What we believe
God is the creator of the Universe in all of its grandeur and beauty and he continues to sustain it 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 creation.
That Adam and Eve doubted and rebelled against God, their creator. 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. (If you doubt this, ask yourself why people have to teach their children how to be good, but no one needs to show them how to misbehave.)
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 by His grace.
That God, out of pure love, gives people forgiveness of sins to reconcile 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 from all people upon Himself when he died on the cross of Calvary. God raised Him from the dead on Easter, demonstrating to the world that the sacrifice of the lamb of God has been accepted and man's sin paid for.
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. Baptism is the means by which a child or adult is given a new life and received into God's kingdom.
That the Bible is the 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 the church is the fellowship of all those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. The Lutheran Church gets its name from Martin Luther who "reformed" the church with basic principles of faith alone, grace alone, Scripture alone.
The purpose of the church is to nurture faith through the Word and the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion 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 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.
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.
That Adam and Eve doubted and rebelled against God, their creator. 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. (If you doubt this, ask yourself why people have to teach their children how to be good, but no one needs to show them how to misbehave.)
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 by His grace.
That God, out of pure love, gives people forgiveness of sins to reconcile 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 from all people upon Himself when he died on the cross of Calvary. God raised Him from the dead on Easter, demonstrating to the world that the sacrifice of the lamb of God has been accepted and man's sin paid for.
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. Baptism is the means by which a child or adult is given a new life and received into God's kingdom.
That the Bible is the 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 the church is the fellowship of all those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. The Lutheran Church gets its name from Martin Luther who "reformed" the church with basic principles of faith alone, grace alone, Scripture alone.
The purpose of the church is to nurture faith through the Word and the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion 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 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.
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.