Lutherans
in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are Christians who trust
Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We share a common faith with other Christians
who affirm the Bible as sacred Scripture and accept the ancient creeds as accurate
summaries of our faith. Lutherans are unique only in our history and emphasis
on salvation through faith alone.
God
We
believe in the Triune God - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
We acknowledge one God in these three persons. We believe that God the Father
is the Creator of all that exists, and that God continues to be active in the
lives of people today. God is passionate about His creation, loves it deeply,
and desires that our lives be filled with love and joy.
Sin
We
believe that human beings are born with an inner rebellion against God's authority,
and that rebellion separates us from God. Sin is the name that Scripture
gives this rebellion. We are powerless to bridge the gap between ourselves and
God. Unless this gap is healed, we live and die apart from God.
Jesus
Christ
We
believe that while God has revealed Himself in many ways throughout history, He
is most fully known in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, is fully
God and fully human. The most important event in Christian history is the death
and resurrection of Jesus. On the cross God makes Himself present, hidden in weakness,
vulnerability and suffering. In the cross we learn that we do not need to find
God by being good or holy. Instead God finds us in our darkness, pain, emptiness
and weakness.
By
God's grace we learn to see the cross as God reaching out to us. And in Jesus'
resurrection, we see God's power to liberate us from sin and death. By our faith
in Jesus' sacrifice, our sin is forgiven and we are made right with God, freed
to be all that God created us to be.
The
Bible
We
believe that the Bible is the living Word of God. It is the primary means by which
God's Spirit enters our lives, calling us to repentance and faith. When we hear
God's Word, God breaks into our lives shattering old ways and creating new life,
new values and new commitment.
Lutherans
do not tend to understand the Bible literally, nor do we worship the Bible. Instead,
we seek to leave ourselves open to the work of God's Spirit through the words
of the Bible.
Baptism
We
believe that God has chosen to work through the water of baptism. When water and
God's Word come together and touch the life of a child or adult, we are born again,
incorporated into Christ, into his body, the Church. By grace, we receive God's
forgiveness through baptism, and are given the gift of God's Holy Spirit.
In
baptism, especially infant baptism, we affirm that God chooses us - we did not
choose God. Our baptism reminds us that our status with God never depends upon
how we feel, whether we have the "right" religious experience, or our success
or failures. Baptism reminds us that God loves us as we are, but refuses to leave
us that way.
Holy
Communion
We
believe that God reaches out to us through the celebration of his supper, Holy
Communion. By eating the bread and wine by faith, we give flesh to the Christ
who continues to work in us and in the world. In Holy Communion we are reminded
of Christ's loving sacrifice, reminded that God is with us daily in ordinary experience,
and reminded that a great feast of victory awaits the faithful when Christ comes
again.
The
Church
We
believe that the Church is the people of God, called to live by faith as witnesses
of God's love and redeeming work in the world. We are not called to live as Christians
in isolation, but in community. God calls us to gather in worship, study and fellowship.
Growing
as a Christian
We
believe that Christians are called to grow in faith, love and obedience to the
will of God throughout our lives. We are never done growing! Growth happens whenever
we place ourselves in the path of God's Holy Spirit and allow ourselves to be
open to the Spirit's work in us. We believe that God's Spirit works most often
through the Word, the Sacraments (baptism and Holy Communion), and by gathering
together with other Christians in worship, study, and fellowship.
