The Doctrine of Pure Grace

Via “What is Christianity?”

So, then, with the help of God let us adhere to the doctrine of pure grace. While it is true that no one in the world should excel us in amicability and urbanity, it is God’s will and command that we must tolerate no compromise whatsoever in matters of Christian doctrine. Here we must, by God’s grace, stand as firm as a rock. To believe that such a stand will bring the Church to grief is a pernicious world-view; as a matter of fact, that is the only way to build the Church of Christ, as the history of our own Missouri Synod clearly shows. Just because we adhere to the pure doctrine of the Gospel, God has continued to enlarge our field of labor. Let me add another thought: The confession of the pure Christian faith always involves rejection of all opposing errors. Whoever accords error or equivocation a legitimate place alongside God’s Word thereby surrenders divine truth; for it is peculiar to truth that it invariably repulses error. Last, but not least: The true world-view which Christians must strive to maintain implies also holy zeal and faithfulness in preaching the Gospel to the world. That is the actual task with which Christians have been commissioned by their Savior. It is true, they should be patterns of fidelity, also in the discharge of the duties of the earthly calling in which God has placed them; for also such faithfulness will reflect favorably upon their Christian faith in the eyes of the world. That is the one phase of publicity which God desires. But above all a believer must be diligent and faithful in exercising his peculiar Christian calling, namely, in the dissemination of the Gospel here upon earth. As soon as a person becomes a Christian, his citizenship is in heaven, Phil. 3, 20, and his first and foremost task in he world is to lead others with him to heaven. No matter whether he is an industrial magnate or a petty merchant, a feudal lord or a humble peasant, an employer and business executive or a common laborer, the Christian Church always occupies first place among his interests. The affairs of the Church are his favorite subject of conversation in his own family as well as in the company of his fellow Christians. Of all the periodicals he reads his church-papers are to him of the greatest importance, because they keep him where his prayers and contributions are needed most of all. He is of course eager to devote to the service of the Gospel also as much of his earthly goods as possible before the Day of Judgment renders his money and temporal possessions altogether valueless. That is the true faithfulness in the performance of our Christian calling on earth to which Holy Scripture so earnestly incites us.