Matthew 18 before
threatening to withdraw from membership.
.. In the fourth place, the insistence upon one doctrinal declara-
tion or confessional affirmation is in keeping with the usage of the
Church through. the centuries, as the history of the Christian Con-.
fessions show. The simple confession of the Ethiopian eunuch was
: ‘shortly afterward followed by the larger confession referred to by
Paul in a number of places, for example, Rom. 6:17. In the same
: ‘way the Athanasian Confession came into existence at the instiga- _
tion.of the Arian Controversy . In the 16th century also the various
confessions of the Lutheran groups and of other Protestants were
written to meet the actual situations in the Church.