We don’t know where you are in your
faith walk, but we understand that questions are worth answering.
While it’s impossible to address every question you might have, we
hope this overview will at least provide a start.
About
the Bible
Everything Lutherans believe comes
from the Bible, God’s message of love and hope for all people. The
Bible is the written Word of God, handed down to us in order to
point us to the truth that we are saved from our sin and eternal
death by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We
believe that the Bible is completely reliable and without error. In
it we learn everything we need to know about God’s love and His
gifts to us.
About God There is only one true God —
the Triune God — who exists in three separate but equal persons:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
God the Father is our maker and the creator of all things. By the
Father’s word, all things were made, and we are His most beloved
creation; we are closest to His heart. The Son is Jesus Christ, who
came to earth as the perfect “go-between” between God and humanity.
He has redeemed us and is the voice to the Father on our behalf. The
Holy Spirit calls us to believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, keeps
us in the one true faith, and equips us for living out our faith. He
is the whisper in our heart’s ear.
About Us We all fall short of God’s
expectations because we are all born “sinful” — and we aren’t
talking about “sinfully” rich desserts, we’re talking about the
serious side of sin. Sin can be summed up as all the things we say,
think, do, and don’t do, that fall outside of God’s holy will for
our lives and end up separating us from God.
Sin was brought into world when Satan lured the first people God
created (Adam and Eve) into temptation through their own free will
and weakness, breaking the perfect relationship between God and us.
From that point on, sin became part of our very existence. Because
God also demands perfect obedience, our ultimate punishment became
death.
Yet God is a loving God whose will is not for us to live in eternal
punishment. That’s why He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to live the
perfect life He requires and to become our substitute. Christ never
sinned — not even once — and then He took our sin upon Himself and
died on the cross, on our behalf. When we believe in Jesus Christ as
our Savior, He bears our sin and gives us His forgiveness.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life”
(John 3:16).
About
Being Saved There is absolutely nothing we
can do to “be saved” — Jesus Christ has already done everything
necessary. In His death and resurrection, everyone who believes in
Jesus as Savior has been brought back into a right relationship with
God. That means that, on account of Jesus, everyone who believes is
“justified,” or declared innocent by God. God has done justice to
the world’s sins; because of Jesus, all who believe are forgiven and
will live eternally.
We do not cooperate in our salvation and there is nothing we could
ever present to God to make our way into eternal life with Him — not
money or even good works. Neither can we really feel it or prove it.
We cannot reason our way to salvation, nor can we earn it. All we
can do is to believe in Him, trusting that all that is necessary has
been done for us through Jesus.
About
Faith It is through faith in Jesus
that we receive the forgiveness of sins and eternal life — by
believing that He has freed us from the guilt, punishment, and power
of sin. Faith is a gift worked in us by the power of the Holy
Spirit; it doesn’t come to us through anything we are capable of,
but through what God does for us. We simply receive what is already
being offered out of God’s great love.
About
Grace Lutherans often refer to grace.
The word itself might remind you of the grace period you are given
when paying bills — when your debt can be paid without further
penalty. God’s grace is even more wonderful; that’s why it’s called
“amazing grace.” While we deserved to pay the penalty for our sins,
God had a different plan. Christ paid the debt and we receive
forgiveness and eternal life from Him that is offered out of
unconditional love. That’s why it’s called grace because it is truly
undeserved.
“For it is by grace you have
been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the
gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast”
(Ephesians 2:8–9).
God has provided tangible ways through which He delivers His grace
to those who believe, assuring us that the sins we commit are
forgiven for Jesus’ sake. These are called the “means of grace” and
are God’s Word, holy Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper (Holy
Communion). Through these means, God makes Himself known to us in a
very personal way: God’s Word reveals His faithfulness and love;
Baptism is our rebirth and renewal in Jesus; the Lord’s Supper is
our closest communion with Christ as we receive His body and blood.
About
Good Works Since there is nothing we can
ever do to earn salvation, we do not do good works in order to be
saved; good works are done out of praise and thanks because we are
saved. Such good works include, but are certainly not limited to,
serving and caring for the needs of others, honoring and giving
respect to those in authority, honoring our vows and commitments,
and generally doing what is considered by many to be good and right.
It’s often said that Martin Luther expressed it this way: God
doesn’t need our good works, but our neighbor does.
About
Life After Death
On Judgment Day — we don’t know when —
Jesus Christ is going to return. On that day, everyone who has died
will be raised and those who are still alive will be bodily
transformed. At that time, the final judgment will take place. Those
who do not believe will go into eternal damnation in hell and all
those who believe in Jesus as Savior will have eternal life in
heaven.
