True Unity in Contrast to Unionism and Separatism

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Doctrinal Proceedings

True Unity in Contrast to Unionism and Separatism

Speaker: Dr. P.E. Kretzmann

Concerning the question of Christian unity, of brotherly fellowship in the faith, [this

question] has been discussed in the midst of the Synodical Conference many times before, at

individual conferences and synodical districts as well as at all synods and in the various

publications that have dealt with this important issue in popular and scientific ways. For

example, the Eastern District of the Missouri Synod in the year 1888 heard a presentation on

the preservation on proper unity, the Oregon and Washington District in 1924, and the same

subject also appears elsewhere frequently as a part of a longer work.

Also at the meetings of the Synodical Conference is this point often especially discussed.

Known is the history of the preliminary discussions of 1870 and 1871 that proceeded theformation of the Synodical Conference, in which reference was constantly made to the Biblical

principles that must be considered with such a connection. Known also is the "Memorandum"

from the year 1871 in which the words of the Tenth Article of the Formula of Concord

concerning the proper unity of the Church are mentioned. These principles stand out clearly in

the Doctrinal Proceedings of the year 1888, which were led by Prof. F. Pieper of St. Louis on the

basis of the following theses:

1. Under unity of faith, we understand the agreement in all articles of Christian doctrine

revealed in Holy Scripture.

2. This unity of faith is possible, because all articles of Christian doctrine are clearlyrevealed in Holy Scripture.

3. This unity of faith is desired by God, because He both commands the faithful

acceptance of all His revelation and strictly forbids any deviation from it.

4. The necessary outward testimony of the unity of faith is that those standing in the

unity of faith profess each other to be brethren in the faith.

5. Those standing in the unity of faith, should nourish and seek to preserve this [unity of

faith] as an extremely wonderful possession conferred with all diligence from the free grace of God.

In 1906 the following written guidelines were drafted for the Synodical Conference by

Prof. J. Ph. Köhler:

1. What is unity in the Spirit? What does the term mean? 1. Not the unity of the Spirit

as the third Person of the Godhead in the sense, a) that He is the only one who rules in the



Church, or, b) that he creates unity in the Church, but, 2. the unity of the Spirit that is from the

Holy Spirit who created new life in the individual Christian. - What is the content of this new

life? Faith, life, hope.

2. What should move us to maintain this unity in the Spirit? Its importance as an

essential part of the true Church, prescribed by God, manufactured by Christ, carried out by theHoly Spirit through the Gospel among men. Its practical importance in the life of Christians on

earth: 1. unity of Spirit and purity of doctrine are mutually dependent and likewise, 2. Unity of

the Spirit and purity in change.

3. How should the preservation of spiritual unity happen? The meaning of the term

"bond of peace". 1. Not the inner peace with God but the outer peace of Christians among

themselves, uniting them with each other. 2. This peace is not in opposition against the truth of

the Gospel or the peace of conscience. - The peace is obtained through humility, gentleness,

patience and mutual endurance. All this can only be carried out by the power that the Lord

gives through His Gospel.

For the 1908 Synodical Conference gathering Dr. F. Pieper from St. Louis, in turn, made

assumptions about "The Glorious Blessing of Brotherly Fellowship in Faith". The Theses run

thus:

1. All Christians are in inner, invisible fellowship with each other, because through the

working of the Holy Spirit all of them believe in Christ as their Savior and through this faith are

united with Christ as the only head of the Church and with one another in one spiritual body. In

this fellowship also are Christians who are in heterodox congregations (unitas ecclesiae interna

sive fidei in Christum).

2. It is God's will and order that those who believe in Christ in their hearts, also enter

into external, visible fellowship with each other, above all by joining together into local

congregations in which the Gospel is purely preached and the Sacraments are administered

according to God's Word, and also acknowledge and treat Christians who profess the true faith

in other places as fellow believers (unitas ecclesiae externa sive professionis fidei). The purpose

of this external fellowship is the preaching of the Gospel in the world, the spreading of the

Church and the mutual refreshment and strengthening in the faith.

3. Because many Christians out of weakness in knowledge do not obey Christ's

command to hold only to His Word, but contrary to Christ's prohibition have fellowship withfalse teachers, but they turn away from the God-ordained fellowship with brothers in the faith,

and this is only for application among Christians who cling to the Church according to Christ's

order, that is, confess the pure doctrine of God's Word and avoid false teachers.

4. The sadder it is that so many Christians stay in heterodox camps and thereby cause

and help to maintain schism and scandal in the Church, all the more zealously and sincerely will

Christians, who by God's grace are in the orthodox camp, maintain brotherly fellowship in the



faith with each other and carefully avoid all disturbance of it, for the glory of God and for the

highest good of the world and the Church.1

For the gathering of the Synodical Conference six years ago, in 1924, Prof. M.S. Sommer

had taken charge of the doctrinal proceedings concerning the theme: "The Unity of the

Christian Church". There were four theses for discussion, namely:

1. The inner, spiritual unity of the Christian Church is in the union of each Christian with

Christ through faith, whereby he is a member of the body of Christ, in which all other Christians

are also members and so by the same faith all also with each other "members of one another"

(Romans 12:5).

2. According to God's will this inward unity should now outwardly show through

agreement of all members of the Church in doctrine under one Lord, Jesus Christ.

3. Disobedience against our Lord Jesus Christ is the cause of all division, sectarianism,

false doctrine, separation, and disunity in Christendom.

4. The Holy Spirit is the effecting cause of all true inward and outward unity of the

Church.

Since so much material is available concerning this question, then perhaps some would

like to ask: Why yet another topic that is so closely related to the others that they are basically

the same? I answer: First of all, because the subject even in our days is particularly timely, as

only that will be seen frequently in the course of work; the other, because the biblical principles

on which the Synodical Conference is based, [this topic] repeatedly must be stressed, especially

in this year of great jubilee celebrations and the ecclesiastical unions in our country. What'smore, the subject this time is different, and therefore should be treated somewhat differently

than in the aforementioned papers. We therefore treat in these days the important doctrine:

True Unity in Contrast to Unionism and Separatism

The explanation will be done in six theses:

1. The unity of the Spirit is an essential property of all Christendom on earth, the Church

in the true sense of the word. This unity is a fruit of the Spirit, an expression of faith that relies

on Christ as the Savior of sinners and therefore embraces and clings to the Scriptures in allthings. Because the members of this one holy Christian church are known only to God, it is

conscious to him alone how complete knowledge and confession are of an individual member

of His Church.

1A combination of my translation and James Langebartels' translation available through http://wlsessays.net.



2. This inner unity should express and apply itself according to God's Word in perfect

accord in all revealed articles or parts of doctrine in Scripture. This includes within it the

recognition of all those associated with the true believers in the truth on the same Scriptural

basis.

3. Although in the Church for the sake of true unity much must be forgiven, under nocircumstances should this be done with denial of the truth. On the contrary: Any deviation from

a clearly revealed doctrine in Scripture conceives church-dividing opportunities in itself and

must lead in continued perseverance into error on the part of the dissenting party to a severing

of the brotherly-band.

4. Although uniformity of ceremonies is not necessary for the true unity of the Church,

such uniformity has a confessional value and must be required under such circumstances.

5. Against the unity of the Church infringes syncretism and unionism of every kind.

6. Against the unity in the Spirit infringes schismatics and separatists.

1.

The unity of the Spirit is an essential property of all Christendom on earth, the Church in the

true sense of the word. This unity is a fruit of the Spirit, an expression of faith that relies on

Christ as the Savior of sinners and therefore embraces and clings to the Scriptures in all

things. Because the members of this one holy Christian Church are known only to God, it is

also aware of its own, how perfect or imperfect knowledge and confession are of each

member of this Church.

"Unity in the Spirit" is a Biblical term. It is used by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:3,

where he exhorts his readers: "Be diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit" (

). With the term "unity in the Spirit" is certainly not

meant as some old and new interpreters have adopted "the oneness of the Holy Spirit that

unity creates and maintains", but as this is in Luther's translation, "the unity of conviction".

However, it is true that this oneness or unity is a creation of the Holy Spirit, but that is not an

essential property of the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, yet is in the word "hold" or "keep";

because the apostle would not want to exhort the Christians to maintain an essential property

of the Holy Spirit. No, the unity or oneness of the Spirit is that created new life by the Holy

Spirit in Christians, by virtue of which all believers, wherever they may be, are one heart andone soul, as that also is explicitly stated about the visible congregation in Jerusalem.

2Because

all Christians have one Lord, one faith (the acceptance of Christ as Savior and confidence in His

salvation), one baptism (as the Sacrament of admission into the Christian Church), one God and

Father of us all,3

because by one Spirit they are all baptized into one body, whether Jews or

2Acts 4:32.

3Ephesians 4:5-6



Greeks, slaves or free, and all are made to drink in one Spirit,4

so they are completely united in

one Spirit. This oneness is an essential property of Christians in its totality.

This unity is a fruit of the Spirit, an expression of faith. In His high-priestly prayer our

Savior spoke: "I pray not only for them but also for those who will believe in Me through their

word, that they may all be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also be in Us,that the world may believe that You have sent Me. And I have given them the glory that You

gave Me, that they are one, even as We are one, I in them and You in Me, that they be made

perfect in one, and the world know that You have sent Me and have loved them even as You

love Me."5

We pay attention here to the expression, "that they may be one", that the Savior

repeated four times. He described the unity of the Spirit according to mind, will, and spirit. This

unity is a fact; it is found in all people who have come to faith by the power of the Holy Spirit in

the Word; it is an expression and witness of this faith. The apostle Paul speaks the same idea in

Galatians 3:28: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither

male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus." How namely this oneness comes about,

the apostle shows in the same context: "You all are children of God through faith in Christ

Jesus."6

So faith is the work of the Holy Spirit, that is why in the last words of Jesus the

Comforter, the Holy Spirit, is the main topic, as for example in John 14:26: "But the Comforter,

the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind

you of everything I have told you." And once again John 15:26: "But when the Comforter is

come, whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father,

He shall testify of me." And again: "But when He, the Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide you

into all truth."7

Through this Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, the Comforter, the unity in the Spirit, the

oneness of faith in mind, will, and spirit, is worked.

However, the foundation of this unity, its essential characteristic on the basis of faith

that calls and keeps them into life, that relies on Jesus Christ as the Savior of sinners, istherefore the acceptance of Scripture. What the Enthusiasts at the time of the Reformation

clung to on their part, that namely faith is worked and can exist without Scripture, Luther and

his colleagues have fought with all determination. For the unity of the Spirit cannot exist on the

basis of imagination, on lies, but only on the basis of truth. But only God's Word as a whole and

in all its parts is the truth, as our Savior says in John 17:17.8

The whole Scripture, all parts of

Scripture, is the Name of God, is revelation of His presence, especially His grace in Christ Jesus.

A truly believing Christian, therefore, accepts the Word of God as truth. This is essential,

because he neither comes to faith without this Word nor can he remain in it. He makes in his

faith, therefore, no academic difference between Scriptural doctrine in the true sense and

other revelations of God that are recorded in Scriptures: in the field of history, ethnology,geography, natural history; he does not distinguish between doctrine and religion; he does not

make first a difference between fundamental and non-fundamental doctrines; for it is all truth,

41 Corinthians 12:13.

5John 17:20-23.

