Our Beliefs
We believe that God created the world in perfection, but the first humans plunged the world into sin and death when they broke God’s command. From the beginning, God made a plan to redeem his creation so that he might once again dwell with his people. This plan was fulfilled through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Everyone who believes in Jesus has faith, life, and salvation. We look forward to the day when sin and death will be eternally destroyed and God will re-create the universe in its original perfection.
Who is Jesus?
More has been written and said about Jesus than any other person throughout all of history. Some people believe that Jesus was a good teacher who had a lot to say about how to live a good life. Some believe that he was a social revolutionary, stirring up the status quo of the day. Both of these groups capture a part of who Jesus is, but they fall short of the full picture.
The Jesus that the Bible tells us about is the Son of God. He was miraculously born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, teaching about what he called “the kingdom of God,” or God’s rule on earth. He healed the sick, cared for the needy, and forgave sinners. Ultimately, Jesus came to earth to die. Jesus is radically unlike other religious leaders. His power and authority are demonstrated chiefly in his humility and death for us.
As a man, Jesus paid the price that we owed for our sin by dying on the cross. As God, Jesus’ death has infinite value to all people of all times and places. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, God offers everyone forgiveness of sins and salvation. We receive this free gift of God through faith. God does not discriminate. While we have the freedom to reject God’s gifts, he offers them to everyone freely without reservation.
Want to learn more about Jesus? We love to talk about him! Please contact us to learn more.
The Bible
The Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God. Led by the Holy Spirit, God used human authors with their unique experiences to give us his true Word. The Bible is about Jesus. Everything in the Bible points to Jesus and his redeeming work to save sinners. While the Bible was written within particular cultural and historical contexts, it is not limited to those contexts. Because the Bible is God’s Word, it is relevant to people of all ages, times, ethnicities, and languages. Through the Word, the Holy Spirit works saving faith in its hearers.
Creeds & Confessions
Throughout its history, the Christian church has summarized its beliefs into short statements called “creeds” (from the Latin word credo, meaning “I believe”). These creeds reflect the teachings of the Bible and explicitly state what the Bible says about topics like the Trinity and Jesus. The Lutheran church holds to the three ecumenical creeds which are accepted by most Christians: the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed.
The Lutheran church has its historical roots in the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. The reformers who sought to purify the church of false teachings and practices wrote “confessions” to summarize their teachings and explain why their teachings are biblical. The Lutheran Confessions make up the Book of Concord. The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod teaches that the Lutheran Confessions are a correct exposition of Scripture. While they are authoritative for us, they stand under the authority of Scripture.