Collection › LCMS Convention Proceedings (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1965 · 46th Convention › Page 295
LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1965, Page 295

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

REVELATION, INSPIRATION, INERRANCY 295

such a larger study to the Detroit Convention. Cf. Con-
vention Workbook (Reports and Overtures) for the 1965
Convention, pp. 35, 36, Recommendations 37 and 38.

4. Such a study should be made in the spirit of our
brethren of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Aus-
tralia, who have in their “Theses on Scripture and Inspi-
ration” (p.22) dealt with the question of inerrancy in
exemplary fashion; they confess the inerrancy of the
Scriptures. They believe it as a truth which “cannot
be seen with human eyes nor... proved to human
reason.”

With the whole true Church of God we confess the Bible
to be the inerrant Word of God. This inerrancy of the
Holy Scriptures cannot be seen with human eyes, nor
can it be proved to human reason; it is an article of
faith, a belief in something that is hidden and not ob-
vious. We believe that the Scriptures are the Word of
God and therefore inerrant. The term “inerrancy” has
no reference to the variant readings found in the extant
textual sources because of copyists’ errors or deliberate
alterations; neither does it imply an absolute verbal
accuracy in quotations and in parallel accounts, such
absolute uniformity evidently not having been part of

God’s design. We believe that the holy writers, whom
God used, retained the distinctive features of their per-
sonalities (language and terminology, literary methods,
conditions of life, knowledge of nature and history as
apart from direct revelation and prophecy). God made
use of them in such a manner that even that which
human reason might call a deficiency in Holy Scripture
must serve the divine purpose. Furthermore, it pleased
the Holy Ghost to employ authors possessing various
gifts for writing on the same subject. How in such cases
it is possible that differing accounts of the same event
or the same saying are the true and inerrant report of
one and the same fact cannot and need not always be
shown by rational harmonization. We must believe it
until “that which is in part shall be done away” and
“that which is perfect is come” (1 Cor. 13:10). We reject
the attempts of modern religious liberalism to make man
the judge of the Word of God. None of the natural limi-
tations which belong to the human mind even when
under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost can impair the
authority of the Bible or the inerrancy of the Word of
God; for Holy Scripture is the book of divine truth which
transcends everything called truth by the wise men of
this world (1 Cor. 1:17 ff., 27; Col. 2:8) and is therefore
able to make us “wise unto salvation.” (2 Tim. 3:15)

Tu. F. Nicket, Chairman
Hersert J. A. Bouman, Secretary

Recommendation Concerning the Statement on Revelation

Along with the statements on Inspiration and In-
errancy the commission had hoped to submit a state-
ment on revelation to the convention. It has become
clear, however, that this study, if it is to profit the
church, must be given more time. The commission
therefore

Recommends, That a thorough study of revelation
be included in the comprehensive hermeneutical study
which the commission is recommending to the Synod
(see Convention Workbook, pp. 35, 36).

Tu, F, Nicket, Chairman
Hersert J, A, Bouman, Secretary