6Galatians 3:26.

7John 16:13a.

8"Sanctify them in Your truth, Your Word is truth."



what God has taught and revealed, whether talking about God personally or whether the Holy

Spirit speaks through prophets, evangelists and apostles. It is with him: "The Lord's Word is

true",9

"Your Word is nothing but truth",10

"in the Word of truth";11

"He has begotten us

according to His will through the Word of truth".12

There is no faith except the one that comes

through the Word, and therefore it belongs to the essence of faith, to accept the revelation of

truths. In this all Christians agree, where they also may be found: their faith is in God's Word astruth and keeps to the Word.

We understand this rightly. There is no question about it, that a member of a false

Church fellowship, but who belongs to the invisible Church, understands a word of Scripture

falsely and therefore also has a false confession. One can well assume a difference between

outward and inward convictions, as indicated in Scripture in Romans 8:26-27: "Because we do

not know what we should pray, as is fitting, but the Spirit itself represents us in the best way

with inexpressible sighs. But he who searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit,

because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." We may say confidently that

the actual, innermost, faith in the heart always means the unconditional acceptance of Divine

truth. Doubt and false views and opinions in convictions may also be found in a Christian (as

indeed all Christians learn again and again), so this does not affect the actual, inner faith. For

this Christ has indeed taken as the essential word, as the content of the Gospel. Faith in Christ

and faith in the Gospel, in the Word, is identical. Therefore the Holy Spirit gives the power of

this faith to every Christian as it were in the innermost heart a knowledge of the truth, that no

point of the Word doubts or wrongly understood in its context.

Yet another way: Saving faith may well exist in ignorance and false understanding of

fundamental doctrines and all parts of Scripture, but not in the explicit denial of any part of

Scripture. Church fellowship, on the other hand, can only exist in complete agreement in all

doctrines of Scripture, as we shall see later. This is demonstrated in Dr. Pieper's ChristianDogmatics: "It should be noted that the f ides iusti f icans and salvans also can be in those who do

not know the Scriptures in all parts, and even in those who err from weakness in certain parts

of revealed doctrine, as Scripture abundantly testifies. Orthodoxy and [one's] state of belief do

not coincide. There is certainly no orthodoxy without saving faith; and whoever does not

believe the Gospel believes no part of Christian doctrine woven with faith from the Holy Spirit.

But there is saving faith without any orthodoxy with respect to all parts of Christian doctrine.

This truth Luther, the Lutheran Confessions, and the dogmaticians bear witness to, though they

admit to no one the power to dispense with the assumption of even a part of Christian

doctrine."13

What is explained in these remarks on the basis of the Word of God, is also attested in

our Confessions. In the Apology in Articles VII and VIII, "On the Church", it states, "The Christian

9Psalm 33:4.

10Psalm 119:160. Cf. v. 86 and 142.


12James 1:18.

13German II:506, English II:424-425.



Church is not only in [the] fellowship of external signs, but is primarily in [the] inward fellowship

of eternal blessing in hearts, as the Holy Spirit, faith, fear and love of God.... For the true

Christian kingdom, the true home of Christ, is and remains always those whom God's Spirit has

enlightened, strengthened, ruled, whether he is probably not yet revealed before the world,

but is hidden under the cross, even as he always is and remains one Christ, the time He was

crucified and now there in eternal glory and reigns in heaven.... We do not talk about afictitious Church that is to be found nowhere, but verily we speak and know that this Church,

wherein are the holy ones, really is and remains on earth, namely that some children of God are

scattered here and there in all the world, in all sorts of kingdoms, islands, countries, cities, from

the rising of the sun to its setting, Christ and the Gospel are rightly recognized."14

This excerpt also serves as a transition to the next point of our thesis, that namely all of

Christendom on earth, in the proper sense of the word, has this essential property of unity in

faith. This follows, among others, from the description of the Church that the Scriptures offer

us. In Ephesians we find first of all the image of the head with his body and his members. "And

[God] has all things under His feet and has set [Christ] over all as the head of the Church, which

is His body, namely the fullness of Him who fills all in all."15

"Because the man is head of the

wife, even as Christ is the head of the Church, and he is Savior of the body. But as the Church is

subject to Christ, so also the wives to their husbands in all things. Husbands, love your wives,

even as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself for her, that he might sanctify and

cleanse her through the washing of water by the Word, that he might present her to Himself as

a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and

without blemish."16

The same picture is found in Colossians 1:18: "And He [Christ] is the head of

the body, the Church: He who is the beginning and the firstborn from the dead, that he may

have the precedence in all things." According to these points, Christ is the head of the

congregation or Church, and this is His body. The members of the body are however most

intimately connected with the head, a perfect unity must prevail among them, so that "thewhole body is joined together and one member hangs by all the joints on another, thereby one

to another doing a helping hand according to the work of every member in its measure and

making the body grow into its own bettering, and all this in love."17

The same conclusion also follows when we pay attention to another image that the Holy

Spirit uses repeatedly in the New Testament, namely a temple. "Now therefore you are no

more strangers and foreigners, but citizens with the saints and household of God; built on the

foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the cornerstone, in whom

the whole building is joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also

are being built together for an habitation of God's will in mind for a dwelling place of God in theSpirit."

18"Do you not know that you are the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in you?

If anyone corrupts the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, which

14Concordia Triglotta, 226ff. ¶ 5, 19, 21 (German).

15Ephesians 1:22-23.


17Ephesians 4:16. Cf. Colossians 2:19.




temple you are."19

That in a large building, a temple, oneness or unity is an essential quality

hardly needs proof. If even only one stone would leave the unity in the spiritual temple of the

Church of Christ, then it would no longer be a part of the building. And this same [image] is in

other images that Scripture paints for us before our eyes, in order to give us somewhat of an

idea of the nature of the Church, as in the image of the vine and its grapes, the children of God

who form a harmonious family, and many others.

Let us not forget in the whole undertaking that this is about the ideal of the Church in

the strict sense, about the invisible Church. This is about what we confess in the Third Article [of

the Creed]: "I believe one holy Christian Church, the congregation of holy ones." The

membership of this Church is known only to God, the infallible Lord of the Church. "The

kingdom of God comes not with outward gestures ( ); neither will they say,

'Look here!" or "There it is!" For behold, the kingdom of God is within you" ( ).20

The context clearly compels to depart from the classical use of the preposition and accept

Luther's translation, just as he himself explains: "As the evangelist says: Here or there is Christ,

and the like, is the whole Christ, that is, from the kingdom of Christ, spoken, how that with

force compels the text, Luke 17:20f., there He says: 'The kingdom of God comes not with

outward gestures.' One will not say: 'See here, behold, it's here,' which the other evangelists

finish: 'Here or there is Christ.' This is all said so much: Christ's kingdom is not in outward things,

places, times, persons, works, but, as He Himself says, 'The kingdom of God is within you'.

Hence it does not follow that Christ is nowhere, but that He is everywhere and fills

everything."21

- "And you also, as living stones, He builds into a spiritual house and into a holy

priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."22

Here

the true Church is clearly and distinctly called a spiritual, that is, an invisible building. - "The

solid foundation of God stands and has this seal: 'The Lord knows those who are His'; and:

'Depart from unrighteousness, those who call on the name of Christ.' "23

Therefore only the

Lord can see His own, they are known only to Him. But only the true children of God are HisChurch; therefore no mere man can see the Church.

24

In connection with this is the last part of our thesis: "Because the members of this one

holy Christian church are known only to God, it is conscious to him alone how complete

knowledge and confession are of an individual member of His Church." This addition has been

made on purpose, because one namely repeatedly blends together and mixes up these two

things, the invisible and visible Church. Of course, all true believers of all visible Churches or

congregation members are of the invisible Church; but this is beyond our control. However, this

is not to say that all member of the invisible Church are thereby also members of a visible

fellowship or Church. Because one can often ignore this, one often transfers the statementsthat only apply to the invisible Church, to the visible, as when one applies the word of Jesus in

191 Corinthians 3:16-17.

20Luke 17:20-21.

21Against the Heavenly Prophets, St. Louis Edition, XX:282f.

221 Peter 2:5.

232 Timothy 2:19.

24See Walther, Kirche und Amt, 1-29 (German). 27-48 (English).



John 17:2125

to the visible Church or transfers a knowledge of the saving doctrine, as this is

without doubt sufficient in the invisible Church (faith of baptized children), to the confession of

the visible Church and thereby under certain circumstances may open the gate and doors to

indifferentism and unionists. We want to treat this point in question a little more.

God's arrangement to control the legitimacy and the membership of the invisibleChurch for the justification of their existence will be continued further in the next thesis. He has

laid down requirements that determine exactly how it should thereby behave. He has even

established certain principles of a minimum level of knowledge and understanding. He has

given us practical rules for the treatment of such persons and especially those teachers who do

not agree in doctrine and confession with the whole truth of the Word of God.

But in relation to the invisible Church, God has reserved the right to act on the basis of

His omniscience, without consulting in any way with human judgments. He seems to make a

contrast between theological knowledge and an actual faith-knowledge of truth for salvation.

It may meet a minimum of knowledge in his reckoning, that cannot be applied by us considering

the circumstances of the visible Church. To Him alone it is known how much real knowledge is

present in the faith of a baptized (and perhaps an unbaptized) child or in a thief on the cross.

He seems to refer to similar things in 1 Corinthians 3:11-13: "Other foundation can no man lay

than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man build upon this foundation [with] gold,

silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; each man's work shall be revealed: for the day will

make this clear." If one were to understand this passage from the Christian congregation of the

visible Church, they would certainly face other clear teachings of Scripture that convict all false

doctrine and opinion of men presented in the Church as confession. Therefore, without a doubt

the Apology is right when it says: "And although now in the body, which is built on the true

foundation, that is, Christ and faith, many are weak, which build on such foundation [with]

straw and hay, that is, some human thoughts and opinions, with which they still neither upsetnor reject the foundation, Christ, wherefore they are still Christians and such error will be

forgiven them, they will also perhaps be enlightened and better informed: also we see in the

Fathers that they also sometimes have built [with] straw and hay on the foundation; but they

did not want to upset the foundation."26

It can also perhaps occur that a member of the Church

of Christ has a misconception or idea of a revealed truth, because "we know in part and we

prophecy in part."27

Even on this side of the grave, with further careful study of the revealed

Word, many of these erroneous opinions disappear, in order to be done away with completely

in the light of the coming great day. As for the teaching of the Church, that is presented by its

preachers and teachers, this must be exact in its features as well as in its completion with God's

Word.

