WHAT WE LUTHERANS BELIEVE?
LUTHERANS BELIEVE...
that God is the Creator pf the Universe with all of its beauty, and that He sustains it with His almighty power. He also created the first people Adam and Eve, in His own image that they might live in fellowship with Him and be His co-workers to care for the creation.
LUTHERANS BELIEVE...
that Adam and Eve doubted and rebelled against Him. They sinned and their natures became evil. Now every human being is born with a self-centered nature and a tendency for evil that violates God´s will and desire. Attempts to change human nature or to please God with our own good are doomed to failure. People need forgiveness and new life, and God provides it through His GRACE.
LUTHERANS BELIEVE...
that God out of His pure LOVE forgives people their sins and thus reconciles them to Himself. He does this even though He is a just God who punishes sin because His own Son, Jesus Christ, took the punishment for all people upon Himself when He died on the cross of Calvary. God raised Him from the dead on Easter and thus demonstrated to the world that the sacrifice of the Lamb of God has been accepted and man´s sin paid for.
LUTHERANS BELIEVE...
that people receive forgiveness through FAITH. Faith is the hand that accepts God´s free gift. it is created by the Holy Spirit through the means of the Gospel message which tells of God´s love demonstrated in Jesus Christ. Infant baptism is the means by which a child is given a new life and received into God´s kingdom.
LUTHERANS BELIEVE...
that the Bible is the true God´s Word and thus the source of knowledge about God and His Love and Mercy. It is also the way God speaks to us today. It was written by people who were inspired by the Holy Spirit and so it is without any error.
LUTHERANS BELIEVE...
that the church is the fellowship of all those who have come to faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. The purpose of the church is to nurture faith through the Word and Sacrament of the Altar, and to share the love of God through word and deed with whole world in order to make other people disciples of Jesus.
LUTHERANS BELIEVE...
that God has given two Sacraments to build His church. Baptism - to create faith and Holy Communion (also called the Lord´s Supper or the Eucharist) - to nurture faith. In Holy Communion Jesus Christ gives the communicant His body and blood "in, with, and under" the bread and wine.
LUTHERANS BELIEVE...
that the fellowship which God establishes with His believers on earth will continue after this life as believers live with Him in Heaven for all eternity.
Being "Lutheran"
Our congregation accepts and preaches the Bible-based teachings of Martin Luther that inspired the reformation of the Christian Church in the 16th century.
The teaching of Luther and the reformers can be summarized in three phrases: Grace alone, Faith alone, Scripture alone.
Grace alone
God loves the people of the world, even though they are sinful, rebel against Him and do not deserve His love. He sent Jesus, His Son, to love the unlovable and save the ungodly.
Faith alone
By His suffering and death as the substitute for all people of all time, Jesus purchased and won forgiveness and eternal life for them. Those who hear this Good News and believe it have the eternal life that it offers. God creates faith in Christ and gives people forgiveness through Him.
Scripture alone
The Bible is God's inerrant and infallible Word, in which He reveals His Law and His Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ. It is the sole rule and norm for Christian doctrine.