Our Saviour's Lutheran Church
What We Believe
I. God and His revelation

    1. We believe that there is only one true God. He has made Himself known as the Triune God,
    one God in three persons.
    2. We believe that God has given us the full revelation of Himself in His Son, our Lord Jesus
    Christ. Particularly, God has revealed Himself in Jesus as the Savior God, who "so loved the
    world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but
    have eternal life" (John 3:16).
    3. We believe that God has given the Holy Scriptures to proclaim His grace in Christ to man. In
    the Old Testament, God repeatedly promised his people a divine Deliverer from sin, death and
    hell. The New Testament proclaims that this promised Deliverer has come in the person of
    Jesus of Nazareth.
    4. We believe that God gave us the Scriptures through men whom He chose and used with the
    language they knew and the style of writing they had.
    5. We believe that in a miraculous way that goes beyond all human investigation, God the Holy
    Spirit inspired these men to write His Word. Every thought they expressed, every word they used,
    was given them by the Holy Spirit by inspiration. The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, "All Scripture
    is given by inspiration of God" (II Timothy 3:16). We believe in the verbal inspiration of the
    Scriptures--not a mechanical dictation, but a word-for-word inspiration.
    6. We believe that the three ecumenical creeds--the Apostles', the Nicene, and the Athanasian--
    as well as the Lutheran Confessions as contained in the Book of Concord of 1580, give
    expression to the true doctrine of Scripture.

    II. Creation, man and sin

    1. We believe that the universe, the world and man came into existence in the beginning, when
    God created heaven and earth and all creatures.
    2. We believe that the Bible presents a true and historical account of creation.
    We believe that God created man in His own image--that is, holy and righteous.
    3. We believe that man lost this divine image when he yielded to the temptation of Satan and
    disobeyed God's command.
    4. We reject the theories of evolution as an explanation of the origin of the universe and man, and
    all attempts to interpret the Scriptural accounts of Creation so as to harmonize it with such
    theories.
    5. We reject all views that see inherent goodness in man.

    III. Christ and redemption

    1. We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who was with the Father from eternity.
    Jesus Christ is that unique person in whom the true God and a true human nature are
    inseparably united in one--the holy God-man, Immanuel.
    2. We believe that He at all times possessed the full being of the Godhead, all divine power,
    wisdom and glory. This was evident at times when He performed miracles. But while He was on
    earth, He took the form of a servant, humbling Himself by laying aside the continuous and full
    display and use of His divine characteristics. During this time, we see Him living as a man
    among men, enduring suffering, and humbling Himself to the shameful death on the cross.
    3. We believe that He rose again from the grave with a glorified body, ascended into Heaven, and
    is exalted on high to rule with power over the world, with grace in His Church, with glory in eternity.
    4. We believe that Jesus Christ was sent by the Father to humble Himself for the redemption of
    mankind and that He was exalted as evidence that His mission was accomplished.
    5. We believe that in Christ, God reconciled the world unto Himself, that He is the Lamb of God
    who takes away the sin of the world. This is our assurance for salvation.

    IV. Justification by faith

    1. We believe that God has justified, that is, declared all sinners righteous in His eyes for the
    sake of Christ. This is the central message of Scripture upon which the very existence of the
    church depends. All need justification before God, and Scripture proclaims that all are justified,
    "for by the righteousness of One, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life"
    (Romans 5:18).
    2. We believe that the individual receives this free gift of forgiveness through Christ, not by works,
    but only by faith. This faith justifies, not because of any inherent virtue, but only because of the
    salvation prepared by God in Christ.
    3. We believe that man's conversion is entirely the work of God's grace. Rejection of the Gospel
    is, however, wholly man's fault.
    4. We believe that already in eternity, God chose those individuals whom He would in time
    convert through the Gospel of Christ and preserve in the faith to eternal life. This election to faith
    and salvation in no way was caused by anything in man, but shows how completely salvation is
    ours by grace alone.
    5. We reject every teaching that man is somehow responsible for salvation. We likewise reject
    any teaching that says that it dos not matter what a person believes, son long as that person has
    faith.

    V. Good works and prayer

    1. We believe that faith in Christ is a living force within the Christian that must produce works that
    are pleasing to God.
    2. We believe that in this world, even the best works of a Christian are still tainted with sin. The
    sinful nature still afflicts the Christian, who fails to do the good God desires. Even the best of
    believers do the bad that God does not want done.
    3. We believe that also a life of prayer is a fruit of faith. Confidently, through faith in their Savior,
    Christians address the heavenly Father in petition and praise, presenting their needs and giving
    thanks.
    4. We reject every thought that the good works of Christians add to gaining salvation.

    VI. The Means of Grace

    1. We believe that God bestows all spiritual blessings upon sinners by special means, ordained
    by Him. These are the Means of Grace, the Gospel in Word and Sacrament.
    2. We believe that through the Gospel of Christ's atoning sacrifice for sinners, the Holy Spirit
    works faith in the heart of man, whose heart by nature is opposed to God.
    3. We believe that also through Baptism, the Holy Spirit applies the Gospel to sinful man,
    bringing to life and cleansing from all sin.
    4. We believe that all who receive the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper receive the true body and
    blood of Christ "in, with and under" the bread and wine. This is true because, in the Sacrament,
    "Jesus said, "This is My body which is given for you. ... This cup is the new testament in My blood,
    which is shed for you" (Luke 22: 19-20). As we partake of His body and blood, given and shed for
    us, we by faith receive comfort and assurance that our sins are forgiven and that we are truly His
    own.
    5. We believe that Jesus gave His Word and the Sacraments to His disciples for a purpose. He
    commanded them, "Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of
    the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." It is by these Means of Grace that God preserves and extends the
    holy Christian church throughout the world.

    VII. Jesus' return and the Judgment

    1. We believe that Jesus, true God and true man, who rose from the dead and ascended to
    Heaven, will come again. He will return visibly. We do not know the exact time of Jesus' return.
    Nevertheless, our Lord has given us signs to keep us in constant expectation of His return.
    2. We believe that at Jesus' return, this present world will come to an end.
    3. We believe that when Jesus returns and His voice is heard throughout the earth, all the dead
    will rise together with those still living to appear before the judgment seat of God.
    4. We reject every form of millenialism, since it has no basis in Scripture.
    5. We reject any denial of a bodily resurrection and of the reality of Hell.

    We believe all of these teachings, based on the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions.