LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 162

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162 : THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

To Denounce Misuse of Statement
in Luther’s Large Catechism

WHEREAS, Martin Luther writes in the Large Catechism (Tap-
pert, p. 419): “These articles of the Creed, therefore, divide and dis-
tinguish us Christians from all other people on earth. All who are
outside the Christian church, whether heathen, Turks, Jews, or false
Christians and hypocrites, even though they believe in and worship
only the one, true God, nevertheless do not know what his attitude
is toward them. They cannot be confident of his love and blessing.
Therefore they remain in eternal wrath and damnation, for they do
not have the Lord Christ, and, besides, they are not illuminated and
blessed by the gifts of the Holy Spirit”; and

WHEREAS, The words “even though” are rightly understood in
context and from the original language to mean “even if” as hypo-
thetical; this does not say that heathen, Muslims, Jews, or false
Christians and hypocrites do believe in or worship the only one,
true God, it only concedes that even if they do, they are still with-
out salvation; and

WHEREAS, There are some prominent voices within The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod misusing this portion of the
Lutheran Confessions to justify unionism and syncretism, which
are clearly contrary to the Scriptures, the Lutheran Confessions,
and the Synod Constitution and furthermore lead weaker Christians
astray; and

WHEREAS, Anyone proposing that heathen, Muslims, Jews, or
false Christians and hypocrites do believe in or worship the only
one, true God risks communicating to such people that they do not
need the true faith in the triune God or right worship of Him lead-
ing them to eternal damnation; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Montana District denounce the misuse of
this statement as an offense that leads weak Christians to believe
that heathenism, Islam, Judaism, and so on are religions pleasing
to God, possibly to the eternal damnation of such weak Christians
who may prefer another religion to Christianity; and be it further

Resolved, That the 2003 Montana District convention memori-
alize the 2004 LCMS convention to clarify the Synod’s position on
this matter.

Montana District

3-10

To Request Survey re Justification
by Faith Alone in Jesus Christ

WHEREAS, “Poll: Most Christians’ Beliefs Out of Sync with
Bible,” an article in the July 2001 Reporter said: “When it comes to
salvation, just 30 percent of all Americans embrace the belief that
good works do not earn salvation, but that it is a gift of God
through the atoning death and resurrection Jesus Christ. People at-
tending Assemblies of God (64 percent), Pentecostal (62 percent)
and Protestant nondenominational churches (60 percent) are most
likely to share this view: While Catholics are least likely (9 per-
cent). Lutherans are below the national average, at 27 percent”; and

Wuereas, Other surveys have revealed somewhat similar re-
sults; therefore be it

Resolved, That the 2004 LCMS convention request the Praesid-
ium of the LCMS to authorize a poll on the above question of only

“‘menibers of LCMS congregations and plan a program to deal with
this serious matter.

Trinity

New Haven, MO

3-11

To Affirm Central Biblical Doctrine
of Justification through Faith in Jesus Christ Alone

WHEREAS, In “Poll: Most Christians’ Beliefs Out of Sync with
Bible,” an article in the July 200! REPORTER of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod said: “When it comes to salvation, just
30 percent of all Americans embrace the belief that good works do
not earn salvation, but that it is a gift of God through the atoning
death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. People attending Assemblies
of God (64 percent), Pentecostal (62 percent) and Protestant non-
denominational churches (60 percent) are most likely to share this
view, while Catholics are the least likely (9 percent). Lutherans are
below the national average at 27 percent”; and

WHEREAS, Other surveys have revealed somewhat similar re-
sults; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Missouri District of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod memorialize the Synod to direct the
Board for District and Congregational Services of the LCMS to
polTonly members of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod con-
gregations; and be it further

Resolved, That congregations teach this fundamental doctrine
of our church.

Missouri District

a

3-12

To Clearly Confess Salvation
and True Worship Is in Christ Alone

WHEREAS, We are surrounded by a society increasingly con-
fused about the one, true God; and

WHuerEAS, Many have been led to believe that all religions lead
to salvation; and

Whereas, Many others have been led to believe that Christians,
Jews, and Muslims all worship the same God; and

WuEeEREAS, It has been publicly stated by members of The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod that Muslims worship the one,
true God; and

WHEREAS, While the Scriptures do teach that all men have a nat-
ural knowledge of God (Rom. 1:18-20; 2:14—15), the Scriptures
do not teach that such knowledge leads to the worship of the true
God but rather idolatry (Rom. 1:21-—25); and

Wuereas, The Scriptures clearly teach that there is no salva-
tion apart from Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12); and

WHEREAS, The Scriptures clearly teach that Jesus Christ alone is
“the way and the truth and the life” and that “no one comes to the
Father except through [Jesus]” (John 14:6); and

WHEREAS, The Scriptures clearly teach that “He who does not
honor the Son does not honor the Father” (John 5:23 ); and

WHEREAS, The Scriptures clearly teach that whoever rejects
Jesus rejects the Father who sent Him (Luke 10:16); and

Whereas, The Lutheran Confessions rightly teach that “there
is one undivided divine essence, and that there are nevertheless
three distinct and coeternal persons of the same divine essence, Fa-
ther, Son, and Holy Spirit. We have always taught and defended
this doctrine and we believe that the Holy Scriptures testify to it
firmly, surely, and irrefutably. We steadfastly maintain that those
who believe otherwise do not belong to the church of Christ but
are idolaters and blasphemers” (Ap I, 1-2); therefore be it

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod clearly
confess in word and deed the scriptural doctrine that there is no sal-
vation apart from Jesus Christ, and that it is impossible to worship
the one, true God apart from saving faith in Jesus Christ.

Immanuel
Eagle, NE