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We Believe
We accept and teach the Bible-based
teachings of Martin Luther that inspired the reform of the
Christian church in the 16th century. The teaching of Luther
can be summarized in three short phrases: Grace alone, Faith
alone, Scripture alone...
Grace alone
God loves the people of the world,
even though they are sinful, rebel against him and do not deserve
his love. God 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.
Scripture
alone
We accept the canonical Scriptures
of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God and the
authoritative source and norm of our proclamation, faith and
life.
Martin
Luther
Martin Luther (1483-1546) dealt the symbolic blow that
began the Reformation when, on October 31, 1517, he nailed
his Ninety-Five Theses, or points of debate, to the door of
the Castle Church at the University in Wittenberg, Germany.
The church door functioned as a
kind of bulletin board, and Luther's intent was to spur
debate among the academic community. That document contained
an attack on abuses by the Pope, particularly the sale of
indulgences by church officials to finance, amongst other
things, the construction of a new St. Peter's Basilica in
Rome. Anyone who purchased an indulgence behalf of
themselves or a deceased
relative was promised a
 lessoning of time
their souls spent in purgatory. The practice greatly
enriched the church, but created great hardship among the
poor.
But Luther himself (left) saw the
Reformation as something more important than a revolt
against church abuses. He believed it was a fight for the
gospel. Luther even stated that he would happily have
yielded every point to the pope had affirmed the gospel.
And at the heart of the gospel, in
Luther's estimation, was the doctrine of justification by
faith, the teaching that Christ's own righteousness brought
forgiveness to the those who believe, and on that ground
alone, they are accepted by God.
ELCA
Confession of Faith
Confession of Faith of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America, from the ELCA constitution.
We confess the Triune God, Father, Son
and Holy Spirit.
We confess Jesus Christ as Lord and
Savior and the Gospel as the power of God for the salvation
of all who believe Jesus Christ is the Word of God
incarnate, through whom everything was made and through
whose life, death and resurrection God fashions a new
creation.
The Bible is the written Word of God.
Inspired by God's Spirit speaking through its authors, it
records and announces God's revelation centering in Jesus
Christ. Through the Bible God's Spirit speaks to us to
create and sustain faith and fellowship for service to
others.
We Lutherans accept the canonical Scriptures of the Old and
New Testaments as the inspired Word of God and the
authoritative source and norm of its proclamation, faith and
life.
We accept the Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds as
true declarations of the faith of this church.
Lutherans accept the Unaltered Augsburg Confession as a true
witness to the Gospel, acknowledging as one with it. In
faith and doctrine all churches that likewise accept the
teachings of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession.
We accept the other confessional writings in the Book of
Concord, namely, the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the
Schmalkald Articles and the Treatise, the Small Catechism, the
Large Catechism, and the Formula of Concord, as further
valid interpretations of the faith of the church.
We confess the Gospel, recorded in the Holy Scriptures, as
the power of God to create and sustain the church for God's
mission in the world.
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Apostle's
Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son,
our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius
Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended
into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into
heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He
will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the
communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the
resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
History of the Apostles Creed
The "Apostles Creed" was developed between the 2nd and
9th centuries and it is the most popular creed used in
worship by Western Christians.
Throughout the Middle Ages it was generally believed that
the Apostles, under the direct inspiration of the Holy
Spirit, composed this creed, each contributing one of the
twelve articles. This legend dates back to the 6th century.
That is not the case, though the name stuck. However, each
of the doctrines found in the creed can be traced to
statements current in the apostolic period (1st century).
The earliest written version of the creed is perhaps the
"Interrogatory Creed of Hippolytus" (c. 215 AD). The current
form is first found in the writings of "Caesarius of Arles"
(died 542).
The creed was apparently used as a summary of Christian
doctrine for baptismal candidates in the churches of Rome
and was given in question and answer format with the
baptismal candidates answering yes in response to affirm
their belief in the truth of each statement.
Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of
heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God
from God, Light from Light, true God from true God,
begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father.
Through Him all things were made. For us and for our
salvation He came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy
Spirit He became incarnate from the virgin Mary, and was
made man. For our sake He was crucified under Pontius
Pilate; He suffered death and was buried. On the third day
He rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; He ascended
into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the
dead, and His kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father
and the Son He is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken
through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and
apostolic church. We acknowledge one Baptism for the
forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the
dead, and the life of the world to come.
History of
the Nicene Creed
In the first three centuries after Christ's resurrection,
the church found itself in a hostile environment. On one
hand, it grappled with the challenge of relating the gospel
to a Greco-Roman world. On the other hand, it was threatened
by both persecution and internal conflicts. In 325 AD,
Constantine (272 or 274 - 337 AD) won control of the Roman
Empire over his archrival, Maxentius, at the battle of
Milvian Bridge in 312 AD. Attributing his victory to the
intervention of Jesus Christ, he elevated Christianity to
favored status in the empire. But the new emperor soon
discovered that the church was fractured by theological
disputes, especially conflicting understandings of the
nature of Christ. Arius, a priest of the church in
Alexandria, asserted that Christ was created by God before
the beginning of time. Therefore, the divinity of Christ was
similar to the divinity of God, but not of the same essence. Arianism, as this doctrine became know, was opposed by the
bishop, Alexander, together with his associate and
successor, Athanasius. They affirmed that the divinity of
Christ, the Son, is of the same substance as the divinity of
God, the Father. To hold otherwise, they said, was to open
the possibility of polytheism (i.e. the worship of many gods
and goddesses).
 To
counter a widening rift within the church, Constantine
(left) convened a council in Nicaea (modern Iznik in
northwest Turkey) in 325 AD. A creed reflecting the position
of Alexander and Athanasius was written and signed by a
majority of the bishops. Nevertheless, the two parties
continued to battle each other. In 381 AD, a second council
met in Constantinople (modern Istanbul), and it adopted a
revised and expanded form of the earlier creed, now known as
the Nicene Creed.
The Nicene Creed is the most widely accepted and used
statements of the Christian faith; it is affirmed by Eastern
Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Calvinists,
and many other Christian groups. Those that do not have a
tradition of using it in their services nevertheless are
committed to the doctrines it teaches.
The Lord's
Prayer
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom
come, Your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we
forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of
trial, and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are Yours, now and
forever.
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