LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 200

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200

Theology and Church Relations

uity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.”63 Habakkuk wrote that
“the just shall live by faith.”64
The Apostle Paul wrote: “For we conclude that a person is
justified (declared righteous) by faith—apart from the works of
the Law.”65
Paul wrote to the Ephesians: “Yes, by His grace you are saved
through faith. It was not your doing; it is God’s gift. It is not a
result of anything you have done; and so no one may boast.”66
Jesus made it clear: “For God loved the world that He gave
His only-begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him would
not perish, but have everlasting life.”67
Man does not come to saving faith in Jesus Christ by himself.
By nature he is spiritually blind, dead, and an enemy of God; and
therefore by his own reason and strength cannot believe in Jesus
Christ, or come to Him.68
It is the work of the Holy Spirit, who is true God, the Third
Person in the Holy Trinity,69 to bring man to saving faith in
Christ by imparting to him the blessings of redemption.70 The
Holy Spirit converts man. Man does not convert himself.71 Without the grace, help and activity of the Holy Spirit, man is not
capable of making himself acceptable to God, of fearing God
and believing in God with his whole heart, or of expelling inborn
lusts from his heart.72
I. ETERNAL SALVATION AND ETERNAL DAMNATION
Salvation is the everlasting bliss of the saved, and damnation
is the everlasting suffering of the lost.
All those, but only those, who trust in Jesus Christ as their
Savior from sin and not in their own life or works, will go to
heaven when they die. Jesus said: “I am the resurrection and the
Life. Anyone who believes in Me will live even if he dies. Yes,
anyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.”73 “Because
I live you too will live.”74
The doctrine of the resurrection from the dead is taught in
both the Old and New Testaments. It is not some teaching which
was developed by men during the intertestamental period so that
they might have some comfort in the hour of death.75
Jesus said that He was the only way to heaven and that all
those who do not believe in Him are lost.76 The Athanasian Creed
teaches that all those who do not believe in the Holy Trinity, the
only true God, “without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.”
The unbelievers will rise to eternal death, that is, to everlasting shame, contempt, and torment in hell.77 Man goes to either
heaven or hell at death. There is no purgatory or limbo, according to the Bible.78
The Bible teaches that at the time of death, the soul of the
believer is at once received into the presence of Christ.79 At the
Last Day, the believer will live with Christ, according to body
and soul, in eternal joy and glory.80
Since Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven and those who
die without him are lost in eternal hell, it is the Christian’s responsibility to support Christian missions and to the best of
one’s ability to tell others about Jesus Christ.81
A clear understanding of the Biblical doctrine of the Word is
absolutely essential to an effective approach to evangelism and
missions. We agree with Luther that the Word does not merely
trip man’s trigger of potential, for man has no spiritual potential
(Eph. 2:1). Instead, the Word effects even that which it commands. It not only calls for conversion and sanctification, the
Word itself converts and sanctifies.82

2013 Convention Workbook

J. SPIRITUAL UNITY IN CHRIST
The real spiritual unity in Christ of all redeemed by His precious blood.
The one, holy Christian, and apostolic Church is not an external organization, but a spiritual organism, the Mystical Body
of Christ, consisting of all true Christians, i.e. those in whom
God’s Spirit has, through the means of grace, worked true spiritual life, that is faith.
We reject the Ecumenical Movement (the National and
World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation,
etc.) because it refuses in principle to distinguish between truth
and falsehood, and acts as if the Church were essentially a visible organization united, not by allegiance to divine truth, but
by compromise, outward forms, prestige, weight of numbers,
and other false standards. While gratefully admitting that there
are true Christians, dear children of God, wherever the Gospel
is in use, also outside the orthodox (right-teaching) Church,83
we reject in obedience to God’s commands84 church fellowship
with teachers and church bodies which reject the pure Word
and Sacraments of God. It is because we are firmly committed
to true, God-pleasing unity that we reject outward church union
without real inner doctrinal unity.
We reject all forms of racism. God has no special or chosen
race, only a chosen people. The “chosen people” are all Christians, regardless of race, nationality, color, sex, wealth, social
stature, etc. Peter told the Christians that “you are a chosen
people.”85 We reject the racism of the evolutionists who teach
that all races do not come from one man. “From one man He
made every nation to have the people live all over the world.”86
K. PURE DOCTRINE AND LIFE
Given the necessity of maintaining, according to the Word
of God, the purity of the Church in doctrine and life; and, still
believing the Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed, The Athanasian
Creed, and the Book of Concord of 1580 to be a statement of
Scriptural truth, we therefore incorporate them in these articles
of faith.
The Bible teaches that Christians should practice doctrinal discipline. They should not permit theologians and pastors
within their fellowship to deny the doctrines of historic Christianity. Orthodoxy must not only be on paper by officially affirming orthodox resolutions, but it must also be practiced. While
clergymen should be free to believe and teach their own religious views, they should join an organization which officially
tolerates these views.87
Christians should leave churches which refuse to discipline
clergymen who deny such basic doctrines as the Trinity; justification by faith alone; and the deity, virgin birth and resurrection
of Christ.88
L. BAPTISM
We confess with the Nicene Creed “one Baptism for the remission of sins.”
We teach that Baptism is not absolutely necessary for salvation, that the grace of God is offered through Baptism, and that
children should be baptized, for being offered to God through
Baptism, they are received into His grace.
Our churches condemn the Anabaptists who reject the Baptism of children and declare that children are saved without
Baptism (Augsburg Confession IX).
It is unbelief only that damns; and though saving faith cannot exist in the heart of one who refuses to be baptized, it can
exist when for some reason Baptism cannot be obtained.