RESOLUTION 15-04
Report R1 (CW, pp. 5, 8–9); President’s Report, Part 2 (TB, pp. 21–31)
WHEREAS, In the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017 we are celebrating the triumph of the Gospel, not of Martin Luther or any other individual or church body, and that the Lutheran Reformation is “still all about Jesus”; and
WHEREAS, The source of renewal and reformation is always in the Word, as the Lord Jesus says, “If you abide in My word . . . you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32); and
WHEREAS, Luther’s Gospel discovery was because of his personal immersion in the Word; and
WHEREAS, As we celebrate the blessings of the Reformation…not something that is ours alone, but is for others as well, as Dr. Francis Pieper said in his address to the Synod in 1908,
We must not forget: God is present with His grace only among the humble. He who would 1 be something in the Church only apparently accomplishes something. And finally God casts him aside. God’s power has the unique property that it is only powerful in the weak. Let us be so minded by God’s grace that we are nothing, and that God’s grace and God’s Word are everything. God grant that we never advocate for something that is ours, but only and always for God’s Word!
and
WHEREAS, That witness could take such forms as witnessing in our various vocations and supporting ministries of witness and mercy in our congregations, circuits, districts, and the Synod; therefore be it
Resolved, That the members of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod be encouraged to commit to grow in faith themselves, personally and corporately, by reading through the entire Scriptures in 2017; and be it further
Resolved, That as we grow in the Word ourselves, we would be humble and effective witnesses to the power of Christ’s forgiveness and mercy in a world that badly needs it, by the same Spirit that inspired the Lutheran Reformation.