Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1975 · 51st Convention › Page 475
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1975, Page 475

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

THE MISSION OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN THE WORLD 475

and living unity with every other member of Christ’s
holy body, the church.” Christians, therefore, should
constantly seek to strengthen one another by a forthright
witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As members of the
body of Christ, they
should speak the Word of God to one another as they
nurture, edify, and educate one another for Christian faith
and life. Therefore as a Synod we value our strong tradition
of Christian education and seek to extend it throughout life,
for laity and clergy. Far from employing agencies of Christian
education primarily in our own institutional self-interest, we
will endeavor to make them ever more effective tools in
equipping God’s people for His mission. (The Mission Affir-
mations, III)

Being interested in building the body of Christ, we as
a Synod should treasure the fellowship which we enjoy
with sister churches and seek to foster this fellowship

by remaining steadfastly under the power of the Gospel in
Word and Sacrament . . . since Christian fellowship can be
nourished and sustained only by the Gospel which created
it... [and] by applying the corrective measures of the Law
and the healing powers of the Gospel whenever the church is
invaded by errors in teaching and preaching . . . and by schis-
matic and separatistic tendencies which impede Christian
fellowship. (Proceedings. 1965, pp. 271 — 272)

As a Synod we will work zealously for the extension of
fellowship by engaging in doctrinal discussions with other
churches where this can be done without compromising
sound doctrine (Proceedings, 1965, p. 288). Christians
will recognize that divisions and disunity in the insti-
tutional church are caused by the intrusion of false doc-
trine and by man’s sinfulness, while true and God-pleas-
ing unity among God’s children is brought about by the
Spirit who works through the Word. The Gospel, there-
fore, becomes the only means by which true unity among
Christian people can be attained.

The Lutheran Confessions can serve an excellent
purpose in attaining true unity since they not only articu-
late our faith accurately and clearly, but they also warn
against teachings which are contrary to the revealed will
of God as it is stated in the Holy Scriptures.

We recognize that there are areas of life and service
in which we can work together with Christians in other
denominations. These are described for us in synodical
resolutions and in documents that have been adopted by
conventions. (See “Theology of Fellowship,” Proceed-
ings, 1965, p. 289)

However, as we declare our genuine concern for
other Christians and our desire for unity of the Spirit,
our affirmations are not intended to offer license for
unionistic relations with other denominations nor to
tolerate teachings and practices that are contrary to
the clear teachings of Scripture. Our intention rather
is to emphasize our responsibility to other Christians
in the body of Christ and our opposition to all forms of
separatism which militate against Christian love. (Pref-
ace to The Book of Concord, p. 10; Ap Preface, 16, 19;
Conclusion to the Ap, Concordia Triglotta, p. 451; SA Iii;
Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope, 42; FC
SD XI, 95-96; XII, 40; FC Ep XI, 22-23)

Furthermore, by expressing our genuine desire for

true unity with other Christians in order that we may
work together in furthering Christ’s mission to the world,
our intention is not to endorse an approach to missions
which is unionistic in the sense that it tolerates among
church bodies a diversity of views regarding doctrines
which are clearly revealed in the Bible.

IV. The Church Is Christ’s Mission
to the Whole Society

As children of God and as members of the institutional
church we recognize that we have a responsibility both
to our fellow Christians and also to society in general.
Our responsibility is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus
Christ and also to serve our fellowmen and our God by an
honest occupation, by working together with our fellow
citizens to promote peace, justice, social acceptance,
and the general welfare of not only those within our
own nation but also of those in other lands, regardless
of race, nationality, or creed.

However, in all issues of a social and political nature,
our Synod has ordinarily distinguished between the
responsibilities of the individual Christian and those of
the institutional church.

We acknowledge that Jesus is Lord over all the world
and that there is no area of man’s existence which is
secular in the sense that it is removed from the lordship
of Christ and from His providential care. However, we
also recognize that Christ exercises His lordship in a two-
fold manner. Lutherans are accustomed to distinguishing
between His kingdom of power and His kingdom of
grace. To function in His kingdom of power the Lord has
instituted civil government or the state, and to promote
His kingdom of grace He has established His church.
Both are divine institutions. (AC XXVIII, 4-5; Ap XVI,
54-55, 58-59)

When we speak of the two kingdoms of Christ, we
imply that there is a distinction between the two, even
though there is no absolute separation. They are distinct
especially in their functions and with respect to the tools
or instruments which they use in the performance of
their specific tasks.

To the state the Lord has given the task of maintaining
order, keeping the peace, providing justice for all, and
in general promoting the physical welfare of its citizens.
It performs these tasks through its laws, which threaten
punishment for the offender. To the church the Lord
has given the task of proclaiming the love of God in Christ
through the message of the Gospel. The church performs
its functions through the means of grace. (AC XXVIII,
8-20; Ap IV, 22-24; LC I, 150; ITI, 74-75; Treatise on the
Power and Primacy of the Pope, 31)

This is not to imply, however, that since the Lord has
entrusted to the state the task of maintaining peace,
justice, and the general welfare of its citizens, therefore
Christians as members of the church need not concern
themselves with the poor and underprivileged. As
Christians we are deeply concerned with both the
physical and the spiritual needs of our fellowmen. In