Collection › LCMS Convention Proceedings (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1929 · 34th Convention, River Forest › Page 6

LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1929, Page 6

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

6 Proceedings of Thirty-Fourth Regular Convention,

our eyes the glorious treasures our Church possesses and exhort y
“Hold that fast which thou hast that no man take thy crown.”

Four hundred years ago; in 1529, Luther gave to our Church h

truth of God. They stand forever ag testimonies that our Churek
wishes to remain faithful to the truth taught in God’s Word, without
deviating a hair’s breadth to the left or right. This fact is best g

(Trigl., 776.)

In these writings our fathers make a clear, straightforward co
fession to the several doctrines of Holy Scripture and a firm, resoly
disavowal of all contrary teaching. The zeal -and earnestness of o
fathers in accurately stating the Scripture truths flowed from the
conviction that the Bible is God’s infallible Word, to which
are obligated, and that this Word has saving power only when it j
purely preached.

In thus contending for the truth of God in their confessiong,
our fathers thought not only of themselves, but also of their pos
terity. They were anxiously concerned about transmitting thej

read the following powerful words: “This is about the sum of our doe:
trines preached and taught in our churches for sound Christia
struction, for the comfort of Conscience, and for the moral disc}
of believers, For, surely, we would neither wish to jeopardize oyr own
souls and conscience before God through abuse of His name - and:
Word, nor would we wish to bequeath to our children and children’
children any other teaching than that which conforms to the puré
Word of God and Christian truth.” (German text.)
The confessional writings of our Church are the legacy whie
we have inherited from our fathers, Hence in these jubilee years
should be careful to celebrate these great historical events not merely:
by decorating the fathers’ graves by splendid orations and Sreat festiyg
demonstrations, but rather by earnest heart-searching and inquiry.