THE FAMILY ALTAR

November 2.

"Speaking the truth in love". Eph. 4:15

Lutheran Christians have every reason to be courageous Chris-

tians. They know what they believe and why they believe. They

have God's Word and God's Word has them, as Luther so perti-

nently puts it. Because their faith is grounded on God's clear

Word and God's Word rules in their hearts, they are not tossed

to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the

sleight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby so many are de-

ceived in these days of strife and dissension. They speak the truth

in love when their Roman Catholic neighbors may try to win them

for their church because they believe that outside of the Pope's

church there is no salvation. In all love Lutheran Christians will

show these neighbors how grossly they err and that the one true,

saving Church is the Holy Christian Church in which the Savior,

Jesus Christ, is the head Bishop. When they are criticized in these

unionistic days by their Protestant friends for their strict adher-

ence to God's Word and Luther's doctrine pure and asked to join

with them in forming one big united church including all denom-

inations, Lutheran Christians will show these friends how im-

possible and wrong that would be for them; for they would have

to sacrifice clearly revealed truths of Christ's saving Word and thus

prove faithless stewards of His sacred trust. They will show these

misguided friends that the union among His disciples for which

Christ prays His heavenly Father, John 17, 21, consists not in an

outward, visible organization, but in the unity of spirit, in the

oneness of faith in Him and His revealed Word. Only so long as

they continue in Christ's Word are they His disciples indeed.

(John 8, 31.)