# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1854 09 26_S17
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Der Lutheraner.
Rev. of John, Chap. 14, v. 6. 7.
"God's Word and Luther's doctrine pure shall to eternity endure."
Published by the German Ev. Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio and other States.
Edited by C. F. W. Walther.
Volume 11.  St. Louis, Mo., September 26, 1854.  No. 3.
Terms: Der Lutheraner appears once every two weeks at the yearly subscription price of One Dollar for out-of-town subscribers, who are to pay in advance and bear the postage. — In St. Louis each single number is sold for 5 Cents. Only those letters which contain communications for the paper are to be sent to the Editor; all others, which contain business matters, orders, cancellations, money, etc., are to be sent here under the address Mr. F. W. Barthel, care of C. F. W. Walther, St. Louis, Mo.

Editor's Preface
to the Eleventh Volume of the "Lutheraner"
(Conclusion.)

That it is not wrong to contend earnestly also against those who show themselves open enemies of the whole Christian religion, who declare the Word of God to be the word of men, would make Christ a mere man, reject all mysteries of faith as foolish imaginings of dunces, and blaspheme all that is holy and trample it under foot: this, perhaps, none of our readers will deny. Indeed many who otherwise only complain of the disputes in the church often themselves cite as true the well-known saying of Luther: "The Gospel must make an uproar wherever it comes."*) But, some will perhaps say, are there not communions which indeed depart from God's Word in individual (though not unimportant) points, but in which there are nevertheless upright Christians and children of God? Is it then right to take the field against such communions as against hostile armies? Is it not rather a grievous sin to wish to be a Christian brother, and yet to fight against brethren as against enemies, and so wantonly to tear asunder the body of JESUS Christ?

*) This saying of Luther is taken from his exposition of Gen. 16:12, where in context it reads thus: "Since then God will have it, as we see, that His Word shall suffer no judge but Himself, so no one shall here decide; neither can there be any rest. And (since God is for it) if it were quiet and still, the Gospel would be at an end. It must make an uproar wherever it comes; if it does not, it is not right. Therefore Christ says, Luke 12:49, 51: 'I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? Suppose ye that I am come to give peace? I tell you, Nay; but rather division.'" (Opp. Tom. III, 420, 421.

To this we now answer in conclusion. It is true that not only where the doctrine is altogether pure are there true, living, believing Christians and children of God. We are far from wishing to deny salvation to all those who are not within the visible orthodox church. We by no means hold our visible orthodox Evangelical Lutheran Church to be the Church in the strict sense; that is, we by no means hold it to be the universal Christian (catholic) and in this sense the only true Church, outside of which there is no salvation. This opinion is indeed often imputed to all the so-called Old Lutherans, but with great injustice. Though we cannot, alas, deny that among those who are so called there are some who profess that opinion as their own, yet we must declare that such Lutherans are not orthodox Lutherans. Such persons differ in their doctrine of the Church from the Romanists only in this, that they transfer to the Lutheran church what the Romanists say of their church. The public confessions of our Church, however, speak quite otherwise. Already in the preface to our symbolical books it is said: "Inasmuch as we have no doubt at all that many pious, innocent people are to be found even in those churches which have heretofore not altogether agreed with us." Our Church makes this confession at once in the preface to its Book of Concord, lest anyone should conclude from the so earnest rejection and condemnation of heresies and of obstinate heretics contained therein that our Church had thereby wished to reject and condemn "whole churches." No true Lutheran therefore does that. A Lutheran rather believes firmly that in Christ the promise has been fulfilled: "Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies" (Ps. 110:2); that Christ therefore has His kingdom of grace, His subjects, His believers, His Church also there, where the perverters of His Gospel, who are His "enemies," "rage and do harm." A Lutheran believes further firmly that in Christ this promise also has been fulfilled: "Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession" (Ps. 2:8); that therefore, as our Symbols speak, "some