LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 153

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3. THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

To Express Thanks
for the Gift of Martin Luther

RESOLUTION 3-01

Overture 3-38 (CW pp. 108—109); App. III, IV (CW,
p. 339)

WHEREAS, The year 1983 marks the 500th anni-
versary of Martin Luther’s birth; and

WHEREAS, We are heirs of the Reformation which
God brought to the church through Martin Luther;
therefore be it

Resolved, That we thank the Lord of the church for
the gift of Martin Luther as a faithful servant of His
Word; and be it further

Resolved, That we thank God particularly for
Luther’s exposition of the doctrine that sinners are
justified before God by grace for Christ’s sake through
faith and that being justified they are forgiven all their
sins and can be certain of their salvation; and be it
further

Resolved, That we recommit ourselves to those
principles of the Reformation on which this precious
doctrine is based, namely, Sola Scriptura, Sola Gratia,

_and Sola Fide; and be it finally

Resolved, That in response to the blessings that have
come to the church from God through this doctrine, we
urge all members of the Synod to join in God-pleasing
events celebrating the birth of the great reformer.

Action: Adopted (3).

To Strive for External Unity
in the Church

RESOLUTION 3-02
Overture 3-72 (CW, p. 117)

WHEREAS, The Scriptures of God (Rom. 12:14-21;
15:5-6; Eph. 4:1-3; t Cor. 1:10-13; 2 Cor. 13:11; Gal. 2:4;
Phil. 4:2) mandate the quest for church fellowship (in
the sense of the external unity of the church), as well as
its acknowledgement when there is agreement in the
confession of the heavenly doctrine “according to God’s
Word ofthe Prophetic and Apostolic Scriptures...” (FC
SD Comprehensive Summary 16); and
3 WHEREAS, The true and correct understanding of the
‘Orthodox Lutheran posture toward the external unity of
the visible church is expressed in the words, “... that in
this matter of religion the opinion and judgment of the
Parties [in dissension] might be heard in each other’s
Presence, and considered and weighed among ourselves
in iutual charity, leniency, and kindness, in order that
geenese matters may be settled and brought back to one

e truth and Christian concord, that for the future

153

one pure and true religion may be embraced and
maintained among us...” (AC Preface 2—4); and

WHEREAS, The true unity of the mystical body of
Christ can never be broken or destroyed, for this unity
consists of the unity of believers with our Lord Christ,
nevertheless, this unity with Christ will move every true
child of God to long for, to work toward, and urgently to
pray that the visible church may be united in one
confession, in love, in one great goal, in every way to
express the unity which the members have with Christ
their head, and which Christ the Son has with the
Father and the Holy Spirit (John 17); therefore be it

Resolved, That in these last days we urgently pray
God the Holy Spirit to grant unity and concord to the
visible church on the basis of a pure and correct
understanding of the doctrine revealed from heaven in
the sacred Scriptures of the apostles and prophets; and
be it further :

Resolved, That we exhort one another to true and
genuine contrition and repentance for the sins of prej-
udice, ridicule, caricature, separatism, pride, lack of
Christian charity toward Christian people of other
denominations, which hinder the work of the Spirit of
God in bringing about the visible unity of the church
and true Christian concord; and be it further

Resolved, That we recognize that contentious
persons who constantly.seek to “expose” the error of
others, and so incite quarrels and division among us,
are to be admonished according to the words of Christ
and His apostle, Matt. 18:15-17 and Rom. 16:17; and be it
further

Resolved, That we pledge to one another not to act
unilaterally, or in disregard of the decisions of our
Synod, lest such action, taken in the sincere desire to
give expression to a felt unity, become the grounds for
further quarrels and division among us; and be it
further

Resolved, That we urge and encourage all the
members of the Synod under the leadership of the
President, together with the Commission on Theology
and Church Relations and the Council of Presidents, to
give priority to the question of how we may give
expression to the external unity of the visible church
without compromising the truth of our faith and confes-
sion; and be it further

Resolved, That we undertake this quest for external
unity of the.church with patience, willing to bear with
one another’s human failings and weaknesses in both
piety and understanding, so that as a Synod we may
with one mouth and one tongue give glory to God; and
be it finally

Resolved, That in all such endeavors, we seek to give
glory to HIM WHOM WE PROCLAIM.

Action: Adopted (5).

(This resolution was introduced in Session 3. The floor