25"That they may all be one, as You, Father, are in me and I in You, that they also be in us, that the world may

believe that You have sent me."26

Concordia Triglotta, 232, ¶22.27

1 Corinthians 13:9.



That the declaration of our Confessions agrees best with the Scriptures is also apparent

from other places, especially the New Testament. We are told in 1 Corinthians 12:12ff of the

congregation of God as the body of Christ: "For just as a body is one and yet has many

members, but all the members of the body, although there are many, yet are one body: so also

is Christ.... For the body is not one member, but many.... But God has so composed the body

and given the greatest honor to the most needy member, so that there is not a division in thebody, but [that] the members ensure equal care for one another." "The solid foundation of God

stands and has this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His"; and 'Depart from

unrighteousness, those who call on the name of Christ.' But in a great house there are not only

gold and silver vessels, but also wood and clay, and some for honor, but some for dishonor."28

And we can say about the invisible Church as a temple of God, that not all members are like

plants, like hewn bay windows, like palaces, but many a member is like a nondescript stone, like

an unnoticed in the church building that God builds for eternity. Some of these imperfections

and weaknesses also come to the surface in the visible Church but certainly we find it stated by

individual members of the Church that it is rightly called the invisible. And yet it remains that

the Church, all her members, is cleansed through the blood of Christ, so that she presents

herself a congregation that is glorious, that does not have spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but

that she should be holy and without blemish.29

For all the weakness that clings to the individual believer in this life, there remains what

the Third Article says: "I believe one holy Christian Church, the congregation of the holy ones."

And we confess with Luther in the Large Catechism: "But this is the meaning and summary of

this addition ["congregation of the holy ones"]: I believe that there is upon earth a holy little

handful and congregation of pure saints, under one head, Christ, called together by the Holy

Spirit in one faith, mind, and understanding, with many gifts, yet agreeing in love, without sects

and division. I am also a part and member of the same, a partaker and joint owner of all the

goods it has, brought to it and incorporated into it through the Holy Spirit, by having heard andcontinuing to hear God's Word, which is the beginning of entering into her. For earlier, before

we had attained to this, we were altogether of the devil, as one who had known nothing of God

and of Christ. So until the last day, the Holy Spirit remains with the holy congregation or

Christendom, through which He brings us and wants her thereby, to lead and carry on the

Word, because he makes and increases sanctification, that she day by day increases and

becomes strong in the faith and its fruits that he makes."30

These words may also serve equally

well as a transition to the second thesis, in which the outward demonstration of the unity in the

Spirit in the visible church fellowships should be treated.

282 Timothy 2:19-20.

29Ephesians 5:27.

30Concordia Triglotta, 692 ¶ 51-53.



2.

This inner unity should express and apply itself according to God's Word in perfect accord in

all revealed articles or parts of doctrine in Scripture. This includes within it the recognition of

all those associated with the true believers in the truth on the same Scriptural basis.

So far we have dealt with the invisible Church and found in her the ideal state of the

actual unity of the Spirit as an essential property of the congregation of the holy ones. We have

seen that this unity actually exists in the fellowship of faith and the Holy Spirit, that all members

of the congregation of the holy ones known to God and are characterized by their trust in

salvation purchased through Christ and through the gift of the Holy Spirit who dwells in them.

But what already is applied in reality concerning the Church in the true sense and concerning

their entire membership, namely, that all members, wherever they may be, unite in faith a daily

"Our Father" before the throne of God to the Redeemer, should also apply to the members of

visible Church fellowships according to God's will, from all those who are Christians according

to their confession and want to capture their reason in all parts under the obedience of Christ.

Now the present thesis is not so much about the personal faith position of the individual

Christian as a member of the invisible Church (fides qua creditur) as to the confession of faith

(fides quae creditur) of the external operation of the inner unity that increases its commitment

to the confession. This is a smaller circle. In the visible Church are namely the confines that deal

with associations of any kind, narrower than in the invisible Church, where in reality the

members are known to God alone. The Lord of the Church commands to Christians to bring

about inner unity in the Spirit, but He specifies quite exactly in which way this should be done.

Love must prevail in the Church, but that does not mean a weak sentimentality that operates

without true unity, without inner harmony, that serves as a cover of the denial of basic truths of

salvation, but the Christian attribute that speaks the truth in love ( ), asthe apostle expresses it in Ephesians 4:15. All Christians, not only teachers but also hearers,

should confess and defend the truth, the Christian truth, whose content is in the one Word of

Christ, both to help for the Truth for their right and to serve one another with the testimony of

the truth.

Therefore, our thesis says that the existing inner unity operates and demonstrates

under the confession and is in complete accord in all revealed articles and parts of doctrine in

Scripture. It is not in this connection not so much according to the so-called outward sign of the

Church, where their presence can be detected, as to the confession of faith or belief , and not

so much as according to the minimal knowledge of the individual Christian

31

as to the commonconfession of a congregation or a church body. The Apology certainly speaks in a very

interesting way about the first point, and then immediately moves on to the next point: "This

same Church also has outward signs, whereby one can know it; indeed, where God's Word is

pure, where the Sacraments are administered according to the same, there is certainly the

Church, there are Christians, and this same Church is alone called in Scripture Christ's body. For

31Hebrews 5:12-6:2; Ephesians 4:13-16.



Christ is her head and sanctifies and strengthens her by His Spirit...it certainly remains true that

one group and one people are the Church, which here and there in the world truly believe in

Christ from the rising of the sun to its setting, who have then one Gospel, one Christ, all the

same Baptism and Sacraments, being ruled by one Holy Spirit, whether or not they have

unequal ceremonies."32

We repeat: It is not about the marks of the Church, but about the claims of the Lord of

the Church in regard to the activity of unity in the Spirit. Rightly is this idea summarized in the

Formula of Concord: "Since for thorough, stable unity in the Church, it is necessary, above all

things, that one have a summarizing, unanimous concept and form wherein the general

summary of doctrine (which the Churches that are of the true Christian religion confess) is

brought together from God's Word - just as the early Church always had for such usage its

certain symbols - and such [general summary of doctrine] should not be stated in private

writings, but in such books that have been made, approved, and adopted in the name of the

Churches that pledge themselves to one doctrine and religion... since for the preservation of

pure doctrine and for thorough, consistent, pious [godly] unity in the Church it is necessary that

the pure sound doctrine not only be rightly presented, but that also the opponents, those who

teach otherwise, be chastised... so we have thoroughly and clearly declared ourselves to one

another."33

This is in line with what Scripture says. On what are all confessions of the orthodox

Christian Church based? On the required acceptance of His Word from God and thereby in the

teaching of His Word in the confession of the Church. This is not a Lutheran special teaching,

but this is clear speech from the Word of God. Our Lord says: "If you continue in My Word (

), then you are truly My disciples."34

He prays in His high-priestly prayer:

"Sanctify them through Your truth; Your word is truth."35

He orders His disciples in His last

great mission mandate: "Go therefore and teach all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to hold to all things whatsoever I

have commanded you. And see, I am with you always, even to the end of the world."36

Christ's

own position is seen in Matthew 5:17-19: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the

prophets: I am not come to destroy but to fulfill. For I tell you truly: Till heaven and earth pass,

one jot nor one tittle of the law, till all be fulfilled. Anyone who breaks one of these least

commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but

whoever does and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."37

And it is clear

that this teaching must include the confession of Jesus in Matthew 10:32: "Whoever confesses

me before men, him will I confess also before my Father in heaven." These claims of Jesus are

in the reports of the first church and agree with the statements of the apostolic epistles. "They

32Concordia Triglotta, p. 226ff, ¶ 5, 11.

33 ibid , p. 848, 854, 856

34John 8:31.

35John 17:17.

36Matthew 28:19-20.

37Cf. Luke 16:17.



continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine."38

"For with the heart one believes unto

righteousness; and then one confesses with the mouth, then one will be saved."39

This

confession is not an uncertain quantum, but is the word of faith that Paul and his helpers

preached. It is the same idea that the apostle Peter expresses: "The Word of the Lord endures

forever. That is the Word that is preached among you."40

Saint Paul writes: "Pay attention to

yourself and to your teaching; continue in them. For where you are doing such, you will makeyourself happy, and they will listen to you."

41"Keep to the pattern of sound words that you

have heard from me, in faith and love in Christ Jesus."42

"Let us hold fast the confession."43

"Let

us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He is faithful who promised

them."44

So strong is the evidence of these many points, that we are justified to use the words

from adding to this book and from taking away of this book,45

to the whole Bible with all its

teachings. Only when the principle of accepting the whole of Scripture with all its teachings

can unity in the Spirit exist.

This point is further confirmed by the prohibitions of the Lord in this area, by His

warnings against all those who deviate in the slightest from the clear teachings of Scripture.

"Beware of false prophets!" says the Savior in Matthew 7:15, by which, of course, He claims the

presence of false doctrine and false teachers, and warns of the two. "I beseech you, brethren,

that you take heed to those who cause schism and offense in addition to the doctrine which

you have learned, and depart from them!"46

"If anyone teaches otherwise and does not remain

with the salutary words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the doctrine that is according to godliness,

he is puffed-up and knows nothing."47

"Let us not be tormented with various and strange

doctrines; for it is a good thing that the heart be established, which happens through grace."48

"Anyone who transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He

that abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you

and does not bring this doctrine, do not take him into your house and also do not greet him."49

All this should be done on the basis of Ephesians 4:3, in order to preserve the true unity

of the Spirit. It is not that one wants here to distinguish between fundamental and non-

fundamental doctrines, as has been demonstrated particularly by Rudelbach.50

The words of

38Acts 2:42.

39Romans 10:10.

401 Peter 1:25.

411 Timothy 4:16.

422 Timothy 1:13. Cf. Titus 1:9; 2:1, 7.

43 Hebrews 4:14.44

Hebrews 10:23.45

Revelation 22:18-19 (cf. Deuteronomy 4:2, 12, 32).46

Romans 16:17.47

1 Timothy 6:3-4.48

Hebrews 13:9.49

2 John 9-10.50

Reformation, Lutheranism, and Union, chapter 12. (Andreas Gottlob Rudelbach (1792-1862) was a Danish-

German neo-Lutheran theologian who fought against Rationalism in Saxony. Later he was professor of dogmatics



Jesus: "Teaching them to observe all" and that of the apostle: "If anyone teaches otherwise...he

is puffed-up and knows nothing" are too powerful. A union in truth can exist only where the

unity of the Spirit, which in the members of the invisible Church is another fact, becomes

evident and is active in the full confession of and full commitment to the truth. "We can do

nothing agai nst the truth, but f or the truth", writes the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 13:8, and

he speaks about the condemnation of God upon those who have not understood the love of truth, that they might be saved. "That is why God will send them strong delusion, that they

believe the lie, that they all might be condemned who did not believe the truth."51

Where one

cannot operate with this presupposition of full responsibility for the truth, there can be no

talk at all of real unity in the Spirit.

What the orthodox Church confesses about unity in the Spirit has been laid down

particularly in all the Confessions of the Lutheran Church, in the Concordia of 1580. On the basis

of the Word of God and these Confessions and in light of recent historical developments, one

could summarize it like this:

We believe that all of Scripture, that is, all the canonical books of the Old and New

Testaments, are inspired by God, that by virtue of inspiration the Holy Spirit has driven certain

people at certain times to write down and to proclaim certain historical facts as well as absolute

revelation of His saving will, especially the word of reconciliation through Christ. With this

inspiration, however, the Holy Spirit has made use of natural gifts, acquired skills, and human

understanding of the sacred writers, but above all He has made known to them the mystery of

redemption through Christ in such a way that in the original documents no error was found,

neither in the divine teachings and holy truth nor in the statements in the realm of history or in

any other point of divine or human knowledge (Geology, Geography, Astronomy, Psychology,

Pedagogy, Biology, etc.). The Bible, as Scripture inspired by God, is completely without error up

to the individual words and letters, namely, insofar as these words are formed, so that one notonly distinguishes between singular and plural, but even to have respect for the smallest jot

and tittle.52

The possibility of any error is impossible.

