GOD: God is the Triune, Father, Son, Holy Ghost; three persons, one divine essence. He is the only true God: Matt. 28:19;1 Cor. 8:4 .
JESUS: Jesus is God, equal to the Father, the only Savior of mankind: John 5:23, 14:6; Acts 4:12.
SCRIPTURE: The Bible is inspired by God, without error, from which we derive all of our teaching and understanding of God: II Tim. 3:16; John 10:35.
SIN and JUSTIFICATION: All mankind is born in sin; by nature man is spiritually blind, dead and an enemy of God, condemned to eternal damnation outside of Christ: Psalms. 51:5; Rom. 3:23. The world has been reconciled to God through the death and resurrection of Jesus, and all sins have been forgiven through Him. God no longer holds our sins against us, but has declared us righteous: 2 Cor. 5:19; Rom. 4:25.
CONVERSION: Coming to faith in Christ is entirely the work of the Holy Spirit, not by some "decision" or "experience" by man. Conversion is worked by the Holy Spirit through the Gospel and Holy Baptism, when and where He pleases: I Pet. 1:23; John 3:5-6.
SACRAMENTS: A sacrament is a Jesus-instituted means of grace, consisting of His instituting Word and His chosen physical element. With this definition in mind, the sacraments of the Church are baptism, the Lord's Supper, and Confession and Absolution. Jesus won salvation by His death on the cross. That salvation, won 2000 years ago, is delivered to us today in the means instituted by Christ for the Church. These are not laws or obstacles between Jesus and us. Rather, these are the gifts given BY JESUS to His Church for our comfort, our assurance, and our certainty.
HOLY BAPTISM: Baptism creates faith, washes away sins, and saves sinners, all as a gracious work of the Holy Spirit: John 3:5-6; Acts 22:16; I Pet. 3:21.
HOLY COMMUNION: The Lord's Supper is celebrated at Mount Calvary in the glad confidence that, as He says, our Lord gives into our mouths not only bread and wine but His very body and blood to eat and to drink for the forgiveness of sins and to strengthen our union with Him and with one another. Our Lord invites to His table those who trust His words, repent of sin, and set aside any refusal to forgive and love as He forgives and loves us.
Because all Christians are admonished to eat and drink of this Lord's Supper worthily (1 Corinthians 11:23-32), those coming to this altar are asked to reflect on how they trust Christ's Word that His Body and Blood are "for you for the forgiveness of sins". Baptized Christians who trust God's Word and seek this blessing from Holy Communion are welcome to share with us at this altar.
2ND COMING OF CHRIST: Judgment Day will come suddenly and unexpectedly. There is no millennium, as some teach: 2 Pet. 3:10; Mk. 13:32; Matt. 24.
What is a "Synod"? The word "Synod" in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod comes from Greek words that mean "walking together." The term has rich meaning in our church body, because congregations voluntarily choose to belong to the Synod. Though congregations are diverse in their service styles, they hold to a shared confession of Jesus Christ as taught in Holy Scripture. Our congregations believe that the Lutheran Confessions are a correct interpretation and presentation of biblical doctrine. Contained in The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, these statements of belief were written down and shared broadly by church leaders during the 16th century. Luther's Small Catechism contains basic summaries of Christian beliefs for the purpose of teaching the young and new Christians, while the Augsburg Confession gives more detail about what Lutherans believe in contrast to other church bodies.
If you have more questions or would like further explanation of any of the above teachings, call the church, come to a worship service and Bible class, or just pop in to chat with Pastor. For further information on "what you Lutherans believe," please see the Synod's website: www.lcms.org
You are invited to join the congregation in worship and hearing the Word of God, as we rejoice in the gift of forgiveness shown to us in Christ.