With the universal Christian Church, The Lutheran Church--Missouri
Synod teaches and responds to the love of the Triune God: the
Father, creator of all that exists; Jesus Christ, the Son, who
became human to suffer and die for the sins of all human beings
and to rise to life again in the ultimate victory over death
and Satan; and the Holy Spirit, who creates faith through God's
Word and Sacraments. The three persons of the Trinity are coequal
and coeternal, one God.
Being "Lutheran," means we accept and teach the Bible
as God’s inspired and inerrant Word. We agree with the
Bible-based teachings of Martin Luther that inspired the reformation
of the Christian Church in the 16th century. The teaching of
Luther and the other reformers can be summarized in three short
phrases: Grace alone, Scripture alone, Faith alone.
Grace alone—God
loves the people of the world, even though they are sinful,
rebel against Him and do not deserve His love. He sent Jesus,
His Son, to love the unlovable and save the ungodly.
Faith alone—By
His suffering and death as the substitute for all people of
all time, Jesus purchased and won forgiveness and eternal life
for them. Those who hear this Good News and believe it have
the eternal life that it offers. God creates faith in Christ
and gives people forgiveness through Him.
Scripture alone—The
Bible is God's inerrant and infallible Word, in which He reveals
His Law and His Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ. It is the
sole rule and norm for Christian doctrine.
The word "Synod" in The Lutheran Church--Missouri
Synod comes from the Greek words that mean "walking together".
It has rich meaning in our church body, because the congregations
voluntarily choose to belong to the Synod. Diverse in their
service, these congregations hold to a shared confession of
Jesus Christ as taught in Holy Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions.
The congregations of the Synod are "confessional."
They hold to the Lutheran Confessions as the 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 put into writing by church leaders
during the 16th century. (The simplest of these is Luther's
Small Catechism. The Augsburg Confession gives more detail on
what Lutherans believe).
Adapted from A Week in the Life of The Lutheran Church--Missouri
Synod, © 1996, Concordia Publishing House.
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