We believe that the work of conversion of man is wholly and exclusively God's work of

grace, that man in no way makes himself worthy, prepares himself for that, can act at all, that

for the sake of his conduct God would have or could have His work in him; even then bestow

man with the gift of grace-works, as if a prevenient grace is to be understood in the sense that

man, as it were, could acquiesce in a preliminary stage of conversion to grace. The natural man

can probably hear and read God's Word externally, however, he can in no way in this case

contribute to his actual conversion, to his awakening to the spiritual life, but can, so much as inhim lies, only prevent this work of God.

at the University of Copenhagen. He was an early ally of Grundtvig, but later became critical of Grundtvig's view of

the Church.)51

2 Thessalonians 2:11-12.52

Matthew 5:18.



We believe that the eternal counsel of God, or predestination for short, in no way is

done with the purpose of any conduct and activity of man, even in respect of the persistent

belief of some people, as though God would have taken toward the selection on the basis of

this faithful continuance, but that this counsel of grace is done for the sake of Christ all alone,

on the basis of the mercy of God and the holy merit of Christ. As a result of this election, the

Holy Spirit through the Word brings the elect to faith, they can, even in times of temporaryunfaithfulness, die in the faith and enter into the bliss that God has ordained for them before

the world began. While the general gracious will goes to all people, the election of grace

performs this gracious will effectively in the elect, while those who are lost, the gracious will of

God fails because of their persistent, willful opposition. Scripture knows nothing of an election

to wrath or an election to eternal damnation.

We believe that the Church of Christ in the true sense, which the Holy Spirit through the

Means of Grace founded and is edifying the totality of true believers, that is, who place their

trust in the vicarious life, suffering, and death of Jesus Christ and who are connected precisely

through this common faith with each other. "And this same Church also has external signs,

whereby one knows her; namely where God's Word goes purely, where the Sacraments are

served in accordance with the same, there the Church certainly is, there Christians are, and is

called Christ's body only in Scripture."53

We believe that Christ has made all believers in Him kings and priests before God, His

Father, which He confers to them all good things that He has acquired through His reconciling

suffering and death, in the saving Gospel and the Sacraments. This universal priesthood should

apply to every Christian, depending on how God offers him an opportunity, according to the

extent of his knowledge and powers, and within the limits set by God through His testimony for

the saving truth.

We believe that in contrast to the universal priesthood, the Preaching Office in the

narrow sense or the pastor's office is according to its nature and purpose, that one efficiently

and properly called person edifies, teaches, and governs a specific congregation in Christ's

stead through God's Word and conducts in their midst of them the Sacraments on behalf of the

fellowship. This Office is established by God and its present stated functions are precisely

determined in God's Word. The erection of the Office is therefore the right and duty of every

Christian congregation and done through their call; it is an exercise of the universal priesthood.

The calling is a right of that congregation, in which the preacher should administer the pastor's

office; and through such calling of the congregation Christ places His servant. Ordination is not

a divine, but an ecclesiastical order for the public and solemn acknowledgment of the call.

We believe that, although there are many false teachers or antichrists, the Pope in

Rome is indeed the actual, proper antichrist in the full sense of the word and therefore must be

fought as an archenemy of the Church with all seriousness.

53Concordia Triglotta, p. 226.



We believe that any doctrine of a so-called thousand year reign that makes the

kingdom of our Savior Jesus Christ into an external, earthly and worldly kingdom of glory or in

any way denies the permanent character of the cross of the Church, is rejected as one with

clear statements from Scripture in opposition to standing doctrine. This includes in itself the

rejection of the view that even a spiritual flowering of the Christian Church or a general

conversion of the Jews or a resurrection of the martyrs before the Last Day and whatnotexpected.

We believe that our Savior Jesus Christ is born of the Virgin Mary as a true and natural

man of the world, so that from the first moment of conception by the Holy Spirit the divine and

human nature have united in His person has already occurred and that this union still takes

place even after His ascension, although He now communicated divine attributes according to

His human nature in the total, constant use of His human nature even in His incarnation.

All this is clear Scriptural teaching and the points mentioned are therefore mentioned

because they were in the last decade the objects of special interest, partially of controversy.

Now wherever Christians, adherents of Scripture, accept these teachings of Scripture, as they

are well demonstrated particularly in our beliefs, there is this assumption, according to our

thesis in itself, to close the recognition of all those who with us should stand as confessors of

the truth on the same Scriptural basis. This may and should be done not only through the

exchange of friendly greetings, but also through joint work together at conferences and synods,

through pulpit exchanges and altar fellowship. As it is not necessary that all congregation

members are connected to one synod, it is even less necessary and important that all

congregations form only a single large organization. Since the formation of large church bodies

is indeed implied in God's Word, however, the question in the other belongs to the field of

indifferent things, then let congregations unite themselves into state or district synods, into

German or English church bodies, synods or districts, as long as only the unity in the Spirit isexpressed in the right way and everyone can see that concerned Christians, even as

congregations, stand for the same Scriptural basis. But at any rate the actually existing unity of

the Spirit should be active.

We close this part of our paper with the words of our Confessions: "That is why he

[Paul] writes and teaches in all other places that in this life is no perfection in our works, it is

not remembered that he speaks to the Colossians54

on perfection of the person, but he speaks

of unity in the Church, and the word, as they read perfection, means nothing other than to be

untorn, that is, to be united []. That he now says: 'Love is a bond of perfection', that is,

it binds, fixes, and holds together the many limbs of the Church among themselves (for as in acity or in a house unity is obtained in this way, that one considers the benefits of the other, and

can remain neither peaceful nor restful, where one does not provide for the other, where we

do not bear with one another), thus here Paul will admonish that one should suffer and bear

the other's error, weakness, that they should forgive one another, so that unity will be kept in

the Church, so that the Christian's home is not torn, cut apart, and share in all sorts of sects and

54Colossians 3:14.



cults, consequently there is much rubbish, hatred, and envy, all kinds of bitterness and evil

poison, finally public heresy would occur."55

This idea will first be carried out in the next thesis.

3.

Although in the Church for the sake of true unity much must be forgiven, under nocircumstances should this be done with denial of the truth. On the contrary: Any deviation

from a clearly revealed doctrine in Scripture conceives church-dividing opportunities in itself

and must lead in continued perseverance into error on the part of the dissenting party to a

severing of the brotherly-band.

The first premise of this thesis is based on the total explanation in Article III of the

Apology, especially in paragraphs 113 and 114: "On the other hand, perfection and unity is

obtained, that is, the Church remains undivided and whole, when the strong tolerate and

endure the weak, when people have patience with preachers also, when the bishops and

preachers know how to exercise forbearance according to people, with respect to all kinds of

weaknesses and faults. Of the way and manner to keep unity, is also written much everywhere

in the books of the philosophers and worldly-wise. For we must forgive each other much and

have good for the sake of unity."

The true Church has practiced this affectionate indulgence at all times. We have an

excellent example in the manner in which the Lord accepted His covenant people at the

beginning of the New Testament period, to disengage the members of the Jewish Church,

where possible, from the false idea of an earthly Messianic kingdom. The Savior Himself came

to His own, to the people of the Jews, to which He belonged by virtue of His biological ancestry

and birth. He explained that He, for His part in His personal Office, was not sent except to the

lost sheep of the house of Israel.56 He gave to His disciples the direct mandate: "Go not into theway of the Gentiles and draw not into the cities of the Samaritans, but go to the lost sheep of

the house of Israel."57

Although the Savior said to the Jews: "I have other sheep that are not of

this fold"58

, namely that of the Jewish Church, but Paul also followed in his practice the rule: "to

the Jew first and then to the Greeks."59

Nevertheless, he was the apostle to the Gentiles, so we

find that he almost regularly visited the Jewish synagogue first, and that not only for a

convenient point of connection, but in principle. He preached in Pisidian Antioch first in the

synagogue, and until such time as the Jews contradicted and blasphemed.60

And then he made

the solemn declaration: "The Word of God must be spoken to you first; but since you reject it

and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles."61

So it went in


56Matthew 15:24.

57Matthew 10:5-6.

58John 10:16.

59Romans 1:16.

60Acts 13:45.

61Acts 13:46.



Iconium,62

in Thessalonica,63

in Corinth,64

where he was eventually forced to leave the

opposition and blasphemy of the Jews in the face of the explanation: "Your blood be upon your

heads! From now on I go to the Gentiles."65

Even still as Paul came to Rome as a prisoner in the

year 61, after he had already written in the year 58 his glorious epistle to the Christian

congregation in Rome, he called together the chiefs of the Jews in order, where possible, to win

them for the Gospel.66

And just as they also opposed the Gospel throughout, he reminded themof the words of the prophet Isaiah, chapter six, that had been used also by Christ under certain

circumstances.67

While the apostles had to put up with a lack of knowledge and with weakness

in the view and understanding of Scriptural doctrine, while there was still some hope that one

could win people to the pure Gospel, as long as they exercised forbearance, patience, kindness,

as long as they were willing to forgive much for the sake of love.

It was a similar situation at the time of the Reformation; especially Luther and those

standing next to him have so practiced. In the Apology, in Article III, paragraph 122, we read:

"The apostles did not admonish without cause for such love, which the philosophers have called

. For love in unity should be and remain together, whether in the Church or in

secular government, so they do not have to settle all weaknesses against each other on gold

scales; they have to allow each other more room in the water and make allowances for [each

other] as much as possible, to have brotherly patience with each other." As long as it was a

question of weakness, of affliction, of lack of knowledge or even a human error in connection

with the preaching of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments, Luther went - and

with him the other reformers of Germany - really to the utmost limit of the permissible. Seldom

in the history of the Church were sermons given under similar circumstances that expressed the

spirit of true peace and the efforts to preserve the unity in the Spirit, as the eight sermons that

Luther held at Wittenberg from March 9-16, 1522 after his return from the Wartburg. Although

Luther, namely in the period between December, 1519, when he said "Although one does not

now give both kinds to the people every day as aforetime, it is not necessary"68, and October,1520, where he in the writing On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church called for the Lord's

Supper under both kinds, had come to the right knowledge and probably knew that this was a

clear teaching of Scripture, yet he still could say in the fifth sermon of that series: "Although I

think it's certain that it was necessary to receive this Sacrament under both kinds according to

the institution of Christ, our dear Lord, as described clearly by the three evangelists and St.

Paul: but one should not make it compulsory so soon and so suddenly and put into a common

order, until everyone everywhere beforehand was well informed, in order that the weak in faith

here inside [the Church] are not angry; but the Word should drive one to practice and preach,

but then the result of the Word should follow and God should command until His time."69

62Acts 14:1.

63Acts 17:1.

64Acts 18:4.

65Acts 18:6.

66Acts 28:17ff.

67Matthew 13:14-15; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10-11; see also John 12:39-41.

68"Sermon on the Venerable Sacrament of the Holy, True Body of Christ", St. Louis Edition Vol. XIX:426f.

69St. Louis Edition Vol. XX, 37f. See Visitation Articles, Vol. X, 1653.



