LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1962, Sheet 111

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DOCTRINAL MATTERS til

of enabling the Synod to renew discussion with our
separated brethren in the Synodical Conference; there-
fore be it

Resolved, That this convention commend The The-
ology of Fellowship to the Synod for restudy; and be it
further

Resolved, That the Synod encourage its members to
submit their reactions to the Commission on Theology
and Church Relations; and be it further

Resolved, That on the basis of reactions received
from members of our Synod and from sister churches,
the Commission on Theology and Church Relations
either revise the present document or undertake a new
study along the lines recommended by the resolution
of the Synodical Conference; and be it further

Resolved, That the results of the commission’s work
be distributed to the members of our Synod and be
made available to the churches in fellowship with us
at the earliest possible date for comment and criticism;
and be it finally

Resolved, That we implore the blessing of the Lord
of the church upon our endeavors in this crucial matter.

Action: Resolution “A” was adopted.

B

Wuereas, The Theology of Fellowship, to which these
memorials are directed, has been referred to the Com-
mission on Theology and Church Relations; therefore
be it

Resolved, That Memorials 332 and 333, Reports and
Memorials, pp. 163, 164, be referred to the Commission
on Theology and Church Relations.

Action: Resolution “B” was adopted, and the entire
report was then adopted.

To Continue Study of Statement on
“The Form and Function of Scripture”

RESOLUTION 3-29
Memorial 337, p. 166, Reports and Memorials
Unprinted Memorial 356A

Wuergas, “A Statement on the Form and Function
of the Holy Scriptures” was prepared by the Concordia
Seminary faculty, St. Louis, and gives the report of the
study on the doctrine of Scripture; and

Wuereas, The St. Louis faculty asked for “comments
and suggestions” to determine the possible usefulness of
its statement to the pastors of the Synod; and

Wuereas, The faculty’s statement does not purpose
to settle any doctrinal controversies; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod ask the St. Louis seminary
faculty to continue its study of the doctrine of Scrip-
ture with a view toward giving a more definitive state-
ment which will more fully express its thinking on the
theology of the Word, and submit this statement to the
Commission on Theology and Church Relations and the

pastors, teachers, and congregations of the Synod for
their study in pastoral conferences that they may con-
vey their thinking to the faculty.

Action: This resolution was adopted.

Regarding Reassurance of a Specific Doctrine
RESOLUTION 3-30
Unprinted Memorial 361, pp. 68, 69, Today’s Business

Statement: Unprinted Memorial 351 quotes from The
Cresset, Volume XXV (1962), No.5, p. 9:

Scripture clearly states that “the soul that sinneth, it shall
die.” It states as clearly: “He that liveth and believeth
in Me shall never die.” To apply the same rubric —
“teachings found in inspired Scripture” — to both of these
statements is to become guilty of what Walther calls
con-fusion, a fusing together of diverse elements which
ought to be kept distinct.

Memorial 361 requests that the Synod reject this
“doctrine” as “destructive of the Christian faith.” Your
Committee 3 calls attention to the following:

The sentence, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die,” is
certainly a “teaching found in inspired Scripture,” but
it is a teaching of Law. The sentence, “He that liveth
and believeth in Me shall never die,” is also a “teach-
ing found in inspired Scripture,” but it is a teaching
of Gospel. In this sense these sentences cannot simply
be placed into one category or under one rubric, that is,
they cannot be applied in one and the same sense. The
one should be used as Law, the other as Gospel. Failure
to do this is to confuse Law and Gospel. It is against
this confusion of Law and Gospel that the above para-
graph in The Cresset addresses itself.

This is clear also from the sentence in the original
article which immediately follows the quotation above
and which reads:

The Gospel of Jesus Christ, a message wholly unique in
itself, can not be fused together with any other Word of
God (the Law) or any word of man. it is not merely one
of many truths that the Scriptures teach. It is not even
one of two equally important Scriptural truths. It is “the
power of God unto salvation” and, as such, must be kept
distinct and unalloyed.

Another statement in the same article says:

What distinguishes Scripture as Law from Scripture as
Gospel? Is one human and the other divine? No, they
are both the Word of the living God.

Wuereas, Memorial 361, by failing to quote and note
the necessary context of The Cresset article, misinter-
prets and in effect misrepresents it; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod decline Memorial 361.
Action: This resolution was adopted.

Removing a Bible Class Editor
RESOLUTION 3-31
Unprinted Memoria! 363, pp. 70,71, Today’s Business

Wuereas, This request for disciplinary action was not
brought to the attention of the responsible officials;
therefore be it