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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 416

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

416

LIFE TOGETHER

1941, Lutheran Worship of 1982, and Lutheran Service Book of
2006, arguably among the finest Lutheran hymnals in the English
language, and containing multiple liturgical settings for worship
and hundreds of hymns appropriate for use in Lutheran worship;
and
WHEREAS, These hymnals admit themselves of a variety of
modes of presentation, such as being printed out and projected on a
screen where the use of the individual books is not desired; and
WHEREAS, The Synod has expressed the desire for at least
minimal consistency from congregation to congregation in worship
and has previously encouraged the use of the approved hymnals in
public worship; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Minnesota North District reaffirm its
encouragement for the use of Synod-approved worship materials in
LCMS congregations and memorialize the Synod to likewise
reaffirm its encouragement of the use of these materials in every
congregation for public worship.
Minnesota North District
Ov. 4-14

To Study Responsible Stewardship of the Mysteries
of God, That is, “Closed Communion”
WHEREAS, Our Lord Jesus Christ has instituted the Sacrament of
the Altar (Matt. 26:26–28, Mark 14:22–24, Luke 22:19–20 and 1
Cor. 11:23–26); and
WHEREAS, Pastors have been called to be stewards of the
Mysteries of God, and it is required that they be found faithful, (1
Cor. 4:1–2); and
WHEREAS, Dr. Francis Pieper wrote, “Auch die apostolische
Kirche praktizerte nicht ‘open,’ sondern ‘closed’ communion”
(Francis Pieper, Christliche Dogmatik [St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1920], III:444), translated, “So the apostolic
Church did not practice ‘open’ but ‘closed’ communion” (the term
“closed communion” is the longstanding usage of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) to denote responsible
stewardship of the Mysteries of God); therefore be it
Resolved, That the Southern Illinois District convention direct its
circuit visitors to lead a study of the following theses in their
pastoral conferences (winkels) in the next triennium; and be it
further
Resolved, That the Southern Illinois District submit these theses
to the 2019 Synod convention for study:
THESES ON THE RESPONSIBLE STEWARDSHIP OF
THE MYSTERIES OF GOD—THAT IS, CLOSED
COMMUNION.
Part I: Definitions
Thesis 1: A sin is any thought, word, or deed that is contrary to
the will of God. (Discussion: Axiom. I John 3:4)
Thesis 2: There is a sin that leads to death (mortal sin) and a sin
that does not lead to death (venial sin). (Discussion: I John 5:16–
17)
Thesis 3: In Lutheran theology (as opposed to Roman Catholic
theology) it is not the inherent sinfulness of an act that distinguishes
a mortal sin from a venial sin, but rather the intent of the subject.
(Discussion: See below under #4.)

2019 Convention Workbook

Thesis 4: To wit, in Lutheran theology a mortal sin is defined as
an ongoing, willful sin that is committed against better knowledge.
Such sins will eventually kill faith and drive the Holy Spirit away.
A venial sin is a sin committed by a Christian out of weakness, lack
of knowledge, error, or misunderstanding. (Discussion: Smalcald
Articles III.3.43. It is, accordingly, necessary to know and to teach
that when holy men, still having and feeling original sin, also daily
repenting of and striving with it, happen to fall into manifest sins,
as David into adultery, murder, and blasphemy, that then faith and
the Holy Ghost has departed from them [they cast out faith and the
Holy Ghost]. For the Holy Ghost does not permit sin to have
dominion, to gain the upper hand so as to be accomplished, but
represses and restrains it so that it must not do what it wishes. But
if it does what it wishes, the Holy Ghost and faith are [certainly] not
present. For St. John says, 1 John 3:9: Whosoever is born of God
doth not commit sin, ... and he cannot sin. And yet it is also the truth
when the same St. John says, 1:8: If we say that we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.)
Thesis 5: Holy Communion was instituted by our Lord for the
forgiveness of sins. (Discussion: Words of Institution)
Thesis 6: Repentance and the forgiveness of sins are connected
by an insoluble connection. (Discussion: Luke 24)
Thesis 7: Christians will never be completely free from venial
sin in this life. (Discussion: Romans 7)
Thesis 8: Repentance means to turn away.
Thesis 9: A Christian living in the grace of the Lord is constantly
repenting of his sins and striving to follow the Lord more faithfully,
even as he stumbles to struggle against the weakness of his flesh
and the original sin which inheres therein. (Discussion: Romans 7)
Thesis 10: Clearly, people living in a state of moral sin should
not commune. (Discussion: 1 Cor. 11:29)
Thesis 11: People who cannot properly examine themselves
should not commune. (Discussion: 1 Cor. 11:29)
Thesis 12: All Christians struggle with venial sin and stumble
due to weakness; this weakness is a proper object of Christian selfexamination. That is, it is consciously felt, recognized, lamented,
and repented of by the Christian. (Discussion: Romans 7)
Thesis 13: Christians may also fall into venial sin through
misunderstanding, confusion, or error. By its very definition, venial
sins stemming from such a source resist self-examination: they are
the “speck in the eye” which one cannot remove oneself.
Thesis 14: It is a Christian duty to call fellow believers to
repentance when they fall into sin. (Discussion: Matthew 18; Luke
6)
Thesis 15: When a fellow Christian falls into sin through error,
confusion, or misunderstanding, it is therefore the duty of his fellow
believers to correct him gently, lovingly, and in accordance with the
Word of God. (Discussion: Gal. 6:1)
Part II: Exclusion from the Lord’s Table within the
Congregation
Thesis 16: For example, an otherwise faithful Lutheran could,
through confusion and misunderstanding, fall into the sin of bigamy
by thinking that he could take two wives as the patriarchs in the Old
Testament did.
Thesis 17: In fact, such a case did happen in the 16th century
with the bigamy of Landgrave Philip of Hesse.