We have practiced similarly, particularly in our inner mission (Home Missions), because

we work in general with great caution in mission, even in Germany. We have insightful

members, particularly among those who have enjoyed the full blessing of our school system,

pastors and teachers at the top. And yet there is always something: here a lack of right

understanding of Scripture, there a hesitation, even a cowardice in applying a clear Word of Scripture. But love commands, as long as we are on the same ground of Scripture and

Confessions, that we make allowances, that we, with all patience and suffering, look out for

those who are caught in error and also teach each other again and again, and accept such

instruction with a humble heart when it is based on God's Word.

But it is one thing to bear with the weak, and a completely different thing to tolerate

false doctrine and to allow it to reign in the Church. Bearing with the weak may never be

tantamount to recognition of error; it may, as our thesis says, under no circumstances occur

with denial of the truth. Lack of knowledge and weakness of understanding one can and must

excuse; but no person, particularly not a teacher of the Church, let alone an entire church

fellowship, can be excused for denial of truth and false confession and false practice. Weakness

may not become the norm, it may not claim recognition and the right to exist. Willful

participants in the falsification of the Word of Truth are children of damnation.70

This is clear Scriptural teaching. Especially in the Old Testament the Lord showed Elijah

that one cannot limp on both sides, to maintain truth also with error and falsehood.71

And the

New Testament passages that here can be considered, speak with great seriousness. "If you

continue in My Word, then you are my disciples and you shall know the truth and the truth

shall make you free.... Why do you not understand my speech ( )?

Because you cannot hear My Word ( ).... But I, because I speak the truth,

you believe me not."72 "Also from your own selves men will rise up, speaking perversedoctrines, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore be alert and remember that

for three years I have not ceased, day and night, to admonish every one with tears."73

"I

beseech you, dear brothers, that you take heed to those who cause divisions and trouble next

to the doctrine that you have learned, and depart from them! For such do not serve the Lord

Jesus Christ but their belly, and by smooth words and fair speech seduce innocent hearts."74

"A

little leaven leavens the whole lump."75

"If anyone comes to you and brings not this doctrine,

do not take him into the house and do not greet him. For he who greets him makes himself

partaker of his evil deeds."76

70See the comments of D. Pieper in Christian Dogmatics, Vol. 1:99-102 (German), 88-91 (English).

711 Kings 18:21; Cf. Amos 3:3.

72John 8:31-32, 43, 45.

73Acts 20:30-31.

74Romans 16:17-18.

75Galatians 5:9. See 1 Corinthians 5:6, 2.

762 John 10-11.



On these and other Scripture passages we establish ourselves, when it says in our thesis:

"Any deviation from a clearly revealed doctrine in Scripture conceives church-dividing

opportunities in itself and must lead in continued perseverance into error on the part of the

dissenting party to a severing of the brotherly-band." The Scriptural evidence is not only just

given, but in some cases already mentioned in the previous thesis. For if Scripture is the pure

Word of God, then all parts themselves are also accepted as Truth; then naturally also all partshave validity as Scriptural doctrine, and the only exceptions are the sections of which God

Himself has limited direct application, partly because the ceremonial law is abolished, partly

because we as believers of the New Testament have the fulfillment of the prophecies as the

basis of our faith-promise. Therefore whoever either advocates and implements a union across

the boundaries set by God or also intends to maintain that it does not serve the unity of the

Spirit, only greatly aggravates the inner conflict and disruption of outward Christianity.

Therefore, Luther writes in his conversation with Dr. George Major: "It makes you even suspect

with silence and disguise; but as you believe, as yours speaks before too, then such talk in the

Church, in lectionibus, concionibus et privatis colloquiis, and strengthens your brothers and

helps the erring back to the right way and contradicts the mischievous spirits; otherwise your

commitment is only a larval plant and good for nothing. Whoever rightly and certainly keeps his

doctrine, faith, and commitment for truth, that can lead others into false doctrine or are

devoted to the same, neither stays in one stable nor ever gives good words to the devil and his

shed. A teacher that is still silent to errors and nevertheless will be a good teacher is worse than

a public enthusiast (Schwärmer).... or he is entirely and even to himself uncertain and not

worthy that he should be called a student, let alone a teacher, and neither will offend anyone

nor speak Christ's Word nor will hurt the devil and the world."77

We cannot help but quote several sections from the writings of Luther, the so-called

great interpretation of Galatians. He writes particularly with reference to Galatians 5:9: "Hence

this passage must also be considered carefully in opposition to the argument by which theyaccuse us of offending against love and thus doing great harm to the churches. We are truly

ready and willing to show them peace and love, provided they leave the doctrine of faith safe

and sound for us. Where we cannot obtain such from them, it is vain that they praise Christian

love so highly. Cursed be the love in the abyss of hell that is sustained with detriment and

disadvantage of the doctrine of faith, to which everything must yield - love, an apostle, an

angel from heaven and whatever it may be. Therefore when they minimize this issue in such a

dishonest way, they give ample evidence of how highly they regard the majesty of the Word. If

they believed that it is the Word of God, they would not play around with it this way. No, they

would treat it with the utmost respect; they would put their faith in it without any disputing or

doubting; and they would know that one Word of God is all and that all are one, that one doctrine is all doctrines and all are one, so that when one is lost all are eventually lost, because

they belong together and are held together by a common bond.... Therefore if you deny God in

one article of faith, you have denied Him in all; for God is not divided into many articles of faith,

but He is everything in each article and He is one in all the articles of faith.... Therefore let us

learn to praise and magnify the majesty and authority of the Word. For it is no trifle, as the

77St. Louis Ed. XVII:1179f.



fanatics of our day suppose; but one dot78

is greater than heaven and earth. Therefore we have

no reason here to exercise love or Christian concord, but we simply employ the tribunal; that

is, we condemn and curse all those who insult or injure the majesty of the divine Word in the

slightest, because 'a little leaven leavens the whole lump.' But if they let us have the Word

sound and unimpaired, we are prepared not only to exercise charity and concord toward them

but to offer ourselves as their slaves and to do anything for them."79

This corresponding Scriptural doctrine, as set forth in the above-mentioned witnesses,

the Church has always practiced. The same Paul, who appears so carefully and especially

protects the weak in faith with all determination, holds with respect to the Judaizing skulker the

false teachers of his time in general a very different position. Not only in Galatians does he

punish them with unrelenting focus, but also in the last chapter of Second Corinthians. Even the

doubt concerning the doctrine of the resurrection gives him reason to reject such resolute

aberrations80

, and what especially concerns Hymnaeus and Philetus, who had been missing the

truth and saying that the resurrection had already happened, he thus confronts them with all

vehemence.81

- The same is true of the Age of the Reformation. The same Luther, who, as we

have seen, could exercise much patience and tolerance, who could accept even a Tetzel and a

Carlstadt, as these were in need of such friendliness, who could also negotiate for years with

the South German theologians, with Bucer at the top, of which the Wittenberg Concord is a

witness, had to act for the sake of the truth with all severity against the Romans and later

against the Zwinglians, because otherwise his behavior would have amounted to a relinquishing

of the truth. - The whole question of separatism with its evil practical consequences will be

treated in the last thesis.

4.

Although uniformity of ceremonies is not necessary for the true unity of the Church, suchuniformity has a confessional value and must be required under such circumstances.

This thesis has been included for completeness. Although ecclesiastical ceremonies are

among indifferent things and for this reason alone should not should not affect the unity of the

Church, yet [they] occur in connection with slight misunderstandings, so that even in the

Lutheran Church an adiaphoristic dispute is noted that contains some important lessons for us.

It has been stated in the first three theses what is sufficient for the true unity of the Church.

Therefore it should actually be the end of the matter. All Christians should be able to agree on

the words of the Eighth Article of the Augsburg Confession where it states: "For this is enough

for true unity of the Christian Church that the Gospel be preached harmoniously according to apure understanding [of it] and the Sacraments are administered according to the Divine Word.

78Matthew 5:18.

79St. Louis Edition Vol. IX:642ff. AE 27:38-39, 46. Translation altered in some places by author. See also Luther's

writing, "That These Words of Christ, 'This Is My Body' etc. Still Stands Against the Fanatics" St. Louis Edition

XX:762ff. AE 37; likewise Walther's Church and Office, German p. 113ff.80

1 Corinthians 15:12ff.81

2 Timothy 2:17-18.



And it is not necessary for the true unity of the Christians Church that ceremonies, instituted by

men, be kept uniform everywhere, as Paul says in Ephesians 4:5-6: 'One body, one Spirit, as you

were called to one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism."82

This occurs later in

the Apology: "The adversaries condemn this part from the Seventh Article, as we have said, that

it is enough for the unity of the Church that all the same Gospel, all the same Sacraments are

administered, and it is not necessary that human traditions are uniform everywhere. Theseparts they also allow, that it was not necessary for the unity of the Church that traditi ones

particulares are equal. But that traditi ones universales are equal was necessary for true unity of

the Church.... Concerning the same unity we now say it was not necessary that human

traditions, be they universales or particulares, are the same everywhere. For righteousness,

which is before God, that comes through faith, is not bound to outward ceremonies or human

traditions. For faith is a light in the heart that the heart renews and gives life; because external

ordinances and ceremonies, be they universal or particular, helps little.... For this is Paul's

opinion [in Colossians 2:16-17]: Faith in the heart, through which we get religion, is a spiritual

thing and light in the heart, through which we are renewed, obtains another sense and

courage. But human traditions are not such a vivid light and power of the Holy Spirit in the

heart, they are not something eternal; therefore they do not bestow eternal life, but are

outward, physical exercises that do not change the heart. That is why it cannot be held that

they were necessary for justification that is before God."83

Also in the 12th Article of the

Schmalkald Articles it is said: "For so the children pray: 'I believe one holy Christian Church.' This

holiness is not in surplices, plates, long robes and their other ceremonies, invented by them

over [going beyond] the Holy Scriptures, but in the Word of God and true faith." Finally, the

case is also explained properly in the 10th Article of the Formula of Concord, to which we shall

return later.

In these different quotes from our Confessions is the dogma that is observed explained

briefly and correctly. Whenever and wherever ecclesiastical rites and ceremonies are observedin the sense and spirit as if they had any relation to the justification of the poor sinner before

God, then they must be condemned. The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, not

lighting of candles, wearing of garments, altars, pulpits, images or the like, but righteousness

and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. That is noted especially in this question.

But we admit as well that ecclesiastical ceremonies, when rightly introduced and used,

have a confessional value. First of all it should be noted that God is a God of order and through

the observation of order the external Divine Service can not only be simplified, but also become

a ceremony of confession that has its value in the work of the Church. With intent toward order

in the public Divine Service, Paul writes to the Corinthians: "Let all things be done honestly andorderly"

84and in this sense we approve the Word and act accordingly.


83Concordia Triglotta, p. 236, 240. See Article XV of the Apology.




