Statement of Faith
Overview
With the universal Christian Church, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod teaches and responds to the love of God, who exists as the Father, creator of all things; as Jesus Christ, the Son, who became human to suffer and die for the sins of all human beings and to rise to life again in the ultimate victory over death and Satan; and as the Holy Spirit, who creates faith through His Word, the Bible. The three persons of the Trinity are coequal and coeternal, one God.
Being Lutheran, we accept and teach the Bible-based teachings of Martin Luther, a Roman Catholic monk who was excommunicated from that church, because he pointed out the errors in Roman Catholic doctrine. Luther's writings inspired the reformation of the Christian Church in the 16th century. The teaching of Luther and the other reformers can be summarized in three short 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.
Who is Jesus?
For more than 2,000 years people have asked the question, "Who is Jesus?" We were not present when Jesus lived on this earth, but in the Bible we have the record of his birth, life, death on the cross, and resurrection. Jesus is the Son of God, as well as God Himself, born as a human being. Another way to understand this biblical truth: the Creator of the universe exists as three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Son of the Father (i.e. the Son of God), yet Jesus is also God (the second person), who became a human.
(Based on information from: http://www.lcms.org/ )
A Note on the Use of the Law:
We believe that our salvation rests squarely on Jesus Christ's shoulders. He sent His Spirit to endow us with faith in Jesus' death and resurrection. Jesus is the One who received the punishment we deserve, when He gave up His life. He is the One who defeated death by rising from the dead. He is the Author and Finisher of our faith, meaning He not only granted us faith, but also sustains us in that faith until His return.
With that said, in our witness the use of the Law is essential. The news that salvation is through faith in Christ cannot be understood rightly without first comprehending why Jesus had to die, which is why we need to use the Law when we share our faith. Paul writes in Romans that God gave us the Law in order to stop the mouths of all people, so that we would stop trying to justify our offenses against God and would turn to Jesus Christ for forgiveness. We must use the Law to break the hard heart, like breaking up a hard sheet of earth, so that the seed of the Gospel will bear fruit.
If you would like to see a biblical presentation of God's Law and Gospel, please click on the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCSUKIhjevo
A Word on Repentance:
Some of Jesus' first words on record are: "Repent, and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15). The biblical definition of repent is to turn from sin and turn towards God. Repent also means to feel sorrow over one's sins, but if the repentance is genuine, that sorrow will direct one's heart away from that which grieves the Holy Spirit, i.e. breaking His commandments.
The second part of Jesus' message above orders us to believe in the Gospel, that we have eternal life through Jesus' death. Faith in the Gospel is ultimately what saves, but genuine faith will be accompanied by repentance. Faith without repentance is known as 'easy believism,' merely a hollow 'faith,' something like a chocolate Easter egg. True faith so centers on both Jesus' love and His purity, that the thought of disobeying Him is found to be repugnant.
God bless you!