What We Believe
We are a
Biblical Church.
We believe that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant word of God. That means we believe that God breathed into (inspired, from the Latin word inspiro, “I breathe in”) the men who wrote the Bible the exact words they were to write down (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21). Because of this, we use the Bible as our standard (norma normans) and guide for life. All of our teachings, then, must be based on the Word of God alone (Sola Scriptura).
We are a
Lutheran Church.
We believe that God forgives sins on the basis of Christ alone (Romans 3:24). Sinful man can do nothing to earn or merit God's forgiveness (Romans 3:23). The Bible tells us that God forgives sins through faith in Jesus (Romans 3:25). The Bible also says that even our faith, our own believing, comes from God and not from us (Ephesians 2:8-10). Both God’s gift of a Savior in Jesus and faith in Jesus are gifts of God’s grace (1 Corinthians 15:57).
We recognize three ancient creeds as accurate expressions of what the Bible teaches: the Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed, and Athanasian Creed. These creeds are confessions of what we believe (creed comes from credo, a Latin word meaning “I believe”).
As Lutherans we agree with the theological teachings of the early Lutheran Confessions. These include Luther’s Small and Large Catechisms, the Unaltered Augsburg Confession, the Apology (Defense) to the Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald Articles, and the Formula of Concord.
We are a
Christian Church.
We believe that Christ lived perfectly in our place under the law (Galatians 4:4-7). He was able to do that because he is the Son of God. Christ died a sinner's death, not because he was sinful, but because he took the place of each and every person (Romans 5:6-8). God's wrath over sin was poured out on Christ once for all (Galatians 3:13). Christ's work of winning our salvation is complete; nothing else can be added (John 19:28-30). We don't have to do anything to pay for our forgiveness because God gives it as a free gift, but we seek to do God-pleasing things out of joy and thanksgiving at what God has done for us (1 John 4:19-21).
For a more detailed statements of faith, please visit our national church body's website.