For this purpose there follows passages from Luther. He writes in his "Admonition to the

Christians in Livonia Concerning External Divine Service and Concord": "Whether it is perhaps

the outward orders in Divine Service as masses, singing, reading, baptisms, do not make for

salvation, it is still un-Christian that one is also divided and thereby misleads poor people and

does not respect the bettering of people than our own sense and discretion.... For, as has been

said, even though the external procedures or orders are free and, to reckon according to faith,may with good conscience in all places, for all t ime, be changed by all persons, then you are still

likely, to reckon according to love, not free, to carry out such freedom, but guilty to have

attention thereof, as it was tolerable and better to poor people; as Saint Paul says in 1

Corinthians 14:40: 'Let all things be done honestly and in order' and 1 Corinthians 6:12: 'All

things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful' and 1 Corinthians 8:1: 'Knowledge puffs

up, but love edifies'; and as he there speaks to those who have the knowledge of faith and

freedom and yet do not know how they should have the knowledge, because they do not apply

the same for the relief of the people, but for the praise of their understanding."85

And in his

"Brief Confession of the Sacrament Against the Fanatics" in 1544 it says, "For where else can it

take place without sin and without danger or nuisance, it is indeed to be, that to compare the

Churches, even in external parts, that really are free, as they compare themselves in spirit,

faith, Word, Sacrament, etc. For such is fine and pleases everyone well."86

It follows from this, that it may easily befall, that a Christian despite the freedom, that

he has, nevertheless in such "middle things" or adiaphora his Christian freedom is not easily

enforced. Paul is for us also in this regard a shining example. He has confidence in his Christian

freedom and defends it with the utmost determination. He refuses to circumcise Titus namely

because the Jewish-minded Christians in Jerusalem wanted to make this a requirement87

;

however, he circumcised Timothy for the sake of the Jews who lived in his hometown Lystra,

for they all knew that his father was a Greek.88

He insists that the conscience of the weak must

be protected89; but he himself is willing in Jerusalem in the year 58 to undergo the purificationceremonies of the Jews, only to spare the tender consciences of individual congregation

members.90

So he took upon himself, both in the case of Timothy as well as on the occasion of

his last visit to Jerusalem, ceremonies of the Jewish law, of which he actually knew, of which he

had also written through inspiration of God, that they had no real value. He was defined and

guided by the law of love. Luther also did the same thing. Yes, one of the most interesting

writings of the Great Reformed is the document, "On the Freedom of A Christian" from 1520, in

which he explains two points: "1. A Christian is a free man over all things and subject to no one;

2. A Christian is a ministering servant of all things and subject to everyone."91

In this sense and

spirit the work of the Church should proceed.

85St. Louis Edition X:260.

86St. Louis Edition XX:1790.

87Galatians 2:3.

88Acts 16:3.

891 Corinthians 8:9ff.

90Acts 21:24-26.

91St. Louis Edition XIX:986f.



We therefore say that ecclesiastical ceremonies have a definite confessional value and

the Church therefore always with great caution must go to work in the observation of such

customs and ceremonies. This is shown by the history of the liturgy, that herein can be our

teacher. It is a fact that more heresies have come to people through the consistent

presentation of Divine Services of Sunday and Festival Days than through all Papal decrees,

through all decisions of councils and through all the writings of the Scholastics. The Post-NiceneChurch had not simply invented the doctrines of adoration of the saints and purgatory, but

these have evolved over the course of time from quite innocent appearing ceremonies. It was

so: the first Christians were so very set on the hereafter that they took together and saw the

congregation on this side of the grave and beyond it as one great Church, an idea that was not

wrong in itself. This was why, according to the first liturgies, the prayers in the great Church

prayer were done for all, whether they were still here on earth or were already among the

blessed perfected. But it did not last long at all, as these prayers were changed by small

additions and turned into prayers for the dead. As a result, it was then soon there that the

sleeping brethren were no longer regarded as dead, their fate was already decided, but as

brothers who were merely at a different place and whose location and future destiny was not

yet fully determined. This evolved into the actual prayer for the dead. - It was similar with the

doctrine of purgatory. Beginning with Origen and Cyprian, one can follow the wrong idea

through individual sayings of a Chrysostom and an Augustine, until finally Gregory the Great,

who discovered and then expanded the prayers in this sense, won the courage to carry on the

doctrine of purgatory even in public. - The idea of sacrifice developed in exactly the same way

in connection with the holy Lord's Supper. While the fathers before the Nicene Council by and

large still focused on the question of the true presence of the Body and Blood in the Sacrament,

yet soon after we find points that indicate a gradual aberration. And here held the development

of liturgical texts with false thoughts, so that one drifted away from the doctrine of the true

presence of the Body and Blood of Christ in, with, and under the bread and wine, then a local,

physical presence was taught and finally it was claimed that earthly elements in the Sacramentare transformed into the heavenly possessions of the Body and Blood of Christ. But these ideas

found entry by people through the regular performance of erroneous ideas in the Sunday and

festival Divine Services.

Even in the age of the Reformation this cause was difficult. We know well that Carlstadt

and the iconoclasts had made the attempt to abolish all ecclesiastical ceremonies by force,

while Luther through patient, friendly instruction concerning the essential wrongs in the

liturgical rites paved the way for a purified, truly Christian order of Divine Service that he

proposed and recommended in the years 1523 and 1526. But shortly after Luther's death a

transition came to the disadvantage of the Church of the Reformation. In two regulations in theyear 1548, namely in the so-called Augsburg and Leipzig Interim, the Romans wanted to

reintroduce the old ceremonies. However, the Augsburg Interim, written by the papist bishops

Pflugk and Helding and the unscrupulous Lutheran-in-name-only Johann Agricola of Eisleben,

that while the Lutherans allowed the marriage of priests and the Lord's Supper under both

kinds, but asked in return from them submission to the Pope as the supreme bishop, the

imposed reintroduction of many papal rites and in many important articles the teaching of

truth and error was horribly mingled with each other, was so universally hated that little of it



prevailed, although they sought with the full force of imperial authority to give it full validity.

The Leipzig Interim of December 22, 1548, however, was in a sense far more dangerous,

because it had been approved by the Wittenberg professors under Melanchthon's leadership.

The most dangerous points in this document were those that brought an ambiguous

representation of the disputed points and demanded submission under the rule of papal

bishops. But in a little less degree of concern were also those points that sought to introduceagain all sorts of ceremonies and practices that had been stopped because of their inherent

papal leaven. Many of these practices were now actually in and of itself adiaphora and would

also henceforth be regarded and can be treated as such, if they would not become over the

course of more than two decades on the papal side a confessional act that the participants of

these ceremonies identified with the Papal church. But just because these practices of

Melanchthon and those like-minded with him by preference were described as adiaphora

(middle-things), so that even Bugenhagen, Paul Eber, and George Major coincided with [it] in

the very general assertion that one could certainly yield to enemies in adiaphora, yes, should

yield for the sake of peace and continuance of the orthodox Church, it came to the

Adiaphoristic Controversy. In this controversy the discussion finally came to a head on the

question whether one could and should give in to the opponents of pure doctrine in order to

insist for peace and unity in adiaphora and enter into a sort of union, by which the other

question was linked to whether one could be included in the Emperor's order of the charge that

the Pope is the antichrist.92

The adiaphoristic question has been solved in the Lutheran Church by the Formula of

Concord in Article X, where distinctly and clearly it is said: "We believe, teach, and confess, that

the congregation of God in every place and every time have the same opportunity according to

good right, force, and power, to change, to increase, and to reduce the same [Church customs

and adiaphora] without frivolity and offense ordinarily and duly, as it is considered always for

good order, Christian discipline and cultivation, evangelical prosperity and for the edification of the churches in the most useful, most beneficial, and best [way]. How one could also waver and

give way to the weak in faith in such external adiaphora with a clear conscience, Paul teaches in

Romans 14 and proves it with his example in Acts 15 and 21 and 1 Corinthians 9. We believe,

teach, and confess also that in a time of confession, when the enemies of God desire to

suppress the pure doctrine of the Holy Gospel, the entire congregation of God, especially the

servants of the Word, as the manager of the congregation of God, are bound by God's Word to

confess freely and openly the doctrine, and what belongs to the whole of religion, not only in

words, but also in works and with deeds; and that then, in this case, even in such adiaphora,

they must not yield to the adversaries, or permit these to be forced upon them by their

enemies, whether by violence or cunning, to the detriment of the true Divine Service of Godand the introduction and acknowledgment of idolatry."

93

Yet the faithful Lutheran Church has remained to this day. And although one would be

inclined to regret that the consequences of the Thirty Years War and the influence of

92See Walther, "The Formula of Concord Core and Star" 14 ff., 25. Lehre und Wehre 75:327ff.

93Concordia Triglotta, p. 828, 1054.



Rationalism (together with certain Pietistic tendencies) have greatly diminished our liturgical

inheritance, yet that changes nothing about our doctrinal position. Also it would be desirable

that one would again go back to the principles that Luther has stated in his liturgical writings in

a further development of the liturgical expansion of the Lutheran Divine Service. But in all this,

the principle of the Tenth Article of the Formula of Concord remains.

One thought must here of course be added to our thesis, namely this, that

circumstances may occur that force us, as indicated in the Formula of Concord, to express our

confession by ecclesiastical rites and ceremonies. There were only two cases mentioned.

Because the Baptists and sects related to them hold the form of immersion in baptism as the

only correct form and insist on that, thus it has become a confession in the Lutheran Church to

refrain from this form of baptism. Because most Reformed sects believe it is essential that the

bread be broken in the holy Lord's Supper, therefore the Lutheran Church refuses to accept this

rite, and we make use of the hosts or wafers already common in the ancient Church. In a similar

manner we insist also in other cases in the freedom whereby Christ has set us free, so that we

are not trapped in the slavish yoke of human ordinances. So also Luther, who strongly

advocated in the early years immersion in baptism, especially of children, has taken a different

position later, in order not to be condemned in his freedom by another's conscience. In this

sense, we follow the world of the apostle in Romans 14:19: "Therefore let us pursue what

makes for peace and what serves for the edification of one another."

5.

Against the unity of the Church infringes syncretism and unionism of every kind.

The word "Syncretism", used as a verb in classical Greek, at the beginning of the

Reformation, referred to the standing together of parties that, although they are not unitedwith each other in all things, want to form a stronger united front against a common enemy.

Nevertheless, because such groups are conscious of the points of difference, still these points,

the position in doctrine and practice, more or less influence, but allows it to rest there, namely

in the interest of church politics. Since the time of the Reformation, and particularly since the

so-called Syncretistic Controversy in the 17th century, the term is used in a broader and

narrower sense. Dannhauer defines it as a mixing of different religions, and he especially seems

to think about Protestantism and Catholicism. Calov understands concerning syncretism

particularly the attempts at unification between Reformed and Lutheran, but without the

common basis of Scripture being adopted beforehand. Pfaff more generally defines [it]:

"Ecclesiastical syncretism is churchly-brotherly fellowship with such, that differ from us in thefoundation of faith."

Unionism differentiates itself from syncretism particularly in that the united front

against a common enemy usually lacks, and that the ignorance of doctrinal differences is

probably not as well pronounced and expressed. But a significant difference can hardly be

stated. Unionism is the ignorance of doctrinal differences by an external with those with whom

one was not previously in union. Unionism is church fellowship without confessional



fellowship or also without concord in the understanding of confessions that one recognizes on

paper. "The union does not want to create a new dogma as the doctrinal basis of a new

confessional church," writes Meusel [Andreas Musculus], "but they want two churches to link

up with each other that they, without all working together, on the basis of common ground and

with total disregard of division form one fellowship. The union is then pronounced externally in

Lord's Supper fellowship and in church government fellowship, and the goal of all this is thateverything that divides is increasingly recognized and treated as indifferent and that the

consensus that the whole thing finally makes for some an inwardly united church."

