What We Believe
God
loves the people of the world, even though they are sinful by nature,
rebel against Him and do not deserve His love. He sent His Son Jesus to
love the unlovable and save the ungodly.
By His suffering and death as the ultimate substitute for all people of
all time, Jesus (God's Son) purchased and won forgiveness of sins and
eternal life. His sacrifice paid the price for our sinfulness. Those who
hear the Good News and believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior have eternal
life. God the Holy Spirit creates faith in Jesus and gives people the
gift of forgiveness.
The Bible is God's inerrant and infallible Word in which He reveals His
Law (the Commandments) and His Gospel (the Good News of salvation) to
all who believe in His Son Jesus. Lutherans believe the Bible is the
only rule and norm for Christian doctrine and teaching.
Our Confession of Faith: The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ,
His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,
from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Holy Catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.
The Small And Large Catechisms
Martin Luther realized early on how desperately ignorant the
laity and clergy of his day were when it came to even the most
basic truths of the Christian faith. Around 1530, he produced
two small handbooks to help pastors and the heads of families
teach the faith.
The Small Catechism and the Large Catechism are organized around
six topics: the Ten Commandments, the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's
Prayer, Holy Baptism, Confession, and the Sacrament of the Altar.
So universally accepted were these magnificent doctrinal summaries
by Luther, that they were included as part of the Book of Concord.
