Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1958, Page 13

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

Lutheran Synodical Conference, 1958 18

Be firm and decisive in matters of doctrine and religious per-
suasion. Don’t halt between two opinions, ever learning and never
able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Be and remain a
courageous witness unto Him who loved you and gave Himself for
you, remembering what the apostle Paul says in Romans 16:17:
“Mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the
doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid them.” “Contend for
the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 3)

Loyalty to God’s Word is our most cherished possession and
heritage, I repeat once more. The Lord invested us with the
greatest commission in the world. He has equipped us with the
necessary means for discharging this commission in the world and
particularly in the Lutheran Church. Are we measuring up to this
high responsibility? Or are we afraid of being called narrow-
minded and loveless people, harsh and stubborn Lutherans? Vener-
able fathers and brethren, the Lord is calling to us in the evening
of this world: “Lift up thy voice with strength!” The church
should bear in mind that God is in the midst of His Zion. God has
equipped us with His omnipotent Word of truth. The church, the
true church of God should be aggressive and always optimistic,
and at the end she will surely be victorious.

Unionistic movements are characteristic of our times, but such
movements are nothing new in the history of the church. There
have been union movements as long as there have been schisms
in the church. They should not mislead us but should prompt us
to be more true and faithful to our God-given heritage, namely,
to the loyalty to the Word of God and our Lutheran confessions
based thereon.

Dr. Franz Pieper, that faithful dogmatician of the Lutheran
Church, delivering his doctrinal essay at the convention of the
Synodical Conference in Milwaukee, Wis., emphasized that unity
of faith involves agreement in all doctrines of the Holy Scriptures,
and this in spite of the fact that we acknowledge the presence of
Christians also in erring church bodies. The possibility of such
unity was demonstrated by pointing out that the Holy Scripture
contains clear statements regarding all “articles of faith.”

Yes, my fellow believers, God demands unity in the faith and
strictly prohibits our departure from the revealed doctrines of the
Gospel. To teach salvation by grace alone (sola gratia) — grace
for all sinners (gratia universalis); to magnify Christ and not our-
selves (solus Christus), and to preach not our word and wisdom
but God’s Word and God’s wisdom (sola Scriptura) — that should
‘be and ever remain the steadfast. aim and purpose of all our
churches, synods, pastors, and teachers in the Synodical Confer-
ence of North America. A true church body must faithfully abide
by the God-inspired Word of the Lord and must be thoroughly
sound in doctrine and practice. That is the first and foremost
requisite of a synodical body.

Shall we retain this glorious heritage of true unity of Spirit —
or lose it? Shall we sell it for the sake of expediency and greater
union and merger within Christianity? Far be it from us that we
should boast about our orthodoxy; for having the precious Gospel
in all its purity and sweetness is not our doing nor our merit. It is
God’s pure grace and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in us.