The two -isms are therefore closely related; for while syncretism is the blatant form of

mixing religions, unionism represents a more refined form of church fellowship without any real

confessional fellowship. Both have emerged strongly in the history of the Church at times. We

must refer to the worship of the golden calf as syncretism of the worst kind; because the idol

that Aaron made upon the demand of the people should, according to the opinion of the

Israelites, move the gods that had led them out of Egypt.94

It was a similar case with the idol

that Micah from the mountains of Ephraim had made, for which he even won a Levite as his

priest.95

Syncretism was also caused by the Alexandrian theologians, especially Clement of

Alexandria, to discover in the writings of various Greek philosophers and in their system of

Christian evidence, because various general heresies (Gnosticism, Manichaeism) are due to

such attempts. A syncretistic spirit was there when Melanchthon and his colleagues were

persuaded to adopt the Leipzig Interim, because the same spirit was already put in

Melanchthon in Augsburg, where he was so intimidated after the handing over of the

Confession by the threatening attitude of the Romans, that he himself was ready to make the

most far-reaching concessions. Uhlhorn writes: "The Interim found the sharpest opposition

among the uncompromising Lutherans. Some Lutheran pastors wanted to follow Melanchthon,

themselves knowingly or unknowingly deceived concerning the scope of the Interim and

looking to save with half measures one thing, they further had no real confidence to force thevictory, others were more fully committed to sacrifice everything for the pure Gospel.

Melanchthon's reputation now received a sharp blow in their circles; even many of his former

friends broke away from him. Brenz wrote to him that it was a chimera to merge evangelical

doctrine, the Papacy, and the Interim into one. Corvinus, who had always been concerned

about Melanchthon's cowardice, whom he still revered in the highest, painfully broke away

[from him] in these words: 'Melanchthon's yieldingness is the ruin of the Church.' He also

directed a cautionary letter to Melanchthon with a number of clergy, especially those returning

to Hannover and Göttingen, to return back to the earlier truth. In many circles of Lutherans in

North and South Germany the trust of the collaborator of Luther had fallen. His letter to

Karlowitz that was distributed everywhere on the Roman side, and his cool response to those inHamburg really aroused animosity against him."

96

94Exodus 32:4.

95Judges 17.

96The Beginnings of the German-Lutheran Church, Vol. 1, p. 63f.



A syncretistic spirit also reveals itself especially in recent times in every area of church

work. The unfortunate theory of evolution is also seen in the field of the philosophy of religion

and the comparative history of religion. Because one believes in a development of religion from

the first signs of trembling in the presence of the incomprehensible to monotheism and

Christianity, one wants to put all religions on one level. The idea that Christianity is an absolute

revealed religion is incomprehensible to modern history of religion scholars. The mostoutspoken among them includes even Lao Tzu, Confucius, Gautama Buddha, Zoroaster,

Akhnaton, Mohammed, Socrates, Isaiah [of Babylon], Paul, along with Jesus Christ in their

pantheon as "Saviors of Mankind".97

Even in men who call themselves Lutheran theologians we

find that they build their dogmatic lectures on the psychology of religion and comparative

religion instead of solely on the revealed and infallible Word of God. In general are false gods

and founders of false religions recognized as [having] a right to exist even on an equal footing

with the one true God of Scripture and our only Savior Jesus Christ. A sign of our syncretistic

age are the so-called "Good-will Sundays" as Baptists of St. Louis schedule one such [day] on

March 16, where a peaceful resolution of conflicts should occur between them and the Jews.

An equally alarming sign of the times are "interchurch conferences" or "Seminars" between

Jews, Catholics, and Protestants, as one has organized one such in May in St. Louis. One is in

many cases not even aware of the differences between the different religions if these until now

have existed, or one will simply set them aside in a lazy and false love of peace without

considering that one thereby undermines the foundation of Christianity.

We must also raise this same charge against Unionism, as revealed particularly in the

aspirations of union between Reformed and Lutherans, between the various Reformed bodies

and between various Lutheran confessions and various teaching. We already find such efforts in

Johann Sigismund (1572-1619) [of the House of] Hohenzollern and then particularly under the

Great Elector98

, by which Paul Gerhardt was repressed through the Decree of 1662 (intensified

in 1664). Particularly prominent, however, were the attempts at union under Friedrich WilhelmIII, through whose proclamation the Union Church was born on September 27, 1817, by which

unspeakable tyranny of conscience was done. But the consequences of this decree was that the

Saxons, the Prussians, the Wends and others have been expelled from their homes in Germany

so that then by God's gracious providence here in America a Lutheran Church of pure

confession was built.

But the unfortunate, mischievous attempts at union were made again and again and

one yet always grows bolder. The federation that is known as "Federal Council of the Churches

of Christ in America", that Deissman99

and Athearn100

so highly praise, pushes itself as the

representative of the Protestant Church in America. The "United Church of Canada", a weldingtogether of Methodists, Presbyterians and Congregationalists in 1925, is a monster than can

barely even speak of a confessional basis. It is the same for the union of the Scottish State

97See [William R.] Van Buskirk, Saviors of Mankind.

98Friedrich Wilhelm I (1620-1688). - Tr.

99The Ecumenical Awakening, p. 19.

100Ten Reasons for Federation.



Church and the United Free Church of Scotland in October, 1929, with the union of the

Evangelical Synod of North America, the Reformed Church in the United States and the United

Brethren in Christ and with the expected union of the Northern Presbyterian Church, the United

Presbyterian Church and the Reformed Church of America, [and] other similar experiments that

are impossible to remember.

And what about the Lutheran camp? The "National Lutheran Council" was established in

1918. It has no actual confessional basis, but the name "Lutheran" is enough in order to gain

membership. But it is active in an excellent way in generous attempts at union. The Lutheran

World Convention at Eisenach (1923) and at Copenhagen (1929) are largely the work of the

National Lutheran Council. An exchange paper summarizes the results101

: "The first step toward

reunion [namely the separate Lutheran bodies] was taken at the First Lutheran World

Convention, held at Eisenach, Germany, in 1923. The sessions, significantly enough, were held

in the Wartburg Castle, where Martin Luther four hundred years ago translated the Bible

[should read "the New Testament"] into the language of the common people.... The movement

progressed until at a meeting of the National Lutheran Council in New York the actual

organization was effected, and Dr. John A. Morehead, who had resigned as executive director

of the National Lutheran Council, was made president of the Lutheran World Convention. The

only Lutheran body not represented is the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri [should read

Synodical Conference], which, we are told, declined to cooperate."

Meanwhile, however, union attempts have continued in spite of many naming even a

concern with the giant steps. The Norwegian Lutheran Church of America emerged in June,

1917 from the (majority of the) Norwegian Lutheran Synod of America, the United Norwegian

Lutheran Church and the Hauge Synod. In November, 1918 followed the United Lutheran

Church of America, a union of the General Synod, the General Council and the United Synod of

the Ev. Luth. Church in the South. In the next few days (August 11 and 12, 1930) the AmericanLutheran Church forms. It is composed of the Ohio, Iowa, and Buffalo Synods. The bodies just

mentioned then intend to join an even larger federation of synods, namely the "American

Lutheran Conference" as other members come from the Augustana Synod, the Norwegian

Lutheran Church of America, the United Danish Church and the Lutheran Free Church. The

majority of these have already approved of the plan of federation.

Therefore, the spirit of union is in the air. It is a phenomenon that appeals to earnest

reflection. Without any reflection on the personal doctrinal and faith position of all concerned it

should be well allowed to ask the question whether the decision of the Ohio Synod in 1918102

has been consistently kept in mind

103

: "Much as an organic Lutheran union is desired, we, inagreement with our worthy president, declare we can never enter into union with any Lutheran

synod unless we agree in doctrine and practise (sic), especially at this time, when the unionistic

spirit is threatening to creep into our Lutheran Church." Where in all these cases is their really

101The following quote is in English in the original essay. -Tr.

102Proceedings, p. 121.

103The following quote is in English in the original essay. -Tr.



an expression of unity in the Spirit? Is it actually a union in truth as God's Word demands? Or

has one for the sake of outward union given away some of the inner unity? Are all or only some

of these unions done on the basis of Scripture and Confession, so that the ambiguousness of

"Opgjör", the relationship between the Augustana Synod and Bishop Söderblom, the doctrine

of inspiration in real facts, and the question of the possibility of errors in Scripture, of

collaborating with the General Lutheran Conference and other points have been effectivelyabolished, as we should give ourselves certainty about that; for then our course is presented in

Scripture, namely the recognition of brotherly-faith fellowship. On the other hand, if everything

is not cleared out of the way that, according to God's Word, does not hinder unity in faith, then

we cannot, rather, we must not make common cause with any Lutheran body until doctrinal

unity has actually come. We are always ready for further doctrinal negotiations, but unification

may be made only on the basis of true union.

How namely Scripture stands on that has been set forth in the first part of this work. We

here point out the following passages. "May also two walk together, except they be one with

each other?"104

"'Whoever has My Word, let him preach My Word right. How does straw and

wheat rhyme together?' says the Lord"105

"Comfort My people in their distress, that they

should despise it and say: 'Peace, Peace!' and there is no peace."106

"But whoever is ashamed of

Me and My Words....also will be ashamed of the Son of Man."107

"Whoever confesses Me

before men, him I will confess before My heavenly Father. But whoever denies Me before men,

him I will also deny before My heavenly Father."108

For these and other passages it is clear that

it is not sufficient to preserve unity that one recognizes a common confessional basis - ,

otherwise Scripture would eventually satisfy in full - , but it must also clearly emerge that

everyone has the same right understanding of Scripture and the Confessions.

What Meusel says of the German union efforts is also ceteris paribus109

about the other:

"The Lutheran Church has always been hostile to union, and indeed not less against theconservative than against the absorptive. If it has also willingly accepted a certain consensus

between themselves and the Reformed, then yet not less such between themselves and the

Roman Catholic Church. In addition, however, it has also always stressed the fundamental

difference between the two churches, the 'other spirit' that separates it from the Reformed no

less than from the Romans.... Though a church body believing something different must be

taken in certain circumstances, it can never be regarded as something normal, but only as

something unhealthy." An English Lutheran rightly points out difficulties that cannot so easily

be removed110

: " True church unity...will not be brought about by an easy accommodation of

our practises (sic) and usages to those of others. To bring about this desired consummation

104Amos 3:3.

105Jeremiah 23:28.

106Jeremiah 8:11. See Jeremiah 6:14; Micah 3:5, 11; Ezekiel 13:10, 16.

107Mark 8:38.

108Matthew 10:32-33.

109"all other things being equal".

110The following quote appears in English in the article. - Tr.



leads one on a more rugged road than an agreement in outward practise (sic) which is of a

piece with the shallowness of the age in which we live."111

Finally, a word from Luther in this thesis, wherein he stresses that the striving of a

merely superficial unity, no matter what happens with this pageantry, only serves further

uncertainty and thus ultimately the disruption and nuisance that we have indeed seen in theeyes of the papal church. He writes: "For now I ask: What about this day, as all are under the

rule of one Pope? Is the unity preserved intact, when one shall come together under the

external name of the Pope?... Where there is no certainty, then there is also no unity.

