Dec

Our Beliefs

Christ Lutheran Church is a member congregation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. We hold to the historic teachings of the Lutheran Church as found in the Book of Concord. Here are a few brief statements introducing you to what we believe, teach, and confess.

God

God reveals Himself to us, in both the Old and New Testaments, as Triune - one God in three distinct Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Creation

All that exists did not come into being by chance, but was created by God and is sustained by Him.

Sin

All people, since the Fall of Adam, are conceived and born in sin. This means that we are spiritually blind and dead, and are opposed to God at birth, in need of a Savior to rescue us.

Jesus Christ

Jesus of Nazareth is fully God, begotten of His Father from eternity, and also fully man, born of the Virgin Mary. He was sent by His Father to be the Savior of the world. Jesus fulfilled the Law for every sinner by His perfect obedience, and He died on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for all sinners. On the third day He was raised from the dead, and He will come on the Last Day to judge the living and the dead.

Forgiveness

We cannot obtain God's forgiveness for our sin by anything that we do. Forgiveness is given by grace for Jesus' sake alone. God has declared all sinners forgiven because of what Jesus did for all sinners. This forgiveness is given to us through the means God Himself has chosen, namely, through the Word of the Cross and the Holy Sacraments.

Holy Spirit

God the Holy Spirit works through God's Word and Sacraments to deliver the gifts of the cross - forgiveness, life, and salvation- to sinners. Faith is not our doing or decision. The Holy Spirit is the one who creates faith in us through Holy Baptism, and sustains this faith in us through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus. Without the work of the Holy Spirit, no one can be saved, as the Scriptures declare. God the Holy Spirit earnestly desires to work faith in every sinner, wanting no one to perish, although sadly, many resist the Holy Spirit or neglect the means through which He works.

Holy Baptism

Baptism is the work of God through which He gives and seals the forgiveness of sins. Baptism is a gift intended for "all nations," including infants. Through baptism, God comes to us raising us from spiritual death to life in Christ. Every gift of God in Christ, including faith, forgiveness, life, and salvation are given through Holy Baptism.

The Church

Through baptism, we become part of God's family in Christ, the church. The Holy Spirit gathers the church around the gifts of Word and Sacrament where Christ is present for us forgiving our sins, strengthening our faith, enabling us to live Christian lives, and through us, reaching out to those outside the church with the saving Gospel, that they also, may be brought into God's family.

Holy Communion

The Lord's Supper is the true and essential body and blood of Jesus under the bread and wine. It gives forgiveness of sins to those who receive it in faith.

Law and Gospel

God's Law tells us what to do, and what not to do, but the Law also condemns us because it exposes our inability to keep it. The Gospel is the teaching that Jesus kept the Law perfectly for every sinner, and that by His sufferings, death, and resurrection, He paid the penalty for our disobedience to the Law. Christians should follow the moral Law of God, but following it cannot save us. The Gospel is what saves us because it gives Christ and forgiveness to us who daily break the Law.

The Holy Ministry

The Lord Jesus, having completed His ministry, created this office for the purpose of proclaiming the Gospel and administering the Sacraments. It is not an office invented by men. It is God who joins this office to His church for the caring of souls.

Prayer

Prayer is the response of faith to the promises of God in Christ. While saints are examples for us to follow, they are not to be prayed to or worshiped. The Father hears the prayers of His children who call to Him in faith.

Free Will

While we are free to live, reason, and act in all worldly matters, where spiritual matters are concerned, our will is in bondage to sin so that we are unable to choose to come to faith in Christ or believe in Him. Faith is not our decision but is a gift from God.

The Judgment

Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead. His second coming will not be for the purpose of setting up an earthly kingdom, but for judging all people. This day is known only to God. When it comes, all will be gathered before Him, the unrighteous will depart from God's presence and enter into eternal punishment; those who belong to Christ will enter into life eternal.