Who, or what, are Lutherans anyway?

Lutherans are Christians who believe pretty much the same things that most other Christians do.  Lutheran theology emphasizes three things that can be summed up in these phrases:

 

Only Scripture, Only Grace, Only Faith

 

Only Scripture:  we believe the Bible is God’s holy Word in its entirety.  The Bible is an amazing, miraculous work.  Written over a period of 1600 years by over 35 different authors, it contains a symmetry and continuity that is unparalleled.  You can trust the Bible as the Word of God, and it gives us the greatest news ever, the good news of Jesus as our Savior and Lord!

Only Grace:  we believe that it is only by God’s grace that we can be saved and have a personal relationship with Jesus.  The Bible, God’s Word, tells us that all people are sinners, that they have a genetic disease called sin, and that separates us from God.  There is nothing we can do to overcome the consequence of that fact.  But God, according to his grace (kindness, favor, mercy), sent his Son to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.

Only Faith:  we believe that the forgiveness won for us by Jesus is received only through faith in what he has done for us.  We can’t work our way into heaven or eternal life, but when we come to believe that Jesus already died and rose again for us, we have eternal life by faith.

As a congregation we are a member of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (yes, even though we are in Florida).  The LCMS, as it’s known, is the second largest Lutheran church body in the US, with over 6,000 congregations and 2 million people.  You can visit here to learn more about the mission and activities, services and functions of the LCMS.