Living Faith Lutheran Church

 

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Our Beliefs

 

With the universal Christian Church, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod teaches and responds to the love of the Triune God:

the Father, creator of all that exists;

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Jesus Christ, the Son, who became human to suffer and die for the sins of all human beings and to rise to life again in the ultimate victory over death and Satan; and the Holy Spirit, who creates faith through God’s Word and Sacraments.

The three persons of the Trinity are coequal and coeternal, one God.

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Being “Lutheran”

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Our congregations accept and preach the Bible-based teachings of Martin Luther that inspired the reformation of the Christian Church in the 16th century. The teaching of Luther and the reformers can be summarized in three phrases: Grace alone, Faith alone, Scripture alone.

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Grace Alone

God loves the people of the world, even though they are sinful, rebel against Him and do not deserve His love. He sent Jesus, His Son, to love the unlovable and save the ungodly.

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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 through Him.

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Scripture Alone

The Bible is God’s inerrant and infallible Word, in which He reveals His Law and His Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ. It is the sole rule and norm for Christian doctrine.

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Who is Jesus?

For more than 2,000 years, people have asked this question. We were not present when Jesus lived on this earth, but in the Bible we have the record of His birth, life, death on the cross, and resurrection. Through the study of the Bible, you can seek the answer to this age-old question: “Who is Jesus?”

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The Bible

As Missouri Synod Lutheran Christians we believe God’s Word the Bible is as relevant for us today as when it was written. We believe the Bible is Infallible and Divinely Inspired by God, (in simple words God inspired men to record all the words of the Bible, guided their hands to write and all of the Bible is Truth) We believe that you must accept all of God’s Word and can’t pick and choose the parts you like and throw the rest away.

Scripture states in 2 Timothy 3:16; “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” Revelations 22:18-19; “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophesy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophesy. God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”

Our congregation accepts and teaches Bible-based teachings of Martin Luther that inspired the reformation of the Cristian Church in the 16th century. The teaching of Luther and the reformers can be summarized in three short phrases: Grace alone, Faith alone, Scripture alone.

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Forgiveness

We are in the Christian Church, where there is nothing but continuous forgiveness for all persons who are truly sorry for their sins and forgive others as God has forgiven us. Matthew 6:14-15; “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

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Born Again

We believe that a person or baby can be born again through the power of the Holy Spirit in Baptism. Titus 3:5-8; “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying.” Romans 6:4; “We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”

We also believe that a person may ask Jesus into their heart and be born again. Such as the thief on the cross in Luke23:40-43.

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The Lord's Supper

All people are welcome to come and worship at our church. But we believe what scripture says about the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:27-29; “Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.” We believe in the “Means of Grace”, which simply means the Holy Spirit of the Triune God is present in the Lord’s Supper and Baptism. Unfortunately in the secular age that we live in some think that our not practicing “open” communion is unloving. But as a Pastor and my congregation know, “there is nothing loving about giving someone The Lord’s Supper who doesn’t believe in the real presence of the Lord, rather they take it to their damnation rather than their benefit.”

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THE CREEDS 

For more on what we believe, reference our church body web site at www.LCMS.org

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Apostles' Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ,
His only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.

On the third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,
from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Holy Christian Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.

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Nicene Creed

I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth
and of all things visible and invisible.

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And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of His Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father;
by whom all things were made;
who for us men and for our salvation
came down from heaven,
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary
and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.
He suffered and was buried.
And the third day He rose again
according to the Scriptures
and ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of the Father.
And He will come again with glory to judge
both the living and the dead,
whose kingdom will have no end.

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And I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord and giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son together
is worshiped and glorified,
who spoke by the prophets.

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And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church.
I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins,
and I look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

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Our Future

Although we actually believe in the Bible and try to the best of our ability as sinful people to follow God’s Commands through the Holy Spirit, we realize that we are situated in a time when it’s not popular or politically correct to profess the Gospel Truth. If we don’t stand on the truth of the Bible, than we stand for nothing. We as a congregation will then push forward trusting in our God and Christ’s promise that “the gates of Hell will not prevail against His church.