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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," our congregations
accept and teach Bible-based teachings of Martin Luther that inspired the
reformation of the Christian Church in the 16th century. The teaching of
Luther and the 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, copyright 1996, Concordia Publishing House.
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