Therefore, although under the pope is an outward pomp of unity, inwardly is nothing but the

ugliest Babylon that no stone is left upon another or one heart is unanimous with the other, so

that one sees how beautiful human boldness knows to recommend spiritual matters to their

statutes. One must also look for another way for the unity of the Church. And that is this, which

Christ indicates in John 6:45: 'They will all be taught from God. Anyone who hears from the

Father and learns that comes to me.' The inner spirit, I say, it alone that one lives together

with one accord in the house; who teaches us to believe the same, to judge the same, to

understand the same, to study the same, to teach the same, to confess the same, and to

follow the same things. Where this does not take place, there it is impossible that unity was

there. And where it is about, there it is only external and white-washed."112

6.

Against the unity in the Spirit infringes schismatics and separatists.

As unionism first demands recognition, then equality, then precedence, so also

separatism. Yes, the latter set themselves up much like a martyr in order to arouse sympathy.

The unionist fondly chooses his motto: "In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all thingscharity", but too often reduces the essentials to the minimum of essential Christian knowledge,

while he demands the maximum of love and tolerance. The fact that confessional and doctrinal

unity are only all too easily blurred into an ideal, that, in order to talk with a picture of

Scripture, the trumpet in most cases gives a very uncertain sound, if it is still audible at all,

makes little impression on diehard unionists. On the other hand, separatists also operate with

the same weapons, as he especially gladly demands tolerance for his special views. The

schismatic claims for patience and tolerance and yet protects with fondness against his inability

to hold the ceremonies that one has hitherto represented.

We therefore ask: What is separatism? Separation in the good sense is a division thatoccurs in the interest of pure doctrine that withdraws from a wrong-becoming church

establishment or from an aberration in doctrine in order to stay belonging to the true Church. A

separation from a false teaching church is not to be called a sin against unity, but a duty to the

Truth. - In contrast, schism or separatism in the bad sense is a division in the Church perhaps

111 Lutheran, March 30, 1930.

112"Luther's Answer to King Henry VIII of England's Book", St. Louis Ed. XIX:345.



out of church law, often for personal reasons only. The schismatic goes his own, subjective way;

he departs from the usual formulas; he begins a new interpretation of Church terms. In certain

circumstances one such special position may come into consideration as a mere academic

question or be regarded as a harmless fad, something in a doctrine that is not absolutely

necessary for salvation. We usually distinguish it this way: the separatist, the false teacher

(heretic), departs because of doctrine, the schismatic because of the formula or ceremony.Meusel was right when he said that there is a wider circle in doctrine and practice, within which

the members of an ecclesiastical fellowship have to practice toleration with each other, as long

as the substance of faith stays intact and as long as Scripture and Confessions stay the

undoubted guide of all doctrine and action. But Luther's dictum that all of God's Words are one,

is Scriptural. And when a teacher or a church body continues in its deviation consistently in any

doctrine, then not just any other doctrines of God's Word are affected, but it will also be seen

as a rule in practice, that one has left the full and whole Truth. Therefore, actual separatism is a

more serious phenomenon.

We have Scriptural basis for both of the above definitions and explanations. About

separation, which can be not only justified, but which is even expressly commanded by God, we

read in many places, and the Lord uses in this context such expressions as "go out from", "have

no fellowship with", "withdraw from", "avoid", "hate". "I do not sit with vain people and have

no fellowship with the false."113

"Depart, depart, walk out from there and touch not the

unclean thing; come out from her, cleanse yourself, you who bear the vessels of the Lord!"114

"Hate evil!"115

"Therefore 'Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord, and

touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you and will be your Father, and you all shall be

My sons and daughters', says the Lord Almighty."116

"Have no fellowship with the unfruitful

works of darkness; but rather chastise them."117

"We command you, dear brothers, in the

Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother that walks disorderly and

not according to the statutes that he received from us. For you know how you should followus.... And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note him, and have nothing to do

with him, so that he may be ashamed."118

"Dismiss the unspiritual and old wives' tales."119

"If

anyone teaches otherwise and does not stand by the salutary words of our Lord Jesus Christ

and by the doctrine that is according to godliness, he is puffed up and knows nothing, but has

the disease of questions and word wars, from which springs envy, discord, blasphemy, evil

suspicion. School squabbles with such people that have shattered minds and are deprived of

the truth, who think godliness is a business. Withdraw yourselves from such!"120

"They have

113Psalm 26:4. See Psalm 1:1; 119:128.

114Isaiah 52:11.

115Romans 12:9.


117Ephesians 5:11.

1182 Thessalonians 3:6-7, 14.

1191 Timothy 4:7.

1201 Timothy 6:3-5. See v. 20.



since denied the appearance of godliness, but they deny its power, and from such turn

away!"121

"Shun a heretical man when he is admonished again and again."122

These various admonitions and warnings were also observed by the people of God at all

times and put into practice. To cite just one example, we find that Paul, who in Corinth had

preached the Gospel first, according to his custom, in the synagogue of the Jews, by theconstant opposition of the Jews set out from there and went into the house of one named

Justus, who was God-fearing.123

Paul here undertook a separation, as occurred repeatedly

during the entire apostolic period, until finally the particular time of grace of the Jewish people

as such came to an end and God's visitation devastated the country of their fathers. - A very

similar separation took place in the Reformation era. The Reformation proposed no new

invention, the creation of a new Church, but the Lutheran Church of the pure Word and

Confessions is the old apostolic Church, as purified by Martin Luther of the filth and dross of the

false teachings of the Middle Ages. But from another point of view, the significance of the

Reformation lies in the fact that it was also a departure from a false fellowship, particularly on

the canonical side. Meusel expresses it like this: "Luther wants to reform the existing Church,

but it renders itself as irreformable and thus separates from one another by the end of the

Reformation. The Reformation is as much separation in the passive as in the active. As the

reformers are separated, they separate themselves now also in turn from the vetustas err oris124

to the vetustas evangelii ,125

and by leaving the existing, corrupt church, they want to form

nothing new, that is, not a sect, but they want to stay with the true, ancient Church of the

prophets and the apostles." - Exactly the same is also true of the Orthodox Lutheran Free

Churches in Germany, particularly the Saxon [Lutheran Free Church]. "Those Lutherans have

always taken their part in denying that they themselves had ever separated; rather, they have

remained with the old Lutheran Church, while the State Church through the introduction of the

Union had lost its previous character and had become a new, no longer Lutheran Church."126

This opinion is without doubt right, because it rests on the basis of Scripture and remains fullyvalid under similar circumstances.

This brings us to the question of actual separatism as defined above. Here we find that

Scripture speaks in the strongest terms about separatists and schismatics. "...who cause

division and offense agai nst the doctrine that you have learned."127

"It is declared to me...that

quarrels are among you. Now I say this, that among you one says: I am of Paul, another: I am of

Apollos, a third: I am of Cephas, a fourth: I am of Christ."128

"And having faith and good

conscience, which some having rejected, and have suffered shipwreck in the faith; under which

is Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, that they will be punished, no

1212 Timothy 3:5.

122Titus 3:10.

123Acts 18:7.

124Age of error.

125Age of the Gospel.

126Meusel.

127Romans 16:17.




more to blaspheme.129

"But the Spirit distinctly says that in the last days some will depart from

the faith and heed seducing spirits and doctrines of the devil."130

"That you know, that all those

in Asia have turned away from me."131

"Demas has forsaken me, and has grown fond of this

world."132

"[They have] left the right path and gone astray."133

"They went out from us, but

they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but it should

be obvious that not all are of us."134

"These are those who are rotten, carnal, those that havenot the Spirit."

135- To these statements of Scripture are joined the many examples that show us

schismatics, as in John 6:66, where we are told: "From that [time] many of [Jesus'] disciples

went back and walked no more with Him."

These passages are sufficient to characterize the nature of separatism. Equally clear

from them is that these separatists who cause division and offense against the doctrine, as it

has always been done according to God's Word in the orthodox Church, who leave the teaching

of the apostles, who leave the right way, who then go out of the faithful adherents of the Truth,

are also to blame for the further breakup of the Church. These are the one who destroy the

unity of the Spirit and tear apart the bond of love. In most cases, the word of the prophet, that

God has spoken through him, finds its application on them: "My people have committed two

evils: they have forsaken Me, the living source, and made for themselves hewn wells here and

there that are full of holes and give no water."136

There may yet be found a place for Luther. "For where this unity is lost, then it is certain

that both parties cannot be the right Church, one must be the whore of the devil, the other is

godly. On the other hand, since unity of faith and mind remain, so also a righteous, true Church

of God remains, notwithstanding that there also is weakness."137

"For where love and unity are

destroyed, and schism and discord rises, there peaceable doctrine also perishes, that one falls

away from Christ."138

"Where disagreement, sects, and division are, that is a sure sign that the

cause of such division do not respect the sure, right doctrine or do not quite understand andare also already adept that they let themselves be tossed and carried by every wind of doctrine,

as St. Paul says in Ephesians 4:14."139

Finally, we repeat: separatists and schismatics are not those who hold to the clear

Word of Scripture and the clearly proven doctrines and practices, but those who introduce

new [doctrines and practices], particularly if they use human philosophy and sophistry. The

blame for division in the Church are solely those who raise up and defend false doctrine, not

1291 Timothy 1:19-20.

1301 Timothy 4:1. See 1 Timothy 6:3.

131 2 Timothy 1:15.132

2 Timothy 4:10.133

2 Peter 2:15.134

1 John 2:19.135

Jude 19.136

Jeremiah 2:13. See Jeremiah 17:13.137

St. Louis Edition XII:740. English translation in Complete Sermons of Martin Luther 4:122. Translation mine.138

St. Louis Edition VIII:549 (John 15:10).139

St. Louis Edition XII:818. English translation in Complete Sermons of Martin Luther 4:204. Translation mine.



those who refuse to approve such a position. Indeed, a teacher or a fellowship has this debt

upon themselves, so he should, respectively, they should repentantly dismiss it and not seek to

pass it on to others.

We conclude with the words of our Confessions: "Therefore the devil with his members,

setting himself against the Word of God, is the cause of the schism and want of unity. For wehave most zealously sought peace, and still most eagerly desire it, provided only we are not

forced to blaspheme and deny Christ. For God, the discerner of all men's hearts, is our witness

that we do not delight and have no joy in this awful disunion. On the other hand, our

adversaries have so far not been willing to conclude peace without stipulating that we must

abandon the saving doctrine of the forgiveness of sin by Christ without our merit, though Christ

would be most foully blasphemed thereby. And although, as is the custom of the world, it

cannot be but that offenses have occurred in this schism through malice and by imprudent

people; for the devil causes such offenses, to disgrace the Gospel; yet all this is of no account in

view of the great comfort which this teaching has brought men, that for Christ's sake, without

our merit, we have forgiveness of sins and a gracious God. Again, that men have been

instructed that forsaking secular estates and magistracies is not a divine worship, but that such

estates and magistracies are pleasing to God, and to be engaged in them is a real holy work and

divine service."140

Grant to us peace in church and school,

Grant peace also to the police,

Peace to the heart, peace to the conscience

Give to enjoy!

SOLI DEO GLORIA!

140

True Unity in Contrast to Unionism and Separatism

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