Messiah
Lutheran ChurchMessiah
Lutheran ChurchThat
the Bible is the only source of knowledge about God and His forgiveness and is
also the way in which He speaks to us today. The Bible was written by the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit and so is true and without error.
That God
is the Creator of the universe and that He Sustains His creation with His
almighty power. He also created our first parents, Adam and Eve, in His own
image that they might live in fellowship with Him and be His instruments to care
for the creation.
That
Adam and Eve, whom God created, 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.
That
God out of pure love gives people forgiveness of 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 sin for all people upon
Himself when He died on the cross of
That
people receive forgiveness through faith. Faith is the hand which accepts
God’s free gift. Faith 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.
That
the church is the fellowship of all those who have come to faith in Jesus Christ
as their Savior and Lord. The
The
purpose of the church is to nurture faith through the Word and the Sacrament of
the Altar, and to share the love of God through Word and deed with the whole
world in order to make other people disciples of Jesus Christ.
That God has given two Sacraments to build His church...
Baptism is a sacrament in which God by the power of the Holy Spirit creates faith. Baptism is for "all nations," including infants.
Holy
Communion—also called the Lord’s Supper—is given to nurture faith. In Holy
Communion Jesus Christ truly gives the communicant His body and blood “in,
with, and under” the bread and wine.
Holy Communion is only for those who are able to examine themselves according to the Word of God AND have been instructed (confirmed) in the Christian faith. As Christ commanded, we reserve the the Lord's Supper for those who believe and practice the same faith as our congregation. This practice is called close communion. If you are a guest, please speak with the pastor before communing.
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.
A more in-depth summary can be found in Luther's Small Catechism.
The Lutheran Confessions serve as a witness to the truth of Scripture. These confessions are the standard by which truth and false teaching are judged.
Scripture is the sole source of doctrine. The Lutheran Confessions are a true exposition of the Word of God and a correct exhibition of the teachings of the Lutheran Church.
For more information, please contact Pastor Hovland. He can share more resources with you. Otherwise check out the LCMS web site for more links about Lutherans.